Minions

I haven't seen the Minions movie, yet. It's on the list of things to do, but so are a lot of other things. Still, I can celebrate all things minion. I have help in that one of my friends, Meredith, is kind of minion obsessed. She contributed to my enjoyment with a box of goodies.

So many goodies, most of which were at the dollar store. I use the minion cup for beverages while I'm at the computer. Right now, it has Coca-Cola in it. The tic tacs sit off to the right. I'm not sure if I want to open them. The hand wash is in the bathroom. It's apple banana scented and is heavy on the apple, but light on the banana smell. I don't know if I want to use the toothbrush. It's cute. I will use the toothpaste, once I've used up what I have now. And the mouthwash is, well, interesting.

It's called "Bubble Fruit" flavor. I had just used up some cinnamon flavor ACT mouthwash so I jumped in to use the minion branded one. Maybe if it had been dyed pink. I won't say it's horrible, but I won't rush right out and replace like for like when it's used up. Maybe it's my "adult" palate, but I thought the flavor was a bit too chemical and not fruity. Still, at a dollar for a bottle, it's a better value than the ACT brand I was using.

There was going to be another Spectacular Death guild meet-up while I was in Virginia visiting Carole and Larry. With the movie out, it was the perfect time to do something of a minion theme. Meredith found minion paper goggles which we used for a guild photo.

I'm grateful to the guild members who attended for going along with the goggles for a photo.

A minion balloon marked the driveway.

Meredith made name tags featuring minions and put them in a minion folder.

I didn't have a printer or the time to make name badges. Next year, we probably won't need them because most everyone will know everyone else, but having minions was funny.

I bought a minion decorating package which contained spiral hangers and a banner.

Everyone got a goodie bag containing a minion bubble wand, their goggles, a sticker and a minion activity book which contained crayons. Mom helped assemble the bags.

The best minion item, however, is my poster.

This is done at weddings. There is a poster or photo or something on which attendees can write messages of congratulations. I found this poster at AllPosters.com. Sadly, this doesn't seem to be available on their site anymore. I had each guild member, and Carole, pick a minion and sign their toon's name on it. I'm going to take this to JoAnn Fabrics next weekend, after I get paid, and have them frame it. I was trying to think, after making that decision, where I'd put this and suddenly it hit me. Of course, that's where it needs to go. You'll have to wait to see where that is, after it gets framed.

We don't really NEED a theme for a guild party. The theme could be just "Spectacular Death gets together", but it was fun to assemble something totally silly. I can't thank Meredith enough for the goggles and the name tags. She also sent me a minion note book where I can record my thoughts about what crazy things my guild could get into.

For the record, the red item in the box is an M&M zipper pull. It's gone onto my winter coat.

Good times.

Beverage:  Coca-Cola

Deb

Mija

I got a balloon on Sunday.

The original recipient didn't want this. Balloons and cats seem to go together, thanks to the curling ribbon. I tried to entice someone into play.

She chewed for a bit but the ribbon isn't as long as some of them so when the balloon is up against the ceiling, they can't reach it. Pilchard doesn't seem to be remotely interested in this. Maybe when it loses some of its helium and floats lower in the living room, I'll see more play.

Dragging the measuring tape around yields better results.

She attacked that ferociously. We had a great time, for about 10 minutes, of my dragging the tape across the recliner and her charging after it. It's kind of hard to get good photos when you're playing with the cat.

I'm on a Cheerios kick right now. I bought the biggest yellow box I could get and that's what I'm going to have for breakfast. I should have bought bananas, too, but I didn't think about that. I have to take pills in the morning and Mija knows that when I sit down with a bowl, chances are very good, there's milk in it.

I usually pour a bit extra so I have my cereal, use the residual milk to wash down my pills and then have a tablespoon left for her. It depends upon the cereal I've had whether she actually drinks the milk. When I have chocolate Chex, she's not interested. But when it's Cheerios without bananas, she's almost in my bowl with me.

Ah, life with cats.

Beverage:  Scottish Breakfast tea

Deb

Well It Ain't Me

Sometimes, the act of finding something to be happy about on a daily basis gets a little help. Witness this, seen in the morning as I was heading to the office.

