Welcome to my world JanMary

That was the week (and weekend) that was!

2013-06-16T22:55:00.000+01:00

Haven't been blogging for about 10 days, so getting caught up.

It has now been a week since we had THE MOST GLORIOUS WEEK of warm sunny weather - it will probably be remembered for many years to come as "THAT week in June of 2013"!

It illustrates how poor our weather usually is that we all got so excited about a spot of sun!

Anyway, last weekend, during the glorious weather, we spend a wonderful weekend up at the north coast. I took more than a few photos, but here are the edited highlights:

On Friday evening we headed out for an icecream and a wander on the wee beach at Portballintrae.

Beautiful calm evening.

Just after lunch on Saturday we headed out to the beach - however there was a very heavy sea mist hugging the coast - literally - the car parks were sunny, but you couldn't see the sea just about 50 yards away!

It was decidely chilly too in the mist, so we headed by to a very warm and sunny garden at the cottage instead.

On late Saturday afternoon we headed out again, this was the view just at the end of the lane from the cottage.

We headed east along the coast towards Ballycastle - one of my favourite drives.

After some delicious fish and chips from the takeaway at Ballycastle harbour, we went down to the beach for a walk (or a paddle for one!)

The sea was amazingly still and blue, and the weather was still incredibly warm.

Loved this wee bridge we discovered on the way back to the car - played pooh sticks of course!

Then on to our wee private spot near Dunseverick, for our hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows over a fire on the shore.

Perfect.

Sunday - another glorious day. I had to make a jewellery delivery over to the Raddison Resort and Spa, so we came home the "scenic" route via Downhill Strand and Mussenden Temple.

We arrived at the beach from the Limavady direction, which is a change for us.

We drove down along the beach, and someone again made the most of the opportunity for a paddle.

It really was a shame to have to leave the north coast, especially as we knew the weather was coming to an end too.

So there you have it - that week (and weekend) that was!

Please note we do have THREE children - just the other too not so keen to appear on the blog.

For more photos from the glorious sunshine, you can check out my daily iphone photos HERE

A picnic and a walk (parade) in the park

2013-06-05T22:20:00.000+01:00

We have a Church Family Picnic each June, and we usually head to Delamont Country Park. This year, as there was a Celebation of 60 Years since the Coronation happening in our local park, we relocated to Wallace Park instead.

It stayed dry (hurrah!) and it was lovely to relax and chat to our church friends.

After the picnic, there was a parade of local youth organisations and bands through the park and town, and followed with an open-air service in the park.

Here are a few photos from the parade.

Enjoying the lovely weather this week - it reached 21 degrees today! (Practically a heatwave!!!)

Guest Post - Setting Up Your Home Office

2013-06-05T09:33:00.003+01:00

Every home needs an office space—the space in which you pay bills, take care of household finances and correspondence, where your kids can do homework, etc (it might even be the place from which you run your own business if you are self employed). In your home it might be a corner of your living room or dining room. If you’re lucky it can be its own room entirely!

Where ever it is, setting it up can be an expensive endeavor—especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here are some tips that you can use to help you save some money.

1. Membership Deals
Set up memberships at office supply stores. These membership programs are great because you can get credit for things like returning ink and toner cartridges for recycling. Plus, every dollar/pound you spend adds points to your account—which can be traded in for gift certificates on future purchases. You’ll also get members-only discounts and deals, Office Depot coupons being my most recent acquisition. These deals come in handy when you run abruptly run out of supplies or need to stock up for the upcoming school year.

2. Stock Up

Speaking of stocking up, buying in bulk is a fantastic money saver when it comes to office supplies. Printer paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, post-it notes, paperclips, staples, etc—these are all things that you can buy in bulk for much cheaper than you could buy in individual packages. You can buy these from office supply catalogs or bulk suppliers or you can simply take a trip to Costco.
TIP: Make sure you have space to store the supplies you aren’t actually using.
EXTRA TIP: Go “extra bulk” on things your kids will use during the school year like notebook paper, art supplies, etc. This way you don’t have to worry about running out mid-homework project.

by coco+kelley

3. Update Your Equipment

Is your computer up to date? If it’s a few years old, it’s probably time to replace it. But don’t rush out and buy whatever is on sale just yet. Instead take some time and do your research. Consult consumer reports to find out which computer (and other major equipment like cameras, printers, etc) is best for what you need. Then, take some time to find a good deal. For example, you can take advantage of one of the Black Friday specials 2013 specials to get a fantastic piece of equipment for a tiny fraction of its typical retail price.

4. Personalize It

Keep things from walking away (from you and your kids) by having them personalized. Get pencils, notepads, pens, etc emblazoned with your name and your kids’ names. Personalized office supplies are way less likely to magically appear in someone else’s desk or locker at school (or even at home). It costs a couple of bucks extra now but it can save you hundreds of bucks later on.

There are lots of ways to set up a basic home office without having to dump thousands of dollars into the project. These are just a few hints that you can use to help you get started. What are some of the things that worked for you and your family?

Guest post written by Amanda Green.

Women in Business N I Conference 2013 Part 2

2013-05-31T20:57:00.001+01:00

If you missed the first post on the Women in Business NI Conference you can find it HERE.

So, by the time we had heard the 3 excellent speakers, we had some networking to do before lunch.

Networking

We were divided into a number of groups, and each group was allocated a room.

There we spent about 5-10 minutes with 3 other business women, and we shared a little bit about our business, exchanged business cards, and connected. We then moved into different groups, to connect with more people, but not too rushed or forced. I much prefer this type of networking to the one-to-one "you-must-cram-everything-in-to-about-2-sentences-and-don't-really-have-time-to-listen-to-the-other-person-before-your-time-is-up" type of networking.

