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That place between here and home..
Hi guys, you might have noticed that there hasn’t been much action on my blog lately, I haven’t lost interest, things are just a little bit chaotic at the moment. I sort of feel like my mind isn’t clear, unsettled even, I’m not sure how to describe it really. No, nothing bad has happened, I’m delighted about our ‘house in progress’, we even went to see the building site last weekend and the foundations have been poured. However, our landlord gave us notice that he’s selling last week and now we’ve to be out (in May), three months before the house is finished- great, isn’t it? We have to pack…
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A Week to Recover..
It’s almost come to the end of my week off and I’m just about back to myself, fell in love with baking again, loads of sleep and a through clean of the apartment with an imminent pack in mind, it won’t be long until everything is being boxed up for the new house… We’ve gone to visit the site a couple of times since they broke ground a month ago and last weekend, the houses behind our one had the ground floor built already! I’ve never seen anything go up so fast! Is it premature to say I’ve picked my colour scheme already? I’m not going to get into interiors…
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Recipe: Leftover Christmas Ham- A Very Irish Carbonara Recipe
I’m sure you’ll agree, Christmas isn’t Christmas without Ham & Turkey, Irish families will cook enough ham & turkey to feed a small village, no matter how many people they’re cooking for, if, like my family, there’s only a handful of you, you’ll know what I’m talking about.. you’ll be eating it for days until you get the turkey sweats. Luckily, I was in my Mother in Law’s for dinner this year and there were 10 of us, and then the kids, so over two days, it was demolished. My ham, has become a little bit legendary, I’m saying that in the most humble way possible. We make two full…
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GREAT NEWS!!!
Hey guys! I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas ( if you celebrate it), I hope you managed to spend lots of time with your friends and family most of all…and yeah, a couple of nice gifts thrown in. 😂 😉 Since my last post, our mortgage application WAS APPROVED and I’ve basically living on a cloud in addition to a very busy period at work. I worked right up until Christmas eve when I basically fell in the door and died, I was so tired, I then managed to make a ham, a batch of cranberry sauce as well as a salted caramel roulade for Christmas day lunch…
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There’s Light at The End of The Tunnel: Our First House is Happening!!
It’s been an exciting week!! You might have gathered from previous posts, that this blog started out as my adventures of living life on a budget whilst saving for a house in the middle of a national housing crisis. I’m a girl born in the wrong decade with expensive tastes and austere living has taken its time to get used to, not to mention an education.. Well, this week, after reaching an appropriate saving level to apply for a mortgage (insert squeal of delight here) and we think we’ve found the perfect house!! The house hasn’t been built yet but the development is to break ground shortly and we have…
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Recipe: Autumn Punch: So gorgeous!!!! Booze it up or booze it down, it’ll still be so good!
I’m all for spiced latte’s and toffee nut latte’s, hot chocolates and the like but one of my favourite is my home made Autumn Punch, It’s quite cheap to make a lot of it and can easily be boozed up with a little hard cider or rum. An Autumn drink to me has to be warming, spicy and can be enjoyed hot, warm or cold, this definitely fits the bill. It was at a work event recently that I was trying to think of a non alcoholic seasonal drink as part of a refreshment table. I brought along my drinks dispenser and whipped up a concoction which turned out well…..…
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Recipe: Boeuf Bourguignon – The Perfect Winter Meal
Okay so it’s October, we’re officially into Autumn, I think it’s okay to start talking about stews and soups again, isn’t it? I’ve already made an Irish beef stew this but there’s one stew that I can’t get enough of, Boeuf Bourguignon. A gorgeous Sunday meal, a meal for entertaining or just something to pop in a bowl and curl up on the sofa with on a stormy day (it freezes REALLY well). The best onions to use are pearl onions, the ones no bigger than your thumb nail, not to be confused with shallots and don’t be tempted to use pickled onions, they’ll just mess with the flavour. If…
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Review: Brunch at Pigeon House, Delgany, Co.Wicklow
