17/06/2013 - Big Day...

...not THE big day...but a big day all the same.

Somehow I managed to haul my backside out of bed and make enough noise that Paul woke up as well and got ourselves to the gym.

I went on the step machine for 5 minutes as a warm up and then did a kinetic weight circuit. It was fun. Well, as fun as going to the gym can be! I was listening to my Stephen Fry autobiography audio book and he was talking about acting at university. Something I can relate to!

The first thing I did when I got into work this morning was give my boss T and my colleague A their invitations to our wedding! Paul finished a few off while I was getting ready for work! Good boy, isn't he?!

I left colleague J's invite on his desk as well, ready for when he came in...I wasn't sure what time he'd be in!

Not long after they came in, they all went out, leaving me all on my lonesome as colleague T is off at 1 of 2 funerals she has this week. :(

I got no comments on the invitations. It hurts a little, I have to be honest.

When the post came in, Lady J from the office upstairs (that works as a nickname for her!) came and stopped for a chat. I gave her the invitation for her and her husband. She was full of compliments for it. I wish I worked with more girls! D from upstairs and colleague T are in tomorrow so hopefully I get a few more nice comments. Although D might be all offended that she's only invited to the evening do. She best get over it.

While I had a few minutes I prepared a bunch of other invitations. It's time to trust in Her Majesty's Postal Service - The Royal Mail. Our distance invites are going out starting today! Only the day ones are going out so far, as the evening ones need a few more bits and bobs doing, but we'll do that tomorrow.

First class stamps and everything. These folk are lucky and should receive their invitations within the next couple of days...provided that the Royal Mail doesn't muck it up! Keep your fingers crossed!

Baby, they're ready to go! :) Had to hide my MoH's address on the front there!

I was on my own in the office for over 4 hours. I was not amused. But they had work things to do, so what can I do but do more work!

Still, once it got to 4pm, and I'd sorted all the office post, colleague J was back so I was able to go to the postbox and deliver our special envelopes!

How thrilled do I look about getting these gone?!

Paul  was there too!

I've just looked at this picture and it makes it look like the post box is in a really lovely area. Yeah. It's not. But let's pretend it's in parkland, huh?!

So - pretty much all of the day invitations are in the mail. I'm excited and scared in equal measure. I just hope that people can come!

After work I was feeling pretty crappy so headed home to chill. We sat and watched the new ep of True Blood, the finale of Person of Interest and the latest episode of Defiance.

I heard my little spider on the walkabout again. Sure enough:

Snoozin' Spider. Bless. He's cute! :)

16/06/2013 - HAPPY FATHERS' DAY!

It's Daddy's Day! YAY!

This is an old picture - April 2009 - I'm skinny and blonde, but my Dad is still awesome! :)

This morning we got up at a fairly reasonable hour, as we had to be up and attem ready for when my parents' came to visit! Yeah, I got to see my father on Fathers' Day! Perfectly convenient!

We were going out for lunch with the rest of the Hartley crew (minus my bro and sis-in-law) so in order to save myself for a nice big lunch I had a fruity breakfast.

Barney was fascinated by my banana. He didn't want to eat it...just get hypnotised by the swinging skin!

Mum and Dad arrived just after 11, and we had a brew and a catch up. They hadn't been up here since the beginning of April, and I hadn't seen them since the beginning of May, so there was a lot to catch up on! Plus they got their wedding invitation! They didn't need an RSVP though. We kinda have to presume that they're coming. They seemed suitably impressed, which is good!

We then went on a short drive to Blackburn to a place called The Boat Yard on the banks of the canal. Lovely setting for a family reunion.

Wonderful and scenic.

It took a little while for everyone to get here, and a couple of drinks were had while we were waiting...not good on an empty stomach. Still - we were able to hand out our wedding invitations to the family while they waited! We even got RSVPs there are then! We got a whole 5 of them...out of 7! I think that's an excellent haul! One promised to put theirs in the post and the other...will be a surprise! Who knows how it will arrive!

Then dinner was served. No, not just dinner. A plate that would solve the world hunger crisis.

