Operation Renovation - The Christmas Countdown (part 2)

[HelgatheHairy]

Our new home

lucysmam you were very restrained not to boot the pair of them out! That is totally not on. I don't think I could have resisted saying something. I hope you are pretty much done now, and can sit down for the rest of the evening. This has been such a manic week for you. All the very best for tomorrow x PS my earlier post was meant to say 'days getting longer', not nights

helga yay! Is that you done now then? The little outfit sounds really del.

Our 'christmas' celebration is tomorrow and I have had a fab day getting in the mood - two films at the cinema, and a meal out at Frankie & Benny's. DP has just put a glass of red in my hand and I've put up the last of the decorations - swags of holly and ivy on the living room wall (nicer than it sounds!) and sprigs in a vase on the windowsill. Off to watch some old Big Bang episodes now, then have a sherry at midnight and off to bed with us.

I may have stuck his overnight bag outside on the pavement

I really have to get back to packing the kitchen but it's so much more interesting on here! Not much to do really....our room is waiting for one more big box that dp's bringing home, appliances need undoing (washer/dryer etc), last bits of kitchen & dd1's bed re stripping since the arse & his gf were sleeping there (could have saved me the trouble of putting new bedding on this morning!)

Helga glad your shopping trip wasn't too bad, we're off to the market on Tuesday morning I think for fresh veggies. I expect manicness

your christmas celebration sounds lovely Control, very relaxing & enjoyable (wouldn't mind a glass of either )

4 days to go

It's Panic Saturday - for everyone not just lucysmam! Anyone braving the shops today? I'm not leaving the house but DH is planning on going to town for pigs ears for the dog! I'm not sure he realises how manic it will probably be!

I'm soo tired already. DD would not sleep last night again. Think her tummy was at her as she kept pulling her legs up and her arms were flailing around. She had been fine until bedtime though so not sure what was up.

Panic Saturday is a good name for it Helga (I'm waiting for the van to come back to get the last of it on). Wonder if your dd was maybe suffering with trapped wind last night...my small one used to get her legs tucked right up under herself when she had it.

Very little princessing done here. I eventually got in the shower at about midnight and was up at half 6 so I had time to at least put basic make up on (just foundation, blush, powder and mascara). hair is a bit of a birds nest Didn't have time to remove my chipped nail polish & I have no idea where my nail boxes will be when I get to our new house since I'm stuck here

We went up the coast a bit today to some shops we knew would be quieter and to do a little bit of pottering around. It was lovely and I picked up a light cotton dress and a pair of sandals... high heeled ones . They aren't hugely stylish but they are new and nice. I just hope I can walk in them!

Tomorrow will be a trip to the mall early to get some things (DH has been instructed to take DD1 to The Body Shop to get a face mask/scrub I like), and then probably to the pool in the afternoon.

I have given up on my hair, but I need to figure out a way to make it look half decent for Christmas photos. Best I can think at this stage is lots of hairspray & a very severe bun, which isn't really that flattering , although if I get a minute to dig out my hair straighteners tomorrow I might see if that does any good.

vvv could you do an 'artfully' arranged bun or something like that with your hair, just pulled back loosely? Should look like you want it to be like that then!

I'm bored....half an hour says dp.....so all four of my little helpers bugger off and leave me here....they've been gone blummin forever

Am still lurking on thread, ready to start my princessing in the New Year, but have already started a couple of the items on the list in readiness and have noticed a real difference already.

*Have substituted my 'tea face' habit for drinking hot water as cant bear drinking cold water in cold weather, so am really trying to cut down on caffeine and am sleeping better as well as seeing an improvement in my skin.

*Have got a really good flattering hairstyle that is easy to manage as dont have a lot of time to spare in the morning. Still home colouring though as cant really afford salon atm.
*Am defuzzing and checking brows for stray hairs much more often.

*Have got recommendations of a good beauty salon nearby, so will be visiting in the New Year to get eyebrows done properly and am thinking of getting eyelashes dyed to save time putting on mascara in the morning as have long lashes but colour doesnt go to the ends. Will see what else they offer as could do with pedicure/manicure too.
*Have some Christmas money to spend, so am going to buy some good makeup or get a pamper package at the Beauty Salon to start me off on my challenge.

Nails are really bad, they split and break very easily - anyone of you lovely ladies have any ideas for how to improve them? Am just keeping them short at the moment and trying to make them look a little neater, but tbh, they are pretty raggedy at the ends and don't look good at all.

Will be drawing up my 'proper' list soon in readiness for 1st Jan and then hopefully will see some real results ready for Spring. Dieting and healthier eating is definitely going to be a part of the plan too as have gone up a size with each pg. It is making me feel negative about body image, so need to do something about it as I don't feel like 'me'. Depressing that I cant fit into any clothes that I like and end up wearing styles that disguise rather than flatter.

Really hope that Helga will be starting a new thread for the new year and that a lot of you will be on it.

Popping by to offer virtual support for Panic Saturday, having had the most calm and peaceful day myself have been asleep for the last part of it, thanks to an early sherry and jurassic park 2

style wow, that is some start! You're going to be flying into the New Year :)

lucysmam hope the move has gone ok, perhaps it is a good thing your helpers have gone, to give you some time to yourself? I can't believe you have found time to come on here and post, on moving day !!!

helga How right you are! I popped to Morrisons this morning and while it was busy, it wasn't as manic as I thought it would be. How's dd today? No advice, but lots of sympathy.

