Quick Popping Out Outfit

Lee had the 18th and 19th of January off work, because he had plenty of annual leave left and because it was my birthday on the 19th. It was a bit different to last year, when I was away with 9 people in a big house for a weekend of fun! But I was determined to have a nice day, and Lee being off was a good start.

But on the Monday the day before, Lee was off and we needed to go into town to do some work for me, for Lee to pick up a cake he'd ordered for me, and to go to the supermarket. We also got lunch out - Lee wanted KFC and I was hoping the one in town did the vegan burger, but it doesn't. Apparently the other store in Barnsley does so at some point we'll have to go so I can try it. I got food from Taco Bell instead, which is on the same complex. We went to the park to eat it, and then popped to Penistone where I had to drop off a Body Shop order. I'm still doing The Body Shop at Home; I enjoy it and find it quite easy. 

Anyway, I had put on my flamingo skirt. I haven't worn it in ages, as I rarely go out anymore, and I miss wearing it! I love it so much. I had on a tie dyed t-shirt, although you can't see that. Then I'd put on my wrap from Evans. I've had it absolutely forever; it must be about ten years I reckon. I didn't wear it for ages, but over the past year I've found it useful to just shrug on when I know I'll be sitting in the car. It's comfortable as it doesn't have any zips or buttons, and it keeps me warm. 

What I Wore 5th September

On Saturday 5th September Lee and I headed to Asda in Barnsley in the morning. I'd been wanting to buy some new bedding that I'd seen a friend buy, so thought we could do that and get some bits at the same time. When we got there though, they didn't have the bedding I wanted. But we got some groceries and I had a nice mooch around a big supermarket, which I've not done in absolutely forever. It wasn't that busy - Asda on a Saturday morning used to be absolutely hell on earth but there really weren't that many people around. 

Anyway, here's what I wore. I pulled out this black dress that I got from Evans at a time I don't even remember as I haven't bought from them in years. I love the polka dotted pattern, which is one of my favourites. And I really like the fake wrap look! On the top there is a gap between the two bits of fabric, but there's a stitch which stops the wrap from opening so that's good. On the bottom the skirt goes all the way around and then there's the front flap which makes it look like a wrap. It's an easy and comfortable dress to throw on. 

Then, my shoes! I usually buy a pair of black leather slip on shoes that I can chuck on any time I need to go out of the house, or when I know I'll have to take my shoes off (like when I'm going to the gym). They have to be leather, they have to be comfortable, they have to be slip on so I can do them without hurting myself, and they're better if they're black as that goes with anything. I've had this one pair for a couple of years now and they're in need of going in the bin. They're looking really shabby. I bought them from Pavers so they were about £35 and I think I've had my money's worth out of them. In March, before lockdown, I thought, oh I should really go to Skopos Mill in Batley and buy some more shoes from the Pavers outlet there. Then of course lockdown happened and I couldn't do that. So I've had this old pair for longer than normal and I'm so ready to bin them.

So then I remembered that I have a pair of Dr Marten shoes, in a t-bar style. I bought them absolutely years ago off eBay I think, and I have worn them a few times, but never enough to properly wear them in. If you've ever had Dr Martens you'll know that they can often rub for a while until you soften them up - that's happened with all the boots I've had and I've had plenty of blisters to prove it! But I thought that I could slip these on, by not undoing the buckle and just shoving my feet in. So today I did that. I can do it, but it is a bit tough. I'm hoping that will get easier as they soften. They do fit, but are slightly tight across the top of my foot, so I might wear some socks with them and try to stretch them a bit. I wore them round Asda and they didn't hurt, so I have high hopes that I can wear them in and use them as my every day shoes. That's good because a) it means I don't have to spend any money right now (my income has gone down as a result of the pandemic and there being les work for me to do) and b) they're Dr Martens and therefore badass and c) they're cute!

Black T-bar Dr Marten shoes

Really old Evans mock wrap dress!

Night Out with Sam and Steph

At the end of July I went out with Sam and Steph in Huddersfield. We did the same last year and had been talking about doing it again, so we made a date and said we'd go to the Turkish restaurant Ephesus.

Steph and I met at the train station at five. Steph had decided to stay over in Huddersfield so she'd already booked into her hotel, and I got the train from my village. We went straight to Ephesus and ordered a bottle of wine while we waited for Sam.

