On Other Wedding Crafting:

There was a book I put together for them of envelopes and blank cards. It was for the guests to add their thoughts, advice, wishes or poems to the wedding couple.

The cover of their’s had a nice tree on it. The mock up page here has slightly different colors then the ones that went into making their book. Their colors were chocolate brown and sage green with tan, ivory and other greens as accents.

It was made on the idea of a scrap book. But this one has 8 X 8 inch pages, not the 12 X 12 inch pages of a scrap book. And some of the pages had only three envelopes on it because one of the envelopes was bigger (the size of two of the smaller ones.) for more wordy messages.

Each page had a slightly different combination of envelopes and cards, in placement, sizes or colors to mix it up. Their’s had only one color for the stickers because they had already found the color they had been looking for in a roll of one thousand. But that could easily be changed for the wedding couple involved if you are taking our idea and making it your own. We had more envelopes and card in it then guests because some people liked it so much they went back a few times. Email me if you want more instructions.

The book made a big hit because people could leave their thoughts without having others reading the cards as each writer sealed the envelope closed with a sticker when they were done.

The wedding couple felt like it was a book of hidden treasure. As they went through the sealed envelopes and found privet heart felt thoughts, memories, or treasured pictures of them drawn by the children attending.


The crafting of the table and place cards was done like this: Each table had a tree named plaque on it with a picture of the tree leaf. And the place cards had a cut out of that trees leaf glued on the corner. The head table was Maple. Ours was Sassafras. There were oak, elm, chestnut, linden, aspen, cottonwood, ginko, willow, beach, sycamore and others. (Friends of the newlyweds are marrying in the fall and are using apple names for their tables.)

The difference here was the groom had made laser cut out leaves with the name of the tree burned into it made out of wood. He stained the leaves a little darker and he made the wooden name place cards that the leaves were attached to in the same way for the persons name, along with the plaques for the tables with the tree names. They were lovely and unique. Even if they had paper place cards and leaves it would have been nice. But the wooden ones were just special.

I wish I could show you the place cards but I can’t without showing you names of people that I don’t have permission to show you here. But I do have a few of the extra leaves. They are no bigger then two inches across for the biggest one.















Answers to center piece questions: The confetti on the tables and center pieces, on yesterdays blog, were little paper leaves made by anyone who wanted to help and didn’t have much crafting skills. The wedding couple had bought leaf hole punches at various crafting stores and off the web for the job. And the slices of wood had to be kept damp and then oiled to keep them from splitting before the wedding.

On The Wedding Day, Part 3:

When the wedding couple rejoined the guests under the tent there were canapes and the music was started. Small children and some adventurous adults danced.

The table center pieces turned out lovely (lavender and baby‘s breath so as not attract bugs and Mountain Man provided the tree slices), the wooden name place cards made a hit with everyone there (they were made by the groom), and no one was upset with the seating arrangements. Everyone had smiling faces, they were laughing and talking and generally having a good time. And outside of the tent a number of large dragon flies were putting on an impromptu air show.

The only draw back was the biting bugs, and a basket of various bug sprays was past around to each table to keep them at bay.

The dinner, Chicken, Fish or Vegetarian, was very good to the point that someone begged the recipes from the owner, and various people took the time to copy them down. (No, I didn’t get them as well, but my sister did.)

Glass’ were clinked and the best man and maid of honor made their toasts. The bridal couple kissed and the dancing started in full with the bride and groom’s first dance as a married couple.

The party went on in the tent and the air conditioned room where the groom set up a photo center where you could push a button and ten seconds later your picture would be taken for them. This attracted the children and people who had a sense of humor. Many funny pictures awaited the newly weds along with the more serious photos of the people that came to the wedding.















The wedding cake was a pine tree shaped stand of cupcakes because the wedding theme was trees/nature. Small jars of honey made right there at the retreat center were the favors.

The people with long drives started to leave around nine o’clock. I turned in at 11:30PM, when the party moved to the fire pit for a sing along and the rest of the guests that were housed at hotels left. I was told that the remaining people and the newlyweds went to bed at 2:00 in the morning.

The handkerchiefs I made for the bride and the women of the wedding party made a big hit, but somehow I didn’t get one picture of them. I was so busy I didn’t even take a picture of them before I left for the weekend. Silly of me I know. The women got tea dyed with a narrow bobbin lace and the bride got white with deep tatted lace.

The next day we all had fun cleaning up the grounds until noon. Then we packed the cars to the brim to get everything in. Good-byes were said and we left for our six hour trip back home.