I have no idea where it came from. It appears the wind carried it to the yard where it entangled itself around that fern on the north side of my neighbor's house. It made me giggle. I'm fairly certain the gals next door would not define themselves as "princesses". Lord knows I certainly don't. Still, this started the day with a laugh and we could all use one of those. It was gone when I got home.

Now, bring me a bag of Oreos and some milk while I put my feet up in the recliner and watch a movie. Make sure you bow when entering and leaving my presence.

Beverage:  Lady Gray tea

Deb

Last Minute Prep

Saturday, May 21st dawned crystal clear, gorgeous.

 

If we were looking for a sign, this was it. Not a cloud in the sky. A light breeze and mild temperatures. 

After breakfast, we drove out to the farm. Carole and her bridesmaids had been up early finishing the last of the decorating. There were bows to put on the porch.

Each table had to have the bag with decorations and the appropriate camera so the caterer could then set things out.


The arch was brought out of the barn and stuck into the ground. It had white lights on it so the extension cord had to be anchored. Then, these tulle flowers were placed along the path from the house to the arch.

  

Carole and Michelle had gone to pick up the cake and the flowers. When they got back, mom and I were charged with putting balloons on the mailbox and on the sign to the farm. Hop in the car and off we went.

First stop was the mailbox.  In the early morning, the mailbox is in full sun. By afternoon, however, it's in complete shade. When we left the reception to head back to the hotel in the early evening, the balloons on the mailbox were still floating. They were slightly diminished in size, but they were still floating. 

After decorating the mailbox, mom tied balloons to the farm sign. Because these were always in the sun, by the time we got back from the church, they were drifting just above the sign and weren't even floating at the end of the reception. I heard someone at the church say, "Just drive down Remington Road and look for the balloons." You could still look for the balloons on Sunday but they weren't floating.

What's more festive than balloons? I know all the stuff about letting balloons go and having wildlife eat them with disastrous results, but used to decorate, balloons just say "Party's here!" Back to the house we went. 

It was then we discovered a couple of oopses. The cake traveled from Safeway (Yes, a grocery store! It was excellent cake!) in a large box. It was three tiers topped with a white tulle ribbon and white silk flowers. 

The top tier was white frosting with green dots and shamrocks. The middle tier was green with white and the bottom tier was white with green. A small part of the side of the cake, to the left in the photo and you can't see it, had touched the side of the box as Carole and Michelle drove back from the store. Carole was upset but, as we looked at the damage, we realized the caterer had probably seen worse and they would be able to "fix" it, although a couple of the decorations on the side had been smushed. 

Another problem was with the flowers. This bowl of roses was a centerpiece. It was beautiful but had spilled into the box with the rest of the flowers. Oh well, we scrounged around for a tub to put the rest of the church flowers in. 

Carole selected potted orchids. We were able to find a plastic bin and the orchids all fit inside the bin. They were so pretty. 

The big problem was with the calla lilies. Each groomsman and the fathers had a single calla lily as a corsage. The bridesmaids carried a bouquet of three calla lilies tied with green ribbon. David had a white rose. We moms and my mother had a corsage of one white rose surrounded by greens and white miniature orchids.

Carole was supposed to get 15 "perfect" calla lilies. When she got to the florist, also in the Safeway grocery, she found out the supplier had sent 25 lilies of which only 3 would pass the florist's "perfect" standard. The florist had taken a scissors to some of the lilies but even the ones she had pruned of the dried brown did not meet what anyone would consider perfect. Carole was unhappy. The florist, however, substantially reduced the cost of the flowers.

Carole's bouquet.

In reality, flowers are just accessories to the event. While they complimented the activity, no one was walking up to someone and critically looking at the flowers. It was distressing that things were not exactly as Carole envisioned but the flowers were gorgeous. 

All the decorating done. Everything else fetched. David and the groomsmen were getting their tuxes and were dressing at the hotel. We had a few minutes to sit on the porch and collect our thoughts. We were finally at that day, the day 2 people who loved each other deeply had chosen to start their journey of forever. 

Beverage:  water

Deb