Treat YOURSELF......

About ten days ago my husband gave me some money to Treat Myself.
We are not rich, we are hardworking and do our best to save as best we can.  It was very kind of him. He acknowledged how hard l am working as a stay at home mum, and also that as a mom on a career break l dont have the money l once had to treat myself to something if l want it.

of course, l did what my own mum was great at doing too.
I bought groceries, new curtains for one of the bedrooms, badly needed, and l bought some gifts that were due: new baby and birthday gifts.

my husband thanked me for buying all these necessary things. Then he gave me a pep talk on learning to splash out, treat myself and not worry about what functional or practical things l could do with the money. He gave me more money and told me to try again...something for me. just for me.

So today, l took my mother in law to our favourite Dunnes Stores.  We floated around the Carolyn donnelly section. which l love. then we hit the Paul Costello and homeware. I knew l was on unsteady ground here so l drifted off for a peek at clothes.
I bought myself a lovely grey jacket. It took my eye immediately. funnily enough once l made up my mind to treat myself it all came back to me fairly quickly and l grabbed a lovely black handbag, two necklaces, a pair of earrings and some very cute vintage style hair clips. i moved quickly to counter before l changed my mind and stocked up on non perishable groceries....

I was paying and the girl at the check out smiled at me and said my purchases were lovely. i explained about the mission to actually treat myself.  So she said, well, l cant put these in just any old dunnes paper bag can l . She produced one of the "foncy" Carolynn Donnelly bags and put my jacket in there and another for the rest of my purchases. She winked at me and said l hope you enjoy them.

As l walked out of the store smiling, my mother in law said "For God sake, dont return them". Cut the tags off right away". Then she added, her usual mantra, "look after yourself always, nobody else will do it for you".

Name your price

I saw a headline on the cover of a newspaper today which said that Claudia Schiffer revealed she had previously been offered €1,000,000 by a very rich gentleman for an evening with her. Just like in the movie Indecent Proposal.  Claudia declined.

I then read that Kim Kardashian had accepted half a million dollars from an American Billionaire for a dinner date and to accompany him to a function/evening event.  It is reported that she accepted.

It is not uncommon for pop stars, females in particular, to be invited by wealthy men/royalty to come to their country and perform for a private function/party etc.
I am always amazed to read that women accept these offers.
I dont care how much money they are paid.

Why is it that these strong talented women tell themselves it is ok to go to Uganda or The Yemen or somewhere similar to perform at the behest of a rich man. Come and perform for me but ignore your dignity, your integrity and most of all ignore the plight of women in our our country,or human rights violations in our nation. Just come and sing for my sons 16th birthday party and in return l will pay for your expeneses and give you a million bucks..   you already have many many millions but hey, what the heck

"Chicken Soup for the soul".....

As many of my friends know, l have come through what has been a very difficult year to 18 months. I had a lot of health problems, none of which was life threatening, but they were ongoing and constant and meant l was exhausted for a very long time and sick from all the medication l was taking. The loss of energy and vitality was, l found, a very depressing experience for me.  I was reduced to sitting at home resting and collecting kids from school. going home again. That and doctors appointments, physiotherapy appointments and chiropractic appointments.  I must also say that the constant worry about financial instability was a huge strain on both myself and my husband.
However, when you have less money, you budget more and in fact you can stretch your income with a bit of practice.

I have also said in earlier blog entries about the restorative power social media, in particular Twitter had on my overall wellbeing. The kindness of strangers, the friendships l have made, the penpals l now exchange cards and small gifts with, it has been an immensely comforting experience.

I have worked very hard on my health, my wellbeing. I have taken tonics, vitamins, energy boosting foods, mood lifting teas, teas to help with stress, to help with sleep, meditation, relaxation apps. you name it, l have done it.

So here l am. It has been 16 months since l last worked in my chosen profession. I had a lengthy spell of sick leave and am now thrilled to be 7 months into a three year career break.
In spite of my head cold this week l am enjoying much improved health, my back problem and constant pain are  far better.
My mood has lifted in tandem with my improved health.

People often ask me what would l like to do with the rest of my life..big question. afterall l am on a career break so at the end of three years my profession beckons again.
however l see lots of other options opening up that l would not have seen before.  I will never make lots of money, but as long as l have enough for the basics that's enough.

