Royal Obsession

Was anyone else besides me totally obsessed with this Royal Wedding thing on Friday (and Saturday and Sunday)?!

Initially, I thought the whole thing was "no big deal". I didn't even think I would watch any of it.

Then I slightly changed my mind and decided I would at least DVR it - just in case I wanted to check out "the dress" or something.

Then Joey was gone all weekend (playing paintball with friends), leaving me alone with the TV and DVR. I starting watching this wedding ordeal about 7 pm Friday evening . . . . and I could not get enough of it. I was hooked.

The wedding ceremony details in and of themselves were enough to grab my attention for the full 4 hours (the ceremony was beautiful), but I also love European history, and so while I was watching the wedding on TV, I was at the same time reading through the official website of The British Monarchy.


The website includes all the facts regarding the history of the British Monarchy and its traditions. It answered many of my questions: What is a Duke? an Earl? a Countess? Who is "so and so" in relation to the Queen? Why isn't Queen Elizabeth's husband called "King"? What do these people do all day? Who lives in which castle? Who is related to whom? (I'm slightly nosey.)

The website also includes little peeks into the Castles and Palaces owned by the monarchy. And if you don't know by now, I'm a teensy bit obsessed with houses of any kind. Bring a castle into my view, and I just might go nuts. The sheer size of these castles alone is enough to boggle my brain, but then you add the architectural and historical details of these residencies and I die.

The website gave the most information about Buckingham Palace, and that's what I'm going to share with you today. So, if you're not interested in castles, you can stop reading here. Otherwise continue...

For much of the year, Buckingham Palace is used by The Queen and members of the Royal Family for official functions and events. The State Rooms of the Palace are open to visitors during the Annual Summer Opening Her Majesty is in residence at Balmoral Castle.


Buckingham Palace has 775 (!) rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres (354 feet) long across the front, 120 metres (394 feet) deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres (78 feet) high. Here are a few snapshots of the rooms available online...

1. The Grand Staircase: Designed by the architect John Nash for George IV, the staircase was augmented by Queen Victoria when she added portraits of her immediate family.


The dome, which allows daylight into the Grand Staircase, consists of 40 panes of glass, engraved and etched by the firm of Wainwright.


The decorative scheme of white and gold was introduced by King Edward VII soon after his accession in 1901. The plaster decoration, including the reliefs of the Four Seasons, were designed by Thomas Stothard.


Queen Victoria had full-length portraits of her immediate family fitted into the walls of the upper part of the stairs; these include her parents, the Duke and Duchess of Kent and her predecessor to the throne, William IV and his wife, Queen Adelaide.



2. The Throne Room: The Throne Room is used principally for the reception of formal addresses on important occasions. John Nash designed the interior, in which everything is designed to focus the eye on the throne and canopy. Queen Victoria was the first Monarch to make use of the Throne Room as the setting for balls. In the 20th Century, the Throne Room has been the setting for official wedding photographs, including the marriage of Queen Elizabeth (and Prince William and Princess Kate's photos).



3. The Blue Drawing Room: George IV intended this room as a ballroom, but it was superseded in that function by Queen Victoria’s Ballroom in the south-west wing of the Palace. The room is 21 metres (68 feet) long and divided into bays by giant Corinthian columns. The blue flock wallpaper now in the room was hung by Queen Mary in the early twentieth century, while the Corinthian columns were re-painted to resemble onyx in the reign of Queen Victoria.



4. The White Drawing Room: The room is used for receptions and audiences and has been used as the backdrop for a number of formal photographic portraits of members of the Royal Family. John Nash reserved one of his most original ceiling designs for the White Drawing Room.


At each end of the room two pairs of ebony-veneered cabinets with gilt-bronze mounts are built into the wall beneath tall mirrors. One of them is incorporated into a concealed door . When opened, the mirror and cabinet open as one to to provide members of the Royal Family with a discreet means of entering the state rooms from the private rooms beyond.



5. The Green Drawing Room: No information about this room on the website, but I like that you can see the Thrones Room through the doors.



6. The State Dining Room: I counted and I think there are 24 chairs around the table. That would be great for nice family parties!



Does this interest anyone else as much as it does me?

