Under my umbrella

And old but bright umbrella

The rain came today.

I knew it was on the way as soon as I looked out the back

this morning....beautiful red sky!

I have two umbrellas in the car - a small green

one, which is useless if there is even the slightest puff of wind,

and a clear, bell-shaped one, which is the one I usually

use 'cos there's always more than a puff of wind around here!

Unfortunately, it has become abundantly clear to me of late

that said bell-shaped umbrella is as good as useless!

It is made of clear plastic, so that you can see through it as you walk,

but, because it's plastic, the rain just runs off it

and drips off the bottom of it all down my legs!!

So, today I bought a THIRD umbrella!

This one is heavy duty! It is stronger for the wind,

and will soak up all the rain, thereby not dripping all over me!

It is also a gorgeous turquoise and lime green colour, to help brighten

up even the wettest of days!

I'm grateful for the silver-lining that is a beautiful

bright umbrella!

So...bring on the rain, I say!

I'm ready for ya!

Gratefully yours

xx

New best pal

My Dyson is my new best friend!

It is also the second step in my campaign to ban

"housework"....well, the word anyway!

I reckon I must have lost a fair few pounds today with my

New Dyson Workout Plan!!

Whole house looks great (well, you have to tidy

before you vacuum) and I had a great

workout without having to pay a gym membership!

Win/win, I'd say!!

And, best of all, I didn't feel like I was slaving away at "housework"!

Today I'm grateful for my new pal!

Now all I have to do is look out my headphones and

organise some music for my next workout!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Normality

I'm glad to report that we are definitely, almost,

returning to normal!

It's been a surreal couple of days!

But Meggie has recovered well from her wee op,

and the rest of us will be on the road to recovery soon!!

(Even Thomas was being nice to her for the last couple of days!!)

So, it was nice today to just do normal Sunday stuff...

....well, other than the fact that the Ryder Cup dominated the day!

Go Europe!!!

I guess it's not all about "special" stuff, or wonderful experiences.

It's about enjoying the ordinary, making every moment count.

Today I am grateful for normal!

....whatever that may be!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Slainte!

My baby is going into hospital tomorrow for a procedure

to remove a wee cyst from her jaw.

She is being very brave about it, but I know she is scared.

\It will involve a general anaesthetic, so I have to admit that I'm

a wee bit nervous too.

Thank God that we are, in general, quite a healthy bunch!!

I just had to stop today, and realise just how lucky we are.

I am grateful that we've not had to many illnesses, and even

fewer hospital visits to go through.

And I hope that the Tooth Fairy will be

watching over Meggie tomorrow, just in case

any teeth are taken out while she's asleep!!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Home caring

I'm going on the campaign trail...

I think that the word "housework" should be banned, and removed

from all English language dictionaries!!!

It just has BAD connotations!

I mean.....it's work.....that you have to do at home....

....that you don't get paid for!!!

Now, I'm slowly coming to the realisation that by simply changing

it's name, it's possible to dupe yourself into

thinking that it can actually be fun to clean, dust, hoover,

cook, wash and tidy!

So, let's hear it for Home Caring!

It's my HOME, and I enjoy caring for it!

I enjoy making it look nice for the rest of my family, making it a

cosy and calm place to come home to after a hard

day at school or at work.

Yes, today I am grateful for Home Caring!

Gosh....is this a symptom of Wifiehood???

Bring it on!!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

The long weekend

I do love it when I have two days off together at the weekend!

There just seems to be so much time, and so little to do!

A Saturday off always feels like Sunday,

only then you get to do it all over again! Brilliant!

And Meggie and I get to do girl stuff!

Today we went to the cinema.

(What am I going to do when she gets too old for animated films??)

And, better yet, my house is still tidy!

What can I get up to tomorrow, I wonder??

Oh, I do love a long weekend!!

(Even if it's not really one!!!)

Today I am grateful for extra time with my crew.

I even got two whole days with K around....

...He's been getting over man-flu and didn't play golf (Yes, that bad!!).

You see, my love, every cloud.......

Gratefully yours.

xx

The energy bunny

I love this "having energy" lark!

The whole upstairs is shining like a new pin today!

I started in Meggie's room, and worked my round all the rooms...

...including the airing cupboard!

I cleared it out, chucked stuff, hoovered all the dust up

from around the tank, and refolded all

the towels, leaving them in lovely neat piles

of small, medium and large!!!

(I did stop short of tying ribbons round them, but it was touch and go!)

How cathartic!!

Today I am grateful that my family came home to a calmer house!

(That's what it feels like when it's all tidy!!!)

I even found the energy to bake a banana bread

to take to my mother-in-law's tomorrow!!

Gratefully (and energetically) yours.

xx

Life's too short

Today I had an epiphany (yes, I checked in the dictionary, and it was

definitely an epiphany!!).

For a good few years now I have been avoiding being classed as a "wifie"

with a passion bordering on obsession!

Even though I have two gorgeous sisters who have heartily

embraced wifiehood, (along with one who, like me, has staunchly opposed it)

 I have always equated WIFIES with AULD and

fuddy-duddy, hence the reason I have refused to go there!

But, today, while walking along on my way to work

(along my favourite stretch of river)

it struck me that the essential truth of wifiedom

is FREEDOM!

Being a wifie means that you don't have to be what

anyone else expects you to be. It means doing things that make you happy. 

It's about having wisdom and experience(!!!) and (mis)using them

whenever you please!

It means feeling the fear, and doing it anyway, because life's too short!

So, today I am grateful to have finally entered the

Wonderful World of Wifiehood.

(Yes, it's official!!)

They can take our firm boobs and our cellulite-free thighs.....

....but they will never take our FREEDOM!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Packing it in

I woke up this morning as if I'd just had a good nights sleep!

