60th Birthday Celebrations.

Hiya 👋

You okay?

Hope you’ve had a super week, have you had good weather? We’ve had it a bit hotter and somewhat humid so on Friday night we had one almighty storm! We turned the lights off and watched the lightening light up the sky as if it was daytime! The claps of thunder signed it was right above us at times but fortunately we didn’t have too much rain so no danger of flooding. Of course by the next morning apart from a few puddles there was no sign of anything happening!

I went to a party on Saturday night. It was my best friends’s 60th celebrations and she had an enchanting garden party complete with pretty flowers and fairy lights. 

It was a lovely evening chatting with old friends and finding new ones - the ones you feel you already know because you’ve heard so much about them! We dancing ate and drank until the early hours and succumbed to the tired feelings that enveloped us all catching a taxi at 1 am! Wow what a way to celebrate your 60th but I needed the slow day on Sunday to recoup and get back to normal!

Always there to share good and bad times with a friendship that has never wained!

I wore this maxi dress but should have taken a little jacket with me as the wind didn’t retreat in the afternoon and made it seem so much colder. The food was delicious, I took a homemade pâté which went down really well - I’ve got some orders in for Christmas already! 😂

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

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Dark Florals for Autumn - Chicandstylish Linkup

Morning all.

How are you my lovely friends?

It’s been a great week after a busy weekend. 

Friday night was the usual ballroom class and we’ve been learning the waltz and I have to say it must be one of my favourite dances. I’m really getting to grips with it and enjoy sliding over the dance floor embracing every move with enthusiasm and vigour. I’m learning to lean back from the shoulders which makes the whole experience much more fulfilling (Strictly season is just around the corner so I’m all the more interested in getting it right - just incase eh! 😉)

Saturday night I went out with my sister and our hubby’s & you can hear and see our delicious dinner here.

On Sunday I looked after Max and did a bit of clearing up the spoil from the hedge I’d trimmed the day before, it was a slow day after my night out and I have to admit to not feeling like doing much at all!

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

 

Styling a Stripey Dress - Chicandstylish Linkup

Wow, welcome August!

How on earth did that happen?  Way over half way through the year, we'll be talking about Christmas soon!

How's your week been? Mine's having a bit of a lull after a busy few weeks, I really need it though.

I went shopping with a friend on Monday, but have to say I was really underwhelmed by the shops in my local city of Canterbury.  So many stores have closed down making way for restaurants and eateries along with charity shops (nothing wrong with CS I might add) but all the big stores have gone from our town centres making it more like a ghost town.  M & S did have some lovely pieces (this skirt is on my wish list) and Fenwicks had lots of lovely dresses, sandals and shoes but with hefty price tags attached to them!

Needless to say I didn't come home with anything, but will be checking the skirt out online it’s got a cute little top to match it and I'll see what else they have to offer for home delivery too!

Today I’m actually going out with my mum and sister. We’re going to Hempstead House for lunch. I’ll let you know how it goes my friends. 

Today I’ll show a dress I bought when I popped out for a card!

Style not Age share Festival Finery

Morning my friends. 

How’s your world going?

Another jam packed week!

Out on Friday afternoon for my friend’s 60th birthday celebration, you remember the weekend away to Benenden well it was for her birthday and she’d hired a beach hut in Whitstable. It was lovely to sit and chat to some of our mutual friends, meet some of her school friends (anyone else have friends who tell you about their other friends so you feel like you know them?) & catch up with friends you only meet at certain times. She’d bought some nibbles and soft drinks along with some fizz and cocktails. I only had one glass of Prosecco because I was driving and wanted to go to my ballroom class! Today’s post features the dress I wore, do let me know your thoughts. 

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

Style Not Age share Dreamy Dresses.

Good morning

How are you?

All fine and dandy with me, I’ve literally forgotten about my holiday the other week. Back down to earth with a very big bump!  All the washing is done and put away until my next break which is to Portugal in September.  