Lunch/Networking

Lunch at the Hilton, Belfast was delicious, and gave us a chance to further mingle and chat. On the way back up to the afternoon sessions I was able to chat to one of our morning speakers .... Lara Morgan .... and I didn't realise quite how much more I would interact with her later in the day.

Workshops / Parallel Breakout Sessions

In the afternoon there were a number of workshops, and the highlight for me was attending Eleanor McEvoy's workshop on "Engaging Your Customer". She shared her story leading up to how she has taken on the traditional energy suppliers in Northern Ireland with her company Budget Energy, and challenged us to give her anything to sell. Without thinking too much about it, my hand shot up, and I offered her one of my handknitted cuff bracelets which I just "happened" to be wearing from the 2nd row.

Eleanor shared it's features and benefits, negotiated a discount I was prepared to offer if a number of the audience purchased, and asked the audience to help in describing and selling it. Seated in the front row was our morning speaker, Lara Morgan, who loved it, tried it on and modelled it.

A variety of other businesses then went on to offer up their products/services for the "Eleanor" sales treatment and also got some great advice and feedback.

Later in the afternoon, Lara approached me and asked to buy the very knitted cuff I was wearing - of course I was delighted, if a multi-millionaire entrepreneur loves your creation it is a great feeling! Lara kindly agreed to pose wearing her new Janmary Designs purchase, which I duly added to Facebook and Twitter.

Quite a few other members of the audience came up to chat to me about it later, so the word on the Janmary Design brand is spreading!

For my friends who hadn't yet heard of Lara, there was an added bonus and a bit more social media mileage out of her purchase when she appeared as the business expert 6 days later on the BBC "The Apprentice - You're Fired" programme! Couldn't quite see if she was wearing my cuff under her jacket sleeve, but I like to think she was!!!

Final Afternoon Session

The final session of the conference was by Dr Maureen Gaffney, a clinical psychologist and author, who spoke on "Balancing Your Working Life"

Unfortunately I was fading fast by this point of the day, and we were running slightly over schedule, so Dr Gaffin probably didn't get quite the time or attention she deserved, but her presentation was about the fascinating scientific statistics on how to flourish (scientifically!) in life.She talked about not just your IQ but your EQ (Emotional Intelligence) was important - your ability to understand self and interact and cooperate with others. There was lots about how your brain is constantly moniroring your responses to people and situations as positive and negative, and how the balance needs to be at least 3 positivies for every negative to feel "ordinary". Below that you will be languishing, and if you can experience at least 5 positives for every negative you can flourish.

Lots more of what Dr Gaffin said was fascinating, but at this stage my brain had about reached capacity, so my note-taking stopped making sense at this point! So that is all I have to share!!

So there you have it - my 2 part summary on the Women in Business conference.

An impressive line-up of inspirational but not intimidating speakers, and more than 300 women keen to connect, learn and do business here in N Ireland.

Women In Business NI Conference 2013 - Connecting and Engaging - Part 1

2013-05-28T23:09:00.000+01:00

As part of promoting my jewellery business and my blog, I am part of several business networks.

For about 18 months I have been part of the Women In Business NI network, and regularily attend their monthly workshops and networking lunches.

Last week I attended their large annual conference for the first time, and I thought I would share a little of what I learned.

It was held in Hilton, Belfast, and over 300 women (and a few men) were in attendance, and the main sponsor was Ulster Bank.

The theme was "Connecting and Engaging"

Women Connecting Globally

Susan Davis (Chair, Susan Davis International and Vital Voices Global Partnership) encouraged us to learn from one another, and stressed the value of business and personal networking. There is more that binds us than divides us. Susan shared the importance of "Paying it Forward", and summarised her ethos succintly with

Speak up
Speak out
Lean in
Lean on
Pay it forward

More balls than most - juggle your way to success

The straight-talking (!) Lara Morgan entertained and inspired us with her story of how she sold her way to success, ending up with selling her business for £20 million.Some of her gems of wisdom included :
Business doesn't happen by remote control
Get in the race before you get run over (take your product to market when 80% satisfied with it - it will never be 100%)
Always make your family your priority over business - set boundaries
Look after yourself as well as your business
Delegate - they may not do it exactly the way you would do it - they might do it better!
Learn from your mistakes .... and do it better!

(and as I am writing this blog post, Lara Morgan is on the panel of BBC "The Apprentice - You're Fired!" - more about Lara in my next post)

Growing Business

The final speaker of the morning, and she came bearing samples of her delicious chocolate, was Jo Fairley, founder of Green & Blacks chocolate. She shared how she set out to change the world, one square of chocolate at a time. For those of us tempted to over analyse our brand, she said she spend 10 minutes on the name, and 5 minutes on the logo - and they haven't changed!
Some of her advice:
Listen to your inner voice / instincts
Don't have to be different, but be the BEST at what you do.
Be creative with promotions, don't spend on advertising
Don't be so fixed upon the destination that you don't enjoy the journey.
and my favourite

Work - should be about your PASSION, not your PENSION.

Phew! - that was the morning sessions - more to come, but I will keep that for another post.

Thanks to all the staff at Women In Business (NI) for a great event.

My top blue/turquoise items from John Lewis Home & Garden

2013-05-27T15:14:00.000+01:00

I love John Lewis, and even though there isn't one near us (yet!) I do love to browse their site. Fortunately they offer free delivery on UK orders over £50 so even if I don't get to wander around the store, I can do some "virtual" window shopping, and maybe even ordering!

I picked my 5 (just 5?!!) favourite items from the Homes & Gardens section of the John Lewis website to share with my readers, and I went for a blue/turquoise theme -

Here are 5 that caught my eye - in no particular order!

