Sale Sale Sale

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Ohhhh I got the most beautiful dress today. Very Mad Men indeed. A photo will follow I promise.

My haul from the sales went as follows:

1 very beautiful, timeless, emerald green Phase Eight dress (reduced from 131 to 65 euro)
1 gorgeous black fine knit Coast top (reduced from 85 to 25 euro)
2 fabulous pairs of suede and patent high heeled shoes, so fabulous I bought them on both black and purple (only 19 euro each)
1 fine knit black slouchy cardigan - the one that can be tied in many different ways (14 euro)
1 pair of sparkly grey flats (reduced from 24 to 9 euro)
many pairs of tights and undies
some pretty hair accessories too

How is your sale shopping going? Did you get anything amazing?

I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry

Please forgive my ignoring of Blogland for the last week. I am back at home and our internet connection here isn't really the best and I've only gotten a day and two half days off in the whole of Christmas week.

But my Christmas was really lovely, very quiet, but lovely.

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I got some wonderful gifts including a fantastic purse from my mum. It's not really a traditional purse - it's sort of like a cross between a purse and a jewelery roll. I carry a phenomenal amount of stuff in my purse and I find it really difficult to find anything big enough to carry it all around with me. This purse has about half a dozen pockets in it and two ring rolls built in to it - I am forever taking off my jewelery at work and dropping it into the bottom of my purse - never to be found again. Hopefully this will help me!

My haul also included
over the knee striped socks
a set of silver feather earrings
a silver leaf necklace
a box of Butlers chocolates
a selection box
lots of knee high black bamboo socks - I am obsessed with them
my brother gave me cash for Christmas as he knows that I'd rather money than a gift right now

I hope you all had a great holiday.

Things here should start getting back into a routine soon. I'm heading back to Limerick tomorrow to hit the sales, meet up with a few friends, go to a New Years Eve party, sort myself out to get back to work, tidy my room, and get back to reliable internet.

Take care sweeties.

Rest In Peace

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May Brittany Murphy rest in peace

Too many pass away too young

The Joy Of Archery

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My oh my, where do I start with this topic. I rarely bring up the subject of archery on the blog as I never really felt that it was a suitable thing to talk about but it really is a big part of my life.

The UL Archery club is where I met Mr T, and it was where I built up a new group of friends when I first moved to Limerick. I am still friends with nearly every one of those people now. Yea.

I can never figure out why so few women join our archery club and why archery is such a male dominated sport at the best of times. We have 3 regular female shooters this year, and 2 more coming back after the holidays, but we have dozens of guys shooting with us.

I really don't get it.

Archery is not a physically demanding sport. You do not need to have huge, over developed arms. Almost all of the strength needed comes from your back and shoulders. It is not a cardio intensive sport. It is just a calm, repetitive sport that needs good mental concentration and discipline. I would have naively thought that this would be something that a woman would be good at. To excel competitively it does become a whole other kettle of fish but as somewhere to go for a few nights each week and somewhere to meet a nice bunch of people it really is fantastic.

Do women think that we're elitist? Do women thaink that it is too hard? Do women think that it will be very expensive? I really don't know, but I do know that I wish I had more female company at training.

Are you in a male dominated sport? Do you enjoy it? How do you deal with it?

Things I Love Thursday

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Family - Today I have a new love for my family and how much support they are willing to give me when times get tough. Thank you.

Wish Lists - Spending time writing completely fictional Christmas wish lists with a cozy seat and a coffee.

Impromptu Cake - Getting a brownie with a tea light on top while a bunch of friends sang Happy Birthday in the college cafe yesterday. Mortification was never so cute, sweet and loved.

Hot Showers - It's been very chilly for the last few mornings - very 'toe out from under the covers to see how cold it is' kind of weather, but jumping straight into a lovely hot shower is such a nice way to wake up.

Handmade Cards - Please check out Ruth's selection of beautiful cards on her etsy store. I picked up some when she did the Christmas Market in UL and they are almost too beautiful to send to anyone.

Minimal Effort

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I love - love - love these posters! Aren't they so cool!

Albert Exergian is a graphic designer/art director who has created these magnificent minimal posters for popular tv shows. Using very basic colors and shapes, he take art down to its most simplest form.

Realisation When Awake

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So last Tuesday I was sick. Really sick, the kind of projectile vomiting sick (I didn't think you'd like to see that in a photo so I put up a pretty photo instead) and I got really upset by the whole thing.

