Have A Seat.

Even though I have a nice big corner sofa in our sunroom, I always seem to end up sitting in one particular spot on an ordinary chair. I have nothing against sofas but I think it is nice to have a favourite armchair that you feel comfortable sitting on while reading or watching tv. 

So it's out with the old....

.....and in with some new inspiration below

images via pinterest

Bootcamp

I for one will be delighted when I can wear my boots again.The shops are full of new designs at the moment and here are two that have caught my eye...

 For the rainy and damp weather, these black boots from Michael Kors would fit the bill perfectly and could also be worn with dresses or skirts for a more stylish look.

One of my favourite colours is teal blue and I found this gorgeous pair on the Next  website while browsing last night.

What are you looking forward to wearing this Autumn/Fall?

Birthday Time

  

This week we have two important birthdays in our house.Today it's my hubby Philip's birthday so here's to wishing him a fab day from all the family!!

                                                      We will have a lovely meal here out this evening at our favourite local restaurant ...

                                                           And have a few of these later on

                                    
                                                                Have a lovely birthday Philip :)

                                                                

Bedroom inspiration

We all know the benefits of a great nights sleep and I feel this has alot to do with your  bedroom space and how clutter free and calming it is (my excuse for a total revamp of mine!!).

Here are a few images currently inspiring me...

Loving this bed...

           

 Cute dressing table...                                                              

                                            

  How fab is this chair used as a pillow rest!!

                                                                     

Caramel Shortcake...

This Caramel Shortcake is a favourite recipe of mine and always goes down well. It can be a bit fiddly to prepare but it is well worth the effort. The recipe is made up of three different stages.

Stage 1: Shortcake Base

3.5 Oz of Butter

4 Tbs of Brown Sugar

4.5 Oz Plain Flour

To prepare the shortcake base:

1) Beat butter and sugar until fluffy and add flour.

2) Press into 8 inch square tin and bake at gas mark 4 for 25mins until golden.

3) Allow to cool.

Stage 2: Caramel Filling

1 Oz of Butter

1 Oz Sugar

7 Fl. Oz of Condensed Milk

To prepare the caramel filling:

1) Mix all ingredients in a pan and boil until thick for 4 mins.

2) Pour over biscuit base and leave to set.

Stage 3: Chocolate Topping

7 Oz Milk Chocolate

To prepare the chocolate topping:

1) Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.

2) Pour mixture over the caramel.

3) Allow to cool slightly before placing in the fridge for about 2 hours to set.

When set, cut into slices and serve.

Here's a quick shot of the finished product before it's demolished!

Have a lovely day!
Anne xx

Mod Monochrome

I've always had a liking for black and white combinations and lucky for me it's a trend that never goes out of fashion for long. Here's a few pieces from the new Oasis Autumn/Winter collection that have caught my eye.

And if anyone has a spare €1750 to spend on a bag, here's an amazing Chanel design that ticks the Mod Monochrome box!

 Purses at the ready! Happy Monday!

Wish List

Here are my three new season make-up must haves...

 1. Rouge d'Armani Beige Rose Lipstick.

2. Dior Vernis Nail Polish in Tuxedo.

3. Dior 3 Coleurs Eye Palette in Smoky Navy

A Quiet corner

I for one am delighted that it is Friday at last and the weekend is here.It hasn't been a particularly bad week in fact we had a lot of goodness happen in our household  just seemed very long.It could be due to the fact my to do list got way longer and not much seemed to get crossed off as done!My problem is taking on to much at once and wanting it finished promto.

Having concentrated on our ground floor space for the past couple of years I have come to the conclusion that the upper floor needs  a facelift (gutting).As soon as schools reopen hopefully I can start on this project.I imagine professional help will be needed in some areas!I'm not averse to wielding a paint brush in fact I find it quite calming and relaxing but would love to be able to tile or sort out electrics myself.I find it frustrating waiting for contractors to give you time and dates and getting the whole thing started.

For now I will just have to make do with relaxing in this little area I sorted out for myself yesterday.I finally got around to hanging a lovely frame my friend gave me.If only the other rooms looked as fresh and tidy!All in good time I suppose.Hope you all have a good and relaxing weekend.

Smiling

I have two things which are making me very happy today. Firstly a big congrats to my son Shane who received great results in his leaving cert exams. Hopefully this will now secure his chosen university place.

