Benetton Jumper and Faux Wax Jeans - #chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning all.
Hope you're all doing well.
I still haven't managed to sort through my wardrobes yet - I bet it will be Spring before I do it - ha ha ha!
I've had a cheat of a week so far, eating out three times already!  Monday we ate at my mum's, Tuesday we were at my daughter's & last night we had a lovely meal out at out local Italian restaurant - let's hope tonight I've not forgotten how to cook - lol.
Seems this time of the year is booking holidays time - we've been planning a week in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, a skiing trip in January and a cheeky weekend in Scotland.  It's so nice to have things arranged and in the diary - they seem in the distance when first booked but like everything in my mad life they come around so quickly!  Time seems to fly by now I'm over fifty - how about you?  I think I'm trying to pack too much in, but you can never have enough of a good thing - right?
So with Scotland booked and skiing being sorted I REALLY need to get my wardrobe sorted.  I've bought a few pieces already and want to try having a more stream-lined collection.  Here's two of the garments I've already bought.  A stripy jumper from Benetton in Rome and these sassy black faux wax jeans.

My Busy Week!

Morning lovelies.
Well that week well and truly catapulted me into September!  Since the christening on Sunday, my feet don't seem to have touched the ground!
I hope you enjoyed the post sharing what I wore to my grandson's special day at our local church.
Monday was a slow day with a photo session with Esther Ruby, shopping for the event on Wednesday and a test drive with my mum for her new car!  With dinner at my daughters in the evening it went by without any hitches and I enjoyed not having to cook dinner or wash up. 😉
Tuesday saw me having a routine blood test after my first over fifty check up followed by my spin class.  More food shopping for the next day, finished off with dinner at home and preparations for the buffet I was taking on the boat.
Wednesday was 'race day' - do you recall me telling you my son was competing in the Doggetts coat and Badge sculling race?  Well that happened on Wednesday.  We left home on a coach at 10 am, ladened with food to fill our hungry supporters!  We arrived in plenty of time, so walked to the pier via a coffee shop.  Boarding the boat we were all in good spirit, especially after the bar opened.  With 100 odd family and friends we were soon under-way, we had to wait at the finish line to keep the waters clear for the four rowers.  Hubby was on a boat following and kept me updated as to what was happening - you can see more of the event on my nephew's YouTube site.  James managed a very respectable 2nd place, so for only sculling merely 10 months and still going to his shift work job on The River Thames he did an amazing job.  I can't put into words how proud I am of him, and although he's upset with not gaining first place he did an outstanding job and should be very satisfied with his noble attempt!  Silver lining for us though, we get to do it again next year!
Waking with a slight headache, I didn't get much done on Thursday - you may have gathered that by the short and sweet blog post - you can catch that here.  I had a exciting event to attend in the evening and you can read all about it further down.
Friday the usual Spin and Pilates classes then my Friday evening ballroom dancing class finished off my busy week - the weekend has been less manic - leaving me time to tackle the garden hedge and have some 'me' time!

Meeting up with Gail - Is This Mutton?  at the Vionic Autumn/Winter 2019 launch show.

Lalage Beaumont - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning all, I do hope it's a good one for you all including all you over fifties out there.
What you got planned for the end of the week?  Today I'm so excited to be having a spa day with two friends - it's for my birthday (back in May) so will be a real treat.  I'm looking forward to a day of R & R, catching up with friends and a super lunch in the delicious country house.

A bit late in the season, but I picked up a neat pair of tailored Bermuda shorts in my local F & F recently, I figured they'd be a worthy edition to my wardrobe, and being white will be a useful piece for the next few years.  If the weather is dry, but cooler come the next few months I'll pair them with a thick top or jumper.  I may even try wearing boots with them too, so stay tuned for that one!
Anyway last week I decided to slowly blend Summer with Autumn mixing white with rust - namely my long sleeve frilly blouse I bought on my last visit to Venice.
I'm also styling the tan cross-body bag I returned with, my bags play host to the usual bits and bobs - phone, lippy, tissues and purse, however when I'm sporting a smaller more compact bag I often just take my bank cards and a small amount of change instead of my purse.  That's when this sleek little credit card holder from Lalage Beaumont came up trumps.


