Silent Sunday

Photo of the Week

There's nothing like a bit of sunshine to lift your mood. 

As the week has progressed the weather has become warmer and it looks like summer is approaching.

Our Teen is in the middle of her Junior Cert exams and they are going well for her. 

This time next week she will almost be finished for the summer and then we can plan some days out together.

Time to dig out some lighter clothes, leave the windows and doors open all day and dine Al fresco.

Things have been much too hectic around this house this last few weeks and I'm looking forward to relaxing with our family and staying close to home.

This picture was taken when we were out for an evening walk up the woods and is my photo of the week. The bluebells have finally come out albeit a bit late and there is a lovely aroma in the air of freshly cut grass. 

The woods have come alive with glorious sounds of birds, beautiful greenery and wildflowers.

Since I was a child we always went for walks through this woods and I remember clearly the hazy blue carpet of bluebells spread out under the trees that's still here today and looks exactly the same.

It's so lovely to be able to share them with my own children.

I hope your weekend is wonderful xx


Joining up with Team Lloyd for Photo of the Week, check out their page and visit some of the other blogs here.

Shellac Nails

Sometimes it's nice to treat yourself and have your nails done. 

Last week with our Inbetweeners First Holy Communion approaching I treated myself and had a French manicure with Shellac.

Not only is it nice to have someone else do your nails but I had a whole hour to myself away from home.

As bad luck would have it I broke two of my nails a few days before I had them done and I was worried that they wouldn't look right but they turned out just fine thanks to my very lovely beautician.

I'm a huge fan of Shellac for special occasions because it lasts longer and with small children and lots of housework it resists chipping and cracking compared to just a normal polish.

I've had it done quite a few times since last year when I first discovered it but it has been on the go for a while. Normally I would get between two and three weeks from it so to me it's worth every cent.

So here is a picture of my nails taken yesterday four days after they were done and still looking good.

What do you think? Have you had Shellac nails done before or is it something you might try?

A Day to Remember

On Sunday our Inbetweener made his First Holy Communion. 

We were flat out all of last week getting things ready which is why things have been quiet on my blog.

Here are my three Lovlies all dressed up.....

There was no distractions by way of phones or laptops or social media over the weekend which was spent with family and friends and lots of cameras.

It was so great for my grandparents to be able to make it especially as my Granny only got out of hospital on Thursday evening after she had been ill. 

Our Inbetweener's Godparents were there to share his big day with him and it meant so much that they had taken the time to be there.

There was lots of preparation by the school teachers and at home this last few weeks. I'm glad to say it all went well without any hitches and it is a credit to all the teachers and helpers involved in getting everything organised.

All the children were beautifully dressed in their finery and so well behaved.

Our Inbetweener was picked to do a reading at the Mass. He was delighted and of course me and his Dad were as proud of punch of him. 

Every night we practised to make sure he was confident of all the words, some of which were hard to pronounce for an eight year old but it was no bother to him.

He really is such a great little man and it made me so happy and proud on the day when people commented on what a lovely person he is. 

I know lots of people make a huge fuss over these things and spend crazy amounts of money but our Inbetweener was just happy to go with the flow. 

He picked his own suit, shirt, tie and shoes. There was no arguments in trying to get him dressed up, he didn't make demands on wanting a party. 

We had a beautiful meal at the hotel where our wedding reception was held and then at home our Inbetweener had a bouncy castle for the weekend. 

We were supposed to have it for Saturday evening until Sunday night but they didn't collect it until this morning. We all had a turn bouncing around and I have to say it was money well spent.

Before he went to bed he thanked me and his Dad for making his day so enjoyable. 

It made my heart melt to hear him say this because I know lots of children wouldn't think to say it.

So after months of talking about it, organising and planning things the weekend came and went in a flash.

We all had a great time catching up with family and friends that we haven't seen or just haven't made the time to see. 

As yesterday was a Bank Holiday here it was the first one in a long time that we didn't leave the house. We had a lazy day doing not very much.

Sunday really was a day to remember, one that for many years to come we will look back on with great memories.

Tuesday's Kitchen Homemade Sausage Rolls

This week I want to share with you the most simple recipe for sausage rolls which I made for my oldest son's birthday a few weeks ago.

Everybody loved them and kept asking where I bought them so I think it's fair to say that once you have made your own you won't want to buy one again.

It's quick and easy using ready made puff pastry and sausage meat with a few extra bits to transform the flavour.

