Easter renovators! Come one, come all

[HelgatheHairy]

After the brilliant success of our Christmas Countdown Princessing thread I'm starting a new thread to take us to Easter. From 1st Jan it's 108 days so there will be a countdown to this days.

This idea stems from the original princessing threads but has evolved to accommodate all aspects of beautifying, beauty, clothes, diet, exercise etc.

What we like to do is a list of what your planning on doing and working through it.

Links to follow.

Morning all

First school run with no buses was a success! We only took 40mins getting ready

thinkof your asian noodle salad sounds tasty, can I have the recipe please?

Today is not washing machine day that's tomorrow (dp rang to check) so I plan to unpack some more boxes out of the garage once I have a with dp (he's not back at work until Weds - some racking or something needs repairing so should get plenty done around the house!

Hi lucysmam
It's a bit of a moveable feast as I dump in whatever leftover veg I've got! But today's was:
a few rice noodles
loads of beansprouts
raw carrot
spring onions
fresh coriander
pickled ginger from a jar (I could eat this all day everyday!)
and then a dressing made up of sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice and chopped fresh chili.
I've just hoovered it up at a rate of knots but am still a bit hungry
Hope everyone else is having a good day!

ace, thanks very much. will have to add noodles to my shopping list

Good luck Jemima! How's the day been? I'm assuming it's too early for you to have started mning at work yet

smelly blardy football! January sometimes can have that effect though, after all the hype and merriment of Christmas. Hope you get back on your feet soon.

thinkofa yay, that sounds brill! Can you rope in some assistance from other contributors to the mess to help clean up? Sometimes I feel quite relieved that dp's standards are as low if not lower than mine.

engels oooh you have a cellar? I've always wanted a cellar but our house buying criteria meant none of the ones we saw that had one passed muster on other things. Painting definitely classes as a workout. T'was on Karate Kid and everything

lucysmam glad you've got a new washing machine in the offing. Far better than trying to fix the door. Did you manage to get it covered by insurance?

ta da
Up bright and breezy might have had something to do with the cat deciding my foot was a chew toy
Teeth brushed, flossed and blanxed
Lacura wrinkle stop and Anew eye and day cream used
Hair brushed and oiled
Earrings in
Smart black office dress with flower print, tights and boots
Nails painted a lovely brownish-purple to match a tone in the dress
Hand lotion applied
Full face of slap including foundation and blusher - remembered the lipstick today, too!
Fasting day today. I have been sooo good. However my stomach let out the most enormous rumble in a meeting this morning
Laundry on
Bathroom swished & swiped
Dishwasher emptied

to do
shred
eat within my calorie limit
Put laundry on heated dryer
Take vits (prepped these up for the next 8 days!)
Get clinic details to hand so I can phone them tomorrow for an appointment
Put out clothes for tomorrow

I've decided to put 50p per day into a pot for each of the following, if I achieve them: Diet, Exercise, Princess Me, Princess Home. Last week I put £9.50 in. Not sure yet what to spend it on, but I like the way it's starting to grow :)

Afternoon all, very impressed with progress everyone making so far, a week in and everyone seems to done really well.

Will be joining in properly tomorrow as it is the day everyone back at work and school, pointless trying to start a new routine when everyone still milling about or we are out and about. So have basically kept things ticking over with basic princess maintenance and will be stepping it all up a gear from tomorrow.

I have wifi!! But haven't had the chance to read most of the thread. DD doesn't seem to like to wind. Every really windy day she's been harder than normal to get to nap and my spare time today has been spent trying to decide on a New York hotel.

I meant to add cook more healthy meals from scratch to my list. Made a spinach, feta and sundried tomato filo pie tonight, had it with some green beans and new potatoes. It didn't wow me, but I hate spinach. Just forcing myself to diversify my taste buds. (Apparently you have to try a food around 15 times before you know wwhether you actually like it or not...so will perservere with spinach!) I ate it anyway.

Also did...

Cleanse,tone, serum, moisturiser and eye cream
Load of laundry
Walked for 40 mins with the pram

Pah. Not much done really,. Really want to hammer the house tommorow.

Hope the first day went well Jemima

In addition to my earlier post, I have showered again, washed my hair, done metafit.

Back to work tomorrow so it'll all go to pot!