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

Style Steal Postponed - Sharing my Bargain Dress.

Morning all and happy Ester Monday.
Hope your all suitable full for over-eating Easter Eggs. 😍
Today I have all the family round for roast Turkey and all the trimmings, so a table of 11 with 4 children will be tucking in possibly as we speak!  Two new additions will be spending this special day with us and I'm one happy and lucky Mummabstylish!


As today is the third Monday of the month it happens to be Style Steal day!  For a variety of reasons today's STEAL has been pushed back to Thursday so I hope you will join me then.
I had hoped some of you would send me a photo for the Copy Cat series I'm starting, but until today I've had no participents!! 😞  Please do all join in for next month - I'm sure it will be a fun opportunity to share your 'copied styles'.

Now today I wanted to show you an outfit I bought last week in the Matalan sale!  You know the scene the dress was just hanging there, in my size and being so ME I just bought it - well for £9 I'd be a fool not to!  What to you reckon on my 'bargain' cute eh?  So comfortable to wear, with a multitude of footwear to style with it - so with my animal print addiction it was a no-brainer in my eyes.

Red Jeans with Leopard Blouse #Chicandstylish #LINKUP - Playtex GIVEAWAY!!!

Morning all - Happy Easter!
Looking forward to a relaxing weekend with friends and family, with the odd glass of prosecco and a few nanny cuddles. 😉
All good in Mummabstylish over fifty blogging land.

GIVEAWAY.

I'm so pleased to be giving away a fabulous bra and briefs set very similar to the one I shared not long ago - read on for the GIVEAWAY.

With nice sunny weather over the past couple of days, my wardrobe has definitely taken on a Spring vibe with me wearing brighter, lighter clothes - much to my delight the appearance of a jacket once or twice too.  So I decided to style my red jeans again yesterday along with my grey leopard print blouse.  I like how they look together - one plays up to the other and compliment each other beautifully.

I took a trip to my local shopping center in order to look for a few pieces I wanted, unfortunately I couldn't find what I needed.  The shops seem to be lacking in all departments so I came home empty handed except for some work jumpers for hubby.  Is it just me or does anyone else feel disappointed with high street stores now-a-days?  I don't really care for online shopping but feel it's starting to become a necessity.  I wish shopping was like the old days.  Coming home with a bag full of goodies from the various shops and boutiques that crowded the town center.  All selling unique and unusual clothing - or does 'rose coloured glasses come to mind'. Lol.
Anyway moan over for today - here's what I wore.

When I'm Blue a cuddle will do!

Morning my friends, how are you doing?
An exciting weekend for me.
My Friday was filled with anticipation and the subsequent arrival of my grandson.  After waiting a few days for him to make an entrance he finally put in an appearance mid evening.  I rushed over to meet him after already falling in love with him!  Strange how we can love our children and grand-kids before we've even met them!
More hugs and cuddles on Saturday after another stint in the garden I joined the family to celebrate my grandson's second birthday.  How sweet to see him singing 'Happy Birthday' whilst opening presents and eating crisps & sweets!  My daughter had made an amazing birthday cake which totally went against my Keto diet but I just had to have a small large slither, mind you so did the two glasses of Prosecco I quaffed - 🤣
Is there anything you struggle with when you're blogging?  There doesn't seen to be a day goes by without having to work out how to do something!  Recently I've been trying to delete something from my HTML, but felt like I was going round and round in circles - there didn't seem to be anywhere to 'go' to for proper information - thank god for YouTube sometimes.  But when even that doesn't have the answers who do you turn to?  I eventually got things sorted with the help of my son-in-law to be,  with a great big sigh of relief when my 'problem' was resolved. X
Another 'problem' I've been having huge issues with is photo taking.  I end up using so many of the different settings, never really knowing exactly what I'm doing.  So with the help of YouTube again I took myself off into the garden and had a play about,  I had a sort of 'light-bulb' moment and have produced some relatively acceptable photos even though the setting was naff!

So my #ootd is more about the photos and less about the outfit.  But I certainly wasn't blue with the outcome!

