spending hiatus: update & thank yous & eye surgery

The past week presented no serious challenges in my spending hiatus, for which I'm ever so grateful. I did get a little shopping-kick out of buying envelopes and other bits of stationery for our thank you cards. But surely that doesn't count, so I experienced a little guilt free pleasure, hurrah!

We printed four different postcards of our favourite wedding portraits and we're getting most of them out by hand delivery, but I'm worried about the rest getting ruined in the mail, hence the last-minute envelopes. And yes, the thank you cards are now quite overdue etiquette-wise, but some guests have theirs already so we're only about 60% late! We're all set to finish them tomorrow night so I can mail the last ones real soon.

On a completely different topic, I have a little poll I'd like to take. Have you or has anyone you know undergone Lasik corrective eye surgery?

BB is very sweetly encouraging me to have it done and today my eye specialist found that I'm actually an ideal candidate for a successful procedure. The only thing is, I'm terribly squeamish and a little bit scared of all things doctor / hospital / operation related. Maybe it has something to do with my Grandfather having died during a routine operation? My mom was only 10 at the time so I never even knew him or anything and I'm sure medical advances have been humongous since then, but I've just always stayed as far away as possible from any unnecessary medical attention. I'd rather leave well enough alone and carry on with my scratchy lenses and sexy red frames than risk a botched op.

So, if you have any knowledge or opinion on the matter, I'd love to hear from you!

our wedding F: portraits

Somewhere in between all the madness, we took some "Bridal Portraits" too. That phrase is usually quite likely to make me break out in hives and run screaming for the hills, but in Ian's consummately capable hands, they came out quite cool.

Okay, "quite cool" was just me being modest. I think these fricking rock!

While all the commotion was going on at Cafe Felix, while we were playing dress-ups and posing and crying and laughing, there was another part to the story. Just out the gate, over the road and down the hill, a Beautiful Boy was waiting. Waiting for his love, all dressed up. He'd vehemently denied any and all wishes that he should wear a tie. The Beautiful Boy didn't like ties, didn't wear ties, and wasn't planning to start now.

Except, he did.

And he looked Beautiful.

Oh so very, very handsome and dashing and hot!

Sigh.

our wedding E: my family

When we drew up our shot list for Ian, we kept it rather short and sweet and the groupings we really wanted were mostly to be photographed after the ceremony. I'd never even considered having some pics taken with my parents before the ceremony but suddenly Ian was there, we were all ready and there was a spare moment or two. My Mom was quickly bustled into the shot and we got these beautiful pics. What a bonus.

Ankia was obviously there too and looked absolutely stunning. I'm sorry we didn't get a pro pic of just me and her! But then that would've left only my brother out, which would've bothered me too. (Pedantic, me?)

I couldn't believe it was that time already when my Dad arrived. We're a big family of weepers and we were both worried that we were going to set each other off into sobs when we walked down the aisle. Meeting him beforehand was the best idea ever.

You can't see it in the pictures, but we had a quick little cry just when we saw each other, then we hugged and said that's enough now. I just love this series of images! The expression on Ankia's face is classic, grrr.

This picture makes me laugh because I have one so similar of when my Dad first saw me in my first formal gown, thirteen years before, with that same look on his face.

And my favourite of the lot.

I'd gone shopping with my brother and my Dad a month before the wedding. My Dad wouldn't believe us that he didn't have to wear a tie or jacket. I guess he's old school like that. He had his tie and jacket in the car, but it was such a warm day by now, I convinced him to stay cool and casual as he was.

My parents were divorced when I was fourteen, so having a picture with both of them in it is very rare. The last ones I had were taken exactly ten years before these, at my 21st birthday party.

When we recieved our photographs from Ian, all of these with my Mom and my Dad were the first ones I fell in love with. We look like us, not stiff or posed or unnatural and I feel so close to them when I think of how unconditionally they supported me all through life, but especially and surpringly when I made this hasty choice to marry my Beautiful Boy, whom they'd never even met. I guess they trusted in the way they'd raised me and in the person I'd become. I am so blessed.

guess what? i'm absolutely fabulous!

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I just found this little time-waster via this newly discovered and enjoyed blog. And they told me my style is:

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

There's no such thing as OTT in your book: why settle for average when you can have full-blown, va-va-voom GORGEOUS? In some homes, the result is a riot of carte blanche camp, but expressed more subtly, the glamorous look can be the dernier cri of sophisticated city living. It's all a question of how you combine colour and texture with attitude even if, secretly, you know that sometimes less is often more!

Now who wouldn't like to hear that? And in my dreams, it is all true. Yay for finding fun home stuff to do... It's the next level for me!

spending hiatus: i cheated!

No, no, not in the way you think. I did get a new pair of shiny tiger print flats from Aldo and two pairs of pyjama pants from La Senza BUT I still had vouchers left from my birthday & hen night in November, yay! I didn't go one cent over the vouchers either, so I'm very impressed with myself. So what if I used up my last remaining shopping power all in the first month of the hiatus? Of course that doesn't mean that I find this quite hard? Hmm.

Cute, comfy & just a little bit wild. Half off on sale AND a gift card? Hiatus heaven.

On Saturday we attended Cape Town's annual show-off day at the (horse) races, the J&B Met. The Met's theme this year was Glitz & Glam so I truly deserve a pat on the back for not caving in and allowing some minor purchase to glitz up my glam. Not only did I borrow a (perfectly gorgeous, glamorous) dress from my honey of a sis-in-law but I even abstained from buying some incredibly bold and beautiful earrings, cuffs and/or statement necklaces from Diva.

I was in the shops with Minki just last week, looking for her new outfit, when we strolled into the little bargain accessories shop and I nearly succumbed. I don't know if it's just the lure of forbidden fruit but I've never seen them stock such fabulous things as they do at the moment. Maybe it's just that the trend for bold pieces is so appealing to me. Or a bit of both. Regardless, I walked out of shop empty-handed, severely conflicted. Over coffee we devised the clever plan that Minki could just buy it for me, as a gift. That would neatly circumvent the whole nasty hiatus business and I would have my oversized silver bling to wear!

Alas, as a bit of time passed and caffeine divine entered my system, the thrill of the prize started to wear off. Half an hour of pleasant conversation and laughs later, I remembered that I have some perfectly bold and beautiful silver things at home and I really, really didn't need anything new. That was it, crisis averted. Now I only wonder if I would've confessed to you, had we gone ahead with our criminal little plan?

My Beautiful Boy and I, en route to the Met.