For the first time in a long time I had no one to call or text for sympathy, and I realised that I was now on my own. This thought scared me more than actually being sick.

What also scared the hell out of me was that I had no clue as to why I was sick. I hate not knowing what's going on and not being able to figure it out. I went through what I had eaten for the previous few days, where I had gone, who I had spent time with, whether it was caused by stress, everything. And I still had no clue.

Until today. Today I got up, got dressed and, because I was running late, grabbed my supplements (Pharmaton, multivitamins and echinacea) and ran out the door. And by the time I had gotten into the car park in college I could feel the familiar waves of nausea building up.

So here is my tip for today;

NEVER TAKE PHARMATON ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

Things I Loved Yesterday

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Christmas Sweets - The box of Quality Street has been broken out. Christmas has officially arrived.

White Fairy Lights - The cutest, sweetest way to make everything look festive.

New Books - I treated myself to some of the series that inspired True Blood. I can't wait to find a quiet evening, a comfy armchair and a huge mug of tea to curl up and enjoy them. Windy stormy night outside the window optional.

How are your loves progressing this week?

16 Words of Wisdom

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A man does not have to be perfect,
he just needs to be perfect for me.

Somethings Just Feel Strange

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I suppose I have to say this at some stage.

Two days after our fifth anniversary myself and Mr T stopped seeing each other and went our separate ways. I'm not going to go into the story here but I thought that you deserve to know why I'm neglecting my poor blog.

I hope to be back to my bubbly self soon and in the meantime all your lovely posts in my Google Reader inbox are keeping me smiling.

Christmas Cheer

Hey beautiful readers, I have a quick question for you all.

Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree?

I'm heading home this weekend and my mum is really excited as this means that we can put up the tree. And putting up the tree in our house means - Christmas songs on the stereo, opening a box of chocolates, maybe a glass of Baileys or wine - the whole kit and caboodle. I promise to post a picture of the tree once it's finished. Hand on heart, our tree is the most amazing tree I have ever seen.

Keep watching.

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Devotchka

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I love this poster

A Surprise For Mr T

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Hi to all my beautiful Tuesday readers. Now that the event has passed I can tell you what I got Mr T for our anniversary.

Mr T laments the fact that he doesn't know many people in Galway and doesn't have anywhere to go in the evenings. Ha also laments the fact that he doesn't get to see as many gigs as he would like...

You can see where this is going...

I got Mr T two tickets to go see the fantastic Lisa Hannigan play in Glaway next week. Now I didn't get him one ticket and me another... I got him two so that he could take someone else with him and get to know some more people. He wouldn't have to worry about me getting to Galway and getting back to Limerick for work the following day. He could just go and enjoy the night.

And I think he loved it, yea!

Fifth Time's A Charm

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This evening I will brave the floods and a, hopefully, passable Gort town to head to Galway to see Mr T. It's been 2 weeks since I saw his face and this Sunday marks our fifth year together. I got him a gift that I really really hope he likes. I'll tell you all about it on Monday just in case he decides to read the blog today and ruins the surprise.

Now where did I put my wellies?!

Things I Love Thursday

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Stuffed Toys - There is something really comforting in having one of your childhood teddy bears still lurking about your room. Perfect when you're feeling a little let down by the world and fragile. A hug from your 'insert appropriate bear name here, mine is James' just makes everything better.

A Surprise Memory - I was walking up to the shop today and I stuffed my hands into my coat pockets to keep them warm and felt something in the very, very bottom of the pocket. A tiny little red foam heart from years ago when Mr T carefully opened the wrapper of a chocolate bar and filled it with little hearts to surprise me when I would open it.

Sonya - I love Sonya and the fact that she is still smiling since Saturday.

No Teaching This Week - It's week 12 here in UL, which means that it's project hand up week for all the modules that I teach. No classes to prepare, no worrying if they understood me, nothing to worry about at all. Yea!

Sweet Home Whatever

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Oh I want to be the girl in the photo above. An open road, shoes off, toenails painted and nowhere to go and all day to get there. Limerick is not half as much fun right now. Legs are put away in tights and boots, toenails are getting chipped and neglected. Car windows are covered with condensation.

How come we always long for what we don't have?

All summer long I couldn't wait for winter - curling up in front of the fire, woolly hats, hot chocolate and Christmas shopping, and now that it's here it's really not all that I had thought it would be. Right now I want sunshine, kite flying, picnics, the works! And when we get to summer we still won't have it and I will still be looking for more.

And the cycle continues.

