Frugal Frump to Fab/Winter Solstice

lessonlearned

Today I had my hair really cropped - a la Jaime Lee Curtis. I've never had it this short before and I love it. It's so funky - even DS2 said he liked it.:rotfl:

I've not had any colour - just left it au naturel - silver at the front and still a bit pepper & salt at the back. So I saved about £25 there.

Foodwise - I've been incredibily silly - just constant grazing - partly through tiredness and partly because of my aches and pains I think.

OH goes into respite tomorrow so I'm hoping that a combination of rest and a bit of free time will enable me to sort myself out and get a grip.

There's no doubt in my mind now - that residential care is the way forward. His mobility is very poor now and it's a real struggle - half the time I don't feel he's very safe in my hands when I have to do the transfers by myself. It's definitely a two person job now.

Finger's crossed this home meets his needs and then we can go forward in the New Year.

Anyway that's about all my news tonight.

Bitsy - I'm loving the sound of your burlesque evening. A friend of ours goes to them too - she loves them. They sound such fun.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Happy Fabbing.

G'night all x

maman

I'd love to try burlesque too. I love dancing but I may need a few of my wine syns to be uninhibited for the burlesque.:rotfl:I do a mean Dancing Queen when I've had a few!

I'm so pleased you enjoyed your birthday willow. A belated:bdaycake: for you but it's only a virtual cake so calorie free;)

I'm struggling to balance social stuff with healthy living at the moment. I know it's a good problem to have so I'm doing just what I said- balancing! We stayed over with friends last night after going to a Murder Mystery evening. Had supper out beforehand but very unhealthy:o So this weeend I'm trying to do very healthy eating.

Not a great deal of fabbing going on. I suppose what I really mean is not much new. But I suppose it does count if you have embedded routines and stick to them.

I'm almost ashamed to post this after all the lovely shoes and boots people have been buying but I bought these
today. At £5 in Asda they were hardly going to break the bank. I desperately needed new slippers and these are warm and fluffy plus they have rubber soles. I love these



but the suede soles aren't really practical for going out to the bin and washing line:D

Did you buy anything from ff molly? It's a label I've just 'found'. Started wth a lovely CS deep pink top and the other week I got a super navy vest with a lace panel across the shoulders in the sale. It's certainly somewhere that's going to be on my intinerary in the future.

I'm going to be boring LL and try to persuade you to have some rest while your OH is in respite. You'll need the energy, especially if you want to make Christmas one to remember. I agree that your massage/manipulation is money well spent. If you think of it as part medical and part massage/relaxation then it's a bargain!

:wave:to all, must try to sleep now.

Carmen

Good morning everyone,

Well done to everyone that has lost weight :A

Tru, Molly, LL I hope you are both feeling better today?

Jenny,your routine sounds great, I really must get back into one as I know I am letting things slide!

Bitsy, thanks for explaining to LL not sure where these little ditties originate from.

LL, saw some red leather gloves in M&Co. Enjoy your respite,get yourself better and recharge your batteries :A

Bratz, how did the burlesque workshop go, did you 'dress' for it?

Lovely snuggly slippers Maman You may need them in France next week, Brrrr! I would love to visit Honfleur, maybe one day, have a good time.

lolly, that jacket and shoes looks lovely though I could not wear such high heels these days :eek:;)
I agree with Tru and LL, the apples and pears at the moment are carp,they taste like last years out of cold storage :mad: this is the time to go and pick your own, tastier and cheaper!

Welllll, I am going through my summer to winter transition which is not a good time for me:( I have let my regime slide (gained two kilo's:eek:) I hate the dark mornings, I am adjusting to winter cooking and last night we lit the wood burner for the first time(that is a cosy bonus ) I started this FTF last December so I am determined to reach a good target by then.
Upwards and onwards!!

