Operation Renovation - The Christmas Countdown (part 2)

[HelgatheHairy]

Our new home

35 days to go

oooh, my super cheapy nail striper tapes have arrived just as I was on my way back out for dd2!! shall have a play with those this evening once I get sat down

Right o, hello :)

I've just painted my nails with posh polish, put some eyeliner on and sprayed some perfume. Not perfect, but getting there

I've been directed here from Chat!

I don't think I'm going to make it in time for Christmas but I'll start by listing my goals!

• Lose 2 stone
• Get a new fabby hairdo
• Sort out my dental hygeine (dentist appt booked next month)
• Get rid of my dandruff
• Have nice feet/hands/nails
• Sort out my spotty skin
• Keep control of my body hair
• Finish my tattoos
• Dress better

I just want to be more confident and look groomed. That looks like a bloody long list to me! I'm skint as well for the forseeable future! Can anyone help?

Hiya Dixie and Paul

Dixie get a pumice stone for your feet (about 69p in Home Bargains)...use on your heels once a week & then moisturise them on at least that night. Nice hands = regular home mani even if you don't paint nails. I do mine on a Sunday (usually paint too but have been festive baking this week so left them this time).

Skin wise, I've been double cleansing on a morning and evening with a wilko face wash/scrub with salicylic acid in it. Looks to have helped. If you use something with salicylic acid though, be sure to choose a moisturiser from the adult rather than teen shelves

If it helps at all, I have a 'big' pamper on Sunday evening (face mask, hair mask or intensive conditioner, pumice feet and smother in moisturiser, check brows, file and paint finger and toe nails, blow dry and straighten hair). The rest of the week is just maintenance and making sure I dress smartly, accessorise with at least earrings and a watch, and making sure my hair is neat and tidy

Hi Dixie and Paul :)

Lucysmam it came from Amazon, 'twas a true bargain!

I'd intended to spend today really catching up with the thread and start planning what things I'm going to pick back up when, but my boiler packed up this morning and has been pouring water down behind the kitchen cupboards all day at an alarming rate of knots. Been a little preoccupied

Did pop out to Wilko earlier though, and bought two more scarves and a set of nose strips. The nose strips didn't seem to do much but I wasn't able to wash my nose properly first due to lack of hot water. The scarves are fab! One is pale dusky pink with silver threads running through, and the other is a darker dusky pink/purple with the material crimped into rows of 'V's (that is a terrible explanation!!!)

My red nail varnish is all chipped and 'orrible. Need to take it off. Was planning on doing that after the long hot shower I had promised myself, but since the shower uses hot water from the boiler rather than being an electric one, that idea went for a ball of chalk

All sorted on the present front now, so just the cards to finish. Still need to wrap the presents but will get DP's done over the weekend and he can help me with the rest next week.

Hair is still an unmitigated disaster - I gave it a good intensive condition but didn't rinse the roots thoroughly enough so it looks greasy and feels producty, like when your hairspray's got wet. I've been using dili's suggestion of a clip instead of my bobble and that's helping to minimise further damage.

Oh god this place looks a right state, I've got the engineer coming between now and six - wonder what kind of a dent I can make in it?!

Thanks very much, will have a look later on...amongst various other 'to do's' ....the list is never ending

Sounds like you're having one of those days Control, I would give up and open the now! I'd not bother with the tidying tbh until you know what's what & if you're going to have to shift things about

Right, given the place a quick blitz, it still looks like a bomb's hit it but at least there is room to move now.

Definitely one of those days lucysmam I'm supposed to be on a fast day today but my crystal ball is telling me there will be lager entering my life in the next five hours or so because that's all I have in and I have blown the budget for the next three months buying Christmas presents

I too adore aprons!!! I have at least five. Most of them are cooking aprons, some are waterproof and others have pockets. I use the most appropriate one for the job in hand. I also have a housework pinny one of those tabbard type overalls, in a nice dark green with tiny white and red flowers on it.

What did the repair man say Control?

I forgot to say in all my ramblings, my middley bits of eyebrows are growing back....They look a touch wurzel gummidge ish atm but am going to hold off on having them threaded until the week before Christmas if I can & just try to keep obvious stragglers at bay and the very middle clear from the outside of my eyes iyswim? (I hope I've worked that out right & won't have the kids the week before Christmas...that could be an interesting trip to town )

Right...on with tonights job of writing two letters before I try out my nail art striper tapes

I've got a knackered wotsit lucysmam so he needs to come back tomorrow and fix it. Will be at least five hours' work though! He turned the water off, stopped the leak and dropped the pressure to zero but half an hour after he left the pressure rose back up again and I'm back to living in Niagara Falls! Well done on your eyebrows, looks like vaseline does the trick!

oh dear...a knackered wotsit doesn't sound good!! Can you bleed a radiator to bring the pressure back down? that's what we used to have to do when we had the old boiler in here. the pressure would get too high & it'd stop the heating/water working properly (used to take a fair few 1L jugs though iirc)

oh, and yes it does look like vaseline does the trick...although I was pondering it the other day & wondered if it's just the fact that I've been massaging it in after a shower and then before bed has stimulated the re-growth, rather than the actual vaseline if that makes sense?

