Pod Casts - who knew?!

The lads in work are mad about listening to podcasts so when they heard I had upgraded my phone (having not been able to listen to podcasts) they told me to download this particular one called Serial about an investigation of a 15 yr old murder case.  

I was warned that I could find it addictive and I was probably going to end up listening to the whole 12 in a row.  They are right!  I am hooked. It's a fairly gripping story.  I listened to the first episode in the car on my drive home from work and straightaway went on to the second while I was making dinner.  I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can listen away to my hearts content!

Cake - Starring Jennifer Anniston

We went to see "Cake" starring Jennifer Anniston in Rathmines Omniplex last night.  I had heard that she had put in a great performance and I thought so too.  The character was a chronic pain sufferer and you certainly believed it from the way she acted.

In my opinion this film was heart wrenchingly good.  I love an LA story and the sets were amazing.  The main character lives in an architectural gem of a Mid-Century Modern home and the film is worth going to just to see that house alone!

We had a photo shoot in our house today so that was partly the reason why we went to the cinema last night.  I had the house cleaned spotlessly so I didn't want us to mess the house if we stayed in.  

The photo shoot went well, it seems, and they will be back on Monday to do some filming for a soon to be broadcast show on RTE.  

Look at the amazing flowers that the Production Team had delivered to me this morning.  They are stunning - what a nice surprise!

Here's a few pics of the house before the crew arrived.

I love Lillies.  Here are some waiting to bloom in a retro looking Carolyn Donnelly vase.  

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?