WIT or Wisdom? Who cares... the festive season is nearly upon us and one thing is certain: Avidity is the new black.

[LetThemEatCake]

Trick or treat! [hsmile]

Yes - agree with Bunny and OWW - it looks fab! And please may I have your legs

Which shoes were they - like Bunny I'm squinting at computer and can't make them out . . . Although loving the red with camel.

LTEC Great dress.

I'm not convinced about the dress. Your hips look fine (damn fine!) but you look like you have lost your waist. Maybe it's because you have your arms up in the photo. Not sure about the cap sleeves either.

Well you look amazing, and fabulous legs. Only question would be re colour of dress. And yes, we all want a link to the shoes!!

Sounds like you're going to have a lovely time ollie. Get your sis to pay I would!!

Wow dolcee, how exciting for you re houses! But you do know how far from civilisation (read shops), Cornwall is don't you???

shoes are these in red - almost embarrassed to link as they look quite horrid, much better in RL!!

thanks for dress feedback, colour is espresso .. is that a no no for me bloss?

this is the other lace dress I tried on, was so lovely but too silvery to be suitable for day ... plum have you rec'd your order yet?

Hey girls

On my way to meet dp having settled dd at mum's. It feels like a date! Am in a very short plain black dress with high round neck and opaques and the M&S shoeboots. And the fur. Okay so it's Per una but I love it! My dsis said I look like LL Cool J which made me smile. Compared to the same rapper twice in one week. I love a bit of ghetto fabulous bling! A domani.

What about this one?

Lovely photos notyummy and bloss

ltec your legs are sensational girl! Can't really comment on dress as can't see detail but it looks quite a straight cut, not hippy but no defined waist.

monkeysmama your outfit sounds stunning, have a great evening. I wore the shoe boots today and gpt three compliments on them at a meeting! One from a lady passing on the stairs! Yay M&S

Re your dh it's so convenient for them to have these hangups when it's you at is inconvenienced. My dh knows how I feel yet often arranges things when he knows I have plans. He'll suggest a sitter knowing full well that I will end up staying home and he'll swan out out. Cheeky dh!

Just rushing in to find there is too much to catch up already! One of DH's friends from university just arrived. Said she would come at 8 and I prepared dinner after rushing DD to bed at 7 so I could get everything done. She has eaten already! At McDonald's before she came! I'm a bit . Think I'll have a glass of Prosecco while DH is doing the tour of our house. Would much rather click on lovely links than entertain tonight.

She ate at Mcdonalds - how bizarre or perhaps she thought she was saving you the trouble of cooking for here. Definitely have that glass of prosecco though

LTEC - I really like those red shoes. M&S just make everything look hideous on the website that when you see it in a magazine or in the flesh its hardly possible its the same item.

MM have a fab evening! Your outfit sounds amazing.

Has anyone seen any grey jersey snoods anywhere??

Have a great night monkeysmama.

ltec, if you are a 'winter', there is no brown. Only mole. I convinced myself the splendid dress I bought in the nap sale was mole. I don't particularly like the photos of me in it now though. Put it this way, there are better colours out there!

Oh I love prosecco fritzi. Have a good evening regardless.

MM Have fun!

LTEC Are you sure that photo wasn't taken in my house? I have an identical towel currently draped over the bannister - John Lewis Prima cotton in light blue?

Georgina lovely cash snood here

Merino not cashmere, sorry! But still lovely!

grey snoods-a-go-go!

Cake, dress a good shape, how's the colour on you? Hard to tell in pic. No M&S order here yet. Delivery man came twice today, but sadly once with new curtain rings, once with Early Learning stuff for Xmas.

I did, though, come up trumps in a local junk shop, where I picked up a vintage Ercol (quite my thing) suite of furniture for £60, plus £0 to deliver it within the hour! Is this one, and worth a few hundred. Needs a bit of TLC, but then will either keep, or bung on Ebay. Am very Pleased Plum.

Just done ironing to Holby City (was too drunk tired to do on Sun with Downton), am now going to watch last night's Spooks. Can't wait!

okay, eating kale and catching up

tracey love the sound of your outfit today and am stunned by your domestic efforts. Where are you going with the iLs?

bunny ouch!! never had it but sounds horrid. Soon be all over. Newborn at nursery today, oh my word. My ovaries twinged at the sight of her.

bloss love all the stripes. Am even more impressed by how tidy your wardrobe is!