A bit like you were saying about hair/body learning to need the products the other day maybe

ok I am new to this but so far this is what I have achieved this week .. french manicure bio nails, minx pedi and a wax (its a good week - not the norm btw) ... also taking 1000mg vit c with zinc, vit d and 'positive attitude' vit from tesco which is on special for £2 and includes all the b vits plus HTP ... and finally (for good measure) 2 glasses of merlot :-S feeling pretty good !!

Ahh that could be it lucysmam, that would make sense!

Engineer has just arrived - system is filling itself from somewhere but he has no idea where

Sounds like a good week to me Raggy...esp the . I've had a glass of mulled as a treat for clearing out and de-cluttering the majority of the kitchen today

Hope the engineer sorts it Control, quickly!!

dixie and paul, hi, welcome :)
Little steps, we'll get there :)

Control... Lordy! Hope it gets sorted soon.
lucy, you never stop!!! How are your new nail toys?

Had a long bath, defuzzed and moisturised. My skin is incredibly dry, I keep drinking and moisturising, but it's still not good.
Tomorrow I am threading my eyebrows and getting a pedicure.
I'd better go to bed, I am shattered. Nait nait.

34 days to go

Hi raggy that's an amazing list you've got going there, well done!

lucysmam I don't know where you get your energy from, I really don't! I think I would keel over doing just half of what you do.

Had to go to the hospital for a jab today. Made quite an effort with my clothes - red dress with tiny white spots on, black tights and shoes, pale cream ruched scarf and black cardi. Hoped that DP would notice. Fat chance! Makeup and earrings also done - little pearl studs to match the dress spots. Once we were back home, it was bloody freezing a bit parky so I grabbed the first clothes I found. Slung them on, sauntered downstairs and DP said 'that's a nice outfit.' - bloody men, I tell you!

In other news, boiler engineer is working his magic on my boiler and we should have proper heat by this evening and I can have my shower

lucysmam £89 for GHD plum on Amazon

I'm really sorry for lack of posting. After a few good weeks DD has once again decided sleep is no fun so having a good few meltdowns.

Dixie first welcome. Second for dandruff/scalp issues I really recommend L'oreal Elvive anti-dandruff shampoo. It's a blue bottle with orange top. I have dermatitis on my scalp and this stuff is brilliant.

My dd did the same at around that age helga...they seem to think sleep is for the weak

ty for the link Control, I spent half the night adding bits for Christmas to my amazon basket and forgot to look! I have now added to show dp. Do you know how hot they get? I can't find anything in the description

lucysmam I believe it's between 175-185 degrees - their FAQs explain why they believe 185 is the optimal temperature for styling hair here

helga so sorry your lo has lost the need to sleep, it's completely understandable that you are going to be dead on your feet a little bit tired. Hope things get better soon for you.

Well, the nail varnish I put on this morning has massive chips in it - how do you ladies manage hot showers/hair washes without your varnish getting chipped and coming off? I use base coat and top coat but it comes off even if I just have base coat on, or just top coat.

Hair has been beaten into submission dried and straightened, and I gave it a change of shampoo and conditioner today. Still feels a bit producty at the roots but not as bad as it was. I'll try only conditioning the ends next time. Going out shortly to my first skittles match with the WI - exciting ! Just need to put some makeup on and I'm away.

Cheers for that link too Control...they're cooler I think than my old irons (which oddly enough seem to be working alright atm so I have no idea whether to replace or not ). I quite like the sound of the Eclipse ones but daren't look at the price of those...

I don't suppose you remember the names of the ebay sellers you bought your bargainous dresses from, do you?

Dilidali it reads like I'm always dead busy....in reality I waste half my day away mooching about on here Although my kitchen is now spotless and junk free, and the big bin overflowing with all the extra bags of rubbish (at least three) after three days slogging away at it.

Basic routine only here tonight, was all done by seven though which is very unusual! I'm itching to break out my Christmas earrings already but will resist until the first of next month.

Need new boots (again) if any of you have seen anything bargainous? Am very much taken with red or dead bounty boots but erm....they're a touch out of my price range which is very very ....seven years ago I wouldn't have thought twice about buying them!!

33 days to go

I had been using an Origins exfoliater but ran out. Got Soap & Glory scrub your nose in it. Used it last night and it seems quite good. My skin can be sensitive but no reactions which is good.