Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

liltdiddylilt

Hi guys

Just catching up - maman I am sorry about your friend glad that her hubby got a decent supportive crowd to send her off and that they managed a decent life before the worst happened.

LL - you're doing fantastically considering the timescales of your loss. Good for you for decluttering. My mum has been going through her parents stuff for 3 months now and is nowhere near the bottom. It has made my resolve harden even more, along with a neighbour dying suddenly downstairs in my building, and when they opened her flat door they could only get into the hallway and the living room. The other rooms were so piled high, floor to ceiling with stuff, and other unmentionable things that come with living without a working kitchen or a bathroom in a usable state :eek: - I want to be free and clear! I've got all of my insurances sorted out. As soon as my DD was born I had to sort that out for my peace of mind.

I am working myself up to cutting my talons. They tend to break and chip as I cut so am wondering the best way to proceed. I want to cut them down a little then paint them. Have been working on my cuticles for a week and a bit and am finally seeing some results.

Haircut went well... Replicating the hairdressers swish style is not going so well. Layers I cannot get into a bobble are just bushing out around my face straighteners won't tame it! HELP!! :rotfl:

LL - I am so glad your DIL to be is finding the paleo/primal living good for her health. I've been better than I have in years and I wonder how many of my ailments of the last 15 years boil down to diet... Frightening.

Much love guys. Keep fabbing! xx

supersaver1000

lessonlearned wrote: »

I am determined not to spend what's rest of my life as a "caretaker of stuff" - with all the sorting, cleaning, storing etc that possessions entail.

I have put my affairs in order, my will, poa, taken out life insurance, sorted out all my paperwork. Sounds morbid, but feels good.

I have culled my wardrobe and it's such a pleasure to have only clothes that I love and will wear and which I feel happy in. From now on it will be fewer clothes but only items that I really like. No more making do.

And then when i do finally buy a property I shall be very careful how I furnish it and dress it. It will be comfortable and stylish, but simple and easy to run and maintain. After all I am not getting any younger.

Definitely no stockpiling, no hoarding, no clutter.

A life of simple elegance.........:rotfl:

What a fantastic post. Just delurking to say thank you for putting into words how I'm also feeling

lessonlearned

maman wrote: »

:eek: is this a secret plan to become a grandma or is total exclusion going to put paid to that!!:rotfl:

Aha. You've rumbled me......:D it's all a dastardly plot to,give me grandchildren........

They do want children but they want to be married first, then babies. M is 31 in December so although they probably won't try for a honeymoon baby I don't think they will wait too long.

The problem, as always, is the old conundrum about trying to fit babies around a career, without leaving it too late and experiencing problems with fertility. She gets her PHD this year. Apparently they are banking on having granny on tap.......

Actually I know my DS1 wants to be very much a hands on dad, and as they both work as engineers at the same company, are similarly qualified and have roughly the same earning potential I think they are both up for some kind of shared work/shared parenting arrangement.

Unless of course she really misses her family when the children come along and they move to Venezuela, although I doubt it, because of the political situation there. I don't kniw all the details but Her parents are both university lecturers and I think they are both finding life very difficult under the current regime. I think if it weren't for the fact that their other two,daughters are still at university in Venezuela they would move to either Spain or the UK. Anyway I digress.

The only reason she took the contraceptive pill was because her doctor suggested it to,sort out her periods. She had tried it before apparently and it just didn't suit her. She told him this and he persuaded her to try a different brand. It made her really ill so she stopped it.

I haven't enquired as to what birth control methods they are using!! I'm trusting my son to do the decent thing........

Lilt - I must confess the more I look into diet/healthy eating etc the more I think that much of our western diet and lifestyles do us no favours. I have flirted with Paleo but keep slipping up because life seems to get in the way. If I stick to Paleo I do feel so much better.

At the moment I feel pretty much the way Joe Cross described it - Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.:o My own fault for falling off the wagon again.

However now that ive just about done with my parents stuff I am determined to really get down to it properly. Eating PAleo is perfectly straight forward but I find you do need to get organised. Part of my kitchen reorganisation is to make things easier. Ive decided I will treat myself to a proper food mixer and a new food processor to be my little helpers. .

Supersaver - yes this major declutter and reorganisation is definitely proving to be a bit of a life changer. I can feel it clearing my head as well as my environment. It's heavy going at times but I think it will be worth it. More space, less housework, more time and less wasting money on things that don't bring me joy. :rotfl:

Anyway back to bed for another little sleep. The cat woke me early by creeping into my room and plonking itself on my bed. I definitely need my beauty sleep at the moment.....

lessonlearned

Good morning ladies.

Well I'm just going to come right out and have a whinge.
It's my turn......:rotfl:

I don't know what's wrong - probably just tiredness. Ive had several bad nights in a row and I feel like death warmed over. Like I said yesterday I can really equate to the "fat sick and nearly dead" guy because that just about sums up how I feel. Stomach problems, aches and pains, lethargy.

I know, I know it's up to me.

I'm not usually a wallow in self pity kind of gal but I just feel so fed up. I'm not even looking forwRd to,Scotland at the moment because it just seems like a huge effort. Everything just seems like just too much hard work and I don't want to be bothered.

Is this part of the grieving process or is I it just me being "mardy" -
A Derbyshire word .

I guess it doesn't help that the downstairs is a shambles whilst we decorate the kitchen.

