Another Halloween is in the books and we are racing toward the end of the year!
The days can seem long, but the years short. Why is that?
Anyway, this week I spread the word that Talking Statues have arrived in Dublin. I also shared a hard-to-write, personal account of why I sent my kids to Catholic mass. Basically, I got up on my soapbox.
So let’s follow that up with some not-so-deep stuff. Here’s this week’s Happy List.
WORLD’S BEST MUSEUMS
My grandma was the first person to take me to a museum. We went to a lot of museums and I’m sure I did not appreciate them as much as I should have. But now, as an adult, I see the tremendous value museums offer the world.
That’s why when National Geographic published a list of Best Museums in the World it caught my attention. I had no idea some of these existed!
It looks like we have some more places to add to our Travel Bucket List now!
(image: Science Museum in Valecia via cac.es)
HOW TO DYE LEATHER
It has never dawned on me to dye leather!
You have to hop over to Rhoda’s blog, Southern Hospitality, to see just how she did it to transform these chairs – for less than $50.
(image: Southern Hospitality)
FIREWOOD HOLDER
I saw this firewood holder by Steele Street Studio on HGTV and my heart swooned.
I don’t know how practical it is, but I love the statement it makes.
I’m sure practicality is overrated anyhow.
Photo By: Shannon Lazic Photography via HGTV
HOW TO STOP A BULLY
Bullies aren’t happy, but tools that help deal with them are happy in my book.
One of my kids is pretty good at letting mean stuff roll off his/her back. One of my kids takes it very personally and has been dealing with some mean kids lately.
This is SO HARD to watch your kids go through. I am the mom at the playground who will yell at other people’s kids if they are being mean. However, my kids need to develop skills to help them be resilient and deal with the mean people they will encounter. Sadly, that’s real life and it doesn’t stop when you become an adult.
I showed this video by Brooks Gibbs to my kids this week after seeing it floating around Facebook. He had a really good way of explaining bullying in a way that my kids seemed to understand.
Sometimes it helps when the information doesn’t come from mom, you know?
It’s important to note that HE mentions he’s talking about verbal bullying when someone hurts your feelings. Physical contact, stealing your stuff, etc. is a different ballgame.
BOOK GIFTS FOR MOVIE, MAP AND LITERATURE FANS
i read about Andrew Degraff in National Geographic and that’s when I realized I’d seen his artwork before in a ton of magazines like Slate, Sports Illustrated and Esquire.
Degraff is an illustrator and artist living in Maine and he has two books with really cool map-like illustrations. If you like his style of art, you’ll probably like these books.
I know this sounds TERRIBLE, but his illustrations are so cool I’d want to free them from the book and frame them for a media room, office, library or a kid’s room.
Cinemaps: An Atlas of 35 Great Movies
This is Degraff’s illustration of Lord of the Rings from his website. The lines show the movement of the characters.
Plotted: A Literary Atlas
Also from his website, here’s an example of one of the books illustrated in Plotted: A Literary Atlas
At a minimum, these would make neat coffee table books for movie or reading buffs.
CHRISTMAS JEWEL CRAFT
This is a super cool way to recycle old brooches or jewels for Christmas decor.
You could make other shapes with the jewels. An initial. A heart. A number. An animal.
BEST USE OF POMPOMS
This is the best use of pompoms I’ve seen in awhile. Plus, I love the shape of that basket.
Oh, and the wood floor in that picture gives me all the heart eyes.
(image: Le Joli Shop)
WOODGRAIN DRIVEWAY
Someone has out DIYed us all and it is amazing. This is a driveway in Germany!
I don’t know if that’s actual wood or cleverly stamped concrete, but it’s pretty neat to look at.
APPLE CUCUMBER SALAD
This Apple Cucumber Salad by Cooking With Ruthie is on my list to make!
Doesn’t it look like autumn in a bowl?
(image: Cooking With Ruthie)
Happy Friday, friends! Enjoy the first weekend of November!
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