Operation Renovation - The Christmas Countdown (part 2)

[HelgatheHairy]

Our new home

Helga, is 'town' Dublin? If so, I remember Guineys used to do massive fake wreaths around Christmastime, used to spot them in the window all the time.

Oh, sod it. Just realised, is Guineys even there anymore?? I just realised how long it has been since I pottered around that area of town!

I'm in editing mode now. It's even more stressful and irritating than writing mode. But nearly finished. (Lucysmam - yep, that's it now, all done. Not sure where the time went. Control - I'm not sure, probably early December for my classes, not sure how long marking the dissertation will take. Hopefully before Christmas though)

vvv not Dublin, I'm a culchie! Town that has a "lovely girls" competition. wonders if I've been too cryptic

I'm TRAUMATISED. Just had photos taken for new passport. I have 2 chins!!!! And I've no clue what's happening with my eyebrows, one looks like it's coming down beside my eye!

Helga, I'm pretty sure I know where you mean. Beautiful part of the country.

I'm from the part of the country where Biddy & Miley used to live also wonders if I've been too cryptic

Passport photos are never a true reflection (my drivers licence has a picture of me when I was 7 months pregnant. Big round puffy moon face. Very attractive!)

40 days to go

DH had a half day holiday today so we (me, DH, DD and DDog) went to a local national park for a long walk. It was absolutely gorgeous with the leaves changing colour and all crunchy.

vvv I think I know where you mean! Used to hate the theme tune when I was young, it ment the weekend was over.

Sorry for complete lack of posts recently! I've not really done much in the last few days other than try to remember to shower Yesterday I had a lovely long shower though - 45 minutes spent doing pretty much nothing except leaning against the tiles, enjoying the hot water. I also put on a layer of base and top coat on my nails. I'm signed off sick until next Friday, so hopefully I can start to pull my routines together again by then.

39 days to go

Did my eve lom face mask this morning but that's about it for the day!

Good afternoon ladies

I'm feeling festive today.....Christmas cake in the oven smelling lush, cinnamon scented candle on the go, gingerbread house kit and tub of Celebrations on my shopping this morning

Minimal make up on and dp's slippers and hair tied up since we're baking but I look reasonably presentable for mooching around the house.

I was going to re-paint my nails tonight but am planning to bake another cake tomorrow with the girls so will leave them until tomorrow night I think when I do my big pamper session.

Dd2's birthday present that I ordered to Tesco in town is waiting for me to pick it up but it'll have to wait for Monday when I get a new bus ticket now. & the girls dolly prams are ordered and on their way....I feel very organised!!

38 days to go

EMERGENCY!!!!

My hair is out of control I've been washing it with with my normal shampoo and intensive conditioner, but for the last two weeks it's been permanently tied back, even at night (in case I wake up to be sick). I've now got loads of short bits where the hair has broken at the point of the elastic, and it's frizzier than I've ever known it to be! Granted, I've not blow-dried it or straightened it in over two weeks, but before I started my Operation Renovation it was never this bad

dili I don't know what I'll do with it yet - I really wanted a piano but don't know how to fit it in. I think I'll settle for just getting everything decluttered, because it looks a real mess at the moment from just having stuff all over the place

lucysmam how on earth are you so organised?! I'm trying to do a cross stitch card a day but have just realised I have two birthday cards to make before the end of November, too. I need to have a lists morning I think.

Evening

Full Sunday pamper session barring nail painting done....my cooker died yesterday 3.5hours through cake baking so I need to re-bake tomorrow or Tuesday so they'll stay unpainted until that's done. Thankfully one of dp's mums neighbours was replacing a fully working electric oven so we replaced it with that....it's a fan oven though so need to adjust times (it's all black with no glass windows too which is a bit weird & means I have to actually open to check things).

Control I have lists for everything, reminders for important stuff (and was lurking in the Christmas bargain thread and spied dd's present - Zhuzhu hamster set down from thirty quid to seven fifty...she's already asked for another to go with the one she has so totally baraginous and perfect!)

I'm thinking of making cards next year, possibly bead snowflakes with string so they can be taken off and hung. Dp thinks I'm mental but I feel very out of sorts if I'm not in control and organised

Your hair sounds like it needs a bit of tlc...intensive conditioner (or coconut oil is meant to be good) and maybe avoid tying it up if you're not waking to be sick any more?

Hope you're feeling a bit more normal? dd2 has had the d without the v for the past week ...not fun on school runs

I'm done.

Handing it in in a couple of hours.

Proper de-frumping and return from student slobiness re-commences tomorrow... after a very long nap

Yay vvv!! Long nap sounds well deserved

Oh vvv, I so remember the relief when I finished mine! Well done!
lucy, that was lucky! Hope your cake turns out beautifully:)
control, get a hair appt and get them to layer a bit and treat it. If you must, wrap it in a loose bun and clip it together top and bottom of bun with a couple of those claws thingies.
helga, thank you so much for keeping the countdown :)

I have treated myself with a nice bath. And I started doing the dishes standing on one leg. It's a pilates thing, but it makes me work at core stability.
I put some chocolate and bath stuff in the advent tin :). The battery is dying I think, I'll post this now:)

vvv that's brilliant news, well done!! How are you feeling now it's handed in?

lucysmam I really need to learn to not read your posts so literally. I thought you meant painting the cakes I love the idea of the snowflake cards so they can keep it - so much more useful than my cross stitched ones which will probably just end up in the bin with some of my recipients grr Right, coconut oil is on my list.

dili I'm afraid I'm not that brave! I'm still hairdresser-phobic so it will have to be a home remedy.

