11/365 Wednesday= Wardrobe

• Around 30% of clothing hasn’t been worn in over a year
• Cost of this unused clothing is around £30billion
• Extending clothing life by just 3 months can reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by up to 10%

Source: http://www.wrap.org.uk/sustainable-textiles/valuing-our-clothes%20#sthash.QDVZZGAt.dpuf

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A report published by WRAP titled ‘Valuing our clothes’ is a summary of the key findings of a major technical report and consumer behaviour survey, which identifies potential economic and environmental business in the clothing sector.

Inspired by a good friend of mine who announced her intention to buy no new clothes for a year, I am also going to give this a try. Rather than buy brand new, I will look for second hand clothing in charity shops and car boot sales, clothes swaps or local on line sites.

The exception to this rule will be underwear. Also, I have stated that one of my goals is to make some clothes for myself this year, so I may have to buy some fabric new, although I will try and find some remnants from the usual second hand sources.

Luckily there are lots of people out there who have blazed a trail for buying nothing new and websites dedicated to promoting ways to make the best use of the clothes you already have, how to prolong thier life and how to dispose of them. I really like Love Your Clothes which has lots of tips and videos and links to events around the UK.

So, Wednesday wardrobe will track my progress and how I cope with buying nothing new. I have already unsubscribed from all the stores who have emailed with SALE offers this week. Oh the temptation…

 

 

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10/365 Tuesday = weekly weigh in

 A welcome 4lb loss for week one. I have been about 75% on plan I reckon; a few extra syns at the weekend hopefully counteracted with some walking. 

My goal for this week is to lose 3lb to reach my first half stone. I remember how well I felt a year ago and nearly 2 stone lighter and I want that feeling again. Bring it on…

 

9/365 Monday = make

I have decided the theme for Monday will be ‘make’. Unfortunately today I am only making excuses!

I’ve been out this evening and run out of time…for now I will just share a new source of fabulous items for upcycling. If you are in the Northants area take a trip to the Furniture Barn in Brackley. A great selection of furniture and accessories at affordable prices. I bought a mirror this weekend which I am planning to adorn…pictures next week….
 

 

 

 

 

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8/365 Sunday= easy

It’s the weekend.
The theme for Sunday will be ‘easy’. Like Sunday morning… geddit? To be honest, I ran out of ideas…

‘Moving about a bit more’ is on my to do list for 2017, so this morning I went for a stroll along the Oxford Canal with my husband, Martin. It was a lovely mild morning, perfect for a bit of easy exercise.
The pace was average, because the tow path was a bit muddy and slippy in places, but the views were not. The watery sunshine lifted our spirits and the still water mirrored the patches of blue and grey. It was also an opportunity to chat and make plans, time to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company. We covered almost 6km in about 90 minutes.
Easy.

 

 

7/365 Saturday = something for the weekend

It’s the weekend.
The theme for Saturday is ‘something for the weekend’. Random stuff.

A grand day out today, shopping and lunch with a friend. Lots of lovely  (second hand) purchases. This was my favourite thing.

Yes. It’s a bongo drum. (I warned you it might be random). Looking at it makes me very happy. ☺☺☺

Also a stack of books from the charity shop! More books! I also picked up some wooden picture frames and two gorgeous mirrors for the dining room. One of them is crying out to be my next project and will feature on a future monday=make post.  That’s it for now. Thanks for stopping by.

 

6/365 Friday= food

Almost at the end of the first week of my 2017 365 challenge.
The theme for Friday will be ‘food’. Food plays a BIG part in my life. Cooking for my friends and family has always been an expression of love. It can make me nostalgic- for example, every time I make chicken soup it makes me think of my mum. ‘Weymouth’ pudding (aka panettone and butter pudding) reminds me of my dad and cooking with my sister during the fairytale family Christmas we spent in Weymouth.

Bread and butter pudding-before cooking

Bread and butter pudding- ready to eat

Friday food will cover meal planning and recipes- old favourites and some new recipes from the many cookbooks I love to collect.

Tonight I am meal planning for the week ahead, with SW in mind, and also trying to use up food from the storecupboard and the freezer.

Breakfast: overnight oats for me, prepared in advance- I have a big box of frozen raspberries from Costco that I dip into every day. A splash of skimmed milk from my HExA, a fat free yoghurt and porridge oats as my HExB. To ring the changes,  add blueberries, mango, grated apple, pear, banana, grapes or strawberries. Cold, raw, porridge-so much better than it sounds!

Lunch: weekday lunches are generally home-made soup or a portion of leftover stew from the freezer. No bread *sob*

Snacks: I try to have lots of fruit on my desk in case I need a boost.

Saturday: lean lamb steaks, sweet potato mash, green beans, butternut squash and a glass of wine ( it’s the weekend!)

Sunday: Roast beef, roast potatoes, parsnips and carrots ( cooked in frylight), cabbage, cauliflower, gravy but no yorkshire puddings. Not this week.

