Operation Renovation - The Christmas Countdown (part 2)

[HelgatheHairy]

Our new home

Hello, no, I am still here . We've been hit by the flu, as you do. Mother and daughter ailing in bed. Massive coldsore, looking grey and in pain.
But will be back once we stop coughing and hurting. :)

19 days to go

Glad to see you are all still around. The countdown Is in the teens, now is not the time to be slacking off! (Illness excepted)

18 days to go

Yaaay, we're nearly there.

And I got my new 2014 'princessing' diary out and started pencilling stuff in.

So far, the changes I gave made and are here to stay:

Vits with hot lemon water.
My exercise routine (combine pilates with swimming).
Advance bookings for hairdresser/pedicure etc.
33 items capsule wardrobe.
Talking about wardrobes, forgot to say: I have changed all the hangers in the wardrobe. Yes, it does look like a posh shop rack, all on velvet hangers with scarves and jewellery, naice scented drawer sheets etc. I honestly look at my clothes differently. So, quite happy with my £11 transformation.

I am yet to weigh myself.
Got some stuff planned for the new year. But all in all, quite happy.

Good morning all

I'll resist singing Christmas tunes to you all again

No make up day today (this may change to minimum - I need to go out for bread). Plan to Christmas my nails tonight too as well as usual Sunday routine.

Dilidali your wardrobe sounds lovely , I actually need a proper wardrobe before thinking about things like that (we have the frame of one of those canvas ones atm).

My brows are doin' my nut in....really looking forward to getting them threaded a week on Thursday! they're actually not growing back too bad I don't think so might post a pic on fb later & see whether you lot think I should leave them to regrow and just get them shaped, or get her to take the lot off again .

Must remember to get more vits this week and there's a new hair and beauty shop opened in town ( looks a bit like a beauty warehouse) so going to have a mooch in there too, see if they do hair dyes any cheaper than Boots/superdrug.

right, off to bake for the school christmas fayre with my small people...have a fab Sunday everyone

(must change perpetual calendars as well )

17 days to go

16 days to go

Sorry for the late countdown. DH is off work this week so the little routine DD and I had is out of sync a bit. It's looking like we've completely finished Christmas shopping and have everything wrapped!

One more package to come but it's for the dog so doesn't require wrapping!

15 days to go

About to do my nails :)

Put the last finishing 'touches' to the three outfits I need for this week: theatre, dinner with friends and a work x-mas do. All hung up in the wardrobe. After getting home from work, I have exactly 15 minutes to have a shower and redo make up before the 'carriage' arrives. Think of all the champagne, dili, keep focusing on that champagne.

Decided next year it's going to be the SHOES year. I have one pair of party shoes to go with everything. This clearly cannot go on!

Have to get my hair cut before Christmas. The ends are really dry.

Just took delivery of a beautiful dress, but way too dressy for work so I need to get a social life (may wear to school evening do next week). Also got some fab earrings and a lovely hair clip (and waiting on ankle boots!).

topvintage.nl/nl/vintage-retro/50s-momo-swing-dress-eggplant-black-polka-dot?

topvintage.nl/nl/vintage-retro/knots-of-love-earstuds-vintage-black-and-gold?

topvintage.nl/nl/vintage-retro/vintage-pewter-jaw-hairclipv?

Waiting on...

www.tamarisschoenen.nl/details/2256609/1277/110

Got dressed up properly today (black tapered trousers, white blousw with black heart print, black heels, pearl earrings, hair down on one side and glasses). My feet weren't happy at the end of it but I got a few double takes and compliments.

My colleague who often sits in the teacher's office at the same time as me told me she loves coming in when I've been in for 20mins before her in the morning as the room smells like my perfume (Coco mademoiselle).

Just had a shower, moisturised and blow dried hair. Did a face mask the other night.

Tomorrow going for owl print, cowl neck, short sleeve jumper style dress with charcoal wooly tights and lace us brown boots, hair down, lenses in, amber drop earrings.

Determined to keep making an effort, especially on school days, when I can make the most of DS not slobbering all over me (or shitting on the floor then rubbing his hands in it like yesterday - the joys of toddlers!).

Am still drinking way too much coffee and not doing enough exercise, but I'm getting there.

