Frump to Fab 2017 - A Whole New World

chanie

sugar how annoying about your washing machine. I know you like to keep on top of your laundry, so I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you. Particularly when you keep letting told different things by different people.

Maman well done on the CS bargains. Today’s outfit must have brightened up ‘Black friday’.

Here is the backpack I ordered
https://www.knomobags.com/uk/mini-beauchamp-10-backpack-olive.html
I was originally eyeing up a different backpack, but when I had a look in store, it felt too big for me, so I thought a mini backpack would be look and feel better. The colour wasn’t my first choice, but I’m happy to snap up the colour which is on sale.

lessonlearned

Good evening ladies

Maman.....I agree your CS purchases sound wonderful.

Well I don’t know if they were Black Friday deals or just normal sales but I did a bit of online Christmas shopping today. Leather gloves for the girls (and myself) from Debenhams, from Amazon a game for DS1 and driving gloves for DS2. He’s just ordered a new car so I thought he would like them

After years of being a scruffy student DS2 has “discovered” clothes. He shops wisely and doesn’t spend a fortune but he has a good eye and goes for classic styles......think James Bond/traditional English gent. He’s 6ft 3in, slender but muscular and he scrubs up well. So posh driving gloves to go with his new car will tickle his fancy.

DS1 smartens up for work obviously but he has no real interest in clothes, hence I’ve bought him a Harry Potter scrabble game. :rotfl:
I always buy them a nice sweater each and of course the obligatory novelty socks. .......I’ve also bought them both proper wooden coat hangers and their girls padded satin hangers. Not the sort of thing you buy yourself, there always seems to be something else to spend money on. I also bought a set of cheap velvety non slip hangers to take on the cruise. 6 weeks at sea and sharing a cabin.......there won’t be enough coat hangers.

Whilst I was at it I bought myself a couple of Christmas presents too..... (from my husband) a pair of red leather gloves to replace the ones I lost last year and a bright pink pair.....just because. also a couple of books. Now that the nights are long I have started reading again. I do like “proper books” but I’ve also downloaded quite a few for my kindle to take on holiday.

SUgarbaby...sorry to hear about your washing machine saga but as Maman says, better now than over the festive season.

I too have been rather “spendy” just Lately. Quite apart from Christmas I had a large dentist bill (but hopefully the insurance will reimburse some of that). I need new glasses and sunglasses, some new guttering, a new kitchen tap and to crown it all I had to buy a new dehumidifier because the old one decided to give up the ghost. Then of course I need to MOT the car next month and pay for my vaccinations......:eek:

Funny how everything comes at once. I’m going to have to go on a serious economy drive after the holiday.....:rotfl:

Not quite sure what the weekend holds yet. Hope you all have a lovely one.

shanks77

Congrats ll
Hope you get your machine saga sorted soon Sugarbabe

LaineyT

Love that backpack Chanie, I have a nice Fossil one that brought a few years back for a weekend away in London but it's just a little big for everyday use which is a shame.
Sorry about your washing machine Sugarbaby we had to have a new one recently and, after some research, plumped for a Samsung and have to say am very pleased with it. My previous one had lasted 11 years so didn't owe me anything but appliances always seem to go wrong at the worst possible moment don't they.

lessonlearned

Have you had any snow yet. :rotfl:

There was a smattering on the car this morning and then this afternoon I cut my walk short when it started sleeting. I hadnt got an umbrella and it was stinging my face.

Well I have been watching a few make up videos especially for “mature women” and trying to pick up some new ideas. It’s easy to get into a rut isn’t it.

I don’t know whether it’s an age thing or stress related but, in addition to my hair getting thinner, I have very little body hair these days. My eyebrows are sparse (especially the outer third which apparently is a sign of thyroid issues) and my eyelashes are almost non existent. I used to have full long lustrous lashes back in the day. Hey ho.

Anyway I bought some eyelash primer after seeing it on one of the videos. It’s made a huge difference. It takes longer to do my eyes of course, but it’s well worth the extra bit of effort. And I’ve become adept with the eyebrow powder. So I now have lashes and brows again. :rotfl:

I thought I had deleted my eharmony profile, it transpires it’s still live. I am being pursued by two men, both of them are architects. :rotfl: isn’t that funny that they are both in the same profession. Must be something about me that attracts them. This is the third time an architect has expressed an interest. And of course there was my architect on the cruise. ......bless him.

