Operation Renovation - The Christmas Countdown (part 2)

[HelgatheHairy]

Our new home

@ lucysmam

I have given most of the clothes I have "grown out of" away to charity, but have kept a lot of the tidy Boden/Monsoon etc stuff with the plan of putting it on ebay. When I eventually get round to it!

I do things like that....I never get round to it though....things are much more likely to make their way to the charity shop than onto ebay

Hello there - I decided to stay away while I recovered from the end of the dissertation and got my routine back again.

So, I'm back on track again, I've added bio oil from my stretch marks after my shower and before bed, and I'm exercising 4 days a week (DH has a bike & cross trainer in the garage so I use those when I can't get to the gym) hoping to increase it to 5 or 6 coming up to Christmas.

I'm in dire need of summer clothes but feel really uncomfortable in shorts & tshirt, and all the summer dresses seem to be either maxi dresses (a very very bad look for short plump me) or mini dresses from stretchy material (even worse). I need to lose weight too... The 10kg I put back on while studying after losing it last year, plus about another 8.

29 days to go

engels your recent purchases sound amazing! Would you be my personal shopper? I would much rather be fit than a size 6 (if I had to choose between the two) and know there is no way I could even run a mile, let alone 15k, but it would be nice to be a bit of both. I did have a chuckle about your heating - mind didn't come on at all last night, turns out the pilot light had gone out some time after I went to bed, so got up to a very chilly place indeed.

helga noooooo you must have got it wrong! There cannot possibly be fewer than 30 days left til Christmas. Very jealous of your bath, think I might treat myself to one this coming weekend.

Jemima Oh don't worry about being tone deaf, I am too - that's the beauty of singing along with a load of other people I'm another one you have inspired with all your scarves. I have now gone from having none to having five

lucysmam did you get to meet your mate today? It's a bit chilly out - hope you have gone somewhere warm if you did!

vvv welcome back! How are you feeling now you have your dissertation out of the way? Well done on the exercising and the bio-oil. I know what you mean about maxi dresses, I'm just too short for them to be a good look. Can you get any wafty skirts to help you keep cool?

I tried on my lovely new cream suit today for the first time, intending to wear it to work - and it doesn't fit I need to lose an inch or two off my hips, and get rid of my tummy bloat. Not sure that's going to happen while I'm still on the drugs though so I may not get to wear it until Feb/March time

Otherwise, hair brushed and oiled, makeup, earrings and necklace put on. Nice black dress with purple flowers on the bottom, and knee high boots with black tights. Perfect for staying warm in the office.

Afternoon all

Well, I ended up going to my best mates for a after a spot of Christmas dec shopping today, had a good catch up & put the world to rights, as you do

vvv hello!! of summer outifts being needed! 'tis coooool today . Although not as cold now as at half six this morning.

Am quite gutted that I went out this morning tbh...postie tried to f
deliver a parcel & I wasn't here ....am now itching to know what it is but can't pick up from sorting office until thurs morning ffs!! TORTURE

Just re-written my Christmas lists and finished off my online christmas order....barring lots of , I'm not far off done !

On the rennovation front....am going to give my hair until my birthday, see what the dark roots look like....I am.a bit as to whether to grow the blonde out or not!

Lots of house princessing going on...sofas stripped and washed, arms upholstery foam-ed....curtains and nets washed....toys in new boxes....whole kitchen gutted, cleaned and junk binned (there was a lot...the wheely bin is hugely overfull!)

Tomorrow is airing cupboard of doom day . Need to make space for kids presents so need to clear out at least two boxes worth of shite I've held onto for no reason whatsoever so that the pram boxes will fit.

Control before you read that literally....I mean sofa arms upholstery foamed, not mine

Thanks for the clarification lucysmam, that makes much more sense than my mental image! Out of curiosity, though, how big is your washing machine that you can fit a whole sofa in it? I think you would loko fab with dark hair, it would really suit you.

haha, I wish it was that bloody big. Would make it a lot easier to get them clean without me having to do too much work!!

