2015!!

Happy New Year!!!

So, here it is, the year I've been dreading for so long - the year in which I turn 40!!  *says with tongue firmly in cheek!*  I do seem to have come to terms with the fact though that in 14 weeks, I WILL be turning 40 which, although it stills seems so very grown up, now actually sounds.....ok!!

I'm grateful to have found so many amazing blogs over the last year written by some fantastic, stylish, beautiful, clever, witty ladies of a similar age that have basically, given me a kick up the arse & reminded me to get a bloody grip - 40 isn't old at all these days, it's merely a number!

So I'd like to kick 2015 off with a shout-out, in no particular order, to my favourite inspirational bloggers of 2014!

Kat from http://doesmybumlook40.blogspot.co.uk/
Jane from http://www.mymidlifefashion.com/
Avril from http://www.schoolgatestyle.com/
Andrea from http://inmamaswardrobe.blogspot.co.uk/
Donna from http://iwontwearsludgebrown.blogspot.co.uk/
Frances from http://schoolrunstyle.blogspot.co.uk/
Nikki from http://www.midlifechic.com/
Sharron from http://www.styleateveryage.com/ 
Lynne from http://dorothycamper.blogspot.co.uk/
Joanna from http://poppys-style.com/
Michelle from http://myfashionable40s.blogspot.co.uk/
Annmarie from http://fashionmumof40.blogspot.co.uk/
Jenny from http://beautyandthebiryani.blogspot.co.uk

Anyhoo, back to business!  This first post of the year is just really to catch up & fill you in on our lovely Christmas & Hogmanay.  The house is now clear of all remaining Christmas detritus & I'm trying to get back to normal before the kids start back at school on Wednesday.

We had a nice quiet time this year, which suited us down to the ground after a manic November & December.  We found a fabulous new forestry place the other side of Dundee & bought the most perfect 7 foot tree we've ever had.  It was decorated in my usual Nordic style but the kids have asked if next year we can have an extra tree in the hall that they can go tinsel-tastic with!!

I had some truly amazing presents this year, including 4 new notebooks (I'm a list-making freak!!), a tan saddle bag from Clarks & a polka dot bag for my sewing machine (yes, really!) from my mum, CDs & smellies from my kids, Next vouchers & the biggest surprise of all, a new iPad mini from Mr F!!  It was very naughty of him to buy me this as we'd agreed months ago that we weren't getting presents for each other this year due to impending trip to New York but then he totally surprised me with this amazing present "for my travels"!!  Oh, he's a keeper all right!  I did however, feel like a prize shit for not getting him anything other than the usual Chocolate Orange & whisky!  But it will be so much easier to take this with me to Marrakech & New York so I can blog on the go!!

We've had pretty good weather so far with only a smattering of snow so we've enjoyed plenty of long walks round the lake with the hound.  One day in particular was absolutely baltic though, as shown by the facial expression below!!  So beautiful though - the lake that is, pas moi!!

I've had a couple of nights out with my fellow mums & we celebrated Hogmanay at my friend's house, watching the fabulous fireworks over St Andrews bay.  And I seem to have been rocking red lips rather a lot lately!!

*Sorry, should've cropped the cleavage!!*

I've picked up plenty in the sales too but I think this is more than enough for one post -that'll have to follow!!

I hope you all had a fabulous time with your loved ones & I wish each & every one of you the very best for 2015!!

Life lately

Hi all, how is everyone?  I've been MIA for a while I'm afraid - I totally lost my blogging mojo for some reason.  It wasn't down to lack of post ideas or anything like that as I currently have 9 draft posts waiting to be published, life has generally just got in the way!  My pc (or internet connection, we're not sure which) is just not working properly either & the last post I did took over 2 hours to do as opposed to the usual 20/30 minutes, which really hasn't helped.  I've also been volunteering at the school again & have spent a LOT of time there in recent weeks.  It's all good fun though!

Anyhoo, I have a couple of hours until I have to be back at the school again(!), this time to help with the Christmas parties.  But first, let me fill you in on what I've been up to the last few weeks.

The Hubble & I spent a couple of days in Edinburgh at the end of November (you may have seen some of my photos on Instagram!)  We like to get away just the two of us now & again & had I not come down with a stomach bug in the night, it would've been perfect!!  Never mind, we'll just have to go again - what a shame!

We've also been really busy with sporting activities on the weekends recently.  Wee man plays rugby every Sunday morning, which the Hubble coaches & he's recently started golf lessons on a Saturday morning too.  However, these are held at the Carnoustie golf course so we drop him off for an hour then enjoy a walk along the seafront followed by coffee in the Carnoustie Golf Hotel.  Last time we went, I took a peek in the spa & have decided that in the New Year, I'm going to treat myself to an Elemis facial or two!  Well, that's if Mr F didn't pick up on the very heavy hints I was dropping & book me in for some treatments, ahem!!

