Style Not Age - Frilled to Bits.

Hi there. 

How are you and have you had a good week?

Finally starting to feel like me.  It's been a busy week, but nice to be back doing the things I love.

Dancing on Friday was great, we learnt the Rumba and I mastered the steps well, but mastering the technique is another story.  I don't think I'll ever get that right.  I have to admit I really wished I taken up this kind of dancing years ago, I love everything about it, from the different movements to the sequins on the outfits, with the tans and makeup making everything look magnificent.  Shame I only get to wear my usual clothes when I go.  The club does run dance events where students can practice what's been learnt, but I never go to any of these are I don't want to go on my own and not have a partner for all the dances.  I'll have to settle with my 3/4 hour each week and imagine I'm competing ... lol!

Saturday I had Max overnight, I have to say he was an angel, he really did settle well with me and considering I don't ever get a look-in when he comes over I was so happy - he was so good so I'm hoping we've turned a corner and he'll be my friend from now on!

Sunday was good weather so I went to my eldest daughters for a BBQ.  It was lovely to spend time with the kids playing on the trampoline and 'trying' to play football with them.  Kids do keep you young don't they, and I feel in my head about 20! Ha the body says otherwise though! Downside was the wind.  The sun was shining and had it not been so blowy it would have been brilliant to sit in the sun, but It got so cold we ended up indoors.  I neglected to take a coat or jacket too, so walking home was really chilly so I reached for my furry blanket for the rest of the night.  What did you get up to over the weekend?

Today has yet to be decided, but what I did decide on early in the week was my outfit for the Style not Age challenge. We looked to Anna for our prompt and although at first I didn't know what to style I eventually came up with this easy to wear wrap dress for the monthly challenge.

Frilled to bits.

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

Everyday Casual - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there.

Hope you are okay.

Just about starting to feel normal after the busy week I've had.  Another birthday yesterday so a celebration with drinks, Chinese and some delicious Rocky Road made by my daughter.  Yeah don't mention the diet please ... lol

I seem to have got my zest back for blogging and 'graming and have created some photos to use on both platforms.  It's been good to hear feed back from fellow bloggers and Instagramers alike stating they've felt just like I did and what they did about it, it's been helpful to read and actually know I'm not the only one!  I've also been back to the gym and this ALWAYS makes me feel better.  Well doesn't exercising release natural endorphins???  I'm also returning to Ballet after my couple of weeks off, last week I just didn't feel 100% so decided to give it a miss, I've also been away from ballroom dancing too, the first wasn't my fault, but the second session was the club was closed - it's back on this Friday, and I can't wait.

Are you like me and keep special things for special occasions? 

Suits Me!

Hello everyone.

Hope you are well and had a lovely weekend.

Mine was rather different than normal as David has been away on the 'Stag' weekend with all the boys.

It's been really rather strange having him away for so long especially after my weekend with the girls and a busy week in between I feel I've not seen him in ages. I think we'll plan a few nice things to do together over the next few weeks and we have a voucher to use in a local restaurant that we need to make a booking for so that will be nice for us both!

Whilst David was away I spent a lot of time with the girls, watched some girly TV including Queen Charlotte (from Bridgerton) - have you seen it?  If you liked Bridgeton, you'll love it! I caught up with a couple of girl friends and finished up a few jobs that had been 'waiting' to be done.  That always makes me feel better to get jobs sorted that have been laying around for ages.  I did a couple of sewing jobs, trimmed the hedge and cut the grass and sorted through my emails.  I feel I've accomplished quite a lot over the past few days and feel pleased with myself.  I did have one of those headaches though, the ones that stay very much uninvited for a few days.

I mentioned above I met my friends for lunch on Saturday.  We met in town and had a lovely lunch in a local restaurant.  I decided to drive so had a couple of soda waters along with a yummy fish finger sandwich.  It was great to sit and chat in the sun and as we'd picked a restaurant with a sheltered garden the temperature was really warm and I'd almost wished I worn something lighter.  Upon walking along to another venue I was pleased I'd picked this suit because the wind was really quite chilly!   

Saturday was the perfect opportunity to show off my neutral two piece, you might remember when I styled it with citrus orange it really did make the colour pop!

Belated Birthday and My new Teddy Blake Bag - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning me friends.

I hope you are well.

So sorry for no post on Monday, after the weekend away and a couple of family issues I just couldn't get myself going ... plus the fact it was my birthday.  I got some amazing gifts and cards (love getting and reading cards) & had a super Indian in the evening with the kids and my mum.  You might remember me saying it was my grandaughters birthday the following day and then my son's the day after so it's been full on.  David is away on the 'stag' today, so I've made sure everything is ready for him and also my youngest son who's going too.  I'm looking forward to a quiet couple of days with the controller to catch up of girly telly ... Lol!

Last weekend was good fun and I'm working on a post so I can share some of the antics with you.  I'll also be sharing a couple of new dresses with you but today I wanted to show off another bag from the stunning collection of Teddy Blake.  I'd love you to check back to my older post sharing the stunning pink Lola bag too, it's such a pretty colour and a useful size bag.

Items marked with * have been gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

Hen Weekend to Majorca - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hello there and welcome to the blog.

Hope you’re doing well and have had a super week. 

I’ve planned this post in advance as today I’m on my way to Majorca (after the early departure of 1.30 am I’m probably there now)!

If you remember I’m on a hen weekend for my nephews wife-to-be. There’s about 17 of us including my three daughters and my daughter-in-law so will be good fun to be away together without the grandkids. I managed to get everything sorted by Tuesday, with just my spray tan on Wednesday just before I got a few hours sleep before the very early start!  It’s like a marathon getting everything ready for a trip away even for a couple of days like this!

