Frugal Frump to Fabulous Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox

WelshWoofer

Been for hair cut and tan and look loads better now. The hairdresser was a different one to normal and she has put loads of long layers through it and it actually looks very glam - won't look like that when I do it:rotfl:but it will look better than before.

Picked up a few bits in Boots whilst out - hair masks, hair products and some face brightening stuff that can also be used as a mask. I'll be a new woman by the weekend if it kills me!

Bananas and peaches eaten, a lovely concoction of apples, grapes, orange, raspberries, blueberries and natural yoghurt for tea along with gallons of water. I'm weeing like a race horse! Might burn some cals going back and forth to the loo!:p

Dog walk soon - that will put pay to the glam hair - and later on a nice soak in the bath followed by a slathering of body lotion and a firming face mask.
Lots of school work to do too - so will make a start on that, must force myself to do it.

Hope everyone is enjoying half term.

lessonlearned

Lovely to hear all your progress ladies.

This last couple of weeks has seen me looking more of a "site" than a sight for sore eyes. Thermals, joggies, big jumpers, fleeces, heavy boots all topped over with plaster dust, brick dust and dust from years of grime as we tackle the renovations.

Never mind the worst is over - we've stripped out the house and the trades are in now, electrician almost done, plumber in and then the plasterer and then we can get down to the fun stuff, decorating and furnishing.

At least I've now started the nice bit - shopping for accessories etc.

I have chosen such a glamourous bathroom, all limestone tiles, posh designer radiator and a mirror with lights- sort of boutique hotel look.

I bought some lovely new bedlinen yesterday - in the sales of course. I always go for white bedlinen but this time I've added some gentle colour. One set has some very delicate biscuit coloured embroidery and the other has some the same biscuit coloured trim and white lace…..

I'm going for a French Boudoir/Parisienne Shabby chic look, creams, biscuit, duck egg blue and pale greys.

WW - your fruit day sounds really good - I definitely need to do something along those lines. I need to go carb free again. I was doing really well avoiding carbs until the last couple of days but because I've been so busy I've fallen by the wayside and have indulged in too much wheat.

Today was the final straw - had cheese on toast for lunch and now feel dreadful. My own fault. A carb free dinner but first will do my pilates….

pq - I used to do a bit of weight/resistance training - it definitely helps tone and reshape the body. We kitted out our old garage as a gym. Unfortunately we've nowhere to put my equipment at the moment. DS1 is using my exercise bike as physio for his recent achilles tendon injury and the multi-gym is in pieces in his workshop.

I'm hoping to utilise the cellar in our new house as a mini gym just as soon as it is cleared, aired and thoroughly cleaned up. It's a bit damp so I have had some extra air bricks put in. I got the electrician to put a double socket in there - one for a small heater and one for some kind of music player for when I want to work out. Hopefully it will be ready to go in a few weeks.

In the meantime I'm using a resistance band and a small pair of hand weights. Better than nothing but I do miss the multi-gym.

I'm desperate for a hair cut - I cant believe how long it is. I think I'll go for a short crop again - a la Judi Dench.

Did anyone watch the Baftas last night - some lovely evening dresses on display.

Right time to get cracking again.

Teacher2b

Hello all! Sorry for disappearing but I've been having a sneaky lurk here and there and loving everyone's news/ updates.


Positivity sermon about to begin.....

I honestly feel like exercising has changed me for the better... I used to go through periods of feeling very up and very down. This obviously took it's toll on relationships and work as I was all over the place. I began exercising properly (gym at least 3 times a week) in about August and have consistently kept up with it, aside from the odd week where work has been so manic I've only managed to go a couple of times. I think the change has been the motivation behind it... those of you who have been on the thread a while will remember my mum was taken poorly last year and has never really recovered... it gave me a massive kick up the behind and I realised that I owe it to both myself and my friends and family to be healthy, full of energy and feeling confident. I've had several chats with my OH about wanting to have children one day and seeing my mum suffering through neglecting her health and not putting herself first made me see I didn't want the same thing to happen to me.

