This Is Not A Request

Okay world... it's time to get something straight here. Christmas tree lights only come in one flavour. I may decide to amend this law if I ever decide to have children who will appreciate epilepsy inducing, multi-coloured strings of nastiness on a tree bedecked in mismatched ornaments and tinsel

... shudder... 

but for now only lights that are small, white and non-twinkling will be permitted. 

Christmas is a time when I finally get my way... fires are lit, candles are twinkling, hot chocolate is required, shopping is compulsory, present wrapping can be OCD, a thousand throws and blankets appear and are draped over the armchairs and sofa. Men don't even complain about it all... much. I can indulge in my loves.

Christmas is pretty, and sophisticated, and matching. I do not want my holidays to be anything other than Christmas card perfect... and Christmas cards rarely depict a family huddled about a glorious eight footer swathed with strands of lights that look like they were pulled out of a Quality Street box. Each strand flashing to it's own little, unrelated, beat.

Get it right people... the world will look much better for it. 

Heartbreaking

Sometimes the most perfect hug can be the loneliest feeling in the world...

Scaredy Cat

What are you irrationally scared of? 

Being scared of things like war, poisonous animals that live near you or acts of nature are pretty valid things to be scared of. Those sort of things can cause major damage and ruin lives. It is never irrational to be scared of anything that has serious potential to harm you. What is irrational is those little things that you can't help but be scared of even though you know that they can't do anything to hurt you. 

I found out this week that two of the guys in the office are terrified of mice. Actually have to leave the room, shaking a little and getting upset kind of scared. And that was just when they heard that there was a dead mouse in a trap in the store room. Neither of the women in the office are afraid of mice I would like to add. 

What I am scared of though is 'things with wings'. If a butterfly or a moth comes into the room I'm in and starts fluttering about I will leave. Daddy Long Legs, small birds, pretty much anything small and fast moving will have me heading for the door. 

I was sharing a room up the country with some friends the weekend before last and one of them nearly fell off the bed laughing when a butterfly appeared into the room and I started ducking and weaving about the room to keep it away from me. Eventually he caught his breath, and the butterfly, and put it outside so that I could finally get some sleep.

Even when I'm outside I hate things with wings. Pigeons creep me out. I hate birds and I really hate that Hitchcock movie with a passion. I remember being over in London for a weekend break with a man friend and having a romantic breakfast of coffee and pastries in the park when we were besieged by a huge flock of pigeons looking for a bite. Terrified and shaking I left the park vowing to never eat outdoors in London again.

How about you? What irrational thing scares you?    

A Little Wisdom

There are very few things out there that scare people as much as having to go to the dentist. Maybe big leggy spiders, or getting eaten by a shark, or Nicki Minaj's wardrobe but for me going to the dentist is right up there with having to get an injection. 

Seriously... I would be the world's worst insulin dependent diabetic. 

So having to get a healthy tooth out, so that my adult braces can do their thing, was a nasty way to spend a Thursday afternoon. Dentist and injection all rolled into one... yuck.   

Are you one of these people who never mind going to the dentist and happily ring up to make your bi-annual appointments, or are you the type of person who only ever see's the dentist when you're in pain? 

For years I would only see the dentist when I absolutely had to but since I had some wisdom tooth issues I have been religious with my dentist appointments. DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR TEETH. I'm serious... for the sake of sucking it up and being a little uncomfortable for a day or two you get to have a great smile for years and years. 

Do it... make an appointment... 

Midweek Indulgence

Wednesdays call for a little indulgence to make the week go faster. So today I ask you to do something nice... give yourself a treat... make yourself smile.

I started my morning with a warm scone and some raspberry jam for breakfast. My evening will definitely have a home pedicure in it and my night will most certainly see me curled up in a nest of blankets, possibly with a nutella hot chocolate cradled in my hands, watching this.  

What is your midweek treat?

Weekend Question

I'm flying out to Amsterdam  
tomorrow for a quick break and a catch up with some friends who will be in the city for the weekend.

What do you recommend that I do while I'm over there? 

So far I've been told that I shouldn't pass up the opportunity to see the Sex Museum or to just walk around the Red Light District and see what all the fuss is about. That I should walk around the '9 streets' to soak up the pretty atmosphere and that I shouldn't miss the Dappermarkt.

