Muted Shades in March for SNA

Good morning my friends. 

How weird it’s the end of March. 

Didn’t that month go by in a flash! I’m interested to create next Monday’s March Review, it’s good to be reminded what I’ve been wearing … and doing!

Today’s outfit seems to have fallen right into place as the prompt about muted shades is just what my Cotton Traders dress and cardigan is all about!

Easter next weekend with the usual Eater Egg Hunt and roast dinner on Sunday. Due to a couple of birthdays over the weekend (remember April and May is birthday heavy for me) we decided to do the hunt on Sunday and have a roast turkey both Sunday & Monday. It’s what we usually do over Christmas and with the huge turkey we’ve got (we get two for Christmas and freeze one for Easter) it’s going to cover both days. What do you do over Easter?

As it’s the last Monday of the month it’s the turn of Style not Age ladies to share their outfits with you. 

The prompt was set by me, I opted for the easy-to-find …

Muted Shades in March. 

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

Style not Age do Autumn Shades.

Hello and welcome to the blog. 

Hope you’ve had a super weekend. 

I’m still away, so this post has also been planned in advance. 

David and I have returned to Sicily for a few well deserved days away. We’ve come back to Savoca in Sicily and I promise a full post will be planned to share all the stunning locations we visited! The weather has been very kind to us u like the UK, so it’s been a hot few days! Heaven knows what it’ll be like when we get home tomorrow!!

It’s the last Monday of the month so without further a-do it’s time for the ladies from Style not Age to take to the stage. 

This month we’re doing Autumn, so sit back and enjoy our Autumnal Colours prompted by Hilda. 

Big Florals - Chic & Stylish Linkup

Hi there.

How are you?

Popped into Canterbury yesterday and all the sales are on!  I used to love browsing the rails of the shops to find a bargain and although I love to get something cheap - I hate going through sale rails now! They're always packed with some awful outdated items, hanging off the hanger and all the sizes are generally mixed up or on a hanger showing the wrong size (makes my blood boil)! So for this kind of shopping I'm happy to look online, yes you did read that correctly - I'm turning into an online sale shopper!

I remember this time of year well! Just after the schools breakup and I used to start thinking of holiday clothes for the kids everything was in the sale! I enjoyed finding bargains and scoured the shops for the right sizes and styles for the holiday we always had the end of August. I must add back in the day there were plenty of shops open and had sprawling items just waiting to be bought. Fast forward to 2025 it just isn’t the same. Neither am I though, so it works for me now.  I’m sure most families in the same situation & shop online finding just what they need at the click of a button.  

I wore an old dress into town and got a lovely compliment from a shop assistant who said my bright colourful dress matched my complexion. It was a dreary, cloudy day that was sticky & hot & had notifications of an amber weather warning in the evening, it certainly brighten my day and looking around what everyone else was wearing I might just have brightened other peoples days up too! 

It must have worked because it brighten up in the evening with no sign of a thunderstorm in my vicinity. ☺️

Style not Age are Golden Girls.

Morning everyone. 

How did your Christmas go?

Mine went really well, I’m so pleased it wasn’t the usual stressful buildup with me worrying at every opportunity, did have enough of everything, were the presents right, had I spent an equal amount on the kids etc, the stress involved makes my blood pressure almost burst! If I’m honest the reason I was so laid back was the extremely sad & unexpected loss of a friends daughter, I won’t go into any detail but the young 21 year old lost her life due to a rare illness that hadn’t been discovered until about 6 weeks before her passing! It’s all been a big shock to me and my family let alone how it’s affected her family & close friends. It’s made me look at life in a whole different way. There’s so many bigger things to worry about so therefore Christmas and all it brings is low on the list. Suffice to say everyone had a lovely time and were happy with their gifts. 

Our Christmas dinner was delicious too, there was 6 of us on the 25th followed by 20 on Boxing Day. The table setting worked out okay too, we moved the smaller table into the dining room which the kids sat round - making use of the ‘make do’ chairs … anyone else use a hop up stand with a cushion and table cloth on it?? 🤭 

I’d made my traditional chicken liver pate, red cabbage and David produced an amazing gravy from the stock made from the giblets, a dying trend I think as most people use a stock cube and hot water! How do you make your gravy?

I got some amazing present and was very spoilt, although my list was smaller this year, for obvious reasons and most were items I needed more than just what I wanted! One thing in particular was a dressing table stool. It’s a very welcomed addition which has a padded seat that’s got a storage compartment and it’s very sturdy. 

So back to today’s post. It doesn’t seem that long ago it was the beginning of 2024 and I was excited to see what that would bring. Well I’ve had another granddaughter to spoil and love along with helping build our new house along with helping my daughter in her new extension, it’s been a very busy year! I wonder what 2025 holds?

