Back after a Christmas break, I'm Black or Blue?

Hello bloggers, how was your Christmas?  All good I hope.

Mummabstylish was thoroughly spoilt with some fabulous gifts, wonderful food and plenty of fizz!
Christmas Eve was spent preparing Baked Red Cabbage, Chicken Liver Pate and Profiteroles, love a bit of homemade delights - they taste so much nicer than packet bought, but do take much longer to prepare.  Had a slight malfunction when doubling the ingredients for the profiteroles, I mean how difficult is it?  Obviously quite hard because I had two attempts after forgetting to double the eggs!  The result was a cross between mini Yorkshire Puddings and biscuits, looked like a stone!  Result birds 1 - me 0.
Second attempt worked well, and I left them covered in cling film until filling them with cream and topping with chocolate for Boxing Days' Dessert. Delicious I must say.

A whirl wind of present unwrapping, eating, laughing and possibly a little drinking ensued over the next couple of days, and I have to add the highlight of my Christmas is the Gravy!  Yes that may sound a little strange to some, but the gravy my husband makes is... well ... quite frankly divine!
He boils the giblets along with carrot, onion, celery, parsley and salt/pepper, which is then added to the turkey pan juices, if you've had this before you'll know what I mean, but if not it's most definitely worth a try. 

So after a few days chilling it's soon going to be time to don my glad rags for NYE celebrations.  Then the questions arises - yes you know it - what to wear? 
I've got a choice of two outfits, and I'd love some help in deciding what one to wear!

The dress in top position so far is my bargain from the Marks and Spencer outlet store.  Previously worn here this is a black and gold stretch lace dress.  Fitting me perfectly from top to bottom, and comfortable with it.  A great length, finishing below the knee, scoop neckline - room for a cute necklace I think. 

Runner up for now is this blue Flocked Floral stretch dress with a lovely ruched effect across the tummy area, I feel this may accentuate my tummy and not hold it in, but what do you think?
Again I love the length of this dress and it also has great sleeves, 3/4 are perfect to cover my arms, but hopefully I wont boil!
I think there may be a little dancing on NYE so heat is a major concern, I don't want to get too hot, nothing worse than a sweaty, flushed face to ruin your make-up.

Bonmarche

Flocked Floral Dress

Now £16

I'd love to hear what your choice of dress would be, please leave a comment whether it's black or blue?


One of my extra special presents was this beautiful Pandora Charm.

....you might remember I had to say goodbye to my beloved Candy Girl back in July  (see my tribute to her here)  My little Jack Russell doggie had been in my life since we got her back in 2001, as most of you will know a dog IS a member of the family, so when they go they ARE missed every day.  Hubby bought this stunning little charm for my Pandora bracelet, I love the little paw print on one side, with I love my pet on the other.  A meaningful, thoughtful gift that is very much loved and cherished as was my Candy.

My Pandora Paw Print Charm. x

Well that's enough of me today, hope you'd had a wonderful Christmas and have an even better New Year.....I'll catch up with you on the flip side!


Bye for now.  X

               Jacqui B.

It's finally Christmas Eve, eve! - Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Yay - finally made it to Christmas in one piece.  Just one day to go, getting the real last minute bits, and sinking into the warmth and joy of a relaxing Christmas Eve, with just a little help from the odd glass of prosecco and maybe a cocktail or two!

The last week has been a bit of a blur, with errands, shopping, wrapping, and generally just running around like a head-less chicken!
Yesterday I had a really fun day out with my princess, and all the children.  We all had a super time on the Romney, Hythe, Dymchurch miniature railway.
We travelled from Hythe upon the tiny, two people wide carriage, through fields of sheep and peoples' back gardens.  Princess thoroughly enjoyed meeting Father Christmas, receiving a special present from him - a puzzle and book (although I think she wanted a dolly)  oh well fingers crossed for two days time!

We snacked on sausage rolls, mince pies along with mulled wine or coffee.  After a short while of eating and chatting we made our way upstairs to visit the toy railway, princess loved this and I must admit I did too, pressing the buttons to light up the various building, and start certain trains to forge their way through the vast toy scenery.  I've been a few times in the past, and still it fills me with excitement at seeing the toy train set.

You can see just how small the train and carriages are - snug to say the least!

Casual with warmth by way of my Next jeans, beige suede lace up boots from Clarks, with my super Roman Originals black coat, I love the circular pattern on it.  Also a perfect length to cover a long blouse or tunic - sometimes I don't like to see layers hanging down below a coat.  A cream scarf that started off wrapped round my neck, but because I got super hot, I just left it to hang.  Cold, hot  my body can never quite make up it's mind!! Do you have that trouble?

The second outing for this pretty blouse from Matalan, check out the first time here.  I love this cute blouse, these pinks and mauves are my favourite colours, all blended onto this blouse with the fresh white background - perfect for a winters afternoon out.

It wouldn't be Christmas without a touch of snow!  Well artificial snow had to do, but felt very real - all the children loved it, especially my little princess!


In time we started our journey home although it was a little chilly as the sun had gone down, once back to the cars we were happy to meet at a pub en route to have a lovely meal, the likes of burgers, fish and chips, steak and good old sausage 'n' mash.  We all had a fabulous time, and it was lovely to have nothing to rush about for and we could all relax in the surprisingly quiet pub.


Until next time, I'm sending you all best wishes for a fabulous Christmas, and look forward to celebrating the new year.  Thanks to all who have supported me on my first 10 months of Mummabstylish.
I'm looking forward to the next year, and hope you will continue to join me on this exciting journey of  blogging about my fashion and my lifestyle.  I'm also enthusiastic and eager to see what all you other bloggers will be featuring throughout the coming months, and maybe some of us can get together on a project or two?  I'd love to hear from you with any ideas.

Just to add, watch out in the next couple of weeks for an exciting blog post, that I'm thrilled about and hope you'll be interested in seeing. X

Happy Christmas!

         Jacqui B.

A new dress for a night out!

Yay it's the weekend!

I love the weekend don't you?  Just to be able to relax with the family, enjoy a film with a hot chocolate and mince pie, now doesn't that sound like a super idea?  Well that'll be one way to spend the afternoon if I have my way.  What will you be doing?  The perfect film for me and my girls would be The Holiday, with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet - It just feel so Christmassy when I watch it.  I'm a real romantic at heart, and it's a typical love story revolving around Christmas with some great actors thrown in!  Well worth a watch if you've never seen it.

Last night I got to wear my new dress I bought in the week.  Visiting the local discount designer outlet recently I was looking for Christmas presents, but lo and behold this gorgeous dress managed to find it's way into my basket and somehow came home with me!  This dress from M and S was a bargain of £18.99, and if like me, you don't always need an item that is new season, the outlet stores are a great place to find an something without spending a fortune.
Fitting perfectly this lace stretch dress is right up my street for the festive season,  the cream and black colours make a nice change from black on its own, and could be worn with either black or cream accessories.
I chose black yesterday - mainly because I picked up barely black tights and not the natural I wanted! 
I love how this dress has a layered effect over the bust - a more flattering look for me,  also a spot on length just below the knee.  Three quarter length sleeves with a sheer, see through fabric, making them cool & not heavy at all.

Do you have a local outlet store?  Have you bought any bargains recently?

Firstly we popped over for a drink with our best friends who had been to a local Carol Service, we met them in the pub opposite for a glass of prosecco.  Having a quick catch up with them, planning where to spend our next years weekends away - can't wait to start planning them.
Leaving them to catch up with the birthday boy in another local pub before arriving at the restaurant for our pre-booked meal. 

Wheelers in my local town was the ideal setting for the group of 14 who had congregated to celebrate the birthday of our friend. 
I'm now going to tease you all with the amazing food we ate last night!

Crab Cake with Harissa Mayonnaise, prawn tempura, chilli jam and micro rocket.

Scallops, with twice cooked pork belly, apple caramel, cider and apple relish, crackling and micro celery.

A lasagne of poached lobster with leek and white crab ragout, trumpet mushrooms, tender stem broccoli, finished with lobster bisque and grated aged Parmesan.

Homemade Gypsy Tart with apple sorbet and caramelised apple.

This dessert of Gypsy tart always reminds me of school dinners - gypsy tart was served with half an apple!  I can never understand why this was a combination - but it worked well!

A very tasty souffle!

A quite Sunday is planned with no roast dinner!  Trouble is what are we going to eat now?  After re-viewing the stunning dishes we ate yesterday - I'm now wanting to eat all of the above again!  I don't think a pizza take-away will cut it! Hmmmm!!!!




Until the next time - thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment,I love to hear from you.


Bye.  X
           Jacqui B.

Afternoon Tea - yes please!

Hi to all, how's Thursday going?

A visit to the hairdresser this morning, left me feeling dark and shiny - my hair that is.  Isn't it nice to relax in the salon?  Having your hair professionally coloured, cut and dried, made me feel and hopefully look - ha ha - a few years younger!  Well hubby said I did anyway. <3

I was rather excited to be going out for afternoon tea today, I managed an honorary invite from my girls, because they were taking my mum for a birthday present.  It's difficult to buy for some people, especially when they can buy themselves what they want, so sometimes spending time together is the very best present you can give.
Smart casual was the dress code for the afternoon, after seeing how my daughters and mum looked - so I popped on my cream and black patterned Capri pants, along with a black jumper, sparkly gold necklace and my recently purchased black faux suede ankle boots.  Glad I changed out of my skinny jeans,  I departed feeling polished in my black and cream outfit.

I couldn't wait to start with this Afternoon tea at The Crescent Turner, it was absolutely amazing,  my favourite had to be the scones - one plain, one fruit.
Copious amounts of tea, a cheeky glass of prosecco and this simply stunning array of sandwiches, cakes, quiche and scones with the obvious addition of jam and clotted cream - mouth watering - I couldn't say no!  Presentation was superb, along with the first class service.  It's my second visit to this establishment the first being morning tea see my Lotus shoe boot post here.  Afternoon tea with a glass of prosecco is a mere £22, great value for money.
Do you have a favourite venue for afternoon tea?

A selection of delicate delights for my Afternoon Tea.

Happy with myself as I even managed to wrap a few presents between getting back from the hair salon and leaving for my afternoon out - all done without any sign of a bottle of Baileys or a tub of Quality Street - see yesterdays post here, however there's always next time!

Enough for today - see you soon.  X

        Jacqui B.

Wednesday.

Hiya, and I hope you're all doing well.

Having not posted a blog since last week, I'm feeling ashamed, especially when reading other fantastic daily blogs by ladies who also have a job and kids at home!  I've only got the latter and they are old enough to care for themselves (although much easier for mum and dad to carry on cooking and laundering) but I've still not managed to produce anything suitable for bloggers consumption!
Maybe it's just me, but the older I get the longer everything seems to take me.  I had some presents sitting in their bags waiting to be wrapped, but I've still not got round to even buying the paper let alone artistically wrapping or adorning  them with beautiful bows, frills or ribbons! 
Maybe  I'll have to call in the big guns and enrol my hubby to join in the fun of wrapping my presents - I'm sure if I involve a bottle of Baileys and a tub of Quality Street some of the kids will join in too - bribery always a good back-up plan!
Last weekend we finally got round to putting up our outside Christmas lights, I say 'we' however my only input was making a mug of coffee for hubby and youngest son, and making the odd 'suggestion' as to what to do, lol
Starting mid morning on Saturday hubby set to work clipping tree, arranging the net lights - with the help of extended plastic poles - getting the net lights caught (it's a Hawthorn tree!) arranging the lights again, getting scratched, saying a few 'choice' words! and finally getting bitten by a bug. About and hour and a half later the tree was be-decked with beautiful flickering white lights.  Some 60 minutes after this the house had a string of icicle lights flickering and cascading like a meteor shower amidst a snow fall.  Pretty.

