Breakfast is served!

Since we moved to this house we have not had a toaster.  This is probably down to the fact that I don't eat toast and also because we don't generally eat brekkie at home.

This weekend we have a squash player staying with us so I bought a toaster.

I also found this Le Creuset Marmalade Jar in TK Maxx.  It's the same colour as my Butter Bell so I was delighted to find it.  Both will be perfect to use at the big breakfast spread I will be serving up this weekend!

Funny story - as I was paying for my jar, the girl on the til admired it and said "All the Le Croissant stuff is lovely"!!!! 

Tips for Decluttering and Tidying

So after following the KonMari Method and tidying my drawers yesterday and discovering how much space it made I decided to get in to Ciaran's press and give it a going over.  Would you believe I was able to fit an extra 7 pairs of trousers into this drawer after I refolded everything?!!!

Here is one of his sock drawers all neat and tidy.

Over the years I have developed habits to keep my house neat, tidy and decluttered.

Here are my top tips:

* Donate books you know longer read to the library or a charity shop.  If you want to read them again in a few years you can always borrow them from the library!
* The same is best for DVDs & CDs - donate to the library so you don't have to store them.  If you are unwilling to do this, you can always throw away the cases and save space by storing them in plastic sleeves in a file.
* Use a cleaning products caddy to carry around the house (for further ease you can have one caddy that is left in the bathroom and the other is left in the kitchen)
* Wipe down the toilet and bathroom sink with disposable cleaning wipes every morning - a few swooshes and you keep on top of the dirt - it makes it so much easier when you are doing your big weekly clean
* Also squirt a small bit of bleach in to the toilet once daily to ensure it stays pristine clean
* Put away, not down - when you are finished using something, put it back where it belongs (I tend to find this the hardest to do)

My most important habit is the "One in, One out" rule.  
* If you buy something, you need to throw something out.  
You can also ask yourself "Do I really need this?" before you buy it.  More often than not the answer is No!

Life Changing Tidying: The KonMari Method

I borrowed a book called "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo from the Library but brought it back before I ever read it.....what a mistake!

Anyway as luck would have it I was reading someone's blog yesterday and they made mention of a video referencing it.

You can check out the video below to see how to go about folding your T-Shirts and once you get the idea you can set about tidying your clothes drawers, like I did!

The above two drawers were the ones I sent about tidying first.  I presume most people's drawers look like this?  

The clothes are all folded in on top of each other and you can't see anything really except for the top layer of items.

I tossed all the clothes out on to the floor and began folding.

Look at the difference!!!

I can see everything at a glance!!

I even managed to get a few extra things in to these drawers so not only does it make everything easier to be seen it also gives you extra space.

As well as tidying KonMari gives advice about decluttering.  She says you should throw out anything that does not give you joy!

Let me know if you decide to follow the KonMari method for organizing your clothes.

Peperina Garden Bistro, Dunville Avenue

Ciaran is playing in the Squash Nationals this weekend so we needed to go get a quick breakfast before his first game on Saturday.  He suggested Peperina on Dunville Avenue which we had been thinking of going to for awhile.  

Our first impressions were positive and the staff were very friendly and pleasant.  We arrived just before 10am and it was quiet - I'd say we got there just before the morning rush.

Size wise it reminded me of a lot of little restaurants that we used to visit when we were in Key West.

Both of us ordered the same thing - poached eggs and toast (2 eggs cooked anyway for €5.50) with black pudding (additional €1.80).  

Pancake Tuesday

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

I did a little pancake cheat by buying ready made pancake mix by Odlums which all you need to do is add milk to.  I know you are probably thinking that pancakes are the easiest thing in the world to make but with both of us working, I will always take a short cut if possible!

It is so convenient to use and there is no clean up either!

It's pancakes for dummies - all you do is fill the milk up to the mark on the bottle and shake and then they are ready to pour.  You don't even have to transfer them to a jug or use a ladle to put the batter on the pan.  Simple!

I bought the American style pancake mix but there is also a thin crepe variety.  

I made a large stack of pancakes for dinner!

I ate mine with bacon (rashers) and maple syrup.

Pancake Tuesday is a big celebration here in Ireland and marks the start of Lent.  

Do you celebrate Pancake Tuesday?

Ground Espresso Bar - New Cafe in Next, Blanchardstown

On Friday I met two friends for coffee and cake.  Marguerite suggested we go to the new cafe in the Next Store in Blanchardstown.

The new cafe is called "Ground Espresso Bar" and I thought it was very good!  I had the most amazing Salted Caramel Brownie which they heated it slightly and served with cream (my only complaint was they charged 40c extra for the cream - seriously, why do so many places nickel and dime you like this?!)

Marguerite had a grilled cheese sandwich.

Yvonne got a chai tea along with a Rhubarb and White Chocolate scone which she said was very good.

I wish I had taken a photo of the cafe as it really was quite hip!

Valentine's Weekend

Fun day yesterday.  At 2pm, Amy and I went to see "Fifty Shades of Grey".  We had decided to go on Friday night so I had booked the tickets online as I was afraid it might book out quickly due to the hype of the film.

We both enjoyed the film (it's a typical big budget Hollywood film) and it certainly is a better film than book!!

Later on that evening we went to the play "A girl is a half-formed thing" which was also a book prior to being made in to a play.

This play was so intense and it was quite surreal to watch it after having seen the silliness of 50 Shades earlier on.

It was a one woman play and the actress, Aoife Duffin, who played all the characters was incredible.  I found it very poignant when she played her older brother who as he regressed her voice became babyish while he got sick and began to die.  Very moving.

This was an intense and gripping play that was extremely harrowing to watch in many parts but I thought it was excellent. Particular elements were very Irish and perhaps it may not translate well to an International stage or maybe, on the other hand, what I think are Irish stories are actually universal world wide family stories.