The Life and Times of Chantelle

A Summer In South Africa

2012-02-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

I am feeling some major nostalgia at the moment and been spending time looking at old holiday pictures and stuff and I realized that I have never told you about my summer in South Africa! Well have no fear, today is the day!

Many people spend a summer abroad while they are at university, I really wanted to go away but did not fancy the whole J1 thing, not my style! I wanted to do something a bit different which is how I ended up living in Cape Town for a summer in 2007! My first time ever going abroad alone, I like to jump in at the deep end!

I traveled to Cape Town as a Global Awareness Programme Travel Award Winner. You can read about the awards here. I decided to share the piece I wrote for EIL here as it really captures my whole South African experience! That leaves plenty of space for photos in this post!

Footprints on the beach

Perfect sand

In the vineyards of Stellenbosch

Sunset at Camps Bay

Table Mountain as viewed from Robben Island

Exploring the prison at Robben Island

The above pictures were taken during our first week in Cape Town! I haven't included any pictures from the school I worked at as I do not have permission from the children's parents so it would be wrong to reproduce them! Below are some pictures from a trip we took to Hermanus one weekend. We had intended to go whale watching but unfortunately the weather had other ideas!

Hermanus Bay

Getting blown away!

Some serious waves!

I can honestly say that this was one of the best experiences of my life, I only scratched the surface of South Africa and I am dying to go back! Another place on the list!

Kate's Story

2012-02-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

Kate is one of my dearest friends, we grew up together and have been great friends all our lives. When Kate asked me to sign a petition for her I was eager to help in any way I could. So I asked her would she like to write something for the blog to help promote the cause. She eagerly agreed so here we are! Take it away Kate!

Kate and myself!

Hi everyone, my name is Kate, I'm 24 and live in Waterford. I love cooking, socialising and supporting the Munster and Ireland rugby teams. I also love chatting and spending time with my friends. I have been friends with the amazing Chantelle since I was very little, she has kindly asked me to write a little piece about myself and my illness. Don't worry I will try make it fun and you might even learn a thing or two!

I suppose the best place to start is at the beginning of it all. In April last year I started to feel unwell in myself, I was very tired all the time and just needed to sleep when ever I could, I would sleep most of the day and then sleep for the full night. This was not like me at all, I used be one of those people who could just keep on going. I started getting pains and aches in my legs, knees, arms, anywhere really then the swelling started and that was strange! Parts of my face would swell making it look like I had been in a fight, which clearly I had not! I couldn't even wear shoes for a long time because my feet were so swollen so I ended up wearing flip flops and even they were tight.

After a hard weekend in work, when I had been on my feet 4 days in a row. I could not stand the pain of my feet anymore, I gave in and went to my doctor. I told her my symptoms and she took some bloods, she thought it might be rheumatoid arthritis. I wasn't too concerned as that is pretty common. I started on a course of anti-inflammatories which very little effect. I came out in a rash on my face and started getting chest pains... off to the doctor again. This time I went to see another doctor in the same surgery who I had known for years. She took one look at me, told me I needed to seen by a Rheumatologist as soon as possible. I could have been waiting up to four months to be seen in my local hospital so instead my Mum and I made the decision to go private and so we would travel to Cork to be seen. This turned out to be the best decision we made.

We went to Cork, knowing it was not going to be as simple as we thought, it was then we heard the term Lupus first. It took about a month to get all the different tests back and it was then on 29th of August, on my way to Limerick for a mid week break I got the phone call I had been waiting for. I had Lupus. When I got off the phone I cried, I was scared that I had this illness that I knew nothing about. There were also tears of relief that I knew what was wrong, it was not just in my head.

Lupus is not a very common disease so not much is known about it. In short it is an auto immune disease which can effect people in different ways. It can effect your skin, Lupus sufferers have a distinct rash on their face in the shape of a butterfly, but also it can start to attack your internal organs like your heart, liver kidneys and even your brain. More commonly though its muscle pains and swelling we have to deal with on a daily basis.

I used be extremely care free when it came to life, now sometimes I struggle to get out of bed, even today as I am typing this I have 10 swollen fingers which look like award winning sausages. I have to be careful not to overdo it on my good days and pace myself. Even having night out has to be planned to a tea so I can enjoy myself and not be sitting in a chair in the corner.

One of the main things that I have had to come to terms with is that even though I want to do things and I used to be able, I might not be able to do them anymore. I had plans to travel the world and maybe spend a year in Oz with friends. I have had to rule that out for the time being as I know myself I am just not able. If i got a really bad flare up in some foreign country, what would I do?

As for treatment, im only at the early stages of mine, its really trial and error with Lupus. I take 11 different tablets a day, this can vary from the normal cod liver oil to specific Lupus drugs. The only side effect I have had which really hurt me was my long blonde hair started to fall out, not in clumps but not at a normal rate either. It was very scary and upsetting. For a young woman losing some of my hair was devastating. Along with the tablets I get an injection every week to help my energy levels and also a iron injection every three months. For many Lupus sufferers, one of our main prescriptions are steroids, I have been on these since May. They are horrible little tablets which give you the munchies, make you bloated and give you a lovely round moon face. They are the bain of my life, sometimes if I have had to up my dosage, I barely recognise myself my face would be so round.

Another part that I found hard and I suppose thats why I am writing this, is that it was very hard to talk to my friends about it. It wasn't that they were dismissive but they do not know what Lupus is and were afraid to ask in case they upset me. Then they would not ask me to do things like tell me to hurry up because I was slowing them down shopping because my feet were swollen and my legs were hurting for example. I would love to go out and dance the night away but I also need to be able to walk be able to get out of bed the next day. I have to accept that I cannot do as much as I used to.

As time goes on, my friends are getting to know they can ask me how I am or even ask me about Lupus or as I like to call him, Louis. My family and boyfriend have been a great support as they see me everyday and know what I go through on a daily basis. They really have been there for me through the bad times and the good times. My mum described living with a Lupus sufferer is like living with a hypochondriac, there is something everyday and I may look fine until I take off my shoes and there are the big flippers swollen again.

A few months back i found the Lupus Group Ireland on Facebook, a girl called Jessica had set it up. I joined straight away and it is great for chats! They know what I mean when I say my feet are burning or my head is fussy, they know what is going on and have been there themselves, there Is someone there to have a chat to. It may sound strange but I really consider them friends now and I cannot wait to meet them at the end of the month.

We are in the process of setting up a website at the moment (www.lupusgroupireland.com) and making Lupus Group Ireland a registered charity. We will start fund raising and try to make Lupus more known around Ireland.

We have started our petition to get lupus on the long term illness scheme, many of the girls are not eligible for a medical card and there are serious costs involved in having a long term illness. I go to the GP every week and medication can cost anything from €7 to €70. We are trying to get as many signatures as we can to present them to the Dail and ask for the scheme to be updated to include other long term illnesses including Lupus.

For new Lupies, join the site, there is someone always on to answer questions and chat and once you know you are not alone the day will get better.

So I think that is all I have to say. I hope you have enjoyed my story, and will feel the need to sign our petition and any time you see a butterfly you can think of all the Lupus patients you have helped. I have included the link to the petition
http://www.petitiononline.ie/petition/long-term-illness-scheme-to-be-reviewed-and-updated-to-include-lupus-sle/1429

Thanks for reading xxxx

Lunch Date!

2012-02-03T14:09:00.001-08:00

Last Tuesday Leo and I went on a little lunch date, we decided to visit the Farmgate Restaurant. The Farmgate is pretty well known in Cork, it is based in the English Market which you have heard me mention more than once here on the blog. I cannot help it, I just love the place! There is another branch in Midleton and this is the one we frequented!

The restaurant was bustling when we arrived but we were seated quickly and the staff were friendly despite clearly being run off their feet! The menu has a wide range of choice and it was actually really hard to decide what to have! In the end I went with the chicken korma and Leo had the lamb stew. Our choices proved to be good ones, both dishes were mouthwatering! The korma was luscious and packed with flavour and the stew was just a bowl of sheer comfort! There was a lovely serving of vegetables with the stew too.

After our mains we decided (for research purposes of course!) to try some desert. Leo went with the classic apple tart and I went with the citrus tart, yummy!

The meal cost us just over thirty euros which is fairly standard pricing for a main and desert in Cork. I had thought it would be more expensive but I was pleasantly surprised. Most of their ingredients are sourced locally so it is great to know that you are supporting our amazing Irish food producers too. Delicious food with a conscious, what's not to love?

One Year On...

2012-01-31T16:01:00.000-08:00

Today is the first of February, it has been exactly one year since Leo and I came home from our travels in South East Asia! It has been a crazy year, so much has changed! I was so depressed coming home, after months of adventure, sunshine, fun and relaxing the idea of coming back to Ireland was not pleasant!

I have shared travel photos before but allow me a little nostalgia on this special day! We're going out tonight to celebrate and reminisce! These were all taken in Hong Kong and China!

Bright Lights, Big City, Hong Kong

At the viewing point on the Peak in Hong Kong

Lunch in Hong Kong

Exploring Hainan

Flooding on Hainan Island

Smoggy Forbidden City

Outside the Forbidden City (after the rain cleared the smog)

Standing in Tienanmen Square

The Great Wall

On the Great Wall of China

Best souvenir ever!

Me looking just THRILLED

Terracotta Warriors, Xi'an

The Breakfast Club

2012-01-31T09:02:00.001-08:00

Every Saturday I treat myself to breakfast as a celebration of the weekend! I am always keen to try new places and I had heard a lot about Wildways as a lunch destination but I was curious to try their breakfast!

Wildways is an organic cafe located in the heart of Cork city and very close to where I work so it is perfect spot for me to relax before a busy day. I have been several times since my first visit and it is an absolute winner. The staff are friendly, the service is quick and most importantly the food is delicious! It is also excellent value considering all the ingredients are organic.

On my first visit I decided to go with poached eggs with toast and an Americano. Perfect way to start the day right? I was not disappointed!

I really recommend this place highly! I shall be a regular visitor from now on!

Visiting the Quay Co-Op

2012-01-24T01:08:00.000-08:00

This week, in an effort to make better use of my local amenities I paid a visit to the Quay Co-Op in the city. This is a restaurant and an organic food store. The restaurant has been a favorite of mine for many years. It is great value, delicious and a really great place to go for a relaxing lunch by yourself or with friends! And you can enjoy the deserts guilt free because it's all organic (it's good for you right?).

I was not so familiar with the shop part of it though. So in the spirit of keeping up my healthy routine for the new year I decided to pay a visit. I had decided that I wanted to bake my own spelt bread and make some hummus for my lunches this week so I was in search of spelt flour and tahini. I was amazed by the amount of stuff they had there, so much choice! I've definitely been inspired by some of the ingredients I spotted! They also have a great selection of dried spices too. I ended up add spelt pasta, coriander seeds and a cheeky cookie to my basket (not pictured because I ate it that day!)

The staff were really helpful and friendly and I will definitely be going back again! It's good to support local business's, especially gems like this one!

What are you favorite local business's where you live?

Guest Post

2012-01-17T12:08:00.001-08:00

I've done a new guest post for my Twitter friend Siobhan, you can check it out here: http://allmemememe.blogspot.com/2012/01/guest-post-2-being-left-behind.html?zx=3ff3fd5ae2525afb

I also made a small contribution on Dacia's blog about changing the world for 2012: http://thirtythreeandcounting.com/2012/01/16/this-is-how-we-change-the-world/

Today I am 1...

2012-01-17T01:38:00.000-08:00

Today is my blogger birthday! This blog is one year old! I cannot believe how much has changed in a year! This time last year I was in Malaysia ponderng what would happen on my return to Ireland. My entire future lay before me, blank and unwritten. You can read my first ever post here.

http://pinterest.com/pin/170362798373855630/

So much has changed, I never thought my blogs would become such a huge part of my life. In a way they saved me. They give me purpose now and knowing that people feel inspired or encouraged by my words really means the world to me. All I have ever wanted to do with my life is help people, and here I am in my own small way helping people around the world. It thrills me.

All I really want to say is thank you for reading, I love you all and feel free to have a cupcake to help me celebrate!!!

Lots of love,

Chantelle xxx

An Adventure In Cork

2012-01-09T13:05:00.001-08:00

I am making an effort this year to take advantage of the fabulous amenities that Cork has to offer. I have lived here since 2005 and I sometimes take my city for granted! Really, we are spoiled here compared to other parts of the country (that's why Cork is the real capital, ahem, cough cough).

Anyway, I digress...

When I went to see the latest Twilight movie I saw the trailer for My Week With Marilyn and made a mental note to go and see it when it came out. Unfortunately it was not shown in our main cinemas here and I was a little gutted (I hate the whole illegal downloading of movies thing). But I moved on and figured I'd wait for the dvd. Then last week while perusing the local paper I spotted an ad for the film being screened in the Triskel Arts Centre. The Triskel is Cork's main arts centre but I had never visited it! So I made a date with one of my friends and last night we visited the centre for the first time!

The film was shown in Christchurch, an old church building which has been converted into a performance space and it really is spectacular. You sit in the pews and they had the screen set up over the alter area. There was a beautiful atmosphere and sense of reverence which really added to the experience of watching the movie. I was amazed by it! You can check out pictures of the space here.

The film itself was excellent, I love Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Williams did a fantastic job portraying her! I'm not one for writing reviews but if you are a fan of Marilyn and/or that era I would definitely recommend watching it!

From now on I shall be keeping an eye on what they are showing there each week from now on! They showed a few trailers that caught my eye so I will be visiting again soon!

What are your favorite hidden gems where you live?

Christmas Gifts and Sale Purchases

2012-01-08T08:39:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd share a few pictures of some of the lovely presents I got for Christmas as well as a few sneaky sales purchases!

Christmas Pressies and some pics taken from over Christmas:

Duvet Set from my Nan

DKNY Wallet (from Leo)

Sale Bargains:

Quiksilver hoodie

Springboks hoodie, perk of working in a sports shop is getting dibs on stock!

Gotta love some pampering!

How cute?

Mini Yankee Candles

New Skin Care Routine

2012-01-04T15:48:00.001-08:00

This year I will be 25. Yup, a quarter of a century old, yikes! I won't lie, it scares me. I think this is why I am determined to make this year count! I definitely want to take better care of my skin and hopefully lay the groundwork for good skin as I get older. I have oily/combination skin and I have been told this is good for preventing wrinkles because the skin is more elastic. Maybe the years of teenage spots will have been worth it!

Up until a month ago I had been using the Nivea Daily Essentials range. I have been a loyal Nivea fan since I was young but felt that my skin was not getting enough nutrients. It was dull, lacklustre and my makeup was not sitting well on my face. Anyone who reads my other blog will know that I eat pretty well and try and eat organic as much as I can afford to! So it was time to mix up my skin care!

But where to start? I knew I could not afford huge investment so that ruled out the high end luxury brands for me. After reading some of my favorite beauty blogs I was inspired to visit Lush in the quest for better skin. Their products are handmade and only use natural ingredients so I figured that had to be good!