Warmer weather seems to have arrived and it's been lovely to sit in the garden and enjoy it!  On Saturday evening I went to a friends for a gin and buffet evening.  It was good to sit and chat in their lounge which has a big bi-fold door into the garden.  There's something enchanting about sitting outside on a Summer's night when it's warm, although we did have to close the doors when it got a bit cooler and the bugs started to arrive - I had enough bites on my holiday!  Did you catch my holiday edit?  I shared some of my dresses that I wore in Majorca and talking about dresses, this month's Style not Age is upon us and the title, set by moi, is .... 

Dreamy Dresses.

Style Not Age Wear Jeans & Jewels.

Morning everyone. 

How’s you month …. gone?

Yes nearly November, isn’t it scary how fast the months go by!

I’ve had a few days of celebrations with a friends Afternoon Tea on Friday, followed by dancing where I finished off learning the Tango and very proud of myself I must say! I’ll pop a story up on IG so you can see the result - SCD here I come. 😂

Saturday was a lazy day, well after the grandkids left it was (I had three of them at home whilst my daughter took one of the boys to his football match, proud to say they won 2 -1 and both goals were scored by Freddie). I actually relaxed in front of the telly in the afternoon prior to getting ready for my evening out.  Do you remember me saying it’s my mum’s birthday dinner tonight? It’s her birthday today and she’s 90! Yes what a milestone that is! She really doesn’t look her age and for that matter doesn’t act her age either. She’s up-to-date with all the latest technology, has Facebook and Instagram and still drives! I’m so proud of everything she’s achieved in her lifetime from travelling around the world in her 20’s, living in Australia, returning home to get married, bringing up my sister and I alone after divorcing my father and managing a home and family whilst working a full time job. She found happiness in my step-father who took us on and gave us a wonderful life where upon moving to a new house and area I eventually met and married my husband. So I’m a firm believer that most things happen for a reason. Mum’s are very special people and mine is always there to help and support, give guidance and love whenever I or any of the family need it. So tonight will be a VERY special occasion and I’m excited to see how it pans out. I’ll share in the next week or so the full events and what I wore (yes the blue dress arrived, fitted and looked great on).

Sunday was another busy day with a a get together for my daughter’s birthday meal. We all decided on tapas and all prepared a dish to celebrate at my house. She’s out on her actual birthday (today) so it was good to enjoy most of the family having fun and tucking into some seriously delicious food. 

It’s starting to get exciting as we nearer the Christmas period isn’t it and I’m already thinking of my decorations and tree, I’ll be adding to them for sure as the weeks go by and am wanting some outside decorations this year, any ideas that aren’t too big and costly? Anyway back to the matter in hand today - the end of the month can only mean one thing. 

It’s time to say hello to my friends from Style Not Age for October’s challenge!

Anna stepped up to the plate and gave us the title …

Jeans and Jewels. 

Style Not Age Share ... June Jumpsuits.

Hi there,

How you doing?

All well and good here with me, and I'm excited to have a little friend to stay this week, Halle Berry is here with me.  There'll be plenty of walks, weather permitting, and as some of the children are away she'll fill my daytime up so I don't miss the kids.  

The new build is coming along nicely with the roofers putting felt and batten on it to making it a bit more water-tight, just need the windows installed to make it fully weathered in!  I've long awaited to be at this stage, although I know there's still LOADS to be done before we can even think about moving in, but I feel it's a milestone. 

That's enough of my ramblings, let's get back to this months challenge. We looked to Hilda for our title and she gave us a rather nice one to celebrate the hot weather here in the UK.

Jumpsuit in June.

I have a liking for jumpsuits and have often worn them on the blog as they're a real winner in my eyes.  As you know, and I often say, I adore wearing dresses, so for me a jumpsuit is similar but in trouser form.  There's no worry about trying to match items and often forget about a certain top until after the event!  So for me an all-in-one works really well.

Now the only trouble is that as I mentioned above all my jumpsuits have been feature on the blog before, but you can see some of my favourites here .... Coral on holiday, this Floral beauty I managed to find in a smaller size, finding my casual vibe in this one, love these citrus tones over this beauty and this abstract patterned version from Izabel London.

I did a little online shopping and found this flamboyant beauty and thought it looked super - so could be a welcomed addition in the Summer.

Another Jumpsuit!

Hi there,

Well that was a busy few days!