I’m a girl who loves her brunch, I mean, the thought of it is enough to wake the dead, piping hot fresh coffee, the smell of bacon sizzling away, overnight oats with the freshest ripest fruit or stacks of pancakes with the most delicious maple syrup, all washed down with an indulgent glass of Mimosa, made with ultra fresh orange juice… I’ve got you salivating there, haven’t I?😉 I’ve had many brunches over the years, written about.. a few, but sorry guys, I have a new favourite, the Pigeon House in Delgany. I’ve been on the lookout since my favourite brunch spot ‘Theatre Lane‘ went out of business. My husband…
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Good Night, Sleep Tight: Top Tips For A Blissful Nights Sleep
There’s nothing worse than tossing and turning through the night and it always seems to happen when there’s something important happening the next day, doesn’t it? Lavender: Lavender has been used for hundreds of years to help aid sleep, it increases slow wave sleep and relaxes the body and muscles. Personally I love the real deal, lavender harvest is in July but there are lots of lavender farms about that sell dried bunches of lavender throughout the year. Put some lavender buds inside a small cotton bag and place it between your pillow and pillowcase, it’ll help you sleep throughout the night. Bed Cleanse: This is not only great for…
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Gordon’s Pink Gin: A Delicious Recipe For Your Pink Gin
Okay I mentioned that I bought a bottle of Gordon’s pink gin at the weekend, I tried something and oh good lord guys! I got the best tonic water I could get my hands on (Fever Tree) and a lovely ripe Pomegranate, got all the seeds and juice out and poured myself a shot and a half of the gin.. I think it’s the nicest drink I ever tasted there’s something about pomegranate and red berries! TRY IT! You’ll get 4 G&T’s out of 1 pomegranate, just scatter in a couple of juniper berries too and you’re laughing! The juice especially makes it!
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New Gordon’s Pink Gin: Limited Edition
I’ve posted so many posts about alcohol that one might start to worry..😂 I’m actually just a bit of a gin buff, a nerdy hobby of mine. Last week I invested in two more bottles, I got my hands on the Glendalough Winter Gin and a new offering from Gordons, a LIMITED EDITION pink berry infused gin. I self gifted myself a bottle of Autumn gin by Glendalough Distillery last month, a blend of crab apple and cinnamon among other hand foraged botanics from the Wicklow hills. I instantly fell in love with it, so much so that I’m now obsessed with getting my hands on the other three seasons,…
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Gift Idea: A Barbershop Treatment For The Dapper Chap, Jonathan’s Barbershop at The Shelbourne
Girls, we all know how hard it is to buy presents for men, given some are easily pleased and want video games or clothes. When asked, my my husband’s reply is always “NOTHING! We’re saving for a house, put the money in the savings fund!” I’m sorry but that’s not possible, how can I live with myself if on his Birthday or Christmas, I’ve nothing to handover when he always gives me something gorgeous! I would much rathr be put on the right track and not WASTE money.. I’ve bought him two watches in 10 years, he now doesn’t wear a watch. My Mother was well up in her game…
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Gin Garnishing: What To Add To Your Gin To Make It Pop
I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE gin! Gin’s definitely having a resurgence after the waning popularity of the humble Cosmopolitan or Mojito- don’t get me wrong! I LOVE a GOOD Mojito on a hot Summer afternoon but now there’s that delicious bulbous glass that we’re seeing everywhere, filled to the top with ice, delicious garnishes and a refreshing sup of gin. There are so many different types of gin on the market at the moment that it’s hard to know what to put with them, take Hendrick’s for example, I’m always impressed when a bar serves cucumber with Hendricks, because their Gin is infused with rose &…
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Newbridge Silverware MOSI: Princess Diana Wedding Gown & Afternoon Tea Review
It’s been twenty years since Princess Diana passed away in Paris, most of us can remember where we were the day the news broke, a wet miserable day worsened by the sad news that such a living angel had been killed. To mark the anniversary, Newbridge Silverware have brought in one of the final cotton mockup’s of Diana’s wedding dress, designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel in 1981. The iconic dress original was made from ivory silk taffeta and antique lace and is currently in the possession of Princes William & Harry. Included in the collection is the famous ‘Revenge Dress’ worn by Diana the day that Charles admitted his…
A lifestyle blog by Sarah Cooke-O'Neill
