Ohhh Laurette I'm sorry to hear that. Let us all know if you need a shoulder to cry on!

AW

Thanks Amanda

Does anyone reckon that it's a bad thing that I didnt go back to work this afternoon? Mum rang me when I was home for lunch... I didnt want to go back, and Glenn stayed home with me, so I have had my hour long cry and cuddle on his shoulder, and now it's just realisation that it's for the best.

I just hope that my boss isnt cranky with me. I guess if she is, she will have to get over it.

Surely they will understand that?

Laurette...I didnt realise you were TTC either?!?!?!?!?!

Hi girls

Laurette , Im so, so sorry for your loss I never know what to say when something like this happens, there isnt any words I can say that will make you feel better, just know you are in my thoughts, and your Granddad is in a better place (cliche, but I believe that)

Im sure he had a few cold beers waiting up there in the Grand Old Pub, in Heaven. Im glad you didnt go back to work, there is no way you can work when you have a loss, please take a few days off if you can and grieve properly, otherwise it will hit you like a tonne of bricks when you least expect it. Make sure Glenn gives you an extra long hug tonight. Hugs to you babe.

Jo - hope you feel a bit better soon. I hope they didnt jab you with all 4 injections in one arm

Amanda - your cake toppers look awesome!! Today we found out that on the new NOIM there is a box to tick if you want your name automatically changed to his sirname, we didnt recall this on the form we filled in so I assume we just have the old one. Better send en email to our celebrant just in case.

Well I just got home after 8 hours of relationship counselling, bit of a waste of time for us I think, it was more aimed at couples who have just moved in together, girls who have just become army spouses etc. Most of the people there looked pretty young, but it cant hurt us. Plus the Padre gave out cadbury chocs so it was all worthwhile

There was no express post parcell waiting for me when I got home.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss Laurette! I hope you're ok. As you know, i lost my grandpa a little over a month ago, it still doesn't seem real to me yet. if your boss gives you hell about taking the afternoon off, give him a kick up the bum.

Amanda those cake toppers look heaps better than the original ones! Pitty the lady was so rude to your BM though, completely unneccesary!

Chloe i love your dress, especially the back and how the train kind of fans out! So glamourous and utterly gorgeous!

Jo i hate needles! I'm going to have to check with a doctor this week as to whether we need any, i'm pretty sure we don't, which is just as well!!

Beck

Amanda, those cake toppers look great! What a relief.

Thanks for the kind words, girls.

My boss, I think was OK, I emailed her, but she's just a bit of a hard one to read - shes away at a meeting tomorrow, luckliy.

Michelle, your day sounds as though it was OK. Good thing that you got chocolate! And OMG about the interview - all the best, chicki.

Amanda, re the TTC, we have been trying since Nov...

Laurette

I'm so so sorry for your loss. What a hard day it must have been for you. I'm glad you didn't go back to work. I hope you can take a few more days off. It sounds like Glenn is being lovely. We are all thinking of you and I can't help but admire your courage and resilience - you sound like you're being very strong and keeping your chin up

Although I can't know how you are feeling now, I think might know what you mean about not wanting him to have stayed on and on. I visited my grandma last weekend in Brisbane. She's practically unconcious all day long and has been bedridden for many many years now. I just can't bear to see her suffer and for such a long time (years and years).

*Great big fat hug*

Michelle - oh no! Still no parcel? Your counselling (wow 8 hours?!) sounded interesting. As I've previously posted, ours was very unconventional and I don't know what a real counselling session would look like. I keep hearing people talk about chocolate in this thread (Laurette started it all I think!). Its dangerous!

Amanda - the first ones were cute but these are definitely cuter!!! They will look just gorgeous

Thank you everyone for your kind words re the dress. We're getting it altered this weekend in Brisbane (someone is actually going to do it overnight on Saturday night - apparently she's excellent).

The colour is actually called 'Ice pink'. Its a sort of extremely pale blush pink (but looks more like a vintage white colour to me). A little oysterish coloured I guess. It's definitely unusual. I might try to make convert it into an evening dress ( much smaller skirt) if I don't wear it and can't sell it after the alterations.

