Here comes my frock meme!

Having recently spent time going through the thousands of photo’s I have for the recent favourite photo meme, I dusted off (literally) my wedding album.  Without a doubt THE most expensive photos I own containing photos of  THE most expensive things I have ever bought – flowers, shoes, cake etc.  Mr L and I got married on the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2003, the weather was sunny and warm, it was a FAB day.  I loved my wedding.  I loved the preparations, the day itself, the honeymoon, actually especially the honeymoon, oh and the champagne and cake how could I forget they were bloody gorgeous too!  Oh yes and that whole marriage thing with Mr L isn’t bad either   

Fast forward six and a bit years and that day is all memories and memorabilia.  Being truly honest its not often recalled and very rarely looked at.  I have my memory box with all the stationery, the cards, our place settings, a few leftover favours, the speeches, a few pressed flowers and some bits of confetti.  I also still have my wedding outfit – my dress, shoes (Gina’s if you were wondering!), veil, tiara (but of course!) – all cleaned and boxed up.  In the immediate post wedding days I’d had this thought that if I ever had a daughter, which of course I now do, she’d like to see my wedding dress.  I never thought I’d pass it on for her to wear it more maybe to play dressing up in it. 

Now here we are in 2010.  I sit in my home, which is no longer home to two but four, my home which is filling up with bright plastic shit toys and “stuff”, at a rate faster than I can ever see the declutter process making any significant impact on.  Now here in 2010 when I look at my wedding outfit I see space and cash!  I see space potential using my “maximise your property” hat, trained by home improvement and makeover TV shows and through my eBay eyes I can see some significant £’s!  It got me wondering have I lost touch with the romance of my wedding, of creating modern family heirlooms and heritage?  Or are they unrealistic ideas in modern times anyway?  Would either me or Baby G when she becomes Girlie G get anything special from her playing with it, would she ever really want to and would I ever really let her?  Hmmm.  Is there a middle ground to keep the shoes, veil & tiara and flog the frock?  Hmmm, I wonder. 

So me and my dress.  Together on show for just one day only over 6 years ago.  It feels like an airing is long overdue!  So here it is, me in my wedding dress with my Dad in those few last single minutes.

My wedding dress – should it stay or should it go!  Experience?  Thoughts?  What do you vote – keep it or sell it? 

My wedding all came long before I started blogging and the same for many others but you know what I’d love to see some “Blogger Brides” so I’m going to create this post into a meme and this is the first of the “Here comes my frock” meme!  Made up by me for me, because I love a good wedding! 

To start the ball rolling I am going to ask the following beautiful brides to share their wedding frocks and any story you choose to share about your dress and or day, where is now and in the spirit of all good meme’s to pass it on, if you tweet tag it #herecomesmyfrock so we can see get a stream of them all! 

As with every meme I do, play if you can and if you too want to be tagged consider it so!

Karin over at Cafe Bebe because she encouraged me to get my finger out and write this post!

Bec at Beetroot and Gherkins and Bumbling for being intrigued on Twitter!

Laura at Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy

Andy’s wife over at The life of Wendy Wife! 

And Snaffles Mummy

As with every meme I do, play if you can and if you too want to be tagged consider it so!

My Themeword 2010

I wanted, and have been attempting, to write a New Years Resolutions post as the new decade approached.  But I’ve been really struggling with it.  There is so much I would like to do and achieve.  As I started to compile the list it quickly felt so big I was ready to throw the towel in on the lot and the post got saved as draft and abandoned for another day.  If I can’t write the damn post I’m never going to achieve the resolutions in it! 

I discovered blogging and tweeting this year and want to do more and be better at both!  I also want to lose weight – of course and let’s not forget the other annual entries – work less, earn more, spend less, do more exercise, be more patience, swear less, watch less TV, spend less time on the PC, cook from scratch more, not drink during the week  … hang on Mr L is shouting me - A glass of wine you say?  Oh yes please!  … Save as draft!

That is how I got to 12^th January with no post about my thoughts, goals and intentions for the new year and new decade.  Then I came across #Themeword (god bless twitter!) via Erica Douglas who created the #themeword meme in 2007.  To participate, all you have to do is just think about one word that you would like to describe your new year.  Allegedly your #themeword can unfold in unexpected ways!  So here goes …

My Themeword for 2010 is ENJOYMENT. 

I am going to ENJOY the now in 2010.  I’m not going to do things I don’t ENJOY or give time to things or people I don’t ENJOY.  Life is too short and my family and time with them too precious.  I want to ENJOY food and still be able to ENJOY smaller clothes!  I want to ENJOY my freelance work.  I want to ENJOY time with my children especially whilst they are so little.  I want to ENJOY time as a family.  I want to have time to ENJOY by myself.  Now whilst I hate laundry I do enjoy it being all done and my home clean and tidy, to get another cleaner would probably suggest I headed back to the workplace – so sadly I’m not off the hook on domestic chores, just to explain some of the small print I’ve made up for myself!

This is a meme so I am going to tag a few folk but if like me resolutions feel too much to commit to consider yourself tagged!  What’s great about this meme is if you don’t need a blog to post your thoughts, if you just tweet you can still join in!  I’d love to know what the following folk would have as their #Themewords

Jordan Fleet
Sarah Walters
Clare at Love Maternity
Claire over at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Wendy over at The Life of Wendy Wife
Dany at Tums2Mums
Bec over at Beetroot and Gherkins
Muddling Along Mummy
Violet Posy
Stefanie Hopkins
Bumbling Along

Search #themeword on Twitter to see everyone who has been Tweeting their #themeword.