As it’s the last Monday of the month and year, it’s the last Style not Age challenge too. Our prompt was set by Emma, and her choice was met with enthusiasm as there was so many possibilities.  Let’s see how well we completed ….

Golden Girls. 

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

. 

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?

Still Wearing Summer Dresses - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hello and thanks for joining me today.

Hope you're week is going well, stay focused it's nearly the weekend!

Well this is what September looks like. I'm almost looking forward to the next season are you?

I can't wait to see what new colours and styles will have us swooning over, have you bought anything for the new season yet?

Having just got back from Sicily on Monday I've not had a chance to get into town to see what's around.  You know I hate shopping online, but maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and get looking on there.

It's still hot here, well I think it is.  So I'm still eking out my Summer dresses and this one had to be worn again - with new sandals of course. 😏

I have to admit tying them up took a few attempts and I have to pull them really tight to make sure they don't slip down.  I like everything about them from the little frayed edge to the wedge platform they have.

My Holiday Edit - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there everyone, how are you doing?

Are you managing in the heat?

It's still hot here in the UK although some days are more muggy and humid than blazing sunshine. I have to admit I've managed to keep topping the tan up which I love, little and often is a good policy for tanning!

I've been an excited Mummab this week as we have finally started our new build.  When we bought our house over 10 years ago we had plans to knock it down and build two new houses!  For various reasons we had put that on the back burner but last Monday everything was in place for the building to start.  

You can't imagine (unless you've built your own) all the tests, checking, plans and paperwork that goes into building new properties.  However the hard work has just started as my husband does a lot of the work himself!  I'm quite hands-on too and like to get involved when I can.  Just today I was sawing planks of wood to make some shuttering. It was a big electric saw and I'm actually really proud of what I did!

My recent holidays now seem to be a distant memory.  It doesn't take long to get back to normal once the suitcases and holiday clothes are packed away.  All the washing and ironing has been done and I'm dreaming of my next break which, hopefully isn't too far away! 

Today I thought it would be nice to re-live some memories and share some of the dresses I wore to Majorca.

The first is one of my favourites, a super cute green tee shirt midi. 

This is one of the first times I've ever worn this shade, but boy I can tell you I'll be wearing it again!

I picked this up in Peacocks just before my trip to Majorca, it was a bit of a last minute buy and I'm so glad I did.  I've dressed it up and down and it looks great for both! It's in the sale now for a tenner - amazing value!

Style Not Age - Birthstone Beauties.

Morning my friends. 

Hope your month went well.

June this week sounds crazy doesn't it!

As it's the last Monday of the month it's time to look at what the ladies from Style not Age have been working on.  It was my turn this time and as it fell in my birth month I thought the title of 

Birthstone Beauties would be a topical challenge.  I'm thrilled to see each of my friends have a different stone, all the looks are so different and our individual personalities really do shine through.

I've always loved my birthstone, it's an Emerald and although I don't wear much green I always feel it suits me so well - do let me know what you think. X

White Midi with Black Additions - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my friends.

I do hope you are all doing well.

Writers block has hit me today, I'm finding it hard to write anything really!  It's a hard time of the year with memories of loved ones who've passed away in this month - it proves to be a tough time for all the family.  It's something we all have to come to terms with isn't it, but I have a good strong family around and I find talking really helps.  

I also think I've just about had enough of Covid and all it has brought with it, but I do feel things are very slowly beginning to settle down.  Masks have become second nature and I feel quite naked when I don't have one on when I'm anywhere near the shops - lol.  How are the Covid restrictions where you live?

What I can tell you about is something I've been enjoying styling and wearing recently, and honestly who doesn't love a white dress
If you follow me on IG you might have seen me styling this white dress a few different ways - here's a link if you'd like to see it.  I had lots of lovely comments and found that most of you favoured the same one that I liked the most.  It's just a black and white combination, and doesn't disappoint in the fashion stakes. 

One Night On The Spirit of Discovery - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my lovely friends.

Many thanks for joining me today.

How's July going for you?

I decided to head over to my local outlet yesterday, I was so looking forward to spending a couple of hours wandering round the shops - Imagine my disappointment when every shop had hardly anything I liked!  I wanted to see what M & S had in there, especially the underwear - very little was being offered.  Same in Clarks, the shoes and sandals were pretty naff to be totally honest.  Phase Eight and Roman weren't any better and after an hour I decided to call it a day and come home.  I might have to resort to doing what I hate .... online shopping!  I just don't enjoy it - I like to look at clothes, feel them, see what the fabric is like, do the colours suit me up close and finally try them on in the store!   Am I the only one who feels like this?  Please tell me I'm not!

