New Mummy Beauty Rule Number 1:

Don't let your sister con you into believing she is capable of carrying out beauty treatments.

You may be poor and feeling less than your best in the beauty stakes but believe me, even if your sister has done a beauty therapy course (many moons ago), cutting corners when it comes to personal maintenance, never works!

The problem started the other day... I was moaning to my sister about how I needed to get my eyebrows waxed and, very kindly, she offered to do them for me. 

So far so good, eyebrows done and she did a god job but whilst scrutinising my rather haggard face, she 'kindly' pointed out that I seemed to be growing little moustache -  talk about helping me feel good about myself -  and should she wax that off too.

"Why not?" I said. "In for a penny in for a pound and it would be nice to feel a little more up together."

HOWEVER... she neglected to use the facial hair waxing strips and now I have a bright red, spotty top lip instead!

Some people might argue that I should have known better, after all this isn't the first time the sis has inflicted her 'beauty' treatments on me. 

Whilst training at college, she asked me to come in for a facial as she needed some volunteers to be assessed on. Fancying a relaxing treatment I agreed to be her guinea pig only to discover on arrival that she didn't need to give anyone a facial at all but a bikini wax instead.  

The pain was bad enough but this paled into insignificance compared to the humiliation of having her handiwork inspected by the course tutor.

Moral of the story... perhaps I should eat less cake and use the substantial amount of money I would save to fork out for some proper beauty treatments!

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On my baby wish list this month...

Bubs is getting bigger; weaning is on the horizon and the weather is getting colder. So, I know it's a bit early for Father Christmas to visit, but if he could come a couple of months early, these are the things I'd like this month:

A foot muff
A jumperoo
Some new baby sleeping bags
A High chair
Winter clothes

However, being a skint realist, I think I had better hit the nearly new sales to see if I can pick up any of these bits and bobs for a bargain.

The NCT and Baby and Children's Market often run nearly new sales in your local area, but get there on time so you don't miss any of the good stuff!

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Afternoon Tea Scones

Talking of afternoon tea (see previous post) and inspired by the beautiful recipes I've been salivating over on the Anecdotes and Applecores blog, made me think of this recipe, which has to be the easiest and cheapest scone recipe ever. It makes delicious scones which I often add different bits and bobs to.

Ingredients:

8oz flour
3oz butter
1/4 pint of milk

Why not try adding some chopped almonds or pistachios along with some chopped glace cherries or how about the grated zest of one orange and try serving with orange curd and clotted cream instead of jam.

Method:

Preheat your oven to gas mark 7
Rub the butter and four together to create a fine breadcrumb like mixture
Stir in any additional ingredients such as your dried fruit
Mix in the milk and combine until a ball of dough forms
Gently kneed for one to two minutes
Roll out until the dough is about 1inch thick then use a biscuit cutter to cut out your rounds
Place your rounds on a lined baking tray, brush with a little milk and then bake in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes until golden on top

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More Tea Vicar?

Yes, I did make it myself! Very proud of my achievements.

One of the nicest things about being at an age where lots of friends are having babies, is that you get to go to lots of baptisms and naming ceremonies. To me, these celebrations are even better than weddings; they are often much more intimate with just a few close friends and family and are a lovely way to celebrate and pledge your support and guidance to the new arrival.

Of course, a glass or two of bubbly to wet the baby's head and a slice of cake doesn't go amiss either. In fact, the best post-ceremony receptions we have been to have incorporated afternoon tea and I'm a girl with a sweet tooth, so that keeps me happy.

Don't get stuck behind the BBQ!

These types of events have seemed to work well, as not only does it give you free rein to get creative with your cupcakes and create a beautiful looking spread but it is fairly quick to set up; easy to prepare in advance and allows the hosts to then mingle with their guests, something we found hard to do at our own baby's christening after opting for a BBQ.

However, even if you decide to cater for your christening or naming ceremony yourself, it can still be expensive and for someone who loves all the entertaining fripperies, I do often run the risk of racking up even bigger  bills by getting carried away with the need to buy cake stands, table decorations, coloured glasses, bunting etc etc.


















So here are a few tips to help keep the costs down:

Well it was Jubilee year!

• Buy in bulk - if you can, visit a wholesaler to buy ingredients/wine/soft drinks etc for your party
• Substitute beautiful fresh flower arrangements with beautiful pot plants that will look lovely on tables but can be planted in the garden once your party is over 
• Beg, borrow and steal (ok maybe not the last one but you know what I mean)
• Take people up on their offers of help
• Keep your refreshments simple - it's all about being together after all. 

Any other top tips for entertaining on a budget, let me know!

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