June 8, 2008
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Cinderella at the Ball
Yes, I’ve been gone for a while. I’ve been busy turning my horses back into mice and cleaning up the remains of a smashed pumpkin. (Or maybe visiting relatives, shopping to restock shelves and outgrown clothes and finishing portfolios.) But, I did get to go to a ball. Yup! Honest and for true. The Spring Ball (think homeschool prom but not all homeschoolers) was this Friday, and I got to be a chaperone and photographer. I was just going to wear the dress I wore to The Globe Theater, but I found out that most of the other moms would be in floor-length formals. AAAH! I hadn’t bought a floor-length formal since my wedding dress.
What to do?
Visit my mom’s closet, of course, where she had the perfect dress in just my size that she had worn several years ago to a Mardi Gras New Year’s Eve party. It was spaghetti-strapped and backless, but I found a perfect cover thing at Wal-Mart.
The ball wasn’t solely for my enjoyment, even though I had a fabulous time. My children and their friends also had fun swing dancing, waltzing, fox trotting, and eating. They had a dance instructor come to give everyone lessons before the “open dancing” time began. (Wit and LibbyK were waiters as they have not achieved 10th grade status yet, hence their lack of formal attire. But, they got to dance, too.)
Have you gotten to play dress up lately?
Comments (39)
How wonderful! You look RADIANT and your date is a cutie! What a wonderful dance and I love that they got lessons and did such cool dancing! My older son takes swing dance lessons at college and really enjoys it. RYC-THANKS! You made me feel so good! I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed your entries from England, but I am so happy you are all home and now you have an endless supply of cheese puffs, all your old friends, your home church and your lovely van. It’s fun to travel, but there really is no place like home.
Wow, I just did a post about Steven Curtis Chapmans “Cinderella” Saw your post mentioned Cinderella and had to see if you posted about the same thing. Looks like yall had a fun time. I can’t dance to well, two BIG left feet
plus it hard for my wife or daughters to learn to dance with a tree! 
Hope you are doing well! God bless your day!
~Grampy~
Have you gotten to play dress up lately?
Not lately.
Mary, I’ve been thinking about you and wondering how you are. It’s great to see you online. God bless you sweetie and once again, welcome home.
Cynthia
Oh, I am jealous! That looks so very fun. I have always wanted to learn ballroom dancing. I dearly love dancing, and wish I knew how! And of course it’s always fun to dress up. How very conventient that you’re the same size as your mother!
RYC: I hadn’t been thinking of it along family lines (only church) but that was a neat thought! Glad you shared it.
@UnworthyofHisgrace -
I am an abysmal dancer. But, I make up for it with cheerful enthusiasm. Or at least I hope I do.
@TeacherPerson -
Nice dress!
Haven’t played dress up this year yet. I also don’t really like this play. lol
Alas, Cedarville forbids dancing…:(. Not that it’s a punishment, because I’m such a bad dancer that I can’t even laugh at myself and enjoy it anyway. I do like dressing up, though…. I should probably air my England dress soon
.
You look beautiful in your dress! And seeing your handsome children reminded me of what would lay ahead for me in a few short years…and I had a brief anxiety attack. I’m not ready for those teen years! But I’m encouraged by moms like you that make it look so easy! Glad you’re back!
you look beautiful
What fun!! Everyone looks great, and I’m glad that you got to go.
I can’t remember the last time that I got all dressed up…probably to be in someone’s wedding sometime?!? The sleep deprivation is getting to my memory these days. Oh well.
you looked gorgeous ^ ^ on that dress ^ ^
really pretty!!!!
Speaking of brief anxiety attacks (re: zojoandcompany’s comment), I actually had one at the ball when I saw my beautiful daughter dancing for the first time! They grow up way too fast!
What a nice picture of you and your hubby. I haven’t got to play “Princess” dress up….but we did have a mother/daughter tea for mothers day and it was a “formal-ish” affair.
But not stuffy- just “nice” and “girly”.
I don’t know what I’d do if I had to REALLY dress up!! (grin)
What fun! I love formal dances, although alas, I haven’t had the opportunity to dress up lately, and wouldn’t know what to wear if the chance did come up! You however, found just the right thing and look beautiful! The kids do too btw!
Oh how fun! We haven’t even thought about a homeschool dance yet… but I’m sure that idea will be coming up next year.
Hey Mary ! Thanks for your nice post.
) I love your dress ! You’re beautiful with it. And I’m happy you had a great time at the Ball… 
) Have a nice day.
How wonderful! Re. you question about the wedding: Well, the story behind it is pretty amazing. It is his 4th and her 3rd. He didn’t become a believer until his 3rd marriage, and then his wife, (a good friend of all of us), died of a rare disease. Meanwhile, the bride became a believer in the middle of her troubled 2nd marriage. She did every thing she could to reconcile with her husband, but he wasn’t interested, and he divorced her. Neither of these 2 were looking for a relationship, yet God seemed to orchestrate it from beginning to end – bringing redemption to years of struggle for each of them. They are in full time ministry with an off-shoot of Josh McDowell’s ministry and are a powerful combination of servanthood.
It looks like a good time. Dressing up has it’s advantages. I bought a tuxedo just for the ability to have it for different occasions. I still haven’t gone to the opera yet though.
Oh, yes! My husband and I clean up and dress up once a year for prom. We have been helping and working the high school prom for 10 years now. I have quite a collection of outfits. I wore the same outfits once and guess what? A student commented on it! I haven’t done that again.
Great pictures!
Oh you look lovely!
Niiiice! Looks like fun and you looked lovely! Gotta love mom’s clothes! I have some of my mom’s old formal wear and some of it still fits me!
