Minimalist Woman and her swathe of shoes

I have a confession.  I awoke one morning last week to discover that I had ordered an Ottoman during the night.  What was I going to do with an Ottoman?   My hand hovered over cancel...but wait.  This was quite a sensible purchase.  I was obviously an inspired shopper in my sleep.  Wouldn't an Ottoman help me in my aim to be 'Minimalist Woman'? 

My shoes and boots currently live in the bottom of wardrobe in the dark, tucked away from my guilty conscious.  This means that every excursion involves pulling the lot out just as I am about to leave the house and leaving a swathe of  footwear across my floor until my return, a 3d version of my Renee shoe scarf.  In our house the answer to the question 'is mum out? ' is 'look at her floor. ' 

If I transferred my shoes to the Ottoman they would be more readily accessible.

Then  I could move my boxes of back up essential elixirs of youth to the wardrobe spot vacated by the footwear.  They could now be tucked away in the dark to be my secret.  

I could start again!  The family wouldn't know.  'Minimalist Woman' was not unachievable.  Where's that app?

A Stingy TVshopaholic enters 'The Hive'

On Friday I braved a ladies pamper evening at the local English village primary school.  I live in an area with a duck pond and where the mothers wrap themselves in  their angora and six by sixes (forget four by fours, these women mean real business)  to do the school run.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for dressing up, lunching and adorning myself in designer gear, as any TVshopaholic would do,  but I find spending half an hour to select an outfit to put out the wheelie bin is not an efficient use of my time. However, each to her own. 

I pulled on my new, indigo, knee high,  sheepskin boots, swished a comforting Renee scarf around my neck and put a pearl necklace in my Kipling bag in case I needed to bring out the reinforcements. I was going for the understated, hoping to pull off  'I don't need to try, I've got a scarf with red telephone boxes' look.  

The clarion calls of 'darling' and bubbly laughter lured me down  the alleyway and I walked the  long walk of perfume and inferiority (the perfume was from others, the scent of inferiority from me.)  They may have their 6 by 6's but I had my Renee scarf, I told myself. These ladies had adopted swarm thinking in their 6 by 6 comfort zones and I may only have a scarf but it had red Telephone boxes.  I was individual, my inferiority  smothered by fabric.  I raised my head, swished The scarf, entered the hive and graciously accepted the glass of bubbly.

The halls or hive cells, were laid out with stalls. I weaved through a few times to gain my confidence, keeping my eye out for the inevitable queen bee.  I ignored signs to 'massage', facial,  reiki this way. I wasn't going to lay on a table and have my vulnerabilities exposed, here.  Anyway, I exfoliated so didn't need all of that! 

I walked in the other direction and stopped at a stall. The holder was smiling , beckoning. We chatted and she told me how she had started to make jewellery recently as a hobby.   

My attention was drawn to little packs of  earrings like minature buttons.  I thought they were cute and bought two pairs for my girls for Christmas.

Another stall displayed teacups filled with candlewax.  These cups and saucers were of the era of the 70's or earlier.  This set I recognised from my grandparents house when I was a child.  My grandmother served tea in hers not candles.

Another stall had 'vintage' plastic stones in jewellery.  Apparently they were 'vintage' as the plastic stones dated from the 1950's but had not actually been used in jewellery so were effectively new but at the same time genuine Art Deco stock.

A bar was located in the centre of the hive.  Prices were £3 for a glass of wine and 50p for a chocolate truffle.  I contemplated running across the road to my home, having a quick Sav Blanc and a bite of my home made fudge and returning.

I only purchased the little earrings and at £3 a pair. I had caressed a string of freshwater blue pearls. I also pondered statement jewellery but at £50 decided it was not as good value as zero cost per wear from my favourite channel.    An evening bag had caught my eye but that was £83 and it wasn't even Lulu G.   

I was a stingy tvshopaholic today. 

£30 divided by zero is...

Today  big, bold, statement jewellery is on special. The jewellery that apparently is borrowed and flung around the floor on 'Strictly' . That jewellery!  However I don't go to big, bold, statement places and I don't think Mr Him has plans to whisk me round doing the fandango anytime soon.  

 

Putting logic aside as any good tvshopaholic would do, I notice there are four colour options today. Silver, not so silver,  gold and not so gold.  What choice!  I waver, gold or not so gold?  Does there have to be a choice?  How about both. How about both!!! 

 

No, no. I have enough. I have bold statement jewellery from that brand already and it still hasn't been Tangoed or Meringued around a ball room.
 

 

I remind myself that the cream leather jacket I am wearing today is 15 years old. Purchased at a country show at the great expense of £80 at the time. Didn't that turn out to be excellent value?  Under 27p per wear.  The boots that I'm wearing are 6 years old and well used (under 14p per wear).   I'm not extravagant.  I'm clearly a canny shopper.

 

 

I do the maths.  At under £30 but without a big, bold, statement venue or fandango in my diary the cost per wear would be.... £30 divided by zero is zero.  

 

Best value yet!  I'll have all four.

Because they're Indigo

It's cold and wet.  I climbed into the attic this morning to extract my winter coat.  It's time for the sheepskin boots.  I was delighted to see some are the special on a certain channel.  

I watch, I yearn,  I reach for the app.    The extra slightly slimmer feminine toe! They are waterproof, they are knee high and oh that indigo. ..that indigo. 

