The Wedding Planning Series #7 Invitations.

All images found Via Pinterest. You can find the sources linked on my Pinterest board linked here.

The new year has arrived which means wedding planning can officially commence! I say that, if you've been reading for a while you'd have seen I haven't exactly not been thinking about what I want for the big day- but I'd promised myself that until we had enough to actually start purchasing and putting deposits down that I wouldn't get too carried away. I CAN NOW GET CARRIED AWAY! We are now on holiday for a week and with three potential venues booked to visit and the first venue we saw still hanging in there as a possibility, by the end of next week we will have a date set and a venue chosen. How exciting is that!? Which means getting onto the other bits- save the date cards and invitations. Because we're not having a colour theme, it's actually pretty hard to visualise what sort of invites we should have/colours/style etc... So here I am looking for all of your lovely advice and opinions as to what you think out of some of the options/styles I've been looking at. 

Any and all input as always would be greatly appreciated!

Love Sophie xX

Batman Diaries #5 Batman Turns Two.

Every photo of Batman seems to have food in it. I'm pretty sure that's the only way I can get him to stay still long enough. How do all those internet genius's get their rabbits to wear little outfits etc? Batman's far too streetwise for that! He knows when I'm within 5 metres!! He has had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed his birthday (two years old December 19th!) On the 15th it'll be two years that we came into each others lives and I'm excited! I'm going to get him a few bits from his buddies over at Barks and Bunnies who are also having a fabulous sale at the moment! With a great level of service and original, fun toys  (It's where I got his Bat-castle from!) and goodies for Batman he'll be a lifelong customer. You should all take a look on their website and if you sign up by clicking here, you'll get 10% off your first purchase over £20!


Do you guys get bit creepy when it comes to your pet's birthdays? Or are you even as sad as me and celebrate your anniversary with your pet? Let me know so I don't feel so weird!

Love Sophie and Batman Xx

A Birthday Wishlist.

With one week to go until I turn 23 I thought I'd compile a little wishlist if anyone out there would care to purchase me a little gift!? *tumbleweed rolls past* Anyway, with next year being the YEAR OF OUR WEDDING I can't help but pop on my practical hat and wish for a few items suitable for our wedding that we can get in advance. Mostly, it's just things I'd really like though!


1) Glass drink dispenser- Ebay.com- I actually want four or five of these for our wedding and the cheapest I can find them is around £20 each so if someone could buy me a couple as birthday gifts that's be great!

2) Paper honeycomb tissue balls- Notonthehighstreet.com- Once again for the wedding- in all colours and in mass please!

3) This jumper! I can't find it anywhere! Boo!

4) Grow your own blueberry jam kit- Notonthehighstreet.com- I've wanted a blueberry plant for a little while and saw this brilliant starter kit with two plants and some jars to make some delicious jam!

5) Shore Projects Watch- Shoreprojects.com- Ok, something I'd really like for myself is a good quality watch, I've been swooning over these for months.

6) Chopping board- Notonthehighstreet.com- Also a bit of a weird, adult gift but I've wanted a decent chopping board for a while and came across this rather comical chopper board.

7) Apple and Elderflower large candle pot- St Eval candle company- We were treated to the foggy pudding candle when we got engaged and it lasted until about a month ago which is damn good going in my books! They smell beautiful and the pots that they come in are perfect for little plants afterwards!

8) A Glass teapot- Whittard- This was on my Christmas list, alas it was not to be. Damn it GET ME THE TEAPOT!

9) Wicker picnic hampers x11- Anywhere but I found these as an example on Notonthehighstreet.com- Also for the wedding, though I'm not sure what I'd do after the wedding with 11 picnic hampers? Host giant picnics in the summer? Maybe actually...

I intend to be better with sending cards and being thoughtful this year with my friends birthdays. Pop yours down in the comments so I can add you to my diary!

Love Sophie Xx

                                                 

Tonaaay The Magical Dressage Ponaaay

One day late last year, I came home to discover that my brother, who works as a chef in a lovely local restaurant, had invited me to join his group on Facebook. 

It was called "Tonaaay's Dressage"  

The only information on the page said the following: "Come follow Tonaaay is he horses around on his magical dressage journaaaay!"

The only picture was this: (that's my brother in the background and yes that is spiderman...)

I honestly have been wanting to tell the entire world about the journaayys that followed but just couldn't work out quite what to say. I'm still not sure exactly 'what' is going on in my brother's head in his spare time at work but here it is...and I love it!

So lettuce begin...

Sundaaaayy morning Tonaaay.

Nice pear Tonaaay...

Cheer up Tonaaay, why so blue today?

Tonaaay's ready to go out and impress the ladies tonight...

Tonaaay's late for everything. He's always playing ketchup.

Tonaaay's always letting medical problems get waaaay out of hand!
See a doctor Tonaaay!

Tonaaay doing a little research on a dish close to his heart...Always on a roll there Tonaaay!

Tonaaay needs to lose a few pounds. Bit of a lard ass there Tonaaay!

Tonaaay took scrubbing up a little too seriously..

Tonaaay got into the Halloween spirit but needed help staying upright after a few...

Tonaaay showing off what a fungi he can be...