This doesn't even do it justice. These sausages were flippin' massive! I couldn't get anywhere near finishing it! Lucky for me, I'm from a family of sharers, so my fiance, my second cousin and my uncle were happy to help! I'm sure if my brother was there, he would have assisted as well!

Then, while we all sat pleasantly portly, catching up some more, we watched my delightful second cousin pull some wonderful faces!

This is his scary monster face, just like little A's! SO CUTE! His Mick Jagger impression is something to behold! It will be a treat for all for you coming to the wedding!

We got home, had another brew and watched Andy Murray win at the tennis, which is a rare and wonderful sight. Mum and Dad left and I...well...I went to bed. I don't know what it was but I had been fighting off a migraine all day. It was now time to lie down and feel sorry for myself. Which I did. No dinner, lots of peppermint tea and sleepy time was upon us.

15/06/2013 - It's wedding a go-go!

After last night's chill out, here we were today with a nice day of stuff planned. We had a trip to our florist to do (to approve their rose choices) and then I have a ton of ironing to do.

Except it doesn't always turn out to go how it was planned.

Every time I sat on the bed, I got one of these:

Maia was feeling extremely clingy.

Paul went and did ParkRun, while I sorted some washing and did some tidying up. When he came back and showered it was time to head over to the florist.

They had 3 roses for us to pick out, and we liked 2 of them well enough, so instead of settling for one, we went with both! Turns out they're used to REALLY fussy brides. I think I'm the total opposite!

We then headed over to Manchester, as Paul's Mum had a few things for him to pick up. As soon as we pulled up at the house, Paul's Dad collared him to do something to the car (I have no idea what...it's all technical jargon to me!) and I had a natter with his Mum.

We discussed various things wedding, and also talked about my impending dress fitting. I said that I was currently contemplating accessories, and she came up with something that I can borrow if it looks ok with the dress:

This picture really doesn't do the necklace justice. But in some ways that's good! It makes it more of a teaser than a spoiler!

I have a necklace from my Mum that I'm going to try first, due to sentiment and what it stands for, but if it's not enough, this one may do it!

I also got chance to see her outfit for the wedding! It's navy and really pretty! She'll look fabulous.

Once we left there, we popped into the local pharmacy where Paul's Mum's best friend works to deliver her invitation! Well...we may as well! It was gratefully received and I think they're looking forward to it!

We then came home.

This is the part of the motorway that was quiet. Not all of it was this pleasant to drive down.

We came home to find some rather badly written mail for Paul and a little treat for the both of us:

Our first posted RSVP! YAY! It's not even one that we gave out with the invitations (because we hadn't made them then!), Koran went out and bought a card completely off her own back!

To be fair, it's a good job she's coming as she's got a pivotal role in our wedding! It's kind of important that she comes!

We discussed all things wedding for the rest of the afternoon, and I then carried on tidying up while Paul sorted the kitchen and made dinner.

While sorting out my DVDs I came across my True Blood boxset. It's been a while since we've seen it, and the new series starts tomorrow in America, so why not watch a few episodes! And we did. Until it came time to watch the Portland Timbers play. It's a 2pm kick off in Portland which is 10pm here. We found a decent stream online - hey, ESPN - why not show it on English tv...we like MLS too - and watched them win! Huzzah! Well...Paul watched the game...I transferred the DVD to my laptop and carried on watching True Blood, pausing occasionally when something exciting was happening in the match!

Midnight. Then bed. A late night for us! Rebels, ain't we?!

14/06/2013 - Evening off

We made it! 4 out of 4 mornings in the gym! Weights for me today and boy, were they tough! I bet I was pulling some beautiful gurning faces!

Picture taken from a random google image search. I do not own this picture. This is not actually me, even if I say it is.

Yep - that was me in the gym this morning! Attractive, huh?!

Busy and mad day in the office. Had a really short concentration span, which really doesn't help with productivity. I got a good amount done though, and even stayed slightly late to finish stuff off! I am quite clearly Employee of the Year. Fact. As I am Office Manager, I get to decide, and that's my decision.