Managed to fit a bit of renovating in today - showered, hair washed and sulphite-free conditioned, body scrubbed with apricot St Ives, full Anew range used (going to have to order some more off the website since my Avon lady's vanished off the face of the planet) and the body lotion DP gave me yesterday. Hair dried but not straightened. Indigo skinnies and steel grey jumper (again) - really must pick a wider variety of clothes :)

Lucysmam - thanks for the idea the problem is curly/frizzy bits at the front, so unless they are really strictly tamed, they just kind of stand out at right angles to my head. And they are so long that I look dreadful.

Oh, I just thought. You meant the back part of the bun being loose, rather than the front? Yes, that might work. Might look a little less severe. If I get a spare minute this evening I might do a practice run.

You know that episode of friends where they go on holidays somewhere and Monica's hair turns into a ball of frizz...? That's me And living in a warm humid country does not help matters

vvv sorry, I missed you out of my post tis cause lucysmam had sandwiched you! Could you try a gibson tuck (good instructions on youtube if you're not familiar) - my hair is pretty wild and frizzy but a combination of straighteners and hairspray and it looks quite good in this style. Takes me all of ten seconds to do in the morning, before work, too, which speaks volumes for ease of styling!

Thanks Remote - there is much work to be done, think of it as being like one of the projects on the Restoration programme Caroline Quentin is on.......... there is some potential lurking there, but neglect has taken its toll!

Really need to get motivated as am going to have to return to work in the near future for financial reasons, so want to make myself more 'marketable' as jobs are hard to come by and if I get to the interview stage because have right skill set, want to look the part as I am going to be the main breadwinner. So for me, time really is going to be an important factor as it is limited.

I like lists as I know where I am up to then in the chaos that is family life, so if I can tick things off/plan a space in the day for something it is more likely to happen than if I just take a random approach as I tend to put everyone else's needs before mine and then the day has gone and it is too late and/or I am too tired to do anything.

Good to know that lucysmam has managed to move into new house over the weekend, hope all went well.

Sounds as though Remote had a lovely peaceful day - calm before the storm!!

Evening all

Quick post before bed....

Control I had time to post because everything was done & I kept being left at the old house with the remaining stuff. I organised insurance to switch to new one today & didn't think any of it would be covered if someone broke into the old one in between trips.

vvv yeah, I meant so it all looks quite loose/soft sort of just pulled back so it's still smart but not too tight.

All went smoothly ty Style, just sat down after the best shower ever

I cba to princess tonight....have shampooed, moisturised and eye creamed. Will get back to it with my Sunday routine tomorrow once the house is a bit better organised.

Oooh, I forgot to say....the house backs onto the train track....we're on a pretty main route to a fair few places I think so they've been up and down all day = two occupied small people

vvv just a random thought before bed; if the front bits are curly, I wonder if some sort of styling creme would work better than frizz ease type stuff for taming it

Evening all!
Vvv, have you tried wax? Or argan oil?
When I lived in the southern hemisphere I used to have beach/bed hair constantly, I was in my very early twenties, didn't care, really. Ah, you reminded me of my first hot christmas. It was just soooo weird!!!! We had christmas meal on the beach and it consisted in a barbied 'fush' with loads of random veggies thrown on, like onion, I never saw onion on a barbie before, it blew my tiny mind. I was wearing bikinis!!!
Went back to Northern Europe after a while, and for years I had this picture on the fridge of all of us with santa hats on, pulling christmas crackers on the beach. Still feels surreal. :)

glad to hear all ok lucysmam, am full of admiration that you have managed to move house just before Christmas and still stay sane!!! never mind missing out on doing your princessing today, think you deserve , , for house move alone - I would have been totally stressed I think and not known where anything is for days! Remember last time I moved house, first night in new house I got up in the night to go to bathroom and ran straight into wall! At old house, that would have been where bathroom door was.... Learnt a painful lesson.

Lucysmum, hope you are very happy in your new home. I am in absolute awe of you!!!!

Style, I'll join you in the new year resolutions! I need to tone up, big time. I am in the process of devising the 33 items wardrobe thingy for spring. I am at a standstill atm though :)

Yeahhhh Dilidali look forward to seeing you in the New Year renovations!! Love the idea of a 33 items wardrobe, how does that work in terms of how many of each item? Would make getting ready in the morning totally stress-free to know that there is a totally co-ordinated mix and match of clothes that fit perfectly, instead of the usual disorganised chaos and then I go out wearing pretty much the same as I did yesterday........ and the day before............... and the day before that.

style, have a look at this

:)

You are spot on, you just combine what you have. Do this experiment, I did it. Hang all clothes with the hook facing the front of the wardrobe, towards you as it were. Then every time you have worn that item within one month, put it back in with the hook facing the back of wardrobe (away from you). You'll be gobsmacked how many items you are actually using. Less than 15 in my case.

However, costume jewellery and scarves....hmmmm, I have hundreds and I absolutely could not even contemplate having only 33!!!

3 days to go

lucysmam congrats on the move!! I can't imagine doing it in the amount of time you had and I have a tiny house! Now you can just worry about what to feed MIL Christmas Day!

Pressed send too soon. Was lovely blue skies here so was 5 minutes from taking DDog for a walk, and now there's hailstones, bloody big hailstones. Walk cancelled.

Just stopped for dinner.....all I can say is aaaaaaarrrrrrrgggggghhhhh! I need an extra drawer unit in the kitchen for baking paper/greaseproof etc and utensils so going to have a look for one of those plastic ones to slide under the counter top. There's stuff alllllll over the place, we're just clearing kitchen and living room then going for some fresh air.

Need to nip some washing to dp's mums too (door glass broke ).

I will be if I manage to pull off Christmas tbh!