I guess I got to wear a cocktail dress when my husabnd took me to see Phantom of the Opera earlier this year. We have a wedding to attend in Chicago in October and I’m thinking that it’s a good reason to buy a dress. My current cocktail dress is too plunging at the neckline for my taste (I’ve worn it 3x and worried the whole time) and all my other ones don’t fit since I gained 20 lbs. (it’s happy weight and I’m tall, so I’m not stressed but would like to drop half of it).
Hi Mary how are you? I’m fine thanks! I don’t understand what you are talking about in your last comment, sorry…
@BigToePeople -
I put a lot of inserts in plunging necklines. I just buy some fabric that “goes”–silky black usually–and then tack it in to cover that reverse mountain.
@TeacherPerson - I’ve thought about doing something like that. It’s a lovely dress, otherwise. Unfortunately, there’s no way to do it living in the boonies here. I’d have to do it next time I’m in civilization long enough to schedule in some errands. No chiffon or satin to be bought here or people capable enough to alter a dress this nice.
For casual clothes, Fruit of the Loom sells bras that look and feel like tank tops. Spaghetti straps, support, ends just under the bust. I put them under plunging necklines and they come in colors that offset outfits nicely as another layer, but not as hot as wearing yet another tanktop. WalMart carries them. (the racer backs don’t give as good support for some reason)
I dress up all of the time! Only in my case it’s called putting on a shirt with a collar! lol That Ball looks like it was a fun time for everyone, I actually would dig my suit out of the closet for something like that. RYC; My plans for the summer are mostly work and the occasioanl bike trip, the flood will mean many of my favorite trails around the reservoir are under water, but there are plenty of other routes in the area.
Holy cow, ”the hunter” looks like a giant in that picture. Is his girl just petite, or is he just ginormous? Perhaps both?
Ok thanks, now I understand! Actually, I passed my Literary A-Level two years ago and passed my first two years at the University, so I have what we call in France the “DEUG”. Since I want to be an English teacher, I have to continue at least until the License (that is to say next year), but it is better to have a Master (A-Level + 5 years at the University). Even if I’m not self-confident, I know that I have to be ambitious if I don’t want to have any regrets.
What has been your studies? And where do you exactly work?
Have a nice evening
@lordjabez -
He’s 6′ 3″ or so, and I think she’s about 5′ 2″. A bit of both, maybe? You should see Michael now. If he were to jump on your back, he’d take you down. He’s sort of outgrown that, I hope. Maybe?
Dress up?
I got to play dress up while picking out my mother-of-the-bride dress at AlfredAngelo’s. Was fun, but stressful since not everything there I wanted to try on was in my size or bigger– smaller is hard to squeeze into……. I’ll have fun at our “ball”– the wedding reception– in three months. Three months? Yikes! I better get moving!
Beautiful! I love the dress and you and James look positively marvelous~~~~Thanks for sharing a photo with us.
We are coming out July 13-16~
More later,
Lisa
@LisaJohnston -
More later? I want more now! Do tell!
Someone shaved his beard! Beautiful dress and you look beautiful in it!
Yes, we got our new refrigerator. A side-by-side with water and ice in the door. It is very much like the old one, maybe a tad bit smaller. We bought it from Lowes and the delivery people took the old one away. They take broken appliances to a man that repairs them and then turns around and sells them at extremely low prices (whatever it cost him to fix them) to elderly or needy people. I thought that was very good of Lowes to provide that haul away service!
Hello, Mommy Dash! You look truly beautiful! Lovely! Just lovely! That sounds like such a fun evening! I would love to play dress up!! But… unfortunately, my figure only makes me feel like Cinderella’s pumpkin when I wear formal gowns. (Where DID is that waistline of mine???? I know it’s under here SOMEWHERE!!) One day, when my Skinny-godmother zaps me with her “thin wand”, I’ll go out and get a beautiful gown and wear it to something “just because”!! …. what!!?? You say it doesn’t happen that way?!? Rats!! No more ice cream for me, I guess! (HA!!!! Now that WILL be a miracle!) I keep hoping that all the miles I walk, weeds I pull, and gardens I hoe will make me thinner and thinner… & it does!! But, then, hateful old Winter comes along and I start craving “fluffy” food that makes me all warm inside and makes me feel like… well, like the food… fluffy and slow moving! And all my hard spring and fall work (I don’t weed or hoe much in the summer–too hot!) gets lost and I have to start all over again every year! Where IS that darn Skinny-godmother?
We were out of power from Sunday 3pm-ish until last night around 7pm. Then, we still didnt’ have phone or cable until a couple hours ago. There was a big storm that came through and knocked down a bunch of trees and wires. I was napping and slept through the whole thing! Pooey! Lots of people are still out of power & may be until Thursday or Friday.
Good to hear from you…. gotta go! It’s the first day I’ve felt even a little well since Friday so I want to get some stuff done. (yes, we got some poopy upper respiratory thing again… thank God it’s almost over! Guess this is just the “thorn” chosen for us at this season in our lives. Did I pray too hard for patience or longsuffering??? ;P Count it all joy!! I’m tryin’!)
I love dress up events. I would go often if I was invited to them. My husband’s old office used to have more formal christmas parties but alas, he has changed jobs since then and I can’t find an event to wear a fabulous dress to. Wahhh! You look very elegant!
No I haven’t played dress up lately, though I have worn a dress or two recently. So…. What about schooling? Will your children be attending a homeschool ball next year? Here we have the option of online public school, but the homeschool enrichment program that Septus likes considers that not homeschooling. It’s a sweet deal if you don’t mind missing out on the enrichment program, they pay for karate and piano lessons, and provide all books and accountablility.
Everybody looks so handsome/pretty and happy.