Frugal Frump to Fab - 2015

Floss

Rummer, was it the genuine CND shellac? Have you considered going back? What colour was it? I have had chipping from a couple of colours, and only 1 failure in almost 2 years of having mine done and that's with an allotment and no dishwasher! The boy I go to is lovely, he & his partner own the salon, one boy does nails & brows, the other does massages & facials

Rummer

Yes it was Floss I checked before I got it done. Not sure what went wrong but is lifted at the top and the bottom and that was with me being careful. It was a french manicure that I had done so maybe the layering made it more susceptible to chipping? I may go somewhere else and try to see if it was maybe an application issue?

Been shopping today and I picked up four tops which will see me through until the really cold weather when I will need to get a couple of sweaters. I got the dye remover stuff today as my hair is lighter at the top and darker at the bottom after I used the wrong dye a few weeks ago so I am going to strip it all and then tomorrow use the colour I meant to use.

Tonight is meal planning night, I am going to sit with a pile of books, magazines and a couple of favourite websites to come up with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the next week.

maman

Rummer wrote: »

Tonight is meal planning night, I am going to sit with a pile of books, magazines and a couple of favourite websites to come up with breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks for the next week.

How did you get on with the meal plan rummer? I must admit I'm a bit lazier and I just write down 7 suppers. Breakfasts we have about 5 different ones so I just make sure I have ingredients in and DH decides (as he makes it;)) each day what we'll have. Lunches are largely leftovers or soup or jacket potatoes. Generally speaking I don't snack. Have you considered trying 5:2? I have friends who've been hugely successful as it only seems to need big effort/planning two days a week.


Ignore me as I'm being nosey but what is it that derails you from your plans? Is it that you get to eat out at weekends and succumb to junk food? I get round that by eating super healthy all the week then at weekends I can afford to relax a bit.


Agree with Floss that you should definitely go back and talk to them about the shellac. Mine lasts 2 to 3 weeks and it's only regrowth that sends me back.


I've pottered around a bit this morning and only just had my shower. I'm now in the position that the only shower gel left is 2 small (50ml) bottles of Clarins that came in gift sets. I never thought this day would come!! So, big decision, do I go out and buy something expensive or a run of the mill everyday product? What would you do in my position?


Also came t the end of a spray deodorant and am I glad to see the back of that. I thought it would be good to have a cold spray in hot weather:(. The design was so stupid with a sloping smooth top that unless my hands were squeaky clean and dry I couldn't press it as my finger slipped off. So I had to plan when to use it before any moisturiser or body lotion or hand cream. Ridiculous!:mad: Sorry for the rant but I won't be buying that again.


Nothing much happening here as typical Bank Holiday weather. Will go dancing tonight so get fabbed up for that. This afternoon I may do some ironing or kondoing or nothing!!;)

lessonlearned

Good morning ladies - grey, wet and miserable here.

Worked myself to a standstill yesterday at DS1s house in readiness for my DILs family arriving, so just having a gentle potter this morning.

Tonight he is doing a BBQ (hope the weather picks up) and I shall get to meet them all. It will be nice but bittersweet I think. It's times like this when I really miss my husband. He would have been such a wonderful host and would have joined in everything with gusto.

Never mind, I shall dress up in something nice in his memory and Sally forth and join in the fun and frolics.

maddiemay

LL - I hope that you have had a qiet day and that you are having a lovely time meeting your new extended family to be.

Maman - It sounds like your re-decorated room will be lovely, enjoy shopping for those finishing touches.

Ellsbel - The shoes and bag sound great, I hope that you really enjoy wearing them in the coming months.

When I was a child and a young woman I always believed that I was very plain looking and few people have led me to think otherwise, recently I saw photos of myself in my late teens (late 60's) with a short haircut and wearing a Jackie O type shift dress and shades and I realised I looked pretty good:cool: Today OH found a photo that I had completely forgotten about, taken 20/22 years ago. I was wearing a brightly striped cotton sweater that I loved (I called it my liquorice allsorts jumper, I had a really sassy hairstyle and think now that I looked really attractive, my self-esteem would have been a lot better if I had realised this at the time:(

I have aged terribly in the last year, mainly down to illness and I think that it is time for "operation MM" to try and stop the clock if not push it back a little. I need to eat more and better, take the relevant supplements and up my skin care regime, all of which is within my capability, but I do so need to do all of these things consistently not just when the energy is good. I think perhaps that a written programme is the answer?

lessonlearned

MM - this thread came into being because like you, after a period of extreme stress, I found that I had aged very quickly. For me it was a photo that my son took of me that jolted me into action. I got the biggest shock of my life when I saw that photo, and, after a few hours of feeling really sorry for myself, I decided that I needed to get to work and fight back.

