This week I am loving..........

this photo I found at the weekend of Mike and I taken a couple of years ago on one of our wedding anniversaries. Considering I don't like many photos of me I love this one as it makes me smile. Mike looks really small in this photo but in fact he is well over 6ft.

these beige suede boots from River Island, can I really get another pair of boots when I am meant to be buying work clothes! Would they go with lots of my outfits?  Could I wear them with black tights?  I am thinking they would look great with a white/cream dress and bare legs!

this song I cannot stop playing it- the words mean so much.

Also this song it makes you think and feel




love this video on youtube...its so cute and makes me happy

What are you loving at the moment?

All that glitters is gold!

Well the party season is coming around and looking through my wardrobe I realise I do not have many going out shoes...mainly because I don't really go out now, not as much as when I was younger anyway!

I am going out next Saturday night and was going to wear my cream lace sleeved dress with opaques and a cream belt and thought I would like some glittery shoes!

Therefore I have been lusting over all of these:

New Look Glitter Cross Over Strap Platform

New Look Glitter T- Bar Sandals

New Look Glitter Platform Court ( I feel the platform is a bit too big on these though...eek!)

Miss Selfridge Sassy Gold Glitter shoes

Lisa-Jane

xx

OOTD (Tuesday) plus Thomas troubles.

Dress - H&M

Jacket - H&M

Leggings - Topshop

Pumps = Topshop

Belt - Primark

I know I have worn this belt so much lately but I love it as it goes with so many things.  I also love this dress and have done outfit posts with it before but its so flattering.

I will have to try and do some outfit posts with some different items but half the time I forget to take the photos and I am very self critical so I usually hate photos of myself...!

This week Thomas has had to go back to the vets he has soreness and swelling by his mouth, the vet thinks it may be to do with his teeth as his gums are red and sore.  He has had this twice now and the antibiotics clear it up but it comes back again.  He is now on his 3rd course of antibiotics and hopefully it will not come back.

The vet removed some tartar on his teeth but the poor little fella only has a few teeth left and it may be that he may have to have another two removed.  

Apparently cats are notorious for having bad teeth obviously because they cannot clean them like we can. 

He is spoilt, we buy him the best cat food, no cheap stuff for Thomas and we have to  crush the antibiotic into his food, luckily he does eat it. 

Its funny but they know how to get around you though don't they? 

When we first got Tommy we used to buy him the Tesco own brand cat food which seemed pretty good as he was happy with that, but one day we bought him the more expensive food...big mistake!  After he ate that he would not go back to the cheaper Tesco stuff again. Now he gets the high end cat food all the time plus he does this little thing sometimes where he won't eat his food until we give him biscuits too...spoilt rotten!! He knows how to work us! 

Thomas lived on the streets before we took him in and was neglected so we feel we are just making up for lost time.

How anyone can just abandon an animal is beyond me!

Lisa-Jane
xx

Under Active Thyroid - My Story

Hello

Thank you for all your comments yesterday re work clothes you have all really helped me and I am definitely going to get the Topshop tunic.

Anyway this is a bit of a different post for me today.

On This Morning yesterday they had a slot about Under Active Thyroid (UAT) something I have and I thought I would write a post about this and its something I feel needs more awareness.

Back in late 2005 I had been feeling unwell for ages, I just felt really tired and sluggish I had no energy and felt awful.  I know some people will think oh tiredness thats nothing but this was like exhaustion I cannot explain how tired I was.  I used to be in work and by the afternoon I could hardly lift my head from the desk I was totally exhausted.  I was slurring my words slightly and just seemed a bit vacant and not there. To be honest some days I felt my heart was just going to stop I felt so sluggish and slow...it was really horrible.
Luckily back then I worked with lovely people and they noticed that I was not well as I was always very chatty and the life and soul of the office before I felt ill. 

I went to see my doctor and I have to say she is a brilliant doctor who has time for you and listens to you, she immediately sent me for a blood test as she was concerned.  A few days later I went back to see the doctor and she advised that my thyroid was not working properly (Under Active Thyroid UAT) as I had low levels of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) in my blood but the levels were not low enough to start medication.  Doctors cannot start treating you for UAT until the TSH level is at a certain point or below that point.  Therefore I had to wait a further 6 months before having a another blood test to see if the TSH level was worse and then I could start medication.