This week my kids are on midterm break from school.
We are having a lovely time. not perfect, but real and lovely.
Today l took them for a haircut, then took them to an activity centre, then made lunch, took them to store to run errands, home, made them their dinner, had some of their pals over to play. All simple, no rush, no fuss, just go with the flow.
Then l  baked brown bread, made a lovely chicken casserole for dinner and tonight l baked cup cakes.
Nothing there that l havent done before I know

It touched me to the core of my being. I felt such a sense of peace and calm and happiness.
I think after years of being a full time working mum, this new phase of me being at home full time has made our life much simpler.
I finished the day kissing my kids goodnight  As they went to sleep i was back in the kitchen  icing cup cakes singing along to Nora Jones on the  Ipod

Love

My 9th wedding anniversary today. 15 years  together in total.  Globe trotting, hiking, backpacking, degrees, diplomas, promotions, meals, movies, music, plays, passports, drivers licence, bills, furniture shopping, planning, saving, smiling, laughing.
Two kids second house many cars, amazing holidays. Tragedy, loss, grief, elation, teamwork, hard times, financial pressure, romance, carefree weekends, babies teething, high temperatures, late night feeds, sleep deprivation, first steps, first words, first days at school, play dates, pagents, swimming lessons, date nights, holding hands, snuggling in bed our family of four,

Having fun with table centrepiece

making my own bread

my husband is a bread lover.  I too am a bread lover and it follows on that the kids are too.
However, l love granary loves, seeded breads, brown breads, oat breads etc.
Over the past three months l have worked on weaning the kids off white processed sliced bread and bread rolls which are mass produced and baked in convenience stores. God, they love them.  I have tried to explain that they are not very healthy for them.
I started trying them with the shop purchased brown bread, soda bread, wheat loaves etc that l purchase in the shop.
I'm happy to say that over time they have embraced this and now have brown bread for breakfast, they will also have bread in their lunchbox.

I progressed to making my own brown breads with the kids and they enjoy this.  My daughter started spreading honey on hers and l must say I cheered silently that day.

A few weeks ago one of my Lovely Twitter pals sent me a lovely bread recipe that is big on flavour, easy to make and is inexpensive in terms of ingredients.
Its safe to say l have made it every second day since. The kids help me make it sometimes. They have commented on how much they like the smell of bread backing in the house in the afternoon when doing their homework.
I am enjoying making it, and eating it :)

Making my own house cleaning products.

This project has given me a huge amount of satisfaction as the finished product is something l am using on a daily basis.
I found a tip on Pinterest that said vinegar and oranges can clean extremely well around the house.
I set about getting myself organised. l bought Mason Jars, you know the jars with the clasp lid to keep them well sealed.  I also bought myself spray bottles.
I bought a very large bottle of white vinegar and we always have oranges in the house so l was all set.
My daughter who is 7 was very interested in the concept, the process and was keen to see and smell the finished product.

I put lots of orange peels and the remaining juice from them, into the jar and filled the jar. Then i poured in as much vinegar as l could fit into it.  I put a label on the jar with the date, below that we put the date for two weeks time. THis is how long it takes to ferment shall we say.

My daughter was checking the calender every day after school to see when it was ready.  On the day in question she went off to school.  I transferred the liquid from the jar to my spray bottle through a funnel.
I then cleared the kitchen worktops and began spraying, cloth in hand at the ready.
The smell is strong and to be honest, it was a concern that l would find it too hideous to use, but surprisingly enough, l very quickly got used to the smell. I cleaned up a storm, the kitchen , the cabinet doors, the sink, the bathrooms , the fireplace, the windows, the mirrors.  Wow. It felt good.

I collected my 5 year old son from school at 1pm.  We come home at that time every day, l give him some lunch and then we head back to school for 2.30pm  to pick up my daughter.
When we got back for lunch my little boy says..ohhhhhhhh, whats the smell, its ponking.
I laughed and showed him the spray. He said he wasnt too sure about it.

We had lunch.
At 2.50pm  we arrived home with my daughter. I get her a snack and she does her homework in the kitchen/diner.  She had the opposite reaction. She asked her what the smell was, l showed her the spray bottle.  She was thrilled that it was ready at last. She said she really liked the smell and she said it reminded her of the sweet and sour sauce from the local chinese restaurant. we had only been there once before, last week, as a treat with my parents.

So this is the second week of using the spray. I have a spray bottle for upstairs and a spray bottle for downstairs.   I also have a second batch of the mix brewing in a jar in the utility room.

Cooking Challenge- Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

First of all when people see the name Cauliflower and pizza in same recipe, the reaction seems to fall into two distinct camps: The Horrified , or those who want the recipe immediately.
For me, l wanted the recipe immediately. I finally found a nice one on Pinterest.

The Recipe is great for those who want more veg in their diet, those who are on low carb diets or those who are vegetarian.
I adore vegetables. I can go happily for a week without meat or poultry or fish to be honest.
Secondly, lm trying to limit carbohydrates. THirdly, I am attempting something akin to the 5:2 diet at the moment.

Here is how it looked at the start, in the oven and the finished product.