Jo - We're going to the doctors tomorrow night for our jabs. I had four last year before Vietnam (they did all my limbs - both arms and legs and I was in pain for a day). I hate needles as well....

Back up to Brissie this weekend for final trip (hopefully) before March 11. Seating arrangements!!! How scary considering many of our RSVPs haven't responded...

Chloe XOXO

Have a picture of me in the AP dress if anyone wants to see?



Sorry girls, I seem to be inundating you with pictures of myself - feeling very self-conscious now....!

Oh CHLOE - that AP dress is STUNNING!

Oh, you look soso so sooso so so so soso so sososo bootiful Alex will be blown away twice in the one day! he he.

Thankyou very much for your thoughts and well wishes. We will know today when the funeral is going to be, I presume.

I am not real happy, because Glenn is talking about only being able to get 1 day odd work to go down. I can understand if it wasin town here -but it's 500km away, and I dont want to have to be rushing down the morning of, or rushing down the night before and then back stright after - I want to be able to spend a bit of time with the family, if that makes sense.

So once we know what's happening, hopefully there will be a bit of compassion from his boss (she's a cow) and he will be able to have the time off. Hopefully it will be on Friday so that then we have the weekend after to be able to get back when we want to.

Chloe, I would also call that MH dress oyster, or a vingage white... it's a gorgeous colour! I love it!

I just cant believe (well, I can) how AMAZING you look in that AP dress! You're a stunner baby!

Laurette - good luck with Glenn's boss.

I really can't believe in this day and age sometimes, how inflexible work can be about important events like this. You need Glenn down there with you and you need some time to grieve - I agree, not be rushed to get there and back. Are you back at work today chicka?

Thanks so much for the comments re dresses. I'm actually in a state of shock that I have 2 dresses when just a few weeks ago I had none. Alex thinks I have the dress God shining down on me:) I hope he or she sticks around for a while...

Chloe..mate..

That AP dress is, hmm, I think one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. Please feel free to keep inundating us with pics, I always love to see them. All I can say is Alex is one lucky guy he is going to be blown away when he see's you in your dresses.

Laurette I hope Glenn can get extra time off for your sake. Could you just stay there a bit longer if needed? Are there any buses you could take to save having to drive alone?

Best of luck to ya.

Hiya chickens

Chloe, I wanna see MORE pics - you look so beautiful!

We think that the funeral is going to be on Friday, so we would go down tomorrow, but I will find out for sure around lunch time. I hope that it is, because I want to get it over, and have the weekend to calm down again before coming back to work.

It's my mum's 50th birthday this Sunday - what a week to have this happen.

My work has been really good - I had a lovely email from my boss this morning - this is what it said;

Yes I am here Laurette

I cant believe your shoes havent arrived yet grrr.

I'm here all day today Laurette, i'd be very happy to help push the post count thread up. I really want to get up to the next level of membership before the wedding, so i can have 3 boxes next to my name instead of 2.

I forgot to wish you luck for the interview in my last post Michelle, so, good luck!!

Chloe, gotta love that AP gown!! Very jealous!!

Beck

Hi Girls *waves*

I know... I am so pissed off about these shoes. Annoying the shit out of me.

Mum and I are meeting with the caterer today at lunch time, looking forward to that, also the yummo lunch that I get to have. I am very hungry as I missed breakfast this morning, couldnt really eat.

I tried to get Glenn to look over the menu with me last night, and he wouldnt, so I am picking it myself, and if he doesnt like it, then he can just get stuffed, I reckon.

I will have to let you all know this afternoon what we come up with...

Mum and I had a chat about it last night and have a few ideas, but we want to talk to Michelle (the caterer) and see what she likes cooking and what are the most popular etc etc.

One thing that I am set on is that there will be not a baked dinner in sight... hehe

Hi Laurette, I'm so sorry for your loss. It seemed to happen very suddenly. You and you family are in my thoughts.