Six months later I went back and after a further blood test the TSH levels were a lot lower and I was diagnosed with UAT.

I started off on 50mcg of Levothyroxine (a synthetic form of thyroxine) but UAT is hard to control at the start because the TSH levels fluctuate so for the first couple of years I had to have blood tests every 4-6 months to check the levels.  Over the past 5 years my dosage of thyroxine has changed from 50mcg to 75 then up to 125 then down to 100mcg.

I was lucky I had caught it early and therefore I did not put on much weight and although I had felt really ill I would have felt much worse if it has been left undiagnosed for longer. 

The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in the neck and it regulates your heart, bowels, metabolism, regulates body temperature and assists many other organs.

These are the symptons of an Under Active Thyroid. 

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Thyroid-under-active/Pages/Introduction.aspx

A couple of years ago I noticed a lump in my throat and so I was sent off for a ultra sound scan as the doctor was worried I may have developed a goitre http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Goitre/Pages/Introduction.aspx which is a complication from UAT.  Luckily it was nothing but the scan had showed that my thyroid has shrunk so much that I have chronic UAT which basically means my thyroid hardly works.

Under Active Thyroid can never be cured but it can be controlled, therefore I will be on the medication for the rest of my life.

I am writing this post to warn others about UAT as a lot of people have these symptons but never get checked and it goes unnoticed.  Particularly if you are finding it hard to lose weight, even when you diet and if you feel tired/exhausted all the time and sluggish then definitely go to the doctors and ask for a blood test.

I have to be careful with what I eat because its easy for me to put on weight hence why I used to be a size 8-10 but now more of a 12.  I could get back to a size 10 if I worked extremely hard at it but I was told by a nurse, rightly or wrongly that its more or less impossible to lose weight with UAT,  although the medication is meant to help.

Luckily I have not put on too much and try to keep in under control.

I do worry about developing goitre's or other complications but taking that little tablet every day definitely makes me feel less tired and ill.

Under Active Thyroid is often confused with Over Active Thyroid.

 Over Active Thyroid is the opposite of under.  These are the symptons:

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Thyroid-over-active/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Do you or anyone you know have UAT or OAT?


Sorry if I have not left comments on your blog I will be catching up later today xx

I really need your help with work clothes please

As you know I was offered a job last week but I have a small dilemma.

Basically I have not worked for what seems like ages and time has moved on.  I used to wear the obligatory pencil skirts and high heels for work but I have always hated work clothes as they are just so boring.

I know that offices are a lot more relaxed now, a friend of mine said a lot of girls in her office wear leggings, dresses and ballet pumps. 

I am not going to be holding an important position only an admin/secreterial role and I won't be meeting the general public.

I have got a few work skirts (boring), jumpers and blouses/shirts but I would like to be able to wear dresses to work. I have got a few dresses that I could wear with opaques.

I have been browsing online (really should stop doing this) and I love all of these items (of course I am not going to buy them all).  I just wondered if they would be ok for work?

This tunic from Topshop ( I have the sleeveless version in Indigo and Red)  but I was thinking I could wear this with opaques and cardigans or fitted jumpers over and a skinny belt....what do you think?

I really love this bodycon navy skirt from Miss Selfridge and its different from the usual black/grey.

H&M Jumper - I could do with a couple of these in various colours.

I love this River Island wool skirt I just wonder if it will be too short.

I definitely need some black shoes but its hard finding ones that are the right height as they are usually really high or flat!

What do you think?

Winter buys

Hello everyone

These are my buys from the weekend

Firstly in Primark I got this fabulous coat its only £25.00 and I think its quite good quality for that price as I have seen similiar coats in the same material from Dorothy Perkins and New Look for  between £50-£75.  I think this photo does not do this coat justice it looks much better in reality.

Cream hat (to go with coat)

Super skinny jeans - thrse are fab like skinny jeans but very stretchy like leggings - love them!

