Champagne Lifestyle on a Lemonade Budget.

lessonlearned

Good morning everyone.

Going to keep it short, my arm/shoulder are giving me gyp so cant type for long. I will keep reading along though.

SUgarbaby, love the poem. Thanks for sharing.

I've had some wonderful champagne moments the last few days. The weather here is lovely too (for the time of the year) so really enjoying the unexpected sunshine.

Hopefully a foretaste of what's to come.....:D

My film recommendations this week....:rotfl:

Hidden Numbers......three female black mathematicians are recruited to join NASA in the early 60s and work on the space programme. Based on a true story these brilliant women have to overcome racism and sexism to be taken seriously.

Crazy Rich Asians.....American Chinese girl gets serious opposition to her relationship with her boyfriend from his traditional Chinese family who seem to own most of Singapore. Again another one about racism and class. It's actually very funny but it does highlight that it's not only white folk who can be racist and bigoted. Other races and cultures can be just as bad.

Joiner has made a cracking job in the kitchen. Just awaiting the decorator. House starting to take shape now.

Some interesting ideas there Mrs S. We are never too old to make a fresh start and never too old to make our dreams come true. Your Palm Springs trip sounds amazing. Not long now. I bet you'll come back reinvigorated and inspired to achieve new heights.

Re family issues. You have my sympathy, it's not easy but withdrawing is the best option sometimes, indeed sometimes it's the only option.

I had to do the same when my sister overstepped the Mark. Tbh although it was terribly painful at the time it was the best thing I could have done. We are still in contact, we even met for lunch just before Christmas. I don't bear a long term grudge but I'm afraid things will never be quite the same again between us. So be it.

I now operate a strict red velvet rope policy. I only let good people who love and care about me into my innermost circle, the rest I hold at arms length. I am always polite and friendly enough but I do keep a little distance.

My view is why spend time with people who bring you down if you don't have to. Different with work colleagues etc, sometimes you do just have to grin and bear it but at least now I can choose who I spend my time with.

Life is too short to spend time with people who make you feel bad.

sugarbaby125

My Champagne moment yesterday evening was using a Groupon for a 2 course meal with cocktails for 2 people at Tropix restaurant in Clapahm. The Groupon cost me £22.10 after a 15% discount on the usual price of £26, but the menu prices were £66.90 so I saved myself £44.80. :T My daughter gave our waitress a £5 tip saving me the £5.

I had a starter of jalapeno chicken wings and my daughter had chicken fries with a spicy dip. I had Guava barbecue jerk chicken, coconut rice and plantain for my main meal and my daughter had King prawn curry with coconut rice. I had a Pink spritz cocktail and my daughter had a strawberry mojito.

We had a great time, talking to each other and taking photographs of our food, our cocktails and each other and enjoying our delicious food and cocktails.

I went on to Karaoke and had a great time, as there were lots of singers present, creating a great vibe I sang 3 songs:

1. Return To Sender by Elvis

2. Cant' Take My Eyes Off Of You by Andy Williams

3. The Wonder Of You by Elvis

lessonlearned

Hello everyone.

Fab night out there SUgarbaby and all on a shoestring. Fantastic.

Well not exactly champagne moments but feeling chuffed. More of a pride in a job well done thing. . :rotfl:

Yesterday would have been my 37th wedding anniversary and although I didn't feel particularly "widowy" (I actually felt fine, relatively upbeat and positive considering) I didn't feel like going out or celebrating as such. The weather wasn't that great.

So.....instead I rolled up my sleeves and started prepping the kitchen........filling in cracks and holes etc in the walls, ceiling and beams. Just got a bit more but to do, should finish today, all ready for the decorator, hopefully the beginning of March.

My neck aches like crazy so will take it relatively easy today and have a nice long soak in a magnesium salt bath. Cook an easy dinner and then celebrate with a well earned G@T.

Have a day off the diet today. :rotfl: might even nip out for a walk to the little shop and splurge on a pack of posh crisps. It's a nice sunny day and the fresh air will do me good. Will pop into the little local beauty salon and book a massage for next week - help sort my neck and shoulder.

Budget seems ok......I decided to "pay myself first". Overpaying the mortgage at the beginning of the month rather than waiting to see what I have left at the end. Hopefully it will help me be more disciplined. :rotfl:

Hope you are all well and enjoying your champagne lifestyles.....:D

supersaver1000

lessonlearned wrote: »

I now operate a strict red velvet rope policy. I only let good people who love and care about me into my innermost circle, the rest I hold at arms length. I am always polite and friendly enough but I do keep a little distance.

My view is why spend time with people who bring you down if you don't have to. Different with work colleagues etc, sometimes you do just have to grin and bear it but at least now I can choose who I spend my time with.

Life is too short to spend time with people who make you feel bad.

I so agree with this LL. Time is precious, I love the rope policy. Trouble is, sometimes its DH's family and he invites them inside the rope, whereas I would blacklist them. That's when I do the 'polite and friendly' but at arms distance - but it does make me think about the time being wasted on them.

mrs_slapshot

lessonlearned wrote: »

Re family issues. You have my sympathy, it's not easy but withdrawing is the best option sometimes, indeed sometimes it's the only option.

I had to do the same when my sister overstepped the Mark. Tbh although it was terribly painful at the time it was the best thing I could have done. We are still in contact, we even met for lunch just before Christmas. I don't bear a long term grudge but I'm afraid things will never be quite the same again between us. So be it.

I now operate a strict red velvet rope policy. I only let good people who love and care about me into my innermost circle, the rest I hold at arms length. I am always polite and friendly enough but I do keep a little distance.

