A little bit about me

I just realized today that most of my readers don't know much about me. The real me. My loves, likes and the things I loath. Things that you might not know. So, I'm sharing it, here, with you today.

I'll start with the things I love to do. I love taking photos. I always have. I really love taking photos of horses.  I spend most of my Sundays out running through fields , climbing over gates and ditches to get good photos of my hubs and his horse jumping. There is just something about those animals that I love.

That brings me to horses. I have loved these animals since I was a little girl. I begged and begged my father for a pony and one day I got one and the rest is history. I started hunting and that is how I met my husband. I was stranded at a jump and he offered to help. I told him to kindly feck off, as you do, and that I was fine. He liked that I was firey. 10 years on and I'm still that way.

I don't drink booze. Now I used to and I certainly don't miss the hangovers. I gave it up when I met the hubs. Apparently  I don't need it. I'm crazy enough with out it. People still think I'm drunk when I'm not drinking. Must be totally mad.

I can't eat pasta or spaghetti. I just can't put it in my mouth. That's all because my cousin told me they were snails and worms when I was a kid. I would love to sit down and eat a bowl of pasta but it just makes me want to gag.

A food that I do love though is Onions. I love onions. I eat them nearly every day. My favourite way to eat them is with homemade brown bread and a pint of milk. Hubs isn't too fond of my breath after I eat them but they are so yummy. 

I run. I workout. I sweat. But it's not to loose weight. If I manage to loose a few pounds of tone up, woohoo. But the main reason is so I can eat cookies, cupcakes, cream eggs and all the other goodies that I shouldn't be eating. May be a little cookoo but that's me.

I love the smell of baby powder, bluebells, petrol, permanent markers and fresh cut grass.

I hope this little post gives you an insight into the totally mixed up crazy woman that I am.

My mind is a crazy place and I love it.

Tomorrow's Friday peeps.

Tried and Tasted : Beef stew with seasonal vegetables

Welcome to my new Link-up everyone.

I hope to find many new recipes here and even find some new blogs to follow here.

I cooked Beef stew with seasonal vegetables from the Operation Transformation website. I have cooked a few of these recipes and they have turned out great. 

My camera broke the weekend and I wasn't able to take any pictures of my finished result.

But it was yummy!

Photo from Operation Transformation website.

Ingredients:

500g diced beef

600g turnip peeled and diced

400g sweet potatoes peeled and diced

300g baby onions (or shallots), peeled and halved

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

3 bay leaves (optional)

1 tsp black pepper corns

1 tsp dried thyme

15g butter

1 tsp salt

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 160ºC

In a large oven proof saucepan or casserole dish melt the butter.

Add the beef pieces and fry until brown.

Add the onions. Cover, reduce heat and cook for about 5 mins.

Add the turnip, sweet potatoes and chopped tomatoes and mix together.

Add bay leaves if using, thyme, peppercorns and salt.

Cover and place in the oven for about 2 hours.

And serve

Note: I added some carrots and blitzed the tomatoes to make them more smooth. I also added a beef stock cube.

Now for the rules:
Link back to my website in your post or add the button.
It's not too much to ask, is it?

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Clean it Challenge

I am linking up for Dog days link up again this week over at I love you more than Carrots

This week were taking Cleaning.

I did a great job the weekend cleaning the top of my cooker. Took some great before and after photos and then my camera died. Totally dead. :(

So I had to come up with something else.

I decided to put together a post that contains some of the pins I have found that actually worked for me.

There is an old woman that live in my town and she swears by vinegar and baking soda. She uses nothing else. She might be on to something there.

Baking Soda as Drain Unclogger

To get your drain running again (without resorting to chemicals worthy of a hazmat suit) pour ½ cup soda, then ½ cup vinegar, down a clogged drain. Cover it with a wet cloth, wait 5 minutes, uncover, and flush with steaming-hot water.

Cotton Swab as Computer Detailer

With the machine turned off, disconnect the keyboard and trace between the keys with a cotton swab lightly dipped in isopropyl alcohol. If your mouse is the kind that rolls on a ball, unscrew the bottom and go over the ball and the interior with a cotton swab, too.

Salt as Egg Cleanup

Sop up a spilled egg by sprinkling salt over the mess. Wait two minutes and wipe it up.

You can see more of the tips I found in this pin Here.

Make Whites, white again using Vinegar.

I've been doing this for years.

Add 1 cup white vinegar to 2 1/2 pints tap water in a large pot. Bring the solution to a boil, then pour it into a bucket and drop in your stained socks, (uniforms, etc.). Let them soak overnight, then the next day wash them as you normally would.

Clean your Mattress 

Pour about 1 cup of baking soda into a mason jar and drop in 4 drops of lavender essential oil. Put on lid and shake jar. Using a kitchen strainer sprinkle the baking soda mixture all over the mattress and let it sit for an hour or more. Thoroughly vacuum the mattress. Bye, bye dust mites and other nasty things. The baking soda helps draw up any moisture and deep dirtiness. It deodorizes and leaves the mattress smelling fresh and clean.

