Over The Weekend #60

Once again a disclaimer about the horrible quality of the following pictures

I am getting so frustrated with having to use a bad quality phone and camera

especially after using a fab quality camera and phone!

Looking forward to the sales to get myself a new I have my eye on a rose gold phone!

A very blurred picture but it sums up our Saturday night

We had our family Christmas night as my parents and a number of my family are going away for Christmas. We had a fun night catching up, swapping presents, eating, drinking, dancing and playing games. Oisìn was allowed to stay up a little later and had everyone laughing with the funny things he came out with! I took other pictures especially of when Oisìn put my Dad on the naughty chair after he said a swear word and the leg fell off the chair! Or when my Dad and Uncle played the After Eight challenge! The photos where worse  quality then these one and that's saying something!

This photo is of my Mam, me, Oisìn and Uncle Martin! 

Sunday was a very chill out day we watched Christmas movies for most of the day
We watched The Snowman cosy on the sofa. Later Paul's brother and girlfriend popped up to see Oisìn we ordered takeout and watched a movie
That was our lovely weekend before Christmas!

Oisìn's Christmas Eve Box

This is my first year doing a Christmas Eve box for Oisìn the past two years he was too little 

to understand it and we wanted to wait until he was a little older

So on Christmas Eve when Jolly the Elf goes back to the North Pole he will leave this lovely box of goodies for Oisìn

Oisìn gets ALOT over the Christmas time and because his birthday is on the 27th I didn't over cram this box and I got things that are practical as well as fun!

Sorry these pictures aren't great I am still using my old crappy phone as my one is un-repairable

so new phone for me in the Christmas sales!

Anyway the first two items are books

The Night Before Christmas is the book we will read on Christmas Eve before bed

This is actually from last year but Oisìn doesn't remember its from Easons and was 7.99

The Christmas Colouring Bag this is a activity book with stickers which I know Oisìn will love it is from Dealz (Poundland) it was 1.50

His Christmas Pyjamas are just plain red with a Polar Bear on them

I wanted some not too festive so that they can be wore again after Christmas

These where from Dunnes Store and were 10 euro

Jolly the Elf knows that Mammy and Daddy where also very good

so he will bring us Christmas PJ's too!!

Oisìn also really need a new dressing gown/house coat/robe

So we picked him up this Liverpool one, much to the delighted of Paul!

It was 16 euro from Dunnes Stores

I also picked up this Christmas plate to leave goodies out for Santa Claus

and then on Christmas day Oisìn can have his Christmas dinner on it

It was again from Dunnes Stores and was 2 euro

The Christmas glass with straw was from a local Pound Store and was 1 euro

We picked some things up for Oisìn's Christmas Eve bath!

He went crazy for this monkey loofah in out local Penney's (Primark) so we picked it up for him it was 1.50

I also picked him up the Butter bear bath bomb from Lush which smells Divine! Looking forward to seeing his face when the bath bomb fizzes up!

Lastly (and a very bad picture) are just some random bits!
On a free Christmas day out at the start of the month Oisìn and I got to make our own Reindeer food so I kept it up to put in the Christmas Eve box
We have no chimney in our house so I picked up a magic Santa's Key
I don't want Oisìn to have too much chocolate on Christmas Eve or he will never sleep
but we will be watching a Christmas movie that evening but there is a few goodies to enjoy
A chocolate Santa, a few chocolate coins and a packet of chocolate buttons
No DVD in our box because we watch most of our movies on Sky and I do have a huge collection on DVD so we will watch one of them!
So that's what's in Oisìn's first year Christmas Eve Box I am looking to keeping this tradition up every year! 

Our Christmas Favourite #3

Favourite Christmas Tradition:

This picture is so blurred but sums up over annual Christmas family night!

We had a great night, Oisìn got to stay up late, we ate, drank, danced and played silly games

It was a fun night and great to catch up with everyone

Favourite Christmas Movie:

We watched this for the first time with Oisìn this weekend and he love it!

We have watched it twice since! 

Favourite Decoration:

My little nutcracker I bought him a few years ago

Every year I keep meaning to add more to my collect but never get around to it!

Favourite Christmas Song:

Wizard I love this song and we danced to it a number of times 

on Saturday night!

Favourite Christmas Special:

We snuggled up Sunday afternoon and watched the wonderful short The Snowman

We have watched in November with Oisìn but he seemed to have forgotten it

He loved the snowman but got very sad at the end when he melted!

Song Of The Week

Walking In The Air~Ryan Sheridan

I don't normal like covers but this cover of Christmas classic by Ryan Sheridan

is amazing

Ryan is an Irish singer/songwriter this cover from 2011, when I first heard it on Christmas FM

It's a totally different take on the classic and of course I love the classic but yet I also love this more laid back version

My Favourite Festive Cups!

This is probably the most strangest post I have done!! Yet I LOVE Christmas cups/mugs

I can't pass a store if I see one I like! It has become a running joke in our house as the hubby states we have more than enough but I still keep buying!

These is only my favourites I do have others but this post is for the ones that I love!

This two large mugs are some of the oldest we have one has a chip in it but I still love it!

We use these for lattes or hot chocolates which they are just the right size for!

I can't remember where I got these from but I know they where on sale and only 99c each!

These are my two novelty Christmas cups, two very sweet snowman, I had a Santa one but he broke this year! We like to drink flavoured tea from these two, peppermint, cranberry, and green tea are all great from these cups. These are both from Woodies and where around 4 euro each

These are in a set of four but the other two are in the dishwasher, the same design are on all four

Paul loves a large mug of tea as does my Mam so these are the mugs that are used the most in our house. We mostly drank tea from these as I don't like my coffee in a mug that size.

