Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

lessonlearned

Apparently when I was younger - much much younger, :rotfl::rotfl: I had a passing resemblance to one of the models the pre Raphaelites used......allegedly.

At least that's what my boyfriends used to tell me.......

Prior to that, when I was still at school, my classmates called me Mona because they thought I looked like the Mona Lisa. :rotfl:

Could have been worse I suppose - they could have compared me to one of Picasso's women........Boom, boom.

Bought a couple of pairs comfy sandals today. Not particularly pretty or elegant and dressy but they will be ok with lightweight trousers for sightseeing when comfort will be the order of the day.

Healthy eating going well, my tummy is definitely looking flatter......

Salmon and loads of veg for dinner tonight.

maddiemay

maman wrote: »

Thanks for that. I was only aware of his main residence Red House but I haven't been there either. Googling tells me Kelmscott is very close to Buscot a NT property that I have visited. It has the most glorious Pre Raphaelite panels telling the story of Sleeping Beauty. I might drag OH out for the day when the painting's finished!

Oooooh, two more places to add to the "to be visited" list. Too far for a day trip out, but we are thinking of a little jaunt next year in our caravan, stopping in Glos, Cotswolds, Wiltshire, visiting our old home area in Dorset and ending up in East Devon to meet up with friends. We have been NT members for 3 decades or so and joined EH last year as there are lots more places to visit now.

Not feeling very fab, some blighter passed a Head cold on to me, dressed in bathrobe and a huge towel atm, but hair and face masks done, so after another cuppa I will style hair and body moisturise (and put some perfume on:))

lessonlearned

Good morning

The sun is shining and ive lost another 2lbs. Wahoo. That's 8.5lbs so far.........

Maddie - hope you feel better soon. Your proposed trip around the Cotswolds and the West Country sounds lovely. Don't know if you know it but I used to live in Winchcombe, just north of Cheltenham. Winchcombe is utterly gorgeous and Of course some parts of Cheltenham are very elegant, a bit like Bath.

I have less fond memories of St Paul's hospital though where the boys were born. Horrible place........it might be better now of course but back then.......it makes me shudder just to think of it.

My eldest boy nearly died at birth and nearly took me with him - their fault I'm afraid. I'll spare you the grizzly details. They did at least admit liability and apologised.

Anyhoo that was 31 years ago so alls well that ends well.

Looks like a nice day and I'm feeling pleased that ive now lost over half a stone. I'm noticing a difference already. Don't know if it's psychological but my knees seem to be less painful.

Was it on here - can't remember - but I seem to recall reading somewhere that every 1lb of extra weight we carry is equivalent to 4lbs on our joints - something like that. It was a lot anyway.

This is just one reason why I'm so keen to shift this weight because there is no doubt in my mind that carrying nearly 4 stones extra weight has impacted in my ability to walk any distance . If I had allowed myself to continue gaining weight i think I would have developed serious mobility issues.

I want to be pain free, healthy and (hopefully) gorgeous.......:rotfl:

And if not gorgeous - then at least be able to wear gorgeous clothes......

Have a great day, Happy Fabbing.

Today I will be mainly wearing paint spattered joggies and matching paint spattered tee shirt.:rotfl:

chanie

ll I loved your story about your career. I love hearing about people who've fallen into jobs that they have excelled in. I like my job, but I don't love it - its well paid and not too stressful, so I can't complain.

Thanks everyone for the 'get better' wishes. I'm feeling much better today and came into work again.

indiepanda

Lots of interesting stories here... love hearing about people who've really changed their lives. I've gone straight from uni into a professional career, did my professional exams and then carried on working in same field... and to be honest am just a little bit bored of it all now.

I suspect part of the reason is I've avoided seeking promotion in recent years as I am not sure I can handle the stress.... but perhaps I just made the wrong choice in the first place! It's just very hard to walk away from a job that pays pretty well when your income is the only one keeping a roof over your head... Am going to see how I feel when I get back to work in the autumn - the break may have made all the difference.

Did myself a mini facial yesterday and have painted my nails on both hands and feet. Got my favourite fitsteps class today too, and then off to see the boyfriend for a couple of days before heading to the Peak District for a weekend of hiking.

lessonlearned

Chaney - it was purely by luck rather than judgement that I landed that job. I had no,qualifications or experience, just sheer brass neck. And two very nice people who thought I deserved a chance who spoke up.for me.

Priot to that I was working for a very well known insurance company trying to sell life insurance and pensions on a commission only basis. It was tough........the worst job of my life. I hated it and had to,steel myself to go to,work each day.

It involved cold calling and door knocking, out in all weathers, but it fitted round my children's hours so I stuck it out for a year. The one plus in all that was that I had a fantastic boss who,took,me under his wing, and who taught me about time management and the virtues of never giving up.

He Taught me two,mantras

"persistence pays off" and

"life is a game, play to win and no matter what, stand tall and keep smiling"

He was right on both counts......and he great posture.......;)

Anyhoo I saw this job advertised so went for it.

I sailed through the interview. I could see that the Sales Manager was a dragon but I warmed to her and we hit it off. the stumbling block was HR. The HR manager didn't like my CV and didn't want to "take the risk".......on paper I did indeed look like a poor bet.

