Christmas Time

Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. The last week has really flown and tomorrow is the last day of the year, I'm ready to leave this year and the things that went wrong behind and I am looking forward to 2014 and the adventures it will be.This year def had it good bits, visiting Paris and my Nursing Ball spring to mind.

To help me get into the Christmas Spirit I gallivanted up to Dublin and Dundalk to see some people and hear the music students of my old college sing a few lovely Christmas carols.

My first stop was Dublin and after a quick Burger and catch up with my friend I headed for Grafton street to see the windows in Brown Thomas (best way to describe it is to say it's the Irish Harrods) and I was not dissapointed. 

They had dressed the windows with Costumes from the nearby Gaiety Theatre and it was very Gatsby-esque). 

Bewleys Cafe had set up a Christmas party with puppets and there was even crowd sounds which all added to the party atmosphere.

Grafton Street definitely helped get me into the holiday mood. Christmas songs played by a saxophone and only the slightest bit of rain, there was a bit of swaying by myself.

 Next I headed up to Dundalk. I hadn't told mu friends I was arriving that day so hopefully it was a nice surprise for them. They have to wear ballgowns for their concert hence I had to dress up aswell, not ball gown attire but still, an attempt just the same. The carols were lovely, one of my housemates actually arranged one of the songs so the day was a lovely time indeed. There was also a drink or two involved in celebration of the success and the college librarian said she liked my hair!!

Myself and the Dolls

The normal christmas traditions occured in my house which involves new pajamas (and a christmas jumper for myself) reading the night before Christmas, waiting on the stairs until the door to the sitting room was unlocked (incase the 23, 21 and 14 year old decided to wake up even earlier than normal). We had 10 people for breakfast and bucks fizz before heading to the Christmas swim (I watched and applauded and that was as close to swimming as I got). We had a quiet lunch with just the five of us and then a nap may have been involved.......showing my age I guess...... and then all the family headed for Our grandmothers for sandwiches and lots of tea. It was the first time in about 6 years all 17 grandchildren were together so after a lot of coercing we all fitted into a photo.

A few Lovely presents included Season two of Game of Thrones, a mouse onesie, a scarf, an urban dictionary calender a  a thirty euro voucher for New Look which went on a lovely navy mac (down from sixty euro to eighteen) and a pair of jeggings, and a voucher for a local pharmacy which went towards a La Roche Posay Cleanser which I am excited to get using. My big present is Car Insurance and Lessons.  I had a provisional license when I was 18  but then I had exams and college so I never got round to putting the head down and learned to drive. That should be changing soon.

That was my Christmas! A bit more quiet now I'm working and dancing away behind a bar instead of infront of it, but a lovely time was had all the same. I hope you had a Lovely Christmas and I'll see ye all in 2014

Birthday Spa Evening

It was my Birthday on Wednesday, turned the right old age of 23. Now last year there was a birthday date complete with  Bourbon, Roses, Coffee and Choclate (A lot of my Favourite things) and the year before was my 21st which included two partys drinks and dancing!

This year was far more low key. Seeing as I'm single and living at home, and my birthday was a Wednesday nothing but some cousins coming over for swiss roll was arranged. I did sneak in a Jameson and 7up though (really yummy btw). 

That evening though I got a bit mopey, so to snap myself out of it I decided I'd have a spa night and give my hair and body a bit of TLC. Of course this was decided when  all the chemists were closed so i started googling DIY face mask and DIY body scrub and seeing could I make anything from what I already had in the house. I found a lovely sugar olive body scrub here and a cinnamon, nutmeg, honey face mask here ( I actually had no cinnamon so I used mixed spice and it worked just as well)

Once I had them made I headed upstairs to start. I used Baby oil to remove my eye makeup, cheap as chips and removes every smidgen of mascara and eye shadow. I then use a cleansing gel on the rest of my face to remove everything else. 

I jumped in the shower and washed my hair using The Alberto Balsam  Sunkissed raspberry Shampoo and Conditioner for normal hair. I am a rinse and repeat kinda girl when it comes to shampooing and to use up the conditioner at the same rate I use conditioner to shave my legs so they finish at about the same time

When it came to the body scrub I turned off the actual shower and really worked it all in. I was a bit worried about smelling like a beehive but I was fine. I have a small bit of eczema on my elbow and this didn't irritate it in the slightest. 

Then I used the Baylis and Harding moonlight lavender body wash which was part of a set I actually got for a birthday and never got round to using, until now.

