stuff is cool

My recent obsession has been collecting Yankee Candles. I recently discovered a treasure trove of rare and discontinued scents on Ebay, but cannot afford to indulge as I would like. Some are selling for upwards of 80 dollars!

My current rotation goes between store-bought Mediterranean Cypress, Vanilla Cupcake, and Fresh Cut Roses (that scent will be present at my wedding by strategically placed candles to enhance the fragrance of the real roses on display.) I frequent the store so much I probably should consider working there.

I think I am very much calmed by soothing fragrance, and it is one of the “tools” my therapist encourages me to enjoy when I need to calm down and be at peace.

When spring officially comes I look forward to Yankee Candle Greenhouse scent and Island Spa. Both would make lovely, inexpensive wedding gifts, incidentally.

But that’s neither here nor there.

My NEW hobby ties into my love of history. I should like to collect prints of the portraits of my favorite historical figures. Due to being an Anglophile, they are all Lords and Ladies, Dukes, Duchesses, Kings and Queens.

I was so thrilled and lucky to come across an immediately recognizable antique print of an unidentified “Baby Stuart” on a trip to Belleville, TX at Christmas time.

A very old rendering identified at Henriette Anne that is basically the exact image I posses, only mine is, of course, a print dating only to the 19th century:

Who would have guessed I’d find such a treasure in a small Texas town? My beloved Danny bought it for me, to go along with my beautiful portrait of Mary, Princess Royal, sister to the great Charles II.

She looks so sweet at the tender age of preadolescence. My mother presented me with that portrait after she returned from her trip to England. To see the real painting in person would be a dream come true, but really, to see where they lived and died would be sublime.

I love the portraits because I admire the people.

The baby’s identity is vague. Some say she is Henriette Anne of England, daughter of Charles I and sister to Charles II, raised in the French court and married to the Duc D’Orleans, the cruel brother of the Sun King. I have a special place in my heart for her, if that is indeed the child in the portrait.

My research suggests that the child is in fact just a young Mary, Princess Royal. EDIT: No, I am now convinced the portrait of the infant actually depicts James, Duke of York, later James II of England. Either way, I greatly admire the entire House of Stuart.

My point? There are other ladies and gentlemen I wish to add to my eventual portrait gallery, starting with the rags to riches Emma, Lady Hamilton, the great love of Lord Nelson.

I have long admire Nelly Gwynne, one of many mistresses to Charles II, but hands down the most charming and down-to-earth and beloved by the people. However the only portraits i could find online of her had in in a state of undress, and since this is a family blog, I refrained from sharing them here.

Yes, I have plans to seek out prints of portraits of all these illustrious royals and courtiers. They are my “celebrity obsessions.” No Britney or the Olsens or whathave you. Historical figures who lived scandalous, merry lives full of intrigue who managed to outwit so many plotting against them. They are my inspirations.

I love history, for it is peopled with incredible people, flawed nonetheless, who weathered their stormy lives with dignity not seen in decades. For some reason British history draws me most. I owe that passion to author Karleen Koen, who I am excitedly looking forward to acceptingly her invitation for coffee and chatting history, once the wedding wildness has died down.

But a half hour ago I was tormented by my ever-present, seemingly worsening rash, and I was lost in tears. I focused on what I love: history, and it got me out of the terrible feeling.