Prior to that, without being cocky, I had actually aged very well. I was never traditionally pretty but I had evolved into someone who was considered to be attractive, especially as I got older. It appeared that I had good genes..... I enjoyed good health and I guess I just had a healthy youthful glow that made people think I was a good 15 years younger than I actually was. I was a non smoker and had always had good skin and remarkably few wrinkles.

Since that fateful day of the photo I have tried to Turn back the clock a bit. It's been a bit hit and miss because over the years the knocks just kept coming, my husband's gradual decline, having to put him into care, then the same process with mum, then both of their deaths, financial worries etc.....

Sometimes it has seemed like one step forward, two back but I think I'm finally winning the battle. I feel much stronger and healthier and I think I'm looking much better these days.

My skin is a better colour, I don't look haggard and strained now but I have developed some quite deep wrinkles, especially on my forehead and my eyes still often look tired.

I will be honest and say I still have days when I really struggle to make an effort, when I skimp,a bit on my skin care routines. However, I don't fret too much about the odd short cut or rushed cleanse.

Have you heard of the 80/20 rule. Basically it means that if you eat well, exercise etc 80 per cent of the time then that is "good enough".

No one is perfect, just do what you can when you can. Gradually you will feel,stronger and things will get easier. I still don't exercise enough but I do eat properly now and I make sure I rest when I need to. If I need a nap during the day then so be it.

I looked in the mirror today and thought I looked better than I have done in a long while, that awful grey pallor has gone and my skin has finally regained some of its luminescence.

I wore dark navy jeans, a navy sweater and a chunky turqoise and navy necklace - with my white hair I looked quite striking.

I took care with my make up, with a heathery lilac and grey eyeshadow. Sounds awful but I took my time blending it carefully for a nice "smokey" eye and it did look good, making my eyes look less tired. Some bronzing powder gave me a healthy glow.

It takes a while but I think you can undo the ravages of stress and turn back the clock. A mix of rest, sleep, healthy eating, exercise if you can manage it. A bit of TLC will pay dividends in time.

Ellsbel

That's a great post LL
maddie As someone who has completely lost herself over the years, I'm finding it's very much baby steps all the way for me:)
I'm nowhere near that 80:20 rule that LL mentions, but when I found this thread I'd reached a point where I hardly bothered at all aside from showering and putting on whatever I laid my hands on first in my wardrobe!!! (Shameful I know)
I still have many days like that, but I also have many days where I DO properly moisturise, bother with make up, find a decent outfit etc.,
It makes a big difference to my mind set when I treat myself as well as I treat others - and thanks to this thread and the lovely people on it keeping me motivated that's gradually happening more often
Had a low-key wedding anniversary yesterday after a busy weekend, plus the weather wasn't great. So it was lunch out with the four of us, then back to watch a couple of Movies on TV and just enjoy some time together:)
Nothing planned today aside from prepping for youngest to start 6th form tomorrow - so making sure he's got all he needs for that:)
Just jeans and a casual shirt for me today then, but will pop on a bit of make up and perfume too
Have a good day all x

maman

Whatever you're doing it's working Ellsbel. You sound so much lighter and happier in all your posts. Yesterday sounds good considering the weather, nice family time.


Hope your BBQ and 'meet the rellies' went well LL.


I was up late last night acting as taxi and awake early this morning as DH had to go out so I'm sure I'll be flagging later. I really must do some kondoing today as spare bed has stuff all spread out on it.


Looking forlornly at various summer skirts hanging in wardrobe and barely worn. Hopefully we'll have a few warmish September days. Honestly feel we could have just one set of clothes in this country. This year, having a summer wardrobe has been something of a joke.:(


Have a chiropody appointment booked for tomorrow so must remove nail polish today. Isn't it amazing how polish stays put on your toes for so long compared with hands.


When I'm in the city tomorrow I'll have a look around for curtains and lampshades maybe try John Lewis and BHS. very disappointing selection in M&S and Dunelm at the weekend. Part of the problem is that I immediately discount the eyelet ones as they are far too modern for my home. DH is keen to a start doing dining room next. That should be more straightforward as I plan to have wooden blinds in there instead.


I did post on Checkatrade yesterday. Apparently they'll contact the painter and get back to me but they won't put my review on the site as no work was actually carried out.So a potential customer wouldn't be interested in the fact that he may not turn up at all?? How ridiculous. This was all electronic so I'll see if there's a phone number if I get no response.


I think I'm a bit grumpy today. Hopefully achieving something will cheer me up.

indiepanda

Hello all.