Anyway enough about my shopping antics let me tell you about my night away. 💓

My first proper go at pattern mixing! - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my lovely friends.

Thanks for stopping by today.

How's your week going?  I've got everything crossed that we come out of lock-down next week and have a bit more freedom.  I want to get my shopping sorted as I hate buying online (remember I told you that before lol).  

Mummab's household is looking rather festive with the installation of my Christmas tree and some outside lights.  I'm gradually adding to it and love how warm and inviting everything looks.  Have you put any decorations us yet?  I haven't bought any more ornaments this year (although it's still early - but don't tell the kids) but I have purchased some new lights.  My tree has been covered with three sets over the years, but with a set failing last year and the numerous plugs needed I thought I should be a new set.  Lidl have opened a new store down the road and I found 1000 lights for only £24 - bargain.  They have a few different settings and are a homely warm white which looks fabulous amid my gold and copper baubles. You can't purchase Lidl online, but here's some from Amazon that are very similar.

Now shall we take a look at my latest attempt at pattern mixing?  This is very adventurous for me as I don't feel this is my "thing" - but it doesn't look too bad does it, my friends!

Another look for my White Culottes - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there my lovely friends.
How are you all?
Well didn't Storm Francis cause a few problems!  Debris everywhere including my new gazebo that somersaulted over my 8ft high hedge ending up in the side road next to me 🤯 Just so lucky it didn't hit any people or cars!! My shoot was also disturbed with us having to take photos in the wind and rain!  Esther managed to make the best of a bad job and produced some great shots for the Style not Age challenge that I'm hoping you'll join me for next Monday.
Another blow this week was my fridge freezer packing up - it's not working properly so I've ended up calling out a repair chap who can hopefully fix it!  Most of the frozen food has been wasted, but on the plus side I've wanted to empty it for a while so now it's been done for me.  I'm praying the technician will get it up and running tomorrow or I'll be needing a new one!

Do you remember seeing my new white culottes?  Well I happy to share another version with you today - a version to wear out in the evening.

Styling my Karen Millen Dupes.

Morning all, hope you've had a good weekend.
I've had a super one.  I had a catch up with my best friend on Friday and was surprised when she arrived with a big plate of tomato & mozzarella sprinkled with olive oil, salt & pepper - what a treat!  Chuffed she'd read my blog on Thursday about her tasty homegrown tomatoes. X

Yesterday we had all the family gathered for a big Sunday roast, we cooked leg of lamb with roast potatoes and all manor of vegetables.  My daughter supplied the desserts - mouth watering Biscoff cheesecake and Nutella brownies - yum, yum!  We also made room for cheese and biscuits - I literally couldn't move all evening and vowed to cut down through-out the week - let's see how that pans out - lol!

Styling a Cut-Out Blouse - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Good morning my friends.
Thanks for stopping by today.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Nothing much lined up for Mummabstylish this weekend, it's quite daunting to think of nothing happening at the weekend paired with horrible wet weather isn't it!  Bring back the sunshine please 🥺

Before the summer runs out I thought I'd better share this cute little cotton cut-out top with you.  I'd seen another blogger wearing an eye catching beauty and wanted to find my own - alas I couldn't find the right top (it was sold out) and found this pretty white cotton top was a good substitute.

Pink Pick-Me-Up - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Good Morning my friends.
Hope you are doing well.
I have a very special few days coming up, but they really won't be the same still stuck in lock-down.  You see it's my birthday tomorrow and I will only be able to celebrate with my loved ones who live with me!  I know it's the same for a lot of you, so do share how you would celebrate your lock-down birthday ideas.
It's also my grand-daughters birthday and my eldest son's & I won't be able to celebrate with him, I'll just stop by to give him his pressie and my love from afar.  We will have a little 'party' for my princess with the others joining on the computer via Facebook or Zoom!
Apologies for no post on Monday, everything just got on top of me!
I had a super long weekend with the Bank Holiday unusually happening on a Friday.  We had a BBQ in the garden with some tasty meat I bought from the local butchers.  As the weather was nice I decided to buy a paddling pool for the children, but by the time it arrived the weather had changed for the worst - freezing cold and the last thing they wanted was a cold and wet dip in the pool!  Saving it for the better weather that's hopefully just around the corner!  Maybe we can have a 'pool party' for my grand-daughters birthday on Saturday!

"Time for a Cuppa" - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my friends.
Hope all is well with you.
How's your Spring wardrobe shaping up?  I've purchased a few pieces and will be sorting through my wardrobe soon, just so I can check up on what I need to fill in any gaps and get rid of things I haven't worn for a while.  I'm excited to see what's coming into the stores too, it's nice to see the new season fashions arrive and find out what's 'on-trend' & what I like & more importantly what I might buy!

