Partee Photos

Parteeeee

OMG!!! What a laugh, i don't think i danced so much in my life - more like moshing. I drank like a fish {do fish drink?} and have no hang over, just still a little light headed :) Not smoking wasn't a problem, i just drank and danced more :) Ber asked me a few weeks ago to go to a fancy dressed party with her and i'm so glad i did. Chris the birthday boy was such a sweetie even getting a cake for Dana and Ber whose birthday it was too.

I dressed up as an "old devil called Love", I borrowed Shona's devil horns, and wrote on a red T. I'd recommend wearing devil horns any day, we started off in the White House and this guy came running over to me as asked "are you a horny devil"... i said "i am now" hee hee! Oh and a photographer from the paper took our photo...

We moved onto Scotts Bar which has a great venue downsatirs for a party. As you can see Ber was a cowgirl and I love the photo of her drinking the beer wearing the mustache, can't wait to scrap it :) Right off to flake out on the couch for the evening, need my energy for tomorrow as a gang of us from the photo club are heading out for the afternoon with our cameras. Ciao for now. x.

Look what i treated myself to....

i had my eye on a writing desk 3 months ago in Instore, when i went to buy it in the new year it was sold {*sniff sniff} but they promised me they had an identical make in their store in town.... so weeks later {today} i trotted off to town at lunch time to purchase this gorgeous writing desk :)
It is designed for computers, its got a hole at the back for all the wires so it looks nice and neat :) I've really hated looking at all the wires for the last 5 years and now i don't have to!!!! oh i'm so happy! And i'll have it paid for in 3 months with the money i used to spend on smokes :)

I lurves it soooooooooooo much :@)

the girls are back in town

and they are back for good!

I have one happy little woman, her best friends are back in Ireland for good. They left last June for Scotland and Shona was so upset. But at Christmas their daddy got a full contract with the college so they've decided to stay here! The girls spent the afternoon with us, crafting, playing twister, watching dvd's and eating pasta. We really all had a great time and looking forward to doing it again really soon :)

Tags

I'm not a big fan of tags, usually because as soon as i get to read the post the 10 people i want to tag have already been tagged twice or three times. So in honour of all the people who thought of me when tagging and for those i never acknowledged back, this is for you! You Rock (which i've made myself), you don't need to send it on, this is for you.


(If you want to send on this "you rock" please feel free!)

"You Rock" because you're kind, funny, thoughtful, creative. My life is much more colourful with you in it. Thank you for making a difference!

Annamarie

Audrey

Caroline

Carrie

Evonne

Gertie

Kate

Lainey

Neasa

Noelle

Tigger

Soiree Sisters (and brothers too!)

Well last night was our first SS&B2 and it went down a treat. The food was scrummy, wine delis, conersation hilarious and twister was really difficult after a feed, LOL. The idea behind the SS&B2 is to try something different so i prepared a Moroccan Lamb Stew, and i have to saty it was gorgeous! (this might have to do with the taste buds not been covered in nicotine). I think it was Ray who asked for the recipe (wine goggles) so i thought i'd share it with anyone who want to try it out. I loved it so much i made it again on sunday and have it forzen to have during the week. The main ingredients are Lamb, sweet potatoes, couscous and spices. Enjoy!

Moroccan Lamb Stew – serves 4-6
Ingredients
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds crushed
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds crushed
• 3-4 small dried chillies
• a small bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds stew lamb
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2.5 cm/
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 2 tins of tomatoes
• 1 stick of cinnamon or ½ teaspoon crushed cinnamon
• 1 bay leaves
• a handful of dried apricots
• 285ml (½ pint) boiling water
• 350g/12oz couscous
• 1 large bunch of fresh coriander and a few leaves of mint
• 4 tablespoons creme fresh

In a large bowl mix your cumin, coriander with the dried chillies, rosemary, ginger and a pinch of salt and pepper, stirring in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add Lamb and toss to coat with mixture

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add lamb to pot and sauté until brown on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Remove and leave to one side.

Add the sweet potato, onion and garlic to the pan fry your veg for about 4 minutes until the onions are slightly soft. Add your tomatoes, give the pan a shake and place the meat on top. Add 2 wineglasses of water, the cinnamon, bay leaves and dried apricots, and stew for 1 hour 30 minutes.

Pour the boiling water over the couscous and allow it to be absorbed. Then fork the couscous through, season with salt, pepper, a lug of olive oil, cover with tinfoil and place in the oven for 5 minutes to steam.

