A ROYAL DECREE

    TIME FOR A ROYAL DECREE

 I've decided my Holiday issues are all President Roosevelt's fault!  Why he had to mess with Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation I just don't understand.  Lincoln had it right when in October of 1863, you know what he said it better than I can: "to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise".  In 1939 Roosevelt, succumbing to pressure from retailers wanting more than 24 shopping days before Christmas, moved the date that year from November 30th to November 23rd. People were in such an uproar that only 23 states moved the date, 23 states stayed with the 30th and 2 states couldn't decide so they actually celebrated two Thanksgivings that year.  Finally in 1941 Congress passed a law declaring Thanksgiving to be the 4th Thursday of every November.
     You might be wondering why did I just give you a history less some two weeks after Thanksgiving?  Because I am so behind on everything this year!! You'd think that with Thanksgiving being early that meant there would be extra time for Christmas preparation~ have you ready any of my blogs???  I had serious issues with the holiday being so early. It seemed they were playing Christmas music as soon as we turned the calendar to November.  The Christmas Tree Lots were up and running while turkeys were still defrosting (like a tree might really live long enough if you buy it before Thanksgiving).  UGGH the whole thing just put me off my game.
     So here it is already the end of the first week of December and what have I gotten done for the holiday???? NADA  That's right a big whopping zero.  Outside of a few gifts bought early on I haven't even done any real shopping.  OK my kids are all teens (oops sorry one twenty-year old as she keeps reminding me) and they basically just want gift cards BUT STILL.  Cards aren't signed, decorations aren't out, baking hasn't started, I'm just totally off my game.
    I firmly believe that the reason Roosevelt moved the holiday from the last to the fourth Thursday of November no longer holds any water.  The idea of retailers needing more shopping days is absolutely CRAZY.  If they respected the idea that the Christmas shopping season started AFTER Thanksgiving I might give them some credence however I dare you to find me one box store that doesn't start putting out Christmas decorations before the Halloween candy has been grabbed up by  trick or treaters.  Macy's Parade and the idea of escorting Santa in on Thanksgiving day is wonderful ~ had the Christmas songs not started before we all voted.  FYI according to a poll done by SOASTA 78% of Americans also think stores should refrain from playing Christmas music til after Thanksgiving.
    With all of that being said......

Royal Decree of 6 December 2012 concerning the return of Thanksgiving to the last Thursday in the month of November.

We BREN, by the grace of God and continuous medication, Lady of ALL, wife, mother to three children, two dogs and chickens

Believing the World would run better following my opinions and the Proclamation of the United States President Abraham Lincoln dated October 1863; 

Have approved and understand that:

 Article 1 

Starting with the year of our lord 2013, the American holiday of Thanksgiving shall be permanently moved to and celebrated on the last Thursday of November regardless of whether there are four or five Thursdays in said month
Article 2
Retailers shall acknowledge the consumer's ability to continue with their holiday shopping regardless of the music playing or the store's decorations.  Therefore said retailers shall refrain from the playing of holiday music as well as the displaying of candy canes, snowmen and any other holiday paraphernalia until Black Friday shopping commences

Article 3 

This Royal Decree will become active on the day after its publication and the inevitable acceptance by the United States Congress

The Royal Place in my Mind,

6 December 2012

    

 

One of those S Curve days

   ( S-Cure:  traces the cyclical movement upwards and downwards in a graph. So named for its shape as the letter "s" Relates to growth and decline in the natural increase.  ~~ One of Meg's AP Human Geography Vocabulary Words~ Always trying to educate you dear ones LB)

Do you ever feel like your life is a replay of a Three Stooges movie? Welcome to my Friday.  I can't say it was a horrible day as after over a week of headache/migraines I finally kicked them.  And then I went to Publix.

