Wisely and avidly planning our Christmas lists..

[blossoming]

Come join me!
Not so inspired but I do so hate being threadless.

Tracey - I think (from memory) that yoghurts with little bits of fruit in (such as the Activia ones) are limited to 2, or even 1 if you are not losing weight. Completely fat free yoghurt/fromage frais is unlimited I think. I used to have fromage frais with a little bit of sweetner and oat bran as my breakfast.

Thanks NY - I just bought fat-free ones in m&s but was confused as they have carbs in them.

DH always works ridiculous hours - own business so never switches off really. Tis dull though as he's never around in the evenings and doesn't really see the dc's in the week at all.

Roary - I hate it though when DH works at home as he'll always be doing conference calls in the study and I'm frantically trying to keep the children quiet.

Have you collected the dress yet NY?

MM where are you? fur jacket for you

I tried on an uber cheap one in New Look in similar colour and oh the colour was just fab but way too cheap looking.

LTEC - cute little feathery skirt&pageSize=20 skirt - reminded me of the dress you'd linked to.

Tracey ahhh, working from home DH = 3rd child as he absently leaves all his dishes out and wanders around the house leaving a trail of destruction. Also appears and disappears to help at random intervals. Easier when he as at the office TBH!

I just got off the phone with a housekeeping company here. I think the difference with a cleaner Plum is that they will do laundry, fold, learn where your belongings go and put them away properly rather than just shove them to one side, and even some cooking if you want it. Basically what a really good cleaner like Tracey's might do only more of it. This lady charges £12.50/hr which as we already pay £10 is not a huge increase. Honestly just talking to her has made me feel so much better.

But I have to sack our current cleaners which is horrible. They are the kids of our first cleaner, who is lovely and amazing but has a full time housekeeping job, and they have never even been half as good, although they've been with us ages. The real finisher is that they can only come in the afternoon, which is a disaster as we have 2 sleeping kids and occasionally 3 when the nanny share is at our house, will be more frequent when I am finished mat leave.

I'm completely on board with the idea of it being great if you can afford it, doesn't stop the occasional irrational guilt pang as my mother is one of life's natural housekeepers.

Go on, everyone, post a pic for today so we can check out your colours! EIE and I sound like we have very similar colouring, EIE I think my pic is still up so you can confirm.

Tracey - I always have Total 0% yogurt, and a smidgeon of acacia honey drizzled but works for me.

Olive oil used liberally here too, and have wine, few units per week, but need to get attack phase over with first.

Oh, I got an I love Gorgeous brochure through this morning...love the Iris for DD but at £94 for 3 year olds dress- no! Love the Nell too (much more appropriate £ wise)...tracey...what colour did you go for? Slate blue looks nice too...

I am on lookout for new cleaner...but its a bother. Need someone excellent as expect a fab job, not quick whip around! Not wishing to pay ott either

We do have masses of 'do's' even at our teeny village school. Black tie do in Decmber but muggins here is organising that! Never again!

Had busy day so far due to ILs arriving on Friday for christening and staying until Tuesday! Hmm....

Busy busy today, explain later.
Those of you curious about your colours. The thing to do would be to work out which is your best ever outfit, the one you always get complimented on, the one you feel most confident in. Maybe your eyes sparkle more in it.
Example would be my mum in my wedding photos. Looks amazing in a black skirt, and a deep scarlet brocade jacket. Fantastic colours on her.
So to wear black and scarlet she is a winter.
Without realising it really, I always used to revert to black, navy, charcoal, white. All winter colours. I knew some red were good on me too. But I just did not know which other colours were in my palette. And getting the swatch book, and ticking my new 'wow' colours, which are royal purple, raspberry, chinese blue, grey, emerald was inspirational. I used to stick to dark indigo jeans and white shirts. Classic I know, and good over a belly! but boring.
Today I'm wearing the zebra again. In my book, zebras trounce leopards.

Thanks for that lovely link verity.

You may remember me talking about selling soaps. I saw some lovely ones to make in Ideal Home Christmas magazine.
Over time, and because I decided to do the washbags, embroidered towels, flannels, aprons etc, I decided I'd be better off buying 'soaps to sell', thinking they'd be all ready to go.
How wrong I was. They arrived in chunks. So I've just had to order molds, packaging, and botanicals (lavender flowers, rose buds etc) to go with. This endeavour is costing me a fortune!!! The soaps will cost me 1.60 each just to make.
Ah well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Fortune favours the brave... And our local post office, which also acts like a gift shop/toy shop has a gift set of one soap and a small candle for £7.99.
I'm hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew. On the plus side, the washbags are mostly finished. The towels are gorgeous quality, and the aprons just need sewing up.
And I've still got 2 weeks.
I love it really. Much better than a classroom full of bored teenagers.

LoobY sounds like we are in the same boat. As all our family is either in Canada or AUstralia we need a lot of additional support, am beginning to realize how much.

Tracey and Dukaners: I won't be joining you (am fruit addict) but this is the world's greatest fat free natural yoghurt:

here this might not be the fat free but the same brand makes it.

Dolcee snap! Can we tempt you to post a pic?