In the cafetieres section I love the shades in this Le Crueset one in Coastal Blue

If I was able to choose a new kettle I would definitely love this De'Longhi Vintage Icona kettle

How could anyone resist a food mixer like this Kitchen Aid Artisan Stand Mixer in Ice Blue

In the kitchen bins section - how about this lovely Brabantia one in Pastel Turquoise

Even among the ironing board covers I can find something blue to love! (also from Brabantia)

What about you - do you have a colour you seem to be drawn to, no matter what you are shopping for?

And do you think I am more than slightly obsessed with the colour blue?!!

Do share!

Disclaimer - I have been compensated for this post but all the choices and opinions are most definitely my own!

From Banking to Blogging, Beading and Beyond!

2013-05-20T09:51:00.003+01:00

A while back I was asked by a friend to speak about my jewellery business and how I got started, having previously working in banking, to a group of ladies. The title of my blog post was the "working title" she suggested for my talk!

I was incredibly nervous setting up to speak to the ladies last Wednesday night, and had brought along a display of my jewellery and also a selection of beads so those who wished to could create a bracelet after the presentation.

The title I used was the title of my blog "Welcome to my world - faith, family, jewellery, blogging, digital scrapbooking and photography". I covered all these topics and more, including social media, iphone photography and my journey through post natal depression.

Apparently I hid my nerves well - and the ladies were a lovely audience. The ages ranged from twenties to eighties I would imagine, and seemed to enjoy the range of topics - there was something for everyone.

I encouraged them to seek out blogs on topics there were interested in - crafts, cooking, photography.... there are blogs on so many topics.

After my talk there was definitely some interest in blogging, a one of the more senior ladies wants me to help her create her own blog!

One of the funniest parts of the whole experience was having seen some publicity about the meeting, and that I was speaking, a lady approached my husband at the gym and asked if HE was Janine Mayes' husband (jewellery designer and guest speaker)!!

As I have gone through most of my life know as the "wife of ... ", "the mum of ....." etc, it is quite funny to now have my own identity, and my husband now known as "the husband of...." When I shared this with my audience there was a round of applause!!

Here is a collage of pics taken with my iphone that evening

I was presented with some beautiful flowers, which I assured the ladies would be my "iPhone photo of the day" for the next day - and it was! Aren't they beautiful?

So there you have it, my evening with the Old Girls Association of a local grammer school here in Lisburn.

Quite an experience, and a more enjoyable one than I expected!

(Now awavilable throughout Northern Ireland to speak at Women's Groups!)

I would love you to share your thoughts - either here, on facebook or by email - how do you define your role/identity? I hadn't really thought about it before this, but I too tended to definte myself in terms of others - not myself!

Five Minute Friday - Song

2013-05-17T18:36:00.000+01:00

Five Minute Friday is when bloggers write for 5 minutes on a specified topic - this is my take on SONG:

My earliest memory of a song is my mum singing to me as a child. If I couldn't get to sleep, or had a nightmare, my mum would stroke my forehead and gently sing Psalm 23 "The Lord's My Shepherd".

She would stay by me for the first verse, then leave slowly and quietly, continuing to sing. As she went down the stairs she would continue to sing, getting quieter and quieter - finishing the final verse at the bottom of the stairs.

The combination of the comforting words and beautiful tune helped me settle back to sleep.

I managed to find a clip of it HERE

Growing up as part of the Reformed Presyterian Church, we had a split-leaf Psalter (hymn book of just Psalms which we sung in church - unaccompanied). So as well as announcing which Psalm we were about to sing, the tune we were going to sing would be announced too. So with Psalm 23 my Mum used to sing it to the tune of Crimmond. Hearing it again immediately takes me back to my childhood.

This is a picture of an older Psalter I own, dating back to 1880, so it doesn't actually have Crimond in it!

And here is a little about the composer of the tune Crimond, and the origin of it's name. (You can read the article in full HERE

In the Church of Scotland, there is a strong tradition for worship songs to be sung without musical accompaniment. This is still in eveidence today, particularly in the Free Church of Scotland and some Reformed Presbyterian Churches. In 1650, the Church of Scotland published it's metrical psalter - a collection of 150 psalms for unaccompanied singing. Originally, psalm 23 was sung to the "Wiltshire" melody. However, by the 1930's, the "Crimond" tune had become the most popular setting to this Psalm.

The Crimond melody was originally composed by Jessie Seymour Irvine, from Scotland. It is said that she originally wrote the melody as an exercise for her organ lessons. Initially, a David Grant was credited with writing the work. However, it later emerged that Grant only devised a piano accompaniment for the Crimond melody. In 1929, the Scottish Psalter corrects cites Jessie Seymour as writer of this famous hymn. Irvine was the daughter of a Church of Scotland minister. For a period of time, the family lived in Crimond in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, hence the title of this famous hymn tune.

My other song memory from my childhood is my Dad singing "Some Enchanted Evening" from the musical South Pacific.....but only under certain situations - when my brothers and I were squabbling! Whatever the reason for our fighting, it was all forgotten as we united in pleading with Dad to stop singing ..... worked every time.

So ...... do you have a song or two from your childhood which brings back particular memories?

Do share - either below in comments, on my Facebook page, or even by email - all welcome!

Finally, to see what other bloggers have written on the topic of "Song" visit the lovely Lisa-Jo and tell her I said "hi"!

Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are.

A Family Celebration

2013-05-14T11:27:00.002+01:00

I was glad I took the photo of the sunny warm day with the blue sky last week, as there has been very little blue sky since, and even less sun! Mostly rain and even hail this week.

However the weather didn't spoil our weekend, when my parents, my brothers, their wives and kids (all but 1) and my own husband and 3 kids all headed to Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle, Co Down for a night away to celebrate my Mum's birthday. There were 15 of us in total.