So funny you said that control ! I did start thinking "wax on, wax off" when I was going at it with my roller and paintbrush! The cellar has been full of junk for the last twenty years and we are finally reclaiming it. I am hoping it will save my sanity having some real storage. It's cool and dry there so can store most things there.

that noodle salad sounds yummy thinkof

Ta da
Short Run this evening
Showered, washed and blow dried hair, moisturised
Laid out clothes for tomorrow (My Christmas black and white polka dot dress with pearl earrings, black tights and brown lace up heels)
Hideously unhealthy lunch but the rest of the day have been good. Have just made myself healthy lunch and snacks for tomorrow (back to work)

Been absent due to bad WiFi at parents over festive season so trying to catch up.

Glad your WiFi is fixed Helga

Hope the new job went well today Jemima I'm impressed by your outfit planning.

Still no baby but it's given me time to sort out a few things and relax

Ta dah list for today

Feet ped egged yuk and moisturised and have got overnight moisture socks on. Hopefully they'll be like new feet tomorrow

Defuzzed with help of dp

Bodybrushed and moisturised

Have got protein conditioner for horses on my hair and wrapped in hot towel

Oil cleansed face and applied overnight moisture mask

To do tomorrow

Sort out nails as they are a flaky mess!

Clear out make up to see what I actually have and eBay any unused stuff.

Wash make up brushes

Ta das:
Cleansed, moisturised, teeth flossed, eye cream used
Did shred level 1 and stuck to calorie limit
Drank lots of water
Epilated one leg will do other tomorrow...bit of a yeti at mo!
Flexitol and socks on hand cream and off for an early night.
Starting to feel better about myself already!

Ta da:
Showered, defuzz,
Wash/dried/straightened hair.
Moisturised face
Planking challenge- day 7
Dressed fairly OK with face on
Walked 30mins uphill and 30min power walk with pram
Planned outfit (hwaisted jeans, Iris and Ink jumper, new knee high boots)

I still need to book an appointment with a hairdressers, but I don't know what to do with my hair, but I know I'm bored with it now...

102 days to go

Dead chuffed with myself! First morning back at work and it all went smoothly!

Showered, dressed, makeup, dishwasher on, Washing on and hung up, bins emptied, dd all fed and dressed, windows opened, beds made, bathroom cleaned, quick wipe of kitchen surfaces, and I didn't miss the train to work this time

Tags dahs so far:

Day 6 of the plank challenge
Top lip epilated
Used serum and moisturiser

Off to get my hair cut in a little bit

Good morning rennovators

So far....

Up, dressed; full face of make up after eye cream, spot cream and moisturiser. Off up to rummage through my beauty boxes after a to find my epistick for top lip.

Plan to thoroughly clean girls room (as far as I can anyway) today while I wait for my washer....very impatiently!!

Need to find a way to get back to sleep on a morning after the 4:46am freight train that sounds like it's going to rattle the house down passes! God only knows what is on it but you can hear the weight of it & its at least ten very loud carriages long

Control we didn't claim on insurance, haven't got the £100 excess to hand after moving & Christmas. Must start building up some savings again in case anything else needs replacing though (likely as all our appliances always seem to go at the same time )

ControlGeek - I love the 50p per day idea. I think I'll try that.

I'm coming out the other side of a weird bug - feeling fine most of the time until I ate and then (TMI, sorry) the most awful cramps and diarrhea. I've been living on toast for the past 3 days.

But... you have obviously had an effect on me. I'm still managing the basics of my morning and evening routine and I even put on jewellery to match an outfit the other day.

(And, silver linings and all that, I'm down over a kilo in a week )

Today I've been out and replaced some out of date make up, bought some hair oil, had my hair cut and I've chucked out all old or unused makeup and reorganised my dressing table. I'm hoping it'll help develop the habit.

Also love the 50p idea. I've actually had a good day but my legs hurt from the treadmill yesterday, so I'll really have to drag myself to the gym tomorrow!
Ta dahs today
Under calorie count
Eyebrows plucked
Managed to wear decent coordinating clothes and find a bracelet and earrings which I'd forgotten about but which worked really well with them
Sorted out kitchen cupboard including all my food processor bits which are a right pain
Made tuna salad for tomorrow's lunch
to do tomorrow
Must drag self to gym
DIY manicure/pedicure while watching Sherlock on the iPlayer - win win!
Organise shoes - in a huge heap at the bottom of the wardrobe and I know some need reheeling

My washer is HUGE!! I sorted one load of lights that would have gone in the old machine & had to go back for the rest of them to fill it up. Only got two loads done but there are 2 and a half weeks worth of washing to be done so will crack on with that some more tomorrow.

