Goodbye to a Bad Year!

Normally, I keep the tone here on my blog light and happy, and I never complain or write about my problems. And since I don't have New Years Resolutions (except that I must not buy more nail polishes, books, lip balms, shoes ...!) and I don't evaluate the year either. But today I will dedicate this post to a well-meant GOODBYE to a bad year!

As some of you might remember I went through a big operation in the middle of October 2010, and I felt really bad 2½ months after. At the beginning of January 2011 I finally thought that now I felt better. It didn't hurt badly and I did not have nausea or vomited any longer. The day after I feel on our main stairs and broke my leg!

I waited, with many other fellow-sufferers with broken bodyparts, five hours at the casualty ward to be x-rayed and find out my ankle was quite crushed and my radius was broken. I had to meet the next morning to get an operation. I was absolutely NOT ready for this so soon after my last operation. I waited fasting a day to get the message that I should not go through operation, that the best treatment was no treatment. Then I put a knife to the throat of the surgeon and said that he should guarantee me that I would be able to walk in high heels again and that I was not just spared since there were so many broken arms and legs. He promised me I would.

Now, a year after, I walk in medium high heels, that is what most would call high heels, they are about 2½-3", and I'm still working on the higher heels. But it would never have been so without my fantastic physiotherapist. Without his brilliant treatments I would still be limping. You don't get anything from the hospital, only a poor little folder with exercises I could have figured out myself.

And I also went down with serious stress twice during Spring and early Summer. So serious down that I found myself lying among our boxes in the basement crying, shaking and even couldn't say my own name. Fortunately, I have a fantastic boss, who spend her Easter thinking about what to do to make me feel better and thereafter took good care of me. We are all VERY fond of her.

But good things have also happened: I have hosted two nail nights with great success, one in Spring and one in Autumn. Now all my female colleagues are Nail Nerds, even the most natural type has started a small collection of nail stuff.

Son has got an apprenticeship as a landscape gardener, and he is very happy! He is not literary, but unfortunately he does not have technical talent like his dad and granddad either. But apparently he is a very skilled gardener. I do hope that it continues the next four years.

And we have bought a holiday to Florida in February, with our best friend, Jesper, and his sweet family. All my life I have wanted to go to the US and now the holiday is finally paid, but it is still too unreal for me.

Before going to Floriday, I also have to go to Dubai with my company - it's a tough job but somebody has to do it! :)

Happy New Year to you all. I have decided that 2012 will be a fantastic year, I hope your year will be so too.

Resolutions for 2011

No resolutions this year! In fact I never have resolutions since I think it is stupid and that they are almost made to be broken at the end of January. Last year DH made up a shared resolution for us and I want to stress that he did his very best to break it all year long. He topped it by investing in a lawn mower at 5,455 dollars, which I dickered down to 4,545 dollars, but that’s pretty expensive anyway. Yep, we have a very nice lawn all Summer.

Shop less
The resolution did something good – my shopping-gene has almost withered. I do shop a little, but I’m very proud that it isn’t much. I’ll continue doing so.

Tidy up, clear out
I have cleared out a lot of things including tidied up the basement. I have carried lots of bags to the second hand shops, trashed something and put up for sale at our Danish version of eBay. But I’m sure more can be cleared out.

Exercise
Well, that’s an evergreen. But as soon as my belly stops hurting after my operation, I want to use my EasyShaper.

It is genius and super effective – if I use it.

Loose 3-4 kilos
I’ve already lost 3½ kilos, but want to loose 3 more, 4 would be perfect. What a lot of clothes I can fit then!

Enjoy life
I love my everyday life, because it fills most of my life. I will enjoy sitting in front of the fireplace with a mug of tea, or in my vintage garden swing during Summer, take a ride in my vintage car or backseat at DH’s motorcycle. I think it is good to be pleased with the daily things and never just take them for granted.

Sanne's Sunglasses

I've spent money! I've invested in these great vintage-styled sunglasses from Ralph Lauren:
I'm going to look like this, just 20 years older. :)

They cost 305 dollars, and to this you have to add 90 dollars for prescription glasses, since I cannot see without glasses. But I know I will LOVE them the next 20 years.

And before my Summer holiday I'm going to invest in this fantastic objective for my Canon reflex camera:

It is a 18-200 objective which I've found on the internet for about 618 dollars, and then I don't have to change objectives - which I never do. I've looked at Tamron's 18-270 objective, but after having read comparisons of them, I chose Canon's. Normally, I don't go for brands, except for my camera where I like everything is Canon.

And DH has bought a lawn mover for what equals to 4,545 dollars!!! And it was not like he needed one! It originally cost 5,454 dollars but I bartered the price down. It has front blades and hydrostat - something a man cannot live without.

So I've started saving for my other dream car - a Fiat 500, the middle model, as dad says. Preferably in pastel green, like here:

I will import it from Italy next Summer, the tax is about 545 dollars and then it is ready to drive. I'm excited if my marriage survives another vintage car. But as son says: "It costs the same, it has almost the same size as the lawn mover, it just misses the blades underneath." - and he is right.

So I think our New Year resolution is closed now!

Mum's got a New Toy

I've spend money!

Some of you might have wondered what happened to my New Year resolution. I stopped writing what I bought, because I thought you might find it pretty boring, but also because I haven't been spending any money for long!!! That is, except some small really cheap things that doesn't count. But NOW I've spend money! I've got a new job and therefore wanted to celebrate, so I got this fabulous necessity at eBay:
Powder box and lipstick in one with lots of colourful rhinestones - just what I like, and I'm sure it will look great in my clear lucite purses from the fifties.