     The first Friday of every month my kids have an incredibly long day.  After going to school all day they head to a different mega-church in our area for the monthly Youth Quake Live show.  While they are served Pizza for dinner before the show it is only two slices and they don't get those until 6pm.  So I make sure they have a sub or something like that on the way.  That means a trip to Publix.  So I got Meg from school and we headed to Publix.  Everything went fine, even found some great BOGO deals for the weekend.  Then I had to check out. 

     I felt like I was following a Three Stooges script verbatim.  We had gotten a fountain drink with our sub and enjoyed it around the store.  It was in the seat of our cart as we were loading our groceries onto the belt.  I guarantee I couldn't repeat what happened next if I tried.  Somehow by simply taking out the sub, also in the cart seat, I managed to rip the lid off the drink which then performed a 180* flip and land bottom side up exactly where it was first situated.  Amazingly I didn't spill a drop of soda on ANY of my groceries or me!!  Pretty impressive don't you think.

   Once we got the floor cleaned up and my groceries all bagged I reached into my purse to pay only to discover that my wallet was missing; I left it in my computer bag the previous evening.  That's ok Publix takes checks and once you are in the system they don't need your driver's license... oops that policy's been changed.  So here I am with a medium sized grocery order that includes ice cream and the subs for the kids' dinner unable to pay.  Did I mention I was shopping at the store by Meg's school and not my house!! 
** If you were keeping track that's three strikes and in less than 5minutes :0(  The poor check-out girls who has been so sweet to this point suggested that they would store my groceries in the back until I could return later with payment~sure I have time for that TODAY.  Thank fully the store manager (who cleaned up my mess) took pity on me and said I could call her from home with my license information.

  My day ended on a glorious high-note!  I received my first pot-belly historical collectible that I won on eBay.  AND as if I planned it as further proof for Thursday's post A Peek Into My Royal Roots... it arrived via Royal Mail.

My first Royal Pot Belly

A peek into my Royal Roots

    In case you haven't heard I am royal... obviously since I am Lady Bren.  It isn't as if I woke up one and declared myself royalty... well actually that is what I did but don't tell anyone.  It wasn't until my stroke that I truly embraced my royalty completely.  Notice though I haven't claimed to be a Queen or Grand Duchess just a simple Lady, the wife of a Knight, though to be modern I have decided to keep my own name.

    I am proud to say that I am a second generation American.  My Grandfather (that's what we called him) came over from England around 1910.  He actually snuck in through Canada so I won't find him in any immigration registrar.  The story goes that he wouldn't become an American citizen just in case the two countries ever went to war.  You have to kind of love that tenacity I guess.  My grandfather was a composer and wound up being a Captain in the Salvation Army.  While my childhood memories are very limited I fondly remember Fish and Chips with vinegar,  Real Tea Parties, Beef and Kidney Pies and his bragging on English Strawberries.  Hanging in the basement where I grew up is a framed piece of glass with a quote "The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire".  It is the only thing from my Dad that's still left I hope to someday own. 

     In 1977 my Dad, a Pan Am employee, received 4 First Class tickets and we went to London.  This was back when air travel was still a luxury and you dressed as such.  We had never flown anywhere before and I thought that every time you flew you ate dinner upstairs with roses and chocolates.  For one week we explored castles, museums and the streets of London.  I came home an official anglophile.  Thank heavens we were regulars at the Library so the research department didn't mind getting me all the books I could devour on the subject.

     Queen Elizabeth I is truly my hero.  After her is another great woman, Queen Victoria.  They are two of the people I choose for the 5 people I would invite for dinner.

     My bookshelf is full of books both fiction and non-fiction.  Margaret Howard and Philippa Gregory are among my favorite authors.  So you can imagine my delight when today I received an email from my dear friend Amy Bruno at Passages to the Past that I had won one of her many glorious historical fiction giveaways!!  So I am going to be checking my mailbox with baited breath for my copy of In a Treacherous Court

  

My Royal Dilemma......

     Fair warning if someone posts a comment about recording or replays prepare to be whomped!!!