I worked out the other day that I've bought 5 pairs of boots & shoes in 2 months, is that excessive?!?  One of my new pairs are the lovely Kendra Aviva from Clarks.  I wanted these last year so I'm glad I managed to pick them up with 25% off.  I bought them in the suede & I really think they are the most comfortable pair of heels I've ever owned.  I wore them last week on our Mums' Night Out (yes, it needs capital letters!!) & my feet felt fine, even after dancing for 4 hours!  Actually, they were so comfortable, I've just ordered the Crisp Kendra shoe in red as they're such a bargain at 50% off.  Let's hope they fit as well as the boots!  But no. more. footwear........for now, anyway!

I've got lots of posts that I need to finish up with lots of lovely new products to show off & I'm going to have a wee redesign of my blog over Christmas & New Year so don't worry if it all looks strange whilst I'm doing it!!

I hope you're all prepared for the big day & are feeling lovely & festive?!  Even my 6 year son knows the words to my Mr Bublé Christmas cd!!!  I'll be back soon!

MAC ~ Plumful

Whenever I go to Edinburgh, I always pop into Harvey Nicks to have a gander at the MAC counter.  Admittedly, it's nearly always that ridiculously busy that it's nigh on impossible to even reach the stands but luck was on my side when I popped in in late November.

I had a list of potential lippies that I'd taken from blogger recommendations & one colour that kept popping up time & time again was Plumful.  After swatching it, I decided that it was going to be my purchase of the day & I've worn it so much already, it's down to the last quarter left in the bullet!

Plumful is a lustre finish lipstick & it feels so nourishing on the lips, it's lovely!  It's quite a high sheen finish so if used without a lipliner, it doesn't last for hours on end & can have tendency to bleed.  I have to reapply after about 3 hours but longer if I use it with a lipliner, which also helps to stem the bleeding issue.

I'm annoyed with the the photo of the product on my lips though as it doesn't look this Barbie-pink in real life, funnily enough, it's more plum than pink.  It has blue undertones so makes my teeth look nice & white & is not too bright or garish that it looks too much for day makeup.  This will definitely be a staple colour in my makeup bag from now on.

My daughters bought me MAC Hot Tahaiti for christmas so I'll do a post on this colour very soon!

Happy New Year!

Well, the Christmas decorations are all down & packed away for another year & the house is getting back to normal! I hope everyone had a great christmas & New Year with plenty of eating, drinking & being merry!

I was unfortunate enough to come down with horrendous flu a couple of weeks before Christmas which absolutely wiped me out for 10 days. I missed out on all of my Christmas parties & school shows & concerts because of it so was thoroughly miserable. I was just about feeling human again a couple of days before the big event so was running around the shops like a headless chicken catching up on all of the shopping I should have done by that point!

But we all had a lovely time & great presents were given & received.....a fair amount of Baileys was consumed too!  We then made up for the lack of pre-Xmas partying when my dad, step-mum & friends came up for Hogmanay.  We also spent some time pondering over travel brochures discussing our trip to New York next year to celebrate both mine & my friend's impending 40th birthdays - eek!! I'm so excited already, I've even bought a new notebook which is rapidly filling with lists of what to do, where to eat & which shops to visit!

I haven't made any resolutions, I don't really believe in them...they nearly always end in failure to do them & then disappointment so I just focus on staying happy & healthy & that'll do me just fine!

So here's hoping everyone has a fantabulous 2014!

House of Farnell - the best Christmas shop......ever!!!

 

Ooooh,it's Christmas-a-gogo in our house at the minute.....so exciting!!  There are many, many things I love about winter & Christmas but I have to be honest & say that visiting the House of Farnell, is one of my most favourites!!  You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you visit somewhere you love....like Disneyworld, for example?  That's how I feel when I pull into the driveway here, it's so beautiful I could cry!!

 

This amazing Christmas shop is in the tiny hamlet of Farnell near to Brechin, about a 20 minute drive from our home & I like to get 2 or 3 visits in whilst it's open.  It closes this year on Sunday 15th December so if you're in the area & want to visit, you have a week left to go, it's so worth the drive & they serve the best cinnamon Danish I have ever tasted!

 

Here's a wee taster of what awaits you here (apologies for the photos, they were taken on my husband's iphone after my camera broke!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do let me know if you get to visit here or have been already!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Next Winter wishlist

 

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've been shopping at, and have been a huge fan of Next for many, many years.....since I was 14 in fact but the last couple of years, I've been feeling a bit disappointed in their ranges.  However, this year they seem to have seriously got their mojo back & I cannot keep count of how many things I'd love from their A/W range.  Don't even get me started on their bags this season......oh my days!!!

 

Anyhoo, I thought you'd like to see what's on my Winter Wishlist, most of which are fairly self-explanatory.  Well, all except the wooden console table but this matches my living room furniture & now my hallway is so very nearly finished(!), I'd love this too.  It's calling out for a tall lamp, a couple of photos & scented candles!

