Frump to Fab - Sizzling Summer Solstice to Awesome Autumn Equinox

adelight

Hi everyone, I know I haven't checked in for weeks but I depserately need kicks up the bum and some direction

bitsy hopefully your oh will find something soon. roughly what was his job if you don't mind me asking?
lizzie sorry to hear ((hugs))
ww that is serious commitment to the couch to 5k well done
tru try doing a yoga video off youtube by sadie nardini. they don't contain any overly strenuous moves, come in various levels, last 30 minutes and really make you sweat due to the flow
madrabbit can you come sort my wardrobe please?

Well I'm doing pretty carp with fabbing tbh. I start my new job in around two weeks and have lost very little weight and as a result haven't bought any work clothes yet. OH pointed out to me that I have the symptoms of something along the lines of PCOS so I feel self conscious, fat, bloated and don't want to go near a shop. I've even chickened out of a night out with my old colleagues and meeting up with a local group.
I really wish I'd spent more time back home with family/friends while I've been waiting to start work, but OH didn't like being left alone and now I'm angry at him because I gave in. I'm getting really annoyed by him lately but don't want to say anything in case it is just the general weirdness of graduating, moving and nan dying. Gritting my teeth and being fake is making me more annoyed though!

Well I've got a list of fab-tasks to get through today:
[STRIKE]jillian michaels dvd[/STRIKE]
face mask
bath+moisturise
yoga


I'm having some cosmetic white fillings to cover dark fluorosis marks nexts week and I'm so freaked out :eek: I've never had a filling. Apparently I won't need anaesthetic so maybe no drilling either? I hadn't been the dentist in two years so was pleased to know I didn't need any real fillings at least.

Bitsy_Beans

Thanks for the good wishes for H, I am viewing this as one door closes another even better one opens up. We are lucky he has a good payout, less immediate pressure as with me not working we'd basically be at risk of losing the house :eek:
Anyway mulling stuff over, am tired, fed up of rain so consequently just decluttered some choc into my mouth
My mum is taking me out for lunch today so will do some yoga this afternoon, might perk me up. Just the usual fabbing which isn't a great deal

Tru hope the life declutter works out for you, good news about DS x as for exercise for sciatica.....no ideas, assume you googled?

Adelight H worked in the facilities department so he was responsible for managing the team who provided internal services, post room, print room, health and safety stuff etc so at least that is transferable to other offices as those will need an office manager.

Podperson have a hug xxx talk to us, we all need an outlet to vent xx

Hugs and high fives for everyone

lessonlearned

Hello Everyone

Oh dear there's some unhappiness on here just now.

PP - don't blame yourself for your perceived lack of financial success. It's bl**dy tough out there. You are doing your level best, just keep your head down and keep going - you will get there. Recessions don't last forever - the wheel will turn - eventually. Don't give up and please keep posting.

Bitsy - sorry about your husband losing his job. It happened to my OH. He was devastated - he'd given them his soul. I encouraged him to go self employed and he never looked back.

Lizzie - so sorry to hear about your loss. Take some time out for yourself and your needs.

Tru- my friend's funeral sounds very similar to the one you went to - bright colours, happy memories, stories etc Much nicer than many of the gloom and doom ones I've been to. Yes we need to mourn loss but we also need to celebrate their lives and achievements too

I think you are right to use it as a positive experience and use it as a chance to rethink your own life. Tempus fugit and all that - it does us good to reassess our lives every so often. And yes, definitely ditch those who drag you down or make you feel bad. You don't need them.

I've have had a major rethink about my life this last few weeks and yesterday I made a life changing decision - details will follow so watch this space........:rotfl: Big changes ahead.

Spoke to my sister about my father - he is still ranting, still full of bile and venom. Fortunately for me - unfortunately for everyone else - it's not all aimed at me so at least I don't have to have a guilt trip thinking it's all my fault. I knew it wasn't but you know how we women take on the guilt of the world. My poor sister and BIL were subjected to an hour long tirade last night.

We've all agreed that we are going to back off and leave him to it. If there is an emergency then of course we'll come running but otherwise we'll just let him be. There really is no other way to handle him when he's like this. We've been here before - he's right, the whole world is out of step and peopled by idiots..............

Well it's Fab Friday and I looked ok when I nipped out to the shop but this afternoon I will have a paint brush in my hand so it will be back to the old scruffs.

Have a great day x

lessonlearned

Essential Oils

Frankincense is one of the most expensive oils and, unlike some of the more common oils, it is not usually found readily available in the likes of Boots. You might try Manor pharmacies if you have one.

In the past I've always had to get mine online - Neal Yard do them but they are organic and tend to be very pricey. I've also used a company called Woods and they often have offers.

I've just found a company on https://www.essentialoilsonline.co.uk They had 10ml of Frankincense for £2-99 - 10ml is plenty. I've never used this company so sorry don't know what they are like.