We headed into Newcastle for coffee and ice creams at Mauds, dodging the showers, and managed to get a few photos. I took my DSLR with me, but only took photos with my iphone! So here are a few pics from the weekend:

The kids enjoyed the pool before we had a delicious meal in the hotel restaurant. There was some reluctant posing for photos!

There was a lot of reminiscing and my daughters enjoyed learning a bit more about how we were as teens.

The next morning we had breakfast and farewells.......but no more sun - this was the view on Sunday morning

Thanks Mum and Dad for a lovely time away.

Review of Skylanders Giants Lunch Bag from the Internet Gift Store

2013-05-13T21:35:00.000+01:00

As a parent blogger I am sometimes given the opportunity to review some products for my family.

When was asked to pick a character lunch bag from the online shop Internet Gift Store, there was really only one to be selected.

My son is a HUGE Skylanders fan, so the opportunity to have a new Skylander Giant Mini Bag lunchbox was perfect.

Here, in the words of my 8 year old, are his views on the Skylander Giants lunch bag

It is very cool
It has 2 parts - one for break and one for lunch which is useful
The sides of the lunch box and the zip pulls are decorated with the Skylander elements : Magic, Water, Tech, Fire, Earth, Life, Air and Undead.
It's awesome!

So there you have it - the perfect lunch box for all Skylander Giant fans.

For a great selection of character lunch boxes, check out the Internet Gift Store. There are also lunch boxes featuring Hello Kitty,One Direction, Mr Men, Moshi Monsters and much, much more!

Disclaimer : I was provided with the Skylanders Giants lunch bag for review, but all opinions expressed are my own or my son's!

Decisions, decisions - help me choose new MINTED business cards

2013-05-12T20:47:00.000+01:00

Hello lovely readers

I need your help. As well as my janmary designs business cards, sometimes I just want to give my contact details on occasions where it is not my jewellery business we are discussing.

I have been given the chance to choose some new personal business cards from Minted - a lovely online stationery website powered by a global community of independent designers.

New stationery makes me happy! There was so much choice, but I have narrowed it down to a final 4. I was able to add in my own personal details to see exactly how each design would look.

I have yet to decide what I would put of the reverse of options 2, 3 and 4 - I can have a pattern design, plain or add my own photo - still undecided! With each design I can also select from a range of colours, these are just the colours that instantly appealed, and are subject to change!!!

But help me choose the front first :) I think I am looking for quirky, striking, uncomplicated and memorable (just like me - lol!!!)

Here are my final four - which one do you prefer?

Option 1 - Call me business cards

Option 2 Heart business cards

Option 3 Ikon business cards

Option 4 A pleasure business cards

Leave me a comment below, or comment on Facebook, as to which you prefer.

Thanks

Lessons Learned This Week

2013-05-07T21:38:00.000+01:00

Quick post tonight, while I am watching the first episode of The Apprentice - here are this week's lessons

I love The Apprentice - and this year's candidates look as eccentric as ever. Are you watching?

Blue skies and warm sunshine - it has been so long, that I took my iphone photo for today of the sky!

Moshi Monsters are taking over our house - resistance is futile

It was lovely to be back up at the north coast this weekend

We have a new family tradition - when out for Sunday lunch, instead of ordering desserts we head to the local traditional sweet shop - what was your favourite sweets from your childhood?

So there you have it - my lessons this week. As usual I am linking up to Julie, from Inmates to PlayDates.

What have you learned this week? Please let me know!

Review of a Colour Consultation by Jennifer Kelly, Bangor

2013-05-04T19:20:00.005+01:00

I met Jennifer (Jennfer Kelly, Image Consultant) last year, after she got in touch to order some pieces of my jewellery for her new shop in Grays Hill, Bangor.

She has been encouraging me to have a colour consultation for some time, but I have always been a bit wary of having my colours "done"! What if my favourite colours are not recommended? What if I hate the colours that are deemed to be most suitable?

When I arrived in Bangor last Friday, Jennifer explained the process...

"It's not just about the colours you like/don't like, I will provide you with a range of the most flattering colours."

Jennifer started by giving me a mini-facial, and then used a hairband to keep the hair from my face, so that hair and make-up are kept out of the equation on the initial colour analysis.

It's about choosing the colours you can wear, not having a colour "wear you".

The processes of draping colours against my skin tone began

We started with pinks, and a fuschia pink was definitely most flattering.

With greys and browns, the clearer and less-dull/less-muted were the clear winners

As we progressed through the the colours, I was definitely heading for Cool/Clear/Deep colours (also described as Winter)

Jennifer explained that although some colours may not be ideal for you, by choosing a piece of jewellery or scarf in a colour from your pallette, it was still possible incorporate different colours.

Some of the colours Jennifer used to test against my complexion were "extreme versions" used for testing and comparison. I was not to be scared by the strong colours she was demonstrating with - I could chose a subtler shade.

The conclusion .... I was Cool/Clear/Deep (Winter)

The good/great news - black and navy where on my pallette

The ones I had hoped to also be there were brown, and a dusty soft pink - no colours are "banned/excluded" but it was recommended that I included some cool/clear accessories. I also tend to be drawn to more muted colours, as well as cream, but was encouraged to try brighter/bolder/sharper colours.

More good news was that yellow and orange were not for me ..... not that I ever thought they were, but it was nice to have that confirmed!!

Interestingly some of the colours of significant outfits from my past were deemed to be within my range-

My uniforms from my Northern Banks days started with teal (mid 80's), then electric blue (early 90's), and ended with navy (late 90's/early 00's) - were ALL in my pallette. (The less said about those triangular teal pinafores and lemon blouses the better!)

The mint green bridesmaid dress I wore in 1990 was definitely a good colour for me

My wedding dress (ivory) and going-away-outfit (jade green with a navy camisole) also perfect!

