The fred where the BESH practise DIY. Scan the chart below. Customers are kindly requested to keep readers informed of relevant colour and consistency.

[Ariesgirl]

BESHityourself proudly presents...

The BESHtone colour matching system, for all your interior colourways

000 Clearest eggwhite
001 Watery white
002 All that jizz?
003 Cottage cheese
004 Cunt-ry cream
005 Hopeful Yellow
006 Hint of a Tint
007 Excessive Cigaring
008 Stretchy but streaky
009 Palest Pink
010 Implantation Imaginings?
011 Itty Bitty Brown
012 Brahn String
013 Ovaltine Ochre
014 Sludge Brown
015 Clotty Red
016 Purest Scarlet
017 Possibly Green*
018 Barely Black*
019 Sump Oil Surprise*
020 Nothing. Nadda. Where the fuck IS it?

*Available at specialist retailers

Well Cass had tantalised with her thread and then buggered off. Someone had to do it.

I was hoping that was what barbies baby bible would encourage?

salty I think if you are meeting her and want to give her something then take it instead of having a delivery so you can see her face when she opens it. You are being very magnaminous, I am avoiding my pregnant friend for the time being!

I would do flowers. No. No I wouldn't. I would do CAKE from somewhere like this: www.beverlyhillsbakery.com/

CAKE!

mmmm cake, would anyone like some pumpkin pie? I am baking later and can do an etra one?

Oh my god. I have a proper craving for pumpkin pie. Proper craving. Gimme.

hello lady!! You ok?

I guess the opposite to the head induced ill is sort of what someone was talking about earlier with the Chinese medicine/positive body image thing (sorry can't remember who and can't be arsed to find it)- loving your body= feeling good?

Jane T is indeed an inspiration. perhaps we should all try and psych ourselves into feeling amazing!

I've never had pumpkin pie.

i am avoiding pregnant people generally, but she was the only person at work who knew about my slippery womb, and despite being pregnant whilst I was going through that, she was amazing. Couldn't have coped without her I don't think. So i'm letting her off being preggers. I'm just not buying ickle baybee things as present. thhat would be A Step Too Far.

Ooh...those cakes look lovely...

I have used that bakery salty and the recipients said it was lovely. I got a big muffin and brownie basket for old work colleagues. They like their cake.

Pumpkin pie is delicious. It's very hard to describe what it's like. But I want some so badly. Not enough to actually make any though. If only I could get canned pumpkin.

Thanks for the update on the 'cigaring' - I was another that had not got to grips with that one!

Can I join your non menkul camp Salts and Rie pliz? I'm currently 13DPO and have zero, yes zero freaking symptoms, so akshully have nothing to menkul over (apart from repeated babyfail!).

On a better note Salts, the log burning stove is a hit in our house. It's soooooo toasty warm now.

I luffs the pumpkin pie. With ice cream on. And the pecan pie. I luffs him too.

Orcs your stove sounds brill, I want one. And not just because I like burning things.

salts jewellery idea is nice as everyone will be getting her baybee gifts and at least you know jewellery will fit her still.

I've just realised I'm going to be carrying my own bodyweight in cake on Friday - tis a good thing I am not diffed or it could be catastrophic.

ohh...you've had it installed. Fab. I cannot wait!! Are you having it lit all the time? Do you have cats? Im slightly worried that mine will get singed by trying to get too close....

Canned pumpkin? How on earth do you get a pumpkin into a can??

Twas me SaltStain with the positive thinking shiz. I have been doing positive thinking stuff for the last few days:

A gratitude diary each day - write 5 things you are grateful for.

Meditation - thinking of each part of your body and relaxing it while lying down, and sinking into soft grass - good to do before sleep

Meridian Tapping - touching specific points on the body and affirming a positive statement and repeating over and over.

Not complaining and comparing yourself to other people - hard.

Laughing and relaxing.