Re Anti Aging oils - there is quite a buzz about Argan Oil at the moment. I've not it tried it yet so cannot comment.

Power Packs for Wheelchairs

WW asked about this when I bought one recently. I thought I'd try it out for a while first before I made any observations.

My thoughts are "It's OK but not the be all and end all it's cracked up to be". It is heavy and can be unwieldy.

It's better for outdoors than indoors.

Indoors - You often need to turn off the power to negotiate tight corners in narrow corridors and as I said without the power it is very heavy.

Outdoors - performance on inclines is disappointing. `It cannot cope with even the smallest of curbs because there is insufficient clearance under the battery pack and of course it makes the wheelchair too heavy to do the usual tilt back and over the curb. The battery pack sits on top of either one or two small wheels. WE have the two wheeled version which means that there is a reverse option.

I paid £299 but would not recommend the company I dealt with. TBH honest despite repeated phone calls although I say I've paid £299 in reality I've not paid anything. They have had my bank details and still not taken any money from my account. I'm assuming I will get a shirty letter at some point for non-payment of an invoice that has never been raised.:rotfl:

They were agonisingly slow at delivery. They promised a two day lead time and it took over 2 weeks - with me phoning them every day.

I'm assuming the reason for the delay was in reality due to the fact they didn't progress my payment - probably because their various sales dept/shipping dept/accounts depts don't actually communicate with each other...........

If you are considering one - Manor pharmacy do them online for around £325 - they might be easier to deal with. If you buy them at a mobility shop on the high street the rrp is anything between £650 and £750.

Do I think they are worth it - definitely not worth £700 ish but at around £300 they do have some limited use.

A proper powered outdoor chair is probably best but my OH is not well enough to operate one.

Hope that helps.

Re the skin cancer - it wasn't a separate skin cancer, such as a melanoma caused by sun damage. It was that for some reason the actual skin cells within the birthmark itself went "rogue". I noticed that my birthmark was becoming itchy and was starting to bleed.

The cancer itself was classed a Basal Cell Carcinoma often referred to as a Rodent Ulcer (charming - the word rodent to me is always synonymous with rats :eek:)

Apparently they are the slowest growing of all cancers and are classed as the mildest and non life threatening. They do not usually migrate to other areas and don't colonise the internal organs. I had hoped for a laser treatment but was advised that the knife was a better option in order to make sure they got it all.

The surgeon was a fine craftsman and made a superb job. I have a faint white scar, no raised tissue or puckering. He advised me to use bio oil and I still use it quite regularly. I get the occasional itch but no bleeding so far. If the itching is bad I use Fucidin antibiotic cream for a couple of days and then it settles down again.

My surgery was in 2006 - so far so good.

tru

Thanks for the suggestions

There's no way on God's earth that I'm wearing a swimming costume in public I've been walking a lot, and when I've been home I make sure I get out into the garden, weeding, lawnmowing etc. I don't sit down for more than half an hour at a time, to make sure I don't seize up

I google all the time, just in case someone has come up with a magic solution overnight :rotfl:

WelshWoofer

LL - thanks for the wheelchair review - very useful although it sounds like its probably not going to be a lot of help to my mum pushing my sister around due to the extra weight (lifting in and out of the car etc).

POD - come here my lovely and have a big hug ((( )))). You've been so busy and don't seem to feel like you're getting anywhere. Keep your chin up sweetheart and plod on. You've always got us to lean on - you're so supportive to everyone else, let us perk YOU up for once. xxx

Had a mental day at work - thankfully I'm finishing for the summer next Weds. Losing my temper a bit with the boss so a break will do me good - he is truly the laziest man I've ever met (and that's saying something:rotfl:).

I now have 2 dogs for the week - little Billy is with me while parents are on hols. He's no trouble really, just another waddling bum on a lead!

Tonight its a bit of a rest and a nice bath and some telly. I've been invited to a work friend's tomorrow afternoon/evening for a "nearly the end of term" gathering, lots of people are taking their kids but I'll grin and bear it:D, I'm not a fan of little ones generally but there will be wine to sooth the pain!
I seem to have picked up friends along the way recently and made more effort with people I already know and its paying off with regards to being more sociable and getting out more. All it took was a little bit of effort and a teeny bit of courage to get going.

Right I can smell tea so that means it must be ready, have a good evening.

Forgot to add - lost 1lb this week so I'm up to 8lbs off.

WelshWoofer

Right, my long summer holidays start next Weds (teacher) but the few days I do work next week aren't supposed to be too bad (on paper) so I'm kind of counting my holidays as starting tomorrow with the inconvenience of being in work for a couple of days;).

So I've been thinking about what I can do to keep myself occupied, broaden my horizons and improve myself in some small ways. I don't want to spend wodges of cash as I'm trying to save up a bit of dosh so these things have to economical and realistic.