Happy New Year!  Please feel free to post or link to your own themewords in the comments below!

Favourite Photo Meme

Lots of my favourite blogs such as Violet Posy, Are we nearly there yet mummy, Sticky Fingers , Baby Rambles etc. have posted up this favourite photo meme including a tag invitation to anyone who wants it.  I love photo’s and have loved looking through all mine to choose my favourite photo and talk about why it’s my favourite.

I have realised how many great photos I have.  95%+ are of people, the odd landmark but mostly friends, family and occasionally even I stray in front of the lens!  So I’ve looked through the old ones I’ve got round to scanning, the wedding ones, the honeymoon ones, the parties, the hen do’s, other people’s weddings, the 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th Birthdays, the christenings, the baby photo’s and oh my there are so many of those!  How much my two children look-alike is a bit scary!  But the one I have chosen is the one I have on my wall at home and in a frame in another room and in my head as a crystal clear memory of good times, great friends, fun, love and laughter.  So here it is:

Left to right:  we have one of my best and oldest friends Squiff, me in the middle and Mr L in Bangkok 2004. 

This is a “self take” hurtling through Bangkok in a Tuk Tuk on our way to the Bangkok Bed Supper Club where we had one of the best meals and nights out ever. 

Anyone reading this that wants to join in then consider yourself tagged, I’d love to see all your favourite photos.

My High Points of 2009

I have been tagged and give that one of my resolutions for 2010 is to think less about and write more for my blog I am going to respond to the tag almost immediately (the following day, at any rate least).  It’s a New Year meme so appropriate to start as we mean to go on!  The rules are to thank the person who tagged you (thank you Tasha), and list your five high points for 2009 and tag five other people to do the same.  Simple!

1. In January my post Lil’ H weight loss totalled three stone, in February I was pregnant & the scales started to move in the opposite direction, also thoroughly enjoyable!  But in January I was the three stone lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight and that felt good & will do again (that’s this years mission!)
2. In April a legal matter was successfully concluded bringing closure and great relief.
3. In May we went to our holiday cottage in Port Isaac in Cornwall and was joined by our friends & my gorgeous god-daughter.  We had a fabulous time and a brilliant friendship continued to blossom between my god daughter and my H.  We hit lucky with the weather and has some serious beach time!
4. In October my daughter, Baby G arrived safe, sound and perfect.  My family is complete & beautiful.
5. This Christmas has been very special for me.  Having Baby G and also this year has been the first year Lil’ H has been old enough to have an understanding and some, or should I say a lot of excitement!  December has brought some great moments and memories.

If you read this and you’d like to be tagged – well then consider yourself tagged!  Please do leave me a comment so I can come to your place and read your highlights!

My Twitter Follow Friday’s

If you Tweet you will probably know what #FF or #FollowFriday, here’s a quick explanation though for those that don’t… its very simply a ritual on a Friday of recommending people you follow on Twitter to others by tagging your tweet with #FF or #FollowFriday.  I am flattered, she says blushing as I type to be recommended by others and reciprocate the recommendations but sometimes find it tough to do in 140 characters and end up tweeting a list of user names.  So today, inspired by an approach I saw somewhere else (tweet me if it was yours & I’ll credit you!) I am listing ten of my twitter buddies, in no particular order and in an unrestricted character format explaining why I follow them!

@Tums2Mums - HypnoBirthing guru, invaluable support & super mum to Evan!
@dougggie – She’s doing the Dogs Trust Arctic Dog Sledding Challenge 2010
@clareybabble - fab, true, honest, mummy blogger
@violetposy - lovely lady who is embracing Halloween & working hard for her family
@omgmummy – very cool, funny first time mum
@porridgebrain - kind & helpful & caring, following her dreams & inspiring others
@loveitloveit – because like me she appreciates phrases like “knob all”!!!
@sarahwalters99 - lovely lady, Dandelion Lounge advocate & best RT-er!
@Soph4Soph - super cool kids designer, very funny chick.
@dulwichmum - because her caustic humour never fails to bring a smile to my face

Tagged, I’m it, now you!

Thanks to clareybabble for passing this meme on, I’m working my way through a few awards and meme’s at the moment, all helping to keep my mind off my bump!

So here are the rules… 1. Collect the book that you have most handy. 2. Turn to page 161. 3. Find the 5th complete sentence. 4. Site the sentence on your blog. 5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.

Ok so on my bedside are three books … this says a lot about where I am in life right now … I have time so I am going to do all three!

1.  Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan
Pg 161, line 5 – I slowly breathe up with each surge.  (Nb. Surge is hypno for contraction!)

2.  The contented baby with toddler book by Gina Ford
Pg 161, line 5 -12 noon-2/2:15pm:  Baby needs a nap of no longer than two and a quarter hours from the time he went down.  (mmm … wondering/doubting if baby knows this?!)

3.  What to expect – The Toddler Years by Murkoff, Eisendberg & Hathaway
Pg 161, line 5 -Sometimes toddlers who are physically precocious – the early walkers, climbers, jumpers, ball-throwers – are later talkers; they put so much of their energy into physical exploits that they have little left over for verbal exploration.

I have to confess, I have only read the hypnobirthing book cover to cover – the rest are there in case of emergencies!  Now then, anyone who want to can pick this meme up but I also think these lovelies might enjoy some randomness…

American Mom in England
OMG we’re pregnant
Sleep is for the weak
Kelly Fairy
Ramblings of a mum on the run