Here is what I purchased:

I will admit, the cleanser (Angels On Bare Skin) baffled me at first but I have gotten the hang of it! And I really like it, my skin feels really fresh and clean after it. I also really like the toner (Eau Roma Water) which I have never used before but consider me a convert! I like the moisturizer (Imperialis) too but it does take a long time to sink into my skin so not ideal in the mornings when I am rushing to do my makeup and get out the door! When I was in Lush the sales assistant showed me another moisturizer which was lighter but it was twenty seven euros which is a little out of my price range!

So far I have been really happy with the results, my skin looks plumper and happier (if that makes sense???) and it is definitely clearer. All good so!

I was lucky to get some lovely Lush bath ballistics, bubble bars and shower gel for Christmas so I am enjoying those at the moment! I also got one of their Friends With Benefits massage bars which I highly recommend! I am now planning my next Lush purchases, I think a face mask is definitely top of my list and maybe a foray into their hair care range! I would love to hear any of your recommendations!

50 Books for 2012

2012-01-03T05:43:00.001-08:00

So one of my resolutions for 2012 is to spend more time reading. I am a total bookworm and love reading but I find it hard to make time for it. I usually read during my commute every day but I want to read more at home. Let's face it, its hard to beat a cup of tea, a blanket and a good read!

I'm a fast reader too, when we were travelling I read at a scary pace, I can't remember the total by the end but it was definitely close to fifty in a matter of months! So with that in mind I am setting myself the challenge to read fifty in a year. It's about 4-5 books a month but if I like a book I could have it finished in a matter of hours so I don't think it should be too hard to achieve! I also like the idea of documenting what I read for a year so this is the perfect excuse! I am thinking of doing reviews for each book too so let me know if you would be interested in this please!

I will keep updating this page and post the link to the updated version to my Twitter and Facebook when I add a new entry! Below is what I am currently reading!

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I've written a piece about it here.

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-02T10:42:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I spoke about change and what better way to begin changes than with New Year's Resolutions! I'm not going to go into too much detail in this post, hoping to discuss them properly here and over on Project Chantelle in the coming weeks, I have so many ideas that I don't wanna just spew them all out but take the time to form them properly and then share with you!

http://pinterest.com/pin/32862272250460025/

Learn to budget properly and clear my credit card debt. Ah Christmas definitely brings out the spendthrift in me, the damage isn't too awful but I want to be back in black as soon as possible!
Ditch the Penneys habit and start making some investment purchases. Now I love Penneys as much as the next girl and find it hard to beat for pj's, tights and vests etc but when it comes to buying proper clothes I am making the decision to go a little more upmarket!
Read fifty new books.
Learn to drive.
Blog everyday for the next year. Yup, you read that right, I'm gonna try and post everyday either here or on Project Chantelle for 2012!
Treat myself to a beauty treatment or massage once a month. Because I am worth it!
Work on my own personal Happiness Project. This is a blog project that I am doing with several other bloggers, I am really looking forward to getting stuck in! The information can be found here.
Do the mini marathon this year and raise money for Aware.
Work on this year's bucket list with Leo. We sat down yesterday and made a list of things we want to do this year such as go sea kayaking and plan our next holiday!
Take up a new hobby!

http://pinterest.com/pin/271412315012750098/

I know this seems like an awful lot to take on but I am determined that this year I will challenge myself as much as possible!

What resolutions have you made this year?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

Well here we are, 2012! I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's Eve and enjoyed time with friends and family!

I was at home for Christmas and spent some much needed quality time with everyone, it really rejuvenated me. When I am away I sometimes block how much I miss them and then get overwhelmed when I finally get back! There were many tears and many hugs, followed by tea, chats and chocolate. Bliss!

Since I came back to Cork I have been doing some thinking, my life needs to change in many ways and I've been taking time to make some big decisions, some are straightforward, some or not. But I trust that they are all right decisions and will take me in the direction I want to go. I'll divulge more details over the coming days, I'm still coming to terms with some of the more difficult ones but I must be brave!

I have made a few New Year's resolutions but I am planning several posts to cover them so stay tuned over the next day or so!

How did you spend New Year's? Have you made any resolutions?

http://pinterest.com/pin/35888128250306794/

Tara's Christmas

2011-12-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

My final Christmas guest post is by one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world! We've been friends since we were 12 and I love her very much! She has two blogs, so find her at http://antiboredompromotivation.blogspot.com/ and http://inspirationtransformation.blogspot.com/.

Thanks to everyone who has taken part of this series, I have had lots of people tell me that they have enjoyed them and hopefully we can do it again next year! I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and hope 2012 is a fab year for us all!

Christmas is one of my favourite times of the year, it’s the one time of the year that nearly everyone is home and in good spirit and I get to see people and catch up with everyone. I work funny evening shifts so sometimes these catch up dates have to be at funny times – today for example I’ll be meeting a good friend for breakfast and coffee instead of dinner and a pint!

As a child Christmas was all about magic of Santa. Now what makes me tick is Christmas dinner with the family and getting to indulge in my love of decorations! :D

I distinctly remember every year being dressed up in our new Christmas clothes and Mum insisting that my brother and I pose for the yearly photo beside the tree. We took it in turns each year to put the angel on top of the tree and when we were growing up on Christmas Eve my Dad would pretend Santa was on the phone and was ringing to tell us he was on the way from the nearest village to us so we had to go to bed! I think I’d still believe him if he told me the same story now!

Old memories of Christmas are happy memories so my mission this year was to add more good memories to the list.

This year is my first Christmas with my other half in our first apartment together. We’ve been together nearly 4 years, have travelled the world together but this year is our first year living together – so hence our first Christmas putting up ‘our’ tree and ‘our’ decorations… Quite honestly Christmas has exploded over the apartment and I’m pretty sure you can see all the lights from space!

I’ve really loved having someone to share this Christmas with. We picked the tree together, and the decorations, the angel and all the rest and we decorated and hung lights and didn’t have too many arguments about it!

So I’ll share a little of the magic with you with some pretty pictures of the results…

Christmas Traditions With Mrs Shilts

2011-12-21T23:19:00.001-08:00

Today's post comes from the fabulous Mrs Shilts, she blogs over at http://www.mrsshilts.co.uk/ about all kinds of stuff from crafting to healthy eating! I was thrilled when she wanted to get involved in this series as I know she loves Christmas!

I absolutely love Christmas! It is quite simply the best time of year. It’s all about spending time with family and friends enjoying each other’s company whilst having a giggle and a good catch up.

In the MrsShilts household it’s tradition now to spend the first Sunday of December with all hubby’s side of the family. We get all dolled up, go out for a lovely slap up lunch and exchange Christmas cards to begin the Christmas festivities.

From that weekend onwards it’s definitely Christmas. The festivities continue with our annual trip to the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham for a sausage and mulled wine or two. Other traditions include hubby and his Dad going into Birmingham City Centre shopping for gifts on the first day of the Christmas holidays (I personally think they are mad but as they are getting my Christmas gifts I really don’t mind!) and the annual mince pie bake off. This year hubby has made a fantastic batch of mince pies but usually my Dad (who doesn’t bake or cook much at all!) makes a batch or two for the family to enjoy over the holidays.

As I mentioned earlier, family feature heavily at Christmas and I love it. Christmas Eve is spent with hubby’s side of the family swapping gifts and it’s so lovely to see the younger members of the family getting all excited about Santa’s imminent arrival. Christmas Day is a long day but a fabulous one. We spend breakfast back at hubby’s parents, swapping and opening gifts and marvelling in what weird and wonderful presents we have been given. We alternate having lunch either at my parents home or at hubby’s parents. This year we’re at hubby’s parents for Christmas lunch where we will be having Turkey with the full works including chip sticks! Don’t ask me why, it’s just a family tradition! The afternoon will be spent with my parents and my sister, brother-in-law and nephew opening more gifts and enjoying an Irish coffee or two. My Dad makes the best Irish coffee ever!

The festivities continue into Boxing Day where we meet up with hubby’s side of the family again and we play party games, drink lots of booze and end the night playing Chase the Ace with a nice kitty to be won (There are 20 of us!) I’ve won once...back in 2006 but every year I have to be taught the rules again because I simply cannot remember them...maybe it’s the booze!

The following day we meet up with my Mom’s side of the family and have another Christmas Day. We exchange gifts, eat lots more yummy buffet food and have a good catch up. It’s fabulous to have 4 days full of Christmas fun, spending time with family and just enjoying the finer things in life. For me, it’s not all about the gifts, it’s about spending time with the people who I really care about creating happy memories that I will cherish forever.

Wishing you all a magical Christmas, MrsShilts x

Interlopers At Christmas Time

2011-12-20T23:10:00.000-08:00

Pam O'Brien is a mother of two children which gives her the perfect excuse to indulge in all things Christmassy. You can find her blog at http://pamobriensblog.wordpress.com/. I do not know Pam at all but a mutual friend on Twitter suggested that she might like to get involved with the festive fun on my blog!

I’m sure that lots of people would be horrified to see the contents of our Christmas crib. We have the usual suspects: Mary, Joseph, the Shepherd, the Angel, the three Wise Men, a cow, a sheep, a donkey and of course the baby Jesus. We’ve had this crib for nearly 20 years, and for the last 9 years it has had an additional character that some would probably find blasphemous. When my now 12 year old son was 3, we went for a Christmas lunch, with my mum and some of my brothers and sisters, to a local Chinese restaurant. At the end of the meal, the waiter brought us the bill, with After Eights for the adults and a lollipop and a box for my son. Inside the box was a little Chinese figure.

When we got home he went to the crib and put the little figure in among the rest of the characters. At the time he had a penchant for moving around the characters in the crib, so every time you looked, the arrangement of characters had changed, but the Chinese figure was always there. That year when we were packing up the crib, he insisted that the figure was wrapped up with everything else. Now every year when the crib is put up, the little Chinese figure always features. It always brings a smile to my face as it reminds me of a magical time.

The Magic Of Christmas

2011-12-18T23:10:00.001-08:00

Michelle is an aspiring writer who blogs over at http://michelleisinwonderland.blogspot.com/. She is smart, funny and fabulous!

What I love about Christmas is more the anticipation than the reality.

However, as the days draw closer to the 25^th I have a niggling festering feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that this may just be the year when something magical happens (and I am not just talking about a man in a red suit shooting down the chimney).

I am a twenty six year old girl, who to date is only an auntie to two four legged animals, so the noise levels in our house have reduced significantly over the last fifteen years. I miss the old days when Dad would read ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ to me and it was a circuitous routine between him reading and me wailing ‘Again, again, again, again’. And while most kids can’t sleep with excitement on Christmas night I could not sleep with sheer dread that Mr. Claus would know I wasn't asleep and himself and Rudolph would scuttle away to the next house without leaving ‘my little pony’ in the stocking.

Both Santa Claus and my mother had high hopes of me growing up into a very domesticated young lady so one Christmas my gifts included a ironing board and a kitchen playset ( funny how I would smack someone now for those presents). Mum and Dad were traditional hard-working parents that made Christmas all about my brother and I. Even now when there is no Barbie doll or Magical Theatre under the tree, Christmas is still an echoing reminder of what a lucky lucky girl I am to have such fabulous memories and that we as a family are still a tight quadric unit.

Years have gone by and the associations with this time of the year have advanced from toys to Christmas exams to part-time Christmas hours in Supermarkets to drunken fun antics on Christmas Eve and to office merriness. But one thing never changes and that’s the magic that evaporates out of whatever your trigger ‘It’s Christmas when’ moment is. My personal moment is always the first air play of Mariah Carey ‘All I want for Christmas’ ( although I have been victim to hearing this in a nightclub in July).

Roaring red crackling fires, carpeting snow outside, glistening and shiny lights, strangers, friends and neighbours alike all joining in the contagious jolly festivities may be a very romantic idealism view on Christmas but that is exactly what the season signifies to me. Romance.

Whether you have a significant other or not doesn’t matter, for the single girl Christmas can bring that wonderful man into her life, old and new love can blossom over the festive period and families reunite from all corners of the world. And there is nothing more magical for parents of young children to see those excited faces after Santa had been.

This Christmas, I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my family as it seems to the only time of the year when we properly sit down with one another and I going to enjoy every minute of my four day holiday. And maybe if I am very very lucky a man will swing me around in his arm and tell me I am the one (What! Magical things can happen).

To date I have received everything I have ever wanted so maybe a twenty six year old is too old to believe in Father Christmas but if that is true, then tell me, who else could be making all my Christmas wishes come true every year.

May all your dreams and wishes come true this Christmas.

Shel

xxxxxxxx

The Third Wise Man

2011-12-18T10:33:00.001-08:00

This is the third wise man, my boyfriend, Leo! He kindly agreed to write a piece for me which I was really happy about! He knows how important my blogs are to me and he is so supportive. Just one of the many things I love about him!

My favourite Christmas memories revolve around my Dad. On ChristmasEve we go to Cork to do our shopping (typical men) and have a few sneaky pints. It is one of my favourite Christmastraditions and some of my favourite memories are from around this time.

One year we went for a feed of pints in his local and acrossthe street for a feed of Indian, I got avindaloo which was way too hot!! So I had to add a lash of yogurt to the thingthe staff couldn’t stop laughing at me and I ended up with half of it down mytragically trendy stripped jumper that my sister had given me for Christmas,that just like the curry didn’t go down too well.

I love computer games and have done since I was young. Oneyear I wanted a PlayStation 2 which I was convinced would revolutionise my lifeand make me the envy of my buddies in school. Way back in 2000 when the PS2 waslaunched the demand far outweighed supply, thus making it very unlikely that mydad could pull off my Christmas wish. Of course I wouldn’t be telling thisstory if my dad had not pulled it off. He may not be as handy as Arnie atfighting off killer robots from the future but he sure as hell out shopped him.So after spending about five hours in the rain outside Smyths and begging,borrowing and stealing the money he needed to buy it, he finally managed to gethis hands on one. My pops couldn’t resist the chance to wind me up so he and myuncle Martin pretended it was for Martin and that I could have a go if Iwanted, my head almost exploding as the truth was revealed, sneaky buggers…

That was brilliant but the greatest Christmas present I evergot would have to be my first dog Dalphy which I got when I was a toddler and Ihad till I was nearly nineteen, and was a constant friend throughout the years.It’s probably not a real memory but I remember walking down the stairs andfinding her in a cardboard box under the tree, she was a special dog and Iloved her very much and cherish the great memories that I have of her. As withevery good childhood dog she was a pure scamp, I remember her running out of mycousin’s house with a pound of sausages in her mouth and my uncle John chasingher down the back garden.

As you get a bit older the presents mean lessbut Christmas is still very special to me, last year I was in Thailand withChantelle who I love very much and while it was a very different Christmas itwas still great. Our presents came from street markets and we wore shorts and t shirts. We both missed our families and were both a little sad afterSkyping home. Especially after missing a white Christmas in Ireland! I’m really looking forward to this Christmas. Chantellewill be with her family and My dad and sister are coming to our place fordinner so I’m going to be in the kitchen for the morning but it’ll be brilliant. We spend the day visiting the rest ofour family and just enjoying each other’s company and that for me is really thebest thing about Christmas.