Roughly chop the fresh coriander and stir it through the couscous just before serving. Serve with creme fresh with chopped mint leaves.

i love cash

while on MSN with Tigger and Evonne i cranked up the volume and listened to Mr Cash, that mans velvet voice is amazing i could listen all night! You can hear the passion and the pain in 9inch nails song Hurt, wowzer!

Last week of Got Paint :(

I've really enjoyed Emily's class over on Big Picture Scrapbooking. The handouts and audio messages were great, I never got a chance to do the "chat" thing as it was always in the wee hours (being an american site). The last class is up *sniff sniff* i'm going to miss learning new techniques, especially to do with paint. Its really encouraged me to look at being creative from a different light. I love the painting and I'd love to just go mad with the paint but in a bigger scale.... like 6ft x 4ft (mind you i'd need a box to stand on - hee hee)

I really feel i've got paint :)

Day 3/4

Day 3: After Curves Ailis and I went food shopping, we were thinking something fresh and delis for supper. Salmon, baked potatoe and spinach.. yummy, oh and a small glass of vino :) After dinner as we were chatting Ailis pointed out that I was playing with my gloves... pulling at them, rolling them .... without thinking i was trying to keep my hands busy. it was so funny. next thing i knew i was wearing the gloves... i didn't even notice putting them on :) whatever was happening it was working!

Day 4: This week in work has been difficult, i was thinking today that i haven't smoked during a really stressful time. I didn't go to Curves today, my body was exhausted and needed a break! I had a lovely brown bread salmon sandwich at lunch and salmon with pasta for tea.... i think i'm all salmoned out, LOL.

Tonight Shona and i headed out for a walk and to buy the ingredients for saturday's nights dessert, then my little helper and i spent the next hour making the most unusual dessert. Can't wait to have a slice :) I'll post up the recipe after the weekend. As a treat tonight i soaked, scrubbed and lathered in cream the soles of my feet, ahhhhhhh bliss oh i'm so worth it!

Day 3

I think today has been a little easier!? Ok maybe not, I still have this feeling that my limbs are about to fall off, my stomach has constant knots, I feel I need to itch but can't find the scratch.... this has been the hardest thing I've ever done! But do you know what????...... I don't smoke! I'm a non-smoker!!!

Day 1: 24 hours of completley thinking about smoking (or not smoking). Went to Curves, drank loads of water & herbal tea, chewed chewing gum, went for a walk after tea, went to bed early and read a book about de-stressing (i used smoking to de-stress). Awake 5.30am... day 2....

Day 2: The cravings were a little more difficult to deal with today. Went to Curves again at lunch time, just to keep myself busy. Was up really late last night 2am, awake 6am.

Day 3: This morning I felt "wow! I don't even want a smoke, i'm not even thinking about smoking..." then i got out of bed! LOL! Eating rice cakes while I type... yuck its like airy cardboard. Anyways off to Curves after work, getting some ingredients to try for my experimantal food for the smoke free soiree on sasturday night.... I'm thinking tarts for the tarts, hee hee!!!

Scrap West Class

This week Scrap West we've tried something a little different. Each of the SW-ies is going to do a tutorial each week with full instructions!! This week was my little 8x8 LO called resolutions... and no photo! A great way to scrap lists!

The wooden wine box is my paint box and I decided last night that it too needed a little paint, so using techniques from Emily's Got Paint class, I began paint! Didn't know where to stop, hee hee! This was great fun!!! Nothing is safe now - mwhahahahahahaha!

Got Piant? 2

Week 2 of the Got Paint? class got off to a start last night, the techniques this week is using stamps and paints on your LO. I went a little (lmao) over board with the stamps last night but loved getting messy. I finding the class very liberating and was looking for inspiration to get back painting... I think I may have found it!!! The photo was taken on the 1st of Jan while out for a walk in UL. If you are ever over there check out the Living Bridge... it actually moves, so cool :)

Soiree Sisters (and brothers too!) is part of my new year resolution. The "gang" have decided to have a monthly get together. We take turn in hosting one of our drink & craic fueled evenings. We gotta try something new food wise (and drink wise if we're not driving), plenty of food, fun and laughter :)

Right, off for a little lunch and then get ready for the Scrap West class tonight.