I can't find my epistick dp has been re-organising though so am going to send him hunting in the boxes he's shifted about tomorrow

I'm getting some new Babyliss straighteners for my birthday (half price too!) & am half hoping my dad gives me the usual £30 for it so I can get my hair cut....am waiting for a number from a friend for a mobile lady. Hopefully I can get that done over the weekend at some point or the beginning of next week.

Going to have to tighten our belts a bit again I think, everyone barring dp and three of his work-mates have been laid off but he's still mooching about here because there's no work for them...I just hope he doesn't get laid off too!

Need to up my game a bit and start focussing on some goals for me as well though, dd2 will start full time school in Sept so I need to be working on my cv & make myself employable! Any hints and tips you all want to throw my way would be appreciated

Sorry have been awol, I was too tired last night to mn!

New job is great, lovely people and interesting work. Today I wore a black pencil skirt, grey cardi, red swallow print skirt and black knee high boots. Tomorrow I think I am going to wear grey trousers, navy jersey top, long navy cable cardi and black ballet flats. Wearing heels is not doing my back any favours!

Have been keeping up with most of my routines although no exercise this week yet (apart from 2 miles a day walking). Am just too tired. Took soup to work for lunch. Almost everyone in my office is on a diet so there is shared motivation to keep away from the biscuit tin!

Will catch up with the thread now, hope eveyone is ok.

Forgot the grey and blue elephant print scarf in tomorrow's outfit - got to have a scarf!

Routine done :)
I walked doing errands for 4 full hours. I needed long vests and T shirts so detoured into H&M. I feel ancient!

Then went to pilates.

Calculated my calories intake for the day: 1500.

Yesterday I went swimming after work, 1.5km (60 lenghts).

Tomorrow is rest day (12 h at work, ha ha), but I am keeping with the plank-abdo-squats challenge while the coffe is brewing.

Thursday is swim again, I'll aim for 2 km.

Outfit wise Nothing fits me properly bar this baggy dress and a smart-ish skirt. Pushed the boat out on sales for a boyfriend cashmere navy jumper, it will work with the skirt.

Jemima, chuffed for you! Start as you mean to go on :)
Lucy, what did you used to do before the girls? What have you got in mind?

Inspiring stuff ladies, thank you all for sharing. Have a lovely day tomorrow :)

Glad job is going well Jemima! I have been awol too due to a mega migraine no tadas for yesterday apart from ensuring am not in dressing gown all day!, managed a very long walk mon night though,
Tada,hair washed, blowdried,makeup on, cleanse and tone and flashbalm, nails clean but wil polish lunchtime
Outfit is Burgundy shirt dress, light grey scarf and leggings, black balletd

Am now 14st 13 woohoo 3lb loss

Sorry for lack of post yesterday, I was so good I simply didn't have time to get on the laptop enough!

lucysmam what is it you'd like to do? Can you start calling in on places to ask if you can do a few days' voluntary work for them to gain some experience in the field? It's also a good way of getting your face known. I've got everything crossed for DP's work to pick up sharpish.

jemima yay for your new job! It does take a while to get back into wearing heels though doesn't it? The balls of my feet were killing me by the end of yesterday and my calves had cramped up again.

dili 4 hours??? My back would've been killing me long before then.

smelly you poor thing, migraines are no joke. Just getting out of your dressing gown is an achievement when you have one, so well done. Hope you're feeling better now. Brill news on the weightloss!

I was soooooo good yesterday - I got up at 6am (1hr15mins before normal), and even before I had to get DP up I had shredded, emptied the dishwasher, sorted out the laundry, had a strip wash, put wrinkle stop on my wrinkly bits, used the full Anew range on my face, brushed, oiled and styled my hair, put on a full face of slap (I'm getting better at this now, but still trying to work out the best place to put my blusher) and got dressed incredibly smartly for work! Getting the shred done so early made me feel energised for the rest of the day. I also drank loads of water, I'm getting better at this now.

Today's ta da list:
Up at 6am again!
Shredded
Hair brushed, oiled and straightened
Full face of slap (blusher in slightly different place, think yesterday's was a bit low down)
Lipstick
Gold nail varnish
Dressed smartly
Polished both of my pairs of shoes (both leak water so need replacing asap but no time to do it yet)
Laundry sorted

to do
fasting day - need to be good!
Makeup remover
Sort out everything I need for my dressmaking class tonight
Laundry on to dry, dry stuff away.