I used to have dark hair....many many moons ago....I used to use a reddish brown. Maybe I'll get a trim and see if I can get something a bit darker to take so I don't feel such a plank while the blonde grows out. That's half the reason I go back to it, I get fed up of the dip dye sort of thing going on

28 days to go

'tis airing cupboard of doom day here...just putting boxes back because there weren't enough for me to finish off sorting some old college work I've kept into.

Tbh I should probably bin it all . have held onto the baby stuff too...not quite ready to let go of it just yet

My new earrings arrived today, 71p (inc postage from China) for 20pairs of sparkly earrings! Just don't know what colour to go for

Epistick arrived too ...will try that on my top lip later when I'm in and done for the day

Helga how old will your dd be next winter(ish)? I'm sorting the under stairs cupboard out & have come across two lovely little coats my two have definitely outgrown if you might get some use out of them? If you want I'll take a pic later on in the morning & email to you (am happy to post btw )

lucysmam that is so nice of you thank you but I don't want to ask you to post things to Ireland, it's bound to be expensive and I don't have any way to reimburse you.

Are you sure Helga? I'll have to hunt out someone else with a little one to pass them on to in that case....not sure who (I would charity shop but some things I just don't want to)

Anyway...quick update about my 91p epistick....'tis fab!! couple of minutes and my top lip is hair free. Think I missed a couple of hairs but will try again on Sunday and see what the results are like then.

Tonight is the first night in I don't know how long that I haven't washed my hair! Dd1 wet herself and then 2 poo-ed in her pj's just as I was about to step into the shower so by the time we got them sorted & to bed I couldn't be arsed!! I did run my straighteners over the top layer though so I look fairly neat....I think

27 days to go

lucysmam it is soo nice of you but would just be creating awkwardness and expense for you. And I have to admit my DH probably wouldn't be impressed with me giving someone I just know from the internet my name and address. He's a bit funny about things like that. (I haven't told him bout the face book page - that falls under what he doesn't know won't hurt him!)

Our Christmas tree is up!

In Ireland, on the last Friday in November, is a program called The Late Late Toy Show and it's our tradition to have the tree up for it.

26 days to go

Control I find it so difficult to find clothes I like, especially trousers. Spent a few hours browsing a great vinrage style website and my gorgeo u s dress with pearl necklace/earrings arrived yesterday...now I just need to pluck up the courage to wear it to work!

Yesterday went for 5k run with friend then showered, shaved legs, mois and face mask.

Must resist eating crap!

Oh, the Late Late Toy Show... you're making me all homesick Helga

Down half a kilo this week. It's not much, but better than nothing.

DH's work Christmas kids party tomorrow at the local zoo. Have picked out a nice dress that I won't feel too hot and sticky in, and will be wearing my big straw hat that DD1 says makes me look like Jackie O-glasses (a mishearing of my Mum saying I looked like Jackie Onassis ), in order to hide my mad-professor hair (lots of short hair at front combined with humidity = me looking crazed). I'm at a total loss what to do with it.

Attempted to paint my nails but made such a mess of it I took it all off. Shall have to wait until I can get to a professional to get my feet into shape again.

Legs will be defuzzed tomorrow morning and I shall have to issue everyone with sunglasses to protect from the glare from my white legs (which by the end of the summer will only progress to a vague off-white - I swear they are so white they actually reflect the sun away instead of tanning )

lucysmam you made the email round up I'm so jealous!!! Well done!

did I?? I haven't read it yet...am off to check

hmmmm, my phone won't load the email (only one it won't load up)....what did I do?

I have a night out with the girls tomorrow night no, I mean tonight. Tried to book Shellac for my fingernails, but I had left I too late and there were no appointments left I'm trying to decide whether this dress with a fitted denim jacket will be too informal. We aren't going clubbing or anything, it is just a meal and few drinks afterwards. What do you think?

I have laid out my clothes for the morning (well done me!) - this jumper dress (which looks awful on the model on the website, but much better in real life) with leggings, a long sleeved t-shirt and black knee high boots. Accessorised with a blue bird print scarf and a black tote bag. I'm feeling organised