Have a lovely weekend :)

We've had a ball!!! Mind you I'm glad to get back to the routine food and exercise wise - did too much of one and not enough of the other! LOL! Here's what we were up to on Christmas Day (thanks to Annamarie showing how to do the mosaic thingie over on Scrap West). We had a fantastic time at Lou's with all the gang :)

For the new year I've enrolled in a 4 week class called "Got Paint?" over on Big Picture Scrapbook. I used the first class for this weeks Scrap West theme called Reflections. It is the beginings of an Art Journal using paint techniques. I'm loving it and painted for 4 hours last night, its great being arty :)

Check out Scrap West next friday when we do something totally different..... what do you think about a class a week????

Have a great weekend darlinks!

Where has the time gone?

The last few weeks have flown by and soooooo much as happened! I've been mad busy with work and socialising but very little time for being creative (tough life, eh?)

John's 30th Birthday

...... yeah right!!! At the begining of December the usual suspects (and a few others too) were invited to a candle lit sworee at John and Rays apartment for John's 30+ birthday. He has exaggerated his age for so long that he now has difficulty remember his real age. As always everything was just superb, the food, the wine, the craic :)

John as you can see is a handy with a screw driver (LMAO). He is busy assembling my birthday gift......

....which in my opinion was very appropriate gift, PMSL! Happy 30th John!

Secret Santa

Years to come my darling daughter is going to kill me for photos like this one. Here she is before breakfast last weekend pulling the names for the Secret Santa on Craft Supplies. There is about 38 crafters signed up to SS this year, posting was last friday and parcels will be arriving in their doors over the next few days. I wonder how long they will last before being opened????

Getting Ready for Christmas
Being busy with work jet setting around the world... ok to the UK this time.. I've produced very simple Christmas cards this year. The cricle punch is a God send, that with the ric-rac, gems for a little bling and some doodles made for a quick assembly line of cards.


Getting the tree decorated this year was a sinch as it was the first year Shona had any interest in helping. She did a wonderful job, my little helper.



Sleep Over
Shona's cousin Bayleigh has been to visit for a sleep over, actually twice in the last few weeks. The girls get on so well, its such a lovely realtionship and they have so much in common... as you can see!

Portraits

Last Sunday, Shona and I headed to my sisters for lunch. It was the perfect oppurtunity to get some family snaps as part of my Christmas gifts. Here is my gorgeous sister Louise, she is soooo photogenic.

Here she is with her two handsome dudes. They growing up so fast and yet are the most gentlemanly boys I know.

Work is finished until the new year, I had loads of days to use up before 08, so next week is dedicated to shopping, crafting, small bit of cleaning and loads of chilling!!!!! :)

Last sunday at the cork crop i got my November kit from Annamarie, I was really looking forward to getting this as it looks gorgeous online. All I can say is Wow!!! This kit did not disappoint. The Fancy Pants papers are just devine!!!! And the felt shapes are scrummy to work with. I made one of my Christmas pressies with it this week, its a covered telephone book.

BTW, I loved the tea and chocolates (3 of each comes with the kit), what a fabby idea, when I finished doing the book I had only one choc left (Green and Black too my favourite) :)

For Scrap West this week I covered another telephone book - trying to get all the pressies done asap! This one could of done with the felt in yellow, but mad do with hand cut swirl. The papers are one of my favourite all time collection by Crate Paper.

I started my savings for Scrapaganza! And to keep me on track I altered a mayonaise jar, wish me luck that I have enough in 6 months time :)

Another candle light supper tomorrow night, this time in John and Ray's apartment. We are celebrating John's 30th birthday (yeah right). Have a fabby weekend all :)

Blackie

Blackie was a stray that my Mum looked after every summer in Kerry for the last few years. When he first arrived at the cottage he was in an awful state but My Mum looked after him well and by the end of each summer he would look so much more healthier. With my parents living in an apartment they did not have the chance to bring him home. But ever summer Blackie would arrive at the cottage a day or two after they arrived. This year my parents spent about 7 months in Kerry, so Blackie's coat looked amazing, he was so healthy and glossy looking. When Shona and I went to Kerry in August the cat was really friendly too, following Shona all over the cottage, playing with her and being very affectionate. Mum and I were in shock!

Last week I got a call from my Mum to say that Balckie had passed away. His breathing had been very laboured all week and with her heading back to Killaloe she was thinking maybe he should be put to sleep. The night before he died my Mum had him on her lap for hours, just talking and rubbing him (very unusual for this cat), eventually she had to go to bed so she put the cat out, the next morning he was dead. I know my Mum is heart broken but as she knows at least he hah a great 7 months and knew he was loved.