Do As I Tell You

Junior Fritz Jacquet Faces

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I spotted these amazing faces over at Recyclart. Would you believe that they are made from toilet paper rolls?! Fantastic work from Junior Fritz Jacquet.

Oh Yes She Did!

Sonya and Colin got engaged!

WOO HOO

Sonya Quinn was proposed to by Colin Whyte last Saturday and she said 'yes'! We have a wedding to go to in June 2011 and doesn't the venue above look amazing!

As does Sonya's piece of SPARKLE, It's such a beautiful ring, my shoody camera phone just doesn't do it justice but take my word for it, it is a stunningly beautiful diamond and ruby ring.

Oh and I get to be a bridesmaid.

Wish Me Luck

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I'm just finishing things up here at work and heading back to the house to throw a few things into the car. This weekend will see us all up in Dundalk competing in their intervarsity. Please keep your fingers crossed for me, I really need to shoot well this weekend.

Training hasn't been going right and I'm getting very disheartened by the whole thing. I'll let you all know how it went when I get back on Sunday evening though.

Have you any challenges facing you this weekend?

Water, Water Everywhere And Not A Drop To Drink

In honour of the torrential rain that doesn't seem to want to stop falling here in Limerick I present you with some beautiful rain soaked images to try to persuade you to hate the weather a little less.

Monday Happy List

I was over at Jen Loves Kev, who I completely love, love, love, and I was reading her Monday Morning Happy List. Well it made me smile so much that I thought I'd put together a Happy list of my own.



1. Rosy pink apples
2. Reading all your blogs
3. Playing farmville on facebook
4. Cozy warm blankets
5. Leftover noodles straight from the fridge
6. New slippers
7. Blank notebooks
8. Getting to the petrol station just in time
9. Patterned tights
10. Lemon slices

Are you happy today?

Have A Yellow Day

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I've joined the The International Open Archery Group on Facebook and their new motto is 'Have a Yellow Day', as in hitting yellow on a target face means that you have probably shot a perfect shot.

So guys and gals - I hope you have a yellow day today!

Things I Love Thursday

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Torrential Rain - but only when I don't have to go out in it. I can just curl up inside the window with a mug of something hot and watch it for hours and hours.

Tropical Sugar-free MiWadi - It is the best tasting cordial in the world. I go through more than a bottle of it each week and it's the only thing that I've found to entice me to drink more water.

Thursday Shopping - For the last few weeks myself and Raymy, and sometimes Sonya, have been sneaking off to the local shopping center on a Thursday night and wander around with ice-cream or coffee, looking at everything but buying very little. It's great girlie time.

Going Home - I haven't been home in weeks and weeks but I'm really looking forward to heading home this weekend and saying hi to the folks and cuddling up with the dog and catching up with some friends.

What is putting a twinkle in your eye this week?

Time To Put Childish Things Away

Am I incredibly childish to be looking forward to the release of New Moon on the 20th? Twilight really didn't do it for me as a movie at all but I'm hoping that the second instalment in the series will be a step up in the movie stakes.

I also know how young all those boys in the movie are but they are mighty fine specimens indeed.

Are you looking forward to the movie? What did you think of Twilight? Are you a fan of the series?

Yum Yum In My Tum

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Oh what I wouldn't give for a beautiful cupcake right now!

Pecan with cream cheese icing, chocolate with peanut butter icing, vanilla with a strawberry icing.

I wonder if there is anywhere in Limerick city that does cupcakes.

Whats your favourite cupcake flavour?

The Power Of Positive Thinking

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Movember

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In honor of the month of Movember I think that we should all drink our tasty beverages from one of these fabulous mugs by Peter Bruegger

I Have No Ideas For A Title

Here is a sample of some of the costumes that were at our Halloween Party. No one came to the party without a costume of some sort. What a great night!

Fright Night Tonight

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Party time tonight - photos will be up tomorrow

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

We carved pumpkins for the first time ever. I'm so proud of us all. Aren't they so cute?

Can you guess which one is mine?

Things I Love Thursday

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Bank Holidays - This weekend is the October Bank Holiday so I don't have to go to work, and because Mondays classes aren't on Thursdays and Fridays classes are canceled too. YEA! I only have to teach on Wednesday next week.

Surprises - I really hope that my mum likes her present on Saturday.

Folders - I've been trying to build up a folder of all things archery and club related to make things a little easier to run and it's slowly, but surely getting bigger and bigger.

Sunday Brunch - Looking forward to a Sunday of papers, coffee and scrambled egg on bagels.