So here goes - my summer bucket list of sorts.....



Fitness

1. Swimming challenge - swim a minimum of 600 lengths before I go back to work. That works out as 2 sessions of 50 lengths twice a week with a few days to spare.
2. Get to week 8 of Couch to 5K
3. Finish the Shred with a minimum of 10 days at level 3

Personal Fabbing

1. Lose at least 6 more lbs to get to my stone - healthy eating and exercise
2. Get eyebrows sorted and keep them maintained
3. Get back into the habit of painting toenails and sorting feet - my least favourite job but if we ever see the sun my feet need to be flipflop/sandal ready
4. Keep up the serum and night cream routine recently introduced - using the Aldi range and it seems to be working

Wardrobe Fabbing

1. Go through wardrobe and wear summer clothes if the weather gets better
2. Put a bit aside fom July and August salary to buy some new work clothes late summer to flatter my (hopefully) thinner more toned bodyshape

Lifestyle

1. Find one new dog walk to do every week - a new park or country route to liven things up a bit
2. Do at least one Spice/meet up thing a week - have quite a few booked and activities are varied from walks to comedy nights to meals and trampolining
3. Make sure I meet up with one friend minimum a week, even if its only for a dog walk or coffee
4. Read 10 new books at least half of which should be by authors I haven't read before
5. Try some new recipes - I'm not a brilliant cook and need to extend my repertoire a bit

Home Fabbing

1. Do some sort of makeover to the front garden - looks scruffy and disorganised - the problem is I haven't got a clue what I'm doing:o
2. Investigate decorating of the main spare bedroom - colours, bedding and some bits of furniture

In addition to all of the above I have quite a bit of schoolwork to get ready if the next term is going to be less stressful and I'm going to have some weekend time when I'm working again.

I'm a classic organiser so will probably get my diary out and start planning all of this soon!:rotfl:
I'm rubbish at doing nothing and can't sit still for very long so need something to look forward to.

Hope I haven't bored you rigid - if I write it down I'll usually do it!

lessonlearned

PHEW!!!!

When will you sleep:rotfl::rotfl:

Actually it sounds fun.

I too have a master plan for the summer -to make my house market ready for the beginning of September.

I have booked an estate agent visit for next Wednesday to discuss tactics but basically I have decided not to undertake a major refurbishment programme but just to tweak what's already there - repair all the wheelchair damage and give everwhere a lick of paint and a bit of TLC.

OH is never coming home again, I don't need a large 4 bedroomed house, there are just too many memories here - time to move and make a fresh start. A life change, a career change. Free some capital and start my property empire and antiques business/art gallery.:rotfl:

So a six weeks house fabbing programme which began today when I sanded down and primed all the damaged upstairs door-frames.

Tomorrow will gloss them all.

Tonight whilst "resting" i drew up a schedule of works - 6 weeks for the house and garden will be fine - if we get a bit of dry weather for the outside work.

It will be fun and I'm raring to go.

Hewie29

WW - enjoyed reading your post, given me some inspiration, I too am rubbish at doing nothing, drives my OH mad, he can't understand why I can't just sit and watch a film with him and then has a go when I say I'm tired.

LL - good luck with the house sale and it must be hard to think about leaving those memories behind.

Bit late but, Bitsy - sorry to hear about your OH hope he finds something soon.

Right so had a long hard think about me the past couple of days and what I'm gonna do with myself and my weight, can't go on just thinking today I will be good and then stuffing my face and thinking oh well I'll start tomorrow, so I have joined Tesco diets, I start tomorrow (visiting my DB and family today). I have printed off my diet sheet and most of the foods I like, I will just tweak the things I don't. Here's hoping I can stick to it. I find the summer hols hard, change in routine and a little bit more time on my hands, working different hours to fit in with OH and grandparents baby sitting, its still mad but not so much of a rush.

After seeing WW's post I'm gonna have a think of the things I want to acheive over the next 6-7 weeks. Will post them later.

Have a good day all, looks abit wet down here, but Sunday doesn't look too bad.

lizzie157

great post WW you will be busy. Unfortunately my fabbing seems to go out the window when the kids are off so my goal has to be to try and maintain what I'm already doing whilst adding some other things so I too am going to sit and work out my intentions for the summer over the next couple of days.

LL good luck with the house sprucing -sounds like you will be busy too.

I do have one thing planned. Like you WW, I have let my eyebrows go. I was having them threaded about once a month and dyeing them and my lashes myself at home, but with all that's been going on I just haven't kept it up. DD2 is going to come and have hers tidied with me for the first time. She is going into year 8 next year and is beginning to get into make up etc ( although I only let her wear a little eye make up)- some of her friends wear far too much for their age in my opinion, maybe I'm old fashioned but I really think they are too young for bright red lipstick. Hopefully we will be able to go on our trip to London too.
Have a good day everyone. x