Avid & Wise, Eyes on the Prize, Our Gorgeous Spring Summer Buys!

[blossoming]

New thread here!

Is the Hush dress very short, Bloss? The colours sound lovely together.

Actually am now thinking that it was an intervention by the fiscal god as really should be paying down my HoF card, not buying more. It was this jacket, WideAwake. Too warm for it now too. Like your new name btw!

I'm trying to forget the vision of me in that dress carciofi. Would be very short on you I fear.

Every I can empathise with you a bit. I'm also fiercly independent and lived on my own for about 12 years before meeting DH. Good advice from others above. Nothing to add but thinking of you anyway. I often feel like I still live alone (with my DC to look after) as DH is barely here.

Everyspring - speaking as a SAHM, I'd jump at the chance of being useful if one of my friends asked. I wouldn't be clued up enough to actually offer anything useful in the first place though.

Back from High Tea - really nice morning had by all. Everyone looked really nice dressed up and appreciated all the work everyone had done. Lots of blank faces tho when we talked about the whole Alice in Wonderland theme so that kinda fell a bit flat as the story obviously isn't as well known all around the world as I thought! My scone demo went ok - did feel quite surreal doing it! Wish you all could have been there!

Positive reaction to my outfit too which was lovely - esp from the Mums at school (wore trenchcoat and tottery grey shoeboots on schoolrun!) and DS2s teacher (who is young and very stylish )

Poor DS1 has got a nasty infection in his foot from a verruca. Foot was a bit swollen and sore last night and then 2 hours later was much worse with infection obviously spreading. DH took him to the out of hours Drs (got antibiotocs) and the to GP this morning who (tmi altert) cut it out and drained infected area. DS1 was a little star apparently and insisted on going back to school and telling the class in detail what happened - can you imagine? "The Doctor CUT my foot with a HUGE knife and it really BLED" Got another appointment for tomorrow morning but as I have to take him I hope there will be no more cutting!

So, now High Tea is over and I can actually think about other stuff - like shopping. (I certainly don't want to see another scone for a while!)
Back later once I have read posts in full.

Er, hope my verruca story hasn't killed the thread! Where are you all????

Hi OWW! Glad your tea party went well.

Bloss, thanks you have saved me the delivery charge at Hush. You don't feel like trying the J Brand red jeans for me now, do you?

Think I will buy the LK Bennett cropped trench instead of the Max Mara jacket. When I get the cash together, not on my HoF card!

This Pure Collection sweater arrived and it is lovely. Will wear with skinny jeans soon!

Hi ollie and carciofi! My lovely aunt and uncle are spending the day next door so that's where we've been. My aunt is lovely (told me I looked like a supermodel) if deluded. Both getting on now but with news of my cousin who has just got a job in St Lucia. Very tempting!!

I had a verruca on my hand in primary school - from doing handstands! Glad the day went well ollie. Plenty of wine for you tonight! You did look fantastic in your trench.

What would you wear with red jeans carciofi? I'm having enough trouble pairing my taupe shorts with anything but white! Loved the LKB by the way.

Oh and skinny jeans and denim shorts arrived for ddbfrom boden. So sweet. Dressing her like myself, guilty as charged!

Bloss, you do look fab so your aunt is not deluded. I'd probably just wear them with a white t-shirt, somewhat limiting so might forget the pricey pair and get a pair in Oasis or Zara. Actually I had pink jeans a few years ago and found it really hard to wear them with anything but white or navy.

NY you've been positively economical with your packing, I'd argue! DH out for end of term drinks tonight and the room is festooned with clothes. I'm struggling, to be honest. Am a little terrified of the journey and flight - also hoping DS sleeps on the way to the airport otherwise he'll kick up merry hell seek to amuse fellow passengers before we fly at 9. Am hanging on to my naive assumption that DD will sleep for the duration of the flight in her skycot.

OWW glad everything went well and all of your efforts were appreciated. Brave DS on the verruca front - I had quite a few frozen off at about 8 and that was agony, so can't even begin to imagine the pain of them being cut out!

Nan lots of laughing out loud at our end too - thought the parents were excellently cast and Paddy Considine is very good at making me laugh. Hope you have a lovely holiday.

Managed to get nothing on my emergency shop - forgot what I needed (knickers), got pretty summer bits for the DCs and tried the New Look Chinos that looked appalling on me - I think I need things to be tight around the bum and thigh to look any good on me.

Right, must pack. May pop back in for key questions such as, 'is taking 4 day dresses in which I can't BF, despite still doing so up to 4 times a day reasonable?'...

Lovely jumper carciofi

Survived 1 st week back at work but have discovered I need more clothes and need to shred more Particularly depressed by the colleague who popped in with her 8 week old baby today looking even slimmer than before she fell pregnant . She look gorgeous and was wearing such a lovely little summer dress and wedge sandals. I just don't have one of those bodies that snaps back into shape after pregnancy. It needs serious blood, sweat and tears. Ah well, back to Jillian tomorrow then...

Must make time next week to check out COS - my office is on Regent street and I've often walked past it but never ventured in. Saw some lovely shoes in the window of LK Bennett as I passed by this morning though.

