The postillion was struck by lightning

I'm not the only one who sees something wrong with this dress, am I? I'm thinking of attack_laurel's narrowly avoided boob wreaths. (Blue and white dress, people who aren't me.)

So, I have the Summer 2008 issue of InStyle Weddings, and while there's a lot of fug in it, there was something in the etiquette section that just made me grumpy. I'm just typing it out because I don't feel like paraphrasing.

( Not all of my guests sent me gifts! Waah! )

Is it just me, or does this operate on the assumption that every guest should and will give a gift? Now, I know it's usual for a guest at a wedding to give a gift, but it should absolutely not be assumed that they will. The role of a wedding guest isn't a potential giver of gifts, but a loved one who is there to help you celebrate your marriage. That's it. They're guests; you're the host. It's especially not right to think of the expected gift as an "admission fee". I'm not saying that this answer does, but there are people who have that mindset.

There's also an ad in here that features a model in a Victorian corset worn backwards while feeding tulle through a pedaled Singer. AGH.

I think it's silly to get all tetchy when someone doesn't bring a hostess gift to a dinner party. I mean, a bottle of wine or dessert is a nice gesture, but I never invited someone to my house for dinner because I was angling for booze or chocolate. It was always because I enjoyed their company (and I hate to eat alone; handicap of growing up with a large family).

ZOMG, everybody, I just got clearance from my sister to buy a bridesmaid dress for $30! And no dyed shoes! This is like every bridesmaid's dearest wish come true. Of course, there's a good chance that Ann Taylor will be all sold out of the dress I want to buy by tomorrow night when I order it. I hope not!

My sister and I are also tentatively attending the Janesville Ren faire. This means I need to make a mock-up of her bodice in time for Easter so I can fit it. I know the skirt will work out OK, because we're the same height and the skirt on the pattern I'm using was just right for me.

If I have time, I'll be sacrificing the burgundy velvet I was going to use for the Natural Form dress for a new Venetian. Why? Because the friend I was going to pal around with in Victorian dress is currently in China. Yes, China. This puts a crimp in our plans, you might say, especially since she won't be back until late August, and August is much too hot for velvet bustle dresses. (Apparently I'm OK with velvet Venetians in May, though. Let's not analyze this too much.) So I'm going to look for a pretty cotton voile or linen for a dress like this, and we'll do something while it's warm. Mmm, this means a little straw hat with delicate flowers.

Additionally, the raw milk debates are closed. No, the thread isn't, I'm just not going to argue with LHoD anymore, since he doesn't know enough about any of the issues in the thread to make it worthwhile. I did, however, call him a "marmot-faced tool," which I kind of hope makes his face turn purple with impotent rage. I can't wait to see what his response is! I bet he goes away thinking that he's won the argument, and says as much.

I'm glad WhyNot didn't continue to pop back in, because I generally like her. I'm not really surprised she'd be in favor of raw milk, given her hippy-dippy-ness, but I hope she's never tempted to give it to her little girl. That could turn out badly. :(

In closing, I reallyreallyreally love the song "Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac. Yet another thing my mommy has led me to like.

One last thing: I haven't been receiving comments on a LOTS of entries, so if I've ignored you in the past couple weeks, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional.