Frump to Fab - Summer Solstice Sizzler

fedupandskint

Thanks for the clothes bargain comments - very kind of you all!

Can't wait to wear the bright orange red soft jacket as soon as spring arrives, looking forward to it big style!

Well fabness today is full skincare as usual going on and a 6 mile run after work. Diet keeps going over this week as too hungry to keep on track, trying to stick to it tomorrow though and then go for my next run on Thursday.

Measurement taking day is either tomorrow or Thursday and weigh in day Thursday - eek! No chance of losing that final pound with not really sticking to the kcal allowance so maybe a STS or even worse a gain - oh no! Well, lets see how I get on in a couple of days time

evilsquid1603

adelight wrote: »

bum i hope someone gives you a job soon. Is the interest really high on the loan? I imagined they wouldn't be that bad as so many people I know have got bank loans for uni stuff.
I actually hadn't thought of doing a sort of conversion course but that would be a really good idea. Would you say it's "worth it" or will be? Not sure if I'm just in panic mode trying to amass as many qualifications as possible.

its 8.9%. I'm getting an extra £250 interest added on every few months too at the rate its at now.

honestly, unless you have a job lined up before you start or are so brilliantly awesome with top marks in every single exam you ever took and LOADS of work experience then its a waste of time and money. the legal market is f*cked to put it mildly. my friends with jobs are terrified of loosing them now and planning for being let go as soon as their training contract ends or accepting a paralegal job because a training contract is never going to appear. unless you know someone who can take you on, its hopeless.

adelight

fedupandskint who gives a toss about the last pound when you are running six miles that is AWESOME!!! as long as you're not on a mcdonalds drip you will be getting in amazing shape.

For those who don't have me on facebook, I have my first interview for a graduate job and I need serious clothing advice! Please help!
I was thinking of buying a smart, tailored, knee length(or just below) dress and some kitten heels to wear for interviews. Like one of Joan in Mad Men's smarter outfits but not such a crazy colour. Would that be okay with low heels and handbag and a smart coat?? Any advice on colours? I'm not going for super competetive law or finance jobs btw but semi-professional.
Just after I'd posted about how uncomfortable I feel and how I'm in a clothes rut, it's my worst nightmare :rotfl:

bratz81

podperson - I know what you mean about putting off jobs like that! I can manage to shorten sleeves, hem things and take in the waist on some items, but anything more complex, or where it involves taking in more than one place I'm lost!

WelshWoofer

Morning all!
My flipping computer has done some sort of internet update to IE9 and its gone bonkers! Grrr! Everything is taking ages and its lost all my favourites Hummphh!

Anyway, can't let it get me down, must rise above it!

Today, I plan to get the bathroom skirtings done and do a wodge of school work so not much call for being glam! I will have a go at doing my new hair myself although it never looks like it does when the hairdresser does it.
I did do my toe and fingernails last night too so they're looking a bit better now.

On my mini house fab, I washed the cushion covers and had a bit of a tidy of the kitchen, hoovering and dusting will follow later today too.

Right, the dog needs walking and its blowing a gale so better get on with it.

Everhopeful09

Morning All, wondering if you lovely ladies can help me, at the moment I have a bad case of the gremlins I believe and need to fight mine, have lost all my confidence, partly due to my job situation being uncertain, split up with bloke, back trouble etc etc and now don't like what I see in the mirror : (. I seem to have lost my sparkle and stopped liking myself, short of needing a good kick up the a**e, any other words of wisdom gratefully received. Thankyou
EH xx

podperson

Morning all,

LW - I am definately with you on the nocturnal thing, I think some people are just naturally 'night people'. It annoys me as people will say to me 'oh, you just need to train yourself to be a day person' - well I force myself up at 7.30am weekday mornings for most of my working/education life and still hate it. When I was off over xmas I was getting up about 11-12, doing work on my own things on and off until early evening and then going to bed late - if I was self-employed I think that would be most of my days and you get the same working hours in!

WW - hair sounds great and woot on the wolf-whistle :rotfl:Sorry, have no help on the computer, I really don't get on with IE - use Firefox instead.

adelight - it does seem ridiculously expensive now to study, I'm with OU but thankfully get some financial help as it's only my first degree. You probably know this already but if you're in England watch you don't take a break from the study as then if you go back you'll be stuck on the higher rate - it's going up to £2,500 for a 60 point module for students starting this year :eek: Smart, tailored dress sounds good for the interview, colours-wise am definately not an expert but would that while I wouldn't go for anything super bright then I do find it a little depressing to be sat with a crowd of people waiting for interviews and everyone seems to be dressed in black - maybe it's just me? I try and add a bit of colour somewhere, even if it's just a nice scarf or something.

Sparkles - I agree with adelight, it's only a pound and will drop off in no time with the amount of exercise you're doing

Bratz - I think I am just being lazy It's not a big jump, I think the easiest way will be to just double under a bit of the sleeve where it meets the neckline and sew it - like dungarees? It has a pattern on it so don't think the stitches will be too obvious, though I could maybe put a button or something there to cover them. Then I need to go find some buttons though - another reason to put it off :rotfl:

Everhopeful (great name btw!) - *hugs* that sounds like a lot to deal with at once and perfectly normal to feel a bit down/overwhelmed. Little steps are what we tend to aim for here - what small things could you do to give yourself a boost, eg paint nails in a bright shiny colour, get a new haircut (if you can afford it obv) have a little pamper session with facemask etc. Don't have to be all fabbing either, could you meet up with some friends, try a new hobby - break ups are never nice but try and enjoy the fact that you have more 'you' time now to do whatever you feel like. Hang in there x

Bit of a grey and drizzly day here, but did see some lovely yellow and purple crocuses close to where I work so spring is coming Had choir last night, fun but was absolutley knackered when I got home - she's definately working us at the moment
Had a bit of a strange day yesterday, was chatting to a friend on fb that I hadn't spoken to in a while, her 'big' news was that she was trying some ridiculously hard achievement on an online game - when I made a joke about how she must have too much time on her hands she said 'oh, it's only to tide me over until the expansion for xx game comes out'. I mean I laughed about it but I find it a bit sad. She's gone back to uni and I thought that was her trying to go somewhere but I think she just coasts by - which she probably could as she's pretty smart. I know it's none of my business if that's how she wants to spend all her time (and it is all her time, not just a few hours for relaxation) - in fact I used to play one of the games, but looking back I can kinda see now that I was playing when I felt really down and like I didn't have anything in 'real life' and now I'm trying to aim for things I don't have the time or the inclination. So in a way I feel better that while I might not be where I want to be yet then at least I am aiming for something but then I feel bad for feeling 'judgemental' when it's something I really try not to be. Sorry am probably rambling a bit now

LameWolf

adelight wrote: »

For those who don't have me on facebook, I have my first interview for a graduate job and I need serious clothing advice! Please help!
I was thinking of buying a smart, tailored, knee length(or just below) dress and some kitten heels to wear for interviews. Like one of Joan in Mad Men's smarter outfits but not such a crazy colour. Would that be okay with low heels and handbag and a smart coat?? Any advice on colours? I'm not going for super competetive law or finance jobs btw but semi-professional.
Just after I'd posted about how uncomfortable I feel and how I'm in a clothes rut, it's my worst nightmare :rotfl:

Adelight I'm not going to give clothes advice (because I'm the world's least qualified person to do so) and can't comment on the Joan's outfit as I don't watch Mad Men, but I do want to wish you every ounce of luck with your interview. Go get 'em, girl!:D

Everhopeful09 wrote: »

Morning All, wondering if you lovely ladies can help me, at the moment I have a bad case of the gremlins I believe and need to fight mine, have lost all my confidence, partly due to my job situation being uncertain, split up with bloke, back trouble etc etc and now don't like what I see in the mirror : (. I seem to have lost my sparkle and stopped liking myself, short of needing a good kick up the a**e, any other words of wisdom gratefully received. Thankyou
EH xx

Hi EH grab my paw - I'm in the hole next door to yours!:D Got a lovely DH, but haven't worked in over a decade (thrown out of the Civil Service on health grounds) and the rest of your description sounds achingly similar to mine. Lets see if we can both scrabble out, hey?

podperson wrote: »

Morning all,

LW - I am definately with you on the nocturnal thing, I think some people are just naturally 'night people'. It annoys me as people will say to me 'oh, you just need to train yourself to be a day person' - well I force myself up at 7.30am weekday mornings for most of my working/education life and still hate it. When I was off over xmas I was getting up about 11-12, doing work on my own things on and off until early evening and then going to bed late - if I was self-employed I think that would be most of my days and you get the same working hours in!