I could keep going with pictures of Windsor Castle, St. James's Palace, Balmoral Castle, Frogmore, Clarence House etc ... but I'll stop here for today.

Holla if you want to see more!

Oh, and to check out virtual views of these rooms yourself, click HERE.

Marriage and Mansions

This weekend Joey and I had the pleasure of attending a marriage conference with our church, and it took place Friday night and Saturday at the Grand Geneva Resort in the nearby city of Lake Geneva. Lake Geneva is about 30 miles directly west of our city of Kenosha....


...it is a lovely place that we don't go to nearly as often as we should.

Here's a brief history lesson on the city:
Prior to the civil war, Lake Geneva was on the reverse route to the Great Lake ports for slaves escaping from Southern Illinois and Eastern Kentucky. After the war, the town became a resort for the wealthy Chicago families. These families began construction of the many mansions on the lake, and Lake Geneva became known as the Newport (RI) of the West.

The Chicago Fire of 1871 caused many Chicago families to move to their summer homes on the lake while the city was rebuilt. The construction and maintenance of these mansions, as well as household employment, developed a separate industry in the town adding to the milling, furniture, wagon and typewriter manufacturing enterprises.


The marriage conference ended around 2pm Saturday afternoon, and Joey and I decided to take a walk around part of the lake. The temperature was in the mid to upper 50's, and what was a very cloudy and foggy morning was turning into a clear and sunny afternoon. It was just foggy enough to not be able to see the other side of the lake.

One of the things I love about Lake Geneva are the many mansions built around the lake. And many of these houses were built along "Wrigley Drive" (remember Chicago-ans built many of these houses).


The city allows tourists to see some of these houses via a walking path around the lake. The path actually cuts through the very back of the yards of these private properties giving you a view of the houses on one side and the lake on the other.


I want to give you a peek at just a few of the lovely houses we drooled over, including one house that was especially enchanting. Journey with me...

House #1: While hard to see in this picture below, I love the slate-colored stone hedge that runs across the base of this house. And even though we are a few weeks away from green trees and colored flowers, you can tell this lawn is beautifully landscaped.


Most of the houses include some type of descending steps down to the lake dock where the owner's boat(s) will eventually be held once they're put into the water (around Memorial Day). I thought this set of steps was especially lovely with the pillars and pergola entrance.


House #2: Another beautiful white house. I adore the red brick steps leading up to the house. The bricks on the pathway are placed in a herringbone pattern. None of these enormous yards had even 1 leaf on them after the long winter. Someone earns a pretty penny maintaining this place.


Along the path, across from several of the houses, were sets of old steps that used to lead to docks (I'm assuming), but are no longer in use. This one looks like the path to nowhere.


House #3: The Stone Manor ... here's a little more history for you...

The Stone Manor is the largest mansion in Lake Geneva. It is an 18,000 square foot magnificent Italianate palace with a 250 foot veranda and an expansive lawn visible from downtown Lake Geneva. The estate was built in 1900-1901 by Otto Young, a man who made his fortune buying real estate along State Street in Chicago following the great fire of 1871. It was constructed for over $1,000,000 and features such as gold-plated fixtures, a basement bowling alley, and a third floor miniature golf course astounded even the wealthiest resident. The property was a single family home until 1939 when it was presented to the order of St. Anne to be used as an Episcopalian private school for girls. The school was discontinued after only a few years. Around the 1980's the mansion and remaining property were purchased for back taxes, reportedly for $74,000. It has recently been restored and converted to 6 condominiums ranging in price up to $1.6 million.


That house is so ginormous. I can't imagine that at one time only one family lived in it. Insane.

House #4: My favorite house on the short tour, and the one we spent the most time admiring, I've saved for last. You enter the back of the property through this fence-lined pathway. On the left side, you can see some of the dock riggings, which will eventually be placed in the water.


The entire length of the fence (both sides) is painted with a variety of quotes and flowers. We spent a bit of time reading the many quotes and seeing all the different authors, including some Bible verses.


About 1/2 way down the fence, you finally look up and see the beautiful house that graces the property. The balconies are splendid. In person, I could see the large wrought iron lanterns hanging from the balcony ceilings. The landscaping was also beautiful.


Located in the middle of the fence...