He rang my boss and grilled him for over half an hour. In the end my boss got really exasperated and said "you would be mad to refuse this woman, trust me on this. I can understand your hesitation but plainly you have never worked in sales. Anyone who can spend a year cold calling and door knocking has what it takes"......

The HR guy went back to the dragon because he still wanted reassurance and told her he was very sceptical and she lost all patience with him too, telling him "yes she has no experience, no qualifications but she has guts and staying power, I want her".

I got the job........

On the first day I met my co-workers who had been hovering around
At the interview. The lady who was to,work for me as my part timer said. "I was really nervous about working with you because at the interview you were terrifying, so focussed and so driven......I was dreading you being my boss but you are actually quite nice"

The sales manger was indeed a dragon, the other negotiators were terrified of her, but she was a great teacher and mentor. Nothing escaped her eye. She and I got on like a house on fire and she was always there to support me and encourage me.

She had a habit of swooping onto site (she looked like a bird of prey) arriving unannounced and would go ballistic if anything was amiss. One day she arrived at my site, the first time she had done that to me.

I was a bit nervous because without asking for permIssion I had made some changes. I had placed a photo of my kids on my desk and a vase of flowers I had picked from the garden. I had also placed flowers around the show house.

She sniffed and said "very nice", nothing else. The following week there was a memo to all negotiators telling them to place flowers in their offices and in the showhouses, to put them on petty cash, the company would pay........

The first Christmas I was there I also put up a small tree and dotted small pots of pointsettas and red and white cyclamen plants around. cue another memo.......

The other negotiators groaned and said "please no more bright ideas"

It really was a fun job and in so many ways it was the making of me. It was the first time in my working life that I was allowed to be creative in any way.

I eventually met the HR guy at the firms Christmas party. He confessed how he had been dead set against employing me. I just laughed, kissed his cheek and said "no hard feelings" next day he sent me a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of bubbly.....

Looking back I had a bit of a cheek even applying for that job because at the time I really had no idea what the work involved and just what an important role I played.

This was rammed home to me the first time I was sent to an ailing site. I had asked the site agent to,walk me round the site and talk through the issues and see how he could help me. He confessed they hadn't had any sales for months and things were looking grim. As we walked around one of the lads shouted "Sell us a couple of houses this weekend" ...laughing and joking.

I went back to my office to plan my campaign, one of the labouers came to see me after locking up to wish me luck. I asked him how things were, he went quiet and then looked me in the eye and said. "We reckon another month at best and if things don't improve we are out of a job".

No pressure then........

I sold 4 in 3 days and became an instant legend.:rotfl:

I do hope you dont think I tell you all this to brag. It's just to demonstrate that when we put our minds to it there is no limit to what we can achieve. All it takes is a bit of faith, a bit of work and sometimes a bit of sheer bloody mindedness and a refusal to be beaten.

maman

Great news on the weightloss LL.:T Next target a stone off and that should be in the next few weeks.:)


You're right about the reduced pressure on knee joints so that should help with mobility. I remember literally feeling lighter on my feet when dancing.


Like you indie, I've followed a fairly traditional path into a profession taking some extra qualifications and promotions along the way. I think what was different for me is that we had our children fairly young so I worked many years without a career break. That's unusual for many women with children in my field and many didn't get the promotions because of it. It's changed now, not so much because of equality sadly but more because of a desperate recruitment problem.


Have a lovely holiday. You must be getting superfit.


Not very fab here just jeans and a top but it's a Jigsaw top albeit an oldish one. Planning on a bit more kondo today.:)

lessonlearned

Indie - yes ive been reading between the lines about your dissatisfaction with your job. I think,it's a good idea to,step,back and have a think about what you really want.

And yes, it's difficult when you really need the salary. Hopefully your break will help you see the road ahead.

The Peak District trip sounds fab......

VJsmum

Ellsbel wrote: »

I think you're an inspiration LL I know you've had a tough time of it, but in spite of that you seem to get so much done and to be able to manage so many projects:)
Your posts always make me want to get busy and get creative
I'm interested to read about your experience at University too; funnily enough I'm toying with the idea of applying to study for a degree at uni as a mature (very!!) student - I'm not sure whether I'll go ahead or not but nice to read that the experience can be worthwhile whatever your age - although I'm ten years older than you were when you started your studies

Hear hear - and i loved your stories of your working life, LL

I'm interested to read about your experience at University too; funnily enough I'm toying with the idea of applying to study for a degree at uni as a mature (very!!) student - I'm not sure whether I'll go ahead or not but nice to read that the experience can be worthwhile whatever your age - although I'm ten years older than you were when you started your studies

Hey, Ellsbel - I am a similar age to you and toying with the idea of doing a PhD - it will take several years and probably not be finished to do much good in my job, but "Dr VJsmum" has a certain appeal to it. And when people say "Is that Miss or Mrs?" I can say "No, Dr"

lessonlearned wrote: »

Go for it......find something you love or something that has always intrigued you and just jump,in.......

Absolutely

Love the chat on here today. Nothing to add, specially, but enjoying it.

Rummer

I am in the healthy eating and exercising zone :j determined to slim down steadily over the next few months.

Further education is something that I can not recommend enough and I have studied at post graduate level full time, part time and by distance learning and have loved each experience. Going back to studying after a break can be daunting but it all comes flooding back and Universities are great at supporting new students and those returning to learning. The OU has a number of short free courses that are worth looking at. If I had the money I would be doing my PhD now.