So there.

Anyway, I came back home and decided to call my Mum. It took her less than 90 seconds to ask how the invitations are coming on. Yep - that's what my life has become.

Whilst talking to her I was actually finishing some bits off on the evening invitations, ready to actually finish to post out either tomorrow or Monday. EEK. This stuff's getting real now!

From there I decided I needed to catch up with blog stuff so ate dinner and pretty much started ignoring Paul to make sure that you guys are kept up to date with how mundane my every day life is! You're welcome!

This is how Paul decided to spend the evening:

Playing Gran Turismo on the PS3. *other games consoles are available...although that game might not be available for said consoles*

To spur us on, after we made the executive decision NOT to get wine (I know, right?! Two weekends running!) we decided to finish the custard creams. It's a dirty rotten job.

 The glorious weather we had last weekend has been replaced by misery. The clouds are crying due to the mundane life that we are leading at the moment.

It wasn't just raining. It was bloody p***ing it down. Setting off car alarms it was so heavy. Glad I was inside and not out!

So yeah. Nothing much really to report this evening. Paul was driving round Monaco in some nice cars that make a 'vroooom' noise, which is very exciting as we'll be there in a few weeks. I sat here and typed up a few days blog.

I also got a wash. Clearly this blogging malarky is dirty work.

She is very vigilant at cleaning her Mummy. Of course it's not the most hygienic of cleansing methods but I do love kisses from Maia!

I sit on the right-hand side of a large 2-seater sofa. I have the dvd shelves next to me...in fact, I'll take a picture to show what my view is right now while typing.

Below those shelves on my right is a gap. Where I heard a rustling noise. Fearing for my life and suspecting foul play / a mouse I was the bravest soldier ever and stuck my camera down there to take a picture to see what was going on.

This is what I found.

Completely forgot there was a cat bed down there! That was the first thing I ever bought for Maia before I picked her up from the RSPCA! She was so timid I thought she might feel safe in a covered bed. Ha. She's hardly ever used it!

Instead it seems that Barney (or Spider, as he's known when he's down there) quite likes it in there. It must be quite cool in these warmer evenings!

Plus he lets me tickle him when he's in that bed, as he thinks no one can see him so he can secretly enjoy it. Crafty little sausage.

13/06/2013 - It's hard keeping secrets

I have to be honest with you, dear readers. It's so hard keeping these invitations a secret. I just don't want to spoil the surprise for when people who read this blog actually receive them!

I don't think they're the most amazing thing since sliced bread. I do think that they're pretty and they get the job done. They are completely designed by ourselves, and to our knowledge, people won't have received anything quite like them. I've seen things similar online but nothing that looks like we've copied them.

Most of the pictures I've taken this week are of us making the invitations, documenting the process that we went through. For obvious reasons, I can't show these pictures yet, making the blog even more dull than usual, if that's even possible!

I really do hope I remember post all about the making of the invitations, and I hope that I'm not so bored by them at that point that I neglect to do it! Remind me and beg me for that post, please?! That's if you want to see the finished secret product!

We got up and went to the gym again this morning! Three for three! We can't go on a Wednesday morning as it doesn't open until 9.30am which is too late for me. I consider it a success!

Had loads to do in work today, so I really tried to get my head down and focus on the tasks in hand. I'm not very good at that but I did my best!

This is my top drawer in the office today. In it, other than my Dictaphone headphones and phone case is my fruit stash. And some out of date thai green curry flavour poppadom type things which are gross and I really should throw them away.

Yes, folks, that's how exciting things get. Hold onto your hats!

After work I came home, ate dinner and set to making the evening invitations. The glue gun needed to make an appearance and neither of us burnt ourselves! Well done us! We got them to a very advanced point in the crafting process when we decided that we did need to go to bed. Busy day ahead tomorrow, so much needed beauty sleep was in order so we could get up and go to the gym in the morning. Priorities in the right place, you see!

Beautiful Maia is not amused that we are concentrating so hard on that paper stuff that she's not allowed to sit on and not throwing mouseys for her to play with. We are such cruel parents.

