DID YOU MISS ME?

it's been a long time.

for various different reasons, i haven't had proper internet access since my last post + unfortunately, it doesn't look like the situation is going to change any time soon. C + i have just moved to a new town for his new job + we're currently living in a hotel. as you can well imagine, life is a bit different for us both just now - mega changes are underway but some exciting stuff too.

at the moment, i'm sitting in the reception area of a premier travel inn (no expense spared on the part of his new employers - ha ha!) and spending £1 for 10 minutes internet access. needless to say, any posts for the next little while will be short + sweet - we've got a new house to be spending our money on!

it's unbeleivable how much i've missed the blogging world while i've been away. i'm totally amazed at how much losing it from my day-to-day routine has affected me, especially after only being involved for such a short time. i'm desperate to catch up on what everyone's been up to (there's an awful lot of reading to be done) + also get back in touch with you all. i really have missed you, it may be a bit sad but it's completely true. thank you so much for all the lovely comments posted while i've been away - it's been great to come back to such a nice welcome.

i'm off now to crack on with all of my emails + blog reading - hopefully be back soon.

xx

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

it's C + i's second wedding anniversary tomorrow - two whole years since i married my best friend + enjoyed the most wonderful day of my life. i know that sounds really cheesy + cliched, but for me it's completely true. we've been together for over 11 years now (since we were 16 + 17) + he really is the most amazing person in the world. it's impossible for me to share all the happy memories i hold from that special day, so here's a quick little flavour of it-

we were married + held our reception here

the following poem was read at the ceremony by one of our closest friends + holds a great deal of meaning for us

I Will Be Here - Steven Curtis Chapman

If in the morning when you wake,

If the sun does not appear,

I will be here.

If in the dark we lose sight of love,

Hold my hand and have no fear,

I will be here.

I will be here,

When you feel like being quiet,

When you need to speak your mind I will listen.

Through the winning, losing, and trying we'll be together,

And I will be here.

If in the morning when you wake,

If the future is unclear,

I will be here.

As sure as seasons were made for change,

Our lifetimes were made for years,

I will be here.

I will be here,

And you can cry on my shoulder,

When the mirror tells us we're older.

I will hold you, to watch you grow in beauty,

And tell you all the things you are to me.

We'll be together and I will be here.

I will be true to the promises I've made,

To you and to the one who gave you to me.

I will be here.

the 'theme' (don't really like that word) was white + floral.

the flowers were hydrangea, peonies + ranunculus - all of my favourites!

that's enough. don't want to be a wedding bore, so i'm off now for a bath + some much needed beauty sleep - got to look my best (or half-decent at the very least!) for our special little day.

xx

I'M IN PACKING HELL.....

...... + don't know if i'll ever escape!

just thought i'd write a quickie to let you know that i'm still alive + share a bit of my packing misery with you all. yes, the photo is terrible + blurry - this is a weak attempt at using imagery to express how i feel. no. i'm lying. it's nothing to do with imagery, just a really bad photo + i couldn't be bothered taking another one!

have a great weekend.

xx

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEK......

1. wishing i had tickets for the chelsea flower show
2. settling for the flower show coverage on the BBC
3. packing up our belongings to move out
4. looking for somewhere new to live. we're moving in with friends in the meantime, but need to find something else soon!
5. trying not to be too stressed out by the previous two things
6. replying to the much-appreciated emails from neglected bloggy friends
7. dreaming of better weather - come on mr sun, you can do it
8. eating take-away so i don't have to cook
9. reading this cute book
10. celebrating my second wedding anniversary - if not already separated after the moving + stressing!

all in all a very busy week. hope you have a good one. xx

GET REAL!

it's been a stressful, crazy, mental week + i've been AWOL for far too long - i'm so sorry, did you miss me? i thought not! as a result i feel i've got to fill this post with something good, something that's been worth the week of neglect, i can't promise anything but i will try.

inspired by a couple of brave little bloggers, who posted about the 'real' them (step forward ali, alyson, tonia + sarah ) + their subsequent "if you're reading this then consider yourself tagged" tag, i've decided to get a grip + let you in to the 'real' me.

now, it's not like you all think i'm perfect anyway (surely not!) but i totally get the idea that when you're reading someones blog, you generally just see the person that the blogger wants you to see - not necessarily the real one that lives behind all the loveliness.


so here goes, my five confessions......

number 1 - i graduated with a fashion degree over 8 years ago + have only made one item of clothing since - it was however, an elvis jumpsuit for my husband and probably doesn't really count! i'm actually really ashamed of this, although i didn't study fashion to become a designer (i was more interested in the buying/business side of things), i do feel i should be putting what i learned to more use. i'm just scared to give it a try now in case it's a total disaster.

number 2 - for the last few years i haven't done any exercise (at all!) + yet i complain about how i look. every. single. day. don't get me wrong, i'm not big, but i hate all of the wobbly bits that have become a part of me. even though i know i've only got myself to blame, i never seem to shift my (big) bum into gear to do anything about it or turn down the offer of a cake!

number 3 - hmmm, cake that's another one. i always bully other people into eating cakes or similarly fattening things. if i want one, i persuade the person i'm with to have one too so that i don't feel so guilty about it. this is terrible i know, but i do stop short of force-feeding my victims, so that makes it ok, doesn't it?

number 4 - i find selling my work very hard - going out + promoting what i make really scares me. i think it's mainly a confidence thing (as are most of my confessions in a round-about way) but i also wonder why anyone would want to buy something that i've made, when they could probably do it themselves. does anyone else who makes things for a living feel like this?

number 5 - i don't wash my bedding or clean my bathroom nearly as often as i should. i'm not going to go into any more detail than that, no timescales or examples, i just simply should do it more often. i'm so glad my mother-in-law isn't reading this, she'd be disgusted......but there it is, i said it + i'm not proud, but it's true!

phew, done + dusted. now it's your turn, yes you! if you're reading this (+ haven't already done your own version) consider yourself well + truly tagged. post five 'confessions' about the real you on your own blog - go on, you know you want to!

night night

xx