And then....disaster struck... Tonaaay was taken hostage for weeks...many thought he wouldn't return, there was even talk of his cousin Anthonaaay coming over from Gallopoli to help the search...We received this devastating hostage photo...

We mourned....

Had Tonaaay had his hay day?

As Christmas approached, all we really wished for on our festive lists to Santa was for Tonaaay to be returned safely...and then, a Christmas miracle if I've ever witnessed one...

Tonaaay feeling festive with braaandy sauce...

Since then....nothing. Tonaaay didn't see in the new year with us. We haven't heard since...so I write to you now to ask you all.... Have you seen Tonaaay whilst he gallops around on his magical dressage  journaaay?

Love Sophie Xx

The Christmas That Was & 2014 All Wrapped Up...

Hey there guys and gals, a bit of a long time-no see! How was everybody's festivities?! As the usual life/blog balance went a bit astray over December and this post has even come pretty darn late, I thought we'd have a wrap up of Christmas and New Years Eve all in one. I'll show off my snazzy time and you can all "ooh" and "ahhh" at the generic festive photos, ok? Deal. 

*All photos were taken on my phone because I was too busy having a good time to grab my camera. That's a good thing though isn't it?

The three stages of a staff Christmas party. 1) Looking a little creepy but relatively put together *and promising
myself not to drink because I need to bake 9 cakes the next day. 2) Someone gives me a unicorn style crown
and almost immediately plan 1) goes out the window. 3) "I'm a drunk, sparkly unicorn- take a photo of me dazzling
whilst I can't stand still."

Christmas snowballed quicker then expected, just like every year and with lots of baking promised to my nearest and dearest it meant a very hungover Sophie crawling around the kitchen and emerging no less than FIVE hours later in a cloud of icing sugar. Luckily I'd had my annual Christmas lunch with Stacie (honestly it was disgusting how much food we ate) to keep me going. Working full time, I wasn't off much over Christmas, I'd always rather that people with little-uns have that time together. Besides a few drinks on a work night with friends that are home for the holidays is what it's all about?But soon it arrived- Christmas Eve. 

1) Christmas dinner traditions with my bestest- both hungover as every year. 2) Hours later than planned and with a much bigger hangover than planned-BAKING COMPLETE. 3)Bimble on Christmas eve with my Text Santa hat! 4) More Christmas gift giving with my brother and sister in law.

I finished work at 2pm and headed over to my parents to wait for my brother and sister in law to arrive. We sat chuckling and opening gifts and had a generally splendid time, before I headed home to Harps/Batman, festive films and too much chocolate...

1) A wonderfully creative melted snowman bauble from my sister in law. 2) Batman receives gifts from his pet friends. 3) Harps marvelling at how long his beard is. 4) Christmas lunch table.

We make a point of alternating who's house we spend Christmas lunch at (we're far too lazy to host it ourselves) and this year it landed at my parents house. We headed over to see Harps's grandparents in the morning (honestly they're just incredible at holding Christmas!) and opened lots of lovely gifts- including some generous funds for our wedding and a few treats for Batman! Can we just take a second to shout "OUR WEDDING IS NEXT YEAR PEOPLE!"

A few festive selfies...and some spaniel selfies obviously.

Let the dinner commence!

Christmas dinner began and we all tucked into portions that were enough to feed a small colony. Mother had downloaded some kind of Downtown Abbey Christmas album which meant Bimble and I  singing the operatic parts as loud as we could, interrupting whatever kind of 'traditional, quiet, family Christmas' anyone might have been expecting.

Bellies full, none of us could leave the table for more than 37 seconds and settled down for a few games of Kerplunk. A game I was sheltered from as a child *scowls at mother* and with a few glasses bottles of wine down my competitive side came out. Luckily my mother has the worst luck in pretty much anything she plays so I only lost once and Bimble teamed up with Harps which is a pretty unfair advantage- I think they won the most. 

Traditional family Christmas photo.

Hours later, still barely able to move, Harps and I took the decision to begin the pilgrimage home (it's about a 10 minute walk). We still had a few more gifts to open, we make a point of dragging them out all day, does anyone else do this? 

 Some of the amazing gifts that we opened included a hilarious book about crappy children's art, a cute art print, some baking goodies, lots of lovely bits to learn to crochet with and Cookin with Coolio recipe book which is both brilliant and delicious looking. 

And so New Years eve drew in and as usual we visited Harp's cousin who was turning 16! After gorging on buffet and playing with their Christmas presents, we ventured home for a night of drinking and playing with Batman. I decided to learn the basics of crochet and after popping an expensive bottle of champagne, I'm surprised I did as well as I did! Batman fell in love with his Christmas present from us, a giant Batman 3 Level castle that he seems to enjoy jumping in and out of the middle windows in a way only Batman would!

Happy New Year to all of you. I've grown very fond of all you little blogging lot and have made a few lasting friends that I couldn't be without. This year I intend to use Twitter a little bit more, I'm pretty scared of it but it's the best place to talk to you all! May 2015 bring you all great health, lovely memories and fun adventures. Lastly, let us not forget...I GET MARRIED NEXT YEAR!

Love Sophie Xx