Wedding update

This whole wedding thing is really coming together. We've booked a hall for the reception in Toronto; we're having it at the Gladstone. I was there in university and it was a real dive at the time, but they've fixed it up and it's exactly what we're looking for. Since the Mosque ceremony will be family only, this reception is for our friends so we're planing to have it like a cocktail party with a very casual feel. The Gladstone is booked for the entire month of October except for the one date that we needed it! It was fated.

Yesterday, Mr. Broccoli's mother and sister took me shopping for an Indian wedding dress. The shop we went to did more casual wear than wedding dresses, but it was kind of nice to only have to try on a few dresses instead of dozens. The first one I tried on was a champagne coloured dress that had caught my future MIL's eye in the first place:



It's quite nice, but as you can see it quite washes me out. Remarks were made about my need for a tan, but that's what I expect being the only white girl in an Indian dress shop. :) Here's a close up view of the lovely needlework on the blouse.


See, not quite to washed out close up, but still...

Then she saleswoman brought out a purple dress.


A little colour makes a big difference, doesn't it? This one was also lovely, but not quite it, either (sorry for the blurry picture. It was taken on a blackberry).

When the saleswoman had first brought out a pink dress, I said right away that I wouldn't even try it on. Although my mom (among others) has always told me how good I look in pink, it's just not a colour that I picture myself in. After I tried on the purple dress she found another pink one of a different shade, so I consented to try it on.


And that was it. Even other shoppers in the store were coming over and saying "wow". The longer I had it on the more I liked it. We decided that this was the one.


Again, sorry for the blurry pic.

Of course, we had to find accessories.


I'm totally blinged out! The necklace is so large that it extends beyond the lower edge of the picture. It was hard to get the forehead piece to stay (I don't know what it's called). I'll have to pin the chain in securely for the wedding.

Here I am, the total outfit.

We still have to get shoes, bangles and a hijab and the dress needs a fair bit of tailoring to fit (outfits at this kind of store are all one size and it's up to the wearer to have it fitted) and to lengthen the sleeves. I really wanted something that was very different from the wedding dress I'll be wearing at the church wedding, and this is definitely it!

When we got back into the car, I found that the metalic embroidery had left scratches all over my arms! The things we women do for beauty.

Seeing green

Spring is looking like it might actually be a reality, despite sudden swings between 14 degrees and 10 below these last few weeks. All in all, I remain hopefuly that the Earth will continue on its usual orbit and that the weather will become consistently warm once more. With that in mind, 2 weeks ago I planted my first tomato seeds.

I made a self-watering seed starter out of a Tim Hortons water bottle from my lunch. I started out by cutting it into two at around the place where the bottle becomes ribbed (for her pleasure? I highly doubt it). The plastic bottle cap was thin enough that I was able to poke a hole in it using a metal poker that I have. I think the original purpose has something to do with tying up meat with string, but I bought them in university when I used to have an annual egg dying party for Easter. They're great for poking holes in the shells to get the insides out!

I got some cotton yarn from my yarn closet and cut off about 6 inches. I inserted it through the hole and tied a knot on the inside of the cap.

I filled the bottom with water and the top with potting soil (my potting soil from last year had completely dried out and it was quite an ordeal to re-introduce moisture into the soil). I made sure to keep the yarn as centered in the soil as possible. Then I placed the soil-filled top with the cap facing down into the water-filled bottom. Now the cotton yarn becomes a wick! I've barely touched it for the whole 2 weeks and I've certainly never watered it. Yet the soil is as moist as it was when I first planted it.