Personally I'm just looking forward to seeing all of the beautiful Dutch people, marveling at strange looking items in the grocery stores and enjoying some great coffee with great friends. Oh and I'll be watching them all compete at the 2012 Face2Face archery tournament too. 

Things I Love Today

Winter Spice - My biggest sensory response has always been to smell. As a child growing up in a bakery the smell of Christmas started in our house sometime around September. Coming home from school on a miserable wet autumn day to be greeted by an intoxicating fug of sugary, spicy goodness is one of my fondest memories. At the moment I am trying to recapture it with a collection on cinnamon, vanilla and citrus candles dotted about my room.  

Keeping Cozy - This year I'm wearing my scarves very thick, very soft and knitted. High around my neck with no trailing ends. Cozy and warm, and as a huge accessory to my outfit. Those of you who know me personally will already know that my love of over sized scarves is even greater than my love of over sized sunglasses and I am slowly, but steadily accumulating a huge collection of winter favourites. 

Honourable Mentions - the happy feeling of writing on the first page of a new notebook, very hot, very sugary coffee on a cold night, waking up with perfect bed head, glogg scented shower gel, tiny hard drives full of tv shows, hot port and good company, lemon curd yogurt, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait - the PERFECT nude for my lips, early season mince pies, competing again for the first time in two years... and winning my category, surprise visits on a Sunday afternoon, wearing high heels everyday to work  

Morning

Do you find it difficult to get up on cold and wintery mornings like these? Is the dark, warm cocoon of your bed impossible to leave. Do you struggle to open your eyes and greet the day with any form of joy?

Try something for me... if your room allows it... move your bed. 

Just catch it and drag it over near the window. Crack your window a little when you go to bed each night. A slightly cool bedroom results in better sleep as your body's internal temperature needs to drop in order to fall asleep. You also have a constant supply of fresh air circulating in your bedroom. The slight increase in the brightness in your room also helps you to wake up more effectively as your body's biological clock is programmed to rise with the sun. This results in your body knowing when it's time to wake up and being ready for it. 

When I moved into my new place I really wanted to keep my room feeling a spacious as possible so I pushed the bed into the bay window in my room. It took a little tweaking of the blinds to make sure that the rising sun didn't hit me in the face each morning, and that the streetlight outside my window didn't keep me awake into the wee hours of the morning. The result has been wonderful though. I'm usually only lightly dozing by the time my alarm kicks off in the morning and it's no longer a chore to drag myself from the bed.

Try it. 

Kilkenny Kilo Sale

Things I Love Today

Photography Love - An amazing photographer from Cork, Harriet Jones, recently set up an Etsy shop where she sells her images as Polaroid magnets. Now I've been a fan of her photos for a long time (I know her boyfriend from when I was in college, and he is tagged in the most amazing shots). I have always loved watching someone turn their passion into potential so I urge you to go have a look-see at her work at SomeThingsDontFade. I've already bought the top two images so hands off. 

Lip Love - Autumn arrived here in Ireland with a cold and dreary bang a few weeks ago. This, combined with a new office based job, has left my poor lips parched. So what's a girl to do? Why fill each of her handbags with a new lip balm in the hopes of discovering the holy grail of all balms. My favourites at the moment are Blistex MoistureMelt for hydration, H&M's Blood Orange lip balm for smell and Carmex Cherry for all round greatness. Do you have an amazing balm that you recommend? Let me know.

Honourable Mentions - Gala Darling and her general fabulous-ness, solo picnics in bed, ultra moisturised legs thanks to a bottle of baby oil after a shower, strolling about a new city and peering in all the shop windows on a Sunday afternoon, Corona and lime... and dancing with cute boys on a school night, oversized sunglasses and huge circle scarves to make autumn feel a little more chic, dressing like a Parisian cliche - all skinny black pants, striped long sleeved tops and a nonchalant attitude, red velvet cupcakes as a sneaky treat, sharing stacks of books with friends so that we can talk about them afterwards.

Oh guys and gals... how I've missed you all.

Wednesday Wishes

This weeks wish is...

... for a holiday.

Don't you just want to get away from it all? The crap weather, the monotony of the everyday, the same old routine, the lack of adventure?

Today I would love to head away to a balmy country, and hide away in a luxury tent or yurt or teepee on a lakeside. I would spend my time swimming, laying in the sunshine, reading the pile of books that seem to be growing on my bedside locker.

