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Cinder Toffee Recipe
Now that we’re in the middle of this Coronavirus outbreak, all confined to our homes to prevent the spread of this horrid virus. More and more people are getting into and rediscovering baking-which is great! Baking is one of my favourite things to do and always has been. I decided to do a live bake-along on my Instagram account last Thursday and got a great response! I made two of my quickest easiest treats and I’ve been inundated with requests to post them on the blog. Apologies for only doing it now, I’ve been cursed with morning sickness that lasts all day and had a bad day yesterday. So here…
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Coconut Date Balls
So as I mentioned, I’ve been giving my body a little love, lately. Making lots of delicious home made treats with nourishing ingredients. A wonderful neighbour of mine, brought over some chocolate and delicious Medjool Dates for after we had lunch together in my kitchen. We were too full to eat the dates after gorging on black bean chilli. We’d arranged to go for a morning beach swim in Meaghermore in 4ºC weather the following week so what better opportunity to turn them into a delicious treat for when we (they, I paddled ?) got out of the water. It was too early to bring soup so I brought these…
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I’m back! Sorry it’s been so long.
After suffering a traumatic miscarriage, I had to pull myself out of a dark place, I selfishly hated life and everything in it. Learning how to heal was the best thing I ever did.
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A Little Good News
So today, I had my follow up ultrasound at the Maternity Hospital, to make sure all the pregnancy tissue was gone and it has, just about. I had one of the same Sonographer’s that I had the day I was admitted and I begged her to check out my file, just to see if there was any photo’s of Samuel at all, she looked through everything on the computer and eventually, fair play to her, she FOUNT IT!!! My initial scan that was done the day I presented with the bleeding. I feel better now because I feel that I have something to remind me of baby Samuel. So I…
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My Miscarriage Story
There are no quirky headlines for a post like this, it’s the hardest thing I have ever had to write. I would have been approaching 13 weeks in my pregnancy this weekend. last week, I discovered I suffered a ‘Missed Miscarriage’ or ‘Silent Miscarriage’ as it’s sometimes called. If you are squeamish, this isn’t a post you should be reading. I will warn you, I’m not going to spare any detail. My mission is to help and prepare women for one of the most common things that happens women. It’s talked about so little and brushed under the carpet. I didn’t know it was so common, myself! Fact is, miscarriage…
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Home Made: Natural, Organic Body Butter
I’ve always had a little interest in essential oils, each one can make you feel a certain way and has a particular purpose. Whether it’s to sterilise a cut or treat a rash, an anti fungal, to calm the nerves or to help you sleep, there’s an essential oil that can benefit almost anything. Fragrance can also trigger strong memories, taking you back to a certain time or place in your mind. This week, I got to meet Benoit Nicol of The Nature of Things Essential Oils. With over two decades of distilling experience and now based at The Chocolate Factory in Dublin, Benoit has produced the most exquisite array…
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Green Angel: 30 Day Seaweed Skincare Challenge.
I was recently asked to collaborate with Green Angel seaweed skincare products & The Kilkenny Shop and take part in a 30 day challenge. The mission was to commit to a skincare regime with four gifted products that I would use every day and document the change in my skin. I suffer with sensitive skin, most of us Irish ladies do, our fair skin and our climate mean that we’re always stuck under a heater somewhere and we don’t drink enough water- ok, I speak for myself on that one. I’ve tried putting a jug of water in front of me in the evenings and using a ‘Plant Nanny’ app…
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Beyond The Border: Two Days in Belfast
Belfast, the second largest city on our beautiful green island and home to much conflict over the centuries. I took a couple of days away to this fabulous city where you’re guaranteed to have some fun! Situated 165km from Dublin, it’s just a two hour train ride on the Enterprise train which leaves you at Lanyon Station (formerly Belfast Central). The city centre is walking distance but if you show your train ticket to the driver, the bus into the heart of the city is free. I went with my Mum as we haven’t been away together in six years. We stayed at the Belfast Hampton by Hilton hotel on…
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And So It Begins..
It was a disgusting morning, the wind was howling, and the rain was coming down in sheets. My shoes got wet and my clothes were soaked through on the way to work, wading through the flash floods. In addition there was no heat on, on the DART (the Irish answer to the Metro, but along the coast) and when you start a morning like that, it seems to snowball throughout the day. You just feel rubbish for the rest of the day! Sitting down for my lunch, my phone lights up with a message from my Husband, it’s a photo of a set of keys, THE SALE HAD CLOSED ON…
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House Update: One step forward and well…?
Everyone is asking with the best of intentions, how the house is coming along. I appreciate all your kind comments and encouraging words, you’re all so sweet. We were absolutely promised July/August when we bought the house, September at the very-very latest, if Summer weather was bad-indeed it wasn’t, anything but! We were rushed into signing the contract for the house and knew there was something fishy when the builders refused to sign the contract unless we reapplied for our mortgage, for a sanction expiring at a later date- they obviously knew it wouldn’t be ready. Why were we rushed into it so quickly? We moved in with an elderly…
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Bloggies 2018 Finalists Announced: I MADE THE LIST!!
Warning:Flashing images/gif below I was having a rather tough day at work yesterday, you know the kind where nothing goes right, a sort of Murphy’s Law day? Packing up to head home at the end of the day, I decided to check my emails. Almost dropping my phone with excitement, there was an email to say that this little blog had made it through three rounds of judging to make it as a finalist at the Blog Awards Ireland 2018!! I had THE BIGGEST grin on my face during the train ride home that I’m sure my fellow passengers thought I was tapped or something. I 100% don’t expect to…
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Recipe: Courgette Chorizo Savoury Traybake
I have this horrendous battle with diets and food, yes Ketogenic diets like Dukan work for me but I’m allergic to fish and I’m not a lover of meat. We’re still staying with my Husband’s Grandfather whilst waiting to move into the house, it’s finished, we just need to snag. As all my kitchen belongings are in storage, I can’t do my usual dishes, the kitchen supply of a 99 year old Gentleman is pretty limited. The last two days, I’ve been feeling so unhealthy, we’ve been eating more convenient foods instead of cooking and it’s killing me! I am starting to feel my tummy getting bigger and I HATE…
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Wool Blankets: How To Wash Wool At Home
While we’re discussing Autumn, BLANKETS! Can I we please discuss these little wonders? They shroud us when we’ve a broken heart, sick & cozy on those cold winter nights. We even clutch them as children during times of insecurity, hence the phrase ‘Security Blanket’. But what happens when you wash them the standard way in your washing machine or dryer? I know of people who’ve invested in beautiful handwoven blankets and have put them in the washing machine, only for them to be destroyed. My Mum made sure I knew how to do this and understand treating different textiles, so I learned from her. There are Foxford blankets at home…
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Autumn: These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things
Autumn, oh Autumn, I do love you! I am lamenting that glorious Summer as much as the rest of the country but I do look forward to Fall and the coziness it brings, most of all layering! Isn’t it a gorgeous feeling when you’ve been resisting the ever so slighter crisp mornings and suddenly you resist and yield to cozy cardigans? You feel almost cocooned! All one needs now is a Pumpkin Spiced Latte… right, let’s not get carried away, shall we? Whilst we’re still staying with my Husbands Grandfather, patiently awaiting the builders completion notice for the house, I’m still living out of a suitcase. Having been assured our…
A lifestyle blog by Sarah Cooke-O'Neill
