Tag Archives: Abattoir

Old friends, a birthday, a Eurovision song contest and wedding talk!

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It’s been on of those amazing weekends.  I still feel on a high, though slightly weary after a weekend of excesses.  Karin and Simon left this morning to head back to Stockholm but it was a memorable weekend.

Yes I did help choose the rings:)  I think Karin found my advice invaluable…BUT I have promised not to share photos of it before the wedding in August.  Needless to say it is a classic and stunning.   The boys and girls then parted ways, as the ladies took on some hardcore shopping.  Two pairs of Jimmy Choos, a Jimmy Choo clutch, a Coach handbag and a pair of ballet flats later Karin was all shopped out.  And you’ll never guess what – I didn’t buy a thing!! I was having so much fun offering advice that I got my shopping endorphins vicariously through Karin.

I did however do some ‘browsing’ and I fell seriously head over heels (pun intended) for these Miu Miu jazz shoes!

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Had I had 2 glasses of wine at lunch instead of one I’m quite sure this McQueen clutch would have come home with me.

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Then I took some photos of a potential birthday present – I like to help my Husband out with a couple of pointers:)

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As for Karin’s haul here’s one pair of the gorgeous wedding shoes – these are for the ceremony.

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Naturally we had to get a pair for dancing in too:)

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This is the bag that Karin walked away with from Coach.  I adore the style – so slouchy and the interior design is perfect.  I am lusting after it in yellow.  Coach seem to have really upped their game recently and are moving away from the heavily branded C logo bags – thank goodness.

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On Friday night after a tiring day of shopping we all headed out to our favorite restaurant where Simon proposed to Karin last year.  MUCH fun was had.  I was thrilled to wear my Ted Baker dress for the first time!

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Dress – Ted Baker (no longer available online) // Shoes – Nine West // Clutch - YSL // Bracelets – Tiffany & Co // Ring – David Yurman

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On Saturday it was Poppy’s birthday so after presents we went to her favorite BBQ joint for lunch.  Later that afternoon she had the time of her life dancing to the Eurovision Song contest!  We were SO excited that we managed to stream it live – quite giddy with excitement actually!

Yesterday we headed out for a little more shopping.  You’ll be relieved to know this time I did actually leave the Mall with something.  Two things in fact.  I am enamored with Gap at the moment and I left with 2 pairs of jeans.  The neon were in the sale in store but don’t appear to be online.

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I LOVE these paint splattered skimmers.  Both pairs are very stretchy and I managed to get into a 27″ in both so definitely size down.

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On Sunday night we headed out for steak and fabulous red wine.  Yummy – those 27″ might not fit today.

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Shoes – Zara // Jacket – Zara (similar here) // Blouse – Zara (old) // Trousers – Zara // Clutch – YSL

Today it is a day for comfort and drinking lots of water.  The sun is shining here again after a weekend of rain – not that we noticed it – we were having so much fun.  Till next time our special friends.

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Sandals – Zara // Skirt – Asos // T-shirt – Boden (similar here) // Neon scarf – Forever 21

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A weekend tinged with sadness.

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We adopted Rosie, our Boxer, back in 2001, and we’re guessing she was about 2 years old then.  So we knew the chances of her seeing it into 2014 would be slim – we knew she was slowing down.  On Friday morning, given some symptoms and tests, the vet advised it was her time, so with heavy hearts we said farewell to her.  The end of an era.  Rosie was one of the few constants in our lives over the past 12 years, she was gentle and loyal and we loved her so much.  RIP Rosie xx

Rosie when we adopted here – she had no hair on her back bless her but it all grew back:

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Rosie with MM – living the dream with a t-top Camaro (2002):

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On one of our adventures in North Carolina:

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The children were sad but quite pragmatic so we aimed to keep the weekend as normal as possible.  Yesterday we headed out to the mall and then to their favorite BBQ joint for a treat.  We talked about angels, old dogs and puppies, and now they seem quite at peace with the outcome.  We still have Tennyson here, and Poppy has requested that when we get our next girl dog that she has a tail – so we’re moving on…

It was a gorgeous day so I decided to go full on with the spring attire:)

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Trousers – Zara // Jacket – Zara // T-shirt – Gap // Sneakers – Isabel Marant Bobbys

 

Last night was date night so we toasted Rosie before eating.

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Trousers – Zara // Jacket – Zara // T-Shirt – Express (old) // Shoes – DSW // Cuff – Tiffany (MM bought me this Xmas of 2001 and I’ve no idea why I wear it so rarely!)

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Birthday weekend.

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My birthday weekend was lovely and thank you for all your wishes.  41 feels okay so far.  In fact not much different from 20 years ago given I went into my birthday with a tiny hangover from the night before – why do I always get carried away the eve of my birthday?!  MM and I sat outside in the summer evening drinking a bottle of cava and enjoying some old tunes from our ‘youth’.  My birthday therefore had a bit of a low key start, but one that had to unfortunately start with a trip into school with Poppy to make sure the nurse cleared her of head lice!  Why oh why – every year there seems to be an outbreak – can we not make these pesky buggers extinct??  It also seems that every time I visit Poppy’s school I am either hungover or drugged up (last time cold meds) – how to make a great impression eh?  Fortunately I rarely go in so my hangovers are not as frequent as they may think, I am verging on responsible these days.