How about you? What beautiful holiday can you conjure up today?

Pretty Girl Friday

Carrie-Anne Moss

Pretty Boy Friday

Shiloh Fernandez, widely known for his role in Red Riding Hood

Handsome, versatile, brooding...

Into The Friend Zone

Ok... 


Here's a heads up for many of you guys out there... 


When a girl likes you she may become rather shy around you. This is pretty normal. She may not know how to act around you and may feel a little awkward. Just go with it.


Now here's the important bit...


The moment she stops acting shy and starts joking about with you you are not 'in there'.  In fact you have just been relegated to the FriendZone. If she's suddenly comfortable around you then she probably doesn't want to see you naked.


If she's acting all shy then just go talk to her. She's probably dying for you to make the first move.

Wednesday Wishes

Today I wish for a long, hot soak in a huge tub. One where I can lie in steaming water up to my neck and not worry about spillage. Where I can keep topping up the tub with limitless hot water and gaze out a convenient window at a beautiful view.

How about you? What is your hearts desire today?

Follow The Instagram Road

Since the Android release of Instagram I have been slowly snapping away and posting bits of my daily life.

Now I don't live a very interesting life, and I don't always remember to document the monumental stuff but if you're feeling a little nosy just go with it.

My user name is MagathaMay if you wanna perv on me.

And this gorgeous guy on your left is Scruffy, the love of my life 

X

Things I Love Today

Freckles - Are just natures sprinkles. And everything is better with some sprinkles... right? There's nothing like a smattering of freckles to make everything feel a little more summery.  

Pretty Kitties - My mum and dad seem to have acquired a family of cats recently. First a mammy cat, shortly followed by her four kittens. Panic ensued at home... we're not a cat household at all and even though strays are always welcome we weren't too sure how this would all go down with our resident mutt. Well the kitties are now well settled and happy yard cats and Scruffy is a self important house dog... so far so good. We were getting each kittie fixed as soon as we could catch them but unfortunately our momma cat got hit on by a tom before we could get her to the vet and sported a rather large belly. To our delight and relief she finally brought her kittens back to us a few weeks ago and now hours can go by watching the two little balls of fur giving it socks around the yard in the mornings. Yea for strays. 

Just Standing There - Those last two minutes in the shower... you know the ones I'm talking about. When you are all squeaky clean, hair rinsed, legs shaved and you just stand there in the steam. Hot water just washing away the last of the crap that was part of your day. Bliss.

Honourable Mentions - licorice sprogs, elephant print anything, the first spoonful of cereal out of a fresh box, sheer vests, winning raffles and supporting charities, chocolate and hazlenut gelato, lazy Sunday walks by the riverside, clean floors and bare feet, summer showers, finally finishing the last of the tooth paste and getting to throw away the squished up tube 

Pretty Boy Friday

Cristiano Ronaldo

Liking the sporting theme this week

Pretty Girl Friday

Anna Rawson, Australian golfer and all round babe.

Wednesday Wishes

I wish for breakfast in bed...

... juice, toast, honey, coffee, some fruit.

Thank you

Pretty Girl Friday

 Katie Taylor is one of the most inspirational sportswomen in Ireland

Four times World Champion and on her way to the 2012 Olympics to proudly represent her country

Pretty Boy Friday

Oh Tom Mison... aren't you a sight for sore eyes

What Makes You Happy?

Today, over on A Cup Of Jo, Joanna asked her readers to list three things that make them happy. Simple, every day things that bring them heaps of joy. You can read hers HERE.

Mine right now would have to be...

1. Shades on, windows down and stereo turned up
2. Things that smell of citrus
3. Listening to the rain with the windows wide open

 

 

What are your three things today? What brings you simple joy?

Wednesday Wishes

Hmmmm... what to wish for today... I think I'm going to wish for a superpower today, but which one to wish for? 

Super strength? 

X ray vision?

The ability to fly? 

Mind control?

Regenerative powers?

The ability to see into the future?

Think I'm going to have to be a little practical with my superpower wish here and recognise that the cost of petrol is not getting any less. The ability to fly is my number one wish today.

To be able to pop across the country to see some friends seems pretty special to me.

How about you? If the sky was the limit what super power would you wish for?