Feeling positive about your body and the whole of your cycle - not negatively towards the droid.

Apportioning a certain time of day to think about TTC and thinking of it in an active way, not spending all day moping or worrying about it.

Reinforcing things you want to happen - for example you are going for a blood test and want to lower your FSH so focus on the specific number you want it to be.

Musings I make pumpkin pie with roasted butternut squash (then blend or mash). Tiz orgasmic. I highly recommend trying it.

Yes, it's been lit pretty much the whole time we've been at home since it was installed at the weekend! Was the first thing I did when I got home yesterday and ooohhhh yesss it was lufferly.

Yes, I have two moggies [hsmile]. We had a simple fire basket thing before the stove and they loved sitting right in front of it. It used to worry me that they would get singed by stray embers, but that never happened amazingly. One did accidentally put his tail a little too close for comfort once, but he was fine! They have now installed themselves right in front of the stove, but I consider that to be a safer option that in front of the fire basket at least...

Interesting BB - are you feeling better for it or is it too early to tell?

Butternut squash pie??

laters Biyatches [hgrin]

Top tip BeaveryOne. I could roast a butternut squash, that's dead easy compared to pumpkin preparation.

Orchid My stupider cat decided to have a sniff of a candle one day. Thankfully her whiskers grew back.

salty your friend sounds lovely. I wish things had worked out differently, it's so unfair.

Now I will stop trying to promote the menkul, as everyone is right and most symptoms could be anything. Instead I shall go for some fervent hoping.

salty I have made swede cake before!

Don't worry it has cream and condensed milk in it too SaltedCaramel.

Yes I definitely feel happier I think, and I feel like I'm actually doing something, which is helping me cope with my feeling of helplessness (sp?) and frustration in having to wait to see what treatment I can have and when. It might work, and I may be healthier at the end of it and in a better frame of mind, which is good whether or not I get pregnant because of it.

I realise it is a bit out there, so not everyone's cup of tea, but I feel as if I have started to break free of that damaging mind set that long term I/F and having a M/C has implanted in me. Feeling so bad for years is not healthy and if I'm going to be able to keep up any sort of relationship with my brother and his pregnant wife, then I have to give myself some tools to deal with that situation.

I hope I don't sound like a hippy loon, just thought it might help some of you others having a bit of a hard time at the moment, or just wanted to try it for fun or to see what happens.

You sound very wise to me BB

Orchid can I come and live with you in your haven of cosiness? I'll have to bring the kitten and he is inexplicably flatulent at the moment but your lovely fire will soon burn any noxious gases off [hsmile]

I've had courgette cake before - bit like carrot cake only not nice.

It doesn't sound hippyish and out there at all Beaver, well a bit but in a really good way. Anything which helps you feel better and has a positive effect in this game must be good. And it also must do wonders for your self control. I'm an awful "comparer" - it drives MrA wild, and I have been all my life, especially to my sister, about whom I can be really tedious. I think that's a really important thing to bear in mind (for me anyway) - that you can be mopey and miserable and sad about things that are really very justified. However in TTC not many other people know about the things you're miserable about so therefore I must seem a bit of a drag and no fun any more. When I was having a really low time a few years ago and couldn't talk about it to anyone, my mum and sister just thought I was a bad tempered grouch so stopped phoning me.

I've never been a real advocate of the whole "Be thankful for what you have because there are so many worse off people", because in my experience it doesn't make me feel better, just makes me feel ungrateful and guilty and therefore more miserable. But if you can harness it somehow, it does help get a sense of perspective.

I'm making no sense - sorry.

No a lot of sense Rie. I agree it is very difficult to live to the maxim of "be grateful, could be worse" (which I personally hate), but the Plan is more about celebrating what you do have and that you can achieve good things, rather than mourning what you don't IYKWIM? Not like, cheer up, could be worse?