:hello: To everyone I did not mention, keep up the good work :hello:

Have a lovely weekend.
Carmen xx

PS. Mrs W, I have tried many 'herbal' tea's but have never really aquired the taste, I do like the turkish apple tea. Maybe I will give them another try. I hope you are keeping well?

tru

I'm feeling much better now, thanks Carmen

I'm now well stocked up with fruit I stopped at the shop near work, they had plenty of still-a-bit-green bananas, I bought two big bunches. We went shopping yesterday, I bought lots of tinned fruit so when the local shop fails me I can eat pineapple, grapefruit and madarin segments.

I was fed up with putting the washine machine on a hot wash, with hardly anything in it (I don't have to use that cycle much since mr tru stopped wearing shirts for work - and I can't put knickers in with the bedding because they all end up inside the duvet cover and pillow cases - it's far too much hassle to get them back out again, lol). So I went to Matalan and bought loads of knickers and socks. I love new knickers, HERE THEY ARE

I've redone our budget, it works much better for what we need at the moment. I need to cut down our grocery budget, our meals will probably be a bit mix 'n' match for a while. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned on this thread before, but there's a woman on here - weezl74 - who has a great website on meal planning, it includes nutrition info so is really useful CHEAP FAMILY RECIPES

I was a bit stupid yesterday, I picked up a shopping bag that had 16 pints of milk and my fruit tins in it, with my right hand. I put it back down straight away but I felt it pull on my hip........it feels tight again. No pain though, so I'll just have to go back to the sciatia exercises for a few days to loosen it up again.

After a couple of days of CBA, I'm raring to go again. So I'm off for a pampering shower. I will emerge with smooth legs, soft feet and an exfoliated face.

Ooooh and I've had an order for 50 Christmas cards :j They have to include the company logo, they've given me previous years cards so I can see the sort of thing they're after. Not sure I can match them TBH, but I have a couple of ideas so I'll be playing with paper and card today

verynewmoneysaver

Hi, Not been here for a while. It sounds as if I've got similar posture problems to you LL as I've also been told I'll get a dowagers hump if not careful. I expect your back and neck will get better when you don't have to do the transfers for OH. I've had frozen shoulders on both sides which although better has left me with stiff shoulders. I've been having back massages which aren't cheap but do seem to help a bit. I've not had much time lately but I must try to do some pilates or tai-chi to help my posture. Mum not too well with kidney problems as well as heart failure, but Dad not too settled in the sheltered housing so quite a problem. On the Fab front had my hair cut in Mary Portas style and hilighted. Quite pleased with it as I thought I try a change for the winter. My sister coming from Essex today so must get on and clean the house. Looking forward to seeing her. Keep up the good work everyone!

JennyJewell

Afternoon ladies

BELATED BIRTHDAY WISHES WILLOW GLAD YOU HAD A LOVELY TIME X

Well I've had a much better week Had a lovely shower earlier, used some body scrub and put some baby oil on my skin when it was still damp - feels lovely and soft now, (seriously can't stop stroking my own legs,lol)
Going to go across to flylady before I nip upstairs and give myself a facial

Hope everyone is healthy and happy - I will catch up soon
Happy half term all
Jen xx

Molly41

maman wrote: »

Did you buy anything from ff molly? It's a label I've just 'found'. Started wth a lovely CS deep pink top and the other week I got a super navy vest with a lace panel across the shoulders in the sale. It's certainly somewhere that's going to be on my intinerary in the future.

I'm going to be boring LL and try to persuade you to have some rest while your OH is in respite. You'll need the energy, especially if you want to make Christmas one to remember. I agree that your massage/manipulation is money well spent. If you think of it as part medical and part massage/relaxation then it's a bargain!

:wave:to all, must try to sleep now.

Well in the end I felt too tired to go shopping so I brought a few bits online and will try them on at home. I can always take them back if they dont fit. I also like White Stuff too and they do some lovely skirts which I wear with boots and leggings/tights:T:T:T

Im another who seconds Maman about having a rest Lesson Learned. I know just how tired my husband gets when I am in a bad way and it is nowhere near the level of care your husband requires xx

fedupandskint

Not feeling too fabby today as feeling pretty rundown for the last couple of days. Decided to have a 2 days off running to try and get over it and feel a little better now.