With Mothers Day just around the corner and me feeling slightly very guilty that I won't be here (I'm going for a cheeky skiing weekend), so I figured it would be neat to spend some time with my mum.  As the years go by I realise more and more how special my mum is.  I appreciate all my time with her but don't spend anywhere near as much as I should.  It's just 'life' gets in the way sometimes.  We are planning another weekend away this year similar to when we went to Rye last year with my sister.  It's something we all enjoy doing and really make it special.
It's all about quality time though isn't it, if you can only spare an hour or so having a cuppa surely that's better than nothing!  I love popping to mum's for a chat, we always talk about old times, the family, what we've been doing and what she's been up to.  She's always busy and has a club night or evening dinner planned three or four times a month!  Her social life is better than mine!!!

Did you know from 1st - 8th March it's 'Time for a cuppa' campaign?

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions and comments are my own.

Grey Culottes with Soft Pink - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my friends.
How is blogging land going?
With half term this week my ballet class isn't on, so along with the fact that my spin classes have been stopped due to the room being refurbished (that's another story) I've enjoyed being a little more relaxed and have spent more time indoors - which is just as well as the weather has been atrocious!  I've been blown into the middle of next week when venturing out and my hair has looked, how shall I put it .... like I've been pulled through the hedge backwards. 🤣  Now with weather playing 'unfairly' I've been pushed into a corner and had to wear sensible jeans and boots, but literally can't wait to start wearing more 'season appropriate' clothes like my new culottes I recently found.  I have been a huge fan of them, but since losing weight mine are too big so have been looking for replacements.  Over the winter I have tried to stick to a neutral colour palette wearing rust, tan and blue among other shades, so felt a change was needed.  I spotted these grey culottes in Primark so popped them into my bag knowing I had a few options to play with at home.
Here's the first .... grey with pink. 💟

Styling a Leopard Print Pleated Skirt - Style Steal

Morning.
How are you all?
I'm still getting back into the swing of all things blogging, so until I'm back to normal with my post's it'll be a bit up and down.  After missing the last two months' Style Steal series I've being trying to get to grips with finding a copy and putting one together.  Having a little free time it's been nice to create this one with pieces already in my wardrobe, you've not seen the skirt before - it's from Next and a welcomed addition as I've worn it loads already.  The jacket, boots and jumper have all been featured before too.

Firstly I'll tell you a little about my week.  Friday night I went dancing, and have been up-graded to a pre-intermediate class which is brilliant.  Learning similar routines at a faster pace suits me much better, I can really get into it and enjoy my time spinning around the floor.  I still need a partner (hint - hint hubby) but enjoy the class so much I'm going to continue going.
Saturday we went to a 60th birthday party, I had a really fun time at our friend's house chatting to friends I'd not seen for a while.  There was lots of dancing and drinking so it ended up a really late night.
Sunday, as you can imagine was very s - l - o - w indeed - I actually didn't get up until GONE 12!!! Yikkes!!!  I watched TV all afternoon, and ended the day with a takeaway curry - 😋
Monday I went to my abs class - good fun there, half an hour of intensive exercise really woke me up.  Same on Tuesday at the spin class, which I might end up regretting when I my body realises just how I hard worked after no classes over Christmas!!!

Style not Age - My Favourite Trend for Autumn ...Rust!

Morning my friends.
Hope you're all good.
I'm actually away with my mum and sister today - so had to plan ahead for this one.
With it being the last Monday of the month the Style not Age ladies are in charge of the post.  It's been my choice this month and after a few harder challenges I thought I'd try and make this one a little easier. So my choice for today's endeavor is.....

My Favourite Trend for Autumn .... Rust!

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

Once a month Hilda, Anna, Emma and I take turns to style a theme our own way, you can see some of our previous topics here for September, August, July and June.

Slinky Black Midi Dress. #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there, how are you all?
Been a nice couple of days doing not a lot after a busy weekend.  Although there's another busy weekend on the horizon for me, so I'm making the most of the quiet, less chaotic time and just relaxing with the dog!
Friday I'm in London with some girl friends for an afternoon tea to celebrate a birthday.  I'm really looking forward to spending some time in the capital & hopefully having a bit of retail therapy too!  Sunday I'm away for a couple of days with my mum and sister, with mum's birthday whilst we are away so that will be really nice for us to be together.  We're going to stay in Rye - a place I've only driven through so It will be nice to see what the place holds for us - lots of lovely restaurants I hope, maybe the odd pub or two as well! 😉

Today's outfit is a more detailed look into the dress I wore for Esther's 'wig' party.  Have a look and let me know what you think about this slinky little number and what other ways it could be styled -I've got a few ideas rolling around my head already!