Happy List: #66
Happy Friday the 13th!! I’m back in action after some time off for Easter Break. As much as I enjoy lazy mornings, I am glad to be back to our routine this week. On Monday I shared all the things I learned about kids throwing paint. Oops – what I meant to say was kids creating art with eggshells filled with paint. On Wednesday I shared our trip to an Irish prison museum. You just never know what you’re going to get when you come here, do you? Also, on a housekeeping note, I’ve been organizing my 4 years of blog content. It took me what felt like 10 years…
Visiting Ireland: Kilmainham Gaol Museum
When we arrived at Kilmainham Gaol Museum on the west side of Dublin, we were greeted at a big imposing door by a stout-looking Irish man with grey hair. He looked at me and with all seriousness said, “Ah! I see you’ve brought us some long-term guests!” My kids stared at the man and then slowly looked at me like, “He’s joking, right mom? RIGHT?!?!” Have I mentioned that Kilmainham Gaol is a prison? Technically, it WAS a prison. Kilmainham Gaol opened in 1796 on a site known as Gallows Hill. If that doesn’t set the stage for an 18th century prison, I don’t know what does. WHY YOU SHOULD…
Egg Painting
On the list of superficial worst nightmares, kids throwing paint ranks pretty high for me. Twenty kids ages 4 to 11 filling eggshells with paint and throwing the eggs (hopefully) at a canvas? What could possibly go wrong?!?! Oh, I could think of one or a million things! Especially when I saw there was a bottle of glitter paint. Now there’s paint AND glitter? I am not ashamed to say it was one of those ‘back slowly away and let the other moms handle it’ kind of moments. As you can tell, egg painting was not my idea. This is why I am thankful for braver, more creative, more patient…
Happy List: #65 Happy Easter
Hello, hello! Happy Good Friday and early Easter to you! Easter is a huge religious holiday in Ireland, but not as commercial as what I am used to in the U.S. Less commercialism is probably a good thing. This week I shared a recipe that would be delicious to serve for Easter brunch: Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake. I also wrote about my Easter egg crafting session. The result was a spring feeling in my heart and sheet music eggs on my table! Here’s the Happy List. PHOTO COLORIZATION PROJECT Black and white photos can be hard to related to. I think that’s one reason why it is so fascinating to…
Sheet Music Easter Eggs
Confession time. Things don’t feel very Easter-y around here. It’s not a holiday I typically decorate for and with our recent snowstorms, it hasn’t quite felt like spring around these parts. So I decided I would craft myself into a spring mood. Nothing says spring rebirth like styrofoam eggs, so that’s what I started with. My first attempt at decorating my fake eggs was a major flop. It’s also a reminder of why I try to avoid Pinterest. My second attempt was much more successful. I made Sheet Music Easter Eggs, which I’m not sure are actually spring-looking, but they are more my style. Making Sheet Music Easter Eggs is…
Would I Make It Again? Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
Let’s ease into the week talking about something meaningful. Coffee cake. Otherwise known as the cake that is acceptable to eat for breakfast. That’s pretty much heaven on earth, right? This Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake recipe came out of one of the three cookbooks that I own. Two of the cookbooks are out of print. All three cookbooks were gifts. Clearly, I am not a collector of cookbooks, but I’ve kept these three because I actually use them. Not as often as I use online recipe sites though. I equate it to trying out the newest exercise fad – ThighMaster, Tae Bo, pole dancing classes. But then always coming back…
Happy List: #64
Well, hello from the start of my Spring Break! It’s actually called Easter Break in Ireland. My kids have a half day of school today and then TWO WEEKS off. And we don’t have any plans. Should I be worried for my sanity? On Monday I shared a recap of what St. Patrick’s Day is like in Dublin. Then on Wednesday I gave you a glimpse into why I volunteer at school riveting story about my latest rummage sale find. Now let’s get to the good stuff. The Happy List! DOABLE DIY This faux map drawer DIY is awesome! If it looks as good in person as it does in…
My Latest Rummage Sale Find
I don’t want to hurt my brain thinking about it too hard, but I’m fairly certain my ‘latest’ rummage sale find is actually my ‘only’ rummage sale find. But let’s not get bogged down in the details. My children’s school holds a rummage sale before Christmas each year. Parents donate the crud they can’t wait to get rid of slightly used toys and knick-knacks and then give their kids money to buy it all back. It’s the best idea ever a great fundraiser for the school. I have volunteered to staff the rummage sale the past two years because I want to make sure my kids don’t buy their own stuff back it’s…
Visiting Ireland: St. Patrick’s Day
Visiting Ireland any time of year is special. Visting Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day? Well, that’s taking things up a notch or ten million. Let’s start with some basics. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland who is believed to have died on March 17 around the year 460 A.D. Record keeping might not have been quite as stringent in the 5th century. Hence, all the qualifying words. It is believed that St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland or, at least, had a large influence on Christianity in Ireland. Many of the stories about St. Patrick aren’t necessarily factual. However, they are impressive if you have certain phobias. For…
Happy List: #63 St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy almost St. Patrick’s Day!! This week because I have a great sense of timing, I shared a decidedly UN-Irish post – my tips for visiting Paris with kids. It was great! Especially that part where I talk about bathrooms. I like to share the important stuff with you guys! I also shared a new recipe I’ve been snacking on lately – Chile Lime Almonds. Also known as “what to do when your husband buys a bag of raw almonds.” Here is this week’s Happy List! EASTER BUNNY NAPKIN If you are hosting Easter dinner, please tell me you’ll fold your napkins like this! (image: Sand and Sisal) This idea…