...are a few objects you can see in the picture above and the pictures below:

1. Two little gates that are across from each other. The gate on the left reads "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" and leads down to the lake dock. The gate on the right reads "Expect a Miracle" and begins a path that leads up to the house.

(Note: click on any of the pictures to view them in a larger format)



2. Directly to the left of the "Yellow Brick Road" gate is a tree on which hangs a bell. Written on both the bell and the fence railing beneath it are the words "Ring the Bell to Make Miracles Happen". Everyone who walks by rings the bell.



3. Across from the bell is a glass case that says "Share....Thoughts" and inside is a notebook and pen for passerby-ers to write a note or sign their name. I wrote, "Miracles do happen for those who wait upon the Lord! Thanks. Joey & Katie ~Kenosha, WI".



Another couple walking along the path offered to take our picture in front of the bell... not the best picture after walking a while on this humid, windy day, but it'll do.


Finally, here is a view of the city of Lake Geneva - looking back at it from along the path. The skies had cleared up quite a bit by this time to give a sunny shot...



All in all in was a great weekend. Another trip back to Lake Geneva may be required once the trees are green and the flowers have bloomed. And while we may not own a mansion, at least we know our marriage is built on a firm foundation - the Solid Rock.

Not To Brag or Anything...

In case you didn't notice the beautiful home setting in which my sister's baby shower took place on Saturday, let me take time to brag and present to you a brief slide show of my parents' home (which they built just a few years ago). The place is still "coming together" so to speak, which I love, because every time we make a little trip to Michigan for a weekend visit, I get to see this-new-project or that-new-project that had been accomplished since that last time we were in town.

So, for those of you who don't have the opportunity to see my home-away-from-home in person, let me give you a small slice of the Colonial-style pie. I captured these pictures as we were on our way out the door Sunday...literally... so, it's just a few snapshots of items I love.

To start out, here is the bold entryway. The white picture molding on the bottom half of the walls was recently added and balances out the cranberry color on top. The pillars make it feel like a grand entrance. Cherry hardwood floors run the length of the foyer and extend into the kitchen next to it.



My parents designed many of the details of the house themselves, including this beautiful red-brick fireplace. The brick stands out nicely against the ivory colored walls. Gold and colonial blue colored furniture and accents fill the room.


The dentil molding around the mantel is especially lovely.


This bookcase is on a wall opposite the fireplace. I love my mother's collection of old books. I've encouraged her to will these to me someday...



The eat-in kitchen next to the living room and foyer has custom-built white cabinets with dentil molding around the top of the cabinets. Mom wanted to keep a few of the cabinets open for display of all her pretty things.


The glass cabinets also help the kitchen feel spacious.



In the dining part of the kitchen, is a wall with this little cubbie shelf. I covet my mom's cubbies. And her white pitchers. Is that bad?



Off the kitchen is a back hallway leading to the master bedroom, laundry room and garage. The hallway is painted a sage green and also accessorized beautifully.



Even though us 3 kids are grown and gone, we each have our "own room" when we come back to visit. This bedroom below happens to be my brother's room. My mom stepped outside her traditional-style comfort zone and went extra bold with the color choices in the room. She chose a mossy green for 3 of the walls and a burnt orange for the 4th wall.


You can see the accent wall below. The orange and green colors accent the beautiful photos hanging on the wall - all taken by my brother (who happens to be a photographer).


I love the green tab-top curtains hanging in the room. Mom, if you're reading this, where did you get those?



I think pocket doors should be a new standard in houses being built today. My parents used them in multiple places in the house, including the entrance into their Master bathroom and walk-in closet. Pocket doors save so much space compared to a door that swings in/out. And they're every bit as sturdy/private/sound-proof as a real door.



The Laundry Room is the most recent room that mom is starting to decorate. The room was painted a gold/green color. My dad just painted those shelves black and hung them with iron brackets. So, mom is starting to accessorize the shelves with all kinds of things. One of these days, she even plans to decoupage one wall in the room with an "autumn" theme.



Accessorizing is one of my mom's natural talents. I need to learn more of this from her.



Don't my parents have a beautiful home? Kids can brag about their parents just like parents can brag about their kids, right?

Well, I'm nothing if not biased!