Cheeky Ski Weekend to Valmorel + #chicandstylish #linkup

 

Morning, how are you all?
I'm on a bit of a downer after having a smashing whirl-wind weekend away skiing.
Since our earlier ski trip to Tignes hubby and I had missed the slopes so much - sad that we'd have to wait another year until we'd be enjoying skiing again, so much to the kids disgust (they wanted to come too) we booked a cheeky weekend break to Valmorel in the French Alps.

Last Friday we drove down through France after an early (5.00am) Channel Tunnel crossing, arriving at the foot of the alp around 4pm.  We started our descent up the mountain, wary of the brown, bland scenery that definitely lacked any snow.  As we climbed the narrow road, we were eventually greeted by patchy snow that made way to full on snowy peaks, paths and roof tops.  We found the Hotel and parked the car, enchanted by the sight of the quaint little town.  It's central walk-way was covered in snow, and sparkly festive lights hung through the middle, I anticipated how pretty everything would look in the dark - it did, alas I didn't get any photos!  At the far end of the town were trampolines and a fun merry-go-round - all for families with kids to be entertained.  There were also plenty of ski hire outlets with everything you'd need for fun and safety on the slopes.  We hired skis for a reasonable price prior to leaving & also purchased our ski passes in advance - which came in the post some weeks ago!
Enticing shops and restaurants lined the side walks, I looked forward to musing the menus to find the best places to eat and peruse the little shops selling cheese, wine and saucisson to take home.

Negative Comments!

Morning, how are you all my lovelies?
After telling you all I've had some relaxing weeks my weekend has turned out to be rather busy.  Friday evening I went ballroom dancing - I have been learning the waltz.  It's very odd dancing alone (hubby's adamant he won't join me) so I either dance solo, with the teacher or his wife - it really makes a difference having a partner to dance with so will have to keep badgering hubby to come too! 
Saturday night, after a day working in the garden, we had dinner with friends, a fabulous evening made easier because we all took a course of food.  My choice of pate with a selection of anti pasti for starters went down well, but I kept picking which is a big downfall for my diet!   Sunday arrived way to early after a late night, getting up to bake cakes for the baby shower I attended.  This was for my daughter-in-law and went very well.  We answered questions about mummy-to-be, guessed her waist measurement with string, tried to work out who the baby pictures were and ate lots of party food.  Home to chill after the busy weekend!  What did you all get up to?

Red has a habit of cheering me up.  It's an emotionally charged colour as it's the colour of blood and life.  It's associated with power, passion, love and confidence.  Red will lift your emotions & is a good choice for instilling confidence - something that will give you the edge when you're lacking it.
I picked this red outfit after recently receiving a negative comment - it really was a pick-me-up shade and helped big-up my ego.

Paisley Blouse with Grey Trousers + #Chicandstylish #linkup

Morning, hope your weather is playing fair.  It seems we have one awful day with wind and rain beating down on us and then another day that's sunny but chilly.  I always seem to pick the first one to take photos on!
I had a super day on Monday taking photos with Esther Ruby, alas the weather was a pain so we shot them indoors!  Looking forward to seeing them as I ventured into the lingerie world eekk!  Sharing a set that was gifted to me from Playtex.  I'll be bravely sharing this post in the next week or so once they've been studied, checked and certified in detail! Lol.
Today I was left to my own devices as all the children were out at work so I've been shopping for a few new bits - shush don't tell the family as I've just had a wardrobe cull!!  Mind you I haven't actually parted with anything yet, it's still all in a pile.  I might just be pulling some bits back again as I've seen some similar tops in the shops today - well they might just come in handy again one day!

Here's part of the outfit I wore - well just the blouse really.  I picked it up in H & M just before departing for my skiing break, I think It will go well with jeans which is just what I wore it with all day.  Anyway that's an outfit for sharing another day.  Here's what I will be wearing when the weather gets a tad a lot hotter.

Best nine of 2018! #chicandstylish #linkup

Happy New year!

Welcome to my over fifty fashion blog.
If you follow me on IG you may have seen Mummab is on cloud nine, you see my daughter gave birth to my grandson on New Year's Eve - a beautiful baby boy.  He came three days early and really lifted my spirits after losing my beloved Mother-in-law back in August.
So into 2019 with one new arrival under my belt I'm patiently waiting for another due in April, then onto May when my second eldest daughter gets married, I'm going to be one busy lady for sure.