She wasn't too long after us so we ate really early. I had filo cheese parcels and lamb skewer kebab with rice. It's a nice restaurant although the owners are a bit odd and we were one of only two tables in there. But I would recommend it.

Then we headed to Vox and as it was nice and early we managed to get a table and some comfy chairs to sit in. We had three cocktails each in there; we had planned to go to Zephyr a few doors along but since we had a nice seat we were loathe to leave it, so we stayed longer in Vox. I had a Tequila Sunrise (one of my favourite cocktails), an El Diablo (very nice, I would have it again) and a Russian Spring Punch (also very nice and very fizzy). I'm not too sure what the others had!

We headed to the Cherry Tree which is just up from Vox and is a Wetherspoons because pitchers of cocktails are cheap and cheerful in there and I think it's a fun place. It was busy upstairs but quiet downstairs so we headed there. We drank four pitchers between us and god I could tell by the end!

Lee came through to pick me up which was great as I wouldn't have relished getting the last train home. But I had a lovely night with my friends and hopefully it won't be as long before we do it again.

It was just as the heatwave had broken so I was glad I could wear sleeves again, so I put on this blue Scarlett & Jo skirt and was considering what top to wear when I noticed this in the wardrobe. It's from Evans about ten years ago and although you can't tell it has satin on the sleeves which makes it just a bit dressier for a night out. I will have to wear this combo again as I think it looks really nice.

I kept my make up simple because it was still hot, so I just have a bit of concealer, a bit of powder, and some lipstick on here

Gorgeous food in Ephesus

Tequila Sunrise

Sam in her natural habitat surrounded by cocktails

My Russian Spring Punch

Sam and Steph in Wetherspoons

And here's me taking a selfie in the loos!

What I Wore May 27th

I had no clue what I wanted to wear for my mum's birthday, but when I was searching for what to wear the day before I came across my Sprinkle of Glitter skirt and thought it would be nice for a party. I didn't know what to wear with it, so I searched through a lot of tops before coming across this one from Evans, which I've had for about five years. I know that for certain because I can remember wearing it in Benidorm in 2013! I thought the two items looked nice together.

I would probably have left my legs bare except I hadn't shaved them, so I decided to wear my grey leggings from Joe Brown's. I love them but they're quite thick and I was really hot. It was lovely that the weather was so nice because it meant we could sit outside all weekend, but it was really sweaty and sticky too!

Lots of people said they liked my outfit which was nice of them! I would wear this again, I think the pieces worked well together.

Trip to Meadowhall

Lee and I had had such a nice Easter weekend together - first Roslyn's wedding, and then on the Sunday we'd done some jobs in the house and made a Sunday dinner - that I asked him to stay until the Monday so we could do something together then. It's very hard navigating these kinds of waters where we are living separately but still want to spend time with each other, but we both figure there's no rules so whatever feels fine is good at any particular moment.

We weren't sure what to do, but then I thought it would be nice to go to Meadowhall and go to the Godiva cafe as I knew Lee would like it, and I also wanted to get a few bits there and wander around Hobbycraft. I woke up early to a blanket of snow! Oh no! However, I went back to sleep for a bit and when I woke up it had started to melt so setting off wasn't too difficult.

We got to Meadowhall about half past twelve and went straight to Godiva. It isn't the hugest place and there was a long queue after us. Lee just had a croissant for his first course, he said it was really nice and very like ones you get in French bakeries. I had a smoked salmon sandwich which was really yummy, it had some kind of salty cream underneath the salmon. We each had a hot chocolate which comes with a fancy chocolate basket on top and a white chocolate spoon. Mine was salted caramel which was really nice, it's so thick too. Lee had the classic hot chocolate and really enjoyed it.

Lee had the dessert I had last time, but I went for something different and tried this orange and white chocolate one. It was nice, quite tartly and refreshingly orange, but I preferred the one Lee had so I think I would go for that one again!

We went to HMV and Lush and Paperchase and Warren James, then went over to the retail park to go into Hobbycraft. I was very restrained and only got a pad of paper and some notecards. Cute, though!

Here's some photos from the day:

Quite a bit of snow! I was so cross but at least it didn't stop us doing anything

The spectacular hot chocolate. We saw a person making the chocolate baskets, he piped chocolate on to iced water and then used his hands to make them into a shape. Really cool!