Or I may channel Dilidali and get some bubbles in for tomorrow so I can sit about on my sofa in my 50s swing dress with my stilettos on while DH does bedtime

Not a good week so far...broke three of my Christmassed nails (only nail art stickers but still, )so have removed polish on them & will file the rest down tomorrow...brows are driving me nutty.....boot came apart so had to re-glue it...hair is a mess & I'm knackered!

I plan an early one tonight to try & perk myself up a bit, hair is dried but not straightened because I cba - kids have been an absolute pita tonight and we only stopped about half an hour ago with loads still to do.

tomorrow I'm off to pick up the last two things for the girls for Christmas from my mn secret santa in the morning and school Christmas fayre in the afternoon then sort my nails in the evening.

I have my chunky jumper out for the morning but might swap it for something thinner because school was red hot today (nativity).

Going to sit down with the calendar & slot in one thing a day for the next two weeks until Christmas so that everything is done & I look good on Christmas day.

Oh, and I will take a pic for fb of my brows tomorrow for opinions on what to do with them.

Will do a proper post tomorrow but just wanted to pop by and offer my support and solidarity. Last day of antibiotics tomorrow so will know by the weekend whether they have worked this time or not.

lucysmam yes please, fb photos are required - well done on growing your brows out!

dili shoes are an absolute must. Def!!

engels you pick the most amazing clothes!

helga thank you for keeping the daily count, hope all is good with you x

calling, I didn't realise you were in NL! Mooi! All Caro Emerald you've got going there, I like it.
When you get a chance, link your favourite dutch shoe websites, please!!!! I am looking for a pair I have fleetingly seen recently, can't remember the name of the shop for the life of me, but they were doing only shoes, I remember that much. And they were soooo gorgeous! It was a Dutch label, I remember that much.

Lucy, bless, you are shattered! It will get better :).

Now I just have to pluck up the courage to wear them Remote!

Hoi dilidali. Just trying to think. Actually since I moved here, I've bought tamaris, converse and Clarks

Www.zalando.nl has loads of different brands/designers - might help?

Hoi calling.
Thank you for the link, I'll get busy!
remote, get well soon!

oooh I am excited....dp has just given me the money for the boots I was getting for Christmas (out of his budget for me) so I can replace my dead boots in the morning Just hope the ones I had spied are still available in my size now - there was only one 5 left today

14 days to go

Well, my early night didn't pay off one of the key workers at nursery this morning told me I look knackered! think I'll be heading up early tonight too.

On the upside, I have new boots ...will post pic shortly, just on school run. And I spied another pair I might get dp to get me for Christmas.

Also bought a new bb cream but forgot to replace mascara so will add that to my weekend list.

Am having a slight present pile wibble now I'm totally done, one of dd2's presents is noticeably much bigger than dd1's so am debating swapping for something in a smaller box and holding that back for her birthday on the 28th

Pics on fb

13 days to go

lucysmam your eyebrows are looking good, I think just a tweak of strays rather than take them off again. Sorry your early night didn't work as planned, it's awful when people say how tired you look, especially when you're feeling quite perky at the time! Glad you got your new boots sorted out, the others sounded like they were well beyond their last legs.

dili how's party week going? You've so much crammed in! 15 minutes is a tight turnaround but you can do it.

engels oooh I love coco mademoiselle. Wonder if it's too late to ask DP to slip some into my stocking

I popped into Primark today at lunch - it was utterly dead! I thought it would be heaving, but there wasn't even a queue. The up escalator wasn't working though, only the down one, so maybe everybody was trapped downstairs

Bought myself a lovely work dress and matching jacket - dark grey with a very faint pin stripe/check type pattern. Also picked up a lovely sparkly steel grey jumper that will look great with my skinnies or jeggings.

8 out of 10 nails are currently a lovely christmassy red with gold glitter on. The other two are nekkid

Had my last bikini wax of the year yesterday - scary thought!

Pics of jumper and dress please Control I usually hate Primark at this time of year but it hasn't
been too bad so far....could be because I'm usually in there by 9am though after dropping the girls off.

Eyebrow wise I think you're probably right, just a tweak of strays and tidy up next week. Have been recommended castor oil to help them grow back so need to pop into the chemist for some of that at some point.

Need to sort my nails again too...broke another two of them....they're never going to be smart for Christmas at this rate