I'm actually wondering if putting all these treatments that I have onto my hair over the past few weeks has actually made the hair more dry and brittle? Eg adding hair oil, has my hair 'learned' that it doesn't need to generate as much oil itself because its environment is adding oil? Years ago I never used to wear lipsalve, then I saw a nice pink pearly one and decided to give it a go and after that I had to use it all the time or my lips became incredibly dry and peely. Just wondered if it might be the same thing?

Ha! This is what two weeks of intermittent sleep, fever and constant coughing does to a brain...

Control I'd keep a cross stitched card! I have a couple from years back that one of my dads old girlfriends made!

I at painting the cakes...would be easier! The oven currently has a light coating of Oven Pride in it just to be sure it's clean and then I'm going to bake some little cakes to test it out.

We've had the report from the council lady today ...12 pages front and back of problems and work to be done!!! Am off to photocopy it but maybe later cos it's raining shortly and send to the council to go with housing form. Hopefully we can get out of there sooner rather than later.

In other news....I bought more christmas earrings and a quid christmas candle along with some fake uggs in Primarni this morning. Plan to replace my piggy slippers with the uggs. & another of the girls presents has arrived...touch screen pens for the Innotab/nook which I intend to order this Friday and next using dp's overtime money.

Aaaaand, in the spirit of being a tad excited for Christmas this year, I'm off to buy santa hat chair covers from Poundland tomorrow if they still have four in stock

37 days to go

36 days to go

Yesterday did not begin well. Woke up to no water so couldn't even brush teeth. Had just enough water for a cup of tea, it was 4pm before the water came back.

Oh Helga, that's rubbish! And with a baby!

I came to proudly report I found my Christmas dress. For a whole £10 (reduced from £59). It's basically a long layered vest if you want, with giant pockets, very 'out there'. MIL is going to have a coronary on christmas day, I almost always wear quite 'formal' dresses. She disapproves of anything funky, not that it ever bothered me. I would have bought a formal one, but I am hosting and fancied a change, a bit less formal this year.
I plan to wear it with thick funky tights and a long sleeved top. I have a weird orange/terracotta and grey necklace that would work with this dress.

Also purchased a new apron, also for christmas day. It's red.
I like aprons. Am I the only weird one? My mother never even wore one, I think she'd rather die than wear one. I gave her a cool one a few years ago when we visited:if looks could kill!!! It was really really nice.... She didn't give it back to me though, I would have gladly taken it... Cheek!

Control,sorry, I didn't realise you were hairdresser phobic. It'll come back to normal once you're rehydrated.

VVV, what did you do? Had the 'operation' began?

lucy santa chairs sounds fun. Did you find any? We are making our own table centre piece this year. White candles in 3 sizes, thick white satin ribbon and some greenery. I am rubbish at arranging, my mind is quite minimalist, the whole thing annoys me, but DD would like one.

Oh dear Helga that's rubbish. We came home to no water on dd1's birthday last year & it took an age to get it back on.

Dilidali, I quite like aprons...have one of my mum's hung in the kitchen that I wear when baking because I tend to just wipe my hands down myself & carry on. I keep meaning to get my own but haven't got round to it yet.

Control...IIrc you paid less for your new ghd's than GHD are offering to replace mine for (with discount )....where from, please?

Well, today has been a fairly busy day...dropped dd1 at school, took 2 for an eye test, met mil in town, bought my shopping list, nipped to mil's for a , dropped clothes in at school for dd1 to go out with a friend, took a couple of deliveries (the box for dd1's pram for Christmas is gigantic ...atm it's hiding behind a flatpacked cardboard box behind the wash basket but dd will eventually see it if it's left there)

My cheapy face wash/scrub really does seem to be helping my skin, it looks loads clearer lately! Had a mini pamper tonight & have a 'house princessing plan' for tomorrow...
just a few cupboards to clear out and clean but am going to try to do a little each day because I ran out of steam last time I tried.

I did indeed find santa hat chair covers Dilidali, Poundland! but they're not on the website to link to dd2 likes them, they have bells .

I tend to do the dining room a bit more small person friendly so they'll fit nicely with their other tat decs

I never do a centrepiece, yours sounds good...I may have to have a go myself

Well, this is the first day it's properly rained & the boot that I glued back together is leaking so I have a freezing and very soggy right foot

Just off for a new mop and bucket so I can start to properly declutter and clean the kitchen (dp seems to have hidden the old ones when he cleared the hall )

Mini pamper planned for later on inc. painting my nails until the weekend when we're going to crack on with some more baking now my new oven is up and running