I used to go to the gym and see everything in terms of calories and weight and dress size but now I see it as I go in for a workout and walk out feeling great- there's never any disappointment or pressure on myself because it never fails! I only wish I had discovered this sooner but sometimes you just need to turn the big Earth shattering stuff into a big old wake up call!


Anyway preach over!! I swear time off work is like rehab- what a difference a few days makes.

How are we all? The sun is out here! Any nice plans happening today?

lessonlearned

Teacher2b wrote: »

H
Positivity sermon about to begin.....

I used to go to the gym and see everything in terms of calories and weight and dress size but now I see it as I go in for a workout and walk out feeling great- there's never any disappointment or pressure on myself because it never fails! I only wish I had discovered this sooner but sometimes you just need to turn the big Earth shattering stuff into a big old wake up call!

Well I have to admit that it took me a very long time to reach this conclusion myself - but yes I can stand up and say I'm now an exercise convert.

I just wish I had had the good sense to be converted earlier.:rotfl:

I now exercise for health and well being - any inch loss and body re-shaping is just a fantastic bonus…..

Had a great day, popped into prop 2 to check on the trades, all going well. Then a nice mooch around the shops, looking at sofas, light fittings and all manner of nice things……..

Then polished off the day with proper fish and chips in one of my favourite caffs ……so a night off cooking.;)

Time for a cuppa and a nice nap…..

maddiemay

Lovely sunny day here today and quite warm too. Got myself all dolled up this morning and took myself off to County Town (on the bus so free :money:) First time I have felt physically able to do this on my own for a couple of years, due to progressively increasing pain in ankle, then surgery, then recuperation etc.

I bought some BS Ginger shampoo, hope this will help itchy scalp. A M&S eye palette of 4 colours and an eye cream:D

No comes the rant against M&S:( The man purpose of my shop was to buy a pair of plain black or dark denim jeggings). Previous years they had all been displayed together, displayed on shelves or hanging rails by colour:D Today they were scattered all over the shop, mostly displayed with items of a similar colour, in amongst slim leg, bootcut and straight jeans. I eventually managed to track down the colours I wanted to try, but they were 32% and 38% polyester :eek: with some elastane (good) and the rest cotton and they felt so horrid against my skin. By this time I was almost in tears with pain from ankle and then had to set out trawling through Per Una, Indigo and normal sections again trying to find something with a decent cotton content. I ended up bringing a pair of straight, narrowish legged dark denim home without trying them on:(:( Problem is a trip to shops of any size means a round trip of 50 or 60 miles depending whether I choose to go north or south):eek:

On a positive note I received 4 compliments from complete strangers on my pink highlights and the sun shone for several hours:j

Kiwisaver_2

Hi all, hope everyone is okay and not suffering any from the floods and bad weather. I've been missing in action and mostly consumed by work but still keeping up with the general grooming, maintenance and better eating habits. I did a big catch up with the thread last Thursday night in advance of Friday fabness and wrote a big long reply which promptly disappeared on me.


My freezer and larder are now pretty clear of rubbishy things and I have lost a few pounds, in spite of doing next to no exercise since before Xmas. I like the sound of hitting a reset button and have a couple of days at home alone next week, so I might have a go at some home health spa things with diet, exercise and fabbing.

marlon87 wrote: »

I have finally come to the conclusion that happiness in life comes from the daily discipline that is moving one's life constantly toward a desired outcome. The amazing thing about life is that it is in the moments of routine, and especially in those moments that feel like constant drudgery. One of the habits I wish to develop this year is the ability reduce the amount of things that I consume needlessly, while also developing an intelligent plan for managing my money and spending more intelligently. Health, happiness, and overall well being are also goals that I have this year. Thanks for creating the post. I am aboard the train!

Welcome Marlon, of so many things I could have responded to in this thread I was particularly touched by your post. Such great goals and very inspiring. I do hope you come back to tell us how your train ride is going.

lessonlearned

Good morning all

I'm bathed and fragrant and wearing my skinnies Off to physiotherapy and then a little much round the chazza shops.