And our local supermarket had this handy little video camera as bargain this week:
160 dollars, I could not resist. And then DH gave it to me - he is my favorite husband! ;)

So in the future I will be able to present you to much better videos of my dancing son.

I'm Outraged!

Yesterday, I went to a sale in a nearby City. I invested in a lot of jewellery which God knows I don't need and even cannot convince myself that I needed. Only excuse was that it was incredible reduced, from 146 dollars to 18 dollars. When I'm finished cringing with embarrasment you'll perhaps get some photos.

Well, on my way home I thought I could buy some groceries and fruit in a supermarket, and found myself standing with a box with four small ecological apples for FIVE (5!!!) dollars!!! Who in the world pays so much for four small paltry apples!?

Glossaholic

I've done it again! Bought a lipgloss, although I've promised myself 100,000 times that I have to use all those I have before buying new. I just love lipgloss, and this is fabulous: pink, mirror on the side and LIGHT in the top!!!
Can you wish for more for just 6 dollars!? Oh yes, I would wish that it didn't smell so much of plastic.
And I've bought some more, which I cannot justify I truly needed - a Jane Austen DVD collection. 10 hours cosy entertainment for just 45 dollars in my book club:
I have to resign that book club - I get tempted constantly!

Austrian Shopping

Although there were only a few shops in Lofer I did spend a little, it was holiday after all. I found a lovely little vintage wrist-watch from the fifties, I wind it up every morning and it runs perfectly, very precise. So nice and feminine! And the elderly man at the flea market had sent it to the clock maker beforehand to give it a new glass and a new reptile band before I spent what equals to 28 dollars on it. I think it is a bargain and although it is against my challenge for 2010, I think it is OK.
I bought five jars with my favourite hand cream, Kamill.

The Kamill harvest.

A large jar cost about 3.5 dollars and it is so great for dry skin and smells lovely. Now I have hand cream for the rest of the year.

I also bought something new and smart – stickers for decorating nails. After I’ve become a fan of NegleNymfernes blog (a Danish blog solely about nail polish), I have rediscovered how much fun it is do my nails. Not just file, file and then a little pale polish. No, now I want more fun. I found these stickers for about 1.5 dollars for one sheet with many small stickers, and until now they are a hit.
I bought the nail polish at the ferry to Germany, it is a nail strengthener from Trind, a brand from the Netherlands I didn’t know. It only cost about 8 dollars, it lasts very long and the colour is perfect. Why did I only buy one bottle?

The small stickers are placed on clean nails and then you should give them one layer of top coat. I have even washed clothes several times and they still look perfect. I ought to have bought more sheets, at that ridiculous price it isn’t against my challenge for 2010. ;) At the ferry, I also found another nail-themed bargain: tiny coloured rhinestones to put on the nails. I haven’t tried them yet, but they look very lovely, and I had just seen a set like it beforehand at about 3-4 times the price – so this was a real bargain. My biggest problem - I cannot resist a bargain.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend! :)

Shaped Discs

Our 2010 challenge does not go very well, but my collection of special vinyl records grows. Just look what I've found on eBay:

Prince's Purple Rain, purple vinyl, so fabulous. I look forward to placing it on my record player.
Tina Turner in harnish - great song, great disc.
Super decorative and a real bargain.
Heartshaped The Bangles.
Son and DH likes her.
This is also in my book about special discs.
A nice little toddler, I'm not sure of the artist.
A more psykodelic disc.
I'm not sure of who he is, but the disc is nice, and it was in one of the two lots I won at eBay.
An american football.
A red heart with movie music.
The last one in the collection, clear with a photo in the middle.

I won two lots on eBay, one with five discs in and one with six discs in, bot at 25 dollars each lot, and they are truly worth it. If they are so scratched they cannot play, I'll just use them for decoration on my record player.

And I've also bought a book, a discounted trilogy for what equals to 20 dollars:
Not that I needed more books, but because I'M GOING ON HOLIDAY!!! :)

DH had decided that we were not going on skiing holiday this year, but some weeks ago he started surfing the internet for bargains and found a lovely hotel in the City of Lofer, Austria. I just LOVE Austria. There is so beautiful and cosy and people are so friendly. And ask me if I need a holiday.

New Year Resolutions for 2010

My resolutions for this year - except from exercising more and loosing at least 10 pounds, DH and I have decided that 2010 should be a "buy nothing year". I know this is not very realistic, but the plan is that we should buy as little as possible and always ask ourselves if we really NEED the thing in question. Our main problem is that none of us can resist a great bargain - although we don't need it. We want to get rid of this habit during 2010.

I added that I thought clearing out some of our things would be great. I'm good at clearing out and tidying up, but DH is not quite as good at getting rid of unused things as I am, so he agreed. Everyting not used within the last ten years has to go. If it is good we sell it on the internet, if not that great, but still good, we give it to charity and a few old and worn things might go to the dumpsite. Or else we might end up drowning in all our collections of things.

I've been following Donna's year in 1955 and am very inspired by her. She has enjoyed her year in 1955 so much and have changed a lot during her year. In her own words she has grown up. Now she has started a fabulous website: The Apron Revolution. Her next goal is to change the world, and I say, why not!? I'm very inspired by her frugal and very rational way of living, so DH's suggestion just hit the spot.

I will write my "oops" here on the blog, for you to enjoy and shake year head with an indulgent smile. I might admit that only a few days after our holy promise I bougth two bottles of nail polish. One them is the same colour as my vintage car, and I've been looking for it for long. The other was a pale colour for French manicure and I needed it. So does any of these count? No, I don't think so. ;)

Follow the progression of our challenge here on the blog.
And please share your challenges.