The wedding couple left for their honeymoon the next day.

On The Wedding Day, Part 2:

The sun came out and the guests were seated in the damp seats as they were sprinkled with rain drops from the trees over head. But this didn’t seem to dampen any of the spirits of those participating.

The parents and grandparents were given bouquets and boutonnieres then sent to their seats in the front rows. Hydrangeas and Calla Lilies were the flowers of the day.

There was a musical piece played and the groom with the brides uncle, who was the temporary official for the day, came up the isle and into place. The music changed and the wedding party alternating women and men came from the main building down the stairs and across the lawn, then up the main isle to the front on each side of the wedding arch.

The brides maids wore chocolate brown dresses with sage green shawls and the groom and his men wore brown slacks with tan jackets. The flower girl/ring barer wore a sage green dress and gave out calla lilies to the people on the isle seats as she went to the front.

The music changed again and I made the mistake of looking at the door of the building and I saw just the hem of the Daughter Princess’s bridal gown. I started to cry so hard I missed her walking over the lawn and up the isle.

I did get to see her arrive at the wedding arch and take the grooms hands. It was apparent to anyone with eyes and were there that they are truly in love. It over flowed and dripped from them like the rain dripping from the trees over head.

There was a reading done by the bride’s father of a poem asking the blessings from all of nature on the wedding. The wedding couple wrote their own vows, they were lovely and punctuated with just the right amount of humor.

(At one point a neighbor started his shooting practice and many jokes went around the seated guests about a shotgun wedding, which this was not one of, but was funny just the same, even to the wedding party.)

The flower girl brought over the rings which were exchanged. They kissed and it was announced that they were now ‘husband and wife.’

The bride and groom went to the back of the seats to the edge of the lawn and planted a bush and the wedding party followed down the isle when they were done.

While we were moving over to a close hillside to have a group picture the chairs were moved to the tables under the tent. And as the rest of picture taking was underway the guests circulated in the tent, and played lawn games. While the picture taking continued a rainbow graced the sky behind the wedding couple. The hem of her gown was also graced by a dragon fly during the pictures.





























Picture of wedding arch from the side before the flowers and ribbons were put on it.

On The Wedding Day, Part 1:

The wedding couple wanted an outdoor wedding including the planting of a bush. The wedding was set to start at 4:00 PM on the lawn by the wedding arch.

The wedding day dawned with a hot muggy rain. Intermittent as it was, we didn’t go for more than twenty minutes before it would start to rain again. The weather report kept on changing by the hour, but each time I checked the percentages for rain in the afternoon it kept on going up.

Each time the rain stopped for a few minutes some of the guests and workers dashed out to set up the chairs out on the lawn for the ceremony, set up the tables under the reception tent, or dig the hole for the planting which was then covered so it didn’t fill with water.

After everything was set up they would go out to tip the chairs to get the bowl of the seats emptied so that they might dry by the ceremony, each time the rain would stop.

At one point in the early part of the morning I had a melt down upsetting the bride. I have to tell you that I really did try not to go there. And I was taken to the wood shed by more then a few people. (To any of the people involved who read this and thought you were helping, you made things worse. My daughter and I talked, made up and were okay. I on the other hand, almost didn‘t make it to the wedding for your interfering.)

There was also a morning brunch that was punctuated with the arrival of the guests that didn’t stay at the retreat center. The wedding party went off to get their hair done. The flowers were made into the bouquets and off to the places that they were decorating.

All this time I was sewing my top for the wedding. I did this by hand not having my sewing machine with me. I had been busy crafting up to this time and was still hoping that it would be cool enough to wear the sweater I had made and was planning to wear. It was just too hot and sticky of a day to wear it and not faint away.

Fortunately the last rain shower came at about 3:30. There was just enough time to tip the water out of the chairs once more before the guests were to take their seats.

I got done making my top with just enough time to do my makeup and be ready to go out to my seat with the others. I didn’t get to do my hair up and grabbed a hat, hiding that fact. I missed my daughter getting ready and being in that part of the wedding prep and pictures.

On The Wedding Preparations:

Well, in the crafts department, we cut out, tore jagged, hole punched, white glued, hot glued and folded. We cut ribbon, strung ribbon, knotted ribbon, bowed ribbon. Miles and miles and miles of ribbon. We labeled, we collated, we traded jobs, assembly lined and talked. Everyone who wanted to found something to do to help out in one way or another.