Smoke salmon sandwich

My orange dessert

Lee's mousse dessert

The waitress recommended that we cut the desserts down the middle to see what they look like, mine had this orange puree in the middle.

I was given a really nice set of rose gold earrings and necklace for my birthday so I wanted a ring to go with them. There was the matching ring in Warren James, but I didn't like it on very much, I preferred this one. I really like rose gold, I'm glad it's in fashion at the moment

Sorry about the light behind me, here's what I was wearing. The skirt is from Scarlett and Jo via Evans about four years ago, I love the colour though.

Here's the necklace I was wearing, it is made from a hundred year old postmark! I have a few like this, they're nice to wear

And finally here's what I bought - moisturiser from Lush, and some notecards and paper from Hobbycraft!

Festive lunch out

In the middle of December Lee and I went out to meet up with some friends. It had snowed a bit overnight but we didn't get anything like the amount people had got in the Midlands and in London, so driving was okay. It was just as well as the pub we were headed to, The Sovereign in Shepley, is on pretty high ground and you could easily get snowed in there.

We had the festive menu and it was pretty good. Portions weren't huge but definitely enough and that meant we had room for three courses, which I think was £19.95 so good value. I had prawn and lobster cocktail, a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, and chocolate and orange torte.

I like the Sovereign pub. I know it's a chain but that does mean you always know what you'll get, I like it. I've been ill so it was good to go somewhere relatively close to home, it is about twenty minutes away from our house. I took a few photos:

I changed my lightbox to a Christmas message and we've put it in the living room for now.

A very light smattering of snow - more came down after this though

Mulled wine which was really nice, very blackcurranty

My chocolate and orange torte

And finally my festive jumper. I bought it last year I think from Evans and have been wearing it quite a lot as it's so warm. I love the cute reindeer!

What I Wore 29th July

At the end of July Lee and I had a very exciting trip to Ikea. Now, the last time we went there, ten years ago, we argued for ages and it was a nightmare, so I've never been with him since. I'm not a fan of Ikea, I don't find it a fun day out, but we needed shelving for all the books in the back bedroom, so off we went.

We did okay, we didn't argue, we had lunch in the cafe and I tasted the famous meatballs - they were yummy! When it came to getting home, I had to sit in the back of the car behind Lee so that we could put the new unit over the passenger seat. It was ridiculous! We picked up a bookcase, some loose shelves, some boxes for the cellar, a sieve, some funnels, some photo frames, a new washing up brush, and a cuddly toy panda! Haha, it's a good job we didn't go for much...

Anyway this is what I wore to go out in. I really love this Scarlett & Jo skirt and often pull it on because it's easy to wear. The mint green top matches the mint green in the skirt and makes it pop I think. The top actually has a peplum, which I don't like, but I got it in the sale for about a fiver, so it's perfect to tuck into the skirt. Then I popped on my Sprinkle of Glitter wrap cardigan, it is navy blue.

I love the cardigan. I bought it in a 26 to start off with, which I've worn loads and which you've seen before. However, it seemed to stretch really quickly, so when I saw the cardigans in the sale on Simply Be I bought it again in a size 22. I feel like this one looks better on me for a proper 'outfit', but I'll definitely keep the other one too for work days and stuff.

I really ought to have worn my navy blue leggings with this outfit, but I forgot until we got to Ikea!

Definitely no room for me in this passenger seat!

Here's what my view was, instead

And here's my outfit!

What I Wore June 27th

I went to Huddersfield on the 27th of June to do a batik painting workshop at S2R. It was run by my friend Kim so it was nice to see her. I really enjoyed getting the chance to do batik painting, it was really relaxing too!

Anyway I chucked on this top with my plain black skirt. I had forgotten about this top I think, and I'd definitely forgotten that it had sleeves. Then it came up in Timehop that I wore it in 2013 on holiday, so I thought I'd put it on.The front is really silky and has this gorgeous print on it, while the back is stretchy and plain grey, making this a top that feels really fancy but is super comfortable to wear. I'll definitely wear it more, especially when the sun shines!

What I Wore 18th May

On 18th May I wasn't working, so I arranged to meet up with Lolly for lunch at Meadowhall. We hadn't seen each other since October, so it was well overdue. Lolly had Franklin with her so we went to the food court so we could each get the food we wanted.