I felt bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready for anything the day had to

throw at me!

It threw plenty!

Morning coffee with a pal and her wee boy.

Trip to the hairdresser.

Laundry, bathrooms and shiny sink!

Two school runs, with a trip to the supermarket in the middle.

Kids to the dentist (oh boy, that's a whole other story!!).

And, to top off the day, a lovely walk with Kieran....

...poor soul usually has to go on his own 'cos I've no energy left!!

So, today I'm grateful for high energy levels!!

Long may they last!

I really enjoyed not feeling like it was bed-time

five minutes after I got up!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Close up and far away

Sometimes one day just follows another.

Sometimes nothing extraordinary happens, bed-time

arrives and another day is done.

Sometimes I just can't find anything uplifting or special

to write about, and I go to bed deflated.

On evenings like that, when I'm sitting here staring blankly

at the computer screen, Kieran comes

and gives me a hug, and reminds me that I am loved.

Today I am grateful for my family, those close and those far away.

I know it sound corny, but to love, and to be loved

is just the best thing there is!

I can go to bed now, with a smile in my heart.

Gratefully yours.

xx

The good, the bad, and the ugly

I'm just back from choir.

High as a kite....I could keep singing all night!

I decided this year to stop screeching in the sopranos

and take my rightful place in the first contralto line.

The good news is that one of our new songs is so high for the

sopranos that there is no way I could reach the top

notes even with a stepladder!

The bad news is that one of our other new songs is

a favourite of mine, from a brilliant film

("Let the river run - New Jerusalem" from Working Girl)

and I'm having to try NOT to sing the main tune!!

And it could get REAL UGLY when we start back into our

main repertoire....I'll have to forget every melody I've learnt over

the last two years and start again!!!

Oh, the joys!!

But I'm so grateful that I joined the choir.

I love, love, love it!! 

And I shall enjoy the challenge of forgetting all the soprano lines

and learning the alto ones!!

Cover your ears!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

One little thing

I've said it before, and I'll say it again...

my biggest problem in life is lack of motivation!

I'm of the "look around, see what all has to be done and not

have a clue where to start" school.

But, another of the lessons I've learnt over the last few days is - 

just decide to do ONE little thing.

Start ANYWHERE, but start.

Just start doing one little thing, and who knows where it will lead!

So, I decided that my "one little thing" would be to make sure

my sink area in the kitchen was cleared up and cleaned

every night before I go to bed.

It makes me feel very virtuous, and it makes me want to do more!!!

So, today I am grateful for my shiny sink.

Less clutter in the sink area leads to a calmer state of mind!

And, more importantly,, it's great motivation to clear up elsewhere

and keep on top of the mess!!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

My bench

Imagine sitting here for a while.

The distant hum of voices and music, a cooling breeze.

Now, how do you feel?

That's how I feel after a visit from Lindsay!

Calm and peaceful.

We always manage to have some deep and meaningful

conversations, which help me to

understand myself better.

I guess, basically, she helps me to get grounded and to be 

more mindful.

It's too easy to gallop, or plod, along and not really

be aware of what's going on at all.

I really needed to stop and take stock, and Lindsay has helped me to see that,

and given me the motivation to do it.

Now that I've lost her, back to Scotland again, I think

I'll print out this photo, and pin it up

to remind me to stop, sit, and

breathe.

I'm very grateful that my wise and wonderful sister

still knows me, better than I know myself, I think!!

If anyone wants to join me on my bench, you are more than welcome!!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Too little time

I had a wonderful adventure, all by myself, today.

And I'm grateful to my darling sister, Lindsay,

for inspiring me to do it!

We've had a super couple of days together, with lots of coffee

and lots of putting our little corners of the world to rights.

Lots of discussions about nutrition, 

and, well, lots of coffee!

But two days is really not long enough!

We stretched it out by travelling up to Dublin together, for one last coffee

before Linds went off to do her conferencing, leaving me

to do my own thing for the day!

I did find my way to Grafton Street and Markies,

but I had no interest!!

I was much more excited by the sights of the city around me.

This beautiful church was down a wee narrow side street off

Grafton Street!!

Now, before you all start getting worried about me, I did stop off at 

the Kildare Outlet Centre on my way home!

Now that really is shopping as it should be!!

Half price Pandora charms!!

What more can I say!!

The place is gorgeous!!

So, THANK YOU Linds!

I had a jolly good adventure!

Gratefully yours.

xx

Chia....rs!

photo taken from Google Images
not our actual pud!!

I'm feeling virtuous today, which is quite unusual when I have a visitor!

And what's more, I'm feeling virtuous even though we went (as expected) 

to Costa for coffee and tart this morning!

How, I hear you ask, can you still feel virtuous???

I'll tell you how.....

Green smoothy (yes, GREEN) and chia seed pudding!

And the best bit of all is that even though they are both ultra-healthy,

they tasted absolutely gorgeous!!!

Now, that's what I call a result!!

I'm grateful to have someone here (namely my beautiful sister Lindsay)

who has not only heard of these healthy foodstuffs, but actually 

knows what to do with them!!

And here, for those of you fearless enough to try it,

is what we did.....

GREEN SMOOTHY

One banana, chopped roughly

about 300ml cold milk

some chopped up nectarine

about half a bag of baby spinach

BLITZ....and enjoy!

CHIA SEED PUDDING

Two level dessertspoons of whole chia seeds

about 50ml coconut milk

MIX WELL FOR A FEW MINUTES

SIT IN THE FRIDGE FOR ABOUT 10MINS

|THEN TOP WITH CHOPPED STRAWBERRIES

Y U M M Y!!

Finish the day with a 45 minute walk, and I'd say we're well

on the way to making up for tomorrow's coffee and cake too!!!

Gratefully yours.

xx