After the colour pallette was finalised, I had my makeup applied by Jennifer using the Art Deco makeup she is a stockist for. Jennifer also sells a great selection of tops, accessories, and of course some Janmary Designs jewellery! Definitely worth visiting her shop if you are in the North Down area.

For a Cool/Clear/Deep person, pink-based makeup is recommended - as I tend to prefer browns for my eyes and natural/nude colours on my lips, this will be more of a shift for me.

Finally I received advice on hair colouring, and I agreed that ash blonde was preferable to golden blonde highlights.

So, the whole process was an enjoyable two hours, with lots of advice from Jennifer.

I left with my pallette of colours - not as a definitive list, but to look out for colours which blended with them.

The wallet includes - samples of the Cool/Clear fabrics, advice on hair, makeup, accessories (shoes/bags/jewellery/even glasses)

Since last week, when clothes shopping, I have been keeping the recommendations in mind, and it has helped me decide against some of the more muted colours I would probably have been drawn to.

Thanks to Jennifer for her expertise and encouragement to go for a Colour Consultation.

Have you ever had your colours "done"? Have you considered going for a Colour Consultation?

Disclaimer : Jennifer Kelly provided me with a complimentary Colour Consultation, but ALL opinions expressed are my own - I promise!

Guest Post - Expert Tips for Fuss Free Travel with Kids

2013-05-03T13:08:00.004+01:00

This is a guest post by Jane Blackmore

I have always adored holidays and travelling; before the children arrived I enjoyed staring at sunsets in Costa Rica, being overwhelmed by sensational scenery in Kenya and living the high life in New York City. Since having my family, our holidays have taken a more conservative turn; we are more prone to discovering beauty spots in the UK, or jumping aboard a plane to soak up the sun on cheap package holidays.

The fear of travelling with small ones is something that bites many parents and turns them from being fun loving backpackers into avid promoters of staycations. Owing to my love of hotels, beaches, and adventures we have never fallen into this parent trap, and over the years we have developed six fail safe ways to travel with the children.

1. When flying, ensure you consider and plan the journey to the airport in precise detail. The more organised you are the more everything is guaranteed to run smoothly. Book your car park, know when the shuttle bus will collect you, allocate one parent to check in (if you have not checked in online beforehand) and one to play eye spy in the airport with the small ones. Prior planning makes pleasant parenting!

2. Again when flying off to sunnier climates make sure you prepare the children for the sensation of take-off - ear ache for three hours is painful for both mother and child. Have some sweets ready to suck, or a bottle or breast for a baby and get them to swallow hard to relive the tension.

3. Take food, and plenty of it. In short it is hard to run wild when tucking into your favourite snacks. Every journey we go on involves us making a packed lunch of epic proportions. It contains all the kids’ favourite things, and as our children are still young we try and delight with dinosaur shaped sandwiches and mystery parcels which hide chocolate treats. We have had car picnics, airport lounge lunches and feasts on ferries.

4. Flying with a toddler is always challenging; they get restless easily and won’t settle for long. While they simply adore playing ‘race up the airplane aisle’, this seems to annoy passengers is frowned upon by air hostesses after their feet have been stamped on one too many times.

Ways to keep your energetic terror entertained include taking favourite books, stickers, small etch a sketches, but the way that seems pretty failsafe is to introduce a DVD player or tablet on which you can stream their favourite TV shows.

5. For primary aged children, classic puzzle books and school work seem to be a great way to keep them occupied on a long flight. My two seven year olds always bring their homework on a plane because they know once they have got it done it doesn’t interfere with the holiday. A great incentive to get ahead and an easy way to keep them happy.

About the author: Jane Blackmore is a freelance writer, editor and blogger whilst also being mum to three. In her spare time she can often be found gazing at holiday brochures, watching trashy TV and looking forward to her nightly G&T.

What I learned this week

2013-04-23T20:51:00.000+01:00

A few lessons to share this week

1. Getting my photo taken for some PR pics for my business is not as painless as I thought it would be - the lovely Trazanne Norwood really put me at my ease, did some wonders with her makeup brushes, and when I went to pick the images there were a few I actually liked! This one is probably my favourite. If you in Northern Ireland and looking for some new head shot photos (and expertly applied makeup) I thoroughly recommend Trazanne - don't let the "boudoir" part put you off!

This was probably my favourite image.

2. I have fallen off my proposed weekly iPhone Friday posts - but life comes before blogging! Maybe I will post this week - time will tell....

3. Having daughters practicing for their Home Economics cookery practical many times is great when you get to sample the results.

4. It is finally warming up ever so slightly! Spring might be in the air! Daffodils always make me feel spring-y, and these were how a bunch opened up over 4 days in my kitchen.

5. One of my daughters has just replaced her phone - and today got her first iPhone - so I am no longer the only iPhone fanatic in the house. Looking forward to her pics on Instagram!

6. We got our PhotoPass images from Disney last week - I am looking forward to completing our album - here are a couple of my favourite images.

7. When you are asked to speak at an Old Girls Association of your daughters' school, you might just underestimate how embarrassing they find it - and that is before I actually even do the presentation The working title is "from banking to blogging and beading" and I will be sharing how I got started with my jewellery business www.janmarydesigns.com, this blog, iPhoneography and more! I'll let you know how it goes!

So there you have it - my lessons learned this week. What have YOU learned this week? Please share!

You can find out what other bloggers have learned over at Julie's From Inmates to Playdates (she is now a mum - she used to be a prison officer ... hence the name of her blog!)

A review of The French Rooms in Bushmills - Bon Apetit!

2013-04-17T20:47:00.000+01:00

When we come up to stay at the north coast, near the Giants Causeway, it is always interesting to look out for new things happening in the village of Bushmills. New shops and restaurants are always eagerly anticipated, and where possible we like to support local businesses.