The True Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-15T23:30:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrr, it is so cold today! But I have a story here to warm your hearts, it is by my friend Slim, and I'll be honest, when I read it there were a few tears! It's a real reminder of what is important at Christmas!


Christmas eh?! What's it all about? Presents? Jesus? A fat man in a red suit with a penchant for breaking and entering?

For me, Christmas has always been about family. Gathering the immediate and extended families together to eat, drink and be merry under the illusion of some zombie street magician's birthday. I loved it as a kid. Being showered with presents, being told how cute I was in my Christmas clothes each year, the "magic" of it all. Later on in life I began to resent Christmas. Always found it to be the time of year when bad things happened. Relations dying due to cold winters and simple coincidence with the season. To me it became a season of tears and remembering sad times in life. I began to think of Christmas as a sordid affair, plumped up by marketing execs with wares to sell and a buck to be made.

Nowadays I see Christmas to be what I believe most people see it as, a time of year to shower your love on your family and friends by way of outrageous gifts you have no other excuse to give them. To see the magic in a child's face on Christmas morning when they see the presents Santa has brought them. To spend time with the people who you actually care about and share stories, create new memories and to put an end to another year.

Every person has their own idea of what Christmas is all about, and that's just dandy. I'm not here to tell you what Christmas should or shouldn't be. I'm just here to ask you to do one thing this Christmas.

Think of those less fortunate.

Some years ago I done something out of desperation/laziness which made one particular Christmas a bit special for my immediate family. Having put off the Christmas shopping for too long, I was left on Christmas Eve with nothing for my Mother, Father, Sister and God Mother. I decided that instead of buying them some token trinket or voucher that I would make a charitible donation on thier behalf. I donated €500 in total to the Solas Center (a cancer research and care facility in Waterford) as many of our family had died from cancer. To me it was my "get out of jail free" card. To them it was the most thoughtful and caring present they couldn't have asked for. I remember the tears on Christmas Eve when they opened the envolopes together in what used to be my grandmothers house (who has passed away from cancer). I remember the look of pride in my Mother's eyes when she looked at me and said "Thank you". I remember my Mother retelling the story to anyone who stopped long enough to hear it. I remember how GOOD it made us all feel.

That year my family got nothing. But they were on top of the world.

So this year, when you're struggling to find a present for that distant relative you barely know or estranged friend you haven't seen in a while, make a donation on their behalf. Make it a tradition. Chances are they never know what to get you and end up getting you the same tired old present every year. Ask them to donate some money to your favourite charity and you make a donation to their's. Regardless of the amount or the charity, you can rest easy knowing that somone out there is better off this year due to your kindness.

Do it, feel good about it, and a Merry Christmas to you and yours this, and every year!

An Expat Christmas

2011-12-14T23:13:00.000-08:00

Today's post is written by my good friend John. John and I met in university even though we had kinda known each other from Waterford as well. It was not until college that we really got to be friends. He lives in Brussels now so we don't see much of each other but he will be home over the holidays and I'm looking forward to a catch up! John isn't exactly a Christmas elf and I'd sooner associate him with the words bah humbug rather then ho ho ho! So you can imagine my surprise when he agreed to write a piece for this series. A Christmas miracle of sorts! I was even more surprised when he wrote something rather sweet. I had been almost expecting a mad rant about how stupid Christmas is! But people will always surprise you right?

I’ll admit, when Chantelle asked me towrite up a guest post for her blog, I was two things; charmed that she asked,and confused as to the why. While I don’t want to make myself sound bad, I’mnot exactly what you would call the most ... ‘Full of Christmas Spirit’.

Yet, despite this, I’m looking forward toChristmas this year. This is not because Brussels has an abundance of Christmasdecorations around town (it doesn’t), or the Christmas songs playing everywhere(they don’t) or the Christmas markets (nice, but mostly small). It mostly hasto do with the fact that thanks to the weather last year I ended up missing theday itself and was stuck in Brussels.

The funny thing is, I didn’t actually mindthe missing Christmas day bit, my family have never made the biggest deal ofthe day itself or have many traditions around presents etc. (beyond the familytradition of not having a clue what to buy for each other). But as with manythings in life, you miss it when it doesn’t happen.

Though my family haven’t got a lot ofChristmas traditions, there are a few things that I associate with the holiday.My mother cooks pork steak every Christmas morning as part of a fry-up, as it’ssomething her mother did, and we usually head over to our neighbours for aChristmas hello and a few drinks. Depending on the year, and who’s about, wevisit some of my Aunts and Uncles. These visits, along with the drinks I’llhave with friends in town around Christmas Eve, or on the 27^th / 28^th,the New Years drinks I’ll usually have at the local pub early on in theafternoon and the general catch-up that I get with friends and family are whatI look forward to.

The other thing that I just want to talkabout quickly is the different Christmas is here in Brussels. Now, Brussels is aweird city anyway as much of the expat population is either here temporarily, orwill not spend Christmas itself here. This means, that for many of my friendsand I, the larger preparations, such as buying in heaps of food, or setting upa Christmas tree, just don’t happen. When it does, it tends to be very smallscale, and because we come from many different cultures, the how of celebrating Christmas is quitedifferent. For example, I recently attended an ‘Advent party’ with some Germanfriends. This involved some ‘traditional’ sweets, some Glühwein (mulled wine)and Christmas songs. The idea of marking the beginning of advent was a new oneto me, but what really surprised me was that the Christmas songs were not theones I knew, but were also all very traditional pieces. Apparently the UK/Irishtradition of Bing Crosby, fairytale of New York, Wizzard, and driving home forChristmas are all completely alien to them. In fact, I learned that therearen’t even German ‘pop’ songs that are equivalent, instead Germans play songsthat would have been heard in city centres a century ago.

But these small events aside, I have noreal sense of it ‘being Christmas’, even though as I write this, the day is afortnight away. Yet, in many ways I welcome this. Because I can’t bring toomuch stuff over, I’m not doing big Christmas shopping, because I won’t be in myhouse for Christmas, I’m not pressured to set up decorations, and as I’mtravelling nearly right up to the day, I’m not worried about having to doanything ‘big’ for the season. Instead, I’m looking forward to annoying my dog,hanging out with neighbours and friends I haven’t seen in a while, and mostimportantly, taking advantage of the fact that my family are also on holidaysto spend much needed time with them. For me, especially following a one year‘break’ from the season, I’m looking forward to the peace and quiet of theseason. And I couldn’t be happier about that.

A Doll's Christmas Memories

2011-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Ah lovely doll, this lady is one of my best friends on Twitter/from the blogging world and she is the reason I joined Weight Watchers! I stumbled upon her blog one evening and I decided to take that first step!

Hello Christmas Bloggers!! I'm Doll from theskinnydoll.blogspot.com and Chantelle and I are WW tweeters in crime! Mucho Tweetlove to this gal! But a Christmas memory request is kind of a hard one for me... a bit of background might help...

My parents emigrated in the 70's as what was known then, 'the ten bob tourists' ... yep £28 for the two of them and a trunk with all their worldly goods all the way to Australia... it was the kind of time when people left and you were never sure if they were going to come back... so it was a massive step for a young Irish couple to take back then looking back... I do admire my mums bravery ... clearly I get my "no fear" from her ... I digress... upon arrival in Sydney, they set about making a new life for themselves... Dad got a job straight away as a carpenter he later went on to own his own construction company, mum was a matron in a hospital and they build a fantastic life for themselves.. Shortly later.. I arrived! So we are a family of 3! However both my parents come from HUGE Irish Catholic families. My mum is the eldest of 12 and my dad has 10 siblings... yet the three of us were half a world away, with only each other but to me it didn't matter.. I had no concept of what it meant to be homesick... I was already at home.. I didn't get we were an Irish family abroad, I didn't understand why we needed to meet other Irish people and talk about "the homeland" .. to me it was all just boring! Yet at Christmas time, mum would phone the neighbours back in Kilkenny (Nana & Pop didn't have a telephone back then..) and everyone would be there to wish us happy Christmas.. there were always tears... and parcels of Irish tea.. yet to me it was kinda surreal.. why did I have to get up in the middle of the night and talk to these strangers? Let them hear me talking, or worse, one year mum made me sing to them! She has all the recorded tapes (for those new kids its how we listened to music in the old days.. whilst taping the top 20 hoping NOT to catch the Djs voice) of me singing carols.. now however I'm available to download from Dads laptop! ... These were the people that sent Christmas cards with snow on them... whilst we BBQ'd our Christmas dinner.. and hit Bondi for the afternoon... I suppose I was too young and too innocent to get it..

The funniest Christmas memory I have is probably one of my earliest! As an only child I regularly requested an older brother whilst on my visit to the Big Mans grotto.. there are letters to prove this in the homestead ... I do recall one Santa rolling his eyes.. like it wasn't a proper present.. but I did justify it with "just a brother and a surprise!" until one year.. it hit me.. clearly I'd got it wrong! If I was to get an older brother he's already be here! DOH! Fresh paper please mum... we are rewriting the script! ... the letter went like so..

Dear Santa,

I hope you are well and not too tired from making all the toys for children all over the world. Last year I asked for a big brother and I know that I can't have one of those so this year I'd like a little brother or sister please. I don't care which. And a surprise.

I will leave some Guinness out for you and a carrot for the reindeer.

Hello to Missus Claus,

Lots of love
Olivia

Aged 6

Alas, my little sibling never arrived, however Evil Kenival (yeah I was a tom boy... hence the brother request!) and vast quantities of lego, and colouring books were a very happy replacement... and people often ask "what's it like being an only child?" well I don't actually know because I've got nothing to compare it to... we are still a very close family of three... my folks returned here when I was a teenager... and as an adult I totally get it.. family is really important.. not just at Christmas.. with so many of us, 64 grandchildren in total .. there are always people to talk to .. have a session with... bum a lift or a tenner from ... go to a match with or just have a good cry with sometimes... we fight like siblings but we've got each others back... and I'd be kinda lost without them.. as for my family of three, every year my dad still asks if I want an older brother for Christmas and occasionally offers up a Christmas BBQ for his 'limited edition', but hey...he's my Dad so he's allowed!

And Santa if you're reading this, I forgive you ... but George Clooney would make a GREAT big brother!!! Thanks!

Happy Christmas to all.. Doll x

Christmas Joy

2011-12-13T02:24:00.000-08:00

Today's post comes from the lovely Joy who blogs over at http://joyfullantidotes.wordpress.com/. Joy and I met as first years in UCC and we have been friends ever since! Today she shares a good traditional Irish Christmas with some special Cork twists!

When Chantelle approached me about writing a Christmassy piece for her blog how could I resist! Christmas is of course my favorite time of the year. In fact, not just Christmas, but I am an all out winter fiend. When I am snuggled up in boots, tights and scarves I am at my happiest, throw in Christmas and what is there not to like about winter.

This year I am looking forward to Christmas more than ever because it will be my first time going home since I moved to Berlin back in April. I have been excited about my trip home for weeks now and it is all I think about lately. Although there is a magical Christmas atmosphere here with lights everywhere and markets galore, I am happy to be going home to relive my family traditions for another year.

Christmas starts in earnest for me on Christmas Eve with the most important Christmas chore to be carried out: collecting the spiced beef. Many of you may not be familiar with spiced beef as it is a predominately Corkonian tradition but quite simply it is a form of salt beef cured with spices and saltpatre. What makes spiced beef even more special in my household is my Dad will only allow us to eat it once a year; when it’s gone it’s gone until next Christmas.

Following the ritual procession back from the slaughter house (have to get it at its freshest) myself, my Dad and my sister all head into the town where we get treated with some extra presents. We can’t let this tradition die now can we! We also have lunch in town which can be problematic as everywhere is usually packed out the door.

While all this present buying is going on, my Mam stays at home where she begins to prepare the dinner. She joins us of course when we head out for a festive tipple where we meet with extended family and friends. This tradition now extends to my boyfriend and his family who join us for a sneaky whiskey to warm the cheeks for Santa Claus. Once back at home we have a little dance to the Christmas songs on the music channels before heading to bed in case the reindeers decide to pass us on.

Christmas morning and I and my seventeen year old sister are up out of the bed opening presents at five o’clock. The dogs join us too but refuse to open their presents themselves. Sigh. My Dad gets up quite early too but it’s tougher to move my mother. In the intervals my boyfriend gets numerous calls to wake him up as I get very impatient if he has not arrived before seven!

The rest of the day follows quite similar to that of others with mass, visits to the family and then the dinner. How I love the Xmas dinner. For only four people having dinner we have a lot of food. Turkey, corned beef, spiced beef, cabbage, peas, three different types of potatoes, and the list goes on. All the better as there is plenty left over for the almighty Christmas sandwich and hopefully the breakfast too!

After all that eating of course you need a nap; preferably before the soaps come on. You need a lot of energy to deal with the depressing stories of the soaps. The night dies down after the soaps and of course RTE’s nine o’clock movie when everybody heads to bed to prepare for the session which is St. Stephens Day!

Hope you have enjoyed reading my Christmas traditions as much as I have enjoyed reading yours and am sure to continue enjoying as the festive edition of Chantelle’s blog continues!

Christmas According To Krystle

2011-12-11T23:07:00.001-08:00

Today's post comes from the lovely Krystle who blogs over at http://skinny-jeans-dreams.blogspot.com/. This lady is an incredible inspiration and I love her positive happy attitude about life!

First of all I want to say what an adorable idea this is! Great thinking Chantelle!! I, too, am a complete Christmas lover. I love everything about the season from the shopping to the wrapping to the traditions and family time and most of all, the reason for the season – Jesus Christ being born.

I have so many cherished memories and feelings about Christmas that I would like to share with you!! I will share a few of my favorites with you here.

I believed in Santa Clause longer than any child in the world. Actually, I still believe. I mean I know he doesn’t come to my house on Christmas Eve but I just can’t bring myself, even at 24 years old, to say that I don’t, deep down in my heart, believe in Santa Clause.

My grandparents actually play Santa and Mrs. Clause for local businesses and families every year. When I was a child my grandfather would come to our house dressed in full Santa Suit (we didn’t know then that it was actually our grandfather!) and we would take turns sitting on his lap telling him what we wanted for Christmas. Now, let me explain that my grandfather smokes a pipe and has used the same Chapstick brand chapstick for as long as I can remember – the combination of the two give him a very distinct smell. So, one year as I got older, I said to my mom, “Wow, Santa sure does smell like Bo-Pop…and look at his arms! They even look like his.” – Never once thinking that Santa might ACTUALLY be Bo-Pop…just that they smelled alike and their arms looked alike LOL!!

Another year, one that we spent Christmas Eve night over my father’s house, we put carrots outside for Santa’s reindeer to eat when they came to deliver our presents. So, in the morning when we awoke the carrots were gone and there were reindeer prints in the snow as well as a print from the sleigh! To this day, my step-mom SWEARS her and my dad did not make the sleigh print. They admitted to the paw prints but the sleigh print, perfectly placed where it should be, they swear they did not make it. The magic of Christmas!!

My fondest memories of them all are the ones that I am making now with my family. I have an 18 month old daughter and this is our second Christmas as a family – my daughter, her father, and myself. Last year she was six months old and all she wanted to do was play with the wrapping paper! But she was spoiled beyond belief. This year, I am looking forward to the look on her face when she sees her new kitchen set waiting for her under the tree. We have also started traditions including taking family portraits and her and her daddy put the star on top of the Christmas tree together as the finishing touch.

