Wedding photos...

Here. Enjoy.

Happy New Year ladies!

Here's to a fantastic New Years Eve and a beautiful 2011 for you all.

We are having a quiet night in for the first time in years, think the shite run up to xmas, a massive dose of flu and the trip to Ireland on 27th December have taken their toll and we are done, like a kipper. No energy or inclination to do anything other than fester in front of the tv. And sort photos from cousins wedding in Ireland some of which I am incredibly pleased with!!

That said Em is upstairs with a friend, a tonne of make up, a bottle of vodka from the freezer and is preparing for a night of serious partying and I have to admit to being a smidge envious! Have a feeling tomorrow morning will put the shoe firmly on the other foot!

Have a great night everyone, see you in 2011.
xx

Christmas - in photos

Over on the photo blog seeing as I haven't posted anything there is ages. Ham cooked, mince pies made, chestnut stuffing prepped, Em did pigs in blankets, honey and sage sausages and devils on horse back for tomorrow mornings present opening canapes and sprouts and carrots done too. Presents all wrapped, Em and Tom doing drinks and canapes this evening and Monopoly all set up and ready to play. Slightly delirious as still not feeling great and the only thing I have eaten all day is one warm from the oven mince pie with cream and brandy butter so enjoying a massive sugar rush now! I think some quite time with a book and a pot of tea is in order. Hope everyone else is having fun too!

Hair cut update

From this:

to this:
Job done (sparing you the front as it comes with face, and no one needs to see that right now!)

Feeling festive yet?

What a week. Last Friday pm Em called from work asking me to go and pick her up, she was feeling really ill and her asthma was playing up, ended up in A&E for 3 hrs for a nebuliser and obs whilst she shivered and sweated and was just seriously flu'ed up. Went home laden down with antibiotics, steriods and inhalors. Poor baby had a hideous Saturday and then on Sunday morning she scared me witless - her asthma had been bad all night so she had asked her brother to sleep in her room with her but she had been so short of breath she had been unable to wake him, by this stage her lips were blue and I was freaked. Quick dash to A&E for another 4 hr session and a near miss with admission, thank god they let her go home. By the time we got back I was sweating and shaking and feeling like hell on wheels - according to Em "sharing is caring" although I don't think that is generally meant to include your vile flu germs.

Monday had to get up at 6am to do 2 bits of toast and a pot of tea for our one guest because it was "my turn" - working 7 days a week makes you incredibly selfish, I had had a lie in on Saturday so come hell or high temperature Steve was having his on Monday. Best we draw a veil over that for now.

Spent the rest of the day on the sofa feeling dreadful, my first day off sick in 9 years - I work from home so there's no need to leave the house or look like a human and you have to be pretty ill indeed not to be able to haul your ass in front of the pc and get on with something, being self employed helps too though - no work, no pay - great motivator!

I can't tell you how horrid I have looked, white as a sheet, red chapped nose - in spite of lashings of vaseline slormed all over it which looks like you have actually wiped the contents of your nose round your face, chipped nail varnish that I cant be arsed to remove, skanky hair - but that was mainly due to an utterly crap hair product that is seriously going onto my shit list in the New Year and toxic breath. Divine.

Today I am finally starting to feel more like a human being although not sure how long that is going to last as I have the food shop to do today - friend went to Asda yesterday and came home because she couldn't get parked. Steve, Em and I are going to hit Sainsburys so fingers crossed its not too insane.

Just wanted to wish every one a very Merry Christmas and a beautiful New Year!
dxx

Kicking myself

Right proper hard. What a fool. Decided that in spite of the power cut - thanks YEDL for fixing it by 10.30am, the snow - more? Really, bloody hell enough already with the snow. And Steves blatant complete and utter lack of enthusiasm "root canal? why I dont mind if I do" "Christmas shopping? What, you need me to come too? Really? Are you sure? OK but don't expect me to enjoy it" I decided that we needed to make a trip to the Trafford Centre as I couldn't be arsed trogging round Leeds in the pouring rain/snow/sleet and I hate being outside freezing my arse off, walking into a shop and going into full on meno sweat down and back outside again and so on, at least in the Trafford Centre you know if you are wearing more than a bikini you are going to be sweating cobs from the off. And thats before you are in John Lewis's and realise that right at that moment they might be selling the very last Bobbi Brown Modern Classic eye and lip palette in Selfridges and you need to RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!

And run I did, I so wanted that palette but it was not to be. I am such a fool, I didn't realise that it was limited edition and that basically any make up branded "limited edition" sells out in seconds. Damn. So I decided to get myself a nice Bobbi Brown cream lip colour in Heather Buff and a lip pencil in Cocoa - wasnt til I got home that I realised we are talking pencil that needs sharpener not propelling, bum.

Anyway, (dinner burning as I type...) I got a Pixi Wakeup palette too!

Edit: Had a more detailed look at this before handing it over to Em for wrapping. The eye colours look nice but are all shimmers, would have liked a couple of matts in there too to balance things out. Not sure how much of the lip gloss will get used, hopefully if they are sheer then a fair amount, if too thick or opaque some of them might be more "colour" than I am looking for. And I might donate the blusher and highlighter section to Em, depending on application. I just think with older dry skin adding any kind of powder, apart from a hint to set make up, isn't the best idea my MAC blush cream gives a juicy glossy look rather than a dry dusty one, but we'll see I might be surprised!

So this post is really to say watch this space, Pixi palette and bobbi brown reviews due in the New Year!