Also saw these in Zara. Very tempted but may go for the orange ballet flats instead. Can you have too many pairs of ballet flats?

Right off to search for capsule summer work wardrobe.

Forgot to say welcome Nan

red you're going to South Africa, right ?and how old is DD? We have travelled quite a lot with our two, to Canada and Australia. You will be fine! The sky cradle is great and little ones are the easiest to travel with. Night flights are the best and the jet lag is minimal because of the time change. You'll be fine :)

Picture went well. I flapped around for ages trying on outfits but opted in the end for J Crew dress. I hope they turned out, the photographer said he would send us some for our 'own selves' as DD would say. But it was not what I needed to do today as I had a bunch of work bits and we're off tomorrow. not packed at all so off the MN and down to work.

oh quite like this...with skinnies

Hello all. Glorious sunshine here. Have just bought lucky horse print blouse from whistles- sorry cannot link. Sold out in John Lewis and ASOS and has been sold out i
On whistles website for ages. Must have got some more in. Really pleased.

bouncing that is a lovely top. Zara have some lovely things in at the moment.

Thanks roary - yep Cape Town. DD 7 months so should be fine as she's very easily placated with bf-ing. DS 2.5 and can be reasoned with quite well. We last flew long-haul when he was 14 months and that was awful - no longer bf-ing and wanting to walk all the time. Fingers crossed. Hope you have a lovely trip too.

Bouncing - love the ballerinas. Women like that let the side down; she will have been wearing Spanx and have bought the outfit especially (I speak from experience, although didn't pull it off as I had lost no baby weight at that stage).

Glad to hear you're a bit more uplifted everyspring.

Have packed far too much stuff, but nevermind.

Thank you carciofi. I'm not feeling it at the moment. Is it the transition out of my winter uniform? Everything looks wrong (until I put my trench on). It could be the pale skin or my hat hair. Yes ladies, it may be summer where you are but here in the mornings, I am still wearing my beret! And those shorts are annoying me. Thank you everyspring I will look for china blue. It is a top colour for me.
Another blub fest today as I finished The Help ( thanks to everyspring via notyummy). Could I pass it on to someone else?

Evening ladies - great to see all of the links.
Carciofi that was unfortunate about your jacket, but I do love your jumper.
Everyspring Glad to see you sounding a bit more upbeat, but I can imagine how tough it must be, I remember living abroad with Dh working offshore and wondering how long it would take anyone to notice I'd dropped out of circulation!
Bouncing really like those pumps.
For all fans of coloured jeans DD2 has got some pink skinnies from Zara with JBrandesque zip on the ankle that fit really well, they do stretch though, so possibley better to size down.

OWW your expat lifestyle does sound good, tea parties and exploding women and sex lessons :)

Red 12-18 months is the WORST time to travel on airplanes. After 2 = easy as they can be entertained. Did I mention DS turned one today and we are going to do at least 3 long haul round trip flights between now and December? And that several of these legs I will be solo?

Bouncing I love a leopard print shoe.

ABO I love Wilbur & Gussie for classic-yet-cute clutches.

The Anya is gorgeous wideawake - although autumns not allowed silver metalwork

And Ooooh those are fab too. But I'm struggling to persuade myself that I should spend that much since I so rarely need an evening bag. So have bitten the bullet and ordered oww's apple in bronze. But I like the zara one too wideawake so may come back to it.

Bought this bracelet today which is good because it fits close at my wrist. Although I'm slightly concerned that the photo seems to suggest I wear it with the name facing out. surely I hide that bit round the back?! Shoes sorted (these are the most grown-up sensible shoes I have ever bought. Booked in for eyebrow thread, party week on Saturday. Getting a bit frantic as so much to do (so frantic in fact I pranged the car this afternoon ), but excited too!

roary hope DS had a fab birthday. I am very envious of that J Crew dress

Bouncing, I love leopard print shoes. Glad you survived your first week back. Your colleague was probably sucking it all in.

If I buy a maternity skirt now, am I tempting fate and will I get cankles? :o

Lovely shoes, ABO.

Morning all.

Carciofi - I love the idea of Bloss being the official W&A clothes tester on behalf of us all! In fact, Blossoming I love the way you describe clothes - I'm not looking for one, but the way you said "crisp white linen shirt" made me want one!
RLYL - hope the packing went ok. Not done long haul with my two but friends have said that other passengers (usually older women) often want to help keep kids entertained?! I say let 'em!
Everyspring - glad you feel better after your LL meeting. I really feel for you but you are doing the right thing by getting things like meet ups in the diary. Sorry about your job related stress too.
ABO yey for the apple clutch. Btw, I got DH to shorten the chain on mine as wanted one to dangle off my wrist iykwim.

We are having dinner with 2 sets of neighbours tomorrow and we have to make the starter. Any thoughts? Neighbours are doing a fish dish for the main and my mind has gone blank about what we could serve. You lot are always good at coming up with food suggestions.

Gotta run and tidy the house - cleaner comes later and usually tuts if a room is messy!