That we visited Lough Boora for the first time, it's a beautiful place with an untamed feel and fantastic sculptures everywhere.


The year that I lost my lovely Dad. It was a difficult time, being aware that his time had come and being with him till the end. Holding his hand as he left this life will be forever a special moment for me.  Here he is in his beloved Ballyheigue in County Kerry.

It has taken a while but finally our Christmas Tree is up and decorated! I love the way it looks and I love to decorate it. My tree decorating approach has always been a bit homemade and vintage style. Lots of our ornaments are made by myself and the girls and every year, when I take them out of the box, it brings back memories of times gone by and traditions stretching back years.

I love to see how other people decorate their homes and trees for Christmas so here's a little glimpse into our Christmas home :)

First up, the tree in its entirety.  We always opt for a real tree, I just love the piney green smell and the glossy look of the tree and although perhaps it's more sustainable to have a 'made' tree, this is one tradition I just can't let go of.




I did buy a couple of new things this year, the little pockets for candy canes were so adorable I couldn't resist, as well as the little felt and wood angels - both bought in Tiger, one of the best places to buy reasonable decorations and knick knacks.  The red lantern is also Tiger of course :)

Based as I am in Kildare, I'm near enough to Dublin and the Midlands to be able to enjoy both, although honestly I prefer to be in the countryside!

This last while has been crazy silly season - anyone who is involved in making crafts and selling at Christmas knows just how mad it gets. Months of preparation making stock, planning, calculating, designing, all culminate in what is really just a few weeks of actual selling.
I deliberately kept any heavy work to a minimum this year as I have been so unwell but still had a lot of work to do organising stock for shops and making sure that I had sufficient products for the few markets I did actually attend.

However, I'm all finished with most of the work for Christmas at this stage and I'm sooo happy to be able to relax again and get my house ready!

My last market was on Sunday gone by in Duckett's Grove, Carlow. It's always one of my favourites, mostly because I feel that it's one of a few markets where the quality of the craft products is vetted and consistent and the setting is just so beautiful. I love the drive there and approaching from the winding road, looking down on the castle below.



This year I introduced a new festive red jar and it has been going pretty well so far!




And of course my candles are also available in some great shops which have an excellent range of beautiful handcrafted products. As always, I'm advocating spending at least a little money this year in local businesses, it makes such a huge difference if we all try to do this.

Some of my stockists are:

It's probably a bit early for a recap of the year but nonetheless, events in my life lately have forced me to think back over this year and how it has been for me.

In general Christmas is my absolute favourite time of the year, I'm like a child when it comes to anything Christmassy and it's not about the gifts but rather more about the happiness and twinkling lights and prettiness and carols.

This year though, for the first time, all I can feel is sadness - it will be the first Christmas without my lovely Dad. I wrote about his passing here - Saying Goodbye to Dad. Since I wrote that post, I also suffered from a tear in my carotid artery, a very serious and life threatening condition which left me debilitated and struggling for a long time (Carotid Artery Dissection).
I suppose the physical events and worry consumed my whole life for a time and the grief for Dad's passing was pushed away to the back of my mind. Now though, I'm feeling a little better and all of a sudden there's lots of room for thoughts and memories to come crowding back into my head.

Like Dad driving down on Christmas day - Mum would always get out of the car first and then Dad would park and he'd come in - using a stick in latter years. He'd always have a coffee and maybe a little treat - although he might demur initially as they were heading onwards to my auntie's house for dinner.
He was always cheery and bright and I know that this Christmas will feel so wrong without him. He loved Christmas Day, particularly because of the food :)  I've definitely inherited that part of him!

He always encouraged my business and would ask how things were going and I know that he would be proud that I've done so much this year. Yet although success is great and in a normal state of mind, I'd be delighted, somehow it all seems a bit hollow right now.
I know it will be impossibly hard for my mum and hard too for the grandchildren but we will get through it I guess and I have to remember how blessed we were to have such a kind and gentle man in our lives.

I guess I just need to say for myself and for the spirit of my Dad that we are thinking of you and we miss you.

Dad at a family dinner in Portarlington

Dad and Izzy in Kerry in 2009