I got out of the shower, moisturised my face using my  Soap and Glory Feel Good Factor face moistureiser and my body using the Baylis And Harding moonlight Lavender moisturising body balm also part of the set I got for my birthday, put some TRESemme Split remedy face mask in my hair, popped on a towel turban and put on the face-mask with my fingertip. i only put a thin amount on and avoided the eye area. I kept them on for over an hour as I watched Schindlers List (Its part of the IMDB 250 list and I happened to have it on my laptop) and rinsed the masks off. I hadn't used a Hair mask in a while and after I really could see the difference, my hair gets frizzy and uncontrollable when its too dry so it was really crying out for it. My face felt a bit tight after the face mask but its so soft after it, from now on  I wont leave it on for as Long.

I think these spa nights may become a more frequent thing, not only because there is still left over mask and scrub (they keep for 30 days, and work out so much cheaper than the ones you buy in the shop)

Would you ever try a DIY beauty trick like the ones I did

The Christmas Tag

Am I the only one who thought people started putting up Christmas decorations particularly early this year??
I love Christmas as much as the next 22 (23 tomorrow actually) yr old but being able to buy Coke bottles with Santa on em at Halloween is a bit ridiculous! I for one would get sick of the decorations if I put them up really early, as in in November, but since the 8th has passed, the Christmas season has officially begun. It took us (my mother, my two brother and I) nearly four, yes FOUR hours to put all the stuff up but I think it was so worth it.I saw Jennie had The Christmas tag done over the weekend and I thought it looked fun, so I thought I'd do it too :)

WHAT IS YOUR FAVE CHRISTMAS MOVIE? 
Growing up we had really one Christmas movie in the house Jingle All the Way with Arnold  Schwarzenegger, he's not really a person you'd think of when you think of Christmas movies but it is very funny and I recommend it to all

What is your Favourite Festive Colour                                             Absolutely 100% Red, its just the most lovely warm colour and it  makes me happy 

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

It has become a tradition that  we each get a new pair of pajamas on Christmas Eve (as a result the majority of my pjs are Christmassy) so we unwrap them every year. All other Gifts are opened Christmas Day.

What is your Favourite Christmas Fragrance ?

A couple of years ago I got MissDior Cherie for christmas so it even reminds me of Christmas! It was my first ever proper High End perfume so I only ever used it on special occassions. Its on its last legs now and the top of the bottle is long gone but its a lovely scent with notes of caramel and cherry.

Om nom Costa

What is your Favourite Christmas Drink?

I don't have a regular favourite but I'll always try out
whatever costa has to offer this time of year.

CandyCanes or Gingerbread men??

Def Gingerbread men here! I actually make them myself using Sorted Foods Recipe.  They turn out really well and I can't wait to make them (and mincepies) this year, I'll probably do that in the next week :)

What is your favourite Christmas song???

I love the song Santa Baby! It's just such a cheeky  and fun song. BA-DUM :)

Have You Ever Made a Snowman?
We only started getting proper snow where I live in the last 5 years, I've been making up for lost time

What is The most important thing to you about Christmas??

Family is and always has been the priority to me for Christmas. I spend as much time as I can with them at Christmas and the whole family, all 40 of us head to our Nans house for Christmas night 

Home Living Week 1

If you read my last blog post you'll know all about my college situation and how that has ended :(
I had a meeting with the head of my course on Monday who was so lovely and is giving me all the info
I need to help me figure out stuff. You are now looking at a Health Studies graduate.
Not exactly near what I wanted but still I have a degree!

And Lets not even mention the packing

Last weekend it was decided that I'd move home for the next while which was a hard thing to come to terms with as I really never felt I belonged in my home town especially compared to the town where I went to college.

It was hard to leave my housemates (I've lived with one my entire time in college) but hopefully in the long run it'll work out that it was a good decision







Now that I have moved home I am going to make the best of it. I've got a job in a bar in town and I have been applying for other jobs in the health sector so that I can use the skills I have learned. I have started to do the things on my list such as start baking (made a Christmas cake on my own for the first time ever) and reading more and taking photos. And I watched Spirited away which is on the IMDB list so now I'm up to 57 movies. (Has anyone else seen that movie? what did you think of it??)

Today we picked out our Christmas Tree and that will be tackled tomorrow so that'll be fun, some Sinatra tomorrow will be lovely. I have chosen a few things to get for people and I am starting to get into the Christmas spirit

I should have put on my list last time I wanted to increase my running. I used to run three times a week but with the cold kicking in and sheer not wanting too, I was barely doing it once a week. This week I've ran twice (I use the app runkeeper to keep an eye on my runs FYI) and it's nice to be getting out of the house in the mornings!

My brothers and I getting ready to watch the Toy Show

 Oh also this coming week (the 11th) I'll be turning 23. Really can't believe it, Taylor Swifts '22' has been playing on and off the past week. (^.^)