A DIY Weekend

With the new houses coming up for sale this week (hopefully), we're trying to get our house in order for sale. The kitchen is the main area that needs attention. We are trying to keep our expenses at a minimum as we finish the house and a new kitchen would cost way too much money. Instead, we decided to replace the kitchen cabinets and paint everything white.

Here's what the kitchen looked like when we first moved in...













Here's what the kitchen looks like now. We still have another few coats of paint for the walls, but it's starting to look cleaner and more modern.











I don't have a before picture of the loft when we first moved in, but it was pretty dark and shady up there. The walls were midnight blue and the carpet worn and dated. We've lightened everything up with magnolia and lilac- it's starting to really take shape!
















I'll post some more pictures when we've finished off the rooms. Hopefully we'll have some good news to report on the new house!!

Say hello to Isabella...

Here she is, back home safe and sound with her mummy. She's doing really well and has gained 7ozs! 16 days old and as wee as can be. She's a lovely quiet baby and absolutely gorgeous!

Jacqui declined the photo opportunity, but I couldn't resist!!

Isabella Mason arrives!

Jacqui was rushed into the hospital on New Years day. Her pre-eclampsia got much worse and the hospital staff decided to perform an emergency c-section the next day. Isabella arrived just after noon on the 2nd of January. Weighing 5lbs and 5ozs and nearly 7 weeks early, Isabella is in special care and will most likely be kept in for the next 6 or 7 weeks. Jacqui is quite sore, but recovering well.

I will post some pictures when I'm able to visit them both.

New Year's Eve

We spent New Years down in Carlingford. There were 19 of us that stayed down in Carlingford after Stevie and Cara's wedding. Ollie and I shared a cottage with 2 other couples. We had such a laugh all weekend. Not much sleep was to be had. We went to one of the 5 bars in town that had a nightclub. There were surprisingly quite a few people down in Carlingford for the weekend so it got pretty packed, pretty quickly. It was a fun night and a brilliant weekend.

Me with Laura and Cara- pretty exhausted from the whole weekend, but still able to manage a smile!
Probably my favourite picture of the night- Slacker (Paul) and Seán- don't they look happy!

Conor and Siobhán... did I mention they got engaged back in October? There's no confirmation on the date yet, but I'll keep everyone posted.

Michael, Conor and Stevie enjoying drinks in the club... it was a great weekend, but I think everyone's feeling the lack of sleep and excessive consumption of take aways and alcohol at this point!

Cara and Stevie Get Married- 29 December 2006

Cara and Stevie were married at a beautiful chapel atop a hill in Newry. The weather was a bit unpredictable with cold winds and downpours of rain mixed with spells of dry and bright sunshine. The crazy weather certainly didn't put a damper on the day!! The whole room fell silent once the procession began and there were gasps once Cara began walking down the aisle with her father. She looked amazing- glowing from head to toe. The bridesmaids wore beautiful long silver dresses with white fur stoles. Cara wore an gorgeous silk straight-line Suzanne Neville dress which really showed off her hard work at the gym, a full chapel length veil and bespoke bolero.
The reception was held at the Four Seasons in Carlingford- a 40 minute drive away. There was a bit of a gap between the ceremony and the reception, giving us enough time to move our stuff into the cottages we rented for the long weekend. Here's Cara with Stevie's sister Deborah who's also one of the bridesmaids.
The meal was lovely and speeches very touching and heartfelt. A short while later the evening reception was in full swing. They hired a brilliant 6 piece band complete with horn section which got everyone up and dancing- I danced the night away! There was also a performance from Irish dancers- it was such a brilliant day!