There were store runs, ice runs, beer and wine runs. Hair and nail appointments. Naps for little ones and a few of the older folks too. Almost everyone that showed up offered to help out or just happened to have what was needed or forgotten on hand.

Food arrived, flowers arrived, lots and lots of people arrived. All needing to be directed to their places, mixed together and turned out right. All hands that could were engaged to make it work out and come together in time. All as introductions were made all around time and time again.

The place they had chosen to have the wedding was a retreat center and also a youth hostel. It was all fairly primitive, so there wasn't a lot of comforts to be had.

The weather was very hot and humid the entire time, with only one room in the hole place having any air conditioning. Even the envelopes for the cards stuck together before they could be used. Everyone dripped and glistened, they showered more then once a day with little or no relief and still we were all just happy to be there. Every fan that could be found or placed by an electrical outlet was employed to keep everyone as cool as possible.

Everyone did their best to make it come out right for the happy couple with the least amount of trouble for them. Not everything went according to plan, but nothing ever really does. Still, we all worked hard so that they could have the best day everyone there could make happen.

Food was shared, music was shared, conversation and friendship and space in the only cool room or the only room where food was allowed or the space for the crafting was shared.

The weather was changeable. The rain came down then the sun came out, followed by thunder and lightening splitting the sky. All will amazing frequency. Still the lights only blinked, but never went out for more then a second or two.

Everyone did their level best to get it all done and be as pleasant as possible for the good of all. And I have to say, I only had one melt down, despite having been stripped of all my comfort zones the entire time. What couldn’t be fixed was rigged to work and or covered over to make the best of.

In the end everything that needed to get done to pull it all off and all was done by the time it was needed to be. Everyone I talked to was having a good time or said they were and there were never a lack of smiling faces in every direction.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the wedding.

On Wedding Prep:

The bride is off getting her nails done. The groom, Prince Charming, is… Well I don’t know where he is at the moment. My mother is changing her purse to match her clothing today and I’m sitting here cooling down after yoga and breakfast.

When the bride, the Princess Daughter, gets back there are still many things of crafting and decorating to be done before the rehearsal dinner/Barbeque this evening. The one table in the dinning room is still full of stuff from last night. We were working on three tables yesterday until the late hours.

Things have been going well for the most part so far. (Keep out you manic gods.)

The groom just came in so crafting is about to resume.

More later if I find the time.

By the way, Thanks for all the well wishes. The bridal party says thank you too.

On Traveling:

I don’t travel well. Or maybe I do, but only in first class. Our car is not first class. It does not have air conditioning or a window on the passenger side that works.

We started out only 20 minutes later then we wanted to, so all things considered, we were doing pretty good as a whole. (Two of our party don’t often get out the door on time.)

We were bright eyed and bushy tailed. Looking forward to arriving at our destination by Noon, or about six hours after our departure. All this despite the early hour and everything looking up.

The fog was thick as pea soup as we motored on down the road. It slowed us only a bit. We soldered onward knowing that the fog would lift as the sun rose in the sky. And lift it did. Bright sun shine filled the sky and the car with warmth. We opened the windows that still worked. But, down the road the fog returned. Then bright…then fog…then bright…then…you get the picture. All this for the first few hours until it melted into a very hot and very humid day.

Pit stops, gas stops, food stops, rest stops. We made our way over bridges and roadways onward towards our destination. Ten miles, twenty miles, one hundred miles then two and even more went by. Maps checked… well no they where left at home, but thankfully the directions printed off the web were well in hand. One state, two states, three states were behind us.

We finally tired and sweaty reached the state of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania far behind. We were within the last hundred miles of our goal. Sticky weary spirits rose. Almost there, the last leg of the journey, most of the road construction, time and miles behind us, the on ramp to the last section of our jaunt firmly under our tires… and the traffic stops.

We sat in that hot car in the sun, with no air conditioning, and only windows that would go half way down for over an hour while they cleared an accident from the roadway some five miles from our current spot.

We arrived, not happy and contented, at the retreat center. Nor were we ready to jump right into the fray of crafting and decoration that awaited. We showered and ate, rested up a bit and finally managed to revive ourselves somewhat.

I am going to tell myself that the rest of the weekend is bound to go much better. What else could happen? Right?

Gods of mayhem and trickery, you can look the other way now. There is no more fun to be had here. This wedding is going to go off without a hitch because Lady Euphoria Deathwatch says so.