12/06/2013 - RSVP!

Wednesday is here! So soon! How can this be?!

The day went by at a snails pace. The previous 2 weeks flew by. This week. Well, it's not.

Technical question: obviously we all know that Google Reader is no longer going to be with us in a few weeks time. Which is devastating. I've been trying to use Feedly. I am not amused. I'm getting more used to it but the majority of the time I open it in Chrome (my current browser of choice) it's permanently 'synchronising'.

The only reason I started using Chrome is because Blogger didn't like working in any other browser I have on my system. However Feedly works perfectly in Firefox, my previous choice of browser. I bet it even works in Internet Explorer! I hope it sorts itself out pronto as gosh darn it, I need to keep up with my feed! I need the cuteness of all the kitties I follow...and the wedding stuff...but KITTIES!

If you, like me, have a fondness for kittens and cats and all things feline, then these are my favourites (in alphabetical order):

Love and Hisses - currently featuring The Royals, and Khaleesi and her Dragons
Tails from the Foster Kittens - Odilia, who was born with no eyes is just the most ADORABLE kitten ever.
The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee - The first kitty blog I followed! Best thing I ever decided to do!

Today, while I was at work, Paul hand-delivered some of our finished invitations to neighbours who live locally.

Within an hour we got our first RSVP! From a genuine rock star!

There he is on stage, back in November last year with his band, Sound of Guns. Hi Lee, if you're reading! :)

So excited that someone is coming!

After work I came home and did some clearing up before Chris came over for #Whedonsday!

It was a late start, but made all the better because we gave Chris his invitation to the wedding! He seemed to like it! I hope it was a genuine reaction, anyway...

From there, we started watching Dollhouse, which was on about 4 years ago before the evil television networks cancelled it. It was a  great show and it's been a couple of years since we watched it last time, so it's good to see it again!

Plus we had home made Kerala Beef Bhuna, which was pretty delish.

After that we had something I'd been since Monday. Seriously. I had a carb craving that nothing could satiate. I needed biscuits. I managed to put them off for 48 hours. As today is a bit of a naughty day, with having beer and all, a few bikkies isn't going to break me, right?

Custard Creams, Millionaires Shortbread and Jammie Dodgers (with custard).

Wrong. I felt soooooooo guilty after eating some of these. Real pangs of "I've just put on every pound I've lost recently" guilt.

I went to bed not feeling very happy with myself.

At least I got the craving out the way though, right?

11/06/2013 - Working 9 til...well 9, actually!

2 out of 2 days in the gym! Go team us! I'm proud of us, anyway! I thought I'd test my hip with a little cross trainer then wave action. It didn't hurt! I'm so happy! It must be the impact from running, so I think I need to work on that a little!

Anyway, everything was the same old same old in the office.

When I came home, dinner was almost nearly ready anyway, so we ate and then got back down to business with the invitations. We had envelopes to print and a few last details to finish.

We did the lot! All the day invitations are done! YIPPEE! We just need to distribute the hand delivered ones, organise international postage to the abroad people and then sort the national postage situation on the ones that are left!

I'm so glad we're at this stage. Sure, we've got the evening invitations to do, but I feel a lot more confident about them now we have the bulk out of the way!

Here's my friend Chris's invitation! I don't know if he reads the blog but I'm sure he wouldn't want me putting his address out there for the world to see. He's very stalk-able, so I think I'm doing him a favour in protecting him from the crazy masses. However, if you are ever lucky enough to meet him, please feel free to say the words "Peter Pettigrew" or "Timothy Spall" to him. He has to drink. Ah, what a game we play!

We finished with a little time to spare, but we went to bed to chill. I am absolutely exhausted. I can't remember the last time I relaxed properly. I can't wait for holiday!

As the above picture is very exciting for me but probably less so for you; here's Barney.

If you're wondering where Maia has been the last few days, she's been around but she's always sitting a-top something to do with the invitations, and I don't want to spoil you! Maia pics will have to wait!