The Positive Spot

Clean Therapy

Cleaning is therapeutic. Not for everyone, I know, but for me it is. Over the past few days I've tackled certain areas in the house that needed some attention and I feel so good once it's done. 

Case in point was yesterday afternoon where I decided to sort out my shoes. I marked each shoe box with summer or winter (in one case, Spring) and I packed shoes away that I knew I wouldn't be using until next year. Hello, floor space!

I even put aside 2 pairs of footwear that don't fit me for the next frock swap.

So tell me, how many of you find cleaning/clearing therapeutic?

The Coupon

A few weeks ago we attended a stand-up comedy show which was sponsored by a local search-directory company who gave everyone a branded mug and a booklet full of coupons. Here's the admissal - I love coupons and bargain and saving schemes. 

If a packet of tea comes with a biscuit offer, darn right I'm going to buy it. Having said that, I'm not coupon crazy. In fact, the following paragraph will probably give an extreme couponer a stroke, or something equally bad.

Yesterday evening we decided to go out for dinner and I suggested that we go for a curry. (I love me some Indian food!) And we knew that we had a 15% discount coupon so I diligently cut it out, put it in my purse and off we went.

We ordered, had a great meal and then asked for the bill, paid up and left. As soon as we arrived home, it hit... we didn't use our discount!! 

I would probably be kicked out of any coupon club after that. However, it just means that we have to go back for more curry!

Do you cut out your coupons? And do you actually use them?

Perfect Shopping

The bridesmaids' dresses have been bought :) I'm really happy with them, they're beautiful and they look amazing on my ladies. It was such an easy buy; we met at 9:30 at the shop, they got me the dresses which were kept aside for me, they each went into a changing room and came out almost simultaneously. The dresses fit perfectly, they liked how they looked and they were really comfortable in them, so I was really happy. I don't believe in putting your bridesmaids in dresses that don't make them look their best, after all they're going to be in the photos so they should look lovely. In just 30 minutes the dresses were in hand. It was really smooth and hassle-free - just perfect. 

Until now I've not been a bridezilla so I'm hoping that things will continue to go smoothly :) Next on the agenda is my dress :) I'm really looking forward to that and trying on different styles and just making the most of it all. 

Oh, and I'm still deciding about the shoes!

Cluck Cluck

What are your thoughts on hens nights? Or bachelorettes as you might better know them. I think they're a fun tradition; however, I think that the key to enjoying it is to not place too much emphasis on it, and definitely not to worry about what's happening at the stag do.

My maid of honour is already concocting ideas of what she's going to organise and (thankfully) I trust her taste! I'm sure she's going to plan something special and fun but just to be on the safe side I did tell her that I don't want a meal. Idon't want to be stuck at a table eating - we can do that anytime. I believe that a hen's night needs to be innovative and fun, although not necessarily embarrassing. I'm not fussed about being dressed up but I don't want willies on my head or anything like that. 

This is when the wedding planning starts getting really fun :)

Bridesmaids

I think I've found my bridesmaid dresses :) I've got a choice of two, both of which I really like and which I think will suit my bridesmaids really well. So now it's just a matter of choosing! It was a big decision for me because I quite dislike the typical bridesmaid dresses that people choose. I find that satiny, obviously bridesmaid dress material to be boring. I want my bridesmaids to look gorgeous and to feel comfortable in what they're wearing. At least my ladies are all  relaxed and very supportive.

Now what's your opinion about bridesmaid shoes? Should they all have the same shoes or can they have different shoes as long as they're the same colour scheme?

Ireland - In Brief

This has been sitting in Draft for a while... 


Ireland was lovely as always. It's a truly beautiful island despite the bad rep that it receives because of its rainy weather. We were there for 12 days and we saw a lot of the island so I'm just going to give a very brief, concise account of where we went... and then there are photos.

We flew into Dublin, collected our hired car and drove up to Belfast (N. Ireland) where we spent 2 days. Belfast is a city that is going through a transformation as it tries to hide the scars of its history... so it's somewhat sad but very interesting too. After that we drove back down to Dublin and spent a night there before heading to Powerscourt to attend a wedding. Powerscourt is a truly beautiful place and the wedding was held in the sumptuous Ritz-Carlton hotel. The town of Shankill was next on the list where we spent 2 nights with an aunt and we then drove across the country to beautiful Co. Kerry. 

We stayed in a house in the middle of the countryside where we had cows for neighbours and not much else. We'd light the fireplace in the evenings and I even saw a fox run out of the front garden one morning. The scenery is truly special over there. We drove around the ring of Kerry and went to the Dingle peninsula where each twist and turn in the road brings you to a spot more beautiful than the one you've just seen. We also walked along the beach of Inch despite it being rather cold... the only problem was that the sea spray began hitting us when we had walked quite a distance away from the road and then the mist came down and we were caught in a cold spell which saw us getting completely and utterly soaked by the time we got back to the car. But it was all part of the adventure I guess!

We went to the family home which is a dairy farm in Co. Kerry. I wanted to join the milking session of the cows but we were having dinner at the time and I didn't think that it was too polite to just leave the table. But I did get to walk behind the cows as they were led back to the field, and by cows, I'm talking about 150 of them! The one thing about walking behind cows is don't walk too close behind them because they will not think twice about letting loose (if you know what I mean). I didn't get hit.

We headed back to Dublin for the last 2 days of the holiday where we opted for a Hop On-Hop Off sightseeing bus because it's a great way to go round the city and see the main spots from the top deck of a double-decker. We got off at Kilmainham Gaol which is the old jail of the city - a very interesting piece of history. We also visited the Old Jameson Distillery which takes you through the triple distillery process of Jameson's Whiskey - P got a certificate as an official whiskey taster :) I'm not a whiskey fan at all but I tasted it with Ginger Ale and that was rather yummy. We didn't do much sight-seeing in Dublin (partly because we were there last year) but it was lovely to be back, even just for a couple of days.

Here are some photos... a selection out of the many, many that I took!

Isn't this just a wonderful shop?

Beautiful scenery everywhere

Wondrous lake in the National Park

My Buttercup :)

Another beautiful lake

Known as Ladies' View - can you see the rainbow?

Sheep: a very common sight

We drove all around the Ring of Kerry

Such a quaint sign

The beach of Inch

Seagulls flying low on Inch

Mural at Inch Bay

A visitor

Our neighbour in Waterville