I hope you caught my recent post sharing what the ladies from Style not Age presented.  Our tag 'Sequin in the New Year' was a winner,  I love all the outfits and would wear any of them in a heartbeat as sequins never really go out of fashion.  Having seen Kellyann from This Blonde's Shopping Bag wearing them with jeans that's just what I intend to do on a future night out! 😊

I'm sure you have all been busy over the past few weeks just like me and my goddaughter, so unfortunately I've not got any suitable outfit shots to share with you, so I was thinking what about re-visiting my most favoured blog posts of the year?
Without further ado here they are:

When I finally found this Michaela Louisa two piece on ebay I was itching to wear it to my nieces' wedding.  I paired it with silver sandals and a sparkly clutch bag, and after loosing a few inches a couple of months into my diet I felt a million dollars - especially having my make-up professionally applied!

Holiday to Abu Dhabi

Morning.
We're all on the countdown to that special day, I do hope your preparations are going well.  I had hoped to be finished by now, but sad to say I've still got a few presents yet to buy.  Maybe hopefully I'll be done and dusted by the end of this week. 🤞
Been away for a cheeky pre-Christmas overnight stay with our four best friends.  We don't need to go far to have a fantastic night out with them & honestly we don't stop laughing from the moment we meet until we say goodbye!  We stayed in a very nice pub near the town and basically ate, drank and laughed, I need a week to get over it I think.

Another fun break or holiday I've been on was a recent trip to Abu Dhabi with hubby and six friends.
Having visited last year to go to the F1 race we were all eager to repeat the experience, although we didn't make the Grand Prix this time we still had a super time.

H & M Jumper from Abu Dhabi #chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning lovelies.

Busy busy for Mummabstylish this week!
Hair appointment - to cover my grey, Christmas shopping, spin class, boring housework and a very important school Nativity play!  Rather excited to see my granddaughters first school performance.   Obviously my princess had the principle part - yes a very important ….. sheep.  Considering how shy she actually is that was quite a landmark for her and I couldn't be more proud.

Falling back on an old pair of trousers today, something floral and small.  I've been struggling with trousers in my wardrobe since losing weight with many of my lovely trews too big for me!  Not a bad thing I know, but now my choices are very limited!  So rummaging through my cupboards I found these that had been relegated to the back because the were slightly too small!  What joy to find they fit now, and dare I say are slightly too big!!  *Smug face emoji*  So what to pair with floral ankle trousers?

Joules Scarf GIVEAWAY #chicandstylish #linkup

Good morning, how's it going in over fifty blogging land?  I'm really chuffed you've stopped by today as I've got something special to share and you all have a chance to win it in the GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

I've was out nearly all day yesterday!  Got quite a few pressies, so now need to enlist the help of a good wrapper .. hint, hint! (in case hubby is reading) he's rather good at singing too - lol!  😂
Still plenty to buy, but I'm getting there slowly but surely.  Just need to ask, when shopping for others, does anyone else see mountains of clothes and accessories in the shops that would be great presents for themselves?  Why does that happen?  When I'm looking for me, I never see anything!!  I wanted so much ... a bag, a skirt, a coat, a jacket, numerous pairs of shoes and a couple of dresses - the only thing to do is take lots of photos and leave lots of clues laying around the house. 😉

Jeans, Stripy Tee and Jacket - #chicandstylish #linkup

Hi there - how are you?
Right now I'm getting acquainted with my hotel in Abu Dhabi, relaxing with a drink or two and chatting with friends.  Sorry if I'm making you jealous, I'll try not to rub it in.
Do stop back in the next few weeks I'll be sharing my experience with you.
But back to the matter in hand, my over fifty style ideas.

I seemed to have slipped back into my old ways with this outfit.  I had a hard and fast rule of three-colour-styling before I started blogging, but have tried hard wanted to get to grips with more noticeable ensembles … Alas not today!  You see old habits die hard, and I still think plenty of my styles look bloody great!

Okay, okay I know what you're saying - it isn't even in my three-colour-rule book it's more like two! But I really like the basic jeans and tee shirt style, and to be fair I'm wearing ivory boots so technically that counts as three tones right? - lol 😂

One blouse three ways x two = six styles.