On Almost Ready for the Trip:

Well I managed to find a few moments to post. We leave early tomorrow and the car is packed. I got everything done that I wanted to except for making the top and I’m working on that now.

We are going to bed early tonight and will be up before the sun. I’m hoping to be at the retreat center where the wedding will take place by noon.

I am still not ready to let go completely and in all reality I don’t have to. She will just be a phone call away, like she has for the last six or so years. We will visit like we have in the past. But as we all know once a person is married, it is just different. Not bad or wrong just different.

The partner/spouse is now in line ahead of mom and pop and this is as it should be.

I like and love Prince Charming and he is a good thing for the Daughter Princess. And the reverse is also true. A good match I think.

I thought I would just take it all in, enjoy the day and move on. She has not lived under my roof for about fifteen years.

Maybe it is the loss of my son that makes me have a need to hold on tighter then I thought I was. I don’t know. But this is not as easy as I felt it would be. A piece of me wants to just put her in my pocket and keep her safe from what life will bring her way.

I’m being silly, I know. She has been a grown up for a while, she can take care of herself. On Saturday it will happen no matter how I feel, so I will be happy and loving and tearful. My baby is moving on without me put she has a good man at her side. It will all be good.

I’ll post when and if I can over the next few days.

On I Can‘t Find the Right Pair of Scissors:

My mother is going to arrive any minute here at Lady Euphoria’s Manor House on the mountain top. If you could call a small six and half room, one floor home, with no attic or basement or even a real porch a Manor house.

The floors are still wet from washing them in this hot and humid weather and they are dotted with rags like stepping stones so no one slips.

I have toilet bowl cleaner still in the bowl doing it’s thing, dishes drying themselves on the drain board, 27 rows to knit on a sweater for the wedding weekend, not to mention putting the pieces together, a hem to put in a pair of slacks, and a honey colored top to make for the wedding itself all before I leave very early on Thursday morning.

I have beds to re-sheet and the house hold laundry hanging on the cloths line (The wind today is thankfully moving the other way, thanks for asking.) We have last minute shopping for food stuff for the four days we will be there and the wedding itself is not taking place. (Me for my allergies and my mom for her health concerns. Easier then having the whole weekend menu changed for us.)

My finger nails look really bad and they need a good going over. I still have to practice putting on normal makeup one or maybe two more times. (I haven’t worn makeup unless it is gothy for the last umpteen years. And doing the normal thing still looks and feels just plain wrong when I do it.) Wedding pictures you know.

Last minute ironing and the car to pack with the center piece’s parts, baskets for ‘lost and found’ and things and one for the flower girl‘s peddles, lawn games for afternoon entertainment and wedding photo probs, food, clothing and the crafting stuff for putting the rest of the decorations together.

Will I ever be ready to leave for the wedding?

The answer my friends is, ‘no.’ Not because I didn’t get everything done in time, but because this is my last child and my baby. I’ve surprised myself by feeling so attached after so many years of her being on her own. Time to cut that last apron string and I don’t want to do it just yet.

This is going to take some extra large scissors and maybe blood letting on my part I think. And I'm still smiling.

On What’s That I Smell? Or ‘Mother of Corpse Bride’:

Now, you don’t have to be Goth to find the smell of rotting corpse alluring. And, if you don’t get too close that it is over powering, there is something almost pleasant about it. Like skunk on the wind has a pleasant muskiness to it.

I went out to take down the dry laundry hanging on the clothes line this afternoon before I finished packing for the wedding. Some things were just washed and others were only being aired. The air was thick with heat, humidity and…. death.

Now, on any other occasion I wouldn’t mind smelling slightly of rot. And on the good side, this was reptile rot which has a sweeter and slightly spicy aroma to it. BUT, THIS IS MY DAUGHTERS WEDDING I’M GOING TO.

I had a mild panic attack and then being to pack the clothing because I don’t have another option at this time. I couldn’t pack wet clothing even if I knew it was going to sit in the odor of rot all day. My concern is that once the smell of corpse rot gets into something it is almost impossible to get it out again. Even Fabreeze doesn’t work on the smell of death rot. I don’t have the time to get another wedding weekends worth of clothing matching the wedding colors ready all over again and the rest of my clothing is gothic and not allowed at the wedding.

Mountain Man put the dead snapping turtle out in the woods so he could retrieve the shell when the rest of it had rotted away. He moved it farther from the house, but the ground itself still smells where it had been rotting for the last few days. My trouble is the wind changed direction shortly after I hung the laundry and the worst of the odor was waifting over my clothes line for most of the day.