You can imagine the chats we've been having and we've also also got a Whatsapp group to find out what everyone its wearing, thinking and doing etc.  It's been on fire the last few days and has got us all very excited to get away with the right stuff.  Does anyone else have a specific group for things like this?

Today I thought I’d share what I’m taking. We’ve opted for a carry-on case, so I’m packing light - very light lol!

This is what I wanted to wear, but I’m actually in jeans, sandals and a hen T Shirt!

Red, White & Blue for the Coronation.

Hi there,

Welcome to the blog.

Happy Bank Holiday Monday, sounding very familiar doesn’t it the second one in a couple of weeks! 😂

How did your weekend go? I’ve had a ball. 

Dancing on Friday night was brilliant, I’ve been away from it for a few weeks so it was great to get back onto the dance floor. It was the second week of the Foxtrot and fortunately it didn’t take long for me to pick it up and get into the swing of it. It’ll be finished off next Friday, but again I’ll be away in Majorca for a hen party and the following week the club is shut, so another few weeks away from my much loved hobby. 

On Saturday, after a quick trip to the shops to get some bits for the aforementioned Hen weekend I got home in time to watch the Coronation of King Charles. 

What an amazing event to see and at times I was quite emotional! I love all the pomp and ceremony and am very proud to be British and have all this history. Did you watch the events unfold, do let me know if you’re a fan too!

I also had a 30th birthday party in the evening. It’s my son’s birthday this month and his wife was also 30 in April, so they decided on a double celebration. It was such good fun seeing all the family friends and extended family. Plenty of drinks and food and lots of familiar songs to dance the night away too, opps upside your head was one of the golden oldies (those over a certain age will remember this one - lol).  My legs felt awful the next day, as did my head and tummy (but the Prosecco tasted good!)  You may remember I said they got married there too. It was in lockdown so they were only allowed 15 people, it was wonderful for them to celebrate their 30th’s there as it really did make up for the wedding celebrations they missed out on.  

As you can imagine Sunday was a lazy day although I did get a few jobs done, in the afternoon I just vegged out on the sofa watching TV.  No cooking for me as fortunately, a takeaway was on the menu - perfect. 

Today all the family will be round for the roast turkey I had got for Easter (remember I went skiing over Easter),

All the traditional accompaniments will be on offer so it’ll be a busy morning getting all that ready, especially after two gym classes!  What have you got planned for today?

Beige & Rust - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning everyone.

Hope you are all well.

Creeping into May aren't we!  I've got a busy couple of weekends, followed by another spate of birthdays so I'm sure the next few weeks will fly by.

This weekend, which is the Royal Coronation of Prince Charles will also be a double 30th birthday party.  My son and his wife are both thirty this year and as their wedding, which was in lockdown was at Brooke Park & was limited to 15 people. So they’ve chosen to have a big birthday party there so everyone who couldn’t come to their wedding can enjoy it. 

After the celebrations on Saturday there's going to be further celebrations at the party.  I'm excited to be there as all the family will be together along with the extended family and friends so it’s sure to be a fun night.  I'll share my outfit with you next week - although I've not decided what to wear yet!

I reckon Sunday will be a slow day with not much happening, however on Monday I'm doing the belated Easter roast turkey dinner and all the family will be joining me.  Maybe I'll have to prepare everything on Sunday to make it a little easier for David and me the following day!

What have you got planned this weekend?  Do share. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen I was having a bit of a downer a few weeks ago and kept asking myself why was I following this path of blogging and sharing on IG, and whether or not I was good enough, that it was making me miserable so should I give it up, etc etc etc.  You get the picture as I know many of you have struggled with this at one time or another.  I had some extremely helpful and positive comments and messages, some from people I hardly know who all expressed their support and telling me how they've felt and how I would be best advised to treat my negativity.  

I can honestly say I was elated at all the lovely things people said and all of the messages were really very helpful.  I know why I'm doing this, it's for me!  Everyone made me feel worthy and that I was doing something worthwhile to them and to me.  I know I've felt like this in the past and shared my thoughts and feelings on here too, which also really helped me.  So for everyone following I want to say a huge thank you, which, without question, extends to my close family who have been by by my side supporting me throughout.

So after that little hiccup I picked myself up and got back into taking my own photos more, it's still a work in progress as I don't feel my pictures are 100% but I'm happy with that.  Everything I write about is from the heart and what I believe in, so if I've written it, that's genuinely how I feel.  I also only share my style, I'm not fake and only have photos taken in something I would wear - this is me and I'm proud of how far I've come.  

With all that being said let's share a look I wore earlier this week, this beige skirt with a rust blouse and boots.

April Review.

Hi there everyone.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Can you believe it's the first of May?  Where does the time go?

It's Bank Holiday for us here in the UK, and I've not got much planned.  David is working on the new build and I have booked gym classes as usual today, but not sure what we'll be getting up to this afternoon.

Have you got something nice planned for today, do let me know what you're doing.

So as usual at the beginning of the new month I like to take a look back over the previous weeks and recap on what I've been wearing and what I've been doing - stand by for the April Review.

Without further delay shall we dive right in?

I started April sharing some Spring dresses.  I picked up these three stunners in Matalan and any of them will be suitable for summer holidays or special events - I've only got one wedding this year but not sure these are quite what I had in mind, this one especially as I would never try to upstage the bride and wear white! Hop over to the post to see the other choices.