Monday: Chicken tikka and mango biryani- recipe in this month’s SW magazine, baked lentils and rice topped with chicken, cauliflower, spinach and mango. Not tried this before, so I am keen to see how it tastes.

Tuesday: Butternut squash stuffed with moroccan lamb and couscous, accompanied by a minty yoghurt dip- also from this month’s SW magazine. Something different, just what you need to keep you on track. It’s also weigh-in night for me, so I can look forward to this when I get home from group.

Wednesday: Meatballs made from Heck chicken italia sausages- (only 0.5syn each) with spaghetti and a tomato and vegetable sauce (chopped tomatoes, courgette, peppers, onions, garlic and any stray vegetables lurking in the fridge).

Thursday: Chicken and prawn jambalaya- smokey paprika rice with peppers, chicken and king prawns.

I will report back next week. Happy eating 🙂

 

 

5/365 Thursday = thrift

I have challenged myself to post something every day for 2017.  Each day will have a broad theme to give me some structure and allow me to cover more of the things I am interested in.

The daily theme for Thursday will be ‘thrift’ – my definition of being thrifty includes using up leftovers, buying second hand or upcycling. It’s not just about saving money, it’s also about cutting down on waste.

In the spirit of thrift I am recycling one of my old posts about using leftover veg and home made stock to make chicken noodle soup. I could hardly wait to make stock  from the turkey bones and vegetables at Christmas. It’s in the freezer right now, with the scrappy bits of leftover turkey, and this will soon become glorious soup.  A week’s worth of lunches, for a tiny amount of money and effort.

 

4/365 Wednesday= What I wore this week

Today is day 4 of the 2017 365 challenge.
I have challenged myself to post something every day for 2017.  Each day will have a broad theme to give me some structure and allow me to cover more of the things I am interested in. The theme for Wednesday will be ‘what I wore this week’ and is designed to capture my progress towards the holy grail of the capsule wardrobe.

The idea of a capsule wardrobe has been on my ‘to do’ list for some time. In the past, as a ‘larger’ size woman with a limited budget,  I would often buy something  just because it fitted me, especially if it was on sale. Going forward, I am determined that anything I buy has to fit with what I already own.

I sold/donated a huge chunk of my wardrobe last year when I successfully lost some weight, and bought very little to replace it, planning to eventually build up a new wardrobe of smaller sized items that would harmonise effortlessly and bring co-ordinated joy and serenity and admiring glances. It’s good to dream…

Back to reality, I have gained several pounds which is restricting my choice of outfits to the baggy, stretchy and forgiving items. My last temp job before Christmas had a casual dress code so I lived in jeans, long tops and cardigans and the occasional jersey dress. My current role is a little more formal at times and involves regular meetings, with an four-day business event to attend at the end of next month. I am desperate to get back into some of my ‘smart’ dresses and a pair of trousers I have never worn.

I am going to post a record of some of my outfits on a Wednesday to see what works and how I can mix/match.
Another of my ‘wardrobe Wednesday’ goals is to wear all of my shoes- some of the more fabulous pairs never leave the wardrobe, and that’s just not right! To start me off, here is pair number one: what I am wearing right now- not a fashion statement, not exactly fabulous, but super comfy slippers!

 

 

 

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3/365 Tuesday = Moment of Truth

I have challenged myself to post something every day for 2017. Each day will have a broad theme to give me some structure and allow me to cover more of the things I am interested in. 

Welcome to day 3 of my 2017 365 challenge.
The theme for Tuesday will be ‘moment of truth’. A tad melodramatic to be sure, but Tuesday will be SW weigh in day and I always hear an internal “dah-dah- daaaahhh” when the scales register. There is a promise of exultation at every kilo lost or crushing disappointment when it’s a gain. Having to do the ‘i was just happy to be nominated’ brave smile.

It’s been nine months since my last weigh in; at the end of March 2016 I had shed almost two stone and was feeling pretty good. Fast forward to tonight and the scales accuse me of gaining 20lbs. 

Tomorrow I am back on plan.

 

2/365 Monday = make

I have challenged myself to post something every day for 2017. My aims and reasons can be found here.  Each day will have a broad theme to give me some structure and allow me to cover more of the things I am interested in. These may change unexpectedly; I am a strange hybrid of logic and whimsy.
Bite me.

Okay- here is day 2 of my 2017 365 challenge.
I have decided the theme for Monday will be ‘make’. This gives me lots of scope for posts and an incentive to be more crafty. For my first Monday make, I am going to share a really simple idea. It barely scrapes in as a ‘make’ to be honest, more of a way to create something fun and useful out of items I have hoarded.

These three tins contained smoked paprika or pimenton, which we evidently use a lot, and I had kept the empty tins because they were so different and attractive. To my delight, the dip in the lid was pretty much the right size for a tealight candle. That’s it. They sit on my window sill and glow away while I am cooking.

 

 

 

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