After a Chick-fil-a breakfast my birthday lunch was spent at Houston’s courtesy of MM.  I think it’s odd for an American to say but believe it or not this was my first trip to a Houston’s and I loved it – the atmosphere for lunch is great – busy and bustling and fab service.  Apparently our local one is the highest grossing in the States and it was packed.  To top off the ridiculous calorie intake for the day MM took me to our favorite restaurant Abattoir.  Yes sorry we are a bit boring going to the same old place but why fix it if it ain’t broke?!  It was a lovely evening and we bumped into some neighbors and friends so some fine red was consumed on their patio. The kids then took me to our local BBQ joint on Sunday so it is now time to quite literally tighten the belt and fast for a few days:)

I recorded the closing ceremony for the Olympics and LOVED it.  It was only spoiled by NBCs rubbish commentary again – they couldn’t even identify all the models or designers featured in the ‘fashion’ scene.  Stella Tennant, my model crush, looked incredible – absolutely fierce!  I was thrilled to see the Spice Girls and Take That…if only Duran Duran had been there…oh well I’ll be seeing John Taylor, my childhood crush, on Sunday!  My fabulous Husband has bought me tickets to see them at Chastain – THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!  I’ve waited 25 years or so to see them!  Question is what to wear?  It has to be something that makes JT realize he missed out on the best of the bunch when he sees me lol:)  Or maybe I’ll just get the ruffles and pixie boots out again?

Now for an outfit summary of the past few days.  This weekend has been quite varied:

Thursday:  Dusk stripy tunic, radish effortless cardigan – both Boden, with Tory Red Tory Burch Revas:

Friday birthday lunch: green H&M top – just $12.99 – worn with Zara jacket and Hudson jeans and navy Tory Burch Eddie flats:

Not sure how we managed this but unfortunately there is no photo of my dinner outfit – but I was wearing a white Zara jacquard blazer with these lovely Zara silk pants – it was so nice wearing wide leg trousers for a change!

Monday:  back to work with a bump wearing my Hudson jeans, blush Zara top, leopard print Zara jacket and my DSW Levity wedges:

Today:  I think subconsciously I am trying to wear this blazer as often as I can before the end of summer:  Zara floral blazer, Boden cyclamen skinny jeans, All Saints Tilly t-shirt and turquoise Tory Burch Emmy sandals:

So back to the running today to work of those birthday treats – kindly my FIL bought me a balance board for my birthday – it has so far taught me that I have zero balance…

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Bon voyage!

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So sorry for the lack of recent posts – it has been bedlam getting ready for our trip!  I’d have thought by now I would have packing for a trans-Atlantic trip down to a fine art, but oh no, this time I have some how managed to fill 2 enormous bags for 3 of us whereas previous years I’ve managed with one bag alone.  The unpredictable British weather does not help – plus I need black and taupe ankle boots, and black and neutral ballet flats, casual sneakers, running sneakers and flip flops just in case:)  I reckon if I could carry it all I’d make full use of our allowance of 3 bags but I’m not entirely sure they would all get in mum and dad’s car back in Manchester – in fact I’m not even sure 2 will…I’ll just have to sit on the roof…I’m sure as hell not sacrificing my closet.  MM did ask when I thought the leopard print capris would get worn in Bury…well you just never know do you?!

I also have 3 iPads, 1 iPod touch, 1 shuffle, 1 MacBook and 1 iPhone to carry – Steve Jobs really was a genius.

So here are 2 outfits from over the weekend that I shared by FB and Twitter in lieu of posting the blog – lazy I know.  The first is from Friday.  I went to get a haircut in the morning and knew I’d be running errands for most of the day so comfort was key.  It’s the first time I wore my Sam Edelman leopard print Petty boots and I adore them – they are on sale on Zappos.com right now – you must have these in your closet!  They looked fabulous (note overwhelming modesty here) with my orange J.Crew shorts, black Express tee and Zara black jersey jacket.  I’m embarrassed to say I now have this jacket in black, off white, fuchsia and jade.  I just love them.

Saturday night my fabulous man took me out to our favorite place for dinner, Abattoir, for a farewell dinner.  One too many prosecco cocktails were imbibed and too little food which resulted in a stonking hangover on Sunday – hence no photo from yesterday as it was spent horizontal on the sofa in sweatpants, watching recoded Euro 2012 matches:)  After a good sweat this morning and a mani pedi with my girl I am now throwing the remaining items into my bags ready to leave for Atlanta’s new international terminal.  I believe there is a new El Taco there where the kids can have some nachos and I might have a cheeky margarita!  See you in England on Tuesday!

Saturday evening’s attire: Zara jade jersey jacket, Zara harem pants, DSW Levity peep toe boots, white Express tank, YSL clutch (cardboard courtesy of contractors!) – photo a bit fuzzy given MMs haste to get out of the house!

