A Quick Catch Up ~ September

My September was pretty much dedicated to my best friend and her wedding. The hen party took place in Belfast on the first weekend of the month and her wedding was on the 30th. The rest of the month for me was spent either recovering from the hen party or preparing for the wedding itself. I was a bridesmaid and also the beautician for the day. I did the makeup for the 3 other bridesmaids and the bride herself. I also did the tan and the nails. Busy Busy. Anyway I will go into further details on the Wedding in a special Wedding post next week in which I will show you some of the professional pictures taken on the day.
So here is my month of September in picture form.

 

We all headed off to Belfast for a weekend of eating, drinking, pampering and partying. We headed to a few bars, none of which I can remember the name of. Drank alot of cocktails. Ate the most amazing dinner at TGI Fridays and had a fabulous morning of Massages and Facials and cured our hangovers in a fabulous Jacuzzi.

As per usual I took loads of photos of Amina through the month but this one had to be shared. How Amazing is she, seriously?

Before heading home for the wedding preparation another friend and I took our girls to a great little city farm in Dundrum for a day out. We checked out the amazing pot bellied pig, the cows and calves and the Shetland ponies.

 

As the dutiful bridesmaid I tried to do everything I could to take pressure off my girl before her wedding, so I moved in for the week running up to the wedding. Our girls had a great week together playing and dressing up together.

 












The Stunning Bride and her new Husband on the day of their Wedding. She looked radiant and we all had a fantastic day.

So did you do anything exciting in September?

Holiday

As part of my catch up posts I have decided to dedicate an entire post to my holiday in August. There was just too much to put into the monthly catch up post.
As I talked a little about earlier in the summer my younger sister travelled to Barcelona for the months of July and august to Au Pair for a Spanish Family. Of course being as close as we are my other sister and I couldn't do the whole two months without seeing her so we decided to take a long weekend trip over to Barca to visit.
Here is our trip in picture form

After travelling on the early plane from Ireland we landed in Barcelona just after 9 and the weather was already hot. I was silly enough not to wear the best travelling clothes and after getting the bus and the metro to our hotel I was ready to collapse in the heat. A jumper and jeans were definitely not the best choice. After a quick change we headed to the local park for a refreshing lemon drink. It was exactly what the doctor ordered.

After taking a look around the park and availing of the beautiful scenery for some photo opportunities we headed over to the pool at the apartment block where my sister was staying.

 That evening we headed to The Magic Fountain of Montjuic which is an amazing display of colour, light, motion, music and water acrobatics. It was so pretty to watch the lights within the water all in time with the music.

The following day after a morning of chilling out by the pool we went for a look through the old city. All the winding streets and fabulous architecture were so enchanting. And of course surrounded by fabulous company always helps. How beautiful are my sisters, seriously!

 

On the Sunday we decided to get the metro out to the beach. To say I was in heaven was an understatement. We tanned and swam and basically just chilled out.

So that was it. Of course there were alot more pictures but I didn't want to get over excited with the post. Barcelona is my favourite place in the entire world. If you haven't been there yet I suggest you do something about it. I can't wait to go back there again. My husband and I are even talking about going there next year as he has yet to visit the gorgeous city. Ah I want to be there now!!!

A Quick Catch Up ~ August

Because I missed so much by not blogging I have so much to catch up on. Like I said on my To Smile post back in July I bought a new camera and I have been trying very hard to upgrade my calibre of photos and to also simply take more. In August I had quite an eventful month, between my birthday,a trip back home to my holiday of this year. A long weekend with my gorgeous sisters in the Amazing Barcelona. I will do a separate Barcelona Holiday post as there was so much packed in to the four days. So in photo form this is my catch up for the month of August. These are the photos which would have gone into my To Smile posts over the time I was on a blogging break.

A Manicure with the new 2 Week Manicure Colours I had added to my kit. The colours were perfect for an old dress I had. I then bought some fabulous jewellery from "Bellerina" at The Ivory Closet to wear with the dress too. See here to see more Sparklies from The Ivory Closet (As Amina calls them) New Jewels for an old dress.

I have talked before about my Aunt's Allotment, here are some pictures I took while I was looking after my cousins. The allotment was awash with colour during the summer with all the various beautiful flowers on show. My cousins spent so much of their summer hanging out in the allotments, playing games, making potions and their own perfumes. It's lovely to see the kids playing outside instead of being stuck in on computers or watching t.v.

While minding my cousins we went to look at a display of Quilts made by the Quilting Association of Ireland. I love this craft and I can't wait to get my sewing machine to get stuck into it myself. I have so many ideas, mostly for Amina's bedroom. The quilts that were on display were amazing. The technical ability required to finish such intricate pieces is only something I can aspire to have.

We hung out alot at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin getting the most out of the warmer and drier days which were so far and few between. These gardens in the heart of dublin are such a serene escape from the everyday hustle and bustle that city life brings.

I celebrated my birthday in style. A picnic on the floor of my sitting room with my mum, my aunt, 3 out of the 4 sisters and Amina. You don't get much better than that.

My friend and I decided to take out girls for a trip to the woods in the Dublin Mountains in search of fairies. We didn't find any fairies but we have a lovely day out in the fresh air and magical surroundings.

And lastly for August I perfected my home made hummus recipe and even started combining different flavours to switch it up a little. I have turned into a hummus addict, literally. Made with the juice of lemons and some creamy Greek yogurt along with the necessary chick peas and tahini paste, it has now become my staple food. I will put up the recipe soon on a Sunday Sample once I get back to my regular postings.

I will continue with my catch up posts next week in the place of my To Smile posts. Next week I will concentrate on my fabulous weekend away to Barcelona with my sisters.
So what have you all been up to? Did ya'll have a lovely summer?

The Calm after the storm

Last Monday in Ireland we had a ridiculously bad rain storm. A months worth or rain fell in 24 hours. Traffic  was effected when rivers burst their banks and roads were completely flooded. Even Dundrum shopping centre had to close early when water started flowing in the front doors.

So after a crazy amount of time being stuck in the house, unable to even step outside, I took my stir crazy child and dog for a walk to burn off the excess energy. The fields behind my house are a total escape from city life. Being a country girl and having grown up around horses and open land I relish the fact that I can go here to unwind. The fields at the moment are home to some lovely friendly horses which Amina just adores. We brought over some carrots so Amina could give them a little treat.

The fields were flooded in parts which looked so beautiful against the setting sun.

After our trek through the fields munching on blackberries and jumping in muddy puddles

 we stopped off at the pond to see if the ducks were home. The setting sun reflecting on the water was so peaceful and the still water made a stark contrast with the insane weather we had the day before.

The ducks weren't home but the swans came over to say hello.

Tragically an off duty garda was killed as a result of the flooding after being swept away while trying to come to the aid of a motorist. It's times like these you really appreciate the small things in life and those little moments spent doing what truly makes you happy, like the special time with your family enjoying what nature has to offer. RIP Garda Jones
What are the moments in time that allow you to reflect on what's important? Anyone else country girls living in the big city, dying to escape?