I bought these from Musgraves Wholestores two years ago and they where 8 euro for the set

Not a great picture (stupid old phone) but one of my favourite Christmas coffee cups!

I love these size cup for coffee, especially when adding a bit of Baileys to your coffee!

I bought this two years ago in our local shop for 1 euro wish I had bought more!

These are recent additions to our Christmas cupboard! We only got them last week but I already love them! I love the sweet design and they are a nice size to have either tea or coffee!

These are from Dunnes Stores and where 1.50 each

Lastly and the main reason I am writing this post is because of this beautiful cup

I bought this week in Tiger for 2 euro! I love it the other side say Let's Drink Tea Under The Mistletoe

I haven't drank tea from in, but it's the perfect size for hot chocolates, and yummy flavoured coffee!

Do you have any favourite festive cups or glasses?

Festive Reads

It's no secret that I LOVE reading and I am a sucker for a pretty festive cover!
During the year I don't read an awful lot of Chic Lit yet it's all I want to read at Christmas time!
I love the feel good factor and also a good cry when I am reading at Christmas.
This book has it all Every Time A Bell Rings is basically an Irish retelling off A Wonderful Life
I will be doing a full review of this book at the end of the month but I really did love it
I have been reading some other festive books this month but so far this book ticks all the boxes for me

I also love reading and circling the Christmas TV Guide 

A cuppa, a highlighter, twinkly lights and the Christmas guide...bliss

Yet TBH there isn't much this year that I am looking forward to besides The Call The Midwife Special

and of course a magazine of all the Christmas food goodies!

What are your festive reads this year?

Over The Weekend #59

This was our little Oisìn on Friday he was drained from an ear infection and vomiting bug
Friday he and I curled up read Christmas books and watched Christmas TV
I didn't think we would get to do all the lovely festive things we had planned for the weekend
As the day went on Oisìn seemed better and myself or Paul hadn't come down with any bugs!
So I bathed Oisìn Friday night and put him to bed extra early as he was still very tired

Oisìn slept straight through to 8am the next morning and we all seemed well enough to go into Dublin town!
We live in Dublin suburbs so it takes us just over an hour to get into Dublin city centre on public transport. We had ideas to go to Arrotts to see the big man but the Que was crazy and there was actually grown adults racing up three flights of stairs to get a ticket to see Santa. Paul and I both agreed that we needed breakfast and a cuppa before any more madness!!
We ended up seeing Santa in Jervis Street Shopping centre we waited for almost two hours but to be honest it didn't feel that long, little chairs where dotted along the line for tired little legs! Elf's sang, gave out balloons and played games with the little ones!
Oisìn was a little in awe with Santa and although in my opion he wasn't as good as the Santa we saw at the free Christmas family day, he was jolly and friendly.
Oisìn asked him not to forget the most important thing on his Christmas list a chocolate doughnut!

We spent hours and hours in town, strolling around different streets. Watching and buying things from the different stalls on Henry Street, taking a slow walk around St Stephen's Green Park, soaking in the festive atmosphere on Gratton Street. We spent almost an hour in the Disney Store and then went for a yummy dinner. Oisìn was so good he took everything in his stride and the amazement on his face when he saw the Christmas lights was lovely! 

Sunday we went to our local shopping center to get a few more Christmas bits
We didn't stay long as it was crazy!
We got home had a lovely Sunday lunch and snuggled on the sofa
While Paul watched football, Oisìn played with toys, I scrolled through Instagram!
It was a lovely festive weekend...how was yours?

Slimming World Meal Plan Monday

Had a okay weight loss this week last push before Christmas!

Monday: Breaded Sole, SW Chips and Salad

Tuesday: Homemade Beef Curry, Boiled Rice & SW Chips

Wednesday: Homemade SW Burgers & SW Chips

Thursday: SW Chili & Baked Potatoes

Friday: Steak, Mushrooms, Onions, Pepper Sauce & SW Chips

Saturday: Family Party

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Oxo Roasties, Carrots & Parsnips 

Our Christmas Favourite #2

Favourite Christmas Tradition:

This weekend was our yearly visit to Dublin city centre
We weren't sure if we would make it as Oisìn hadn't been well but
thankfully he was much better by Saturday.
We went to see Santa we waited two hours in a Que to see Santa but it was worth it!
We finished off our Christmas shopping, went for a walk in Stephen's Green Park,
strolled about the Christmas markets, looked at the Christmas lights and then went for dinner
It was a wonderful day and we really enjoyed it

Favourite Christmas Movie:

This week Oisìn didn't bother with Christmas movies as he was so unwell he just wanted to watch Peppa Pig and Mr Tumble over and over!
Friday night Paul and I watched one of our festive favourites Trading Places it's not one of the kids and it's not very PC in today's standards but that's what makes it very funny!
If you like the dry wit of early Eddie Murphy and the funny quirky directing of John Landis this one might be for you!

Favourite Decoration:

This decoration has a special place in my heart, it was the last present that my brother bought me before he past away. I always but it up some where safe so that little fingers can't get at it!
It sits pride and place on a shelf in my living room beside my brother's candle

Favourite Christmas Song:

I have heard this song over and over again this week, maybe it's because my brother has been on my mind. I know he does come home for Christmas in my mind every year he is with us, and I sense his presence near us at this time.
It's such a beautiful song and makes me think of all those who for some reason or other can't make it home for Christmas.

Favourite Christmas Special:

I think this is one of my favourite Christmas specials....EVER!
It always without a doubt gets me in the Christmas spirit! It's so cosy and the each of the characters bring there own stamp of Christmas and also there own problems!
I would love to see a one off Christmas special with all the gang!