Tipsy:

My girl and her mani pedi:)

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A birthday, some shopping, a proposal and a hangover!

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What a brilliant weekend!  SO much happened but I’m quite relieved it’s over now as my liver couldn’t take much more partying…my stamina isn’t what it used to be.  Simon and Karin (I now have permission to use names!) arrived on Thursday and of course we had fun catching up over wine and good steaks.  It was 1.30am when we eventually made it to bed which I knew was going to be bad news for Friday…and of course Friday was my daughter’s 6th birthday so I needed to have my game face on!  I dragged myself and her out of bed in time for the school bus thankfully, after opening gifts – the Barbie camper was very well received.  The day then began to unravel itself as one of rushing about madly – from dropping cupcakes off at school for the birthday girl, to shopping and lunch with our guests – to finally helping out at the end of year party held by our lovely school bus driver.  I had to engage brain and get my mouth to work properly chatting to all the other lovely moms who were there…I was beginning to run out of steam.  Fortunately the evening was finished off with a huge chocolate cake for the birthday girl and a Chinese takeaway – boy those dumplings were enjoyed!

Ready for shopping in AllSaints tank, Gap black jeans, AllSaints Bonny Cuban boot.

A very excited 6 year old.

This might be the time to confess that my diet was not maintained at all over the weekend…major fail…but I’m back on the wagon today.  I did get a workout in on Saturday morning and then I took Karin shoe shopping while Simon and MM watched the Champion’s League final.  After a very successful haul of 4 pairs of shoes for Karin and a new pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses for me, we cracked open some cava and began getting ready for a night out.

Glad rags: AllSaints Pipali tank, Express Zelda white cropped jeans, Levity shoes, Steve Madden clutch

We went to our favorite restaurant, Abattoir.  We’ve been often enough now that we are treated as regulars – the staff are so friendly, welcoming and patient thankfully, as we were quite a loud and raucous table.  Festivities took an exciting turn when Simon decided to propose to Karin!  I say decided – I do hope I didn’t force the situation – I have a habit of being a bit like a dog with a bone when I’ve had a drink – so I’m not sure if I cajoled, persuaded or forced a proposal but Karin said yes and everyone seemed very happy.  So I’m looking forward to a trip to Sweden next year for a summer wedding!  Simon texted me yesterday from Chicago with a photo of Karin wearing a beautiful diamond engagement band from Tiffany’s.  Good job Simon:)  Karin and I stayed up till 3.30am on Sunday morning chatting with mojitos…so yesterday was a little fuzzy to say the least.  Thankfully spent horizontal, parenting by the pool.

So back to normality today with only 2 days left of the school year – hurray!

 

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Calories burned > calories in.

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Yesterday started early with a 10 mile run – my last long run before the Zooma half marathon next weekend.  I wasn’t sure I was in the mood for it as I woke at 7am but by the time I’d fueled myself with pancake and coffee I was excited to get going and the weather was perfect for 2 hours outside.  I was frustrated though as it took me a while to find my rhythm – sometimes I wonder why I don’t see the huge improvement I want over the course of several runs.  I find running is definitely mind over matter and once you feel out of sync it’s difficult to pull it back.  I can set out feeling exactly the same and run a scorcher one day and fall completely flat another.  Anyway I managed to get going and forced myself to floor it going up the long hill which we like to torture ourselves with.  I have a new mantra which I keep reciting in my head since I got my Newtons, ‘land, lever, lift’ – it’s quite a good rhythm to run to!  We set a good pace but I wish I’d finished stronger – I guess I’ll keep that with me as I run along a nice flat course next week aiming for a PB:)

I was very grateful to MM who not only watched the kids while I was running but then allowed me to have a nap for an hour to recharge before we headed out to dinner with Mike.  I felt like a million dollars after a good sleep and knew I could indulge guilt free after all the calories burned that morning!  I chose to wear my new AllSaints Dissolve dress.  I just love it.  It is a simple t-shirt dress with a little bit extra – and I love the long sleeves but it’s still light enough to wear on a warm evening.  I think all AllSaints clothes run big and this is a UK size 8 which I could never get into in other brands.  The Economist had this interesting piece on size inflation the other week – talk about vanity sizing! The skirt is lovely and kicks out perfectly – I have to say I felt dead sexy in it (without wanting to sound like Samantha Brick – though I recently heard a friend had labeled me a narcissist for my blogging…not bothered lol).

We had a great evening, with good conversation.  Abattoir is always one of our favorite spots and last night they had lots of my favorite vegetable on the menu – rhubarb.  My cocktail was a Rhubarb Ricky – delicious!

So a little tired today but looking forward to a fun day in the sun again.  Maybe the paddling pool will come out for the first time, and then we’re grilling out later.  I have the perfect Boden stripy tunic to wear.  This dusk stripe was actually my least favorite color of the four I bought, but I have to say I love it on – even MM said he loved it and he initially preferred the darker radish and French blue ones.  My dermatologist will be mad but everything does look a little better with a bit of sun on the skin – don’t worry I’m still wearing my SPF 30!