I had a beef burrito from Bar Burrito which I've not eaten at before, so it was nice to try it. I got loads of stuff on mine and it was really delicious. Then Lolly and Franklin and I walked down to the play place for Franklin to have a run around, and we sat chatting and putting the world to rights. We popped into Kiko, which sells make up, and I got a few nice bits. I also went in the American sweet shop and bought some fun looking sodas that we don't get over here, including Cherry 7Up and some cream soda.

Anyway, this is what I was wearing. I bought this spotty dress from Evans a couple of months ago, in the sale before the store relocated in Meadowhall. It's gone as a concession in Wallis, which is a real shame. The shop before was huge and I'm really sad that it's gone. It won't be somewhere I check out much anymore. But I liked this dress and it seemed like a good dress to chuck on to go out in.

The wrap is a mock wrap, which is good for me because it stops any inadvertent flashes of knickers. There's a stitch at the top of the chest wrap, to stop it exposing your bra. I love the sleeve length and the material has a nice feel to it. For £20 it was a pretty good buy!

This was what my nails looked like - one of the Barry M Aquarium collection, it's a gorgeous gold green

Dress, from Evans

Just to show you the wrap part, which is securely sewn shut!

What I Wore April 2nd

This is what I wore at the end of March and on the Sunday of our trip away. Some of this stuff is new. I needed some new leggings so I picked some up in Evans at the White Rose centre for £10. They're comfortable and stretchy which is what I like in a pair of leggings. My top is also new; it came in a multipack from Simply Be with a blue one and a red one, I believe. I'm wearing a new bra too, although you can't see it. It's black and is a Flirtelle one, and it's really, really comfortable!

The skirt is from Scarlett & Jo and it's nicely lined but with this gorgeous chiffon layer on top. The shrug is ancient, from New Look, and I would really like a navy blue cardigan to wear with this outfit instead! Oh well, maybe I'll look for one of them soon.

Afternoon Tea and What I Wore 5th February

On the second day of Stacey's hen party we met in the Grand Arcade in Leeds for afternoon tea at Just Grand. I've been there before but never for afternoon tea. It was really nice - unlimited coffee or tea, four types of sandwich, scones with jam and clotted cream, and cake. All for the bargain price of £12.95 each!

The waiter kindly took this photo of us:

Everything in Just Grand is vintage, down to the cups and saucers and the menus, which are made out of records! The food was really yummy and I'd recommend the place for a special occasion like this. 

I wore this Asos dress along with a New Look cardigan and Evans belt. I haven't worn the dress in ages!

I mostly wanted to wear a greenish dress to match my new green shoes. They're from Clarks and they were down to £30 in the sale! I bought them with some Christmas money. They're quite narrow so if you have wide feet they may not fit. They're so beautiful! 

I took an outside photo to show off the colour better. I'm so in love!

Here's a better view of the pattern on the dress. Lee says it looks like a china pattern, which it does, and I love it! It's just a swing dress so it looks better with a belt to pull it in on me.

What I Wore December 18th

As I said previously, my mum and stepdad came over for a festive meal. Lee picked them up and took them home so they could both have a drink (he doesn't drink, and they don't really live close enough for a taxi) and I got ready as he went, and then went with him to take them home. I pulled out this dress, I wore it on Christmas Day two years ago but haven't worn it since. It would be a bit OTT to pull out at any other time of the year!

I love the green colour

I pulled out this wrap to put over to go out, it wasn't freezing but just cold enough for it. I've had it about ten years and it always feels really fancy! It's from Evans.

What I Wore 12th December

12th December was my stepdad's birthday so we all went out to The Spiced Mango in Wakefield. It's an Indian restaurant but there's some really different dishes on the menu. We all had a starter and a main course and all were delicious.

I wore this Scarlett & Jo dress that I bought in the sale in summer 2015 I think, but had never worn. It still had the tags on! I tend to wear the red one more, but I thought I'd pull out the blue one for a change.

The lace sleeves are a perfect length for me and also provided some coverage outside. It's been really warm for the last few weeks, and it was warm in the car, so I didn't bother with my hoodie. The chiffon on the skirt really makes the dress feel special. I love the swish of it. I also really like this style with the elastic waistband, as evidenced by the fact that I own about seven like this!

