Yes, yes and YES!!

Well despite OH not being able to make the fast track passport appointment last Saturday, guess what? His passport came in the same time frame anyway. Woohoo! Praise the Lord! We saved at least £200, as we didn't need to pay for petrol or the premium rate passport fees. God is such a magnificent God!! Nothing is too difficult for Him. Our little man's passport will come tomorrow, I can feel it. Excuse me whilst I give my God a praise.

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever"

Psalm 118:29

I must admit there have been moments of brief doubt when I have thought to myself, what am I doing? Or, how is this going to work out exactly? But it's not for me to worry about the details. God will always make a way where there seems to be no way. This is what He specialises in. Can I get an Amen and a Hallelujah!

So the passports are here...(yes I trust and believe) and I bought a more traditionally styled wedding dress online last Friday in the hope that it would be what I envisioned it to be when I put it on. Well it came and I tried it on and it was too big and maybe ivory is not my colour, so at least I know that much.

I'm aiming to return the dress some time this week. I've been searching high and low online for a more traditional dress which does not cost the earth but to no avail. I'll keep searching, I know something will crop up, only a matter of time. If I'm honest I think I need to get out there and find some wedding dress boutiques.....*breaks out in cold sweat*

In the meantime I do believe I have a last minute holiday to book.....

Half a year gone already?

Happy June 2nd everyone.

I really wanted to get this post finished and published yesterday, so I could say 'Happy June 1st everyone!' Sounds much better, but I was feeling beyond exhausted, so I had to give in to the fatigue and get myself to bed. Still tired today, but not as bad as I was last night.

Time is whizzing by
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Anyway....enough of that.


Can you believe we are six months into 2012 already? I can not believe it and can not explain where the time has gone. It's crazy because as you get older time simply whizzes by at break neck speed.

It's scary at times, because there is so much I want to do, but only so many hours in the day.

Since we are halfway through the year, I think now is a good a time as any for me to look at the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year and see what has, or more realistically, what has not (lol) been achieved.....

1) Get fit. More healthy eating, less junk food and much, much more exercise.

If I'm honest this is a bit of a fail. Most days I'm skipping breakfast because I'm always so busy tending to the kids, catching up on twitter or my blog, or trying to get my chaotic brood out of the door, that my eating habits and long awaited fitness regime has fallen by the by. By midday I'm usually a shaky, irrated, hungry mess, so yes you guessed it I'm grabbing a quick sugar fix, which is ALL WRONG!! This situation will be addressed soon I'm sure. just need to work on this getting the balance right stuff.

2) Christen our son.

Done. We got our lil man dedicated at the end of April. A lovely service. Still haven't managed to sort pics though - doh

3) Get my children enrolled in swimming lessons.
Yes, my girls are all enrolled. In fact they had their second lesson today and everything is going tickety boo. The drama I had to go through to get them onto said lessons was altogether a different affair. You can read all about the palava here.

4) Organise finances.
Can we skip this one please? I'm getting jittery just thinking about this goal. I will get there, but not quite sure how at this point in time.

5) Establish a way to make money by working from home.
Linked to number four, but there are things simmering away in the background which will hopefully take off. Soon.

6) Do more fun/silly things with my children on a daily basis.
I'm really trying with this one and I am getting a lot better. Children really are so easy to entertain when they are young. My kids love it when I pull silly faces, talk with a silly voice, roll around on the floor with them and blow bubbles. To be honest I love it too and it can be very relaxing you know. Once you get going.

7) Spend a lot more time with extended family and friends.
This is improving all the time, but I'm so busy finding a gap isn't easy. But saying that I do see my soon to be mother in law once a week, and I'm trying to arrange more play dates with my mummy friends.

8) A family holiday to Barbados.

I NEED A HOLIDAY, and to be honest at this point in time I no longer care, where I go, with who, why or how, I just need to UNWIND already.

9) Work out how to credit photos properly on blogger

I was previously using the old interface, hence the earlier issues. Sorted now.

10) Build my blog and meet more inspirational people through the world of blogging.

I'm really pleased with the progress I'm making with this goal, I'm meeting other lovely bloggers/vloggers, going to great events, writing for an exciting new magazine....I've even got business cards made. It's all go, go, go..

Can't wait to see what the next six months bring. Hopefully I'll transform the status of my currently failed goals and achieve some new ones too.

OOoooh and we're all off to our local theatre in an hour or so to watch 'The lady who swallowed a fly'. Then the OH has sorted a last minute hotel booking for us. But more of that in another post.

Bye for now x

Love Holiday's

So as not to overdose on all things wedding, I've decided to touch upon some other kind of loveliness that is close to my heart and that is the beloved holiday.


Ahhh holiday's where do I start? They are what most of us live for, what we slog our guts out to pay for, yet seemingly end in the blink of an eye.


I remember when I used to go abroad at least once a year. That is now a distant memory, so I thought I'd reminisce on my holiday destinations over the next few posts and see if I can transport myself - in spirit - to beautiful far off spaces...Got to love a bit of nostalgia.


