Advice for Kate and William . . .

So, on Friday we will all have the opportunity to witness the "Wedding of the Century!" I, for one am very excited! I am not planning on doing anything at all on Friday, except watch the telly! If Todd think's he's getting a hot dinner, he'll be a bit disappointed because I am not going to miss any part of this Royal Wedding!

I think Kate and William are a lovely young couple, and I wish them all the best in the world. I truly believe that this is a love match, and that they will be very happy together. I thought it would be really fun this morning to post a bit of marital advice for them, not that I think they read my page or anything, but . . . you just never know do you?

This is the “If I had only known this before I got married” kind of advice!

The number of times that phrase has been uttered by unhappy spouses is probably infitisimal!! Marriage is not something that even the most educated people are ever trained for, so most of us learn in the school of hard relationship knocks.



“Most couples go into marriage saying to themselves that their relationship won’t have all the problems others experience,” say marriage veterans Walt and Pat Widmer, local area leaders for Worldwide Marriage Encounter. “That optimism is great to hear, but just wishing won’t make a marriage perfect.”

Walt and Pat offer these tips that brides and grooms should think about before they tie the knot:

Avoid the “Marriage Messiah” Complex: Don’t think you have the power to change the other person’s shortcomings, even though no one else has been able to. Concentrate on what you can change: yourself.



Take Responsibility for the Romance: Marriages get stale when one or both spouses stop doing those little things that made them fall in love. Keep doing them (or start, if you haven’t).

Squash the Molehills: Don’t let small behaviors become ongoing irritants in the relationship. If the toilet seat is a big deal, put it down!

No Gunnysacking: Don’t save up all the little irritations and then dump them on the table the next time you have a small argument. Gunnysacking will escalate any disagreement.

Please say Please: Be polite. Common courtesy often disappears in everyday relationships. Treat your spouse at least as politely as you would treat a stranger or casual acquaintance.

Duck the Rut: If every day starts looking the same, boredom is inevitable. Change the routine.

Practice Hand-to-Hand Combat: A good fight in a good marriage means holding hands when you argue. This technique has a peculiar, disarming effect.



Discuss, Don’t Criticize: Focus on yourself and your feelings rather than criticizing your spouse. Avoid sarcasm, because one good “zinger” can undo a hundred terms of endearment.

Practice Ear Contact: Listening is the most critical part of communications.

Do Spouse PR: Let other people know how good your spouse is and how lucky you are to have him or her (and don’t be afraid to do so in front of him or her).

Latch onto Love Lingo: Don’t let a single day go by without uttering the “L” word at least once. “I love you” reminds your spouse that he or she does too.



It all sounds pretty good to me! I'd have to add advice my own mother gave me . . . Don't go to bed angry, and don't ever iron his uniforms. As William is in the Military I thought this would be particularly applicable! (Not that I think either one of them will ever be ironing anything, but . . . again . . . you just never know!)

I would also say keep Christ at the centre of your home and relationship and you can never go wrong . . . and to never lose the sight of "We." I think too often, especially after we become parents . . . the "We" disappears. It is important to be good parents, but I also think that the most valuable gift we can ever give our children is to love each other as man and wife.

So anyhow, I do wish this beautiful young couple all the luck and love in the world!

To Wills and Kate:

"May the light of friendship guide your paths together. May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home. May the joy of living for one another trip a smile from your lips, A twinkle from your eye. May the Spirit of Love find a dwelling place in your hearts."

Here's a cute recipe I found on the Kraft site. I thought it would be fun to share it with you this morning. Aren't they just adorable! Kind of similar to bride and groom dipped strawberries! I wonder if there will be anything like this at their reception??? It would be fun it there was!!





*Bride and Groom Cookie Balls*
Makes 48
Printable Recipe

Cute little cookie truffles, decorated to look like Brides and Grooms!

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
1 package (16.6 ounces) cookies, finely crushed (Oreos are the ones normally used)
12 ounces of white chocolate, divided
5 ounces semi sweet chocolate, divided

Mix together the cream cheese and cookie crumbs until well blended. Shape int 48 (1-inch) balls. Place on trays in the freezer for 10 minutes. In the meantime, melt 10 ounces of the white chocolate as directed on the package.

Dip the frozen balls into the melted white chocolate. Line the baking sheets with waxed or baking parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour until firm.

For the Brides:
Melt the remaining white chocolate. Using a small clean paintbrush, paint 24 1 inch bridal veils on a sheet of waxed paper, flaring each veil slightly at the bottom. when slightly firm, drape each veil over a rolling pil to curl slightly. Chill until completely firm. Meanwhile pipe the remaining melted chocolate into 24 (3/4-inch wide) tiaras onto waxed paper. Chill until firm.

Melt 1 ounce of semi sweet chocolate. Use to pip chocolate onto the brides balls for eyes and mouths. Chill until firm. Attach veils and tiaras to each cookie ball with small dabs of melted white chocolate. Chill until ready to serve. You can add extra sparkle to the veils and tiaras by adding white sanding sugar before the chocolate sets up.

For the Grooms:
Melt the remaining semi-sweet chocolate. Using toothpick to dip the remaining balls, one at a time, into the melted chocolate, dipping 1 side of each ball into the chocolate, then turning to dip the other side, leaving a "V" shaped white centre. Let any excess chocolate drip back into the bowl. Return to the wax paper lined pan. Pip the remaining semi sweet chocolate onto balls for the buttons and bow ties, placing the ties over the toothpick holes to cover. Chill until firm.

Notes:
To easily coat cookie balls with the melted chocolate, add balls, in batches, to bowl of melted chocolate. Use 2 forks to roll balls in chocolate until evenly coated. Remove balls with forks, letting excess chocolate drip back into bowl. Place balls in prepared pan; let stand until chocolate coating is firm.

Tips for piping: Melt the chocolate as directed on package; spoon into small resealable plastic bag. Press out excess air and seal bag. Cut small piece (about 1/8 inch) from one of the bottom corners of bag. Use bag to pipe the chocolate into desired design on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm. Carefully remove chocolate shapes from waxed paper. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, in single layer until ready to use.



There's a delicious Corn Salad over on The English Kitchen today!