 

I have a rather extensive winter hat collection already but having seen these two, I simply must have them!!  What's not to love about a black furry beanie with cat ears & a xmas pud perched on your bonce, heh heh!!!

 

I'll be posting a Next bag wish list soon......I might just have to leave the page open on my pc for Mr F to notice it *coughs* Christmas presents alert *cough*!!!

 

 

 

Another year older.....

So the dreaded day has been & gone, I am now another year closer to being 40!  I was having a conversation with Mr F last year about what I wanted to do for my fortieth birthday as I never celebrated my 18th, 21st or 30th birthdays.  To be honest, I'm not sure if I want a party or not.  Part of me wants to have the mother of all hooleys & I like the idea of a Rockabilly themed fancy dress party....but part of me wants to just have a quiet night with my friends, drowning my sorrows (said with tongue firmly in cheek!!)

 

The one thing however I am 100% certain about is that in the December following my 40th, I would love for us to have a Christmas shopping weekend in New York, sans enfants (sorry kids!)  Ever since I spent the summer months there when I was 18, I've wanted to go back at Christmas time.  It makes me tingle with delight at the thought of seeing NYC decked out in all it's yuletide glory....the Rockefeller tree, the ice rink in Central Park, FAO Schwartz, Macys, sipping hot chocolate in Serendipity3.....I could go on!!!

 

When I suggested this, I also suggested that we start saving for it now seeing as we are notoriously bad at spending our savings on doing up the house!  So last Christmas Day arrived & I had one present left to open.  Inside was one of those money pots that have no way of opening unless you smash them open.  This way, once the money went in, it was staying in!!  However, this is what it said.....

 

 

Now, I know it's not a big deal but seeing as my hubby knows that turning 40 is not something I'm relishing, I can't quite understand why he got me a pot with this written on it!!  Oh, don't get me wrong, the idea was fab & in the 4 months since I've had it, it's rather full already but I hate the fact I have to walk by it every day for the next 2 years, sat there on my chest of drawers screaming at me "LIFE BEGINS AT 40!!!"  Yeah, thanks for that one Mr F!!!

 

I, on the otherhand, bought him something far more practical for his birthday last month......an iPhone controlled helicopter!  See, much more practical!  Birthdays......who'd have 'em.........?

 

 

 



 

Spring has sprung!

Well, it's taken an age & just when I was losing the will to live, it would seem that Spring is finally here!  Anyone that knows me knows that I love winter & all that it brings (you know, roaring log fires, steaming bowls of comfort food, getting into my pjs at 5pm, Christmas etc!!) but I really don't want it to extend into the middle of April!  It was only a few days ago that we still had snow on the ground, eeek!!

 

We live in a beautiful rural village about 8 miles from Dundee & are fortunate enough to have a huge country park about a 2 minute walk from home.  I blooming love this park & it was one of the deciding factors in us wanting to live in this village, as opposed to closer to the city.  There's 2 great play parks for kids with massive wooden forts & zip slides built in amongst the forest & reservoirs for fishing, boating & water sports.  My teenage girls spend several sessions a week windsurfing & kayaking in the school holidays, a welcome break from mooching round the shops with their pals!!

 

 

 

 

 

With the evenings getting lighter by the day now, we love to have a wander round the park after dinner, sometimes stopping in at the park's wee café/bistro for a cheeky vino!!  Last month, the engine in our car went kaput (that's a whole other rant though, I'll save that for another day!) so I was forced to do the school run on foot via the park rather than the usual 2 minute journey by car.  Even though it was still bitterly cold, the sun was blasting through the clouds, illuminating the park in all it's glory (oooh, went all Nigella there for a moment!) & it reminded me what a beautiful place I live in.

 

 

 

 

So in preparation for a lot more woodland, park & beach walking, I treated myself to a new pair of wellies the other day.  I do find it odd that I get so happy about things like wellies these days....is it an age thing do you think?!  Anyhoo, I usually find it insanely difficult to find wellies, or any boot for that matter, that fit correctly as I have wide calves but skinny ankles & feet.  I've tried so many pairs of wide-calf wellies but the manufacturers seem to presume that everyone with wide calves also have feet the same width & they just don't stay on my feet!  That is why I was pleased to come across these Joules wellies in my local Dobbies garden centre the other day.  I tried them thinking they wouldn't fit my calves but they did, oh happy day!!  I went up a size to a 6 so I could fit in some squidgy memory foam soles for comfort & warmth & they really are very comfortable & a great fit.  And to top it off, they're just so pretty, they're crying out to be worn to many festivals!

 

 

 

 

But right now I'm off to get some lunch (rare roast beef & horseradish rolls, in case you're wondering!) & then I have a mammoth baking session planned for this afternoon.  Bring on the sugar overload!  Until the next time mes amis!