29 June, 2011

Things that make life easier...

Here are some little tips and tricks for cleaning up around the home that I use and find very helpful! Most of these, I learned from growing up with my amazing mom, but some I picked up in magazine articles and I can't imagine myself doing things any other way after I learned them. Hopefully these help you too!

Use an empty bottle from your dish soap (washing up liquid), for washing floors.


28 June, 2011

Ten Things I Love Tuesday #6

Welcome to the sixth installment of 10TILT, a collection of things that I'm a fan of each week! I hope you enjoy it and maybe even find some new things to love!


1. The Mud Man and Moss Maiden



Oh how I would love to do this in my future yard. How fun! These statues really appeal to me and my whimsical sense of... well... everything. You can read more about the Mud Man and Moss Maiden, here.

27 June, 2011

Galway

Hello friends! We had a fantastic time this weekend, and hope yours was wonderful too.

A friend of V's, Kristen, from the states is on holiday in Ireland, and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to see her! We packed our bag and went off on a little road trip to see her in Galway.

26 June, 2011

Sheep


One of my favorites from this weekend's adventures. A mama sheep and her two lambs escaped someone's field... off to Disneyland!

25 June, 2011

A Little Weekend Cuteness

We are headed off to Galway this weekend for a bit of an escape... and to be touristy... and to meet up with a friend of V's from the states. It should be a blast, and I'm so looking forward to it!

In the mean time, here are some photos of our cat, Bilbo being silly. I apologize for my bra the photos being so dark - I took these after sunset, and was lazy so instead of getting the flash, or turning on a light - I just bumped up the ISO... haha


23 June, 2011

Sweden

As I was going through my photos today, I realized that I never really blogged about our trip to Sweden for Easter. I thought too, that since we're going back to Sweden in... 23 days (but who's counting), I should probably post about it.
This was my first trip to Sweden, and I'm so glad that our family (V's parents and sister) lives there - so we can visit often. Sweden was sooo gorgeous that I found myself taking it all in rather than taking photos! It's fine though. We spent most of the time there with the family in the house and around Stockholm, enjoying each others' company anyway.

Here are some photos from our trip! I'll even spare you from captions...


21 June, 2011

Ten Things I Love Tuesday #5

Welcome to the fifth installment of 10TILT, a collection of things that I'm a fan of each week! I hope you enjoy it and maybe even find some new things to love!



1. I just love to read Penguin Books... their paper, the book weight, and the print are all an aesthetic and tactile delight in their simplicity.

Penguin books logo
(click photo for source)

18 June, 2011

Particularly Pleasant Potato Bites: A Recipe

I have experimented with making my own potato-fries-type deliciousness for about a year and while it's been fun "testing", those days are done. I have finally come up with the perfect method for making absolutely tender, yet slightly crisp potato bites. It's so simple, I can see why it took me so long to narrow it down... sometimes the best things are right under our noses and we overlook them! Now, I share it with you!


You'll need:


  • 1kg (2lbs) of baby potatoes
  • vegetable oil
  • salt 
  • pepper
  • a cookie sheet
  • an oven with a broiler
Preheat oven to 180C (360F)
Cut up your baby potatoes into bite-sized bits. I find that cutting them into thirds is usually enough. Place your potatoes into a bowl and add enough vegetable oil to coat them, a nice "glug" should be enough - and for you technical types, about 1/4 cup-ish... roughly. Sprinkle in about 1 tsp of salt, and 2 tsp of pepper, and stir everything around with a spoon. Stir until all your wedges are coated nicely, and transfer them in a single layer to your cookie sheet.
Pop the cookie sheet into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, depending on how thick your slices are. Once they're done with the initial bake, switch on the broiler, and move your rack up close to the broiler top. Place your cookie sheet about 6-8" from heat, and let them sizzle for 2-3 minutes or until done to desired brownness. 

Remove from oven and let cool for 2-5 minutes.

Enjoy under curry sauce, savory gravy, or just plain ketchup! Delicious!

17 June, 2011

I've got it bad.

image found here via Pinterest


BA-by-I-tis |bãb ee ī'tĭs|

noun

a disease characterized by intense feeling of longing for a child. Severity of this condition can be intensified by having many friends who are pregnant or have recently had a child, ovulation, or general life situations and is not limited to women. "Daddyitis" (babyitis in men) is not as common, but has been shown to occur when a male is feeling similar manifestations of babyitis.


16 June, 2011

Celebration Cookies!

Last night, I made a delicious guerrilla-cooking style dinner out of leftovers in our fridge. It was fantastic, tomato, cabbage, minced beef, onion... *drool*
Afterward, I really felt a craving for something sweet though. I've had a hankerin' for oatmeal rasin cookies for at least the last couple weeks and last night I decided that the cravings could go on no longer. I must have them!!! Not just any oatmeal rasin cookies, either. They had to be just the way mom made 'em. The problem was, I was out of brown sugar (the soft, moist kind... not demerara, for all you lovely non-US folks).



I always like to shop at Lidl with my husband. I just prefer his company on most of my shopping endeavors because let's face it... he keeps me from spending money I shouldn't. Keeps my cravings at bay. Prevents unnecessary impulse purchases to a very minimum. Hooray!