I think the combination of flavours you could add are endless but I was mindful of smaller children who can sometimes be a bit fussy.

Ingredients

Sausage Meat

Ready Made Puff Pastry Sheets

1 Clove Garlic finely chopped

1 Small Onion finely chopped

2 Teaspoons Mixed Herbs

Salt and Black Pepper to season

Beaten egg or milk

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7

2. Place your sausage meat into a large bowl along with the chopped garlic, onion and herbs.

3. Add some salt and pepper to season and mix everything together with your hands.

4. Lightly flour your work surface and unroll out the ready made pastry.

5. Cut the sheet of pastry in half.

6. Divide the sausage meat in two and roll each piece into a sausage shape.

7. Place the sausage meat down the middle of the pastry and wash over the edge of the pastry

 with the beaten egg or milk and fold it over - the beaten egg or milk will make sure that the edges stick together.

8. Next brush over the whole length of pastry with the beaten egg and then divide into small rolls - you should get about 8 good sized sausage rolls from each piece.

9. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 mins until the pastry is golden and the sausage meat is cooked through.

10. These are lovely on their own, or served with pickle, mustard, tomato ketchup.

I'm linking in with Townsend House What I am Eating click on the link to have a look at what everybody else is eating this week.

The Garden Show

This past weekend was so busy in our house it went past in a blur.

Our Teen headed off on Saturday morning to a youth festival in Co Longford which was great 'craic' altogether. I'm still catching up on all the gossip from that.

Our Inbetweener was busy playing gaelic and hurling on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and I was helping out at the Relay for Life event on Saturday and Sunday.

We did manage to squeeze in some time together on Saturday morning minus our Teen when we went to the Northwest Garden Show which is held in Castlefinn not far from where we live.

It was a lovely morning spent wandering around the show gardens, farmers market, exhibitors stalls and craft stalls.

It's encouraging to see a local event like this being so well supported by the local community and it's great to find exhibitors of lovely crafts and food producers that you wouldn't otherwise have known about.

There was so much to take in but here are some of my favourite photos, especially the one of our Inbetweener who has a Golden Eagle planted on head.

It was amazing to get up close and personal with such a beautiful creature.

These are some photos of The White House Garden which was created by a number of Irish Gardeners including Diarmuid Gavin.

Even though the garden is not fully completed you can see that it will be stunning and great asset to have here in Donegal once it's fully completed.

The traditional stone walled garden is a symbol of our heritage and the close links held with America down through the years.

All in all we had a busy but great weekend.

Hope yours was just as good xx

  

Relay for Life

The Relay for Life started in America in the 1980's and last year Donegal held it's first one. The events which are now global involve a 24 hour walking relay for which people raise funds in support of the fight against cancer.

This is a great way to celebrate the lives of those who have battled against cancer, remember those who have lost their fight against cancer and those who are fighting cancer.

Last year I was asked by a work colleague to help out at this event and I didn't hesitate to say yes because we all know someone who has been affected in some way by this illness and it's good to give something back no matter how small.

You can check out the website here and there is some video footage from last years hugely successful event.

In 2008 my mother was diagnosed with cancer. I will never forget that day when my father phoned me to tell me the news. I felt like someone had ripped my heart out of my chest and if he had told me she had died I couldn't have felt grief like it, it sounds silly now that I'm writing it but I can't think of any other way to explain it.

It makes you see life from a whole different perspective and appreciate what you have so much more.

Thankfully my mother survived and is doing well.

This year again I will be dedicating some time over Saturday and Sunday to help out at this inspiring event.

One thing that sticks out in my mind from last year was the overwhelming support and the amount of people who were wearing purple t-shirts were all survivors of cancer, it was staggering, all ages from children right up to elderly.

One of the highlights of the Relay for Life event is the Candle of Hope ceremony which will take place on Saturday night.

This is where people who have been affected by cancer and those who have lost their battle with cancer are honoured. The candles are lit and each one bears the name of a person touched by cancer and a lap of silence is completed to remember and take time to reflect.

You can see last years ceremony here and I think you will agree that it is deeply moving.

So yesterday I received an email notification that Suzanne from 3 Children and It is hosting a blog hop in support of Emma from Crazy with Twins who is in hospital and undergoing cancer treatment.

The timing of this post is appropriate because I was putting it on my blog today. Whilst I don't know Emma but I read her blog I have bought a candle especially for her and it will be lit in her honour tomorrow night and the Candle of Hope ceremony. 

Each candle is numbered and this one below has Emma's name on it.

