Crazy Season is over!

So the last couple of weeks I have been quite quiet right, that is so unlike me!  I met with someone today about a job I am doing for my dads GAA club (congrats Dad on making chairman again) and one of the first things Cara said to me was, Rachel your dad tells me you are a bigger waffler than him!!!!  Thanks Dad, but it is true, I do get it from him though.  So I haven't waffled much lately and I have had a hell of a lot to waffle about, what is going on?

CHRISTMAS IS HERE

The last few weeks my mind has been completely consumed with Christmas, really.  I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on decorations but it is soooo worth it as I now have not 1, not 2 but 3 Christmas trees in my house.  We have one in the porch for the passerbys to see, we have the tackfest in the playroom as there was never a hope in hell of the kids decorating the main tree and then we have the main one in the living room. 

Finally the time came when I could get THE tree, whatever tree I wanted, I worked hard this year so why the heck not....?  Then when it came to it I couldn't help but say, do I really need to spend €250 on a tree?  No I didn't.  Still though, I went to homestore and got a fab tree for €100, 7ft of artificial beauty and adorned it with the most gorgeous decorations, poinsettia flowers, red glitter butterflies, gold stars and snowflakes and oversized bows tied by myself and my little Kelsie, poor Nikki just couldn't quite get hers right and gave up as soon as she started.

This year I decided to go ahead and do them when Kev was out working.  Well, I had 2 choices, do it while he was gone or do it while he was home.  Previous experience has told me that best let him off altogether as he gets quite upset when I redo the tree after him.  Thankfully though there were no arguments over it, last year for once I gave Kev full reign, he wanted tack I said ok, do what you like.  It was a lesson learned though as after a week or so he did admit that all previous trees looked better and I was right, he was wrong.

Wow girls, don't you love it when they admit you were right, I mean admit without pressure, just out of the blue. 

So yes, I took my mind away from weddings for the last few weeks a bit and focused on my favourite time of year, but boy am I happy sitting here beside this piece of beauty!

What happens when you leave a wedding photographer at home alone, bored and hungry????

As we were shopping last night I noticed a novelty mug, I asked my hubbie who did he think would buy it for me for Christmas.  He laughed as we both know someone will, it was one of those along the lines of 'we can't all be a domestic goddess'.  It is so true though, that cup is destined for me.  I have a friend come and clean for me because I just can't do it, I took a tracksuit out of the clean washing this morning to find it not cleaned, I only washed it!!!!  Somehow I can manage to make a nice stew, lasagna and bolognese but I do quite often burn the pasta or overcook spuds.

Why am I telling you all of this?  Walking around the supermarket with Julie & Celine this morning I was starving, the smell of bread makes me so hungry, I thought no, not today!  Then in my boredom waiting for Julie to stop yapping I looked at the cheese aisle and thought, that's what I will do today..... make a cheese filled croissant.

When I was a kid I looked forward to meeting my nanny in town on a Saturday morning, true every kid would look forward to ice cream from their nanny for breakfast and that did play a part but mainly, right next to the elevators to the car park was La Croissanterie, yes, my dreams would all come true when my mam said, come on and we get a croissant, and so I did, every week.  Being a teenager eventually it was no longer cute to bring me along, thankfully though another branch opened close to my home.  I loved the girls in that shop, especially when they upgraded me to a large size croissant.  Then it closed down...  Then the one from when I was a kid closed.  Now there is one left, every couple of months we venture in sadly though, last time in the rush I got a take away, only to open it in the car and realise everything was different, I couldn't eat it, I was sad for days...... I have yet to find a replacement so I thought you know what, I will learn to do it myself.

I melted the butter, I had no plain flour so used self raising, no cream so used milk to create the most disgusting looking mixture I have ever seen.  But it was ok, stashed in the back of the press was a sachet of white sauce powder.  As it bubbled I added the cheese, stirring slowly, filled the croissants and topped off with some more sauce.  When they came out of the over I thought, nobody is going to believe that I did this, not me so I grabbed the camera.  With the plate by my side cooling down I started to upload thinking yes, I have just kicked la Croissanteries butt!

Butt..... but I haven't.  Not a hope.  So I sit here disappointed looking at what appears to be my perfect croissant sitting next to me, thinking of how I could have written this with pride about the perfect texture and taste, but I can't, instead of what was to be a moment of pure excitement and delight I have now realised I have wasted the last hour and a half of my life!

Nice pics though;)

Wedding Photography for Keith & Ian Tankardstown House

Taste, elegance and style in every sense of each word, details in excess......

From the ultimate venue, to the sequenced boxers, everything was thought through. Yes some wait all of their lives for their day, for Ian & Keith though, finally they could take their vows legally in Ireland and they made sure that they did so in high class.

Arriving at the venue, I was greeted by both grooms, standing by the door they were the perfect hosts, greeting every guest personally and even helping carry bags to rooms.

The day was obviously going to be different from my norm, but I was super excited as today we were doing a first look. Both Ian & Keith would dress in seperate rooms off their suite and we would have the big reveal when they would first set eyes on one another. In that moment, those few seconds, I had a glimpse into their hearts, the joy, the happiness they both felt that this was their day and they truly deserved their day.

So to Ian & Keith I wish you many many more moments to set eyes upon one another and remember this moment, when looking into each others eyes brought tears of happiness.

All of my love and congratulations xxx