Royal Wedding: Celebrating Harry, Meghan & Windsor Castle

How could I be so lucky? I am in a new neighborhood and some ladies on another street put together a Royal Wedding viewing party. It was festive, fabulous and I met some terrific women. When Prince William & Kate married in 2011, I had my family over for a party at 4 am. Remember my Royal Brunch?

The invite to this party suggested wedding attire and a facinator of your choice. I accepted the challenge and made mine out of a sheet music, burlap roses and leaves (Hobby Lobby), pleated brown silk ribbon and a Steampunk-esque metal/crystal brooch attached to a headband with duct tape and luck. 

The group went all out for this British buffet, including authentic sausage rolls from a shop called The British Pantry in Redmond, WA. How have I not heard of this place before? I was told that it is a pub and a gift shop. I'm hoping that they sell mugs to commemorate the marriage. Stay tuned.

I brought a jar of homemade lemon curd and a plate of mini scones and brown sugar shortbread. They were a welcome addition to the party.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour

3 T. brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

3/4 t. vanilla

Combine flour all ingredients in a food processor (fit with a blade) and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling to itself. On a clean surface, form the mixture into a ball and knead until smooth. Roll onto a lightly floured surface (I love this baking mat) into a 8 x 6 inch rectangle. Cut dough into strips and place on ungreased cookie sheet (using parchment paper on your cookie sheet is okay). Bake at 325 degrees  for 20 min or until just beginning to brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy alone or with lemon curd. 

Did you know that I've been to Windsor Castle? We went specifically to see Queen Mary's dollhouse. Cameras were not allowed inside, but my memory of that visit is vivid. Grand canopied beds, intricate wallpaper, tiny exquisite paintings - all created by craftspeople in the 1920's. The link includes a video of the dollhouse; I highly recommend viewing it.

One of the neatest things I photographed outside of Windsor Castle was this wall that shows how men were able to shoot arrows out of the fortress to protect the monarchy. Simple and ingenious. 

This Royal Wedding was everything I could hoped it would be. I found some kindred spirits, had a chance to eat some favorite British fare and I witness every moment of this grand occasion. Best Wishes to the happy couple.





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Royal Wedding Mug

My cousin Jennifer in Germany saved the day!  She remembers all too well my love of Princess Diana and when she realized that her husband was taking a trip to London just weeks before the Royal Wedding, she offered that he could pick up a souvenir for me. 

The one thing I was desperate to have from William's wedding was something porcelain with the couple's photo and the wedding date.  I have mugs and plates from Diana's engagement, wedding and the birth of William, so I needed another piece of china to continue to my collection.

I absolutely love it!  Her husband picked out the perfect mug and Jennifer carefully carried it back to the US on her latest trip!  I am so grateful for their thoughtfulness and care.  And included with the mug was a collection of newspaper clipping (in German) for me to keep, as well.  So nice!

Jennifer and Michael - thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Have you considered lately, how the smallest gesture can reveal a gigantic heart?

Six days a week, I write and send photos out into the world trying to inspire my readers to find delight in every day life.  If I can lead by example and show people how little touches, easy projects and simple recipes can bring some happiness into their lives (and the lives of those around them), then I am accomplishing my goal.  I try to be very honest with my ideas and declarations and although I may seem overly passionate about some things, I feel that the truth can help people to celebrate their own quirky collections or interests.

Now that I've said that, I'll remind you that for me, the Royal Wedding was a big deal.  I've written about collecting Princess Diana memorabilia as a child, how I went to see an exhibit of her dresses years ago, that visiting St. Paul's Cathedral was meaningful to me.  I have done my best to express what I think so many people feel and now that the time had come, I was happy to get up early and watch a beautiful wedding with the rest of the world.

Then I got an email from a blog reader and "fan/friend" on Facebook who lives in England.  She has been following my blog and wondered if I wouldn't like her to get me some wedding souvenirs.  Can you believe it?  What a simple and glorious thing to do.

I told her that my cousin had secured a mug for me (what a relief!) but that I would LOVE a tea towel, some newspaper clippings and, if possible, a simple tote (like for groceries or to carry library books) with the wedding date on it.  We figured out how I could pay her back through PayPal (genius!) and she set off to find me some goodies. 

The package arrived yesterday and this is what she sent!  Not only did she find a lovely crested tea towel and a "couldn't be more perfect" cotton Union Jack printed bag with hearts and 29 04 11 on it, but she also included a commemorative wedding book (blue), a royal issue of OK magazine, lots of newspaper articles (I've learned way more than I could find out here) and a little William & Kate wedding button as gifts!  Can you stand it?

Friendship and Kindness and Generosity from across the Atlantic; simply because she knew I would like it.  Thank you, Friend, for bringing me delight.

Royal Brunch

It was early, but it was worth it.  We had a Royal Brunch this morning at 4 o'clock in the morning and watched every minute of the wedding festivities for Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

I was happy to have this occasion to open my jar of official Windsor Castle strawberry jam that I bought at Windsor Castle last June - remember?  Just perfect to serve with homemade scones and clotted cream.