So off we head to Lidl. I'm almost always a little apprehensive when I shop there. I eyeball the parking lot suspiciously, looking for my evil ex-landlords' car. This way I know how to mentally prepare myself in case of an encounter...

15 June, 2011

Bag lady

I have been just crafting, crafting, crafting lately with more crafting on the horizon! Every single day this week, I'm expecting something new and exciting in the post. That's right. I'm an internet shopper.

Let's chat about why I'm an internet shopper for a moment, then put it on the shelf never to speak of it again. V and I share a car. When he goes to work, he takes the car. I could get up and take him to work but I'm too lazy we're trying to watch our gas money spendage.
Also, I live in Ireland. I've lived in Ireland for about a year and a half now, and still am not acquainted with where to get what I want. I only recently found out where to buy craft glue (in a BOOKSHOP in Fermoy).
It's so nice to type in my query on Ebay.ie and see what comes up. I's so easy to support local shops by purchasing from their Etsy.com stores.
Yesterday I received three packages in the post, one from Cyprus, and two from England. The one from Cyprus smelled spicy. I'll admit that I held it up to my nose and inhaled for a few minutes before opening... against my better judgement. There was no Anthrax.
Only spicy goodness.
Today, my package came from county Clare.


14 June, 2011

Ten Things I Love Tuesday #4 - Food Edition

Welcome to the fourth installment of 10TILT! Here are 10 food things I'm loving this week:


1. This amazing fruit rainbow, including a cloud and pot of gold


How perfect would this be for a party, people? I'm sure this fruit display would not be neglected.

13 June, 2011

Witch


I freakin' LOVE this stuff. 

12 June, 2011

A Lovely Irish Day

Weekends are wonderful. Last weekend was a bank holiday in Ireland, making for a lovely three day weekend, and it was magical. 
V and I went for a coastal drive and were blessed with the most perfect weather possible. It was quite warm, but coupled with a nice cool breeze, making a beach walk absolutely necessary. 


Beaches. Ahh. My favorite. Many of my childhood memories involve one beach or another, so it's only natural that I feel most carefree on the beach. I love the wind and the sound of the water. I adore hunting for treasures and creatures, even thought they're usually dead. It's still neat to see what lies beneath those pretty waves.

09 June, 2011

Back on the Horse! C25K Week 1 Day 1... again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has taken two and a half months since my failure the Couch to 5k running plan. Actually quitting came after completing w4w1!
I think I quit with the mentality of "quit while you're ahead". I've tried twice to get started again with working out to no avail. I tried starting out slow, and just getting some exercise by walking for half an hour on the treadmill while watching a TV show with hubby, but that got unbelievably boring and I quit after only two attempts.
Part of it was that I was disappointed. Mostly in myself, but also that I didn't seem to be losing weight. My friends who were doing the C25K workout all seemed to be having success, and I wasn't. Not that it was a competition, but I felt left behind and super bummed out.
This time around, my thoughts are different. My mindset is different. I'm ready.

feeling great after my triumphant return to working out!
There is a fit, gorgeous body in there, just waiting to be sculpted.

08 June, 2011

DIY Lavender Sachet Tutorial

Lavender is an all around wonderful plant. Truly, it is. It is a natural moth and insect repellent, it is an antiseptic, and a wonderful sleep aid to name a few.
I have recently discovered my love for lavender sachets in my clothes drawers to keep my socks and unmentionables company, as well as tossing them in the dryer with my sheets for a good night's sleep.

Garden dream

(click on photo to see photographer's other work on flickr)

Recently, a friend commissioned me to make some lavender sachets for her. I made her several and many more to give away as gifts to my local friends, and even sent a few to my grandma in Alaska! My friends here loved them (gramma hasn't gotten hers yet, but I hope she'll feel the same), and I thought it might be nice to share my simple method for making them with you!

Follow along this easy tutorial and make your own lavender sachets in no time at all! If you're not into sewing and would still like to have some lavender sachets of your very own, please check out my etsy shop to purchase some!

07 June, 2011

Ten Things I Love Tuesday #3

Welcome to the third installment of 10TILT! Here are 10 things I'm loving this week:


1. This idea for using a chest as a filing cabinet!

What a great idea for small spaces, or possibly if a guest room is combined as a guest room! But what else would we expect from Martha Stewart?

05 June, 2011

Happy Weekend!

It is Bank Holiday Weekend here in Ireland (and in the UK), so I'll be back in full force on Tuesday. In the mean time, here is a photo I took today.


See you soon <3

03 June, 2011

blah.

that is how i feel today.

02 June, 2011

DIY Wall Art Tutorial


I was perusing Pinterest recently and was let to this shop on Etsy that has some gorgeous wall art made from pages of old books. In fact, I kinda fell in love with this one that they made:


However, being a crafty person, I've always had a hard time buying something as art until I've sufficiently decided that I can't do it for myself. So today, I did just that, and maybe tomorrow you can too!

01 June, 2011

Scissor Zen.

Hello, my name is Shannon and I have lots of scissors.


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