Happy List #24

Why, hello again!

This week was started out as a blur of gorgeous weather. Today is has fizzled a bit. On Wednesday when the weather was amazing, I shared pictures from my commute in Ireland. It was filled with all the good, the bad, the weird and the pretty that I’ve seen in the last couple of months. On Monday, I shared a 15% off coupon code for Anonymous Jewellry. It’s a subscription service that I tried and enjoyed recently. It would be a great Mother’s Day gift and something you can do last minute for all of you pick-up-a-card-on-the-way-to-mom’s-house types. You know who you are!

Here’s what’s on my Happy List this week.

Good Fences Make…Me Happy

The fences I see in Ireland are usually made of stone or concrete. Highly durable, yes. Pretty to look at? Eh…sometimes.

I like the look of this horizontal fence. If you don’t need complete privacy and I’m trying to think when that might be, these horizontal slats offer a cool aesthetic look.

(image credit: Mark McWilliams Photography)

Again, here are horizontal boards offering more privacy than the above picture, but what I really LOVE is the living wall concept. Assuming I could keep it alive, that is. This is a small detail to this aspirational gardener.

If you’re wondering where I’m at on the journey to becoming an actual gardener, I am  somewhere in the “sit in my bed with my laptop and look at pretty pictures” phase of gardening. But, I’m feeling there might be progress. Maybe not soon, but eventually.
(Image: Jeeheon Cho; Design By: Guido Keller, Lotus Gardenscapes)

For more about these ideas and other fences, read this article.

Super Bookshelf

I’ve been birthday shopping for my offspring and this bookshelf on Amazon looked super cool. Pun intended. There’s a boy version as well.

AIRSTREAM CAMPING

I stumbled upon a campground called Autocamp.com. Someone has been refurbishing old Airstream trailers and created a campground with them. Such a good idea! They’ve set them up in an old RV Park and you can rent them – just like you would a hotel room. No need to pull around a trailer. No need to worry about parking a trailer. Just show up and enjoy all the perks.

This is a great business idea. I might even do this kind of camping. They have showers, right???

AutoCamp has two locations in California. It’s not cheap though! I randomly checked mid-week in October 2017 at the Russian River location and it was $275/night.

But it’s so cute! And they have bikes!

Anyway, check it out. It’s Autocamp.com and all pictures are from their site.

Melted Crayon Rocks

This is something I’d like to try with my kids – melting crayons on hot rocks. What could go wrong? HAHAHAHA!

The inner child in me would like to try this project too. The inner child in me would also like someone to carry me when I get tired, but we know that’s not going to happen! So, rocks it is.

Read about it at Artfulparent.com.

Cool Design

There’s so much to love about this photo featured on Caan Design.

If I got over my annoyance with fingerprints on windows, I think I’d really love that bridge. So would my kids.

The inside of this house is really neat too!

Architects and photo credit: Shiflet Group Architects and Glynis Wood Interiors

When You Don’t Have a Mom on Mother’s Day

In the hustle and bustle of Hallmark holidays, we can forget that not all holidays are happy for everyone. Mother’s Day can be a tough one for so many people who do not have a mom in their lives.

There’s a child at school who doesn’t have a mom to come to Mother’s Day Tea. There’s a friend who’s mom has recently passed. There’s a neighbor who hasn’t had contact with his mom in years.

This little world of ours if full of people who could use an extra hug on Mother’s Day. It’s a great day to open our arms a little wider to those around us – just like our moms would have done.

Don’t watch this video if you just put on your mascara. It will make you cry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4JSXuEfxlk

Plot Twist

I’ve been following along as Ashley from Under the Sycamore and her family spend 10 weeks in China. What she wrote this week had me saying “YES! THIS!”

To quote her, “An attribute that has always been important to me to instill in my kids is adaptability – in relationships, situations, goals and everyday life while still remaining consistent in their core beliefs and values. The ability to adapt and change as needed will not only open the door to some pretty incredible adventures, but it also makes day to day life far less frustrating.

Since they were all tiny, Chris and I have tried to teach them to approach change and the unexpected with a positive outlook…to be able to smile and say, “Plot twist!” when the unknown and unexpected pops up in the story of their days.”

(photo: Under the Sycamore)

Isn’t that great? Adaptability is KEY to making life so much less stressful and so much more incredible. I’ve seen my kids demonstrate this ability as we’ve changed houses, states, schools, countries. In fact, I think they do better with change than even my husband and I do.

My kids and I LOVE a good plot twist in a book and this phrase is something I’m going to steal to help defuse those tense situations where your day or your travels just don’t go as anticipated. Usually I say, “oh, it could be worse!” But I like “PLOT TWIST!” so much better!

Read the whole post and see Ashley’s incredible photography here. She’s also on Instagram.

Constellations

This was a fresh take on the glow-in-the-dark stars we used to put on our ceilings as kids. In fact, I put them on my daughter’s ceiling at one point.

I can’t imagine where I’d ever do this, but I really like the idea. It would also be a cool wall treatment for a restaurant.

Image credit: Nathan Kirkman and Anna Knott for Domino and more info from here.

Butterfly Wreath

I don’t have a wreath up right now and I feel like I’m slacking.

This wreath from Design Improvised is so darn happy looking! Isn’t it?

It looks easy to make too. Bonus!

(photo)

To all the moms in the United States, I wish you a very happy Mother’s Day. (Mother’s Day in Ireland happened a couple of months ago.) Take care and enjoy!

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