So, if you come near the wedding of my Princess Daughter and her Prince Charming and you smell something kind of like death, it’s the mother of the bride. I’ll be the one with Ode D’ Corpse perfume. ‘Mother of Corpse Bride.’

Do you think I have time to pack my black lipstick after all? Any ideas would be helpful.

On Modem Mayhem:

Well my computer 'Rubert' is not cooperating and now I have 'Gladys' the notebook all hooked up and ready to go. I had my blog all written and spent hours trying to get on line yesterday. (Modem trouble again.) Then I had to get a disk to make her able to hook up and that was the hold up, but here I am.

Yesterday I was all good weepy. I cried at the drop of a hat, even with the smiles. Good or bad I cried. Too full of happy and it was over flowing I guess.

Today I was fine and I'm starting to work a little, a very little, with my hand again. A little knitting and crafting. I'm resting it again now.

The other day a toad kept on coming around and sitting just outside my bedroom door. He likes the cool of the little patio there I think. A nice little bit of company while I listen to music and wait for my hand to heal.

I've been thinking about my son a lot. Wishing he was here to be part of his sisters wedding. I see him standing in the back, smiling, wishing her his best with all his big heart.

I think for the wedding I'll just pretend that is just where he is. Standing in the back being his big teddy bear self smiling and wishing them the best.

On What Else Was Going On (While I Was Not Blogging), Part 1:

We had a visitor to the pond. Mountain Man went down to the pond one day to feed the fish and noted that there weren’t as many fish as a few days before. As he was feeding them something came up from the bottom and started eating the food he had put in the pond for the fish.
















This was the snapping turtle, and a nasty piece of work he was too. Mountain Man had to kill it because it was going after him and Lady Long, the dog. We don’t know where it came from, but we are hoping no more come along.

Lady Short is still alive. For how long I do not know. She sleeps and coughs, but does little else.

I’ve been too busy to work on loosing much more weight. It takes time to exercise. Though I did start doing the Wii again, now that my thumb is laid up. Funny how I never ‘don’t’ find the time to eat too much.

We’ve been picking blueberries and canning them now. The Raspberries are all done and for that, I am sorry. I didn’t get to make jam and can any of them. We just didn’t get enough this year from our berry patch.

The garden is a Hodge-Podge of plants that did and didn’t like the cooler wetter weather we had this year. We had a very bad year for tomatoes. The peas, carrots and melons were eaten before they got a chance to come up more then an inch. The potatoes and corn have a must/smut on them. But the beets and lettuce have been happy and the cucumbers are growing in pots. The others, like the beans, are holding their own for now.

More tomorrow.

On Now I Did It, But I‘m Happy:

Well, here I sit in a forced rest from all my labors. I type one fingered on the wrong hand, of course. I sprained my thumb and hand making beaded head pieces for the wedding. The picture is of only one of the versions I made and sent pictures to my daughter. The wedding is less then two weeks away and we were still finding a head piece that she likes.

She has picked one out (I am not putting that picture here so all can be surprised at the wedding) and it is being overnighted to her so she has it for the hair dresser to do the practice hair-do for the wedding.

There is still much to do, but I am out of commission. One of my tops is not done being sewn and beaded, the other is still on the knitting needles. There is still a table with undone decorations to be crafted together and I have forty pounds to loose.

Packing must still be done and there are far too many things needed to be put into the car for the trip to leave room for us to get into it also.

But all that aside, I am happy. I tear up at the thought of her going down the isle. You can’t wipe the smile from my face. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling I do for not one reason at all. With the exception of my baby getting married that is.

The head piece in the picture, that I call ‘Star Dust’ is sitting on my head and I smile like a fool. The Princess Daughter is happily getting married to the man she loves. And I get to be mother of the bride. Who cares that I can use my hand. We’ll get through this. And all I will remember is being happy for her/them.

On I Blinked:

I only just blinked! I blinked and another week got by me. I tried to sit and turn on the computer, but I had beading to do and sewing also. There were the crafts we were making to save money by doing ourselves.

I blinked.

I miss you my friends.

I'll try not to blink again.

On Here But Very Busy:

I’m here but ever so busy. I’ve been having migraine head aches again and I’ve still so much to do before the wedding. Who knew that wedding took so much time and energy to pull off.

I’ll writer when I can but I can’t say how often. I haven’t been on the computer for days before this.

I hope all is well with all of you and plan to resume posting regularly by September.