I thought that it would be nice to share my quiche recipe.  It garnered a lot of praise and felt like the perfect regal breakfast dish.

Royal Brunch Quiche

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sauteed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 package of steam-in-the-bag frozen asparagus,  steamed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 (8 oz) bag of shredded Swiss cheese
1 Pillsbury "unroll and bake" refrigerator pie crust, uncooked
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
1 3/4 cups of whole milk
a few swipes of freshly grated nutmeg or a pinch of bottled nutmeg 
a few cranks of cracked pepper
a sprinkling of fine salt
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Select a pretty baking dish (I loved using this one) and spray it with non-stick cooking spray.  Using cooking shears, unroll and cut the pie crust and arrange the pieces in the pan to cover the bottom and some of the edges of the pan.  Arrange cooked chicken on top of crust.  Arrange asparagus pieces on top of chicken.  Spread cheese over asparagus.  In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolk, milk, nutmeg, pepper and salt.  Pour egg mixture over everything in the baking dish.  Place the quiche into the oven, shut the door and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees.  Bake until custard sets, approximately 45 minutes.  Serve and enjoy. 

If there is a Royal Wedding, you can make the quiche the day before, allow it to cool and then refrigerate it overnight. Re-warm it in a 350 degree oven and serve at 4 o'clock in the morning.

The Royal Wedding

What I wouldn't give to be in London right now.  I have been watching the Royal Wedding coverage on TV (and the Twitter feed @ClarenceHouse) all week and love that people are camping out on The Mall for a chance to see the bride and groom.  And the crowd will be able to watch the ceremony on live video screens in Hyde Park and Trafalgar Square So fun!  I love when a crowd gathers for a happy occasion - when the consensus is that something is so special that they should stop their lives for a while in order to witness it.

Well, all I can do from "across the pond" is celebrate.  I've planned a 4 AM brunch to watch everything LIVE and as the wedding draws near I am happy to say that everything is ready!  Baked French Toast, Chicken & Asparagus Quiche, Scones, Lemon Curd, Strawberries and the coffee maker is set to brew.

I downloaded the official wedding program and printed a copy so that we would be able to follow exactly what is going on.  And afterwards, for the first time, the wedding ceremony and music will be available on iTunes.  I'm serious!

No matter where you are, I hope you will watch the Royal Wedding with me.

Royal Wedding and The Goring

I just went to a party where I heard that Kate Middleton and her family will be staying at The Goring hotel in London during the week of the Royal Wedding!

I couldn't believe it!  I absolutely love The Goring hotel - I stayed there in June and it was one of the finest hotel experiences I have ever had.  Gorgeous accommodations, an exceptional staff, delicious food.  If I felt like a princess, it's no wonder she wants to stay there! 

The photo above was taken in The Goring's large formal garden behind the hotel.  It is enclosed on all four sides by buildings, so it should offer a wonderful place for a private outdoor party.  What fun they will have!

I also thought you might like to see inside.  I took this photo at High Tea in the lounge overlooking the gardens.  I loved dining in a bright, yet cozy, enclosed porch with vibrant yellow china.  I thought it was just plain good luck that my cigar box purse (shown on the table) matched the room!  I think this will be a lovely place for a bride to have her morning coffee, don't you?

Royal Wedding 2011

I am so excited for the Royal Wedding that I've decided to host a brunch...at 4 o'clock in the morning!  I know that I'll be glued to the television watching all the fanfare, why not make a party of it? 

Because it is a weekday, I know the group will be small (so far my husband, parents and best friend are "in") but that doesn't matter.  I am following my grandmother's philosophy, "You've got to make your own fun."

I'll be using my fine china and serving: Ham & Broccoli Breakfast Casserole, Baked Pecan French Toast, fruit salad, scones, orange juice and coffee.  Yum!

I've loaded "The Royal Wedding" app (I'm serious!) on my iPhone to keep me informed and I'm just starting to ask people who I think would like to come to a party...at 4 o'clock in the morning.  Trust me, it's a short list.

Now all I need is a commemorative plate to celebrate the wedding of "Will and Kate!"

Visiting England: St. Paul's Cathedral

A statue of Queen Anne presides over the west entrance of St Paul's Cathedral.

I have been wanting to visiting St. Paul's Cathedral since July 29, 1981. Are you with me?

It was the morning of Lady Diana Spencer's wedding to Prince Charles. What a day!

Eleven years later I chose a candlelight white wedding gown and soft white bridesmaids dresses for my wedding just as Diana did. It was gorgeous!

It meant a lot to me to stand on these steps and enter St. Paul's cathedral just as she did 29 years ago. It was the closest I would ever get to her life and somehow it was a way to pay my respects.

I could tell you a million facts about the cathedral, dome and its history, but honestly for me, it was all about Diana.