I had a lovely time in the Peak District thanks. We were relatively lucky with the weather - not sunny, but at least Saturday and Sunday were dry and it didn't rain for all of Monday, and when it did, my waterproofs did their job.

I did just over 30 miles walking across the three days and feel right as rain this morning, no stiffness, which is promising as even in Austria when we will do 5 days walking in total, we usually do 3 days, then have a day off before doing the last 2, so I should be well able to keep up.

LL - yes, I am feeling somewhat torn about the job. I think the problem isn't really the technical content, which I actually enjoy, it's a) that I am pretty poor at playing and putting up with office politics and b) that I handle stress badly. And to be honest, there's office politics and stress most places you could work so leaving my job won't change that.

I swing between wishing for an easier life with less responsibility and being able to leave the office on time and feeling like a complete failure for not having progressed further in my career and thinking I should look for a step up. Problem with less responsibility is not just less money but also I bore easily and the day really drags when you are bored.

I think the best thing for me is to take a long, hard look at my finances and work out when I could realistically pay my mortgage off and put in place a plan for an alternative career for the next proportion of my working life - I can always do some training whilst working my current job and switch over gradually. I might need to think about whether I really need to own a house rather than a flat... I rent out my spare room which helps with the cost, but I am not sure it gets me to the point I would be in if I had a flat to myself (especially as I don't just use the rent to overpay on my mortgage at the moment!)

At the same time, I need to work on my stress management and acceptance of office politics so that I can enjoy the bits of the job I do like. I get to work with some really smart people and look at really interesting issues so it's not all bad. Getting to work a 4 day week and take extra unpaid leave and have my job held open for me is also a pretty good perk.

Anyway, I managed to unpack after my trip last night and get a couple of loads of laundry done so I am making a good start with getting ready for my Austria hiking trip this weekend. A few of the people on my peaks trip are going too and I know lots of others going from previous trips so I am really looking forward to it.

I've also got quite a bit planned for this week so I won't have too much time to sit and worry about my impending return to work.

Need to fit in a bit of fabbing around it - did a mini facial last night, will do a mani/pedi at some point and have a free treatment and blow dry at a local hairdresser they offered me to say thank you for reporting a break in at their salon to the police. Who says being honest doesn't pay?

I need to do a bit of house fabbing too - my house plants are looking sadly past their best so I am going to buy some new ones to replace which won't cost much as I don't have many.

Have a good week all.

lessonlearned

Hi everyone.

So tired tonight but have had a fab couple of days. The BBQ went well although we ate inside because the evening turned very chilly. And we've really hit it off with the new rellies. They are just really really nice people.

Today we had a horsey morning, followed by ploughmans lunches and hunters pie in one of our favourite 500 year old country pubs which had them in raptures, especially the red phone box in the corner of the garden, which tickled them pink. This was followed by a brief introduction to a few of the Peak Villages with the obligatory Derbyshire Cream Tea. So the diet was well and truly blown. :rotfl:

They are just loving England. They even like the rain. They kept exclaiming how green everywhere is, how lush and how pretty. As I explained - to get that kind of green you do need a lot of rain.........;)

I won't see them for a few days now. They want to do a walking tour of the city tomorrow so I have pointed in them in the direction of the CAthedral Quarter which houses two of the best museums, the prettiest streets and the best independent shops, restaurants and cafes.

It's funny but whenever I play host to foreign guests and I see their reactions to my country it always makes me see it again with fresh eyes and really appreciate what we have.

We are so lucky here in the UK - despite the weather.......sometimes we Brits do take our lovely island, its wonderful history and fabulous culture for granted.

Then they are off to Scotland for a few days and then I need to become a tour guide again next week.

Going back to something that has been mentioned on here several times - confidence, self esteem etc. it is often Very interesting and sometimes quite humbling when we realise how others see us. We often sell ourselves short.

I had seen photos of DILs family and I could see that they were all handsome people, classic Latin good looks, dark lustrous hair, olive complexions, dark eyes, gleaming white teeth - very glamorous - the women like exotic birds of paradise.

I didnt want to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by them but I was a little apprehensive about how I might appear to them - given what we discussed only yesterday, ie how stress has affected some of us for the worse.

Well the response today was overwhelming but not in the way I feared.

Whilst my future DIL often tells me I look nice, that she likes my outfit or my jewellery etc and regularly comments on my white hair saying how much she likes it, I just put it all down to her being kind and polite and wanting to please me.

Well today all her family were saying how much they loved my hair......how unusual it is and they wanted to touch it because they said it looked so soft and silky........

It just goes to show that often we think that other people are more attractive than us, we admire their hair, their eyes, their complexions etc. And half the time they feel the same about us....

We are a funny lot at times......