Hi there - how are you all?  What's happening in the world of over fifty blogging?
Well I can fill you in on what this blogger has been up to - let me know what you're all doing!

Back in April I got together with Gail (found on her blog Is this Mutton?) when we shared three different personal looks with one M & S blouse. We had fun with this idea and wanted to try it again - last month we picked several items from the online shop and with fingers crossed swapped our choices hoping we would again pick at least one item that we both liked!  Fortunately we did, so the two of us promptly bought the gorgeous red satin blouse and set about bringing it to life styling three contrasting looks.



This pretty blouse has umpteen looks just waiting to be found.  With cute round collar and long sleeves it has an interesting white floral leaf design over it making it eye catching and likeable.
The tiny covered buttons which are also on the cuff add an expensive feel to the soft blouse.  At £27.50 it's reasonably priced and is anything but average, scoring high in my fashion stakes.

Brining grey to life with sunshine yellow. #chicandstylish #linkup

Hello.
Great to have you here on my blog for over fifties - but you're all very welcome. Hi there - how you doing?
Last week I was busy with birthdays, meals out and a photography course, so have welcomed this so far quieter one.  However looking towards the weekend we are having the grandkids to stay which will be somewhat louder, busier and packed with toys, food and clothes everywhere!  I'd like to say there will be some downtime, but if you know kids they'll be on the go all the time till they get into bed, when hubby and I will probably do the same - lol.  For those of you who don't have grandchildren there's nothing like it, my princess can twist me round her finger, just last weekend she's found a box of chocolates that I'd hidden (not very well) for Christmas, she asked if she could have one, much to her delight I obviously said yes!  I have to replace them in the week, because all the family dived in too!  Not sure what we'll get up to but I'll buy a cake mix so we can bake some sort of goodies, she likes baking and it will keep her occupied for a couple half hour or so!

If you follow my Instagram stories you may have seen I went bowling with all the family.  Middle daughters birthday and whatever we do we always have fun.  Bowling is a great family outing for any occasion, everyone gets their competitive side out, getting really grumpy if they roll a "gutterball".  I came …. nearly last, I was scared of getting my thumb nail stuck so didn't hold the ball properly, and then promptly got my nail ripped off!  Fortunately it wasn't painful, but looked wonderful - not!
Scrolling through IG a few weeks ago an outfit jumper out at me & wouldn't leave my mind.  The lady was wearing a striking pair of jacquard yellow and grey trousers.  They left me thinking about the colour mix and I knew I'd got the colours so tried it out.  Having already worn grey trousers with a yellow blouse I figured these yellow trousers were due an outing and would brighten up my all grey outfit.

Monochrome with my blue pleated skirt - #chicandstylish #linkup

Hi there, how you over fifty bloggers doing?

Do you recall I shared the fact I'd been dieting?  I've actually been on the Ketogenic Diet, now I know some of you will say it's not a good diet, but honestly it's the only one I've lost this much weight on.  It really is down to changing one's mindset.  I've been raised having carbs with every meal, sometimes carbs on carbs!  But all this stopped a few months ago and I'm really pleased with the results.  There's plenty out there on the web to point the right direction, with substitute recipes for almost everything.  This evening I had shepherds pie, the mash switched to cauliflower mash smothered with cheese.  I can still have the odd G & slimline T, and really the only things I've missed is a curry, rice & the odd prosecco!  I did have a cheat meal last Saturday and relished the takeaway I'd been hankering after.  So whilst I carry on finding these tasty meals and shed some more pounds I can feel happier & slimmer in my clothes and any that are too big I can enjoy shopping for new ones - win, win!! 😉


On Monday I featured my Style Steal, sharing a copied look from my blogging friend Anna.  Let me know what you thought of my bright version of her vibrant ensemble - I love hearing from you.
I mentioned I'd got another style waiting in the wings for my blue pleated skirt and here it is...

My monochromatic outfit was easy to style from picks in my wardrobe and fortunately the separates matched perfectly.  With the drape of the blue and white scarf I was good to go!