Both live within a reasonable striking distance too. Let’s see what happens........

Speaking of my cruise conquests. John 1 hasn’t given up yet......he’s got staying power I’ll give him that. .....lol. Never did hear from John 2. Pity, I quite liked him. He was quite geeky (in a cute way) and I do have quite a soft spot for geeks and nerds. I like their intelligence and quirkiness. Never mind, his loss.

Well.......After being on a plateau for a while I have lost 2.5 lbs this week. Wahoo.

Hope you all manage to keep warm.

Time for some serious “Hygge”.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies.

Washing machine saga is over. :j It cost me £180 for the plumber. :eek: I called a local company and they sent a plumber less than an hour later. There was a small blockage in the spigot that attaches the hose from the washing machine to the u bend and other pipework. The plumber could not understand why the Hoover washing machine engineer had not cleared the blockage, as it took him only a few minutes to clear it. :cool:

I am so angry with Hoover. :mad: I will attempt to claim the £180 back from them on Monday when I can be calm and assertive and hopefully resolve the whole issue to my satisfaction.

Chanie, I am so happy that I can now get all of my laundry done over this weekend. Your backpack is stylish and chic and it was such a great bargain.

LL I have red leather gloves from Marks and Spencer which my oldest son bought me a few years ago for one of my Christmas presents. I only wear them when I am going out, as public transport can easily get them stained and dirty. I will be treating myself to a new pair from eBay as there are lots of new pairs of Ladies Marks and Spencer leather gloves being sold on eBay at the moment.

Maman I do love watching films at home and at the cinema. It is a lovely inexpensive way to escape from the stress in my life.

I have been awarded ESA from 16th December 2017, but this only holds true until they make a final decision after they assess my medical needs and my ability to work. There are a few more hoops that I will be asked to jump through yet. :rotfl:

As I have also been awarded Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support from the same date, I am now just over £207 in credit on my Council Tax account. :j

I am still waiting for Lambeth Council to reassess the 2 month's Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support for the 2 month's that I did not receive any pay, but which they still calculated me as having a weekly pay of just over £83. It could take another month before they make their decision, but they took copies of my supporting evidence and returned it to me today. They do not usually bother, they usually mislay any supporting documents.

Once all my laundry is finally washed and dried tomorrow, if I have any energy left, I will take myself to Karaoke.

maman

That's an extortionate amount to just sort out a small blockage in a pipe sugarbaby.:eek: I do hope you manage to recover, at least some of it, from Hoover. On the other hand it's good that you're getting some of your benefits sorted out. You deserve it even if it's just to give you a chance to get back to full health.


We all need a bit of escapism so I'm glad you get pleasure from your films. I do much the same with trash TV although I do enjoy the cinema too. I'm hoping to get to see the new Agatha Christie film. The reviews haven't been great but I'm not looking for highbrow just some escapism with period features!:D


Liking the backpack chanie. It's a great reduction too.:)


No snow here LL. It's been a glorious day down South. Chilly but really bright and sunny. Good luck with the architects!;)


I've been trying to 'grow' my eyebrows a bit too LL. Last time I was at a Benefit counter they tried out an eyebrow product on me and made a much better arched shape. I've left the ends to grow a bit more and I plan to go back and ask them to do it again. I've not had my eyebrows done (just keeping them tidy myself) since July when I had threading for the first time. It's lasted so much longer than my usual waxing.


We've been out with DD2 for her birthday today. We had lunch in the city centre than went to the shops . It was manically busy but managed to get some shopping done, mainly Christmas presents for DGD2. I fancied some shoes that will fit the casual need that I have (between sandals/ballet flats and boots) but I'll go back midweek when it's quieter.


https://www.vans.co.uk/shop/en-gb/vans-gb/old-skool-shoes-d3hbka

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

Maman, it was a ridiculous amount but it was explained to me before I went ahead and booked the plumbers visit that it was £150 for the 1st hour not including VAT or any parts that were needed. The plumber was so apologetic that I still had to pay the agreed fee even though the work had actually only taken him a few minutes. That's life! I do not expect to get any money back from Hoover as I am sure they will not accept responsibility for the failure of their engineer to clear the small blockage, but I will give it a try.