     What little girl hasn't grown up wanting to be a princess?  Why do you think Disney has repackaged their princesses into an entire line of their own.  Little girls (and let's be honest their moms too) love the idea of being royalty.  Wearing a crown and all the other jewels as well..... think of the princess diaries when Julie Andrews shows Anne Hathaway the room of gems what female's heart didn't leap just the teeny tiniest bit?  What about the clothes?  The pomp and stance?  The bowing and curtsying when you come and go?  Only being shown the beautiful side of life unless you choose otherwise?  If there's a woman out there who has said she never ever ever wanted to be a royal well feel free to not read any further.
     Now for the rest of you.....  How often do we get to see someone walk into a building as well a nobody and walk out a Princess??  NEVER it just doesn't happen.  Well that statement will no longer be true after Friday at 11am BST.  Minute to Minute Schedule tells us everything from when what guests arrive to the infamous kiss on the balcony. 
     Do you remember where you were Wednesday, July 29th 1981?  I most certainly do.  Back then we didn't have 9 million different channels or youtube or 24hour news replays.  We had to watch the wedding of Charles and Diana when they aired it.  The TV stations played it during the middle of the day pre-empting most soap operas.  I worked at Herber Plumbing and Heating that summer.  JoAnn Herber made sure her office staff ~ 3 of us including her~ celebrated this momentous occasion properly.  Champagne cocktails and a wonderful lunch.  I remember how much fun we had ohhing and ahhing when we finally got to see her dress.  The train oh that gorgeous train.  I'll admit getting a massively long train was a must for my own wedding dress...though it was no where near 25 feet.
     So when I learned of William and Kate's wedding I started planning.  Meg and I were going to get up early wear big beautiful hats and eat finger sandwiches.  It was all planned and even Food Network Magazine must have anticipated my plans as their April issue has a pull-out section with recipes for 50 Finger Sandwiches. 
    So what is my Dilemma?  I have a saying.... if it isn't in my planner it doesn't exist.  I didn't think to write the Royal Wedding in my planner.  I have all of the kids' activities in there, all my doctor/therapy appts in there.  I don't know where my cognitive skills were or how I didn't make the connection but....
This Friday, the day I was getting up to watch all the festivities start at 3am, is the same day I am driving to Mobile for Emily's Opera!  Mobile is a 6-7 hour drive.  My dear friend Jane is coming with me.  There is NO WAY in God's green earth that I can be up at 3am then drive/ride to Mobile and be completely awake for an Opera at 8pm!!!!
    The thing is I didn't even make this connection until last weekend.  I truly was despondent though my family was totally entertained.  We were driving home when I realized this and was just dumbstruck for a couple of minutes.  I actually called my daughter to see if there was a Saturday performance.  My message included things like.... does your school realize they did this?  don't they realize the importance of this day... Great mom moment huh.  She called back laughing but made it very very clear that her Opera wasn't an option.  Then I thought well I'll just drive down a day early and be in a hotel all day Friday so I could watch the wedding...I don't see why staying an extra night in a hotel should be a big deal.
    Of course missing Em's Opera was never an option but i had to vent in true Lady Bren fashion.  I have since shared my now diffused dilemma and cannot believe the lack of support I've received.  Did people really think I didn't know how to work my DVR??? DUH I know they are going to replay it for days.  They just didn't get it ... and they too seem as entertained as my daughter.
     Em was telling me how nobody at school even cared.  Well nuts to her because today campus life posted a Royal Wedding Event @ 3am so there.
    I just wanted to see the dress the first moment it was revealed.  See Kate walking down the aisle.  See the newly married couple walk out together.  And of course the kiss on the balcony.
I have resolved to seeing the end of the wedding and the kiss LIVE.  I will be heading to bed Thursday night by 9pm and have planned a nap Friday afternoon.

I am sure you too have been entertained by my dilemma.... Oh if my world was only real.....Remember I'm Royal so I would have been invited :0)

My crown..... proof of my Royalty