My weekend antics and #wiw

Hi there, how are you all my lovely over fifty blogging friends?
Busy weekend for Mummab!  Meeting a friend for cake and a cuppa on Saturday with an exhilarating walk along the seafront to work it off!  My little town was absolutely buzzing with people everywhere.  It seemed like a summers day especially with the delightfully warm wind blowing off the sea.  People were sunbathing on the beach, although I didn't see any swimsuits.  Ideal weather for flying kites, & I saw a couple of bright flyers swooping and soring high on the breeze.
Stopping in the aptly named Windy Corner Café for an acceptably large piece of Lemon Drizzle and Polenta cake - naughty but oh so nice! Washed down with plenty of tea.  Nice to catch up with a friend like this and it was such a treat because it's not something I'd normally do on a Saturday!
You'll never guess what I did on Saturday night!  It was Esther Ruby's birthday and she had a silent disco!  Yes you heard right (sorry - excuse the pun!) a silent disco.  With personal headphones and a choice of three music channels to dance the night away!  I did think I'd end up in the front room listening to the juke box with the oldies, but had a really fun time dancing and singing all night!  When a new song came through there was lots of pointing, mouthing and pulling one earphone off to shout "switch sides" "hey this is a good one" or "I love this one". Although it was hilarious when I took the earphones off and I could hear everyone 'humming' and 'singing' to their own personal songs! Out of tune & drone came to mind - ha ha ha!



Here's what I decided to wear.  Because of the unexpectedly warm weather on Saturday night I chose to wear a sleeveless top over some black jeans.  I picked up some boots in Florence and Fred (I'll show these in the next few weeks) on Friday and couldn't wait to wear them, super comfy soles meant I could and did dance all night!  These aren't in the photos because I hadn't bought them when they were taken.  The tassel ankle boots look great too so I could have worn them, but they aren't quite so great on my feet!

Eva Trends White Shirt - #chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning,
How are you over fifty bloggers - what fashions are you styling this month? Let me know by adding to the #linkup below.
Does anyone else seems to be getting busier and busier?  My life seems to be one long thread of hustle and bustle - I'm far busier than when the children were younger and at school.  Or is it that I can't handle it anymore? That said I've had a couple of days that haven't been so manic so I got a lot done, those little jobs that seem to get neglected and forgotten.  I've posted a few bits on Ebay, delivered a charity bag & generally sorted through clothes and shoes I've left out over the last few weeks!  It's nice to catch up every once in a while isn't it?

Today's outfit is pretty casual, something I'd normally wear from day to day.  A smart but reliable look, that never really goes out of fashion - yes jeans and white shirt.
You may remember I recently shared some pieces with you from the huge selection at Eva Trends.
My lovely lace dress, cotton coverup and a long line cardigan.
These three items proved invaluable over the past summer months and you can check them out again by clicking on the link. X

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

You can never go wrong with a white shirt can you.  We've all got one or two holding pride of place in our wardrobes and this Eva Trends Hugson pleated white one* will be no different for me.

Grey stripes and white jeans. #chicandstylish #linkup

Morning dear bloggers.

Are you feeling the chill?
Yes me too, it got decidedly colder on Sunday, so hubby switched the heating on.  After being away over night and waking up to horrendous wind and rain it was much appreciated when I walked through the door, in tee shirt and sandals!  I'd been with my girls on a hen night.  We went to a spa hotel on the coast for a day of pampering and a super evening meal.  I had one hell of a luxurious facial, leaving my skin fresh and clean - It felt amazing.  I've made a pact with myself to have one every month.
After an afternoon of fun, laughs, relaxation and chatter, I made my way up to the gorgeous room to get ready.  Included in the stay was a three course meal comprising of chicken and ham hock terrine, roasted chicken supreme, tarragon mousse, potato gnocchi & charred baby courgettes with a tomato jus.  This was rounded off with a cheeky lemon posset and an extra glass of prosecco, savoured all the more because I've been dieting!  You have to treat yourself sometimes don't you?
Generally a quiet night with a couple of quizzes about the hen and a show & tell kind of game, giving the hen a gift that means something to both parties, either funny or meaningful.  I was baffled with this one, but eventually remember the time she worked as a delivery driver for a local supermarket - her boss got a call to say she was stuck in a field whilst following the sat nav.  She had to be towed out & I don't think the shopping got delivered. She never really lived that one down!! Lol.

Now the weather is so changeable Needing extra layers now that Autumn has arrived,  so let me share this cute tunic jumper with you.