The most important thing that I look forward to teaching my daughter as she gets older, and what my parents always taught me, is that even though Santa Claus and presents are nice things during the Christmas season, we are not to forget the reason for it all, the birth of Jesus Christ. When we were children we made presents for Jesus on Christmas and in a small box we wrote our promise to Him that year. These are things that my daughter is a little young to understand but that I look forward to teaching her as she gets older.

The greatest part of the Christmas season is family. It doesn’t get much better than everybody sitting around laughing and spending time together on Christmas eve and Christmas day!

Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2011-12-11T08:25:00.001-08:00

It's up! My very own Christmas tree, well it's Leo's too but you get the idea! I'm so excited! It makes the living room look so cute and cosy! So in the spirit of continuing the festive fun here are some pictures for you to see!

This is our pretty star but it is too heavy for the tree so I just held it up against it for effect!

Pretty huh? I'd love to see pictures of your trees!

Christmas Good Deeds

2011-12-10T01:35:00.001-08:00

Apologies for the lack of guest post, I was busy putting up the Christmas tree last night so did not get a chance to schedule it! However, the festive feelings shall continue as I tell you a tell of Christmas goodwill!

On Saturdays I have to get an early train to work, I leave my house at 7.30 and trudge in the dark to the station. This morning was particularly grim because it was pitch black, freezing and icy. Fabulous or what?

So there I was waiting on the platform, crunching the salt under my boots when they announce a 30 minute train delay. In the freezing cold! Bah! The next bus was not until after 8 either so it looked liked I was going to be late for work. Not good!

Then a little miracle happened. A lovely lady offered me and two others a lift into town! Brilliant! Noone would face the wrath of bosses for being late and we all had time for breakfast before work.
That ladies and gentlemen is a win.

So as you battle the crowds of Christmas shoppers, insane traffic and cranky family members, just remember the little deeds of good being done everyday and smile.

After all isn't that what Christmas is all about?

Have a good one folks xxx

A Grocer's Christmas

2011-12-08T23:28:00.001-08:00

Today's post is by Colin Jephson, the brains behind one of my favorite shops in the world, Ardkeen Quality Food Store! For me, Christmas is not complete without some of their fabulous deli products (especially the coleslaw) in our fridge and some cheese from the amazing Sheridan's cheese counter. Yum! Colin can expect a visit from me on Christmas Eve to stock up before I head home! Food from Ardkeen is one of the best parts of Christmas! I think this post is also a good reminder to everyone to spare a thought for the retailers who help make Christmas possible! The one's who are up early every morning, dealing with deliveries and stressed customers and who usually collapse Christmas Eve in need of a good drink! As a retail worker myself, I know this is the truth! So be nice to us!

Ardkeen Quality Food Store is an independent foodstore in Waterford. We sell everything one might expect to find in a “normal” supermarket but we focus on specialty, artisan and local food products, and that is what makes our shop special. I was delighted to be asked by Chantelle to write a short piece for her blog but a bit daunted as it is not something I have done before. (Actually she didn't say “short”- I added that myself!) Anyhow – here goes!

Ours is a family business: it always has been. When we were young we would work in the shop after school and at weekends and we had our own jobs to do. My first job was looking after the petfood when I was about 12! I would make my little list and go into the store and get what was needed to restock the small section. “Master McGrath”, “Husky” and “Pedigree Chum”. Everything was smaller all those years ago: the shop, the store and me!

After a year or two I was “promoted” to look after the minerals and, when my older brother went off to college, I took over the wine section. I was 16 and I had arrived. Restocking was done at weekends and handwritten orders left for reps to pick up during the week. The learning curve was steep and long but we built up a very healthy wine trade during those years. A separate off licence was added at some stage.

In due course it came to pass that I was working full time in the business, under the watchful eye of my parents. The business grew year on year and the busiest time was Christmas. Preparation began in earnest in the Autumn with decisions being made on purchasing and pricing, with the inevitable game of cat and mouse with the “multiples”!

During those times the busiest day of the year was always Christmas Eve. Trade would build steadily through December and culminate in a thundering, frantic, relentless day when we sold more than we would normally sell in 4 weeks, at least where alcohol was concerned!

In 1998 we moved into a much larger premises on the same site which meant that we could expand our range to include more deli and fresh meat products. The target date for the move was in the beginning of November but of course it didn’t happen like that and we ended up opening our new doors for the first time on 16^th Dec! All I can say is “we survived it!”

The business has evolved over the years and we now specialise in local and Irish food produced by artisans and other small producers. This brings a special flavour to our range, especially at Christmas and means that we assemble some lovely hampers for the Christmas gift market. (Have a look at our website www.ardkeen.com for details about hampers and more about us.)

I love Christmas! The busy-ness and good cheer. For anyone in the retail trade it is a time of adrenalin and long, unpredictable days. When we finally clear up on the evening of Christmas Eve, and see the few late stragglers out the door, I can head home for a slice of ham, red cabbage and a big glass of wine! Exhaustion catches up and I am happy that I won’t be going anywhere near the shop for 2 or 3 days! With good food and drink, family and friends, the pace is utterly changed: body and mind start to relax and recharge. Not for too long of course! New Year’s Eve is coming and a good grocer wouldn’t want to miss any opportunity!

An Early Christmas Gift

2011-12-07T23:30:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, today's guest post is by the lovely Rebecca who blogs over on www.weightwars.co.uk. She is one of the most inspirational people I know and I adore reading her blog! I'm also looking forward to taking part in her Happiness Project which starts in the New Year! I love this piece, it's a real reminder of what is important at Christmas time! Enjoy!

Christmas has always been a very special time for me, it's a time when I could guarantee that my Dad had the full day off to spend with me. My mother has never spent a Christmas with me, she left before my first Christmas (I was born in the Feb) and I've not spent one with her ever so my Dad is pretty special to me. As a child we spent Christmas at my grandmothers house.

When my dad remarried (when I was 6) and we became a 3 family we decided (or they did lol) that Christmas Day was about us three. So we spent Christmas wrapped up in our little house with each other and watched Christmas TV, ate a lovely Christmas dinner and I played with whatever gifts I'd been given that year. For 10 years I remained the only grandchild and an only child so was pretty spoilt.

I can remember the year that my Dad made by hand a dolls house for me, it's probably my first Christmas memory and I was about 4 years old, it was beautiful with electric lights and little pictures of me in frames on the walls. It really was one of the most beautiful things and I loved it for many many years. I also remember how special it felt to have my usually very busy, long hours working Dad being home and spending the day with me and my step mother. Boxing Day became the day for my Grandmothers house and even at the grand old age of 29 I still do keep that tradition. My parents often travel over Christmas but when they are home they do too. I'll be incredibly sad when that can't happen any more, my great aunts and uncles travel from Leicester and from Dorset to visit us (good 4-5 hr drives) and we all sit, chat, and be silly whilst consuming considerable chocolate. Christmas for me has always been about your literal nearest and dearest, the people you spend your year living with but maybe not spending time with in the way you'd like.

I guess my biggest Christmas memory comes not from the family that brought me in to the world and my childhood, happy Christmases as they were, but the Family that I have created for myself. In November 2006, two weeks earlier than expected, my husband and I welcomed my son in to the world. I look fab don't I? I'm the one laying down having a blood transfusion while they stitch me back up again (the one without the beard).

We spent the next 2 weeks in Hospital with both baby and I recovering from the wonderful magical miracle of birth (escaping on my due date) so returned home on December 5th.

I had been prepared, Christmas shopping and Cards were done by October that year so the only thing that needed to be done was decorate and shop. After having a particularly awful time giving birth I was still very anaemic when I came home and sore from a very rough C Section. I could just about sit and hold my son, suffling around the flat was difficult but just about doable.

Just before Christmas my husband went out to the shops and bought the most pathetic, and deathly looking Christmas tree ever seen. I swear to you it dropped more needles than it ever kept on and it was gone on Boxing day! He had to be quick because all I could really do is hold baby and feed him. Now the brilliance and parental bonus of having a baby near Christmas is that there is no end of novelty clothing items you can

humiliate and taunt them
make them look cute in.

Yep. I can imagine that you are facing a difficult decision on whether or not to report me to the authorities after seeing those pictures, hold the phone though. I've more evidence for you.

We are a very silly family. You can see that. Christmas for us 3 is about being together, about being part of our community and enjoying the festivities together. It's about building more memories be it the very first Christmas dinner that my tiny little boy ate to our very first white Christmas where Charlie learnt the value of a good pair of gloves and jumper

Our Christmases are about us 3. They may be the boys I see every single day but they are completely the people who I would travel over land and water to spend Christmas with. I hope that one day when my son looks back on his Christmases he will say that they were truly the times he remembers taking time for each other. Being with each other without the distraction of our day to day life, without work or cleaning or pesky school (and school runs!) is precious, we don't have enough of it having not been able to afford a holiday in the past four years, so Christmas is precious to we join in with as much festive stuff as we can on the run up to Christmas then rarely leave the house on Christmas Day.

How do you spend Christmas - extended or nearest and dearest?

Have a very Merry Christmas however you celebrate.

Becks xwww.weightwars.co.uk

A Child Of Prague and The Baby Jesus

2011-12-06T23:06:00.001-08:00

Today's post comes from the amazing Sharon from http://miss-greeneyes.blogspot.com/. This lady never fails to make me laugh and her nail art is absolutely brilliant! She is one of the fab Irish bloggers that I am happy to call a friend!

When I heard that Chantelle was looking for Christmas memories, I immediately wanted to share mine! Christmas, for me, is all about making memories. The one I've chosen to share is from Christmas 2005.

6 years ago, I was officially in charge of Christmas for the first time. Although it was my fourth Christmas with my partner, and our second as parents, we had spent the previous years with our respective families. This year, though - I was determined to have the perfect family Christmas. I began buying decorations and presents that August. I bought recipe books, tinsel, lights and copious amounts of stuffed Santas. I watched hours and hours of Nigella repeats to try and make the perfect mince pie - I even bought an apron. Basically, I turned into the Christmas version of a Stepford wife.

By the time Christmas Eve came around, I was hyper. I had bought chestnuts (to roast on an open fire, obviously), smoked salmon (to mix with our scrambled eggs that morning; because that's what the Christmas magazines suggested for breakfast), and jars of goose fat (to roast the potatoes in). I spent the day listening to Christmas music, wrapping presents, and calling round to the neighbours with boxes of home-made cookies. I was in my own little Christmas bubble, and I was entirely satisfied with how things were going.

That evening, I took out my brand-new roasting tin so that I could cook my first ever turkey. It's a shame, however, that I hadn't measured my oven BEFORE I'd bought the tin, because no way in hell was that sucker going to fit in there. I rang himself, almost hysterical, roaring "it won't go in! I can't get it into the oven!" After he stopped laughing at me, he took the turkey out, went outside with the tin, and got the grinder. He reappeared a few seconds later with the tin, now minus its handles. Christmas disaster averted, the tin fit perfectly (and I still use the same one now).

Later that evening, our neighbour Johnny called over. Johnny had the annual job of looking after the Baby Jesus that had to be placed in the church crib at midnight mass every Christmas Eve, but Johnny also had the annual tradition of going to the pub for a few swift ones before mass. This night, Johnny and himself headed off at around 11pm, and I finished off the preparations for the next morning. When himself came home after midnight mass, I asked him how it was, were there many there, etc - he replied "Oh, there were lots there, but I don't think the priest was too impressed." "Why not?" I asked him. "Because Johnny copped half way through the mass that he'd left the Baby Jesus in the pub."

The next morning, after breakfast (microwaved scrambled eggs - the smoked salmon thing did NOT taste good. The cat appreciated it, though), himself's mother came up to us to give us some presents. As she presented me with a big, square box, she was beaming. "I know you'll love this," she smiled. "I looked everywhere to get one big enough." Intrigued, I tore off the wrapping paper. A large saucepan. Okay, fair enough. I'm responsible for feeding her son, I may as well have a decent saucepan. I suppose. Then, she leant over and whispered "there's something for yourself in there too." I opened the box, took the lid off the saucepan, and found..... a little Child of Prague. I still don't know what to make of it.

I served dinner at about 3pm - by this time, my Mum and Sister had come up to join us. While I was serving dinner, the pre-dinner drinks had begun to kick in with himself. One of the funniest moments was when myself and my sister overheard my Mum trying to give him a wine lesson. Mum: "This wine, for instance, goes with chicken or fish." Himself: "Is that the ingredients?" Oh, pet....

I'll spare you the details of the rest of the evening, but it involved an exploding mini-keg of Heineken; discovering that "someone" had eaten an entire tin of Roses from the time I'd bought them back in September and there wasn't a sweet in the house; and - oh yes. Me learning that you're actually supposed to look for giblets and remove them from the turkey. "No wonder I could taste plastic" was himself's contribution after the discovery.

That was the first and last year I went to any great effort for Christmas - every year since then I've decided to just go with it, because the best part of the day is having a laugh with family and friends. No planning or panicking involved :)

Huge thank you to Chantelle for letting me share my memories, and I'm looking forward to reading all the other ones throughout December. Merry Christmas everyone!

PS - I never roasted the chestnuts. I found them at the back of a press the following February!

Dawn's Christmas

2011-12-06T03:47:00.001-08:00

Today's festive guest post is courtesy of the fabulous Dawn! Check out her blog for pretty shiny girly fun!

Hi Everyone! My name is Dawn and I run a beauty blog (which encompasses all sorts of other things) over at www.inanityandthegirl.blogspot.com where I have an unhealthy fascination with glitter, vintage looks, try out products , make lovely crafts, post what I hope are interesting pieces of writing and currently spread a little cheer. I’m glad I got a chance to post some fun Christmas memories for you all. I adore Christmas it is my favourite season. Everyone is fundamentally cheerier and more open to festivity. People sing and everything glitters and twinkles I just adore it.

The thing about memory, is it is ultimately fallible, subjective and entirely unreliable. I like to think these are some of the reasons I like it. Everyone has different memories of the same event. If I were to ask my parents or the rest of the family about a particular Christmas they would no doubt give me entirely different versions of the same thing. Regardless of shared experience, memory is the most personal thing. And sharing a memory even with those who were there is still bringing them a small piece of you.

The overriding essence of Christmas is anticipation. For me Christmas Eve is the pinnacle of excitement, and to this day I still feel the same way. There is something about the possibility of what Christmas Day could contain. It was always to do with gazing out the window, looking for snow or Santa, whichever would come first. I distinctly remember having my stocking hung on the door handle of my bedroom. It would sit empty and I would stare at it wondering what it might contain when it was finally filled. It was Bachelard who said that ‘there will always be more things in an open than in a closed box’ and he was right, the contents of our imagination fill unseen spaces more than any reality does. There was something about looking at that empty stocking and imagining all the things that it may at some point be filled with which made the filled version somewhat of an anticlimax. The excitement is what it’s all about, the trepidation of will Santa come? What will he bring? What time can you feasibly get up without everyone hating you?

