Knuckle down!

I'm coming to the end of my week off from work. It's been great to do NOTHING!!!

My other holidays were exhausting; Having an operation and recovering and getting married. So this time it was nice for Joe and I to just chill.

It's mainly involved eating loads of amazing foods (Krispy Kreme donuts, 7 Spices curry, homemade pizzas, Quorn sausage sandwiches for breakfast! Breakfast is a rare occurance here!) and Joe playing Batman Arkham Ciry on PS3. We've watched a couple of films along the way, had a few beers, a few afternoon naps.

This weekend, the last Saturday I will see before Christmas Day (eeeek!), I think we are going to go and look round the Abbeydale Antique centres then go for lunch at Amigos Kitchen for a tasty burrito!

Then it's staying in for NONfire night... veggie hot dogs, a film and looking after poor little Haylee who hates fireworks.

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN 2011

Yay!
Despite the warm Autumn we are having it's always a milestone to get to Hallowe'en... my favourite mini-holiday! Of course I loooove Christmas but Hallowe'en is such fun and it brings back some great memories (except the year we couldn't go trick or treating due to torrential rain but I got dressed up anyway hoping when my parents saw me they'd relent. They did not thus I sat behind the dining room door in the dark and sobbed for hours.... No fun that year)
Not this year though! It's been a splendid year!
Last weekend was Celluloid Screams ( http://www.celluloidscreams.co.uk/ ) and the husband and I went to see INBRED ( http://inbredmovie.com/ ) which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in horror. A mix of black-comedy and gore... with a great cast who did a Q&A... perfect!
The next night was Tomie:Unlimited... Trippy! Followed by Re-Animator at the midnight showing, then up early to go see my favourite horror film, Hallowe'en, for and strangely scheduled 11.30 am showing. It was great to see it on original film on a big screen and I'm glad I roused myself.
What a great way to start the Hallowe'en season!
This weekend (The Real Deal) was spent pumpkin carving ( left; mine. right; Rachel's) with my oldest friend Rachel ( 24 years of friendship!) then settling down to watch Scared Shrekless and eat hallowe'en treats.
I used all my pumpkin-inners to make a pumpkin, raisin and orange loaf and a potato and pumpkin homity pie for my husband.
Saturday night was time for pizza, a bottle of red wine, The House By The Cememtery and a visit (again!) from Rachel and Kit.
Sunday, I managed to cram ANOTHER horror film in... The Woman. Interesting... Slow to start, bizarre indie soundtrack but ended on a bad-people-killing-high. Just the way I like it!
Tonight... Hallowe'en night... We've had our mini orange cream Oreo stash swiped by trick or treaters (resulting in us locking the gate . BOOOOOOO!) but are preparing home made pizzas and picking out some more films......
Goodbye Hallowe'en.... roll on Christmas!
Bring on the snow!

Edinburgh (3)

We took a train to North Berwick and it was so much fun!
We went to the Sea Bird Centre and looked out at the rocks where the gulls and puffins nest.
And I fewll in love with this lighthouse (I now have a hankering for my very own dolls house!)

Edinburgh (2)

We had a smug time being married...
And went to Hard Rock Cafe (I've never been) but the food was yummy (though I feared the veggie burger was real meat at first!)

Edinburgh (1)

I've not seen the sea since I went to Australia in 2005 so I got rather excited looking out the window!
... and spotted my dream house!
This was our bed (when we arrived!) it never looked so neat and fluffy again! It was actually the world's most uncomfortable bed and it woke you up with how hard it was!
Our first night we had a little wander and found the Brew Dog pub. Here we had a few pints of tasty ale but since we were still exhausted from all our getting married and stuff we toddled home and passed out!

Just around the corner.

It was my birthday a month ago and to me that signals END OF SUMMER! I'm pretty much over summer, ready for Autumn and its tights - wearing weather. I need woolly hats in my life, crunchy leaves on the floor, a sprinkling of frost in a morning. Mittens! Soup! Dark movie nights!
I'm fed up of feeling sticky and looking like a sweaty red faced freak all the time!
Roll on Autumn!

THUMP! Back down to Earth! Well... sort of!

Jeepers! It's been some time! Its partly apple's fault as I do so much on my iPhone I never really sit down with the laptop... but here I am!
I feel it is only appropriate to begin with the biggest thing that's happened in my absence!
The WEDDING!!!!
It was the best day ever! Lots of fun, got to spend time with friends and family, get dressed up and generally have a grand day!
The Bridesmaids slept over the night before for some crazy mayhem.... OK so we had a Greedy Greek take away then went to bed at 10.30pm but we needed our beauty sleeps!
I must say we looked pretty splendid!
They definitely added a bit of sauce to the proceedings!
The husband and I after our very solemn nuptials.... getting ready to par-taaaaay!
Keep your eyes peeled for updates on our wedding reception and honeymoon in Edinburgh.
If you fancy seeing the work by our professional photographer, who is fab, go have a look at www.siofraphotography.co.uk

Been a long time comin'.

