I had the greatest pleasure spending the day with Marian who is the creative talent behind the new floristry venture Araminta Flowers.

My dream job right?! Flowers, flowers and more flowers, and a few cake tins for good measure!

Marian is busy beavering away on her new website which will launch soon, full of all the images I took yesterday.

There was a moment of realisation yesterday, when I had to pinch myself. That I have actually built up a rather lovely business. I can't explain how lucky I feel to work for like minded creative individuals. I have slowly built up a wonderful set of clients who I am building long term relationships with and that was a distant dream a few years ago.

It's incredibly frightening working for yourself but it is spectacularly rewarding. Because you are in control, you are the master of your own destiny. 

2014 is a year that sees both Rich and I with no security of being an employee. Life is one big adventure at the moment but we are embracing it, however scary it may be.

I am an all or nothing girl. I can't help it, it's just my nature. Jump in feet first or not at all.

Dream big everyone.

Is there something you are dreaming of?

I wrote a goals post back in January and haven't looked at it since! But when I did check in last night, turns out I am not doing too badly on my motto for this year. I couldn't appreciate the opportunities I have any more if I tried. Every kind tweet makes me want to share more, every supportive blog post comment I receive makes me so proud, every nomination for awards makes me burst with excitement.

Every photography job I win makes my heart skip a beat.

My goal yesterday was to get some great product shots for Marian but also to create a bank of content for her to share through social media. Snaps she can share to help promote her business without begin too sales oriented! I may have said the word Pinterest a few times yesterday ;)

It was wonderful working at Marian's home, in a sea of props and stems and to bring a little of her family into her business. Inspired by her late parents, Marian's new venture is the start of something special and I am sure they would be so proud.

I'll share a few of the finished edits from yesterday's adventure next week but here's a little taster. 

Enjoy!

Something fun for St Valentine's day!

A few photos from my shoot with The Little Wedding Helper, a few little questions and a few of my answers :)

Q 1 - When was your first kiss?

A - I can vividly remember mine was with a boy called Robert at a school disco in the last year of primary school. It was the Christmas Disco and Cliff Richard's Mistletoe and Wine was playing! Oh the romance!

Q 2 - What's the most romantic story you have ever read?

A - Pride and Prejudice, but my cousin's wedding version. My cousin Simon roped in about 10 of their best friends and filmed a real life version of his bride's favourite book. It was unbelievably romantic and for some one who doesn't usually like being centre of attention, you could see how much he loved her from the effort he had put in to something totally magical. He even dived in a lake. Legend.

Q 3 - What was the most romantic gift you have ever been given? 

A - It may sound silly but I went to a boy's secondary school. At the time I was there for my A Levels there were only girls in the upper and lower sixth. This meant there were Year 7 boys desperate to carry your books and open doors for you. I was a school prefect (yes total goody goody at school) and had to monitor and mentor 24, 11 year old boys each lunch break.

I was "bundled" several times, helpless under a heap of pre-pubescent boys but it was all just fun. They absolutely did respect me and one took a real shine. On the day I left school he bought me the Spice Girls CD Goodbye, it was such a sweet and romantic gesture. I'd never really been someone's crush before. I won't say who, as I am still friends with his brother on Facebook!

Q 4 - Do you keep love letters?

A - Oh yes - I am a terrible hoarder! I have the letters and cards my grandparents sent each other and I have kept every single card and letter Rich and I sent each other through 4 years at separate universities. One day I hope my grandchildren will treasure them like I do.

Q 5 - What was your proposal story? 

A - Rich and I have been together 15 years next month. 15 YEARS!!! We had been together 7 years when he proposed, out of the blue! The trouble with being together for a while is everyone hints and is almost waiting for it to happen. On the day we bought our beautiful house in Weston (that we've just sold aaah) it was a day of high tension. Frantic calls between solicitors, me trying to not bite everyone's heads off at work and Rich racing up and back to Bristol.

I stood at the front door, in the hallway of an empty house, ready to be filled with memories and babies and he pulled up on the drive. I held the door open and watched this sweaty, huffing and puffing mess walk across the front garden. He looked a wreck, all flustered and nervous with his hand behind his back. He walked up to the front door and bent down on one knee, blurting out will you marry me?! A few seconds later after he placed a bit of M&S bling on my finger he said "Oh god, sorry I had a big speech planned but I just couldn't get it all out!"

I love that it wasn't a perfectly prepared and rehearsed speech, that it felt like an enormous thing to do, not just the next thing to do!