In H&M Dusky Pink bag (love this bag, I love the colour and the style.

Faur Fur Collar

In New Look I bought these two ribbed tunics they are really fitted and ideal for layering.

Zara Cream Cardigan - I ♥ Zara's knitwear

Dorothy Perkins this cute little hairband in the sale for £2.00

Also I finally tracked down the elusive Barry M Peach Melba nail varnish which has been hiding from me for the past couple of months and fake tan products.

I really needed to get a couple of work clothes but to be honest I could not find anything I liked!!

Lisa-Jane

xx

My bargain leather boots

Hiya

Thanks so much for all your comments yesterday regarding me getting a job at last...its very kind of you all.

As you may have seen the other day someone at New Look made a major booboo as they reduced all their leather boots to £10.00 where as they should have been £10.00 off....I bet someone got into trouble!

I got in quick and ordered these and they arrived last Thursday.  I am so chuffed they are really nice.

As you can see I removed the chain as I am not a fan of big chunky chains and loads of buckles.

It was lucky it was so easy to remove and its not noticeable at all.  I think to get a pair of leather boots for a tenner is a pretty big bargain.

Tomorrow I shall post my buys from yesterday.

Hope you are all having a great weekend.

Lisa-Jane

xx

I have got a job!!!

Hiya

I had great news yesterday afternoon I was offered the job for the interview I went for on Thursday. They had 2 positions available, one for 6 months and one permanent. The feedback they gave me was fantastic and they offered me the permanent one.

Thank you for all your kind comments on yesterdays post I literally posted that and had the phone call...spooky!

Last night Mike and I went out for a meal to celebrate and today Mike has gone to watch his football team play away with 3 other mates so I thought I would do a bit of retail therapy and bought a few items which I shall post about on Monday.

I am so pleased I finally have found a job and something I think I will be happy in.

Lisa-Jane

xx

New dress photos

 

Hiya everyone

Just thought I would post some pictures of the lace sleeved dress that I got from the New Look sale.

I am not sure how I will wear it yet as I may wear it with a different belt and more 'sexier' shoes for a night out.  Its pretty short so could not really be worn without tights.

Sorry for the lack of posting I have been feeling rather down of late as its gone pretty quiet on the interview front.  I did have an interview yesterday and have another next week but it has gone pretty quiet of late with not many interviews.

Although I am not worried about the money side as such as we are fine at the moment its just the fact that I am now bored and really want to get a job asap.  Plus I feel I cannot plan anything for the future too!

Have a nice weekend

Lisa-Jane

xx

Outfit Post - Polka Dots

Polka Dot Dress - Stradivarius

Leggings - Awear

Pumps - Topshop

Belt - Primark

I bought this dress when I was in Tenerife in July and this is the first time I have worn it. 

I don't know if anyone saw my previous post but New Look had a load of their leather boots reduced to £10.00 this morning.

Happy shopping

Lisa-Jane

xx

*****£10 Leather boots at New Look*****

Have a look quick before they all go!

xx

Outfit post - Straight from the horses mouth!

This outfit is all from Primark, how bad is that!

The boots were free because the women in Primark forgot to charge me for them... and I love the horse clasp belt.

I also love this dress as its really versatile and can be dressed up or down.  I had a lovely compliment today from a girl in a shop who said she loved my dress and I had worn it well.

Pip and Vix have asked me to do a post of me wearing the lace sleeved dress (see previous post), thanks ladies I will do this sometime this week.

I also love the title of my blog post I always find this saying really funny....I mean where did it come from...? ha  ha

We had a really lazy weekend we popped to B&Q on Saturday and was surprised to see christmas trees on sale already! 

What did you do at the weekend?

Lisa-Jane

xx

Little haul

Hello

Well having all these days free and not working I do have much more time on my hands.  As I said in the week I popped into town and bought a couple of things, besides the Primark Jewellery storage (see previous post) which I think is such a great storage idea.

These are my buys starting with my favourite buy from New Look.

This gorgeous dress was in the sale it was £30 reduced to £12.00. Its lovely with a skinny belt around the waist.