Good luck picking out the menu. We are at that stage too, we have a huge menu. We decided on the buffet menu, otherwise the other choices were just 2 alternate drop meals and we couldnt decide what we liked. We have eaten at this reception place before and know the buffet will be better as our guests like a wide variety of choices(in other words, a bit fussy). All of this comes included with a 4 hour drink package, for $100/head (we will need to reassess how thirsty people are after 4 hours and put more money on tab or get them to buy their own)

This is what we are having

Entree -

Pre dinner canapes

Hot Fork Dishes -

char grilled beef eye fillet served with mushroom and native pepper jus,
char grilled seafod with asian greens in a honey lime and chilli sauce,
served with coconut rice and potato rosti finished in garlic cream

Carvery and cold meat selection-

Roast turkey with cranberry sauce
king island rib fillet with red wine jus
roast leg of lamb with mint sauce
whole roasted chickens
selection of charcuterie including ham, pate, spices sausage and seasonal greens

Salads-

traditional caesar salad with young cos leaves, crisp pancetta, croutons and anchovie dressing,
greek collation salad with mediterranean flavours and young greens,
chat potato and bacon salad with pesto and roasted vegetables,
plum tomatoes with baby mozzarella, basil and olive oil

dessert - (the best bit )

Selection of gateaux, cheesecakes, tropical fruit, assorted Australian cheeses, grapes and crackers, and of course our wedding cake, white and milk choc mudcake

Sounds very yummy michelle, especially the mudcake *licks lips*

Laurette, i'm trying to put good vibes for you out there so your shoes hurry up. Also, would love to know what you end up picking for your menu. I wish i was having a nice lunch today, probably have toast....again.

Beck

Oh Michelle, that all sounds divine.

I am getting hungry now just reading it! Yummo!!!

Ours is very hard to pick from also… we are having the alternate drop menu, sit down, with three courses, plus pre-dinner canapés, and also cake afterwards.

So today we have to pick which canapés we want, which entrees, mains and desserts.

Oh, food – glorious food. Why does there have to be so much to choose from! Not long now until we can enjoy all this work that we have put in girls!

Also, I will be able to print up the menus, which will be good. I will have to order some more black card for them, as I don’t think that I ordered enough to include the menus – at that stage I don’t think that I was doing them. I certainly have enough of the rose vellum left to do it, and the white layer paper, just have to get the card, I want them to look like our invitations, except that they will just be like a greeting card and fold out from one side, not the two that the invites folded from.

Michelle, your food sounds SO good. I promise that I will post this afternoon what we are going to have.

I also have to organise 4 children’s meals, a vegan and a gluten/lactose intolerant. Ah, the joys.

Considering that we weren’t even having kids, suddenly we have ended up with four and also two babies, which can be understood.

Mum is really cranky at my aunty, because when her kids got married (the same cousins that I mentioned re my grandfather that just passed) there were NO kids, not even my brothers got asked, because they were under 16, and that was for ALL of the weddings, there was four of them. And mum spoke to Aunty Judy about it when she was down there last, and now they have asked whether or not they can come. Which is annoying, because they are not even really my cousin’s kids – they are the kids of his wife, from her previous marriage, and her ex husband (who has the kids half the time) and her mother are apparently both unavailable.

Mum is cranky, but what was I supposed to do, say no? I don’t think that it will get brought up again, due to the funeral and all that happening now.

Weddings. Sometimes I wonder why we bothered. I just keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end

Laurette cant wait to hear what food you decide on.

I should go down to the post office today to find out where my express post parcel got to. I also need to get a form to change my details on the electorial roll.

Oh, I havent changed my electoral roll details for the last two times that I have moved, but it's only been about like, 3 blocks distance, so I figure that it dont really matter. I will do it once I change my name too, so that then it's in time for the census etc.

I am a bit worried about that change of the NOIM form. We had the old blue one, and it's too late to change it now... oh well, looks like wont get an automatic name change...

Hoping that the shoes arrive today!