Cork Crop

Wow! What another fantastic crop from Caroline! It was an early start with a late night before up until 2.30am with Annamarie, catching up on her trip to Scarpaganza (I am so going in June). We collected Ber on our way and really missed Kate (*sniff) hopefully she will be with us on the next trip :)

What made this a wonderful day? There was a few things actually! Tigger arrived with Bronwen, it was so good to see them both with everything that has happened over the last 2 weeks. Tigger was a vision of orange loveliness and such a ray of sunshine!!! Annamarie's shop is just amazing!!! Imagine all the stock was outside my house the night before and I didin't insist she unpack it all for me to have a quick peek :O Carolines class was brilliant! A tansparency mini book in Autumnal colors - yummy! Once I have it finished I pop up a photo.

We finished off the day with a gorgeous meal in Corbetts Court near Charleville. The chocolate fudge cake is to die for! I would recommend it to anyone!!!!

Right back to work, talk soon :)

Scrap West

Oh my, where does the time go? Its the 23rd of November already. I can't believe how fast this year is going. Do years go faster the older you get? Anyways below are 2 LO's from Scrap West. This first one is called "Just the two of us". Tis funny, Shona and I were singing this song all last week, we even got on youtube to find Will Smith's version, which I think is da bizz.

This weeks Scrap West set by Audrey is called "Books". The perfect oppurtunity to scrap these photo's of my babes in the Killorglin Library back in August. I love to read books now but as a child I'd prefere to play with my Cindy Dolls, so where on earth did my little Mrs get her love of books? From such an early age she can't get enough of them, it really feeds her imagination :)

Anyone want to listen to the song we've been dancing and singing to all week? here ya go. Just make sure you sing out loud!

Kerry

On the way down to Kerry yesterday, we decided to break up the journey by stopping at a playground we often see but have never been in. It is on the Kerry side of Abbeyfeale. It is very compact but as you can see Shona had loads of fun :)

We stopped off at the Cottage to say hi to Pappa Bud, then headed off again while the weather was still dry. We usually go to the stoney beach (aka Cromane) but this time we drove by the beach and headed to the fishing area, where the famous Cromane Mussels come from. The journey down was really bumpy but great fun.

It is a small area with no pier, loads of small boats and machinery sitting around. There was a huge artic being filled with mussels, heading to Holland. We got out and explored the area, with the fishermans eyes on us, I'm sure no one in their right mind would be down this far unless they had to. Being two city girls it was fun for us to see a part of Irish life we wouldn't see every day. Mind you I think it is worth it as the view is amazing!

Shona was very accomondating witht he camera, mind you she didn't know half the time I was taking photos as I had a zoom lens. This shot below, I think she was on her way over to give out, LOL!

We had such a laugh, just walking and talking (and me shooting). I've been so busy for the last few weeks that it is wonderful just to slow down, breath in the sea air and really appreciate what is around you :)

Oh it's been such a long time since I updated the blog, just such a busy time at work and by the looks of it it won't let up until next June. When I think back to this time last year, when I was working with the charity, knowing it wasn't going to last, I realise how lucky I am and I'm so grateful and happy with where I am now today :)

This weeks Scrap West was Changing Colours. I picked a colour I normally wouldn't use (baby blue) and teamed it with some of what I would use (pink). The "S" shape was to create a sort of balance on the page but in a fluid way. The idea behind the journalling came from my last marketing trip... "This is not a..." I am thinking about doing an album called "This is not an Album". The idea is to describe the item/person etc in a way that gives it more a personal feel. Looking forward to this.


Every second wednesday I am at the Limerick & District photo club, where we either have a competition or a visiting speaker. At the moment I find it diificult to sit for 2 hours solid and listen to someone talk technical after putting down a days work. I know it will get more interesting over the next few weeks. Below are some shots of the family business which rolled into the local shopping centre over the mid term. The next competition is called movement, so I may enter it this time.

The Bank Holiday Monday, Ber and I headed off for the day and drove around Co. Clare taking some nice Autumn shots. Mind you the first two shots were taken beside where I work.

As part of my Christmas gifts to friends and family I am doing a little photo shoot for each of them. I managed to get 2 lots done over the Bank Holiday weekend, mind you they haven't seen these yet and I know Viv will be on the phone (or email) as soon as she sees this :) I love this shot, aren't they such a gorgeous family :)

I had such a laugh with John and Ray, I think this was such a chore for them but I got some fab shots of the two of them :)

Shona and I are heading off to Kerry tomorrow for the night to see my parents. Have to bring the laptop to do a little work for meeting next week, mind you I don't mind one bit. I so love my job!

Enjoy the weekend all!