Cheered myself up by having a long walk with my dog along the canal in the beautiful autumnal sunshine this afternoon and then burnt off 100kcals less than going for a 40min run so not too bad there.

Have eaten quite a bit of comfort food today as felt I needed it and am aiming to be back on track next week.

Weight stayed the same this week after Fridays weigh in. Not too bad after I think I've relaxed it with only 5lbs to go. Need to get back to it again to shift these final few lbs. Happily though when I put a pair of jeans on today they used to be the smallest pair I had and now they are superloose! Who would have thought they would be like this? Result!

lessonlearned

Good Evening Everyone

Well - I've no wish to appear like a moaning minnie but I really do feel quite grim tonight.

Took OH into the care home for his week's respite and although he seemed fine and happy at first when I told him it was time for me to leave he just asked me "Why" - several times.

Most of the time he is fully compus mentis - but just occasionally we get these moments of confusion. I find this so distressing. I'm never sure what they mean or signify. Did it mean he wasn't fully aware of where he was or what was happening. Did he feel he was being abandoned. I suppose I'll just have to wait until I see how he is tomorrow.

I swear I don't know which is worse - a death which is swift and shockingly sudden or this long slow lingering illness with its increasing physical and cognitive decline.

As you can imagine tonight I feel pretty raw - have been crying on and off for most of the evening and can't settle or relax.

The biscuit tin has taken rather a hammering, which is pretty stupid because it solves nothing. Oh well - perhaps things will look a little less bleak tomorrow.

Needless to say - precious little fabbing has been done today - but I will make a big effort tomorrow morning.

Some lovely posts today ladies.

Hugs to all those that need them and :T:T:T to all the weight losses and triumphs.

Good news Tru with the Christmas card order.

Thanks for the link to the cheap recipe site. I too need to rein in the finances again.

As well as funding my physio, I have to replace my kitchen taps, (can't get the replacement parts anymore - obsolete model) and OH has spilt tea all over his computer keyboard. Unfortunately its a specially adapted one and will cost £130 to replace.

At the moment DS2 and I have taken it to pieces, cleaned it up and are allowing it to dry out but I think the circuit board is ruined. Will ring the suppliers on Monday and see if it can be repaired but very much doubt it.

So yes it's gastronomy economy time - good job the freezers and cupboards are well stocked - I feel a store cupboard challenge coming on. Noticed a farm shop on the way to the nursing home which I didn't know existed - will call in tomorrow and have a nose around.

Trying very hard to shop at markets, farm shops etc.

Tru - be careful with that hip. I was only talking about this to OH's PA yesterday. I think I'm putting unnecessary strain on my back and neck with supermarket shopping - so have decided to go back to an occasional on-line shop for the basics and then stick to markets, farm shops, Costco and Aldi.

If I go to Asda or Sainsbury's for a "few bits" I rarely get away with spending less than £50. Often it's considerably more. I do it far too often.:o

I'm both spending far too much money and lifting and carrying far too much. Definitely a lose-lose situation.:rotfl:

Back in a mo

lessonlearned

Anyway - just wanted to wish Maman a lovely holiday. Hope the weather is kind. Love the slippers - I bought some very similar a couple of weeks ago - nice and cosy.

One of the things I intend to look for next week is some "snow type boots" - have had a quick look locally but haven't seen any yet. Noticed an advert for some by Damart in the paper today so might look online if I can't find any in the shops. I've a nasty feeling we will be needing some soon.

Carmen - thanks for the heads up re the red leather gloves. Will definitely have a look see.

I'm aiming to have a little mooch round the shops and maybe a spot of lunch in town next week.

Sorry to hear about your parents vnms - hope your Dad settles soon - must be very difficult for you all.

Well folks that's about it for tonight - sorry if it's been a bit of "downer" but hey, that's life sometimes. Hopefully a good nights sleep will put a different spin on things tomorrow.

G'night all x