The value of true friendship

You cannot put a price on the value of true friendship. Over the course of one's life, friends come and friends go. For the most part, a few hang in there like a rusty nail. I have always had this strange relationship with my friends. It starts off hard, fast and intense and that is enough to cement the foundation for a long lifetime of laughs.

Although the Atlantic divide poses a few (minor) problems when trying to stay connected, Facebook has really helped rejuvenate day-to-day contact with many of our friends. Since returning home to lovely Ireland we have had no shortage of pond-hoppers. The hardest part of having guests in our home, is when it comes time to say goodbye. That harsh reminder that no matter how many times we sync electronically, there is no substitution for the face-to-face connections and the warmth of a real hug with those that we love. 

Living in my home town, I am beyond blessed to have rekindled relationships with the girls I went to school with. Truth be told (girls - don't you dare) there was no rekindling needed. These girls are the kind that walk in your back door unannounced, and take your children without hesitation or permission and no one (not even the children!) question it. 

They are the kind of girls that will pose with you for one more picture even though the laptop has 4,000 of the exact same photo. The kind of girls that when you need them most, there is no need to call for them because they are already there.

Of course the door is always open to making new friends. Attending University is a great way to meet people and make new friends. Over the last few months I have met some very unique and amazing people. Some of them bake the most wonderful cakes and drive them (carefully) to my house for parties! 

Pizzapahluzza at our house last night ended up being 'friendapahluzza'. And what a lovely blend of friends it was!

Although I get sad when a friend leaves us after having a fun-filled week of love and laughter, in a way, it is just another reminder of how lucky I am. Lucky to have wonderful, talented, smart, funny friends that surround us (and our children) to share food and stories and songs.

 

The children are of the age now that they get rather attached to the friends that we have, so the tearful goodbyes are a little more intense. Explaining the distance across the pond is still a challenge and the lack of understanding as to 'why Tommy can't come back next weekend' is something we are working on.

Everyone needs someone. Relationships are hard work. I am a firm believer in making an investment in all the relationships I am involved in. If you make no effort to dig your heels in for the long haul, then the relationship will fizzle and the friendship might fade. However, those that have been cemented in a firm foundation prove to have lifelong stamina.

So here's to you, to all my friends

May life's loving laughter never come to an end.

Pains of life will ebb and flow,

Friendships' bond may heave and grow.

My friends, so close or miles so vast, 

these bonds are firm and made to last!

Those are all the WiseWords I have on this gorgeous sunny Sunday morning.

WiseMóna

Good ole Irish Coffee

There are several of you that have had the pleasure of drinking one (or several) of these delicious coffees and I felt it only fitting to throw up the recipe for this and tell the story that goes with its 'perfection'. You see, I always claimed to have the best recipe for this drink, considering I started making them at home for the parents (sorry Catherine, your secret is out) most likely at the age of 9 or 10. It was great, we got to stay up late and make drinks for Mum, Dad and whomever of there friends they were entertaining at the time.

It is kind of your birthright as an Irish person to instinctively know how to make this drink, and it will be consistently delicious every time.

When I met Ron at BrewWorks a million years ago, we were in the opening phase of the bar and needed a recipe. I argued that mine should be the one we use, and Ron (IMAGINE) argued that his WOULD be the recipe we would use. We had to have a 'taste off' where we both made our own recipe and had Ken Lewis (the boss) taste and deliver an answer.

Ron and I had just met (2 days prior) and although I was already very smitten, he was not having any of it. So, there was NO chance of me winning him over and he was the king of recipes.

After tasting his recipe and giving careful consideration to the fact that he was my future husband I conceded to use his recipe with one minor change. His coffee was terrible, but his whipped cream was divine. (keep it clean folks - we had not even dated at this point).

As he was quite chuffed at 'winning the battle' I decided to make a run for 'winning the war'. I invited him over to try out our new recipe and although I had to keep him 'drunk' for 3 days, he finally gave in and agreed to date me.

Amazing what a girl has got to do to land a husband these days.

Needless to say, the recipe is still intact and used by many. I hope, after you try it out (esp. you MarySue, Jane & Carmen) I think that it will bring back many many memories of the howling laughter we have shared over this drink.

Ingredients:

2 oz whiskey (or more if you like it)

Boiling hot water (really boiling)

1 tsp sugar (raw sugar cane is the best and use more sugar if you like it sweet)

1 tsp instant coffee (yes, I said instant, NO - do not try it with good coffee)

Heavy whipping cream

Vanilla essence (a few drops)

White/Superfine sugar

First, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla essence to a perfect whip. Not too thick, not too thin. Just right. Stick in fridge and leave there until ready to make your drink. (same day and NEVER EVER use that crap in a can that squirts).

Boil the water. Put sugar and coffee in a glass. Add whiskey. Fill 2/3rds of the way from the top, stirring until you are certain the sugar is dissolved. Taste to make sure there is enough sugar in the drink.

Get 2 teaspoons and a cup. Place spoons in cup and 1/2 fill with boiling water.

Get cream from fridge and start spooning it onto the hot coffee mix with the use of these teaspoons. You should be able to float the cream nicely on top assuming you have the right mix of whiskey, sugar and coffee.

Dust a little instant coffee on top for garnish.

Sit back, drink and enjoy. NEVER mix the cream into the coffee. That is just gauche!

That is all the WiseWords for today,

WiseMóna

Mi Casa es Su Casa!

Welcome Home..........................Welcome!
Come on in and close the door. This is the view from my kitchen window.

We moved into our new home, just a little over a week ago. It only took a few days to start feeling like home.

Rory has already hooked up with the boy next door. His name is Evan, he goes to the same school as her and is .................wait for it......................a whole year older than her!!! He is equally enthralled with her.
There was a present waiting for us in our back yard when we moved in. Good ole Uncle Arthur Guinness. Sorry folks, it was empty.
Although this house is enormous, (6 bedrooms), would you know that the children only want to be in the smallest most cramped space they can find, and spend hours there quite happily.

It feels right. Actually, Chef himself made the comment just after a few days how surprised he was at feeling like he was coming home to the same 'home' we had on Craig Avenue.
That should give most of you warm and fond memories of fireplaces, food, the occassional glass (or bottle) of wine and millions of hours of fun and friendship.

It is good to be home, now - who is coming to visit??

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,
WiseMóna