New Blood.

No, dear. How about new Blood lines?  

That sounds much less Zombie Queen or Vampire Princess.  Let’s go with that.  New Bloodlines have been formally welcomed as the newest members of the Mint Julep Queens.

Queen Janet, Suzanne, and Cara (after ages of being notably charming) and after spending a bit of time with our group, decided they like us.  They enjoy our company and we enjoy theirs.  After attending several parties with their sponsor, we invited the three Ladies in Waiting to become crown-wearing, scepter-toting monarchs who absolutely refuse to give up the exciting aspect of girlhood— the ultimate dress-up.  Let’s play Queen!  (Playing Princess is really good training for playing Queen, is it not?) Each is Brave, Wise, Charming, Witty, and on Thursday evening, they got Sashed.

A few months ago, I was feeling pretty sorry for myself, and sorry for the group.  I could plan an event and maybe 12 ladies would show up.  With +thirty members, one third is not a participation rate I am satisfied with— so in typically “I darn refuse to give up” fashion I asked co-queens Kim and Sylvia, “What in the world are we to do?”

You wrang your hands and sniveled and wailed, too.  The melodrama is unnessacry.

The voiceinmyhead exaggerates.   And in fact, it was necessary to explain the dire straights the organization was facing.  Either we give up and just remain a small band of a dozen ladies like Robin Hood’s Merry Men (and I do not want to be Little John or Friar Tuck, nor wear tights) or we disband like a bunch of losers.   The choice of growth and expansion  was the most unlikely option, however it was the only option I wanted.  Kim and Sylvia headed the squad of cheering and planning.  Their Ladies in Waiting were first in line for our Tenth Anniversary Coronation and Flounce.  With over twenty females braving the storm, we rocked the Jepson Center.

With help from new generations of exceptional fun-loving ladies with girlish hearts, we decided to blossom. We rise from the ashes like glittery power phoenixes.  I believe our mission is unstoppable.

And what, pray tell is your “mission”?

Don’t play dumb with me, voiceinmyhead.  You know exactly what the mission is.  Give yourself permission to have fun and stop for one instant worrying about being judged.  Give yourself permission to Prance and Dance with abandon and joy.  Give yourself permission to seek out the camera and say, “Hey, you!  Take MY picture! I am here.” Give yourself permission to laugh really loudly and giggle non-stop for longer that most well-mannered belles ever thought they could.  Give yourself permission to be grateful that you have eccentricities that turn out to be your gifts and you need to magnify them, not hide them. Give yourself permission to no longer be the judge and jury of others and most of all, of yourself.

Fun is fun and if it ain’t fun, honey, don’t do it.   Being Royal does not hurt a single soul, my dear little crowder pea.  What hurts is wanting desperately to wear a tiara and never, ever gathering the gumption to do it. 

If the over 200 Nigerian school girls had been Royalty off at boarding school, would they have been abducted?  If they had been abducted the investigation and recovery be swift and thorough, I believe .   The world needs these girls to return safety to their families.  We are all Valued and Loved.  We are all Royal Spirits.     # BringBackOurPrincesses  

What to wear?  What to wear? What to wear?  What to wear?  Last night I had one of those moments.  Attending a lecture at SCAD given by  Andrew Prince, the designer for Downton Abby’s tiaras, jewels, and crowns, I was fretting about what attire was proper.  I almost put on my tiara but at the last minute decided that would be rude and might draw focus from the stage, what with all the glitter and sparkle that would be perched on top of my pumpkin head. I finally settled on linen pants and a silk top.  Simple.

The Mint Julep Queens do not have tons of rules about what to wear to any of our functions.  Generally you should wear what every you feel comfortable wearing.  Through the tens years of Reigning in Savannah, we have picked up some minor pointers.  Here they are:

1.  Full Regalia means the MJQs will wear gowns and crowns and sashes.

2. Ladies in Waiting can wear gowns and glitter also, but tiara and crowns are discouraged.  YOU are Royal in your private life but when you are with the MJQs, it is  confusing to try and figure out who is a member and who is a visitor.  We are all Queens in our heart, but just for ease, No tiaras or Crowns for Ladies in Waiting.  Dears, We only recently figured this out, so when you look back over photographs, you needn’t wonder,  ”Is that Queen Katina Bomb-ba-cakesky?”  Why no, dear.  That is LABY Bomb.  She attended one party and was not an Official MJQ yet.   “Then why is that darling crown on her head?”  Oh.  I have no idea.  See?  It just stream lines the process of remembering names and membership status.

3.  Match your level of attire to the event, if you can.  AND remember we LOVE the camera and so for photographs try for one hue—green in any shade that you like is suggested, but not required.

4. Wear comfortable shoes.  This is a strong female’s life rule and proclamation, not just a Queen’s.  How can you go and do anything in shoes that are just pretty, but kill your darn feet?  The MJQs are not trees.  We move about. We are not rooted in one place. We flounce down streets and waltz into rooms.  We climb stairs.  Comfort and cuteness for shoe selection is highly recommended.

The May 15th Coronation and Flounce will be raw fun on a cracker if you feel good in whatever you decide to wear.  We will likely flounce from the Jepson to Vinnie’s and then have a little chocolate at LuLu’s, however our plans are fluid and influenced by weather and crowds, so be ready to celebrate just being a female in charge of your realm.

Also,  BRING a small tiara for a girl or for a fellow queenly type who may stop you and ask, “What is going on?”  ”What are y’all doing?” to which you reply, “Oh– we like to celebrate being women and we still like playing dress-up, so since I have always felt royal in my heart, every now and then we all get together in a group and go out to met the public and remind folks like you and your darling daughter to never stop being Royal.  It is good to be Queen.”