Last Thursday I went to my nephews wedding and what a lovely day it was!  I ended up wearing this dress that I featured for the Style Not Age challenge.  You can see here that I changed the accessories and opted for white rather than the tonal greens.  Do let me know in the comments which one you preferred, although both were very striking.

On Friday after a slow start I went to visit the bride and groom at their house.  They put on another fantastic spread to celebrate their wedding and I enjoyed more delicious food followed by a small amount of fizz and a general chat about the previous day.  Everyone commented upon having a wonderful day and enjoying the whole event, asking could we all do it again please! Lol.

The weekend was spent in the garden on Saturday, working hard on cutting the grass (me), trimming the hedge (David) and tidying up (both of us).  If you've followed the blog you'll know I have a love hate, hate relationship with my garden.  It's the bane of my life come the Summer months and it keeps me busy every week getting things in shape.  Oh for the days of a small garden ... lol.  With that being said I do enjoy seeing it when it's done, it's quite satisfying and something I'm very proud of. We were thoroughly shattered by the end of the day and sat down to watch the football with a tasty Chinese takeaway meal.

So here's today's OOTD.  I wore this to enjoy the BBQ yesterday at my daughters house.  She's got a big kitchen/family room and enclosed garden which is perfect for the kids, and they've got all their gardens toys to play with too.  It's been a hot couple of days and I'm not really used to it!  I know I can hear you sun worshipers shouting at me, but I need a few weeks to get into hotter weather.  We've gone from jeans and jumpers to full on shorts and t-shirts.  The British weather certainly does keep us on our toes, just don't know what it's going to do next!

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!

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.

Styling my colourful wrap dress - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hello, welcome to the blog and I hope you stay for a while.

I went back to the gym on Wednesday, boy was that a shock to the system. To be fair I'm glad I went as I felt amazing after it.

We've booked our skiing holiday.  We're off to France at the beginning of February, and I'm crossing everything that they will have a big dump of snow as it's been sparse to say the least in Europe.  

Our destination does seem to have plenty at the moment, so I hope it will at least stay like that until after we leave!

I won't been buying anything new as I've got plenty to see me through and as it's not a dressy holiday all I've got to take will be good enough. I literally can't wait to get away, our little grandson Max is coming on his first Winter skiing holiday and although he's only just one, there'll be some snow play for sure.  I did send my daughter a TikTok video of a little 10 month old skiing, but I think that's just a tad too much to expect, lol!

I have got a new dress to share with you though, this cute little wrap dress was gifted to me from Bonmarche.  I do hope the weather improves so that I can get back into wearing my dresses.  It's been way too chilly for me recently so I've been rocking my jeans and jumpers.  It's all about the warmth factor for me.

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

What to wear for a Birthday Lunch - #Chiandstylish #LINKUP

Hi everyone.

How's it going in your neck of the woods?

I'm just starting to feel normal after having a horrible chest infection.  I've never had one before and it really did take hold and made me feel really unwell.  I've got two more days of antibiotics - one a day which I've never heard of before!

I'm attempting ballet this morning and after having done nothing since the Monday-before-last I think I'll probably struggle.  I'll take my time and rest if I can't carry on, do wish me luck!

So as you can imagine I've not taken many photos over the past week, but had these waiting in the wings from last Friday.

They were taken when I went out with my sister and mum to a local restaurant for our mum's birthday lunch.  I wasn't on top form, but felt I couldn't let her down.  I ended up having a super meal and a brilliant time and although we didn't stay long, all of us had good fun chatting, laughing and planning future outings.  

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

September Review.

Hi there, how’s it going?

I’m stunned we’re in October already, how on earth did that happen?

The weather has acted accordingly and dropped temperatures to make way for layers, jackets and warmer clothes. It’s nice to have a change & wear warmer clothes isn’t it?

I’ve started to think about Christmas and after a couple of years when I’ve hated to embrace the festive season I’m excited to get going on present buying and Christmas Day planning. 

Both my daughters will be with their other half's family on Christmas Day, and although I hate it, I accept that I have to ‘share’ them so will enjoy their coming to us on Boxing Day. After all it’s better to enjoy the Xmas period for longer is it?  It's My mum's turn to come to us, and that will be lovely to have her join us.  Have you planned your Christmas Day yet?