On Friday I went to my Open Mic Poetry evening. I performed 2 of my own poems on the night called Strength of A Woman and I Need to Feel Free, which were both received really well. I had such a great evening. We had some new participants and one of them was a very talented singer/song writer. She is very creative and talented. I was so moved by the dulcet tones of her voice and deeply touched.

At the end of the evening we got cakes, breads and chilled meals offered to all of us to take home for free. They are donated by a near by Artisan baker to the organisers of the Poetry evening. I took home 3 chocolate chip teacakes, 2 mini sponge cakes.a double chocolate bar cake, 1 large chocolate and coconut muffin, 2 large doughnut muffins, 1 large crumble cake, 4 extra large cheese sticks 1 pork & lamb koftas with vegetable cous cous and spicy pumpkin puree, whole loaf of Soda bread and 1 pot of fresh fruit salad from the Open Mic Poetry evening. My daughter was over the moon when she saw all of these goodies. My son was indifferent as he is not really a cake person. I had the meal and the fresh fruit salad for my lunch yesterday and the flavours and textures were so tantalising on my tongue. Free food always tastes better! :rotfl:

I made a huge dent in the piles of laundry yesterday but there is still a lot more to get through today. I will be glad when it is all done.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

This is my newest poem:

Strength of a Woman

A Mother is wise enough not to push her children too hard, even when she wants her children to excel in their educational qualifications

A Mother knows how to gently persuade her children to eat a balanced healthy diet even when their favourite foods are biscuits and cakes

A Mother has the wisdom to limit the choices of food on offer to her children in the home, knowing she will have little control when they are out of her orbit

She will stand resolute as she says No again and again to her children, knowing that it angers and frustrates her children, because that is her job as their parent and she invariably knows what is best for them

When you threaten her children, you do so at your peril, for she will find reserves of strength and resolve that she never knew she had and will be like a Lioness in defence of her cubs

She tries to remind herself every day as a single Mum that she will make mistakes, but she will forgive herself for them and keep moving on

She is strong enough to foster close bonds between her children, by avoiding the temptation to ask or expect her older children to act as unpaid babysitters for their younger siblings

She would move a mountain, stone by stone if it was preventing her from reaching her child in need, even if it left her hands and nails broken and bleeding

She has the strength to stop herself from feeling guilty when she decides that the time has come to celebrate her sense of self and to put her own needs first

She is strong enough to endure and continue to thrive despite ‘empty nest syndrome’, as she sees it as her chance to shine as an individual rather than as a Mother

She knows that it will serve no useful purpose to bad mouth her ex partner to her children, as she wants her children to feel like their Father is the best that there is, even when she knows the opposite is true

Strong enough to know that even when her children are adults and have children and partners of their own, they will still need her to help them through their challenging times and be a listening ear when they need to talk

She has the strength to insist that the man in her life treats her with respect or she will walk away from him, even when she knows that he has some aspects of his personality that make him really attractive to her

She knows that she is a flawed woman, but that does not mean that she has to accept all of the flaws in the man in her life, she has the strength to speak up and make him realise what she finds non-negotiable

She will come back stronger from a relationship when she realises that the Love she has for the man in her life, is sadly not reciprocated, so she walks away and begins her life again on her own terms

She is rooted like an oak tree and she is able to withstand all the ‘storms’ and the tempest that life throws at her with dignity, she will bend, but she will not allow herself to be broken

chanie

sugar your poem is spot on. I love your last line about the Oak tree. I hope your washing machine company refund you the money for the wasted plumber visit. It’s outrageous that they can get away with doing a crappy job. White goods just aren’t built to last anymore.

Me and OH had the day off work today to spend together. We did a few errands and had lunch and by that time, we had to pick the children up from school. One of the errands I did was picking up the backpack I ordered. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but it’s a keeper. It’s great when you get a timely reduction on something you wanted to order.