Whatever you want, whatever you like, be WISE and AVID, so do your sums, and get it right....!

[DolceeBanana]

New thread...sorry bit lame compared to normal, but thought I'd bite the bullet (as it were)....

bet it Chesneys Tracey

Bloss....wowee! Gorgeous photo and love jacket!

Loobylu- can I be added too purleese? Thanks

cute jacket mac!

Yes it is and Reine has the matching dress to go with...

You know not buying stuff is actually quite hard work...

Luckily I have been to buy Dd2?s birthday gifts this week instead to compensate

Cooking tip newsflash. Last night when making chicken, asparagus and mushroom risotto I accidentally used Chinese five spice instead of powdered coriander. It tasted great! DD2 in particular couldn?t get enough of it, whoever would have thought...

oh gosh hf. Just noticed your news. Poor you and poor, poor colleague. Hope he makes a good recovery...and hope you are okay. It must have been frightening for you all.

Oh yes have just scrolled (its SO easy to miss stuff on this thread!). Sorry to hear that Hf how shocking.

Fritzi I am nodding sagely as I read macmama's post.

Dolceebanana - your outfits sound lovely.

Also thinking of Zembo and hoping you're in mint condition in no time. Glad to hear you're ok too Romanholiday. Sounds like a nasty fall. ouch!

Hi blossoming. I'm the end of Wales from you or I would be comandeering kidnapping pleading with you for a personal shopping session. Yes - Tom Jones. Nothing else says cheesily Welsh in quite the same way!

everythingchangeseverything - I have been erring on the frumpy side of everything for far too long! I am short with relatively reasonable legs. Perhaps I'll get brave enough to post a photo!

How about a W&A version of :

It's guid to be merry and wise,
It's guid to be honest and true,
It's guid to support Caledonia's cause
And bide by the buff and the blue.
Robert Burns

Or:
Beauty's of a fading nature
Has a season and is gone!
Robert Burns

Googled - I confess to not knowing any Burns at all!

Oh and Fleecy-keep meaning to say, yes, undoubtedly they get that from Peppa Pig

Hatcam, sounds like an excellent find. If you love it, you must get it.

Roma, hope that you aren't in too much pain. Did you get a chance to talk to DS's teacher/s, or is it a make an appointment thing?

Was the twinny dressing deliberate Dolcee? I've managed to do that with all 3 of us without really thinking about it. You both sound gorgeous.

Definitely agree on the regular nights out advice, Fritzi, DH and I had a very bad patch after DS was born and forced ourselves to get out. At first, we used to go to the cinema as the thought of being alone with nothing (but everything) to say was terrifying. We relaxed into each other's company again and took slow steps towards dinners etc. Since that very rocky patch, we're trying to keep it up so that things don't get as bad as they were. But, weathering the lows helps you to appreciate the highs, right ( mac phrased that much more eloquently).

Love the sound of your power outfit Hells, did you enjoy gypsy weddings?

Cake I like the Cain dress very much - do feedback if you get it.

Thanks for kind words yesterday, think I need to stop taking myself so seriously. Spent an hour trying to persuade DS to go to the toilet before we left for playgroup, cue much fury on his part. Minutes after leaving, he needed the toilet and had no choice (travel potty hadn't been returned to P&T from the car) but to get him to go discreetly in the gutter. Not so discreet though, as he was shouting 'Bye bye wee-wees, see you soon!'. I could only laugh.

Great outfits today hells and dolcee (envious of dd's wardrobe!)
Hope things are better today hf. Must have been hard for you.
Good luck today notyummy.
Sorry you're in pain Roma. Dh will be pleased you agree with him!

No twinny dressing very much spontaneous this morning red.

And Red, my 4 yo insists on leaving wees and poos (tmi) to almost the last minute. We were caught short the other weekend with very grand Great Aunt and he had to have a wee in the gutter behind a street name...well, dh thought he wanted just a wee, but DS screamed poo, slipped down his trousers and pooed in the street. DH furious, and caught totally out. I, mortified and quietly fuming had to leave baby and DD1 with Great Aunt and sprint across street to wipe up, clean street (thank heavens for baby wipes and nappy sacks), and disinfect dh! Yuck and yuck!!!!! Graet Aunt none the wiser Kids, laugh a minute!

Mac - I am amazed at the spicy flavours my own DCs consume. They just hate bland stuff. Relish curries etc.

Hells - WIT is channeling your white shirt and grey skirt look today! I loved the sound of what you are wearing.