These days my Christmases have changed slightly, instead of rushing out of bed at 5am, I leisurely saunter out of bed at 10am. I unwrap my presents with the family, I grab a bottle of Cava from the fridge and a selection box and go back to bed to watch feature length episodes of Murder She Wrote until dinner is ready. I could not be happier.

I’m sharing a memory with you all today from a Christmas when I was 6. The lead up to Christmas had been exciting as always. The school carol concerts, the nativity play (I was never Mary). I had overenthusiastically made so many Christmas cards at school my mum had convinced herself that the glitter would never come out of my hair (something I had no problem with). That year I had requested rollerskates from Santa. They were pink, black and possibly the most amazing things I had ever seen. To get them though I knew I had to go to bed early. At that point my mum and I still made shortbread for Santa, so after a frenzy of different plates and selecting the right doily to really set off the shortbread we were done. The milk and shortbread was put out. I should point out that the older I got the more Santa seemed to tire of milk and move onto eggnog then whiskey, the defence was that it was cold and Santa needed it. Who was I to argue although it did get a bit fishy when Santa suddenly really only wanted a nice Chilean Merlot but I digress. The goodies were out and I sprinted to bed.

When I woke up it was still dark but there were bulges in the stocking, SANTA HAD BEEN! I grabbed my stocking from the door and instead of tipping it out took my time lifting one thing out after another. Sweets, little animal shaped erasers and pencils we were crazy for at school, little notebooks, glittery pencil toppers, whole hosts of small cute things. Heaven. I was desperate to go downstairs, but was entirely convinced that I couldn’t go down by myself as I was too scared Santa might be there. So after sitting on my hands for ten whole minutes I decided to go wake my parents. With much coaxing and pouting my poor mum was roused and came downstairs with me. Sneaking through the rooms to our main Christmas tree in the family room, there was no sign of Santa but there were rollerskates under the tree! On they went! I wasn’t allowed to open the rest of my presents until after dinner (boo) when we all did it together as a family but the rollerskates were not coming off. I skated around the house. My mum made noises about going back to bed, and about being tired. That I should go back to bed in case Santa forgot anything and needed to bring it back as it was only 5am (I know I was a bad daughter). I have no idea how she actually did it but she coaxed me back to bed where I passed out still wearing my rollerskates over my pajamas in my bed.

My overriding memory of that Christmas was the fact it had snowed at Christmas for the first time in my memory and I was completely unable to use them outside, and also the fact that those skates did not come off. There is even photographic evidence somewhere in our house of my 6 year old self sound asleep in bed with a rollerskate hanging out from under the duvet. They barely left my feet for about two months during which time snow was on the ground and rather than skating I was essentially just walking through snow in wheelie shoes.

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-04T23:21:00.001-08:00

Today we go back across the pond to the lovely Colleen, who is sharing her new Christmas traditions today!

I can't say how delighted I am to be stopping by Chantelle's blog to talk about my favorite time of year - Christmas time! I usually can be found over at my blog, "Goodbye, Fat Girl," which is primarily (as the title suggests) a weight loss blog. But I jumped at the chance to come over here and talk about something different!

When I was a young girl, we didn't have many Christmas traditions. The truth is, the only Christmas I really remember anything about is the year I got my "Kissing To Be Clever" record (yes - an LP - do any of you remember them?) by Culture Club, whom I loved at the time. I was, I believe, in Grade 3 or 4 and I was just delighted. But other than that - they all kind of blended in together. We were the type of family that met at the Christmas tree and had a free-for-all opening gifts, so we never got to savor the moment.

When I moved 750 miles west to be with my boyfriend (whom I later married!) that I met on the internet, Christmas changed in a drastic way for me that I didn't expect. Aron and his family have ALWAYS done Christmas in a big way and I just wasn’t ready for it. Over the years, starting that first year, we started traditions of our own that we still practice today, even after having 2 children and a very busy life. 2011 will be our 15th Christmas together, and they just keep getting sweeter.

Our Christmas traditions -

Before Thanksgiving (the 4th Thursday in the US), we choose a new Christmas cd for that year. I believe the first one was by Harry Connick, Jr. Over the years we've amassed a good collection, ranging from cartoon Christmas songs, to songs from the 1940's, to an 80's compilation, a Jethro Tull Christmas cd and my personal favorite - "Halford 3 - Winter Songs." (by the lead singer of Judas Priest...do yourself a huge favor and check it out!)
The day after Thanksgiving, we break out the Christmas music and we literally listen to it ALL DECEMBER LONG. We just love it and look forward to it each year.
We buy a new special Christmas ornament each year, which - when we're old and gray, will be passed on to our daughters. These are so fun to look at each year!
The Christmas tree and decorations are up the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's a family affair and it doesn't fail that my husband gets his picture taken every year trying to put the Christmas stockings on his feet.
One weekend in December (for me anyway) is devoted to baking treats and making candy to give away as gifts. Now that my daughters are a bit older (7 and 3On every ) they can't wait to help more!
Each evening in December we watch a Christmas special of some sort. Of course, my favorites are the classics like Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, but our girls like the modern ones too.
Every Christmas Eve (ours is sometimes a day earlier than 12/24!), our dinner consists of snacks and we watch "It's A Wonderful Life" together. Just before bedtime, we all open one gift. The girls always get new pajamas, which they wear that night. Once the girls are tucked into bed and fast asleep we bring out the wrapped presents and put them under the tree. My husband and I still make up a Christmas stocking for each other, and we both put them under the tree without the other seeing.
Christmas morning we have donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast. This is the only day of the year we usually have donuts in the house.
After breakfast, we all gather around the Christmas tree and open presents. We open them one at a time, talk about the gift, and express our gratitude. We savor these moments and make them last as long as we can!
After gift opening, we clean up as a family and enjoy our new "stuff" together.
We spend one day over the weekend with my husband's mother, and one with his father and step-mother. These are extra Christmases for us, and we love each one. The "real" Christmas Eve is either spent with his mother or father, and the "real" Christmas Day is spent with the other parent. We flip-flop each year. Christmas eve is always homemade pizza for dinner.
The tree is taken down on January 2.

We really look forward to this time of year all year long. Our daughters are just aglow with the magic of the season and we are too. For us, it's less a religious holiday and more a special family time to enjoy our traditions. Not all folks will agree with that, but that is just how our family is. To see the light and excitement in our girls' eyes is just a wonderful thing that fills you with such light and love. My husband and I were like this long before we had children and I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am to have married into the family I did. They hold this time of year so dear to them and I was just welcomed into the fold.

It truly is my favorite time of year!

Christmas Day, Hellie Style

2011-12-03T12:12:00.001-08:00

Time for the third guest post of the series, I met this lovely lady via Twitter and I love her, she's smart and funny and we are both Christmas obsessed so we're a match made in heaven! This part two of her two part contribution to the festivities here! She blogs over at http://www.anseo-a-mhuinteoir.com/ which is a great blog, even if you are not a teacher! Ladies and gentlemen, let me present my weekend headliner, the lovely Hellie!

Hellie is self confessed Christmas elf, she loves gift wrap and ribbons and would gladly spend all of December wrapping presents. Her favourite Christmas movie is The Muppets Christmas Carol with Another Bleeding Christmas being a close second.

Having a younger sister is worse then an alarm clock, except when the aforementioned sister is 21 and the cuteness of her waking us up at 8 is no longer there. Yet every year without fail she wakes us all at 8am. As kids we always went into my parents room to open the Christmas stockings, as so called grown ups we still do the same. Although the contents have changed from My Little Ponys to books and socks we still have the ritual of opening them together. Followed by the eager beaver that is my sister egging us on to go downstairs, we'll get there eventually but Christmas brings out the 8 year old in her.

When we get downstairs I'll make tea, mom will put on the turkey and my sister? Well she can be found sat outside the living room door, can't open it till we're all together, hurrying us all up! Santa presents are still opened first, followed by our stocking for the parents. Dad puts Christmas music on and we'll sit around chatting till mom realises how late we are and rushes us to go get dressed and ready to go.

Every Christmas morning we go to my aunts house for Christmas drinks, everyone. As kids we brought a toy to play with, as adults we dress up and hope we've out dressed the other cousins! There's something really special about seeing the kids so excited about what Santa brought them and begging us to play. I'm a nice daughter so I drive Christmas morning and don't have a Christmas day drink til dinner time, how nice am I?

The last few years my grandparents have been coming for Christmas dinner and I love it, I love spending the day with them! It's so important to me to have them close and to spend time with them. There'll be the usual fights over who washes us, who gets the comfy chairs and who picks what we watch on tv. My grandad will insist we watch the soaps but after that it's fair game for whoever gets the remote first!

By the time my grandparents go home we'll all have fallen asleep on the sofa, had too much chocolate and wine and be fit to burst but it won't stop us deciding to have at least one ham and turkey sandwich, stuffing included of course. Being that full makes for hard work crawling upstairs to bed but we'll manage it and will sleep like babies...

Merry Christmas everyone

Love from Hellie
X x X

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-03T12:10:00.001-08:00

Today we go back across the pond to the lovely Colleen, who is sharing her new Christmas traditions today!

Our Christmas traditions -

Before Thanksgiving (the 4th Thursday in the US), we choose a new Christmas cd for that year. I believe the first one was by Harry Connick, Jr. Over the years we've amassed a good collection, ranging from cartoon Christmas songs, to songs from the 1940's, to an 80's compilation, a Jethro Tull Christmas cd and my personal favorite - "Halford 3 - Winter Songs." (by the lead singer of Judas Priest...do yourself a huge favor and check it out!)
The day after Thanksgiving, we break out the Christmas music and we literally listen to it ALL DECEMBER LONG. We just love it and look forward to it each year.
We buy a new special Christmas ornament each year, which - when we're old and gray, will be passed on to our daughters. These are so fun to look at each year!
The Christmas tree and decorations are up the weekend after Thanksgiving. It's a family affair and it doesn't fail that my husband gets his picture taken every year trying to put the Christmas stockings on his feet.
One weekend in December (for me anyway) is devoted to baking treats and making candy to give away as gifts. Now that my daughters are a bit older (7 and 3On every ) they can't wait to help more!
Each evening in December we watch a Christmas special of some sort. Of course, my favorites are the classics like Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, but our girls like the modern ones too.
Every Christmas Eve (ours is sometimes a day earlier than 12/24!), our dinner consists of snacks and we watch "It's A Wonderful Life" together. Just before bedtime, we all open one gift. The girls always get new pajamas, which they wear that night. Once the girls are tucked into bed and fast asleep we bring out the wrapped presents and put them under the tree. My husband and I still make up a Christmas stocking for each other, and we both put them under the tree without the other seeing.
Christmas morning we have donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast. This is the only day of the year we usually have donuts in the house.
After breakfast, we all gather around the Christmas tree and open presents. We open them one at a time, talk about the gift, and express our gratitude. We savor these moments and make them last as long as we can!
After gift opening, we clean up as a family and enjoy our new "stuff" together.
We spend one day over the weekend with my husband's mother, and one with his father and step-mother. These are extra Christmases for us, and we love each one. The "real" Christmas Eve is either spent with his mother or father, and the "real" Christmas Day is spent with the other parent. We flip-flop each year. Christmas eve is always homemade pizza for dinner.
The tree is taken down on January 2.

It truly is my favorite time of year!

Christmas Traditions, Hellie Style

2011-12-02T22:29:00.001-08:00

Time for the second guest post of the series, I met this lovely lady via Twitter and I love her, she's smart and funny and we are both Christmas obsessed so we're a match made in heaven! She blogs over at http://www.anseo-a-mhuinteoir.com/ which is a great blog, even if you are not a teacher! Ladies and gentlemen, let me present my weekend headliner, the lovely Hellie!

Hellie is self confessed Christmas elf, she loves gift wrap and ribbons and would gladly spend all of December wrapping presents. Her favourite Christmas movie is The Muppets Christmas Carol with Another Bleeding Christmas being a close second.

Christmas Eve starts with my mom making a whole lot of noise cleaning up downstairs! I usually hide upstairs pretending to be asleep! Not that I'd do that now, I don't have to I don't live there anymore so this year I'll drive down home and fingers crossed I'll miss the massive spring clean. All going well. I always plan on getting some serious baking done on Christmas eve, it never really works out that way though, if I'm lucky I'll get something done but nothing like I'll have planned. Usually mince pies, I make a mean mince pie!

There's always some sort of panic to get ready in the afternoon, there's mass to go to and although I'm in no way religious I'll go for my gran and I'll make the effort for that one mass a year. After mass we all, and I mean ALL go to my grans. Grans house isn't big but some how it fits all the in laws and out laws in and gran has enough ham sandwiches to feed a small army. Which I guess we are considering there's over 20 of us squeezed into a veery small kitchen and living room but we manage. People share seats, the kids sit on the grown ups and we take turns to sit at the table.... It's total chaos, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

There's something really magical about Christmas Eve, there aren't many kids left in the family that eagerly await Santa, my Godson is 11 and I know he's faking it, I know he doesn't believe anymore but he's smart, he takes after me and he's milking it! After him there's just three kids left, all under the age of 7 so I guess we'll have Santa for another while in our family thankfully. I love asking the kids what they've asked Santa to bring them!

It's late when we leave grans, full of excitement for the next day. My parents, sister and I go home for a Christmas drink together and some last minute preparations for the big dinner. It'd the family time I love the most, being together talking together and laughing. I won't lie, I miss my better half in the middle of all the family time, he's family too and it's hard to be apart but still "There's no place like Home".

When we finally get to bed there's a lot of shuffling around and people going into others rooms, you'd swear we were kids instead of four grown ups! Sleep comes to all those who wait or count sheep and when the noise has stopped and the stockings are full (and I've sneaked back downstairs with a stocking for the parents) sleep finally comes....

Stay tuned for part two tomorrow!

Late Late Memories

2011-12-01T13:49:00.001-08:00

So today's guest blogger is eh, me! Not really but I had this post planned for ages and I did not think posting twice in one day made sense, so you have to put up with me today and the guest blogging shall resume tomorrow!

Today, I want to talk about the Late Late Toy Show, an essential part of modern Irish culture. For my Irish readers this will need no introduction but for my readers from foreign parts let me explain!

The Late Late Show is Ireland's longest running talk show, (actually the longest running in the world according to the RTE website) broadcast every Friday night after the 9 o'clock news. It usually covers current affairs, music, comedy and so on.

Usually...

BUT once a year, in the run up to Christmas it takes a break from the news of the day to devote a show to children, toys and fun. And put simply, it is magic, for children and adults alike. For children, it is fun to see all the cool toys and pop stars and for adults it is more about the nostalgia of Christmas' past and laughing at the presenters struggling with the fancy computer games and remote control cars! For me it truly marks the beginning of the holiday season.

For me and my family, the Late Late Toy Show comes with many traditions, and even though I live away from home now, these traditions remain important. The Toy Show was something that Mam, Nan and I always shared and now that Mam is no longer with us it seems a good way to honor her memory. I think she loved it more than me in a way! I know it is just a TV show but for me it is a symbol of childhood, love and fun. I remember the excitement when I was told it was going to be on and then making preparations. Yes, preparations are necessary. We take the Toy Show very seriously in our household!