Q 6 - If you could kiss anyone who would it be?

A - Forgive me for being totally shallow and choosing a celebrity actor, but it would have to be the actor Jon Hamm aka Don Draper from Mad Men, I mean man oh man yes please! I think I would be totally powerless to resist his charms!

Q 7 - Who is the love of your life?

A - The greatest loves of our lives are our boys. They drive us crazy, they break things, they don't listen, quite often shout that we are horrible and not their best friend's (even Ollie who has picked up that nice phrase from his brother) and yet we love them unconditionally.

They will always be the most incredible gift, babies are not a guaranteed blessing, that we need to be grateful for every day.

Our boys - the loves and light of our lives.

I'd love to hear your answers..... answers on a blog post please! 

Much love to you dear readers.

Cookie Lips - Opulence Cakes
Florals - Daisy Lane Floral Design
Styling - Kirsten, The Little Wedding Helper

Happy New Year Me and Miners!

Today marks a milestone.

A whole month of being out of our house without a new one to go to. We have settled in as much as I think we are going to, to our rented house, as we have run out of space to unpack any more boxes! 

It's also been a whole month of refreshing Rightmove and Zoopla 10 times a day. Why can't there be one update a day?! It's driving us mad, houses popping up at all sorts of random times.

In a month we have viewed a total number of zero properties. I got excited about a couple, only to discover there was no garden at the back of one ever to extend, and the other backed onto a river. With all the terrible flooding in this part of the world, we won't be heading to a river side location any time soon.

But we have a lovely landlord willing to extend our rental period month by month, so instead of counting down, feeling under pressure to have found and offered on something by the end of next month, (to give us any hope of completing before the end of our tenancy) I've decided to try and go with the flow. Even if that is tricky, as we drive past our old house every day.

We've made a lovely home here. Yes the pink artex isn't one of the top interior design qualities I look for in a home, but we have lots of space and our furniture just somehow seems to fit all the funny nooks and crannies. We keep saying, if you got your hands on this and made a few changes, you could completely transform it.

I have uploaded a little video home tour. (it's quite long so feel free to fast forward. Plus what is it with your voice on video?!) 

So this has been life lately.

No alcohol until Ollie had a second trip to A&E in almost as many days, then a bout of chicken pox which has covered his little body in ghastly red sores. It's been a couple of weeks of iPad entertainment, Rich and I juggling work and colds, with a couple of lovely parties, cups of tea with best friends and Skypes with my little niece. Rich and I have lost 23 lbs between us and I'm determined to lose another stone, to fit into a favourite dress for Yasmin's Christening at the end of April.

This is Ollie saying cheese - looking at me and not Sammy who was playing photographer!

I've been pouring over home magazines and saving scrap bits of paper for inspiration when our perfect house pops up on the market, whilst sat on the laptop with my best friend scrolling through endless house listings. The house is covered in half finished blog posts and the dog food bin has become a handy table in the back porch for taking food photos! It give me a really nice soft natural light :)

We have 2 sleepovers this week. One at my sister's, just for me and then we are hosting a little sleepover for Sammy's sweetheart, with a first trip to a bowling alley and a birthday lunch after.

I am working away next week, snapping a special project and have been invited to this gallery exhibition next Wednesday evening, with the photographer himself presenting his iconic pieces of work. I am giddy.

Today I am up in Bristol getting a little Valentine's love on with a photo shoot with The Little Wedding Helper. A few hours of playing with flowers and hearts, yes please! 

And in amongst all this month's chaos and drama, this was the only photo of the four of us. From the first night we moved in. A perfect one to share for the new start of Me and Mine 2014.

I hoped the black and white might hide just how tired I look in this photo!

Isn't this just how the first night in a new home is meant to look? Beds on floors?! 

February is jam packed for us, Rich's birthday, parties, days out, a family gathering, I'm hoping we will be spoilt for choice for our February photo.

Join in with us and capture a moment in your family lives, once a month.

I've shown you Me and Mine, now show me you and yours!

Head over to Katie's blog to catch up with her family adventures this month. Her blog is genuine, heartfelt and full of happiness. I love it. 

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.dearbeautifulboy.com/2014/01/me-and-mine-january.html " title="dear beautiful" target="_blank"><img src="http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll320/looby_boo/meampmine-button_zpscc9f6437.jpg" alt="dear beautiful" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

ps. I'd like to apologise for not commenting on all the lovely photos linked up last month. I felt I didn't have time to breathe last month, but that's all changed. I can't wait to read all your posts.