Garden success!

So this is our garden. I know, tiny isn't it? We strimmed the grass and it's a little weedy and dead in patches but overall getting better than when we first moved in. BBQ ready!

These flowers are from the wedding and i'm amazed i've kept them alive for the whole summer...

Washing line is up and our garden chairs from the wedding have been getting used on the patio. Overall then, a garden success! 

Also this weekend, we went to a great BBQ on Friday night with friends and sailed in the gorgeous weather this afternoon. Can't believe the weekend is over and it's back to work tomorrow. 

I'm a Mrs!

I can't believe this is my first post as a Mrs not a Miss. It's been 4 months! I'll share some memories and photos in the coming weeks for you all though.

The day after the wedding Mr had a business trip he had to go on and although I'd planned to go back to work for a couple of days he wanted me to go with him. You don't have to ask me twice! We flew out in the afternoon and enjoyed dinner on a balcony overlooking the water. The next day he went to work and I experienced what it was like to be a lady at leisure. I went to the gym, relaxed at the spa and then headed into the local coastal town for shopping and lunch. Then it was time to fly home. It was a lovely day away but I wouldn't want to be without a job to float about like that all the time - boring!

Being a practical couple, being that our flight for our honeymoon left the UK on a Sunday night we naturally felt it best to stay in a hotel the night before, because who wants to drive for 2 hours on the same day as your holiday starts? Ridiculous I know. We've since tightened our budget. The Crowne Plaza upgraded us to a spa suite and gave us sparkling wine and truffles though so it was totally worth it! More on the amazing honeymoon later...

We moved into my rental flat for 2 weeks then I found us a house last minute while Mr was working and I had a day off (to recuperate from all that beach time obviously). We've got a cute 2-bed house now complete with a garden and a garage. How grown up. How very expensive. Now the saving to buy in this inflated economy begins!

I'm in law school part-time though still work a full week (stress but strangely i'm enjoying it). Mr is busy with numerous projects, most of which involve his new garage and boats. We're pretty happy as a Mr & Mrs!

Every weekend should be a bank holiday, yes it should

Finally, this countdown to our wedding day is starting to feel real; 4 days people!

I think now that the shopping is done and the craft is finished the pre-drinks and family time should begin!

So this weekend yes i'll collect some ordered stuff (must not forget to collect the cake, serious) and attend a wedding rehearsal, but then I'm going to relax. I'm thinking lie-ins, pilates, Netflix, park with my niece and some good old-fashioned family time. The planning is done. There's nothing I could change that would make a difference and it'd only stress everybody out. So, to the relaxing weekend! Happy bank holiday!

(Oh, I've gotta move house this weekend. Forgot. Well i'll relax around that minor detail). 

Engagement Shoot

Just the title of this post makes me feel a little edgy. I'm not photogenic and not even a selfie girl so having an entire shoot dedicated to Matt and I made both of us nervous to say the least. You know the couples who take regular photos of themselves to share on Facebook? Yup, we're not one of them.

To get around the fear, I booked it at a beautiful Abbey owned by English Heritage which isn't too far from our village. It was a bright sunny day and the Abbey was teeming with families and even a couple of other photographers. We love the photos Alisa took for us! We really enjoyed the shoot and will definitely do more of this in the future (you know, for special occasions, not as a casual weekend activity!).  If you're local to Hampshire, check out her Facebook page here for some more stunning pics (of more photogenic people, ha!).

Here are a few of our favourites from the day! 

 A huge thank you to Alisa and we're even excited about our wedding photos now!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is fast approaching and what better way to say "I love you mum" than a quirky card? I'm loving the designs below, which is your favourite?

via 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

For those of you who have experienced mild panic over a day which you had forgotten/were not prepared for don't worry, you've still got time. UK Mother's Day is Sunday 15th March. Now get shopping!

Check back soon for gift ideas to go with that awesome card you're going to buy.

Friday Highs

Happy Friday friends! It's been such a beautiful sunny day today, warm enough to bust out a sleeveless top and open the window at work. Spring is coming and it couldn't be more welcome! As usual though, the weekend is set to be rainy but i'm praying for sun anyway so man and I can go sailing tomorrow.

Highs of this week?

1. Wedding invites are being designed and I couldn't be happier about it. For some reason the wedding stationery was massively stressing me out and I was reduced to tears on more than one occasion! I found so many sets I liked but couldn't afford them from places like NotOnTheHighStreet and Minted. Cue graphic designer. Can't wait to see the proofs :-)

2. I stuck to my budget. I know, I know, my life has become that of a boring adult who has to budget. But seriously, this month has been hard. I have paid out £720 on my car alone so needed to find cuts elsewhere. Much to my fiance's grief I turned the heating off yesterday to save gas. Now where are my jumpers?

3. My friend hit the big 3-0 and threw a Barn Dance to celebrate. Naturally I dressed as a cowgirl and tried to do as many of the dances as my booted feet would allow. It was so much fun, thanks Em!

4. My diet is right on track and I'm losing weight like a pro. I haven't even had to go running yet which makes me want to do a happy dance. 5k Park Runs are looming though and there are only so many invitations to them a girl can turn down before she has to cave and prove herself. I'm that girl who if you say "bet you can't" will defiantly say "yes I can" and go do whatever stupid thing is being thrown at me.

5. Coffee. I've had two coffee dates with friends this week and they've been lush. Enough said.

And because I don't have any pictures for you this week (I've been a bore and worked a lot) here is a picture of a teeny tiny Shetland Pony

Dorset weekend

In May I'm marrying a Dorset man (so he says...he's actually from Portsmouth but he denies it). So what better way to spend a weekend but to get to know his County a little better. Thanks to Emily who organised the amazing farmhouse accommodation for all 11 of us, we spent last weekend cozied up in a huge farmhouse eating, drinking, watching the rugby and then feeling guilty so going to long walks!

Saturday morning (after a long lie-in) we decided to go on a walk which was supposed to be an hour long. Easy right? Well we went the wrong way...but 2 hours later we ended up on the South Coast Path along the Jurassic Coast. The views were stunning!

All of the mud, the slips and falls, the windy hair issues were worth it to walk along the coastline with friends and my man. 

Sunday we had an immense pub lunch and headed out to explore Swanage and Corfe Castle. Not much was in either really but I'm glad that we visited even just to walk around and relax. 

Found a giant teddy bear...

This is Corfe Castle...not much left to look at

So I've seen more of Dorset now. It's kind of a nice place so you should probably do some exploring of your own. Highly recommended.