I have to say I did feel uncomfortable reading "Stop Complaining" in the book. I feel like I do have a valid reason for complaining, so the author can just fuck off! But reading into it, it is more about allowing yourself to feel happier; and that the cycle of complaining, then feeling guilty, and more miserable (exactly as you describe) is not good for you. I love a good moan or a bit of a bitch about things, but I always feel slightly dirty and wrong afterwards. The book says to pause before you do this and try to turn the situation around. So when I heard about my SIL complaining about her pregnancy, I paused and then said Oh dear and tried to make her feel better. And I do actually feel a little bit better about myself for doing that, even though I do feel jealous and sad inside a bit.

It is very hard the whole TTC business, but if I can learn some compassion from it then hopefully the two and a half years of sadness and frustration will not be totally wasted. I'm just trying to see some sort of positivity from so much negativity I suppose in a way to rationalise why it is going on.

Of course, I might feel like flinging the book in the fire when I'm not in such a hopeful mood! .

You both make sense. Being thankful for what you've got, having a positive, glass half full attitude, is completely different from a things could be worse attitude, and comparing yourself to worse off people to make yourself feel better (that's still negative really). I think the key is comparing, like you say rie Its really hard not too but ultimately futile. Some people do seem to have it easy but life is very random and really you can't begrudge them that.

BB its bloody brilliant that you can think this way after the hard time you've had. If you have found something that works for you then who cares if it might sounds a bit hippyish (never had much against hippys myself)

Getting a bit deep in here, innit? Time to break outb the nipple tassles and gin slings, me thinks.

Yep way too deep! Hope I didn't come across as patronising or holier than thou, I have a lot of jealousy issues (and always have had) so this stuff doesn't come naturally to me at all. I've just felt so upset and sad in the past few years and want to repair some of the damage I feel has been done to me.

I know where you are both coming from and agree that the 'why can't I have her fertility / easily won baybee / problem-free pregnancy / 2.4 children lifestyle.......' is really hard to step away from. As you know from my meltdown last month, I struggled with the news that my SIL is pg for the third time without even a sniff of TTC. I have really tried to count the good things I have in my life and recognise that what works for someone else might not work for me. I know I've been able to enjoy lots of stuff that she can't with 2 small children and sometimes that really helps.

Clearly, there are times we will all struggle to do the positive thinking thing and that's why it's great to have a place to come and menkul (and channel the non-BESH bitching from time to time) with other likeminded hags.

I struggle generally with proper relaxing and have been told off several times by my reflexologist (in the nicest possible way) for it. She'd like to get me into controlled breathing and visualisation but I balk a bit and can't take it seriously. I can 'switch off in a 'let's get pissed it's the weekend' type way, but not a zen-like inner calm state.

By the way, Take That have announced tour dates for 2011. I feel like a teenager again and am already grateful that I'm not looking towards a due date the day after the Wembley gig so I can join in the fun

Have you trid yoga, Truff. I found it really good for calming myself and learning all the breathing stuff. I haven't practised for years but I can still use the breathing techniques and is really helpful.

I made cake from Beetroot once. Pretty lush actually. A Nigella one.

Am somewhere betwixt 004 and 008 at the moment. cd12 but with my cycle could be another 10 days before laying. Or could happen in a couple.

You are all being very zen and calm today. We should drink a calming cocktail made from Gin and Chamomile. With a sprinkle of Temazepam round the rim in the manner of a Margarita.

OOh Truff I saw them last year (or possibly even the year before) doing the circus tour - they were amazing! Not sure how I feel about Robbie being back yet [hhmm]

I am suspicious that the green fags everyone esle has been smoking aren't the marlboro minties that I know and love!

Just a few more days of droid then going to get back into the swing of SWI and for fun and try very very hard not to imagine symptoms this time!

Or pilates; I always found that quite calming. Or body balance which is a class quite a lot of local authority gyms run.

Currently managing to do no exercise at all. Oh well.

I never really liked Take That. They were far too clean for my approval.