This afternoon I will tackle some paperwork and overdue phone calls.

A nice day just pottering about…...

maman

Kiwisaver wrote: »

I did a big catch up with the thread last Thursday night in advance of Friday fabness and wrote a big long reply which promptly disappeared on me.

Good to see you back kiwi. All OK here, rain has been horrendous but fortunately no floods where I am. I was talking to an Aussie friend the other day and was amused that people go to the cinema there at this time of the year to enjoy the air con! It reminds me of the people who allegedly go to libraries here to keep warm. Strange world.


I've had problems posting too. Smilies will only now work with cut and paste and many posts disappear. Other virtual friends have reported the same. I'm sure it's something to do with compatibility with some phones and tablets and Windows 8.

maddiemay wrote: »

No comes the rant against M&S:( The main purpose of my shop was to buy a pair of plain black or dark denim jeggings). Previous years they had all been displayed together, displayed on shelves or hanging rails by colour:D Today they were scattered all over the shop, mostly displayed with items of a similar colour, in amongst slim leg, bootcut and straight jeans. I eventually managed to track down the colours I wanted to try, but they were 32% and 38% polyester :eek: with some elastane (good) and the rest cotton and they felt so horrid against my skin. By this time I was almost in tears with pain from ankle and then had to set out trawling through Per Una, Indigo and normal sections again trying to find something with a decent cotton content. I ended up bringing a pair of straight, narrowish legged dark denim home without trying them on:(:( Problem is a trip to shops of any size means a round trip of 50 or 60 miles depending whether I choose to go north or south):eek:


On a positive note I received 4 compliments from complete strangers on my pink highlights and the sun shone for several hours:j

Great news about the compliments Maddie.

I'll join you in a rant about M&S. I went there last week to pick up one of the Valentine's meals. I think they've really lost their way with the clothes and if it wasn't for the food they'd be in serious trouble. When I look at my wardrobe, I now own very few things from M&S which didn't used to be the case. It started when they stopped stocking my favourite knickers!:mad: and loads of their other stuff is positively frumpy. I think they ruin some things with naff bits of decoration. I don't want to go out wearing something that screams 'Per Una' because it has loads of OTT embroidery all over it. Like you, I'm fed up with hunting down jeans all over the shop trying to find the shape and size I want. When I see something OK in Per Una it invariably costs loads more because they insist on selling me a yukky belt with them.


When I was losing weight I started buying a few cheap bits from places like Sainsbury's and Matalan. They're OK for style but the stuff is cheap and doesn't stay smart for long. I have a few nice things from White Stuff and Fat Face (need to be selective as some things are too heavily patterned for me) but I am having problems finding better quality basics.


A dry, bright day here at last. Got some time to myself to potter then DD2 coming and we're out for supper. I'm all groomed and coiffed and will do make up later. My latest shellac nails will be 3 weeks old tomorrow:eek: and only one tiny chip (my own fault from prising open a tin). I need to get them redone so will try to fit that in during next couple of days.


Have a good day all.:)

pirateyqueen

So my BF is going out tonights so I'm going to use this evening for some lovely pampering. I'm ordering a takeaway (because of his shifts I've cooked practically every night for the last three weeks. I'm not having it anymore!) I'm going to have a nice long bath and use up one of my face mask sachets. I may even give myself a manicure! Also, I've joined a club through work that has a gym (great for lunch time works outs, that's on the agenda for tomorrow) and a hairdressers. They do protein treatments for £5 which will be great for my parched hair.

WelshWoofer

Hello all, just posting for the first time from my phone whilst at mum's so apologies for mistakes in advance!
Been shopping today and went a bit mad, bought loads and may take a few things back when I've tried them on but at first glance they all look quite nice.
Fling is still in Austria and I'm really missing him... Not like me ! Getting soppy in my old age !!!

Still on the fruit purge thing but had to have a salad for lunch instead as we were out but I suppose it's better than it could have been?
Last day today and I'll do a weigh in tomorrow but I'm definitely loads less bloated.
Will post tomorrow with the purge results, fingers crossed xx