Secondly, the sun has come out for another day in a row (not a common occurance here) so I am off to catch a few rays before it disappears again!

                                                                 

   Have a  nice day everyone!

A Little Pillowtalk

I have always thought there is something fab about buying new cushions/pillows for the home.They can give an existing sofa or a tired armchair a new lease of life in an instant.They also inject the room with an exciting burst of colour and give it a renewed energy.

There is such a huge range on the market nowadays that it is hard to narrow it down to a few. I usually go for a reasonable price point and good quality when buying. Mine have been known to end up more often than not on the floor or worse, used as flying missiles by hormonal teens!

Here are a few that I am leaning towards at the minute...

Images via Zara, Marks & Spencer, Dunnes Stores

                                                                            

Tea-time Treats

Whilst I was at home in Cork last week, I was delighted to recieve two pots of my aunts homemade jam (blackcurrant) and decided to make these delish homemade scones to go with them.This is my mum's basic scone recipe and it hasn't failed me yet.

Ingredients...

8oz self raising flour

                 1.5 oz butter at room temperature

                 1.5 tablespoons of caster sugar

      a pinch of salt      

5 fl oz of milk...

Preheat oven to (220c).Grease a baking sheet with butter.Sift flour into a bowl and rub in butter rapidly.Stir in sugar and salt and add milk little by little until  it forms a soft dough.Turn dough onto a floured board and roll out to a thickness of 2cm.Cut out about 12 rounds with  a 4cm pastry cutter.Glaze with a beaten egg and bake in a hot oven for 10-15 mins until risen and golden brown.

These are lovely served straight from the oven slathered with butter but equally delicious with jam and a dollop of cream for good measure. Other variations can be made using brown flour or adding grated cheese for a savoury variety. Great  for those back to school lunchboxes!

                                                                   Cup of tea anyone?
          



         

Water Water everywhere

The other day while I was grocery shopping in our local supermarket, I noticed how huge the aisle stacking water bottles has become. On closer inspection I saw how beautiful and elegant some of these looked.You would nearly buy the bottle to use at home later to hold a candle or fill with some flower stems.


In a restaurant recently we were served our water in a gorgeous carafe (with an equally  lovely price tag) which made me think are we mad to spend so much on something so basic and that is really just water!

So which do you prefer plain old tap or a nice bottled one?

Bellini Time

Last night my daughter and I decided to experiment with a bottle of peach schnapps that was in the cabinet for a while.We came up with this mixture and have to say our bellinis tasted great.This is the concoction we threw in.

2oz of peach snapps into a champagne flute.

pour 5oz of sparkling wine over the schnapps

Top off  with a dash of orange juice.

It is actually lovely if you have your champagne flutes chilled in the fridge beforehand.

                        Here's my daughter Laura and her friend Elaine enjoying theirs on the patio

Mini Breaktime

Hi all. Just arrived back from Cork today.Had a great few days away, even though we ended up ducking and diving the rain showers.Here are a few pictures I took when we were out and about.

Blackrock Castle, near our home

My Mum & I

Sarah in Mum's garden

 Images from Kinsale Town

 At the beach

Sarah & Coco

It was a lovely week, hope everyone has a good weekend.

A Little Road-trip.

Today I am going down to my lovely hometown of Cork city with my youngest daughter. I am excited to be able to catch up with all my family and friends.Weather permitting (not been good to us this summer), I will be able to get to some lovely beaches and parks to take some nice pictures.

 Have a nice day. I will be back on Friday.

Sunday in Kildare Village.

Yesterday I visited the Kildare shopping village which is only a twenty minute drive from our home.It is really lovely having all the shops together in one setting, yet each has a really individual look due to the amazing layout and gorgeous landscaping.

 
 They are currently running the summertime good food festival whereby different businesses and restaurants come together to promote and display mouthwatering food and goodies.It was a bit too early for the bbq burgers but we did buy delicious carrot cake and caramel shortcake.

After this we had a browse in the lovely shops and I was delighted to find this fab DKNY bag at a snip of the RRP. All in all not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning.

Hope you all have a nice Monday.

Dreaming

As I'm sitting here today the rain is bucketing down outside and I am seriously craving a little bit of sunshine at this stage.Since I have no immediate plans for a holiday,I am going to have to console myself with a look back at our last family hols in sunny Dubai.

Here are a few of my favourite pics.