I will be keeping her in my thoughts and wishing her a speedy recovery back to her family.

She is an inspiration to all of us.

- See more at: http://www.3childrenandit.com/2013/05/for-emma-s2s2d.html#sthash.6ESyZSoh.dpuf 

Dip Hem Top

I've seen loads of lovely lightweight knits in the shops this past few weeks and I'm loving this look at the minute for a host of reasons.

First of all it hides a multitude of sins for someone who has just had a baby, it's comfortable, effortless and great for lounging about in.

This is the type of piece that you can wear all year round - you can layer it up and have a snuggle in front of a winter fire or on it's own it's cool enough to wear for a summer picnic.

I picked this up in New Look last week in Pale Grey, it's also available in Mint Green, Pale Blue and Baby Pink. 

It's just the thing to merge slouchy and chic.

What's your thoughts?

Our 8 Month Round Up

On Saturday our Little Fella turned eight months old.

He really is growing up too fast and each day that passes he is getting to be more and more fun.

His hair is really starting to grow now and it's hard to tell what colour it's going to be as it seems to change with different light but I'm sure it's going to be dark.

We brought down the baby walker from the attic last week and he absolutely loves his new found freedom.

Moving backwards and banging into doors (the louder the better) is totally hilarious to him.

When he lies on his tummy he tries so hard to get moving but as of yet he cannot co-ordinate legs and arms. We'll keep trying though.

He loves his new teddy friend Chip or maybe it's just his shoes and labels.

Learning how to wave and clap hands is so much fun.

He still has two teeth but there's a third due any day now.

He continues to be amazed by his hands getting so much amusement out of them.

We have lots of tickles hidden away at the top of our leg, feet and tummy. 

Our home is filled with squeals of delight.

He loves to pull his hat off when we are going out even though it's still so cold here.

He likes to pull hair and moves with great speed and accuracy to get you at the roots where it hurts most.

He is amazing and whilst I wonder where the last eight months have gone I am looking forward to the next few weeks to see what they bring.

XXX

Day Trip to Sliabh Liag, Glencolmcille & Ardara

Once again on Saturday morning we headed off on our monthly trip around our beautiful countryside. The weather was atrocious but it didn't put us off.

The whole day was wonderful. 

Despite getting soaked through to our skin and our hair was completely standing on us on the way home it reminded me that there is so much joy in happy and fun times spent with family and life is good.

I really hope that our children will look back with fond memories of our days spent driving along the countryside, singing whatever songs came on the radio, laughing, exploring our surroundings.

Our first stop was the breathtaking cliffs of Slieve League (Sliabh Liag in Irish). The cliffs here are twice as high as the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare. Sliabh Liag is a must visit for lovers of nature and the great outdoors if you are ever in Donegal.

This is a place of unbelievable natural beauty and the restless Atlantic ocean can be heard crashing against the cliffs below.

Clean, crisp air, nature in it's rawest form.

Down the winding road again we headed for Glencolmcille and the Folk Village Museum.

The Museum was founded by Fr James McDyer in an attempt to generate tourism to a remote and rural part of the country and is hugely successful bringing in over 30,000 visitors per year.

It was impressive to have a look through the visitor book and see people from all over the world who had been in the past few weeks and really appreciated what they had found. 

The Folk Museum is a fantastic cluster of cottages depicting lives of the local people over a period of three hundred years. I've always loved history and I think it's important to teach our children and remember ourselves the hardships encountered by our ancestors.

By this stage we had worked up a hunger so we had another short drive to Ardara for a spot of lunch at the Nesbitt Arms Hotel taking in the beautiful scenery along the way through Glengesh Pass.

The Nesbitt Arms is an excellent family run hotel and child friendly which is a very important factor to us with the Little Fella. 

We had a lovely relaxed lunch and dessert all served up by a very attentive staff.

There we decided to seek out the Assarancagh Waterfall. None of us had ever heard of it before but we saw a photo in the Folk Village and when the waitress said it was a must see we thought we would look it up.

We set off outside Ardara and down a narrow winding road towards Maghera beach. 

The only word that comes into my head when we came around the corner and saw the waterfall was 'Wow'.

Because of the rainfall the water was thundering down the mountain at ferocious speed. It was amazing and a great way to round off our day.

With places like this on your doorstep I'm so glad we ventured out in the wind and rain. It really isn't a bad way to spend a Saturday and revive yourself after a long week. 

Hope your weekend was great xxx