When I was effectively on my own (as in "sharing" the house with the XH but avoiding being in the same room, at all costs) I did live nocturnally - I'd be doing my own housework tasks while he was at work (he worked permanent night shift) and would retire to my sanctuary before he came in, just after 06:00. Now, of course, Mr LW works "normal" hours - he does late and early shifts, but "early" is 06:00 til 14:30 and working from home, and "late" is 09:30 til 18:00 OR until any urgent work is finished(!), so I need to be diurnal now - I can't be trundling about at night, as it'd disturb his sleep. Still scratching my head (ow, another splinter!!):D and trying to work out something that will achieve this.:o

Just done my WiiFit body-check, and I've lost a tad more - I'm gradually approaching the weight I was before the abortive attempt to change my anti-depressants (for new people, it didn't work, they didn't suit me, and I put on 4lb in the course of 1 month).

lessonlearned

DWP is messing me around. Yesterday I chased them - it's in the post.

Well todays post arrived and they need more forms filling in and they told me that they have stopped my carer's allowance. I rang them to confirm and to ask what on earth was going on. They said yes this was indeed the case. So I asked them why I was told yesterday it would continue until 22nd March.????

Yes you got that right - both calls to DWP and told two entirely different scenarios.

Well I blew!!!!! Poor "David" - why do they never have second names - didn't know what hit him and after repeating the same thing over and over like some demented parrot whilst I continued to grill him he eventually passed me to his supervisor.

She will "look into it" and I'm not to panic. Ha.

Yesterday when I explained to my physio that my aches and pains have now extended to my arms and legs she explained that, in all likelihood, because of the prolonged and repeated stress my body has had to deal with, my endocrine system is now compromised. Too much adrenaline and cortisol. That makes sense because I have had sore and swollen neck glands for months but have been ignoring it.

I looked this up and there is potential for some serious damage if it is not dealt with.

So no more. It's time to stop ignoring my needs and start to Focus on Me. Have started by making an appt with my GP to see what can be done.

As I said recently and as I said to the DWP today - I've spent 6 years of my life looking after my OH. I've ruined my health and this is the thanks I get. So much for our caring society.

As you can tell - I'm blazing. I swear it's only my rage that keeps me going sometimes. Those b******** will give me what is mine by rights. I will get this sorted out and then just as soon as is humanly possible, I will free myself from their clutches.

I will work long, hard, and smart. I will scheme and plot and I will never, never be at their mercy ever again. I will get well and fit and they can shove their benefits where the sun don't shine. So there!!!

So would be carers be warned. DON'T DO IT. Don't do what I have done. Do not be a martyr out of love. The state will chew you up and spit you out. Just like my darling Aunty S warned me.

Everhopeful - what a lovely positive nom de plume - welcome to the gang. Just do a little bit of fabbing each day, remember the elephant, keep your head held high and keep going.

That's what I'm doing - at the moment it feels like I'm wading through treacle - but I'm no quitter and I will not be beaten.

Life is precious and Spring is round the corner. I have family and friends who love me, I have a warm comfortable home, I have my intelligence and humour to sustain me.

I will continue to live off my wits and I will arise like a phoenix from the ashes.;)

But first, a cup of coffee, prep a nice dinner for tonight and then some fabbing.

Face mask, eyebrow tidy, a soak in a dead sea mineral bath to ease my aches and pains, a good slathering, put on some slap and something pretty and then go and visit my OH and hold his hand whilst we chat and watch a DVD together.

The rain it is raining and it's blowing a gale. The weather gods are angry today. The filthy weather is the perfect accessory to my rage and anger.

Keep warm and cosy. X

lessonlearned

Sorry my last post was all me, me, me - just had to let off steam and get rid of some of that anger.

Adelight - good luck on the interview, I think a smart tailored dress would be ideal, good shoes and bag etc. Agree try and add a little colour somewhere, a scarf or gloves. It will give you a boost and it will help you to stand out against the usual sea of black or navy.

PP - agree with you about your friend and her games playing. I hate to be judgemental but it does sadden me to see so many young people who can't seem to find anything better to do than continual games/facebook etc. It doesn't take money, just a little imagination.

I know I'm always banging on about this - but life is precious and short - we need to live it each and every day to the max.

Everhopeful - I agree with PP - fabbing isn't just about beauty treatments and diets - it's about living a fabulous life. In my case with very little money, but with imagination, skill and ingenuity.

Pick up the phone and start looking up your old friends, a cup of coffee and a natter or a trip to the cinema won't break the bank and will lift your spirits.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my elderly parents - we sat and drank tea and ate cake , nattered and reminisced, slagged off politicians and put the world to rights.

We had a lovely time and it didn't cost me a penny. My dad even slipped me £30 to "treat myself - because I deserved it" - bless him. I don't really need it, I can manage well enough - yes I'm skint but £30 is a drop in the ocean. I accepted it gracefully because it gave him such pleasure to give it.

Anyway time for that caffeine break.