Italy
At 16 I visited Italy my art class. Such a beautiful country and my very first time abroad. We did travel by coach which took 27 hours, but at 16 it was one big joyous adventure. A bit like an old school coach trip *laughs* . We drove through France, Switzerland and I think Austria. A beautiful experience. I so want to go again with my fiancé. Maybe a honeymoon? oops there I go again with the wedding talk.....

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Beautiful Venice. I fell in love with Italy, so much passion in this country.
It's true what they say about Italians and even at 16 I felt this.

France
I have been to France a few times, shockingly it has only ever been to stop off at the hypermarkets in Calais to stock up on cheap booze for a party or to pass through on the way to Italy. I really must address this because France (from what I have seen and heard) is a beautiful country. The other half and I had planned to go to Paris for a romantic mini break a few years ago but for some reason it didn't happen. We will need to rectify this soon so that we can experience the fine French cuisine and beautiful scenery.

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The South of France looking very lush.

Kos
I visited this Greek Island when I was 19. I went with my boyfriend at the time and it was a pleasant week long holiday. The food was good, the weather was absolutely scorching and we had a relaxing time. Got bitten by mosquitoes quite badly though. That was a low point but hey ho you live and learn.

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Kos Town at dusk.

Turkey
As part of the holiday to Kos we took a day trip to the port town of Bodrum in Turkey. There is a lot to buy in Bodrum, I'm sure most things are not genuine because the prices are so cheap, but I could be wrong. The weather was glorious and the food was nice. All in all had a good time.

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OOh should have gone here. Lovely.

So that's the first part of my holiday nostalgia run down . Keep an eye out for my next instalments.

What holiday's have you been on that have you longing to return? Or maybe, like me you wistfully remenisce on your beautiful holidays of old. Whichever it may be why not come and join in with the holiday nostalgia love?

Seven years

Seven years ago today I met my beautiful man. I don't want to get too schmaltzy here, but along with the birth of our children he is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Yes we have our ups and downs but nothing in life is perfect. He's pretty close though.

I will have to write a post about how we met at some point, but in the meantime I will leave you with a photo of us on our first ever holiday together, to the Dominican Republic, when we were in the first flourishes of our relationship.

Here are a selection of others too.

Daddy and our eldest at Centre Parcs

Our little family on holiday in Jamaica. I was pregnant with baby number two

Daddy and eldest posing in lovely Eastbourne. One of our favourite places in the UK

Daddy and our three lovely children in Batley Park West Yorkshire

Too my gorgeous boo. I love you.

By this time next year WE WILL be planning for the real thing.

Happy anniversary xxx

Running on empty

Sorry about the whiny post, but I really need to vent.

Lately I've been feeling beyond exhausted. I am run down, lacklustre, fed up, pitiful  and  somewhat uninspired. I know this is just another one of life's  little blips but it's still hard to go through.

I've got yet ANOTHER cold, and a sore throat is looming I can feel it.



Barbados beach club.
This is where I need to be RIGHT NOW!

Think I need to love on myself a little bit and indulge in a some heavy duty pampering.

Ooh what I would give to be lounging on a beach right now, feeling the sun on my skin, inhaling the fresh salty air, looking up at the clearest blue skies. Resting, relaxing, recuperating......Oh holiday where are you??

My batteries need recharging.

Otherwise engaged

I love these rings, especially the fingerprints
on the inside. I know what we'll be getting.

The better half and I have been engaged for four years. Come to think of it, it's four years to the day today. O.M.Goodness!

I really thought we would be married by now, I definitely did not think we would have THREE children and not be married.

The better half proposed in glorious style a few weeks after our eldest daughter was born and  I vowed there would be no more children until we had made our union official. What is that saying about best laid plans?

Just before I found out I was pregnant with our third child I had it planned (hypothetically) that we would go to Barbados and have a simple wedding in paradise. How amazing would that have been? An amazing holiday with the girls and a wedding all wrapped into one.

Now we are in a situation where all of our money goes on the children and providing the best life possible for them. There is absolutely no money in the pot for a wedding.

Many have suggested to do something small, get family to make and bring food. The thing is we both come from very big families and I don't see how either of these suggestions could work. Admittedly I was never one of those girls who dreamt of the fairy tale wedding to her prince charming. I never had visions of the dress and the cake from the age of seven, so I'm not precious and I don't have high expectations but I would like the experience to be romantic and memorable for all the right reasons. 

Now my new target is for us to be married by 2013 the absolute latest. I'm getting concerned that the longer we leave it, the more we'll feel like just not bothering. I sense that the better half has lost complete interest in the idea, it's never a topic of conversation, it just exists silently until our daughter sees a bridal magazine or hears the mention of a wedding and asks when mummy and daddy will be getting married.

The honest answer is I don't know, our lives are so crammed with other stuff that we'll just carry on as things are. That is until 2013.......