our past few days...

...have been really busy. We've had trips swimming, been shopping, visited friends. We've written and read stories, we've played, we've cooked and crafted. We've been cleaning and sorting. In Rebe's room we gathered all of her school books from last year. Pretty much all of the work Rebe does in school is in work books (a huge expense to us and the environment..but we won't go there right now). At the end of term she brought them all home and has spent the holidays looking back over them and finishing any pages left to do. I wasn't quite sure what we should do with them all, it seemed a little disrespectful to Rebe to just chuck them into the recycling. So I suggested we make a big poster out of them.

She spent a lot of time one day going through all of her work books and cutting out the things she liked best and pasting them onto a big sheet of brown paper. She cut out 'Junior Infants' from one of the books and glued that on too, along with some photos of her in school and of her class that her teacher had given her at the end of term.

Now she has the poster hanging in her room to remind her of her first year at school and I can clear the shelf of old work books guilt free.

On Saturday evening a group of very special friends and I got together for a hen-do-that-wasn't-a-hen-do. One of my friends hosted and everyone brought a dish or two with them (apart from me, all I was told to bring was my smile...which I did!)

It was such a special evening. Everything was so beautiful,

and the food was divine!

We even had 3 pavlovas for dessert (although I have to say I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a pink willy-shaped one ;-)). It was fun and funny and it meant the world to me, I am so blessed to have found such friends here, and indeed wherever I go.

One dear person had gone to the trouble to make me an Angel CD (I am taking Andy's name tomorrow which is Angel), every track has the word 'Angel' in it. It's so cool and thoughtful! We've been dancing round the kitchen to it ever since :-)

This poem was in the card they gave me. So clever, and very, very sweet.
Written with help from a very clever and talented man who has also made our rings for us (I will do a separate post about them in the future, they are really so special).

We've also been doing a bit of painting...

Me: "What are you painting Benny?"

Benny: " A round-and-roundy thing"

Why yes so you are :-)

And drawing...

Rebe drew this for her best buddy Padraig. Here they are together (I love that Rebe is barefoot in the picture and that is how she seems herself)

And sellotaping...

Benny spent a good half hour this morning taping up lots of our pencils...erm thanks Benny.

So, tomorrow is the big day. We're very excited and it's all turning out to be more special than Andy and I had imagined, people are so sweet and kind and I think it's going to be the perfect day for us tomorrow.

Our dear little bakers making our wedding cake. They were even singing a wedding cake song :-)

I'll take lots of pictures tomorrow and will share our day with you soon.

x