So here are the Wallace family rules:

Dress Code: Comfortable attire, preferably PJ's and slippers!
Seating Arrangements: As many people as you can squeeze on a couch. When I was a kid it was my Mam, me and my Nan all cuddled up together.
Food: Junk, usually chocolate, microwave popcorn and fizzy sweets. You need to keep a sugar rush going so you can stay awake for the entire show. This is not as much of a problem as an adult but when you were a kid it was the one night you were allowed stay up super late, falling asleep was not an option!
Lighting: Lights must be off so you can pretend you are in the cinema! (I was a country kid ok? This seemed like the height of sophistication at age 6)
Beverages: Anything that will make you giddy and fizzy! I have always been a fan of Fanta!
Time: It must be watched live on the Friday night, none of that Sunday repeat stuff!

One of the best aspects of the Toy Show is the children that participate! It features children reviewing various toys, games and books as well as those annoying stage school kids who dance about like lunatics! I had a quick look on YouTube and picked out some classic moments! The first two are from the 90's, the is real toy show magic! Gay Byrne was the best presenter the Toy Show ever had! And Dustin (the puppet in the second video) was an essential part of every Irish child's life (if you were born in the eighties/early nineties). Also, you just got to love the honesty of the kids involved! I was crying with laughter watching these!

Have you any favorite Toy Show memories? I would love to hear them!

Tis the season to be jolly! Guest Post From Joanna

2011-11-30T22:51:00.001-08:00

Well it is the 1st of December so that means it is time to kick off my Festive Guest Blogger feature. I have been delighted by the response I have received, it's good to know how many Christmas lovers there are out there. I still have spaces free so if you want to join in please let me know!

Without further ado, let me share my first guest post, from a very special lady over in the US (that's right, we've gone international), she is one of my favorite bloggers and I am thrilled that she agreed to write a piece for the blog! Ladies and gentleman, I give you, Joanna!

Hi Everyone!!

I'm Joanna, and I'm the blogger behind Diary of a Mad, Fat Woman. I've been blogging for a couple of years now about weight loss, and my life in general. When Chantelle contacted me about being a guest blogger on her blog - I was so excited! Guest posting is something I love to do - but getting to do a guest post about Christmas? Of course!! It's my most wonderful time of the year.

I was born in London, England and moved to the States when I was 12. Things are pretty different, here. I was used to starting my Christmas celebrations in England around the 14th of December... cause that's 12 days before Christmas. Apparently, that's the English rule about celebrating Christmas - there's even a song written about it, I think.

In America, Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving - also known as the third Thursday in November. Although, here recently, someone sent out a memo that Christmas now starts the day after Halloween. I'm a rebel, stuck in my ways - and downright refuse to celebrate Christmas any earlier than the third week of November. However, Thanksgiving night - watch out!! That's when the tree comes out and the Christmas festivities begin!

I'm the mother of 3 kids. They are 11, 10, and 4. At Christmas time, however, I add myself to that list - because I'm a big kid at heart. I love being wrapped up in the magic that comes this time of year. In my heart, Santa is real....and I make sure he gets all the credit around here. I don't even care. Even though I'm the one shopping, hunting for the bargains, and shelling out all the money - what's the harm in giving all that credit to a fat guy that lives in the North Pole? None whatsoever!

Every weekend from the time the tree is put up until Christmas day, I curl up on my couch with some hot chocolate, fire crackling in the fireplace, and watch Christmas movies with my kids. If I'm not in the mood for hot chocolate, I drink coffee with holiday coffee creamer. Just so you know, there's 60 calories per tablespoon in that stuff...so it's no wonder I gain about 50lbs over the holidays. It's all in the freakin' coffee!!

Anywhoozle....I do my best to keep Santa real and alive in my house, despite the fact that my two older kids have reached "that age". No matter what their thoughts are - I've got something to back it up. They know that Santa can get around the world in one night because there are different time zones, and not everyone celebrates Christmas. They know that even though there isn't really any land at the North Pole, Santa has a special underwater toy factory. They also know that because of the hard economic times - it also affects the Big Guy and that's the reason he has to be a little more stingy with his gift giving. They also now know that because of Santa's financial problems - Mom and Dad have to make a few payments to him in order for them to get what they ask for. We do what we can.

I have to share this funny story - just because...well...it's funny. Last Christmas, my oldest daughter - then 10 - had made up her mind that Santa no longer existed. Christmas Eve night, I went in to her room to grab her stocking. In my house, the stockings are left in the bedrooms - cause the kids aren't allowed to come out of their rooms Christmas morning until I'm up....so the stockings give them something to occupy themselves with until I roll out of bed. Anyways, I filled the stockings, and then went off to bed. The next morning, after I tell the kids they can come out of their rooms, my oldest declares "I know Santa is real - I saw him last night!" I look at her, and can tell by the look on her face that she's serious. I asked her to explain. She tells me that she had been having trouble going to sleep the night before, and she heard her bedroom door open. She said that she quickly shut her eyes, cause she wasn't sure who it was. Then, when she peaked out of one eye - she saw someone bending over in a fuzzy red outfit...and she KNEW it was Santa. She also made the point to tell us that the person bent over was HUGE! I look at my Hubby and he looks at me....dressed in my red robe, that I had used the night before. It dawned on me what she'd seen - and I was happy.... but the "huge" comment stuck with me for a while.

The traditions in my house are pretty ordinary - but fun. There are no gifts placed under the tree for the kids leading up to Christmas. The kids are allowed to wrap their gifts they buy for other people and put them under the tree - but everything else appears on Christmas Eve night, when they are tucked up in bed. Cause, that's when Santa brings the gifts. I stay up until the wee hours of the night getting all of the gifts under the tree, filling the stockings, and then might be in bed by 3am. Then, I'm usually the first one awake around 6am Christmas morning. I did mention that I was also like a kid at Christmas time, right?

Christmas morning, the kids open their gifts one at a time. I hand them out in order - and we all sit and "ohh" and "ahh" over each gift. After the gifts, the kids are allowed to eat cookies and chocolate for breakfast. This has become one of my most favorite traditions. It's the one day of the year that they can eat any crap they want for breakfast - but they are so occupied with their gifts....they don't really eat that much. I do, of course.

After a couple of hours of playing with new toys - and getting them all out of that god awful packaging... I mean, seriously, why they have to pack those toys in those boxes so freakin' tight is beyond me.... it's off to my parent's house for Christmas dinner. Christmas at my parent's is a mad house - but we love every minute of it. Being that I'm a Brit, we still celebrate Boxing Day. My family spends the night at my parent's house Christmas night, and Boxing Day festivities commence the next day. Boxing Day is code for eat, drink, and act like a fool... but we do what we gotta do.

So, that's a little taste of what Christmas is like in my house. It's fun, it's crazy... but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm so grateful I got to share this all with you. Thank you, Chantelle, for asking me to do this....it's another wonderful thing I can add to my list of things I got to do for Christmas, 2011.

Guest Bloggers!

2011-11-29T05:22:00.001-08:00

So last night Leo and I indulged in some Christmas movie fun. Home Alone was the movie of choice! We got all snuggled up with blankets and some sweets (gotta have sweets for Christmas movie fun, its practically the law). After the movie we started talking about Christmas, memories, silly traditions and all that stuff that make Christmas so special. I really enjoyed the conversation and then I had a light bulb moment! I would love to hear from you and hear your fave Christmas memories.

http://pinterest.com/pin/527741079/

Now that it is nearly December its okay to unleash the full on Christmas excitement so what I would love is to have a Christmas post from one person each day from 1st of December to the 24th, for me Christmas begins on Christmas Eve, I actually prefer it to Christmas Day (I'll tell you why when I share my memories).

http://pinterest.com/pin/608247243/

So, what you need to do is contact me and let me know you are interested, share your idea and we can arrange a date that suits you to have your piece ready (first come, first served). The only thing I ask in return is that you share the post via your Facebook, Twitter, blog etc so people can know about your featured post! Easy yes?

So, if you are interested in contributing, you can tweet me/DM (@chanywallace) or contact me via Facebook (if we are friends, or on the Project Chantelle page). Or failing that, you can contact me at my new blog email address projectchantelle(at)gmail(dot)com.

I hope to hear from you, I'd feel awful if no one was interested so please don't let me feel like a friendless loser!

Much Love!

Chantelle

PS: It does not matter if you are not a blogger, I'm open to all my friends/readers contributing!

Giving Thanks...

2011-11-24T12:44:00.001-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving. A time to pause, reflect and be thankful for the people/things that make your life good! So in the spirit of this, here is what I want to give thanks for!

Leo. My wonderful boyfriend, who brightens my day and inspires me to be the best person I can be. My shoulder to cry on, the first person I want to talk to everyday and who never fails to make me laugh! We've explored the world together and the adventure has only just begun! Despite the snoring and messy boy tendencies I would not be without him!

My family. We're not perfect and we've been through some tough times but I love you all. I cannot wait to come home for Christmas to catch up and have some great family celebrations!

My friends. I feel like I have amazing set of friends, some I've known forever, some from college, some from blogging/Twitter. Some friends have come and gone and I accept that. I am a happier person without some of them. That is a good thing. Friendship should not be a drain on one's emotions. Some friendships just grow apart, people change, and that's okay too.

I am grateful to have a full time job that I enjoy! It can be challenging but I never resent having to go to work and that is something I hope I always have!

My health. This year has brought a lot of positive change to my lifestyle, I feel better than I have in years and I know that going to that first Weight Watchers meeting in May was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made!

Blogging. This is my therapy, it keeps me motivated and gives me an outlet for my voice. I appreciate my blog and the fact that people take time out of their day to read my words continues to take my breath away! I'm also grateful for the connections I've made through it too. I learn so much from my fellow bloggers!

My apartment. Well mine and Leo's. I love this little space, I feel like it is a real home, it is cosy and cute and our personalities are everywhere in it. It's my safe, happy place!

I am grateful for my confidence and not being a shy person. I see how lack of confidence can hold people back and I am very happy that I am outgoing and bubbly. I'm not sure of that sounds cocky, it is not meant to be.

Sometimes it is good to stop and smell the roses! It's easy to get caught up with the stress and strain of everyday life! What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving?

Work/Life Balance Part 3

2011-11-16T12:43:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's been a fast three weeks! I think next week if I am still on track I shall add some new goals! Here's how I got on this week!

To be in bed by 10.30 every night and asleep by 11.30This has been okay not as good as last week but not perfect. It's been my own fault, getting distracted when I come in from work and putting off jobs then until later. I've been having some restless nights too so that has not helped!

To do my shopping and cooking on Sunday! No excuses because it makes for bad eating during the week!
Done, I'm really happy with my food choices this week! I wrote about them here and here's a yummy recipe for you to try if you like! I promise it's good!

To go to the gym three days a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays and then either Thursdays or Fridays.
Fail. Major epic fail. I've been really tired and lazy this week. Must improve!

To blog at least three times a week.
Done! This is my fourth post this week, so really getting into my stride I think!

To have one day a week offline, switched off from Twitter, email etc.

Almost a success, I was fully disconnected for most of Tuesday. It was liberating!

To have one date night a week with Leo and make an effort to go out and do something fun rather than just collapsing in front of the telly!
We have not had a date night because of Leo's work hours this week but yesterday we went for lunch which was lovely!

To finish my current course and not think about another one until this is complete.
My course was actually cancelled this week so I have not made any further progress!

To dedicate one evening a week to job research and career enhancement activity.
I am still working on some responses from last week, but hopefully I will have some news next week!

Get Project Chantelle Goes Driving into action!
I got my eyes tested yesterday so I have that part of the application complete. I just need to get my passport photos together and my application will be in the post! Whoo, exciting!

Make more time to see friends and keep in contact!
Some of my very close friends are coming for dinner on Sunday, I am so excited to spend some time with them, and to see Breaking Dawn!

So not a perfect week, but habits are slowly being formed!

Work/Life Balance Part 2

2011-11-10T13:24:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone! You might remember last week I wrote about finding the perfect work/life balance and what a struggle it can be! I also made some promises to myself and I thought this week I'd give you a little update on how I'm getting on! So the happiness manifesto in review I guess!

To be in bed by 10.30 every night and asleep by 11.30.
I've been pretty good with this one which I'm happy about and I feel a million times better for it!

To do my shopping and cooking on Sunday!
Right, I almost stuck to this! I did do my groceries but then got distracted and didn't make any lunches for myself. So I did buy my lunches but they were healthy choices so I don't feel to guilty! Must do better next week!

To go to the gym three days a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays and then either Thursdays or Fridays.
Yes, this is on track so far! I completed Day 1 and Day 2 of my training programme and I will Day 3 tomorrow.

To blog at least three times a week. I need to get into the habit of scheduled posts. I write posts in advance, while commuting/lunchtimes.
This is my third post this week. The other two are on my other blog Project Chantelle. A success!

To have one day a week offline, switched off from Twitter, email etc.
Total fail! Was going to do it Sunday but then realised I'd miss tweeting during X Factor! So this Tuesday on my day off I will make an attempt to switch off! I think this one will be the hardest!

To have one date night a week with Leo and make an effort to go out and do something fun rather than just collapsing in front of the telly!
We havent done anything yet but tomorrow we're having an after work dinner date and a little xmas shopping fun!

To finish my current course and not think about another one until this is complete.
All in motion, I passed one of my final modules last night and I have one more to go and then FINISHED!

To dedicate one evening a week to job research and career enhancement activity.
Done and dusted! I had some excellent results but the details of that shall be revealed at a later date!

Get project chantelle goes driving into action!
I've definitely made a start, I'm having my eyes tested next week!

Make more time to see friends and keep in contact!
I had lunch with a friend who I had not seen since I came home from Asia and I've made plans for Christmas with people and to go to Dublin to visit a friend in January. So all in all an effort has been made!

So all in all I think I've done really well at working on my committments. I'm really happy with myself! Will Week 2 be harder? Stay tuned!

Have you done anything this week to improve your work/life balance?

Work/Life Balance

2011-11-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

If you google "work/life balance" it yields about 205,000,000 results. It's an issue that most of us battle everyday. If you work when you are in school/college, its about getting assignments done, going to work and trying to have a life. When you are working full time, its about doing a full working day and trying to get housework, gym, social life, family time covered in the evenings and weekends! It can all get a bit hectic! It's something that I've really been struggling with it lately to the point where I ended up bawling crying last week because I was just so tired and overwhelmed with it all! Something has got to change! I do not believe that I have too much going on but I believe that I am not being constructive with my time.

In an effort to "do it all" I am making a form of life timetable! Not a rigid, you must be doing this at this time and if you don't you are in trouble young lady kind of way now, more a delegation of time in a productive manner! Sounds impressive huh? I started by making a list of all I have going on in my life! I'm a firm believer in a good list! It shocked me, I filled an A4 page of stuff I'm doing now and the stuff I want to take on! Bit scary!

After taking a few days to think about it, I've made the following committments to myself!

