'orla goodness'...

since returning to the shed i have had matters close to my heart causing me to stray from my 'blogging', forgive my lack of 'ramblings' and so i hope in some small way to make up for my neglect of you...

i am quite sure i was the last person in blogland to realize that dearest orla had done a range for target.

if i had known such an event was happening whilst i was away, you can be sure i would have had my man camping out the night before the 'unveiling'...luckily for me there were a few items left on my return stateside.

i thought it might be nice to share a little of this 'orla goodness' with you.

i have up for grabs a tea towel set and oven mitts in my fabby favorite 'pear' design, two items up for grabs thus doubling your chances of winning ("hurrah" i hear you cry)

all you have to do is answer the question below and i will pop your name down for my 'orla kiely' give away...

i'll keep it open until friday 6th march, when i will return with the results and my little self ready to focus again...

and so to the all important question...it's a no brainer really, super easy peasy....

"what would be your ultimate thrifty find?"

basically think about the very item you have dreamt of finding in the thrift store, perfect price, perfect condition...mine would be a mid century modern daybed, in original nubby textured upholstery, the perfect sludgy vintage shade...dark wood without too many dings and a side table joined at the end, springs still sprung as they should be and best of all 'my man' able to see it's beauty too...ahhh, a girl can dream.

so there we have it, if you fancy a chance at winning some of orla's lovely new range for target then just drop me a line...

she will see you next friday ~ Tif

footnote: if you aren't able to leave your 'best ever thrifty find' comment through blogger then just email me direct at the address in my side bar...and i'll pop you in the 'hat' :)

i have so much to say...

and so little time to say it.

my bags are packed and i might add a wee bit bulgy, i have loved my stay in old blighty and am now looking forward to returning to my little flock tomorrow...

and as for our wee excursion to the big smoke

did we laugh? yes, we did...

did we spend the night in the poshest hotel our little eyes have ever seen? yes, we did...

did we marvel at the automatic lights in the closets? yes we did...

did we sit up in bed till the wee hours, watching a 'chick flick' and crocheting? yes, we did...

did we stuff as many 'miller harris' products from the bathroom into our bags as we could fit? yes we did...

did we take as many pencils from reception as was possible without being seen as too weird? yes, we did...

did we stand in the Orla Kiely shop on Monmouth Street, wanting to lie down and lick the floor? yes, we did...

did we stand in the lovely yarn store Loop and just gawp at the 'splendidness' laid out before us? yes, we did...

did we land in dog poo and pee our pants? no, we didn't...

did we feel fourteen all over again but with a bit more money to our names? yes, we did...

did we add to our vast 'memory' bank of good times together? yes, we did...

do we have pictures to share next week? yes, we do...

she will see you in a few days, stateside and with so many 'tales to tell' ~ Tif

like a little child...

on christmas eve, that's what i'm feeling like today...

i have left the rolling green (and still white in some places) hills behind me and travelled a few hours along the line, past flooded fields to arrive on the doorstep of my friend Debbie.

we have big plans for the next few days, i hit the station platform running...before i knew it, i was dropping 'miss lola' at dance lessons, picking up others from the school gate and being whisked of to m&s where i have at last dealt with my 'underwear' crisis. 

now of course you will remember that my undies were a disgrace, the type that one hopes the outside world will never get a 'look at'...well before i left on my travels i rushed down to Target to buy myself a few new pairs just in case i needed to be seen by any medical staff on my trip. the problem was they didn't have my size and so i bought the next size up, this was a very unwise thing to do...on arrival back at mossy shed, i checked the sizing up against my gigantic, no elastic, graying cotton jobs to find my new ones were actually bigger...my choice for packing, the brand new ones that still retained their original coloring and elastic or my old 'grotty' ones. i went with the new and have discovered as long as i have jeans or tights on i am okay...but i knew it was of utmost importance that i find some others before spring arrives and i float around my back yard in a skirt and wellies only to promptly trip over when my 'undies' fall down (and that won't be pleasant for the neighbors, would it Trish!) 

and so my besty buddy of 29 years has taken me firmly in hand as she always does and made me buy new 'undies'...we knew it was important to find a pair that made me feel 'secure' and 'warm'....having found the perfect style we then had a big discussion about size, she told me that my 'arse' is not as big as i think it is and that is why i have issues when buying underwear and so i went with her better judgement because ever since we have been 11 she has always been the 'wise' one...and you know what? she was spot on, today as i tippity tap my words of great importance to you on her computer, i can tell you i feel, snug, secure, warm and in no way terrified my 'undies' are going to let me down today...

and that would lead me to tell you why today of all days is so important to have 'undies' on that you don't have to think about...today, dear readers i am off to meet a blogging buddy of several years and i am so excited...it turns out my lovely cyber pal lives only a few blocks away from where i am staying. so this morning i will be popping over to the lovely Janet Clare for 'elevenses' and i will be sure to fill you in on how it all goes, when i arrive back state side next week...

and as if that wasn't enough excitement for the week, tomorrow i pack up my wee bags again and this time head into London with Debbie on a 'pilgrim' of sorts...since we have known each other for more years than i care to remember we have had many an outing together,

but less so in our later years, what with 'youngsters' hanging off our aprons strings and many miles between us. 

however, we decided that turning 40 meant we needed to 'celebrate' this milestone with an 'outing' of sorts.

 

(forgive me as i dig into the archives of my brain and reminisce) one of our most memorable outings was as young teenagers we took the bus to the nearest town to do a bit of 'saturday' browsing. having spent all our money on chocolate (there's a surprise) we had no way of getting home other than to walk (interestingly now with the advancement of technology one would just get out a cell phone, but not in those prehistoric times...) and so we proceeded to head home the several miles to my village....(did i mention we were both wearing my mother's trendy stretchy striped jeans at the time). so Debbie proceeds to trip over half way home, on a bumpy bit of paving that the council had failed to fix...she also managed to trip at the exact place where a pile of 'dog crap' happened to be, she ripped a hole in the knee of one 'leg' and landed the other in the 'dog crap'. now i love my friend Debbie more than words can say but i must tell you she can be most 'stern' on occasion, i do not believe she was best pleased with this turn of events and started to become most distressed about the situation...i on the other hand found it one of the funniest sights i have ever seen (and still to this day believe it to be so) and promptly wet myself laughing...so we were a sorry sight walking the final miles, her stinking of 'crap' and me stinking of 'pee'...i do recall hanging my trousers on the radiator to dry and then placing them nicely back in my mother's closet (oh dearest mother, confessions are not always good, so please pretend you didn't read that last bit) and the other pair we disposed of in the garbage...("so that's where my trousers went" i hear my mother cry...) yes mother, after all these years, Debbie and i come clean...

so we head into London tomorrow with high hopes that she will not disgrace herself by tripping and landing in 'dog crap' and i have promised with hand on heart that i will not under any circumstances wet my pants...(which for someone of my age and having had 4 babies will, quite frankly, be nothing short of a small miracle..but you know how we believe in those dear readers)

she will see you on saturday with tales from the big smoke and apologizes if 'too much' info was revealed today ~ Tif