Can I ask a really boring yet practical question. Do any of you have a Kitchenaid and if so, do you use it? Was going to get a new handmixer, then started looking at Magimix's and Kitchenaids (the gorgeous looking stand mixer and the less attractive processor's)and am now v confused as to what i need - all 3 according to some research! What do you lot have and actually use?

fritzi abou to overshare so feel free to take with a pinch of salt:

DH and I have a fairly fiery relationship and we talk (and argue!) pretty much constantly. But my ?inner self? only ever dreams of him even if my ?here and now? is fuming. Its like he is my guy and that is that, end of story and this is what has always guided us through any tough times.

I think that, if you have that ultimate faith then its much harder for an argument or conflict about any issue to shake you. Hence personally (and this is me only!) I think overthinking or even actively trying hard to fix things can be a problem ? it sort of means we focus on the problem rather than the cause/the faith in the relationship. Of course we should all curb negative habits if we can but because we want to be better people rather than because we want to fix our relationship ? IMO we will find better results that way (and I am bad example as am a bit of a harridan and have never managed to curb it).

To me, in my relationship, going away for weekends etc and spending lots of time together alone is not very important although appreciate we are all different, for me the most important thing to me is to talk and talk constantly. What?s a little constructive criticism between life partners after all? I would rather hear it as we went along than wait for a once a year appraisal iykwim.

Dolcee I shouldn't have asked if it was deliberate really - sorry. And your gutter story had me in hysterics. It's at moments like that that my teenage voice whispers in my ear, 'how did it come to this?'

Love the uniqlo shirt WIT has shamelessly linked to OWW. On the KitchenAid front, I have long coveted one, but DH vetoed for a much more practical kenwood one which is a 2 in 1. Nowhere near as gorgeous, but fab to use. Will go off and find.

I loved WIT's look today. Want cute skirt like that and love the white top.

No Kitchen aid here just a fancy hand blender with various attachments.

I had very bad luck with my Kenwood ? blew the motor very quickly. Hopefuly the cost of a kitchenaid means that it is more robust~?

Kenwood here. The panel on the top removes for a food processor and liquidiser attachment. Definitely nowhere near as attractive, but it saves on storage and works so well. Would still get a KitchenAid purely for aesthetics though!

I agree Red - kitchen porn at its best.
I think I would probably get more use out of a processor like this one here for chopping veg etc too but just dont know! At the moment I have a hand held mixer but like the idea of being able to leave stuff being mixed instead of standing there for ages - but not sure if processors are good for cakes etc???
Macmama my Mum blew her motor too - in fact I think she is on her 3rd one!

It has made baking a complete doodle. I haven't even used the food processor bit in the two months we've had it (had I known this would be the case I'd have pushed for a KitchenAid). But it really depends on what you do the most in your kitchen. I hate mixing, but don't mind chopping vegetables.

bloss I would not get the scoop/ cowl neck tops from phase eight you linked to. I was in phase eight on the weekend and tried on the red one. Really thin material and the hem around the neck was unfinished / raw. For £40 I did not think it was good value.

Did buy a lovely striped coat from phase eight though which is not on their website so cannot link. It's a Summer coat for work when it's too cold for nothing but too hot for a wool coat.

itsnotunusual well done on the weight loss. A real achievement. I understand your desire to be a size 10. I don't know you so please don't take this the wring way but perhaps better to aim for a toned size 12 rather than a 10. I have found that as I get older if I get too thin it does not look good on my face.

Hope you enjoy getting lots of new clothes. I think you should treat yourself now rather than wait until you are even slimmer. Life is too short to 'punish' yourself by wearing horrid clothes until you reach the 'right' weight. Not that I am saying that your clothes are horrid. Love the Vivianne Westward by the way.

Lovely DH has arrived from Paris (looking v. W&A in D&G suit bought in the sales last week) bearing champagne and gone to get the boys and go to parents evening, so I can lie in bed mning recuperating. Have just watched Silent Witness on the iplayer following tracey and fleecy comments and

I want a kitchen aid, I really want one. I'm sure I would use it loads, I use my food processor, slow cooker, bread maker etc all the time. I also like baking so would use it for that. I may get myself that pink one for St Valentine's Day

Itsnotunusual do get yourself nice clothes that fit, but maybe look hard for bargains if you think you won't need them for that long. I'd plan some trips to a shopping centre with big Zara and H&M etc I expect. Or do some ebay hunting. The VWA dress is very nice though.

Sorry meant to say that my magimix is 7 years old and going strong.