Hair cut

All booked. 1pm on Saturday. Have decided that this long draggy hair is doing nothing for me so am getting it gone. Liked the bob I had last year but it just didn't feel like me so thinking this time maybe a bob shape but with flicked out ends rather than all sitting neatly under, does that make sense? Well, here are the before pics, enjoy! Still shocks me to see photos of myself, am I really that old and that fat. Gad.





The other rather worrying thing is that photos of me with my glasses on look really really weird, I hope I don't look that odd in real life.

Palette love.

Urban Decay Naked - no way santa is turning up with this baby is he?! Cant find it anywhere online. So have been having a re-think. Am thinking Too faced Naked palette.


Liking the Stila naked one a lot more but not convinced will be able to find that in either Leeds or Trafford Centre (if you know otherwise please please let me know in comments). Can't actually find that on the Stila site either although saw it on other bloggers sites, odd.


Buuuuuut, am also going to drag S along to the Bobbi Brown counter just to have a leetle peek at the Modern Classic palette.How incredible is that, 10 lush shadows, 4 fab glosses? Mind you for £60 S is going to have to be feeling the love too or it wont be happening! I reckon keep the shopping down to a dull roar, MAC counter for Em's bits, one other shop for her secret pressie (shhh. she reads this blog. And makes rude comments!) so he's not traumatised. Spot of lunch and then Wham! straight to the Bobbi Brown counter with promises of this being the absolutely last thing we have to buy.......unless of course its too expensive, in which case theres always Boots, Harvey Nicks, Debenhams .......! If that doesn't seal the deal nothing will. Watch this space! Can't believe that at the start of this year I never wore eye shadow and a palette would have been the last thing I would want, what have you bloggers done to me!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Have spent ages trawling through all the blogs I could find looking at eye shadow palettes. After much musing have decided that I REALLY REALLY NEED the Naked palette. I didn't realise that thats a bit like NEEDING a four leaf clover - not happening. Well, not if I decide not to bother spending £50 on it on Ebay. Yea like thats gonna happen. I am just going to hope and pray that there will be an old broken crumpled box on the Boots stand in Leeds next week. Or else I am going to have to go for a Nars duo. Which is just not the same thing. If anyone knows if the Naked palette is fairly readily available in Boots or can recommend another fab palette please let me know.

Well, that's that then

Our buyer pulled out today. We were ringing around checking that we were good for completion on 17th December when our solicitor called to tell us. There really aren't words for how I am feeling right now. Finding a buyer for a normal family home is really hard at the moment, finding a buyer for an 8 bed guest house, even if on Trip Advisor its rated No 1 in Huddersfield is way way harder. We could quite literally be here for years. Just to let you know.

Hot rock back massage and Elemis mini facial

Taking a break from taking a break to report on a simply stunning hour spent in the Saks salon in Halifax this pm.

They were offering a hot rocks back of body massage and mini Elemis anti aging facial for £55 with an Elemis goodie bag worth £40 to take home. I have always been ok with facials but am so not chuffed with my body that the idea of any one massaging it or even seeing more of it than they need to has left me cold. But I am 44, its frankly not likely to improve any time soon and I really felt I needed a treat with all the stress and hassle at the mo. Becky made me feel really comfortable right from the off and although I had a moment of thinking "aaagh" laying on a table under a slip of cotton in just my knickers I soon forgot to be body concious. Frankly I almost forgot to breathe!

Is there any thing more delicious than being massaged with hot stones? If there is I don't think I could stand it! It was heavenly, the treatment started with a light body brushing and some reflexology (bugger should have spent less time on the hair removal and more time sanding the hooves) and then the hot stone massage was done on my legs first, deep massage with stones that on initial touch feel almost too hot but they move so quickly its never uncomfortable. I have to admit to blanching at the point Becky moved from legs to back, I had assumed knickers would stay pretty much covering my horrid butt, it seems not, quickly slipped down to reveal rather more buttock that I suspect either of us was really comfortable with for the most extensive back massage. I really did quite quickly adjust to having most of my arse out, I think the fact that my legs were covered made it feel less exposed and before long I genuinely forgot to care.

Once the massage was finished I flipped over onto my back, Becky draped lovely thick bedding over me and began the facial. For a mini facial I think it was pretty extensive, lots of lovely hot cloths, wonderful smelling oils and massage. I have had a few facials in the past where they slapped on something cold and clammy and then went outside, on one memorable occasion for a fag - is there anything worse than fab breath during your facial? Not this time, each time something was being left to work Becky massaged my head or neck and shoulders and then finally left me wrapped in a cocoon whispered that I should relax til I felt ready to move and then get myself dressed whilst she went and made some notes on my skin. She was very lucky not to come back 10 mins later and find me snoring blissfully!

I was amazed at how nice my skin looked, Becky confirmed that the red areas on my cheeks are roseacea and gave me some diet suggestions to help with this although said stress is the biggest cause so not much chance of it clearing up any time soon! I left with a £10 voucher against future treatments, a list of recommended products, a guide to the most suitable of their xmas gift sets - many of which come with a free facial or massage which makes them incredible value - and 15ml of the famous Pro-collagen marine cream, Exotic Cream moisturising mask and the same of Payapa enzyme peel - only to be used when skin isn't flaring up. All in all an absolute result and I really think I might ask Steve for a facial for my Christmas pressie to give me something to look forward to in January.

Stress Head

This whole sell your business by a house thing? Freaking nightmare. We are either on the verge of completing before Christmas or our buyer pulling out and I have no clue which. I have had a headache for 5 days now, in spite of drinking a litre of water every day (and a litre of wine every night). Wish I was joking! Posting may be scarce for a while til I work out where we are up to, wish me luck.