Offensive Language & A Dress for the Races

The last three days have been entirely consumed by wrangling with the vendor of the home we would like to call our own. Pre-motherhood I have to admit to having a bit of a potty month. As mentioned historically my hubby has military roots and you geninely have not heard swearing until you’ve spent time with the forces. Officer or squaddy no matter. Since bearing the babe I have got better but this weeks events have caused me to slip.

(I also have to admit to sounding like a true Geordie slag after 10pm on a Tuesday night. The new series of Geordie Shore is in full swing and whilst my usual accent is only slight it is ressurected and treated to a big dollop of bad language after I’ve been subjected to the true Geordies).

Anyway, several sleepness nights later we have managed to secure the house. Whilst we have paid far more than was our original intention I am over the moon. The hubby however has been repeatedly chanting the worst of all swear words at the air, in place of the miserable old man whose house we have bought. None of this took place in front of the babe who I can confirm is in the safe hands of the non-potty-mouthed childminder for the day.

On to cheaper and less stressful matters. I am off to ladies day at the races next weekend and am woefully unprepared. Pre-babe I would have spent weeks selecting a dress for a smart occassion but as it stands I have just over a week and very little money. A little route around in the last of the sales has however yielded this beauty. Whistles Dress

I am going to pair with a white lace effect blazer from Zara and my nude Jimmy Choo‘s and i’m good to go. All acheived in an afternoon at work!

Divorce & Moving

It is a commonly held belief that moving home comes second only to divorce in terms of the stress it causes to the individuals concerned. Fortunately I am not getting divorced; I am however moving house and it may cause a divorce if my hubby’s stress levels are not soon reduced.

Step one was marketing and selling our own home in the prescence of a toddler. Endless tidying up, removal of toys to a discreet corner and re-speccing the babe’s nursery as a study/3rd bedroom to the viewing public were the order of the day. Thanks to a good estate agent, a nicely decorated house (I like to think) and a wicked school catchment area, this part of the process only lasted two weeks and we now have a cash offer. Result!

It is only now the viewings have come to a close that I realise living in a certain level of disorder and dare I say filth is acceptable (even preferable) to me. An interesting discovery.

Step two is procuring the house of our dreams to suit us for the next twenty years. No mean task. This is the stage we are currently at and is proving much more challenging. 3 houses in the running. The first house has gone to best and final offers and therefore out of our price range, the second requires major renovation and the vendor is not keen to accept our (granted) cheeky offer and the third is really only a fallback. I am hoping the house buying gods are on our side to make number two happen or we may have to call in Kirsty & Phil…

Step 3 involves living happily ever after I think.

Suspect there will be a few sleepless nights, p*ssed off vendors, penniless husbands and overstretched contractors before we get there. But its all worth it in the end right??

Barbie me & my baby – sale picks

I should start by saying that I wrote this post yesterday afternoon. I think it was one of my better ones. It involved a lot of links and photos and was quite long. Then I added the final photo and accidentally deleted the lot. Error. Can’t find it anywhere though so here we go again.

I have not been tempted much by the summer sales this year. Its hard to get excited about cut price maxi-dresses when there is a rain storm going on. It seems that a lot of the high street has been running discounts since early June to try and attract any potential punters and I don’t think the quality has been great. However, the second mark downs seem to have surfaced this week and some of my favourite online retailers have gone into sale.

Given my limited budget I have tried to think about what I will need and wear for Autumn/Winter rather than buying odd bits and bobs that are too summery to get much of an outing in blighty.

First off are ankle boots. I am a big fan of my skinny jeans and whilst I often pair with ballet pumps or uggs when on mummy duties I think ankle boots can smarten up a daytime outfit with a wooly jumper or make an evening look in the winter.  I managed to pick up these beauties from a local boutique Jules B who also have a much bigger online offering. I suspect they were last winters stock but are a classic style and without the slightly ropey ankle strap, very wearable.  Check out the online boutique for other sale bargains.  http://www.julesb.co.uk/

Next is a suprise entry from H&M. I have never purchased footwear from them before and their in store sale is often a bit of a jumble sale so I went online. On their useful online styler they had these ankle boots being modelled. Granted they are not real suede but at £12 they will form a great part of my jeans and small child wardrobe.  http://www.hm.com/gb/product/95722?article=95722-C#shopOrigin=SA

Next on my hotlist, one of my favourite diffusion brands Maison Scotch. I live in these t-shirts with a boyfriend cardy in the winter and a racer vest underneath in the summer. They are £50-£100 at full price which seems like a lot for a tee but they are lovely quality, last for ages and are just a little bit out of the ordinary. I picked these two beauties up in the sale at my local Fenwicks but Flannels fashion have a great range in their sale.  http://www.flannelsfashion.com/designers/women/maison-scotch/maison-scotch-sale.aspx

No sale shopping would be complete without Hush. I have blogged about the brand loads before as I am a big fan of their loungewear and pj’s. I have been after their jersey blazer for months and I snapped it up for £25 in the sale. www.hush-uk.com

Now on to the babe. I am one of those crazy people who, despite their small child, waits up till midnight to log onto the very start of the Zara sale.  I love their baby and kids wear and there is often very little of it in the sale so it pays to be prompt. I managed to pick up skinny jeans in the next two sizes up, a pretty dress, a couple of tees and some loafters all for £47. Would have cost me nearer £90 full price. My babe shopping principle is much the same as my own so everything I bought was suitable for Autumn/Winter.  www.zara.com

Last but not least a random and late night purchase on the Ipad. Whilst breastfeeding I developed a late night iphone ebay habit during night feeds and the ipad allows me a similar capability to shop night or day, (much to the hubby’s despair).  Whilst browsing the Asos sale I came across these suede Mary Janes by Dune reduced from £95 to £39. I have to admit to not being the biggest fan of Dune but had I not been aware of the brand these shoes would have been right up my street. Given the price I elected to order them on the basis I could always return.

I love them. Not only are they super flattering they will go equally well with opaque tights and a skirt for work as with skinny jeans and a jumper for day. Still available on Asos in a 40 last time I looked…!

Now, lunchtime is approaching. I intend to counter the negative effects left by a 12noon bikini wax with a trip to the All Saints sale…

That’s just rubbish

I have decided to ignore the undeniably crazy weather happening around me and write about something else today. I have a mate who is in the process of electing not to have another baby because of the strain on her family finances. Whilst I have the utmost respect for her choice and can’t help wishing everyone thought about the practicalities that come with parenthood, it makes me sad.

She so wants to have another baby.