Shiny and New

Where to start?! Firstly belated Happy New Year (we’re way beyond Christmas wishes!)… I hope you all had a lovely, relaxing break, and are refreshed and ready for everything that 2013 will bring. It was an incredibly hectic end of the year for us, as Tom and I finally got the keys to our very own home! I’m so excited. It’s something we’ve been dreaming about for so long, to have a place to put down some roots and to make our own; it’s in a tiny Hertfordshire village with a real sense of community that we can’t wait to become part of.

{image via flickr}
Not our house, obvs. I just have a Nancy Meyers fixation.
So the first thing we did was whitewash 90% of the house (no more MAGNOLIA… best. feeling. ever) and rip up the old carpet, so it has that ‘new’ smell rather than the feeling that you’re living in someone else’s home. I’m looking forward to updating you with the progress of our new digs once we start to get furniture in – one of my goals for 2013 (if I call them resolutions, they’re more likely to fail) is to make this blog more personal by featuring more photographs taken by me and fewer credited images.
Speaking of my blog, the redesign I’ve been wanting to do for months has been delayed by house-buying shenanigans, but it’s definitely going to happen as soon as I get ensconced in my new home office… seeing as that is the only place that I’m going to be able to sit, since our sofa is taking 6 looong weeks to arrive. She is pretty special though and will be well worth the wait. I’m also excited to show you our wedding photos (which captured the day so perfectly, thanks to the amazing Jodie Chapman) when the blog is all shiny and new.
Finally, I’ve made the decision to just stick with a lifestyle blog rather than starting a wedding one as well – I don’t want to sacrifice the time and effort that goes into blogging on a regular basis (which I will be doing again!) by stretching myself across two blogs. Especially since I also have a new day job to get stuck into as well – I’m going to be writing full-time and I feel incredibly lucky to have finally found a job doing exactly what I love. More details will no doubt follow.
So there you have it, my friends, a long overdue update! I just wanted to let you know what’s in store for {what you fancy} this year, to thank you for sticking with me and for your continued patience. This blogging community has become such a big part of my life, and I wouldn’t be without it. Lots of love and stay tuned!