I had spotted The French Rooms a few weeks before, and checked out their website. A friend texted me the weekend it opened with "You will LOVE it - check them out" so I immediately booked in for dinner the following Friday, our last night of our Easter break.

When we arrived I was immediately struck by the architecture, decor and attention to detail.

The staff were warm and welcoming, and if the food lived up to everything else we were in for a treat

....... and it did!

I ordered a well done steak, with pepper cream sauce. Delicious.

Everyone else enjoyed their meals too, with a good selection to choose from, but not so overwhelming a choice either!

Loved the instructions that came with my husband's coffee

This was our view looking up from our table - a sky light / light fitting made up of wine glasses. I will definitely come back to see it illuminated at night.

and this is a closer look at it later, from upstairs.

The wee touches such as the bill coming inside a box made to look like an old french book just added to the whole experiences.

Sensibly they are starting with a phased opening, with reduced hours for the cafe / restaurant, but the shop and garden terrace should be opening soon - can't wait!

Here are a few more images

I have NO affiliation to The French Rooms, and have not been compensated for this review in anyway. All opinions expressed are my own, and all photos taken on my iPhone.

So, if you are up on the north coast at all, check out The French Rooms in Bushmills, along with some other great shops in the village, including 1608 Gallery - where my www.janmarydesigns.com jewellery is now selling! (another iPhone collage)

The community of Bushmills are working really hard at encouraging more visitors to stop to shop/eat/spend. Over Easter they had an Easter Trail hunt for kids

Thanks for reading (and commenting) on my blog - I really appreciate it!

Memories of Boston and Praying for Boston

2013-04-16T17:15:00.002+01:00

I usually share Lessons Learned on my blog on a Tuesday, but following the news of the two bombs in Boston yesterday, this post will be a bit different.

Twice I have spent a holiday in Boston. The first time (before kids) my husband and I spent a few days in Boston in the mid-nineties, as part of a fly-drive holiday in New England.

I remember the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market and the original Cheers Bar. The most notable thing that happened was being asked for photo id to prove I was over 21 as we entered the Cheers Bar - I was 26 at the time!

A couple of years ago we had a wonderful house-swap holiday to Boston and Cape Cod. Here are a few of my favourite pics of the city.

We all enjoyed the New England Aquarium

and my son especially loved the Duck Tours (driving the "bus/boat" on the river)

and the fountains on Boston Common!

I love the centre of Bostonthe mixture of old and new, and managed to go on a photography walking tour - right in the area where the bombs went off yesterday.

When the news came through last night, we immediately thought of friends of ours, originally from N Ireland, now living outside Boston. The husband is a keen runner, so we knew there was a strong possibility that they would have been at the marathon. Fortunately there was an update on Facebook, sharing that they had been at the finish line 30 minutes before the explosions, had been coming out of a coffee shop when the bombs went off. They were home safe and well.

But my thoughts and prayers are with those families who are not home safe and well.

For those injured, for those bereaved.

For some I am sure it was hours before they were reunited with family, not knowing if they were safe or caught up in the trouble.

Those who ran to help and assist must also be traumatised by the experience - some of the photos have been truly horrific and graphic.

So today ........ no lessons to share ....... just a request - pray for the people of Boston, and those effected by the events of yesterday, when it should have been a celebration of sporting achievement, raising money charity and celebrating Patriots Day.

Thanks

Digi-Scrapping with Scrap Girls Simpler Times Charity Kit

2013-04-13T20:18:00.000+01:00

I used to do a LOT of digital scrapbooking, but not so much recently. However, recently Debbie Cleek, President of Scrap Girls Digital Scrapbooking approached me and asked me to create a digital layout to promote their Simpler Times bi-annual charity kit. A full 100% of the sale proceeds will go to the charity Food For The Poor.

"The money raised by this kit will go toward digging wells in some of the poorest regions in the world. This is the ninth year that Scrap Girls has created a kit for Food for the Poor and to date their efforts have supported the digging of 13 wells in countries all over the Caribbean and Latin America, most recently in earthquake-damaged Haiti."

So on to my layout!

I saw on twitter during the week that is was National Sibling Day on 10 April in America.....so in honour of National Sibling Day here is a layout including myself and my 2 big brothers .... back in the seventies!

We were probably aged 6, 5 and 4 in this photo, taken in our back garden when we lived in Enniskillen.

Sorry Dave and Jonny for the trendy 70's clothes - we can blame Mum!

So here is a bit more of the kit, to tempt you to purchase and download it - remember all $9.99 goes to a great charity providing clean water for thousands.

Scrap Girls Simpler Times Collection

If you have yet to try Digi-scrapping - go for it!

Thanks to Scrap Girls for letting me review the kit - and for getting me back to digi-scrapping again!

So - what do you think of the digi-layout, or the kit, or our 70's fashion? Let me know in the comments below!

What I learned this week

2013-04-09T16:32:00.003+01:00

I'll get straight down to my lessons learned

....we have had probably our coldest but driest beginning of April ever - sun shone every day (which doesn't usually happen!), no April showers. LOTS of blue skies!

and stunning sunsets.

....wee spring lambs are very cute

....when a new French restaurant (The French Rooms) opens in the village, prepare to be impressed. I will do a separate blog post about it, but the food was delicious. he building beautifully renovated, the staff friendly, and the little extra touches all added up to a wonderful evening.

.....Navy! I seem to be addicted to buying/wearing navy - there is a whole lot of navy going on in my wardrobe right now! I recently purchased a navy blazer which I am very pleased with. I am however on the look out for some linen trousers - maybe not navy though!

....sometimes you are invited to an event, and you aren't sure whether to go, but when it is BizCamp Belfast I am so glad I did. I was only able to stay for part of the day but I learned lots including - cloud accounting, pitching your story to the media, how I should be using MailChimp, and more! I also met some great people, and definitely made a few useful contacts for my jewellery business and blogging.