I will be off to lunch in about 15 mins, so I am going to check at home for them on the way to the meeting. Hopefully there will be a postal card for me.

Back home for the arvo!

I came back STARVING to find this thread filled with delicious menus, buffets, 3-course meals,... *salivating*

Thank god I have brought lunch back with me. Else I would have to start chewing the mouse.

Good luck with the lunch today Laurette - sounds absolutely FAB!!! We didn't get a tasting at out venue.

We're having a 3-course sitdown meal, alternate drop wth hot and cold canapes (6 different ones per person) and cake afterwards.

At least ppl won't leave hungry!

We think we will have salmon and chicken as the two main course dishes...And lots ot yummy seafood for entree and canapes. The deserts are to die for - after all that chocolate talk (Laurette I believe you are to blame) I am hanging out for 3 pieces of cake and double desert at the reception!

Michelle - good luck with the express post parcel!!!!!! We're also doing a slide show thingy with baby pics and we're halfway through scanning everything now...

Speaking of desert... here is my cake (or similar to what my cake will look like!) with only 3-tiers. We're also having a catering cake (extra cake) in chocolate flourless with chocolate ganache YUMM-MMMOOO!!!

Oh wow Chloe, that cake is beautiful!

Hey, have you decided what flowers you are having?

Righto chickens – Chloe, I am here to make you even more hungry!

We had a great meeting with the caterer – sorry I didn’t make myself clear, we didn’t have a taste of the food, we met her for lunch at another place. Funnily, we actually asked this restaurant to cater for us, and they said no, but recommended this lady that we got, because she did the food for THEIR wedding – and considering that they’re both chefs, then it’s a good recommendation!


Mixture of canapés;

- Cocktail mini spring roll with chicken and coriander filling with sweet chilli dipping sauce
- Mini quiches (home made)
- Spiced meatballs with sweet and sour dipping sauce
- Minced lamb and pinenut filos with hommus dip
- Crouton with smoked salmon mousse caviar (eew personally, but I am sure that someone will like it)
- Crouton with pate mousse
- Crouton with Pesto filling (she loves these croutons)
- Asparagus and Ham roll


Entrée; we are having a mix of three in alternate drop

- Chicken and chive volauvent
- Seafood voulavent – both served with small side salad
- Rare beef salad with a spicy Thai dressing


Main; mix of two in alternate drop

- Chicken and Cheese filo parcel with herb sauce
- Beef fillet filled with spinach and cottage cheese, topped with spicy roast tomato sauce

Then there will be butter and herb chat potatos, and a mix of fresh seasonal vegetables.

Dessert; mix of three in alternate drop

- Brandy snap basket filled with macadamia nut icecream topped with fresh fruit
- Rum and pecan pie with cream or icecream (I think that it will be icecream)
- Fresh strawberries and cream shortbread stack

It all sounds so good, and she was so so nice – we have a vegan and a gluten intolerant on the guest list, and she is accommodating both of them with no troubles!

Do you all think that it sounds OK?

Hi girls,

Laurette,

Sorry to hear about your grandfather he is now in a better place with no pain and suffering and I know he will be watching over you and Glenn on your wedding day.

You know where we are if you need to talk.

Tonight when the stars are out go and pick one it will be his symbol in the sky for you to look at and remember him.

My thoughts are with you sweetie


Michelle,

Did you get your parcel yet???I was thinking about doing the same thing for Amanda and Paddy but most of the photos i have of her she is showing her 2,3,4and 5 year old naked bum


Chloe,

LOVES the cake!!!!!!!!!And keep those photos coming.



Well Im going to Brisbane on Monday to get my MOB outfit +shoes+bag cant have a new outfit without new bag and shoes thank god for hubbies credit card.


I did do one thing wedding related today while out shopping I got the FG and PB activity packs ie:colouring books ,stickers, crayons etc should keep the little buggers quiet for an hour or so.

kathyxxx

Laurette - YUMMY!! They sound so delish, making me very hungry. I better grab something to eat I havent even had breakfast yet - naughty I know.