To be in bed by 10.30 every night and asleep by 11.30. I get up around 7am so that is just about enough sleep but I know there's no way I'd ever be in bed before 10.30. And it's alot better than what I've been doing lately! And it allows me to do some reading!
To do my shopping and cooking on Sunday! No excuses because it makes for bad eating during the week!
To go to the gym three days a week, on Sundays, Tuesdays and then either Thursdays or Fridays.
To blog at least three times a week. I need to get into the habit of scheduled posts. I write posts in advance, while commuting/lunchtimes.
To have one day a week offline, switched off from Twitter, email etc. I think Sunday shall be my switch off day. Bit nervous about this one but I think it will do me good!
To have one date night a week with Leo and make an effort to go out and do something fun rather than just collapsing in front of the telly!
To finish my current course and not think about another one until this is complete.
To dedicate one evening a week to job research and career enhancement activity
Get project chantelle goes driving into action!
Make more time to see friends and keep in contact!

In a way I resent that I need to organise my life so much but then I have to realise and accept that I am not fully content with aspects of my life as they stand. In order to improve my life I need to do certain things and that eats into my free time. The key is balance. And making sure you don't implode from all the stress!

What do you do to try and balance all you have going on?

Liverpool Haul!

2011-10-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to do this post for the last week or so but just have not got around to it! Liverpool is pretty well known for its shopping, and me and shopping is a good combination! It would have been rude of me not to support the local economy! We were staying beside Liverpool One which is the most amazing shopping mall I have ever been too! Totally in love with the place! Between that and all the good British high street had to offer I was a happy bunny! Here's what I bought:

Trinkets:

New notebook from TK Maxx

Our first xmas decorations (sorry its sideways)

Shoes:

Primark Loafers

Kimchi Blue T Bar shoes from Urban Outfitters

Clothes!

Mustard skirt £10 from Dorothy Perkins

Tea Dress £27 from Monsoon

I have been living in my new purchases, the dress and skirt are sooo comfy and the shoes are perfect for autumn days! It's love!

Let me know what you think!

New Additions!

2011-10-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago I did a post about my favourite things in my apartment. A few months on and we're still making it our own! This week Leo and I finally framed some artwork that has been lingering in our spare room for months! We had been putting it off because mounting and framing is expensive but we finally bit the bullet and I am so glad we did! We even went a step further and actually hung them! We now own a hammer, yup, another step into adulthood completed!

We bought this picture at the night market in Luang Prabang in Laos. We've been told its a symbol of life and knowledge which is a pretty nice thing to have in your home I think!

I bought the above pictures at the Green Point market in Cape Town, South Africa back in 2007 when I spent the summer teaching there! I never had the money to get the canvas' framed but I'm really happy to have them done now because I think they look really well!

This last piece is a picture of the harbour in my village during the snow last winter! I love having this little bit of home in my living room! We're hoping to get asome photos of some of the Cork coastline next so we have a little maritime themed wall happening! I also have lots of pencil sketches that I've picked up on trips to Europe that I want to frame next and put them in the hall! I love having stuff like this in a home, it really adds some personality and its nice to be surrounded by happy memories!

What are your favorite things that you have in your house?

Lovely Liverpool Part Two

2011-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

The second day of our trip was definitely football themed! Leo is a die hard Liverpool supporter and has been since he was a tot! The team bring him to tears, for better or worse and I can honestly say I have never met a more dedicated supporter! When we were away he would get up in the middle of the night to watch games streaming live! Now that's dedication! And even though it makes me a football widow its one of those strange things I love about him! So when we picked Liverpool as our holiday destination I knew a visit to Anfield was on the cards and I was really excited to see this magical place!

this is my excited face!

I was really surprised how much I enjoyed the tour, I am not a football fan at all! I'm a rugby gal but you cannot help but be enthralled by the place! There really is something special about those hallowed halls, sitting in the dressing room where those players sit that really touched me! And I confess that when we walked from the dressing room up to the pitch there was a little tear in my eye, there is just an incredible sense of anticipation in the air! I think seeing Leo so excited made it even better because he was just like a big kid even though he has been there loads over the years! He even got to sit in Kenny Daglish's chair (he's the manager) and it was like all his Christmas' had come at once!

ready for our interview!

THIS IS ANFIELD!!!!!

Our tour guide was really excellent and was able to answer all our questions. You could tell that he really loved his job!

After the tour we went to the Liverpool museum which went into more detail about the history of the club (snore) and we got to see all the trophies that Liverpool have won over the years which was cool (I like the shiny stuff). We also went to the Liverpool merchandise shop, good grief! Absolutely anything you wanted with a Liverpool crest you could get from chocolates, to rubber duckies to lingerie!!! Leo went a bit mad here, he got a new jersey, fridge magnet, hat, scarf and dice for his friend's car!

All in all it was a great experience and I'd even consider going to a match now, I'd say the buzz and the craic would be mighty! I'll have to start learning the words to 'You'll Never Walk Alone' now!

Have any of you ever been to a football stadium? What did you think of it?

Lovely Liverpool Part One

2011-10-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am just back from a week's holidays so normal blogging behaviour has resumed! At the start of the week Leo and I took a trip to Liverpool for a few days of relaxing, shopping and sight seeing! I will do a haul post during the week to show you my purchases but for now I thought I'd share some of my fave pictures from the trip!

One of the highlights of the trip for me was the food! We went to one of Marco Pierre White's restaurants one night which was to die for! We were thrilled with our meals, I had mussel soup/chowder to start, a rare ribeye steak with green beans and roasted veg for my main and a chocolate fondant for desert. Leo went with roasted pork belly with butter beans and he had lemon tart for desert! Hand on heart it was one of the nicest meals we have ever had! We also ate in Jamie's Italian which was lush and found a fab Indian restaurant near Albert Dock called the Spice Lounge! Being in England we needed to try proper fish and chips too so we frequented a Wetherspoons pub and got some there and they were yum!

nom nom nom

Leo and I love being tourists so we had planned in advance what we wanted to see and do!

The main thing that I wanted to see was the Beatles story . I'm not a die hard Beatles fan but I enjoy their music and we figured that you cannot really go to Liverpool without indulging in some Fab Four history! This museum is fantastic and is so much fun! You learn loads about the band and their roots, get to see some really fun memorabilia (including Beatles tights!), play in a yellow submarine and don wigs to look like the lads! I really recommend this for anyone visiting!

Check out my funky wig!

Sing it with me: WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE....

In a yellow submarine....

There was also sections on the individual members after the Beatles split up which were interesting! I really liked the John Lennon part!

We also visited the Cavern Club where the Beatles career really began, it was such a cool place! We went on Monday night and the place was packed! There was some great live music and a Brazilian harmonica player who kept things lively! Excuse the shaky pictures, we were a little worse for wear at this point in the night!

So that pretty much sums up our Beatles experience in Liverpool! Hope you like the pictures!

Autumn...

2011-10-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I've snapped some pictures of Autumn and thought I'd share them with you! I've decided to do some more photography posts as I'm trying to get more experience and hopefully when I invest in a good camera to be able to make use of it! These pictures are taken with my Samsung Galaxy phone and edited in Picasa 3.

Let me know what you think!

PS: I recently joined Pinterest and am having a ball with it! Feel free to follow me and have a look at my pins!

Winter Fashion Haul

2011-09-25T02:06:00.000-07:00

So winter is upon us! The cold, wet weather is approaching and if future forecasts are to be believed so is the first snow! Time to get prepared! Over the last few weeks I've been gathering bits and pieces for my winter wardrobe and I think I have my capsule wardrobe complete and knowing me there will be plenty of additions over the next few months haha!

So my first up, jumpers! I always go for soft, fitted fabrics because itchy heavy knits drive me mad! This year the poloneck is big news (even Dermot O'Leary is getting in on the action) so I picked up two from Penneys/Primark! I also picked up some v neck and round neck jumpers in pretty autumn colours which will be perfect with jeans and chunky scarves!

Next up skirts and dresses! I avoid trousers in the winter because I hate when the ends get soggy! So skirts and dresses are my winter wardrobe staple! I have three midi skirts from spring/summer that will carry me through winter and some nice dresses already in my wardrobe and I picked up this little beauty in A-Wear.

Perfect with the striped poloneck and thick black tights! Bit of Rachel Berry chic! I also bought this in TK Maxx, it doesnt look much on the hanger but it is sooooo nice on! And it was only 27.99, bargain! It makes me look super curvy which is always a good thing! I am going to wear it with a black poloneck underneath and tights or with a navy cardigan and tights! I really love this rusty brown shade and it is everywhere at the moment!

Essentials: My winter wardrobe is not complete without tights! I tend to stick with black opaques and fishnets so I usually raid the shops in September and stock up on the best of em! My other essentials are wellies and some cheap ugg a likes for those lazy days at home. Add hot chocolate, a water bottle and a boxset and you are in business!

Saving the best until last, the staple for anyone's winter wardrobe has got to be the perfect coat! Some people buy one every year, some people every few years. The choice is yours. My last two winter coats were from Penneys so this year I decided to treat myself to something nice! It was €149 from Debenhams and worth every cent because I feel a million dollars in it! Its a classic shape so it wont date and a girl can never go wrong with black right? Leo is not awake so I can't get him to take a pic of me in it so if you click Debenhams it will take you to it!

I also purchased my winter boots in Clarks, I love Clarks shoes, they are expensive but they are amazing quality and last for years so I don't mind the investment! I got these beauties:

http://www.clarks.co.uk/find/producttype-is-boots/department-is-women/mcrproductsubtype-is-kneehighboots/product-is-20347541

I love these so much already, I wore them yesterday with a jumper dress and tights and they are so comfy!

So all thats left on my shopping list are some new jeans!

Have you done any winter shopping yet? What trends are you loving?

24, reflection and a look to the future....

2011-09-13T12:49:00.000-07:00

Right, so on Saturday I turned 24! Eeep! My last year of being in my "early twenties"! In honour of the day, I had dinner with friends, was treated to a romantic dinner cooked by my boyfriend and got lots of lovely cards and presents! I will do a haul in the next week or so!

So in honour of this momentous occasion I am reflecting on my achievements in life thus far and what I want to achieve in the next few years! To some it may seem self indulgent but I see it as a way for you all to get to know me better and share my mistakes and stuff that I'm proud of!

Achievements:

I've completed both a primary and masters degree: Chantelle Wallace, BA, MBS (whoop!)
I've seen some of the world and I'm really proud that one of those trips was by myself to South Africa.
Despite the recession, I've found myself in a job that I love and even though it is not in a position related to my degree I am proud that I work full time and can fully support myself and make contributions as a tax payer.
I've had my heartbroken in a very real and devastating way. And more importantly I survived!
I have lived alone. I really think everyone should do this at least once because you learn so much about yourself as a person!
I am proud that I've experimented with my hair and have been full on blonde. I'm a natural brunette now and I think I'll stay that way!
I now live in a proper grown up apartment complete with working appliances, clean bed linen and no beer pyramids in sight!
Keeping with the living habits, I have had that profound moment where I have been more excited picking out household items then clothes. It scared me but I've embraced the change!
I've learned who my real friends are and have cut negative people from my life.
I've learned to look out for me and not to worry about meeting others people's expectations of what they think I should be and how I conduct my behaviour. It's my life, I live it my way and if you don't like it then don't be part of it!

Ambitions (by the time I'm 30)

Learn to drive!
Start some form of proper pension/savings (dull or what??)
Travel to South America, India and New Zealand and wherever else takes my fancy.
Own items of furniture that are not from Ikea and Argos.
Get to my goal weight at Weight Watchers (hopefully by May 2012)
Take a photography course and own a DSLR
Buy myself a really nice proper piece of jewellery. Just because I deserve it!
To own a proper grown up handbag of the Chanel variety.
Pursue my writing and blogging to the best of my ability. I began blogging as a creative outlet and I love it. It has amazed me how many friends I've made through the blogging world and it thrills me to know that people enjoy what I write! So if you are reading this, thank you and I'm sending a big hug your way *squeeze*!
Continue to be happy and content with my life and not to sweat the small stuff!

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

2011-09-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is time to admit it, the summer is over, the winter is fast approaching and I for one am loving it! Autumn/Winter allows me to indulge in a not so secret addiction of mine, scarves! I ADORE scarves, at anytime of the year, a pashmina on a cool summer evening, a light chiffon to complete an outfit in spring but nothing can compare to the chic effect of a proper full scarf in the cold Irish winter! In anticipation of the coming of scarf season I decided to share my collection with you. And I warn you now, its a substantial collection! The majority of them are from Penneys/Primark because I am a big fan of cheap and cheerful items, others are from Dunnes and A-Wear, some from Avoca Handweavers and the others were picked up from markets in Europe, Asia and Africa for a little international vibe! None of them cost the earth but I love them all and have one to match nearly every potential outfit in my wardrobe. Not that that will stop me buying more!I also included some of the matching hats I have too!

This is my collection (so far...ahem) :

Too much? Or not enough?

Do you like my collection? Let me know xxx

Happy Birthday Mum

2011-09-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned yesterday, my Mum, Dad and I all have birthdays in September. Mum's is today, and if she were alive she would be 52 which is crazy. I said on Twitter that she would be 53 but I got my maths wrong! In honour of that I have decided to share some of my fave birthday memories of her and let today be a day of happy memories and laughter and not sadness. My Mum, when she wasn't ill, was the happiest, bubbliest person ever and she always made birthdays special for all of us.

Like most childhood memories, I find it hard to distinguish different birthdays but Mum always made sure we had some kind of party. I always remember my fourth birthday as it was totally impromptu and Mum went to the shop and bought loads of sweets and crisps and just invited all the kids from the estate into our yard to play and I had just gotten a sandbox and it was just brilliant! I always loved my birthday being in September because it was the first of the school year and noone else had a birthday that month (in primary school at least). But I also started school very young, like I wasnt quite four when I started so I was the last to turn whatever age we were that year! And I was always so glad to reach that milestone, especially when I was ten because I had a cake that had a 1 and a 0 so two cakes! That was deffo the best thing about double figure ages hehe!

This is me when I was little, cute eh?

Speaking of cake, that was definitely Mum's fave thing about her birthday. She had a very sweet tooth (an inherited trait) and she would always ask for jam doughnuts and cream buns instead of an actual cake. She ate doughnuts in the weirdest way too. She would get a knife and cut it into pieces so all the jam would spill onto the plate and then she would mop up the jam with the doughnut bits to make it last longer. She always said she liked to make them last as long as possible as she didn't allow herself them very often! I used to always laugh at that (me being of the stuff it in your mouth school of pastry eating) but now that I'm doing Weight Watchers I see her point. With age comes wisdom as they say!

Mum also loved music, of the cringey variety, she was a huge Joe Dolan fan and she adored Daniel O'Donnell too. Any day of celebration usually involved them blaring on the stereo! So in honour of the day thats in it I'll leave you with these and if it's stuck in your head after just smile and think of Geraldine Wallace, my mum, who I have no doubt is stalking Joe up there in heaven! She always said she would have made an honest man of him haha! Also, feel free to have a jam doughnut in her memory, she would have liked that!

Reasons to love September

2011-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

Happy September everyone! This is my absolute favourite time of the year for so many reasons and I thought I'd share them with you today! I know from chatting on Twitter that some people are not so happy about the prospect of winter but I LOVE it!