....travelling over to Donegal by ferry (even if it is only a 15 minute trip) is worth experiencing, especially on a such a sunny day

.....when you are going over to meet blogging friends Elizabeth and B, it is even better. We met them for lunch, then walked around the city walls of Derry/Londonderry/Stroke City. Check out Elizabeth's blog - she is a talented photographer, and they have just relocated from Florida to chilly Donegal, so it makes for a fascinating read too.

.....trying to explain to your kids you are driving west and taking a ferry to getSouthern Ireland, to then drive a bit south back into Northern Ireland, then west again back into Southern Ireland, to get to a restuarant to meet Elizabeth and B is confusing! At various times during the day we were asked "so are we in Northern Ireland or Southern Ireland now?"

Think that is enough learning for this week.

For more lessons learned, visit Julie at From Inmates to Playdates - each week she prompts us to blog and share our lessons.

What have YOU learned this week?

iPhone Friday - app of the week - PhotoSynth

2013-04-05T16:05:00.002+01:00

Welcome to another iPhone Friday

This week I want to share my favourite panoramic app = Photosynth - not sure why it sounds nothing like a panoramic app!

Here are a few recent panoramic photos taken with the app.

Ballintoy

Runkerry Strand (down on the beach)

Looking over to Runkerry

The path down to the Giants Causeway

As well as cropping them to easily share them online (Instagram, Facebook, on a blog etc) it is also possible to share them through the Photosynth website.

Here I am on Photosynth (as Janmary of course!)

By viewing them there you get a much more interactive and involved view of the images - you can scroll/sweep around, looking up and down and around, giving you a much better appreciation of the space.

This one of inside the Pantheon in Rome last June illustrates this very well

It is a easy and fun app to use. Just tap the screen, wait for the green rectangle, shift the camera round slightly, it will add to the image and warn you if you are going too fast or too far on! Try it, and let me know how you get on.

On to some images from my week.

Ballintoy

The ferry over to Donegal

City of Derry

Portrush Surf Festival

And another stockist for my www.janmarydesigns.com jewellery

I seem to be using collages MORE and MORE! Are you tired of them? I think part of it is that I can't pick just one image to capture an event or day, and I don't want to clog up other's Instagram or Facebook pages with numerous images.

Also playing around with collages is fun!

And a few NON-collaged images

This old abandoned cottage is just across the lane from our holiday cottage - very atmospheric, and I would love to know the history of who once lived here

We have had some glorious (but chilly) sunny days this week - and some spectacular sunsets. This was my view in the car wing mirror as we drove home the other evening.

And from the same evening, the sunset from the dramatic Dunluce Castle

So how was your iPhone photography week? I always add place to linkup to below, and very occasionally someone does, so I will keep going with that! Why not make my week and add an image or two?

Finally, remember you can still sign up for my iphone newsletter HERE

A Photo-drive to Murlough Bay with snow and sheep!

2013-04-02T10:05:00.003+01:00

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We headed east from the cottage for a drive round the coast this morning. We drove from Ballycastle to Cushendun along the scenic road (narrow, twisty and steep in places!) which passes Fair Head, Murlough Bay and Torr Head. The coast line was stunning with the snow still lying it lots of areas. It is less accessible (especially for the big tourist buses) and so has a lovely remote and unspoilt feel to this dramatic coastline.

Usually I share "photo-walks" on this blog, but is was absolutely freezing, and I only managed a couple of minutes outside the car at any one time, so more of a "drive" than a "walk".

So not many words - just lots of photos:

These are my favourite images from our drive

Murlough Bay

Mummy sheep and her twins

and the "3 amigos" sheep!

and here is the rest of the photos :

Fair Head (with Scotland in the distance)

More of Scotland

Snow drift in a bus shelter

Scotland!

One of my favourite places - Murlough Bay

Sheep on the road - there were several on our journey

A lot more snow

Unsurprisingly the picnic spot was not too popular today!

This shows how deep the snow was here before it was cleared by the snow plough

And then some more of those sheep

At one point my son said "I see a pig - no it is a wool-less sheep, a naked sheep!" - it was a sheep which had been shorn - made us laugh!

So there you have it - my photo-drive around part of the north coast of N Ireland.

I am sneakily adding this to What I Learned this Week too - over at From Inmates to Playdates - what I learned this week - Murlough Bay is a stunning place, especially in the snow, but it was SO cold!

What have you learned this week? Please share in the comments below, and make my day/week!

An Easter/Spring Update

2013-03-31T11:33:00.002+01:00

I seem to have been neglecting this blog with "ordinary" posts - without my routine of Lessons Learned and iPhone Friday, I doubt if I would ever get around to posting.

So, here is an update for you all.

The snow is still lying here in quite a few areas, despite it being over a week since the day of the heavy snow fall. Aparently this is has been the coldest March since 1962!

A friend renamed the season SPINTER which seems appropriate.

We are now up at the north coast at our cottage, and yesterday afternoon headed out for a drive with some photo taking opportunities.

Of course the wee lambs were everywhere, and here are a few

We headed on round the coast a few miles, and stopped just after Carrick-a-rede Rope Bridge.

Fair Head looked stunning with snow on top!

I am not sure when I have ever seen Scotland so clearly! That is part of Rathlin Island in front, but all the rest is Scotland - you can even see the wind turbines!

The road to Ballycastle was also lovely, a few more photos before we returned to the cottage to warm up again.

In other news, I have recently joined our church choir, and last Sunday evening (Palm Sunday) we sang a cantata "Halleluja, What a Saviour" which was a challenge, but very meaninful to sing about the days leading up to the crucifiction and ressurection of Jesus.