 

Restraint.  I have waterproof sheepskin boots from that brand, last year's special.   Why would I want more?  Because I have some from last year from that brand,  that's why.  

 

Mine are the low in chocolate, this does not affect their calorific content.  I adore them in the wet winter.  Snug feet in the supermarket car park early on a Saturday morning is bliss.  Snug feet walking around the fridge section is even more blissful.  I have been known to deliberately walk in puddles.  I'm not disappointed.  My feet stay dry and toasty.  

 

 

Should I? Oh the decadence of two pairs.  I could stand in a higher see through bowl of water with the highs.  (you would have to see the show to understand that.) 

 

The pic has a bonus shoe in it, daughters trainer.  We were in McDonalds.

 

 

I remember my resolve and why would I want another pair anyway?  Because they're knee high,  because they're indigo,  because they're waterproof,  because they're knee high, because they'll keep my legs warm going to work in a skirt,  because they're indigo,  because they're knee high, because they'll match the tiny little flowers on my scarf,   because they're knee high, because they'll keep my feet cool on the train,  because they're indigo, because I can wear tights with them and still have warm toes,  BECAUSE THEY'RE INDIGO

A halloween adventure with a Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Last week  I purchased a battery for my scales, a dog tag for my dog and 2 pumpkin spiced lattes.  This all came from my housekeeping budget so allowable.   I am trying to figure out how I can swing a fedora out of housekeeping but sadly not come up with a rational argument.  The purchase of the lattes is the most memorable.  The event being quite enough to tide me over for another week at least! 

Being Halloween  I had thought I would allow temptation to lead me to the coffee fountain called Starbucks.  Well I had seen Pumpkin spiced lattes advertised in the paper in the morning after all and what good shopaholic would ignore an advert, especially when you can say 'it is Halloween.'    I convinced a colleague too, I find guilt is spread more thinly the more people indulge, even if I was paying.  As I left the building  I saw an elderly man leaning on a walker staring at our office from across the road.  He called me over and asked whether I worked there.  'yes,' I said.

'I did once,' he told me, 'it did my head in!  Don't get stressed will you.'

I affirmed that I wouldn't and walked on.  Two lattes purchased and I returned to the office.  The gentleman had gone.  I took the lift and then with my hands occupied had to do the chest waving sway in front of the infrared to unlock the door with my pass.  This worked, as I knew it would, being a recognised technique of mine.  With lattes in hand I pulled on the door and Pumpkin spiced latte gushed forth over  my white shirt.  To describe it as a caramel geezer would be an understatement.   I hurried to my desk, deposited lattes and ran to clean up in the ladies.  This involved total saturation of my white shirt to transparent drenchedness.  I followed saturation with waving my chest once again but this time under the hand dryer.

So much for avoiding stress!  However remarkably my  Renee shoe scarf from my favourite channel did not have so much as a drip of coffee touch it.  Stress in the vicinity of my desk would have been stratospheric if it had.


As for the man and the walker,  I've never seen him before and so far not since.  Ok it's only one day but...

 A note of interest it is National Stress awareness  Day in the UK is on the 5th.  Who would figure it would be on Bonfire Day!

Paprika and Fudge

Yesterday we had a friend visit.  We entertained him in our Paprika no .6 dining room.  This room was decorated by our teens when we were on vacation as a surprise.  Believe me it was a surprise!!
The rest of our house is soft colouring,  magnolia and themes of.  This room colour is kind of wacky and I love it.  Mr Him doesn't, it clashes with too many of his shirts.

The wine is  from a wine tasting event we went to recently.  It was a purchase that must of course be used and without delay!

The weather was warm enough in England to have the outside doors open.  Halloween saw temperatures in the UK of 23 C.  Normally we are bundled up in scarves and gloves at this time of year.  We had to have the door open to enjoy the novelty.  

As you can see a chair outside has made good use of the wine already!  So that's where more than half the bottle went before we had even sat down!  Mr Him, I apologise!

Today we also made use of  'homemade' salty caramel fudge from my favourite shopping channel. Homemade, well I mixed it and heated it and mixed it some more and cut it and ate it, all in my home.  

I also made use of clothes that handily I had in my wardrobe.   The necklace is from a channel that sells Jewellery and coincidentally matches the Kim & Co top from the other channel we love so much. 

A young on line shopping Genius

I may be 'resting' from online shopping but the deliveries still come!  Now in little grey parcels not blue. These parcels come direct  from China. My oldest has discovered on line retail therapy but the young genius has taken the concept to a new level. She's cut out the middle man. What pride I have in her!  

 

I've told the postman it's not me, that I'm 'resting', who am I kidding.  He looks cynical.  I can understand that, really I can. 

 

DD texts me every day to ask if she has any 'post'.  Her strategy is to buy when the price falls. If enough people want the product the price goes down (now there's a concept for a certain shopping channel I favour.) I'm so proud of DDs technique.   But then she's learnt from an expert. 

 

So far jeans,  poncho style cardigan and a blouse has arrived. There's a lot that hasn't arrived too. The rest of these jeans for instance (ok, it's the style and very nice on youth too.)

 

We will watch the doorstep to see whether the rest of her winter wardrobe arrives.  (PS she's planning on a warm winter going by the jeans.)