Source

Remove watermarks from wooden furniture.

Cover the mark with Mayo and leave for 20 minutes. Wipe off. Done!!

Windows

Clean your windows with warm water, 1/2 cup vinegar and a squirt of fairy liquid (dawn). Shine them with old newspaper.

Glass Cooker top

This is the pin that I used to get my Cooker top clean.

All you need:

Bowl & Hot Soapy Water

Baking Soda

A Cleaning Rag

Gloves 

Soak you cleaning rag in the warm water.

Heavily sprinkle the baking soda on the cooker top. 

Ring half of the water out you rag.

Put it on the baking powder and leave in for 15 minutes. 

(I left it for longer. My cooker was bad.)

Once the time is up, swirl the rag around in circles, using the baking soda paste as a gentle scrub. 

I did this twice and the result was amazing. 

Use vinegar to clean it off after. 

I hope you find these cleaning tip useful. I know I did.

I'm also linking up with AP for Hey, That's Pin-tastic.

Happy Monday Everyone! 

Health and Fitness Friday : C25K

What a week!

I feel like this week has gotten away from me.

I had my Sculpted Abs class on Friday. Wasn't a great class for me. I was all set for an amazing workout and I couldn't do it. I was trying to do one of the exercises and my body just wouldn't let me. Turns out that I have a slight tear on one of my deep lower abdominal muscles. 

You know those muscles that my kids kick the crap out of when I carried them for 9 months? Ya, those! I tore one of those. Nothing too major though. Just need to give it a weeks rest. Back to normal for today's class.

Had my normal Skinny Jeans class Monday. Can't believe how much more I'm able to do every week I go back. I love it. No problems walking down the stair after this class. Hubs has even remarked on how my butt is getting, in his words, "solid". ha!!

I had my first sexy arm class Wednesday. OMG!! My arms were like someone had pumped lead into them. I couldn't even lift them up over my head by the end of the class. We did a circuit of 6 different exercises, 4 times. Push ups, dips, weights and resistant bands, just to name a few. Didn't think I'd be able to pick up the little guy but I felt great the next day.

Back to Saturday. Had an amazing run. Best one yet. Breathing was great. Pace was slow but steady and I finished without being out of breath. Ran over 2 miles. I couldn't have run a 1/4 of that a month ago.
I found this pin on my Fitness and Health Pin board very helpful with my breathing.
You can follow me on Pinterest Here.

We're moving on to week 5 of the Couch to 5k program.

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then:

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes)

Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then:

Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)

Brisk five-minute warm-up walk, then:

 jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.

I'm still finding it hard to get in runs during the week. I may have to give in and get up early in the morning and run before everyone gets up. I just hope I don't fall asleep at lunch time.

I have also signed up for a 10k in mid-July. I think I'm hooked!!
I'm doing it for a charity called Bee for Battens, The Saoirse Foundation. You can found out all you need about that charity Here.

Health wise i'm doing good. My diet has been for the most part good. Still need to cut back on my chocolate and sugar. Didn't try any new recipes but I have one in the works for next week. 

I'm going to be posting my new recipe in my New link-up that's happening on Tuesday.

I would love it if my fellow Health and fitness crazy bloggers would come post a healthy or not so healthy recipe for me to try out.
My goal for next week is to try get in 3 runs. I need to step up my game or I won't succeed.

And that's it.
I'm linking up with Jen over at A Daily Dose of Davis for her weekly link-up.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Mid week catch-up

I haven't done one one these in a while.

Lots happening in my life at the moment.

I've started training for a 5k. Mad, I know. It's actually going quite well. I forgot how much I enjoy running. I'm using a couch to 5k program. I blog about it every Friday for Health and Fitness Friday. The run I'm doing is for a very good cause. TLC4CF and Limerick Dialysis Unit. It's going to be a challenge but i can't wait.

Paddy.

Where do I start. This little guy has been hitting the milestones lately. Waited so long for those teeth to come through and now we have 5 big beautiful teeth. And he really knows how to use them. And he has started walking too. Only a few steps here and there but I don't thin it'll be long now.

Had Jasmins first Parent/Teacher meeting last week. Didn't know what to except. Turns out my little girl is

doing great. No problems with her reading or writing. Gets on really well with the other kids. No issues with her hand. It was such a weight off my mind to know she's not getting picked on for being a little different.

I'm back taking photos again for my hunt club. I love taking photos and even love more so of horses. They are amazing animals. Getting a huge amount of likes on my photos. It feels so good to know people like your work.

I'm also starting a link-up series on this little space of mine. Every Tuesday, I will be posting a new recipe and you can all come link-up. New or old recipes. Doesn't matter for now. Here's the button to add to the post. I'm really excited to connect with new people and find some fab recipes.

That's it for now.