Hey ho,.......Anyway it's the podiatrist today. I'm hoping a bit of TLC for my tootsies will help. But first the ironing beckons. Bleugh.

Have a good week.

Ps just edited to,add. Just had a premium bond win of £50 pop through the letter box.

That's cheered me up a bit......

maman

lessonlearned wrote: »

Ps just edited to,add. Just had a premium bond win of £50 pop through the letter box.

That's cheered me up a bit......

Only £25 arrived here!:mad:

:rotfl:


I think you're probably a bit depressed as a result of bereavement LL. I think a symptom is not looking forward to anything but I'm sure once you make the effort and get to Scotland you'll have a great time. I know you'll be visiting FIL but what else are you hoping to fit in?


Plus you're tired from all the house clearing and general emotional strain.


Have a hug. Things will get better.:A


Done some fabbing today: shower, hair, slathering etc. I'm dancing later so I've put a skirt on. Not a very summery skirt but it's a start!

lessonlearned

Ah thanks for those kind thoughts.

I know depression can be a side effect of bereavement but I wouldn't say I felt depressed more just fed up.:rotfl:

I did have post natal depression after my boys were born and thankfully, the way I feel now bears no resemblance to what I felt then. I wouldn't wish PND on my worst enemy.

No I'm sure it's just me feeling a bit "low" and out of sorts. It will pass.

In fact ive pottered about, had a bit of a pamper and I do feel a bit brighter, just a bit dizzy and light headed which again I think is just tiredness.

I have an hour or so before I need to go out so I'm just going to have a cuppa and a lie down.

A nice simple dinner this evening. Ive nothing planned for tomorrow but I do,have to go over to the cottage on Wednesday. They are coming to dismantle and remove mums stairlift so I'll pack a few boxes whilst I wait in. Hopefully it should only take an hour or so.

Then Thursday im off to Scotland. Once I am all ready and on my way I'm sure I'll be fine. i will enjoy the journey. I like train rides and ive been a bit extravagant and upgraded to,1st class so it should be comfortable and relaxing. And I'm sure my SIL will understand if I need to take things easy a bit. She's pretty laid back and won't have planned a jam packed itinerary, so I can just go at my own pace.

I think we will do something nice on Saturday night, perhaps the theatre and a meal out. I told her just book something - my treat for having me - and surprise me, so it will be fun to see what she has come up with. Last time we did this was her 50th birthday. We did afternoon tea at the Savoy and then Les. Miserables .

I don't know about walking and sightseeing because of my foot. It's a nuisance. Perhaps a bus tour round the city if my foot plays up. Of course being Edinburgh it will all depend on the weather.........

maman

lessonlearned wrote: »

I don't know about walking and sightseeing because of my foot. It's a nuisance. Perhaps a bus tour round the city if my foot plays up. Of course being Edinburgh it will all depend on the weather.........

When we went to Edinburgh we enjoyed taking a bus to Leith and then a tour round Royal Yacht Britannia. Also took a bus to South Queensferry so DH could gaze at the Forth Bridge close up although it's a pretty place and we went to a lovely coffee shop with picture windows over the Firth of Forth. So both outings were bus trips with limited walking. Botanical Gardens were good too.


Maybe depression was too strong a word. I think I probably did mean down in the dumps but it's too easy to get into a downward spiral. Glad you've perked up a bit.


Just replied to an invitation to lunch as a former colleague is retiring. It'll be with the same group as were full of compliments when I saw them a couple of weeks ago. Delighted that when I wrote it in my diary, it's the day after I've made my hair appointment and I'll be looking tanned and healthy by then:D.

Floss

LL, South Queensferry is lovely, there's a very chic hotel there, Orocco Pier. Also consider Holyrood Palace or a bus ride out to the coast at Portobello. There are the shiny new trams too.

Enjoy, am very envious, DH's formative years in Kirkcaldy making lino for Nairns means he spent lots of time enjoying himself over the Forth! Also, you could always take a train over The Bridge, and look at the New Bridge and its replacement being built on its far side.

lessonlearned

Some great Ideas there - thanks for that.

Well I'm more confused than ever about my foot.

My physio told me I had a hair line fracture, the fibro clinic said my gait was affected and that I needed orthotics, the podiatrist says its a soft tissue injury, that orthotics would make matters worse and it needs Physio.

I ask you. :rotfl:.

Looks like a Scan is needed to find out what exactly is gojng on. It just goes to give truth to the old adage, ask three different medical professionals and you will get three different diagnoses. what larks. In the meantime Im hobbling around.

Anyway they all advise keeping it elevated and resting it, so that's what I'm doing, feet up. They didn't mention the G&T but I thnk we can class that as having medicinal properties.:rotfl:

I'm watching people who are building houses with a £100k budget.....

Trying to pick up some tips.:D

Rose_Wood

Evening All,

Hope you are enjoying the G and T LL and feeling a bit more cheerful. I've spent the day in bed - or kneeling in the bathroom throwing up!!! I don't know what was wrong, maybe a virus, but I've only just started feeling vaguely human again. DS has also been ill with the same thing but DH, DDiL and DGD are all fine.

I definitely don't feel fab as my hair feels stringy and I still feel a bit hot and clammy but have stopped feeling like death warmed up! Hopefully, a long hot bath tomorrow will have me feeling human again.

Having dozed on and off all day I don't think I'll be ready to sleep for ages yet so shall go and do a bit of surfing the net.

Rose