I must say l enjoyed making it, the recipe was easy to follow. it didnt take long to prepare or make.



Nobody in my household, bar me would eat this, so i had it as my main meal today.  I had no breakfast, a soup lunch and rice cakes to snack on mid afternoon so l didnt mind having this whole pizza for me.

The Proof of the Pudding is in the eating:
The Verdict.  Big Thumbs Up for this idea, this recipe.
I really enjoyed it. It would be gorgeous with a side salad. Great to share with friend

You can also do a variation of this and make mini pizzas or light bites, or make rice balls with it and dipping sauce.

My project challenge

In October 2013 l was sick and eventually had to come out of work on sick leave. to make a long story short l was sick for quite a long time and finally was lucky enough to be in a position to take a career break.  Over the last few months some of my old energy has returned and l finally feel enthusiastic about learning new things and trying new things.

My ipad mini  has been the best gift l have ever received. It has been my constant companion over the last 11 months.  It has made things so easy to find, to share, to save.
I discovered Pinterest, which to be fair, l had resisted for quite some time and then l fell for it big time.
Many people cant get the attraction of it.
For me it was so simple.
Initially it was a way to look at things that cheered me when l was sick, things that made me smile, things that inspired me. Over time l began to create more and more folders.
in more recent times as l felt more energised about doing more, l decided to put into practice all these things l found amazing, interesting, handy tips, recipes, house cleaning ideas, arts and crafts ideas and so on, into a folder called Projects for me & Projects for me and my kids.
I decided to try something from this folder every week to begin with. Some for me, some for me and my kids.


Its great fun to be honest. I can try a recipe. I can let the kids look at the folder and pick a new art project. I can use the folder to organise my utility room, my laundry, my medicine cabinet.  So, l thought l would keep a record of all the things l have tried and all the new things l have done.

My dream

My nearest and dearest, and some of my closest work friends would all know what my dream is. I have invested much time in developing the concept over the last number of years.  The plan itself has also evolved and become a bigger project too. THats ok though because the only way l can bring the dream to fruition is if l win the lottery. The bigger the win the bigger the scale of the project.

I will go back though.
The dream is a Tea Room/Cafe.    The name is a close tie between Lavender Hill Cafe or Serendipity.  

When the idea was originally forming in my mind it was a little tea room somewhere with a reading room/little bookstore onto it.Over the course of my travels over the years l have been in all manner of cafes, coffee shops, tea rooms.  Lots of them blur into one but some of them stand out in my mind.  Drinking tea and reading books and listening to music are some of my favourite ways to spend time so bringing them all together is bliss.

Anyway, the blue print is a cafe that has a book section, a book case, like the ones you find in librarys where you leave one of your own books there and can take another.  I really like the idea of people feeling comfortable to come into for a coffee alone and to feel relaxed enough to be there alone and to read.

I have a very full Pinterest folder where over time l have saved recipe ideas, decor ideas, kitchen equipment ideas etc. I also want to have a outside courtyard or garden. I can imagine it on summer afternoons and evenings with lanterns glowing at night.

My dream place would have bright coloured walls, woodfloors.  It would have cosy corners and tables with mismatched chairs. I like having long tables with lots of communal seating, and more intimitate seating too. I love that look, rustic, funky, comfortable, relaxing.
My reason for the white walls is that l would love to give local artists a space to display their artwork and hopefully sell some too.



The evening schedule for THursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights  looks like this:

i.   an evening book club with coffee/tea and slice of cake
ii.  an acoustic music evening.  good tea and coffee in nice ambience with some singing and guitar sessions
iii.  a movie evening with admission at door to include light supper, tea/coffee and movie
iv.  A Salsa supper club with  nice supper then push all the tables back for some dancing

*it would also be available for small private functions, a quirky wedding or birthday party for example.*

I have the decor in my head. I want the outside to have a very colourful frontage with lots of greenery/plants too. I want it to attract people to come in. the kind of place that makes you want to cross the road and peek in the window.
Financially l am not even remotely in the zone to think about such an idea. The idea of having my own business was never on my agenda. However, over the years you start thinking about what you like doing, what makes you happy, what pleases you.
Well l love having visitors at my home, l love cooking for people, l love baking.
I love napkings, cutlery and l love tea sets. l love tea. I love the ritual of making tea. These simple things make me very happy. l feel very fulfilled if we have friends and their kids over at weekends for dinner and everybody has had enough to eat, and has enjoyed it.
I really enjoy clearing off the table and settling kids in playroom with a movie and a treat and coming back in and putting on kettle to make the teas and coffees.
To be a good host, to make others feel welcome and that they would leave your home saying they had a nice time.  That is all very satisfying.