OWW and hells more great outfits, lovely!!

I like stripes and floral *and polka dots!! is that allowed??

all this skin care talk - am . ahve still done nothing about the ravaged state of my appearance, save for buying a Kiehls moisturiser with spf

hello pickled and welcome! there are no crashers here, only new A&W friends. Thanks also for kind blog comment.

NY ouch again. Glad you have some hols to look fwd to.

bloss I ate nearly a whole pack of raw green beans this afternoon while cooking for a sweet fix!! Seemed to do the job. What you say about eating anything else you want sounds about right for me with wheat - cut that and I can be reasonably relaxed about other stuff (although largely I choose not to be ) But I find that if I do have a week of ice cream and carbs, it's fine, as long as no wheat. Hopefully sugar-cutting will just make me feel more energetic, less artificially so.

bunny beware the post-preg investment buy - the Outnet launched just as I got the all-clear with Baby L and I shopped up a storm. Almost all of it has ended up on ebay - apart from this which is booked in for an alteration at the end of this month.

hello Dolce good shoping trip! and OWW hurrah for your sis, sounds like it will be a lovely day. (do you have the Leon cookbook?)

MM so pleased re your night out and outfit sounds fantastic - enjoy!!

Fritzi I am stunned by your friend. Maccas?? why???!!! Quelle weirdness. Have 2 glasses of Prosecco.

Hf yes!! snap!!

thank you very much re legs [blush ]and . Am going to sit on dress (not literally) as M&S have extended returns period in lead-up to Xmas... I agree with dexter that it doesn't do much for my waist - or my hips for that matter .. in fact, you;ve all mostly mentioned my legs which are nothing to do with the dress ... so am going to return it and buy some PVC hotpants instead. Brilliant. Decision made. Thanks ladies - knew I could count on you.

ooops, missed you Plum. Well I think the colour is okay and I have actually always believed that I suit browns It's a milky coffee colour ... kind of.

Nice work on your furniture!! My dh would love me to be more like that, I am rubbish with house stuff.

dexter the dress you linked to is the one Plum has bought ... I don't think the colour will be any good on me...

Hi - c'n I sneak in and ask an opinion on this dress?

I bought it last summer but, since lace seems to be a 'thing' this season, and since I have a thing for lace, I'm tempted to try and extend its wear a bit.

Or is it just too pale and obviously summery? (The lining is toffee-coloured so it's not as pale as it looks in the pic).

I'd wear with taupe-coloured courts and dark tights I think, plus I suppose a velvet jacket (?)

bunny- pleased to hear that your SPD isn't too bad. I'm sure if it was really severe you would give the exercises a go :)
I felt really crippled at certain points in my last pregnancy- felt positively disabled trying to cross the road to pick up DD from school. Was so spritely first time around!
I found that mine took quite a while to settle completely- several months actually but it was mild rather than severe. I think that I did that thing of putting my legs together to get out of the car for maybe 10 months after she was born!

yangy- I hope you don't mind me saying so but you sound a bit fed up :(
I think a WOHM deserves to have some time to themselves as does a SAHM, whether it is to exercise, have a hair cut/ manicure or meet friends. You really shouldn't feel guilty and I think it can keep you sane! I really don't think there is any correlation between the amount of time spent caring for children with they are little and the quality of the ongoing relationship once the children are adults.

bloss- you sure do love stripes! I think they look perfect and so organised in your wardrobe

Thanks PLUM and happily re snoods.
Have a White Company code somewhere too!!

Very wise cake re hotpants.

And my stripes are not normally to be found together! But yes I do love 'tidy' and organised.

Made a washbag with Eiffel tower material today. Am quite pleased. My aunt who is staying next door loved it. She is normally quite snooty. I found a company selling face flannels for 38p each so I bought a load and will do an offer on bags, soap (64p each) and flannels. I have paid out quite a lot by now!!

Morning. Sounds good Bloss!

Ds2 will be wearing the jumper I knitted in early days (I only do one per child, same one, has become a tradition). Will add photo today some time.

Have been finishing some work (looks good I think! Will show you all one day when am on a roll again) so will read this later.