Chloe your cake looks awesome too - was that Hannahs cake?]

Mum recieved my parcel I posted her which were my *things to decorating the house* I think if I remember correctly her words were they look like fake plastic shit Gotta love my mum. Still waiting on quotes from the place that sells *things to decorate house*




My cake, only will be white choc not brown choc, Not 100% sure about the choc curls or the decorations, but that will be easy to organise once we decide. Will be tied with brown ribbon around the cake.

ALL THESE POST/PHOTOS OF FOOD AND CAKE IS NOT HELPING MY WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!


GOING TO FIND CHOCOLATE NOW!!!!!!!!




kathyxxxx

Too late for me - I had a piece of chocolate an hour ago!

Laurette - YOUR MENU SOUNDS LIKE HEAVEN. Actually, so does yours Michelle! Seriously girls, when can we start eating?!?!?!?!!!?

I live to eat, not eat to live.

Michelle - Fwaaahhh!!! Talk about yummo! I'd give up sex for that! (Actually, I suspect I'd sacrifice my soul for chocolate...)

Kathy - go on. Share pictures of Amanda in all her glory with the wedding guests I'm sure she was gorgeous *wink wink* Good luck on Monday - I love your thinking. You definitely need new bag and shoes with a new dress.

My cake - not sure if it was hannah's cake. I just picked that picture as the flowers are the relatively the right colour - the cake itself is just simple round 3-tiered cake with bridal white ribbon. The flowers will be sugar flowers (roses probably to match our bouquets) and the lady who makes them looks like she's really talented. Here's a picture of another cake (similar to mine) she made including the flowers:



The whole 3 tiers will be fruit cake so that we can send some overseas to guests who couldn't make it (not my idea, Alex's mum's). Luckily I will only be carrying wedding cake for the first day of our travels - once we get to KL we will unload the sugar and travel cake-free. Imagine if we did bring cake around the world with us - we'd be eating it every day instead of distributing it!

The extra catering cake will be flourless chocolate and it will be yummo. We tried some of the cake lady's mud cake on the weekend it was very special. Her flourless choc is supposed to be even better.

Michelle, that cake looks DEVINE! I love it!

My mummy made my cake, it's going to be all fruit too, like Chloe's.

Girls, it's starting to feel so real!

I am going to start doing up my menus tonight, if I get time.

And also get started on the place cards.

I hope that this funeral is on Friday so that I dont have to come to work for the rest of the week. Is that selfish??

Chloe, I love the pic of that second cake that you posted! Looks gorgeous!

I love that row of pearls around the bottom - that is what I want my bracelet (yes, very different to a cake) to look like, if I can get my hands on one - it was advertised in Cosmo Bride, a pearl and crystal bracelet from a place in Melbourne... I am trying to track it down. Will have to scan and show you all tongiht.

Michelle, when you say house decorations, do you mean for your mums house in QLD? I dont really get what you are talking about, but that might be because I am going mad.

Laurette - you know what Im talking about - an issue I had a few weeks ago with something I recieved in the mail. Am I being too cryptic -- the flowers?

Do you want to hear my dumb story, Ive been patiently waiting on lunch to heat up in the over, the buzzer rang so I went downstairs to eat (I am starving) only to find that although the oven was on, I forgot to turn on the power switch to it. Bloody cold, now I have to wait another 15 mins. Duh.

Wow chloe your cake is going to be stunning too - lucky gal

We're not going with the pearls - way to expensive. The pearls are some ridiculous amount per kilo....

Show me the bracelet! Someone post a picture that CAN'T BE EATEN!!!

Well maybe one more piece won't hurt me... (chooocccoolllateeeee)....

Ha ha Michelle - now I am with you! I am glad that your mother said plastic, I was thinking that she was a horrible person, now I understand what she means... I am sorry, brain is elsewhere, obviously!

Chloe, promise that I will post the pic of it as soon as I get home! I love it - I have been searching everywhere for this bloody bracelet that I wanted - and I have found what I had in my head all along. If it and my shoes are able to be done, I will have my outfit 100% organised.