Today I've been shopping with my eldest daughter and my princess, and I've spotted some cute dresses in a variety of colours, that'll make a stunning change to wearing the usual  'little black dress'. I hope you like my choices.
Have you opted to wear something different to the LBD over the festive season?  I'd love to hear what your colour schemes are.

RED

For a mere £40, this keyhole cross over stretch dress in a jacquard rose print can be in your wardrobe in time for Christmas.  Matched with a sparkling court shoe and clutch, you'll certainly be the belle of the ball. Check out Roman Originals for this and many other stylish dresses to make you feel extra special over Christmas.

BLUE

How about midnight-blue sequin shift dress, I adore the ombre effect - you'll stand out in any crowd wearing this one.  From Roman Originals,  £70 will have this gorgeous dress hanging in your wardrobe just waiting to be worn.  You'll be waiting for any excuse to wear it!

PLUM

If it's velvet your liking, this plum cowl neck fitted dress with ruched side detail giving a flattering look that will make you feel a million dollars.  Also available in two other jewel tones the choice is yours, and for £45 you could buy all three colours!

Coming home with only a few Christmas presents and some wrapping paper - plan A is now on the agenda!


Bye for today. X


         Jacqui B.

An alternative to a Christmas dress.

Morning.

Middle of the week already, and we're charging along into the festive period at speed.  I'm trying my hardest to jump on that train - where I can hang off grabbing cards, presents, food and drink that I'll be needing in the not too distant future!  Every year I try very hard to be one of those people who say by about the first of December "they're done" or "just one more present to buy", and every year I fail miserably.  You can bet your bottom dollar I'll be buying last minute bits and pieces on Christmas Eve, wrapping in the small hours after an afternoon/evening out, preparation of the turkey, veg, pate and setting the table through very bleary eyes - it's okay I know I'm not alone, lots of you will be doing it!  Why won't we learn lol!

Today I'm showing how you can wear black trousers and a stylish blouse instead of a dress to almost any festive occasion, obviously there are events when a dress is called for, but on the less formal parties and outings trousers are agreeable to many of us - giving comfort along with style and class.  They can be paired with all sorts of tops and blouses, shoes and boots.  Here's how I've styled mine.

Starting with these straight leg pants from Dorothy Perkins, for a steal at £16, these will set you up for Christmas, New Year and a host of other formal to casual events to either dress up or down.
I've chosen this beautiful black and gold blouse from Debenhams,  It's from the petite section by Ben de Lisi, and has a gold foil leaf detailing over the black chiffon blouse.  On offer now for a cool £24.50, but you're going to look hot in it!
Teaming this look with black patent court shoes, these are old favourites from Nine West in Debenhams, you simply can't go wrong with a black patent shoe, so worth splashing out for a comfortable pair that will last not only this season but many more!

 Such a beautiful location right on my doorstep - how lucky am I? 

Such a clever photographer my god-daughter is.  Capturing some amazing shots, however note to self - make sure you paint your nails next time, lol!

Favouring this Forever 21 Chanel style clutch bag. Check this out for a mere £9.99 here.  Great idea for a stocking filler for your daughter, sister, mum or your aunt!  Coming in two other colours maybe a cheeky present from you to you for this price!

Photographs c/o Esther Ruby Photography.

 How do you like the neck detail, very fashionable now choker style, and very flattering!
You can't really tell in these shots, but the pattern is gold leaf print and does shimmer in the light.

Black court shoes - perfect for almost any outfit. 

Linking with High Latitude Style.

Cheerio from an over fifty fashion blogger. Enjoy your Wednesday.  X

                   Jacqui B.

Wow - where did that week go?

Hello, and happy Tuesday to you all.

Where the heck did that week go?  I can't believe I've not posted since last Tuesday!  My week has been filled with family, Christmas present buying, decorating the Christmas tree, night out with friends and a cheeky weekend away with my two best friends and their hubbies.  A perfect end to a busy week.

Thursday had me wrapped up with all the family for an evening of fajitas, nachos, with all the extras, along with a bit of tree decorating by middle and youngest daughters.  I have to admit they've done a blinding job and my tree looks amazing - is that because I haven't been involved and could just sit and watch?