Anyway let's forget about the festive season and think about the new month, a new month can only mean a new review ... so it's time to share the September Review.

Styling my Salamander shirt with Jeans - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there my friends.

How's you week been?

I'm actually out in London today.  I'm visiting The Shard for lunch with my sister, so do look out for a post about it soon.  I've wanted to go there for ages, and I hope the views are worth it!  My friend told me when her friend went the weather was foggy so she couldn't see anything! Lol

That would be bad luck wouldn't it!

I'm hoping we can have a look in a couple of shops whilst we are out, and am looking forward to having fun with her whilst looking at the latest fashions.  Will try popping something on stories for you to see what we get up to! X

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

What to wear to a Christening. - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Morning my friends.

How has your week been?

Thanks for stopping by today - great to have you here.

It's been a weird week.  After a very emotional day on Monday, things have to get back to normal don't they!

On Tuesday my son went off on holiday and left me with his dog - Halle.  He was going to get someone else to look after her, but both David and I said we'd like to have her.  It's been nice to have a pet again after the loss of my little dog Roxy back in 2021 and my darling Candy in 2016.  She's very much a puppy and wants to play all the time.  I've been on duty most of the time to take her outside to make sure there's no little puddles for me!  I have to say she's been a delight so far, and it's going to be hard to give her back.  Pets are a tie though aren't they, so having got my 'fix' from her, my desire (at the back of my mind) to have another dog has been well and truly fulfilled!

Today I thought I'd share my Christening outfit with you.  I admit to having many dresses that I could have worn for the occasion, but decided I'd have a look in town when I was picking up some dry cleaning.  

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.

July Review.

Hi everyone.

Thanks for joining me today, Mummabstylish needs and welcomes all your support - so Thank You!

It's shocking to be in August already don't you think?  This year, like many once we are a bit older seem to fly by so quickly.  Before long we'll be talking about Christmas won't we!

Anyway would you like a little re-cap of July and all her wonderful outfits and antics?

Well look no further as your wish is granted. x

The July Review is here.

My month has been a bit full on really.  With a week in Majorca in June and another trip to Rhodes last month there hasn't been much time in-between to get back into blogging.  I promise to get my head into the right space and produce better posts and hope you'll stay around to enjoy it with me. X

Looking back to the beginning of July I was lucky to find this stylish dress in Majorca, in the local market to be exact.  I like to return home with a little purchase or two & actually came back with two similar dresses, this one and another I've yet to show you.  Have a look at this classic smock dress that's an  irresistible shade of orange - well I certainly couldn't resist it, I had to have it.

What would you have done?  Seems I wasn't alone with my love of this one as I've had lots of nice comments about it. 🧡

Another Wedding, Another Izabel Dress - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hello and welcome to my blog.

So pleased you have found me today.

A couple of Saturday's ago I went to the third wedding of the year.  With many people choosing to postpone their weddings due to Covid we had three to attend, none for many years and three come along in a row, a bit like buses as the saying goes.

I needed a new dress and managed to find one from the company I'd got my two previous outfits from and you can see the gifted dress I wore first, and then the one I bought for my daughter's friends wedding.  I was so impressed with the quality and literally fell head over heels for this pretty pink & white tiger print midi.

Izabel London have a stunning selection of dresses suitable for many occasions, and I was delighted when they asked me to review a couple more.  I'd had my eye on this blue maxi and couldn't wait to get my hands on it - do let me know what you think of it my friends.


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

Wide Legs and Leopard Print.

Hiya my friends.

How's you weekend been?

Another hectic one for me with a wonderful wedding in the glorious sunshine on Saturday.

The weather couldn't have been better to celebrate the wedding of my friends daughter.  Everything went to plan, with mouthwatering food, drinks flowing and a cool disco to dance the night away.  I love going to a wedding, it's so nice to see everyone dressed up and seeing what the ladies have chosen to wear is one of my favourite parts.  The men looked well presented too, with my husband taking top marks for his new suit and tie - did you see IG for my photo - pop by to check us out, he looks very handsome and I think my choice was rather a winner too!

I'll be sharing a dedicated post to my latest Izabel London dress that you can peruse in the next week or so. 

Today I want to share another look for my wide leg trousers.

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