As you can see the kitchen still isn't fully done, hence the stuff around me. That's the first project for 2017!

Festive Jumper

I bought this jumper in the sales in January and had totally forgotten about it until I was looking for something else and found it. It still had the tags on, since it is a festive jumper and didn't get worn before now.

It's very fluffy and left lots of white fluff all over my other clothes, which was slightly annoying. But it is soft and I like the pattern a lot, so I'll probably pull it on a couple more times over the festive period!

I took this picture in a lift in Leeds, I had been out with my friend Laura to the Hotel Chocolat restaurant, which I'd thoroughly recommend. It's a bit expensive, but the food is delicious and the service is always fantastic. We go every Christmas!

What I Wore 8th May in France

We sadly had to come home on the 8th of May, I would've liked to stay in France about a week longer! I'd love to live there one day. I was complimented on my excellent French and I learnt the words for "shooting star": etoile filante! That'll come in useful I'm sure!

We had to leave for the airport around 3pm but then our flight was delayed which was a pain, but we finally got home around 9pm and Ivy was very happy to see us! This is what I wore to travel in. It was comfortable and neither too hot nor too cold.

You've seen this yellow Scarlett & Jo skirt before, here, but I haven't worn it as much as I've worn the others that I have. Yellow is such a lovely summery colour though so I'll try to wear it again. My black top was from Evans, it actually has a peplum hem that I don't much like so I wear it tucked in. The green cardigan was from Peacocks and I've worn it lots - in fact it's starting to bobble, boo. 

It was very windy so excuse my slightly wild hair!

What I Wore 6th May in France

On the Friday of our weekend in France I wore this new dress from the Sprinkle of Glitter collection from Simply Be. I like a lot of the collection but find the prices a bit expensive. This dress at £35 wasn't out of my budget, and I like that it is pure cotton and I love the pattern and the pompoms on the bottom.

I was standing outside the side door out of our bedroom from the cottage here, such a nice backdrop! My shoes were from Evans last summer. 

Look, it has pockets! This is really lovely, well-made dress and I'm going to wear it ALWAYS. 

A new hoodie

I said in my last post that I'd been to Manchester in March shopping. I really like the Arndale Centre, there's loads of fun shops and quite a few plus size shops, and I like the plethora of food and drink possibilities nearby. (I live in Barnsley which is not known for very exciting food!) Anyway, I was hoping I'd be able to get a new hoodie as my green one was coming apart at the seams. I'd looked on Simply Be but they were all very expensive, so I thought I might pick one up in Yours.

I saw this in Evans, they had a rail of hoodies and the colour of this one popped at me. It was only £20 which I felt was a good price, so I snapped it up. It's really warm (the inside is sort of fleecy) and cosy. I binned the green one when I got home!

As usual the hood is ridiculously big, this is always the case in plus size clothes! It's not pulled totally over my head in this photo, as if it was it would cover my eyes! Oh well, at least it has a drawstring.

What I Wore 25th February

I know this is a crappy selfie picture, but I wanted to share it anyway. I wore this to work on the 25th of February, and afterwards I met up with a friend and she said I looked lovely.

I bought this top in Evans last September. It's sleeveless so more of a summer top, but I felt drawn to the pretty paisley pattern and decided to put a cardigan on top.

The cardigan is from Primark, but I got it at a clothes swap in November. It's a size 20 so officially too small for me, but it's really stretchy. It's got cute buttons and it's also really soft. I'm officially in love with it!

What I Wore 17th January

On 17th January Lee's dad and stepmum came down to see us for lunch, as we hadn't been able to go to Durham over Christmas as Lee couldn't travel due to his operation. (Not sure if I mentioned that; he just had a hernia repaired, but he couldn't sit in a car for 2 hours).

We went to The Old Post Office which is just off Junction 38 of the M1, I would definitely recommend it. It's cheap and they have a good price for 3 courses. It's all homemade, too.

It was cold, and it had snowed, and this is what I wore. My mum said it looked very summery, but oh well!

I dug this wrap out from the pile of coats and stuff, I've had it almost ten years but it's really warm and lovely. It was from Evans.

The skirt is a Scarlett and Jo one, I think from last year? I bought it from Lucia, but this is the first time I've worn it. I paired it with a black strappy top from Simply Be, and my lace black shrug from New Look.