On Thursday evening we sang a couple of the pieces again as part of the Communion Service, another signicifant day in the Christian calendar as we remembered the Last Supper.

I pray that wherever you are this Easter, that you will know the real reason for the celebration - Jesus Christ, Our Lord.

iPhone Friday - Pinterest links on iphoneography

2013-03-29T21:56:00.000Z

Hello and welcome to another iPhone Friday post.

This week, as well as sharing some of my iphone photography images captured this week, I want to encourage you to use Pinterest to find great iPhone photography tutorials and inspiration.

My favourite jewellery I created for www.janmarydesigns.com this week were my new Instagram pendants using pics taken with my iPhone

I plan to offer these for sale soon on my website, and will also be able to make pendants and key-rings using YOUR own photos - so if you are interested, get in touch.

First my photos from this SNOWY week in Spring - or as a friend on facebook renamed this season - SPINTER!

I created the following collage using TurboCollage and Phonto apps

Most of these pics of Castle Gardens in Lisburn I took with the proHDR app and the text was added with LabelBox app

It was definitely a week for collages on my phone - one of Moira (love the doors) and one of the Easter decor for sale in Dobbies!

Finally, occasionally I like to convert an iPhone image to black and white - if there is a lot of colour and a lot happening in the background, reducing it to black and white simplifies the image, and draws the eye to the faces (at least I think so!). This was my Dad and my son this afternoon.

Now on to Pinterest.

Here are a couple of great Pinterest tutorials by the lovely Jo-Lynne Shane (Musings of a Housewife) - one of the first bloggers I connected with when I first dipped my toe in the blogging waters (!)

Getting started on Pinterest

Using Pinterest

Best Travel Games for Kids - a guest post

2013-03-27T10:39:00.004Z

Anyone who has been on a long haul journey with children will know how difficult keeping them entertained can be. When just ten minutes into the journey, cries of "Are we there yet?" and "I'm bored!" can have you tearing your hair out before you've even reached the motorway.
Chessington Holidays have put together some ideas to keep the whole family entertained until you reach your destination.

0-1 Years

Very young children can feel a little unsettled in unfamiliar surroundings. Taking along a favourite toy can help keep them entertained and comforted, whilst singing nursery rhymes and playing peek-a-boo can make them feel more "at home". Try putting something silly on your head, a newspaper or drinks cup for example and asking "Do you like my hat?" This can lead to lots of giggles from your little ones (N.B. Please don't do this if you're the driver).

2-5 Years

Treasure Hunt

Prior to setting out on a long journey draw some pictures of things you are likely to come across on your trip, such as a man in a hat, a girl with a dog, a fluffy sheep, or safari animals — give each player ten things to find and the winner is whoever finds all of the things on their card first.

One or the Other

A lovely simple game which can be lots of fun for all involved. Give two options and ask the child to pick their favourite. Jelly Babies or milkshake? Pink or green? Dancing or splashing in puddles? You could make it more tricky by picking two things they don't like and making them choose: kissing a frog or smelling Daddy's socks?

In My Suitcase: A classic memory game

The first player thinks of a word beginning with the letter "a" and then says the sentence "In my suitcase I have..." adding their word, "an apple" for example, at the end. The next player repeats the sentence adding a word beginning with "b", e.g. "In my suitcase I have an apple and a banjo" and so on through the alphabet until a player either forgets the list of objects or can't think of an object to add to the list. The game can be adapted to make the words as silly or as difficult to remember as you like.

One Word at a Time

Each member of the party helps to make a story, but only by adding one word at a time. Each player can say just one word to take the story in a completely new direction.

Just a minute?

All players, except the timekeeper, close their eyes. The timekeeper starts the clock or stopwatch. Each player puts up their hand when they believe that exactly one minute has passed. The winner is whoever gets closest to 60 seconds — a lot harder than you may think!

Keeping children entertained on long haul trips can be difficult but it can also be lots of fun with just a little forward planning and a few games up your sleeve, and remember, please be considerate when choosing your music.

Of course, if they fall asleep, enjoy the peace and quiet while you can, or listen to your own choice of music!

Disclaimer - This guest post has been brought to you by www.ChessingtonHolidays.co.uk

What I learned this week (the snowy Spring version!)

2013-03-26T14:26:00.000Z

I learned

Never underestimate the amount of SNOW we can have in March

I am very glad when it is snowing heavily and all the family are home safe and warm

I dislike driving in snow. It is now Tuesday, hasn't really snowed heavily since Friday, but still too much snow around.

I am thankful for good neighbours - my husband and most of the men in our street spent several hours clearing snow so we could all get out!

It is possible to have more than enought snow (like us), NO snow just a few miles from here in one direction, and have HUGE snow drifts and roads closed for days in the other direction. This was my back garden onSunday

I am thankful for electricity! We only had no power for about 10 minutes (and as soon as it came back there was a rush to charge ipads and mobile phones!), but I know of several friends who had NO electricity for 3 full days, in these freezing temperatures - brrrrr!

I love doing kids jewellery parties, even on snowy afternoons (www.janmarydesigns.com - available for bookings - hint!)

got a cat? There's an app for them too! Game for Cats

I need to do some ~~spring cleaning~~ spring clearing out - lots of stuff to clear out, and I have just found out about a new website for clothes recycling (you can also send dvds and cds)

I love having the kids off for 2 weeks - no school runs and homeworks (however lots of dentist appointments, hair cuts, sleepovers etc instead)

I have started making some photo jewellery from my instagram photos - loving it. Let me know if you would like me to make a pendant with one of YOUR photos - which image would you pick?

That's it for now, what have YOU learned this week? Do share.

For more lessons learned, as always you can visit the lovely Julie, where she hosts a "What I learned this week" carnival each Tuesday, and tell her I said "hi"!