Now, I need your opinion on something.

One of my friends got married in 2004, and she had these gorgeous hair pins that she used back then, that are exactly what I want. They are like the ones that I had, the round crystals, but then she also had a crystal flower on the end of them, which is gorgeous. She went to the same hairdresser as me, but when I got mine done, the hairdresser didnt have what I wanted in her selection, and I didnt want to get her to order it in, because it seemed that it would be too much of a hassle.

SO, do you think that it would be acceptable for me to ask Alison to borrow hers? She offered me her earrings and jewellery, even her veil, if I wanted to borrow any of it, but not the hair pins specifically, but I dont know that this was on purpose? or not? or if she meant that I could borrow all of it? It cant hurt to ask right? I dont have anything that is 'borrowed' for the 'old, new, borrowed, blue' so this would fix that. What do you think? She's coming to the wedding.

Edited to fix spelling

oops sorry Chloe

So many yummy cakes! So many yummy menus! Yummo!

Are any of you girls having stress issues? I am, i've been feeling really stressed lately, haven't been sleeping properly, can't stop stressing during the day, been doing compulsive things that i only do when stressed, this morning when i had a shower, clumps of hair were being washed out.

I don't even know in particular what i'm stressed about. I wish i could just fly home and everything would be alright, but i don't do that for another two weeks. Another 2 weeks of feeling like this and not only will i have no hair left, i will have no sanity left. I tried to relax last night in front of a dvd with Mark but i was stressing the whole time.

Gotta go to the doc for more asthma medication this weekend, got a funny feeling he's not going to be too happy with my blood pressure

Any way anyone can suggest to stop stressing?

Beck

Awefully sorry love, I must have slipped.

BTW has anyone ever had choc from a choc fountain? I have at some restarant at Crown Casino. mmm sweet sweet chocolate...

Beck - Im with you on the hair falling out thing Its a bit scary luckily I have thick hair but lots has been coming out when I brush - I thought I might have just been losing my winter coat as my body adjusted in climate changes. As for the no stressing thing - just try to focus on what the day is really about, Im trying to learn that all the small details wont matter at the end of the day so long as you have a ring on your finger and you are married to your fiance. Best of luck I hope the next 2 weeks are nice to you

Laurette - I would definately ask her to borrow Im sure she wouldnt mind - if she has offered her veil Im sure she wont mind about the hair pins afterall he veil costs a lot more..

You are so mean Michelle! I've never had chocolate from a chocolate fountain, but we have chocolate fountains going out at clearance prices at work, and i have to admitt, i was extremely tempted to self indulge. Can't imagine it'd do my 'diet' any good. Not that my diet is doing well anyway. I am so weak. I like the taste of food way too much, especially good food, the higher the fat content, the better it tastes to me. As soon as this wedding is over we're having pork spare ribs marinated in Texas BBQ sauce for dinner!

Beck

There you go Beck!

Hmm I wonder if you dip the fruit , IN the chocolate fountain does that mean the good of the fruit cancels out the bad of the chocolate - and you can eat as much as you like without worry? I like that theory

Stop thinking about chocolate!
Stop thinking about chocolate!
Stop thinking about chocolate!

Yay! House is on tonight!!!!

God I love that show. Thank god tv has returned to normal. How will I cope when we're away for a month? Eat more chocolate I say.

And get someone to tape it all for us.

Anyone else here watch House?

House is so funny. I watch it religiously

and on the subject of chocolate, I just ate a lindt chocolate easter egg. MMM it was so silky and gooey in my mouth.

since we're on the subject of cakes, I thought I'd post mine.

The shards will be a little shorter and it'll be filled in with roses all the way around

I did originally want this cake, but I thought It would be too simple

Or this one, but blue's not my theme

Check out this one too, complete with bridal party

PSML!!

Carolyn you crack me up!!!!

Wow, those aren't cakes.

They are small cities! I wonder if they come with their own plumbing system?

The mind boggles...