The Royal Wedding

I'll be honest, I have never understood the allure of celebrity weddings. I mean really, I don't know these people! And more often than not, that marriage is going to end in under a year. So I just can't see trying to get excited over something that I have no personal connection too. And I guess I just assumed that Kate and William's would just affect me the same.

Of course, the Royal Family are not celebrities. They aren't famous for something like entertainment. They are famous because of how well loved they are. By the British, and the rest of the world.

Now I'm asking myself why it is that a wedding between two people on the other side of the world is so exciting for me?

I'm still not sure as to why, but I'm going to just roll with it for now!

For those of you who didn't stay up to watch the nuptials or view them online, here are some details:

First of all, before the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth II gave both Prince William, and Princess to-be Kate each a total of 3 new titles. They are:

Prince William the:                       Princess Katherine the:

Duke of Cambridge                      Duchess of Cambridge

Earl of Strathearn                        Countess of Strathearn

Baron Carrickfergus                     Baroness Carrickfergus

The ceremony took place in the Westminster Abbey in front of 1,900 guests. After which they rode in an open carriage waving to their cheering subjects with smiles of adoration.

But nothing about the ceremony has been as blogged or tweeted about as the kiss. I've got to admit, that one baffles me. Why are people so excited about this? Are they surprised? Because that seems odd...doesn't everyone kiss their spouse? Especially on their wedding day? So I'm going to leave you all to fill me in there. Let me know why that is just SO exciting for everyone.

To be honest my favorite part of the whole thing was simply Princess Kate's dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (her sister also wore a dress by McQueen). It was so simple and subtle, but beautiful and elegant. It was modest, but not old fashioned. And I think it played off her mix of youth and grace very well.

Not that Prince William wasn't looking dapper, which he definitely was. He's a very handsome man after all!

I am not one of the people who would have woken up my kid to see it. (She's only 2 1/2 anyway, so she wouldn't appreciate it) But I think it was worth it to stay up to watch, if only to be witness to something that will become a part of history.

It was beautiful.             

People have been writing for weeks, comparing Kate to Diana. I don't want to be one of them, but I'd like to share my thoughts.
I can't see the new princess being every bit as influential as Princess Di, but why should she be? She has her own mark to make. She's a completely different person. 

I can see that she looks happy, and unafraid to embrace the responsibilities that being a part of the Royal Family entails. She looks determined, and she looks like she's found her home. So Kudos to her!

And good luck to Prince Willliam and Princess Kate. We wish you all the best in your marriage.
We hope your special day was just that, special! And we can't wait to see some little ones running around again.
Congratulations!
♥ the girls at J.LiLy

Jessica at J.LiLy

We'd love suggestions!

We three are eagerly working on all the gadgetry for the blog.
Trying to make it more accessible, shareable, and readable.
But we are also desperately trying to find ways to de-clutter it.
To make it more streamlined and simple.
It's going to take a few weeks to get the hang of this, and to get it how we'd like it to be. Heck, we're still working on a posting schedule between the three of us! (and we ARE working on content. We swear!)

What we'd like from you is some feedback!
-What, if anything, about the blog's layout/widgets/design deters you, or irritates you?
-Are we not offering something (as in a platform on which to share) that you are looking for?
-Do you feel that either the layout, header, or design are too busy/bright/cluttered? Or do you like them as they are?
-Do you know of any software/sites that could help us to streamline our look as far as widgets and other items?
-Do you have any suggestions or criticisms?

Leave us a comment on this post, send us an e-mail, reply on twitter, or comment on facebook!
Because as always, we would love to hear what you guys have to say!

A little bit of beauty

First, a beautiful picture:

Proof that the world is still a beautiful place, no matter what we as humans do to destroy it.
Mother nature knows what she is doing. ♥

And a beautiful quote:


“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” - Elizabeth Stone

We hope your day is a beautiful one!

Jessica at J.LiLy

Help me out here!

 

I'm not sure why, maybe because of all the easter-egg hunts, but easter always makes me think of grass. So I thought today would be an appropriate time to post this and BEG for some help.

So here's my dilemma.

In the nearly 10 months that we've lived in our house, my husband has mowed the lawn twice.

Count it.

One. Two.
That's it.
And the last time I think he did it was mid-to-late fall, so you can imagine what my yard looks like right now.
We don't own a lawn-mower, so I understand that it's a hassle.
He has to find someone to borrow one from, get it in the car, use it, get it back in the car, and take it back over to that persons house.
And we can't buy one now, because we're most likely renting out the house and moving into an apartment. Which means a lawnmower is not necessary.
And I know, he works long hours on a weird shift, so he's tired and worn out.
But he also has a 3 day weekend. Every weekend.
I would do it. I really would, but I can't.
I don't have a license, so I can't go pick it up, and I'm allergic to grass.
Really allergic to grass, not "I think this stuffy nose is allergies" allergic.
(itchy/watery/swollen eyes, hives, stuffy/runny nose, headaches, uncontrollable sneezing...and that's just leaving the window open while someone else mows their lawn. In high school I even woke up with my eyes swollen completely shut...no fun!)

The rest of the problem is,

He refuses to pay someone else to do it.

We live downtown, so their are neighbor boys and professional yard-workers who come knocking at the door every time they drive by our wildly unmanageable yard.
I always want to say "YES! Thank you! I'll pay you whatever you want!"

But instead, every time, he says "No thanks".

And every time he says no thanks, I want to scream a little bit.

I don't actually do it. But I do get the urge too.
And then a week or so goes by, the yard still un-mowed, and another hopeful person knocks at the door hoping to make a few bucks.
Only to be rejected.
I'm sure they all walk away from our house shaking their head in wonder.

So, that is my dilemma.

What do I do about a thing like this?

I don't want to just pay someone to do it when he's so set against it (for who knows what reason), but I just CANNOT look at the forest that is my yard for one more week.

So I'm opening my ears up to you.
Leave me a comment with your suggestions, please!

And help me out here.



Jessica at J.LiLy

I Got a Sick Obsession...

Yup. That's right.

It's Ke$ha.

$.

For those of you who don't listen to Ke$ha, I'm not actually obsessed!
Those are some of the lyrics to "Your love is my drug".

I know okay.
I'm a mother. I shouldn't love ke$ha. It's wrong.
Blah, blah, blah.
(hehe)
I can't help it!
I do. I just plain do.
I love her style, her songs get stuck in my head for days on end, and her attitude makes me smile.
It all takes me back to high school. Ha.

I tried not loving her music.
I really did.
I thought, mother's do not love kesha. They love elvis, the beatles, bono.
I wondered whether or not to post it,
wondered what the other mothers would think of me.
And then I realized, oh yeah!
I don't CARE if people think its wrong.
It's love!
Haha, I kid, I kid.

But seriously. Don't care.

All I know is for my birthday, I am going to see KE$HA in concert.
September 10th.
There will be jumping. There will be yelling of lyrics. There will possibly be screaming.
And there's gonna be glitter ALL up in here.

♥

Jessica at J.LiLy