1. Its the season of birthdays, my Mum, Dad and I all have birthdays this month, its kinda freaky but all our birthdays are exactly a week apart so September equals cake and presents. What's not to love about that??? And even though my Mum has passed away I always take the time to remember her and enjoy a cupcake on her behalf!

2. I was the nerdy kid that always loved going back to school and would have my bag packed and ready to go by mid August. Even now I feel like September is always a fresh start and I love that clean slate feeling.

3. Weather, I love Autumn, no doubt my fave season of them all. I love feeling it get colder, watching the leaves turn beautiful russet shades and just watching nature retreat a little!

4. The 11th of September is the day I met my fabulous boyfriend Leo. We met at orientation at university and he was one of the first people I ever talked to. It wasn't love at first sight though but we were very close from the start and he quickly became one of my best friends and that slowly turned to love and now we are together and happy as a couple!

5. September means cold weather, which means I have an excuse to buy more scarves. Not that I need an excuse. But the prospect of cold weather certainly encourages purchasing behaviour!

6. September also means the nights getting dark which I love, especially when I'm tucked up in bed with a good book! Or even better when I'm tucked up in bed with a good book and it is pouring rain outside!

7. By September all the wasps and horrible biting creatures are dead! I am very allergic to insect bites and get obscene bites on my legs and arms in the warm weather, its so gross!

8. September is one month closer to Christmas! My second fave time of year! Expect me to start shopping next month. Yes, totally serious! I am the girl who has everything done by mid November!

9. New TV shows, oh bring on new Glee, Gossip Girl, Jersey Shore etc!

10. September equals new Autumn/Winter wardrobe! Hello cosy knits, boots, coats and best of all tights!!!!!!

What's your fave time of year?

A trip down memory lane!

2011-08-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

This time last year I was preppng for my six month trip to Asia! I cannot believe that it's been nearly a year since we left! In honour of this I thought I'd quickly share some of my favourite pictures from our time in Thailand between last December and January!

Among the ruins in Ayutthaya

Exploring Ayutthaya

Among the tree roots..

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Hanging with Tigger (HOW CUTE????)

cuddles!

Leo and I

Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai

Chaweng Beach, Ko Samui

Chaweng, Ko Samui

Swing!

Leo in the ocean

High Tide at Haad Salad, Ko Pha Ngan

Bathtime!

Aaah, I'm standing beside an elephant!

Mama and baby

smooch!!!!

Chiang Mai countryside

Can I go back? Please?

Chantelle xxx

Just a regular Saturday in Cork

2011-08-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

I love living in Cork. I could go on about how much I love Cork all night. But today I spotted two moments on Patrick Street that pretty much some up the madness of Cork city on a Saturday which I adore. You can and will see just about anything..

Such as a man in body armour...

Or a brass band

Just a normal Saturday eh?

Guest Blog

2011-08-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

I did a guest blog over on Squidgy's Fashion Corner, an amazing fashion blog by one of my Twitter buddies Kathleen. The post was on my vintage and heirloom jewellery. Have a look here: http://squidgysfashioncorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/guest-post-vintage-jewellery-heirlooms.html

Enjoy

Chantelle xxx

My Dressing Table

2011-08-07T02:41:00.000-07:00

As you can probably already tell I am a bit of a girly girl . That may be a slight understatement. I love all things pink, fluffy and pretty. Part and parcel of that is a love for beauty products, makeup and nail varnish! This morning I thought I'd share some of my favorite products with you

I live in a two bed apartment and I have kinda stolen the spare room as my girl cave. I keep all my shoes, handbags and scarves in there. Yes, that's right they require their own wardrobe. My dressing table is in the spare room too so I can happily play with my makeup without disturbing Leo while he does manly things like watch soccer and read his sci-fi books. I wish I had a proper dressing table with a mirror and stuff like this:

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/10121228

but for the moment mine is just a regular desk. Sigh, but on the plus side its pretty big so it's perfect for storage.

First up, skincare. I am a devoted Nivea fan. So is my Nan so I think I have just carried on the family tradition. My skin is quite oily and breakout prone so it needs care. I think their products work really well and they are very affordable which obviously a bonus!

Next up, the fun stuff... MAKE UP! I adore makeup, will not leave the house without it and love shopping for it. It is my drug. My look is usually simple but glamorous. My must have products are mascara, eyeliner and lipstick. These I cannot live without!

My lipsticks tend to be neutral shades but I love big bold red and pinks for a touch of drama on a night out or a day when I feel daring! My Chanel Rouge Allure lipstick (in Passion/Shade 14) is the pride of my collection. I bought my first tube for my 21st birthday a few years ago and its one I use over and over again. Hollywood glamour in an instant!

Now to eyeshadow. I am a slave to eyeshadow and really have to restrain myself in this department. I am only allowed a new one when I use up another pot. Otherwise I would seriously rival a Mac counter (that's the dream my friends, sigh). This is my current collection. I'm not fussy over brands, the majority of them are Boot's Natural Collection, Bourjois and Mac. For work I tend to keep it neutral and shimmery but I love a good smoky eye or some drama with greens and purples.

As we all know, a good base is the key to a successful face. Well that's my motto anyway. I tend to stick to cheaper makeup brands for foundation, concealer and powder as I cannot justify paying more than twenty euro for makeup as I just cannot afford it! So these are my everyday basic face products. I am a recent convert to High Beam after the recent Glamour giveaway. But I do love regular powder blusher too and I adore the Natural Collection ones for that perfect rosy glow.

I am a nail biter... I am trying to stop and so far it's going well so I'm building up my nail varnish collection slowly. As a rule my toenails always have polish on them. A good life lesson from my grandmother!

Every week I like to give my feet a treat. I stand all day in work so they get quite sore so every Sunday they get a little treat. I bought this trio in Boots and I love it!

So that is a little glimpse into my beauty collection. Do you use any of the same products as me? Is there anything you think I would like? I'd love to hear from you!

More Summer Sale Haul

2011-07-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have a serious shopping problem! I bought more yesterday evening after work! But they were serious bargains and what I got is SO pretty that they really don't need anymore justification!

Here's what I bought!


Ballerina Pumps (Black ones from Dunnes and the red and nude pumps are from Penneys/Primark)

For the record, I know I bought black pumps last week but oh my lord, they are SO uncomfortable! The cut my feet to shreds so they are now sitting in my wardrobe until I do my next charity shop run. Very disappointing!

Dress from Wallis, originally 65 euros, bought for 20 euros!

I am so in love with this dress, I feel really pretty and girlie in it! It is a little tight around the boob area so I'll probably wear it slightly unbuttoned with a red camisole underneath. I bought the red pumps above to match!

Pink top from Wallis, was thirty five euros and I bought it for fifteen!

I saw this top the minute I walked into Wallis and I knew I had to have it! It is super flattering on and I adore the detail around the neck and down the body. Very pretty! I am going to pair with my cream chinos and the nude pumps that I bought!

So I am delighted with the new additions to my wardrobe,Wallis is one of my fave shops even though its a store aimed at an older age group but I always find lovely stuff there! As you can see from above they also have amazing sales!

Chantelle x

Summer Sale Haul!

2011-07-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Ah, it is that time of year again people! Summer sale time! I love a good sale! What girl doesn't love a bargain? Over the last few weeks I frequented the River Island, New Look, Next and A-Wear sales and picked up some lovely pieces including some stuff for the Autumn/Winter which is definitely my favourite fashion season! During the summer I wear alot of colour, polka dots and florals but once the leaves start to turn I change into darker tones and simpler styles. In the summer I'm super girlie but in the winter I like to vamp it up and channel a more glamourous look! I also have a serious obsession with hats and scarves so the cold weather lets me show off my serious collection! I will be blogging about that in a few weeks!

OK, so first up are some items that I bought for my work wardrobe!

First up this gorgeous flats from Next. I live in flat shoes for work, I deal with too many stairs to work in heels! I usually get them in Penneys and Dunnes but I fell in love with these! They were reduced from twenty eight euros to thirteen! Can't argue with less than half price!

I am loving the current trend for midi length skirts so I was delighted to had these two beauties to my collection. The black one is from A-Wear, a bargain for ten euros (originally thirty five). The blush pink one was thirty two ninety nine in New Look and I got it for twelve. The black one is definitely going to become a capsule item and the blush one I have nothing to match it yet (I need a fitted plain black top) so I am now on the lookout for something to go with it. The midi skirt will tie in perfectly for autumn/winter too with the trend for thirties/forties style looking set to be a big influence this year.

The final item is this sleeveless shirt from A-Wear. I cannot remember the original price, I think it was around twenty or twenty five euros and I got it for twelve fifty which is pretty good. I love the preppy look so teamed with the above black midi skirt and some pearls it will make a great outfit.

Now on to the Autumn/Winter stuff, as I mentioned I adore hats and scarves and last year I learned about the amazing Spirit Hoods http://spirithoods.com/ . They are pretty expensive though and I could never spend that much on a hat so I was thrilled to find a cheaper imitation in River Island. The original price was twenty seven euros and it was reduced to twelve. A total steal and it is super warm and cosy as well as being cute and funky. Bring on the snow I say! Although Santa, if you are reading this I would also love the Brown Bear one! http://spirithoods.com/womens/

Keeping with the warm and cosy theme I also picked up this headband in Penneys for just two euro! My ears always get sore in the winter so this is perfect for keeping them warm! I love this shade of grey too!

The last item is not part of a my sale haul but a lovely gift that I recieved from my boyfriend, Leo during the week. I got this Pandora bracelet for my 21st birthday from my Dad but don't have many charms on it yet so I was thrilled to get the little Buddha and teddy bear from Leo as a little surprise. They both have a meaning for us too so that makes them even more special! Thanks so much Leo, if you're reading this!

So they are all the latest additions to my wardrobe! Have you gotten any amazing bargains in the sales?

Chantelle xxx

An apology!

2011-07-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

Apologies I have not blogged here in awhile, been updating projectchantelle.blogspot.com more regularly. But fear not, blogging will resume here tomorrow starting with a haul post about my summer sale bargains!

Chantelle x

Blissed out - some of my fave routines and rituals

2011-06-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well they say it is the little things that count right? I am very much a creature of habit, being a Virgo I like organisation and routine and while I embrace change I do not like to be caught off guard or have my day disrupted too much! I'm kinda like a baby in that way, I sleep, eat and play at the same times everyday and if that changes I get cranky! Awhile back I shared some of my favourite things from my house and shared some random facts about me. In the spirit of that, today I'd like to share some of my cherished routines and rituals that make my day complete.

I'm a commuter so that means I have an early start in the mornings, my alarm goes off around 6.45 and after a few minutes of grumbling and growling I'm up and about! My fave part of the morning is breakfast. This is something new to me. Before I started Weight Watchers I would skip breakfast at home and buy something on the way to work like a croissant or sausage roll etc. Bad Chantelle! Now I make the effort to sit down and make a yummy breakfast for myself. It's usually chopped fruit with yoghurt and a handful of cereal as that takes nil effort! Which is good for my inherently lazy self! It has taken time but now I really relish those quiet moments in the morning, I curl up on the couch and look out the balcony doors at the world as the day begins. It's amazing what you can see! The traffic, people out for a morning run (Oh how I would love to have that much energy in the morning) and even some walks of shame (oh the scandal!!!!).

A second routine I love is around bedtime when I take off my makeup. I wear makeup everyday but I religiously take it off properly every night. I love how relaxing it is, like removing the stress of the day from your face and what's left is just you, bare and exposed and ready to relax. You might be thinking that is alot of meaning for a bit of cleanser and cotton wool but that's just me.

The third ritual I will share with you is one particular to Saturday mornings. I have to get an earlier train on Saturdays so I'm usually in the city for around 8am so I usually go to breakfast in a cafe and sit and watch the world go by. I love daydreaming at my usual table and enjoying my scrambled eggs and toast with a lovely cup of Barrys tea. You can't beat it!

I definitely think Sunday is my favourite day of the week. It is my Chantelle day. Leo works late on Saturday nights and usually doesn't surface until after lunch so in the morning I get up around 9 and settle down with a notebook and plan my meals for the week. This is another habit I have begun since starting Weight Watchers but it is something I love! Then I potter up to Tesco and do my shop and go to Super Valu on the way home to pick up my fruit and vegetables as I think they are fresher! They also have a great selection of Weight Watcher's food so I pick up some treats there too. I love doing my grocery shopping, trotting around with my trolley and checking items off my list. There is something very satisfying about that!

And that's another little insight into my world! There are lots more that I might share another time but I think that is enough for now!

Chantelle xxx

Chantelle's Day Out!

2011-06-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So today I took a trip home to Waterford to visit my Nan for a few hours because I have not been home in awhile. It was really lovely, she has not been very well over the last few months but she is starting to come back to herself which is great to see. We have a very special relationship as she has lived with me since I was a baby and she has pretty much raised me since then. She is practically my mother and moreso since my Mum passed away when I was fifteen. I have a lot of love for my Nan and she is an amazing woman so I love to see her back and enjoying life to the full! This is us back in day:

The weather was lovely today and I got some pretty shots from the bus of Waterford and Cork! Have a look!

The Comeragh Mountains

The Quay, Waterford (all prepped for the Tall Ships Race next week)

Youghal

A perfect weekend!

2011-06-19T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hello! It is Sunday and the weekend is pretty much over...boo! For me it was one of the best weekends I have had in AGES!

So what was going on to make this weekend so great?

One of my best friends came to visit me. She lives in Dublin now and we do not get to see each other very often so last night was gossip and catch up central. It was so great to chat face to face and have a giggle and put the world to rights in the way all girls do! I cooked for us, I made enchiladas with a yummy green salad and then we had meringues with passion fruit for desert. Lush! So we just sat and chatted for like eight hours non stop with small breaks to watch Sex and the City which we had on in the background. Followed by more chats this morning before she left to get the train back to Dublin. I miss her already! Sometimes I wish we were back in school so that we would still get to see each other everyday! But I made the most of our girl time together and we had great fun examining each other's makeup bags and stuff!

So after she left, my Dad arrived so we could celebrate Father's Day. For the last three year's we have gone to Fishy Fishy in Kinsale for dinner to celebrate. For those not from Cork, Fishy Fishy is an amazing seafood restaurant that Dad and I both adore so it is a nice treat for us to go. This year, we brought dates so that was a nice new element to the day! We were waiting awhile for a table (they do not take bookings during the day) but we sat outside in the sun and drank wine and chatted and it was really lovely. It felt very grown up and nice. The meal itself was fantastic, I had mussels to start and then a chilled crab platter and it was delicious. I was naughty and had a chocolate mousse for desert but I will be good for the rest of the week to make up for my food debauchery today. And I went walking this evening with Leo so I am amending my sins haha!

Me and my Daddy!

Kinsale Harbour

It was such a gorgeous evening in Cork too, the sun was amazing and I took so cool pictures while out on my walk including these:

Sunny evening sky

Swan, live action shot!

So peaceful

Then it was back home with Leo to watch the golf and a bit of chilled out couple time. Happy days!

What did you do this weekend?