Dangly earrings - half price in the sale

and I also bought a white vest top

In Primark I bought this floral skirt it looks great with opaques and boots or pumps

earrings and a tan longline vest.

Tights

In Topshop I bought another pair of leggings...no photos necessary!

In H&M I picked up this top but it may be going back as I am not sure how I am going to wear it??? I think its really cute though.

In Boots I purchased a bottle of Impulse in Temptation (I love this scent) and with every bottle bought you get a free Barry M Lip Gloss.  To be honest I did not think much of the lip gloss!

Also I bought another of my favourite lip glosses from Collection 2000 in Fondant.

In the New Look sale I also tried on a cream sheer blouse and I so wish I had got it now. Its so annoying when you get home and think why did I not buy it.  It was reduced to only £9.00.  I may have to go back and get it next week if they still have them!

Also I received the Topshop boots yesterday and although they are lovely boots they are too big on the calves for me...why do they make boots with such large calf area??? The thing is as they are quite expensive boots I was only going to keep them if I was 100% happy so they are going back plus the vest tops are really small.

Have a fab weekend everyone

Lisa-Jane

xx

Age IS just a number

Ok sorry I am going to have a rant! 
 I was watching Gok's Fashion Fix on Tuesday night and it got me fuming.

I don't know if anyone watched it but they had 3 ladies on the show who were having a makeover.  One of them was pretty she was 41 and I think she looked younger than her age and they said that she dresses too young for her age.

I agree sometimes women can make themselves look cheap but they can do that at any age because its all in the styling.  Surely some women over 35 can wear 'younger' clothing without looking like mutton its all about how you dress and what you wear.

My point is I think you should be able to dress however you want as long as you are happy then so what.  I do think there are certain restrictions like going out showing your underwear and wearing extremely tarty clothing then ok people may have cause to comment on that.  
I am 38 and just because I am 38 does not mean I am going to start shopping in BHS once I am 40.  Also I have long hair and I want to grow it longer. It used to be down to my waist till about 2 years ago, now its down to the middle of my back (maybe a tad longer) and I love having long hair and I cannot wait for it to be waist length again.  I have been told by numerous people I have lovely hair and not to have it cut usually by younger women and men but then I get the women my own age who say I should have my hair cut as I am knocking 40.....I mean why??? I would never dream of telling them to lose weight, dress better or grow their hair long?  Is there some rule somewhere that says once you are 40 you cannot have long hair?  God it angers me so much!

Surely if your hair is in nice condition and you look after it then what does it matter!

Anyway back to Gok's Fashon Fix the lady who was 41 had long hair but they cut it to make her look more 'grown up'...why?  Her hair looked lovely as it was and long hair made her look younger anyway.  I think how Gok styled her was ok but before she used to wear coloured skinny jeans and vest tops BUT she had the figure so what does it matter!

I think its all about how you act as well if you carry yourself with style and class than it does not matter what age you are.

Therefore there are some bad examples of women over a certain age dressing badly aka Shirley in Eastenders

But look at Gwen Stefani she is 40 and looks fabulous

There are many more women over 35 who look fabulous aka Kylie Minogue, Halle Berry I could go on.  I know not many people like her, I actually think she is nice but Carol Vorderman is 50 and ok I know she has had work done but I think she has a fabulous figure and so what if she wears skin tight dresses...she looks brilliant in those dresses.

  

What do you think about age? Do you think that once you are a certain age you cannot wear certain clothing?
Do you think once you are 40 you should have short hair?

Primark jewellery storage

Hello lovelies

I went into town today as I needed to buy some toiletries.  I bought some beauty items and clothing which I shall blog about later in the week but I had to tell you about the Primark jewellery storage I bought for only £3.00.

This is a brilliant storage solution for me as I tend to forget what jewellery and hair slides I have and then I don't wear things.   I have already filled up one side and have had to put 2 sets of earrings in each pocket and also the other side is half filled.   

I have a hook inside one of my wardrobes so I am going to store it there.

How do you store your jewellery?

Lisa-Jane

xx