Bloss I am loving my Hanro. My mother knows her thermal camisoles, having been transplanted from Miami to northern Canada. I bought mine here

What kind of academic is your DH, if you don't mind me being nosy?

roma You could go to Cologne! Only about 2 hours by train from Brussels I think (have friend who "commutes" between the two cities). Not sure what their Christmas Market is like but it is a lovely place to visit. Second Aachen which is smaller but not far from Cologne.

bonsoir Thanks for reminding of feather headband. Will try to make one myself I think.

I've just thought, answer this simple question to work out which season you are:

Are you a zebra, or a leopard?

Zebras would be winter/summer
Leopards (and camels) spring/autumn.

Anyone with me on this??

roary, I don't mind at all. He might though! He's a professor in banking and finance. (Yup, I got a good one there..!!)

Bloss that's interesting - does he like it? My finance colleagues are all interesting people, they tend to be a bit more in touch with reality than other academics.

I'm liking your leopard vs zebra. I am definitely a leopard. Rawrrrrrr. ALthough your best outfit rule is interesting: my best most complimented wow is magenta.

Plum I had my swatches out with your gap jumper in shop the other day and it is one of the official autumn colours, so odds are you are an autumn.

Tracey ? forgot to say how pretty your DD?s dress is ? though as I got a replica in a different colour I would say that wouldn?t I?

Re the yoghurts I?ll check the book I think there is a limit on certain types (as NY says)

I'm a protein only day today as well (you have to keep on doing 1 a week even when you've finished the main diet).

Fritz ? tbh this diet is so easy because it?s straight forward there is nothing confusing and you don?t have to bother weighing stuff. Basically just eat all the protein and fat free diary you want for the attack phase (plus you are supposed to have some oatbran stuff but I didn?t get hold of that). Unlike other diets you are allowed coffee/tea with skimmed milk and diet coke.

what a beautiful idea to do the calenders ? though I?m in awe of you having energy to do it.

LTEC ? I do the shopping junkie thing all the time ? but I?m rubbish at taking things back so charity shop gets lucky and my house is a tip.

Huge congratulations on your new contract. I think the housekeeper solution sounds extremely sensible (and I?m very jealous!)

Rufus ? I agree with LTEC that St. Johns is fab for meat eaters.

For fiddly/poncy but yummy ? l?atelier de joel robuchon taster menu is wonderful food.

And if you are a fish lover j-sheekey or scotts are good. Though they tend to bung you on rubbish tables at Scott?s if you aren?t a celeb.

I love your words for DS ? perfect.

Bunny ?I agree on the ring though I think it was given for all the right reasons?just I can imagine she?s secretly thinking ?fat lot of luck it bought Diana!?

Roman ? fantastic news on your work!

Choo ? love the issa dress - keep it!

Everything ? sorry to hear about the painful relate session. As the others have said it can't possibly be 'all your fault'. Things just don't work that way.

Just took DD for her first haircut. I had put it off for as long as possible. DS's first was a major trauma for all of us and he screamed the entire shop/street down and I ended up having to do the cut myself. Need not have worried as Madam loved it and chatted away merrily throughout. She had everyone in stitches of laughter with her 'eyebrow' trick. Her cheeky brother taught her to do Roger Moore type eyebrow raises on demand...which on a tiny girl is quite unexpected and makes most people lol!

Right, I hear what you say Bloss...but I think I look good in charcoal, navy, black and white, plum, purple etc but don't see how I can be a winter having fair hair (ok highlighted) but light compared to you etc....what do you think? You should be charging for this!

Oh and I so love the Scotty dog stuff!

Roary, my dh has never once made it home before dd went to bed. That is why in the end I agreed that it would be too difficult for me to go back to work full time. We have no family here either. He doesn't work many weekends any more but it is a pita!

I just found a preschool that will take DD two afternoons a week from Jan. We went to see it this morning and she wanted to start there and then, she will love it.

I am not sure what season I am and can't find EIE's link but I do get compliments when I wear pinks or blues. I don't think grey does much for me but black is ok. There is a photo in my profile, I think. Rufus, if you know me, warn me and I will take it down!

Verity, hope your kids get well soon. I can't stop reading the Irish news either. I hope my dad's company survives.

Blossoming, lavender and rose soap sounds lovely. I am sure it will sell well.

Actually, I am mostly hidden by dd but she has the same colouring as me!

Hells, love the raised eyebrow trick!

Oh, I am a Leopard! Got it! But I still love charcoal etc....and turquoise weirdly is always complimented when I wear it...

Aww Hells - how old is DD? She sounds very cute.

Tracey re fat free yogs - 'natural and flavoured yohurts are both allowed without restrictions', non fat fruit allowed a max of 2 per day but avoid if you want a fast start to diet.

I personally never had more than 2 day of the fat free vanilla flavoured yogs.

Carciofi- lovely photos...you do the same as me...hide!

No roary, no can do I'm afraid...

Plum a friend raved about her cleaner and luckily she had some hours spare (that could be the hard bit if want lots of hours). Ask around for a good one. One thing that has been fabulous is their speed. They come in two or threes and blitz the house. I can't bear being here so don't need to leave the house too long. Crucial for me but you may be ok.

Not sure about difference, maybe cooking out of house stuff (post etc)?

Got lots to say but gotto go....

Oh everything...hope you are okay...things are never 100% one-sided...why did you think that? Were you both there, as in you and DH?

Dolcee find a matching celeb then! Turquoise in peacock or kingfisher can be autumn. Will link shortly.