I have been gone a long time and I feel like I have been very busy.... though I don't really have that much to show for it!
Firstly, I had my hen do in Manchester. I was lots of fun and my friends are so kind and threw me a lovely bash.
Above is just one of the shots of us, enjoying a flaming volcano rum based cocktail.
I finally got time to make my famed veggie lasagne. I made it while Joe was at work nd suprised him with a tasty tea in the garden with all our lovely flowers. (we did the garden recently too!)
I have spent some quality time with my lovely Haylee.
Who in turn has spent some quality time with Bunny and Lotso.

And I've had a good run in the charity shops. Here are a pair of cute cats that I got when I went on an adventure day out to Cromford.
My collection of pot animals is growing and growing..... expect an update on all the gang....
...Oh, and don't be a stranger!

Positive vibes.

Long has it been since I have worn a T shirt and felt comfortable. It's previously been all boob, no waist, big belly then legs sticking out the bottom. Not that I'm saying I'm body 2011 but I feel so much better!
Here I am showing off my Frank Sidebottom Tee (R.I.P) as bought at a gig of his on Valentine's Day 2008 by my lovely husband-to-be.

Week OVER!

The post-op return to work has been smooth sailing but I'm so glad I've got a couple of days off!
The pain has decided to up the ante and I'm tackling this by sitting very still and watching Homes under the Hammer... considering a cup of tea.
Haylee has been entertaining me to cheer me up and here is a photo of her enjoying a little drink. The bathroom sink is her favourite place right now!

Return to the daily toil.

Back to the daily grind tomorrow. Had a very relaxing, albeit slightly painful, two weeks off work and now it's time to suck it up and get back to work!
I've treated myself to a couple of new vintage dresses and am in a way looking forward to getting back into the real world.
It's been lovely at home. Plenty of wedding planning done and I must say... a lot of ebay surfing (and buying!). I've spent quality time with Haylee and had lots of snuggly naps. Visited my friend who lives nearby quite often and been fed by her! Even pancakes on Shrove Tuesday!
I've had so many cups of tea I think if you cut me I would bleed tea!
There is, however, only so much sitting round the house one can do.
So it's time to pack the painkillers and trot off to work.
Wish me luck!

Waste not.

On my arrival home from hospital my lovely fiance bought me some hot cross buns. However, when you're off food ( the worst!) there are only so many hot cross buns one can eat.
So, using my stale left overs I am making bread and butter pudding. Whether I will eat much I don't know but it's worth a go!

Who caught the bouquet?

Here I am at my friends' Shilo and Scott's wedding reception a few years ago pretending to catch the bouquet! Who'd've thought I would be the next to get married in our little group?
It's a big year.
I'm currently at home recovering from a breast reduction. It is seriously the best thing I could have ever done. Immediately after waking up from the operation I was happy with the results. I really wish I'd done it sooner!
It's uncomfortable and I have to sleep on my back but I really can't wait for them to fully heal! I put a proper dress on for the first time yesterday and it fitted me like a normal person! I was so happy!
Now its full steam ahead on my wedding preparations! I'm even more excited as my dress will fit so much better and I will be so much more confident and wont want to die when I see the photos!

Do you even exist?

Highlight of my day:

Woman: I came in at 10 and you weren't open.
Me: Yes, sorry that's because we open at 11.
Woman: I've wanted these boots for ages and because you were closed I had to go sit in MacDonalds.
Me: That's a shame. Did you have to travel far to get here?
Woman: Yeah. From Hillsborough.

Right so you got a tram, that comes every five minutes. Arrived in town 20 minutes later. Bet it nearly killed you......

She looked like she proper loved MacDonalds so I don;t know why she was complaining.

I hate people.

Dear Digital World.

I never get photographs developed anymore. It's such a shame. I used to love looking through my parents' old photo albums and I even have one of my own.
With you, this digital age, I take photographs with a memory stick which inevitably breaks or I'm too lazy to take to the shop to get prints done. And Voila! No hard copies. All the fun times... LOST!
Well! No more! I will start getting prints done. I will make photo albums. I will put them in frames around my house.

What can't I do with bits of ribbon and some old buttons?

Last night I dreamed about snow. When I opened the blinds... there it was! Snow! Spooky huh?
So, I was meant to be going to Leeds for a friend's birthday but last minute shift changes and sloppy old snow conspired against me and here I am at home making decorations for my wedding!
Here are my finished place cards for the dining tables. I like them and think they will look cute all jumbly-up together. (shame my handwriting is like the scrawl of a teenage girl! I should have dotted the i's with little love hearts!)
I'm about to start some paper-chains out of lots of lovely paperchase parchment I bought (in the sale!). It's all about recycling and stuff you cn recycle again!

The year of dreams....

....there's so much stuff I'm looking forward to this year I am getting prickly in anticipation.
It seems like these cold, drab, long days are dragging on and on. I just want summer to come and my Mum will be here and I'll be getting married and going on our honeymoon.

Honeymooooon!

Yippee!!! We booked our honeymoon today!
We're keeping it real and heading on up to Scotland! We're going to Edinburgh for four nights and I super excited! I've never been to Scotland so its as good as an abroad holiday to me without the having to get a new (expensive) passport for both of us and live with the fear of losing it abroad and getting stuck there!
Ebay selling starts now.... need to save up some pennies for all the fun stuff!

More cocoa please.

I'd pay good money to have another extra thick hot chocolate.
It's all I've thought of all week.

Exhausted.

I wish I were peppy like these guys.