My view is why spend time with people who bring you down if you don't have to. Different with work colleagues etc, sometimes you do just have to grin and bear it but at least now I can choose who I spend my time with.

Life is too short to spend time with people who make you feel bad.

This is so true. Sadly, it is a person who I once cared for very much, and we spent a lot of time together. I never would have thought this could happen to us but it did. I am trying not to let this affect my other relationships - but I always tend to worry that these could break down as easily as that one did.

Still - onwards and upwards - and I actually feel like I have a sense of closure and can move on.

lessonlearned

Hello everyone....

Sorry to hear that both of you are having difficulties with people you care about. Sending you dodgy hugs. :grouphug:

It's so hard when you have to go through this, when people you have cared about hurt you, but I do think it's best sometimes to let go. Hardest thing I ever did was having to draw that line in the sand with my sister. I have forgiven her but I'm afraid I will never be able to forget and although we are now (sort of) reconciled I know I will never feel the same about her.

Once the scales fall from your eyes you can't put them back, once the veil has been lifted and you have seen someone's real character you can't unsee it. Once trust has been betrayed then you can't really trust again.

As Maya Angelou said. "You can forget what was done to you, you can forget what was said to you, but you can never forget the way you were made to feel". And it is that hurt, that goes so deep that it never really heals. Especially when it comes like a bolt out of the blue from someone you thought loves you and cares about you.

Rod Stewart got it right "The First cut is the Deepest"........

Take care my friends, lick those wounds and then draw that red rope tight. Protect and nurture yourself. But above all, try not to be bitter and don't try to seek revenge.

Karma will repay, all in good time. It always does.

One final quote......you can't beat a good quote :rotfl:

As Ernest Hemingway said "The world is still a mighty fine place".

Life is good my friends, drink from the cup of life and enjoy.

Watched a fabulous film last night called "The Professor" staring Johnny Depp (I know he's a bit ragged round the edges these days but I still love that man). Anyway whilst the subject matter is a bit grim - he's diagnosed with terminal cancer - it's actually quite an uplifting film with some very funny moments. The critics didn't like it much but I don't pay any attention to what they say.

Have a great day y'all.

I'm having a pamper day.....After my hard work yesterday it's time for some beautifying and TLC.

balabooberlies

LL I hope you don't mind me responding. I understand and agree with everything you have said but need to speak for the 'offenders'. Because I am one of them.

I have hurt a great many people. The reasons why are too personal. For a long time approx 8 years, I was not myself. During those years I almost brought my life to extinction.

Now that I have survived and am finding out and sculpting this new 'me' I am amazed that I have any relationships left. Thank God for forgiveness. And no it will never be the same but I could get down on my knees to say thanks for what I do have left. And there is ALWAYS the hope of building bridges.

I had always been self-critical, probably because of being over-critisized and when through a series of unfortunate events caused a massive depression..... I changed.

To cut a long story short I bitterly regret hurting those people. Bitterly. It keeps me awake at night sometimes. I know that there will be some that will never forgive me and some that will.

My depression and self-loathing, my feelings of immense failure caused me to become someone I barely recognised. My living situation did not help, in fact it made me worse.

I have a long way to go before I work out who I am now. I know that I am working very hard towards kindness and understanding. Something that was a part of the old me before everything imploded/exploded.

What I am trying to say is that some people may have not meant to hurt you. Perhaps something deeper is going on.

Just my thoughts and my experience.

Bala

x

pickledonionspaceraider

balabooberlies wrote: »

LL I hope you don't mind me responding. I understand and agree with everything you have said but need to speak for the 'offenders'. Because I am one of them.

I have hurt a great many people. The reasons why are too personal. For a long time approx 8 years, I was not myself. During those years I almost brought my life to extinction.

Now that I have survived and am finding out and sculpting this new 'me' I am amazed that I have any relationships left. Thank God for forgiveness. And no it will never be the same but I could get down on my knees to say thanks for what I do have left. And there is ALWAYS the hope of building bridges.

I had always been self-critical, probably because of being over-critisized and when through a series of unfortunate events caused a massive depression..... I changed.

To cut a long story short I bitterly regret hurting those people. Bitterly. It keeps me awake at night sometimes. I know that there will be some that will never forgive me and some that will.

My depression and self-loathing, my feelings of immense failure caused me to become someone I barely recognised. My living situation did not help, in fact it made me worse.

I have a long way to go before I work out who I am now. I know that I am working very hard towards kindness and understanding. Something that was a part of the old me before everything imploded/exploded.

What I am trying to say is that some people may have not meant to hurt you. Perhaps something deeper is going on.

Just my thoughts and my experience.

Bala

x

I was really pleased you wrote this, a honest and genuine post

I think it is possible that not all of us are the victims in every situation, I mean to say - I have hurt people and been hurt too.

I think you need to forgive yourself..and allow yourself to move on

Things are different now, and you need to be kinder to yourself

lessonlearned

Hello Bala......

What a brave and heartfelt post. You are not alone, so don't be too hard on yourself. I think a lot of us have done things we regret but alas, we can't turn back time.

You are doing so well. Picking up the pieces is never easy. You are very courageous.

I often think that self forgiveness can be the hardest of all, that we can often forgive others more easily than we forgive ourselves.

At the risk of sounding trite or shallow I think that here again is where sometimes we have to draw a line. We can't turn back the clocks, we can't undo the hurt we have caused others but we can resolve to do better.

Good luck on your journey to self discovery my dear. It can be long and painful at times. Have courage, keep an open heart and mind and let love and joy into your life again.

lessonlearned

As I type I'm sitting here with my skin peel solution doing its thing. Multi tasking at its best.

I shall have a face as smooth as a baby's bottom. :rotfl: