I Just Don’t Understand: Two-Handle Kitchen Faucets
Let’s talk about something I just don’t understand. Genuinely don’t understand. Maybe one of you can clue me in. Let me know what I’m missing. I have seen tons of gorgeous pictures floating around blog-land and HGTV of kitchens with two-handle kitchen faucets. Like this Kingston one from Home Depot. It looks pretty. There’s no doubt about that. But why is a two-handle kitchen faucet a good idea from a practical standpoint? In order to get an ideal temperature that’s not scalding hot, you have to adjust both the hot water AND the cold water handle. (image: Kohler) Doesn’t this make cleaning up extra difficult? Especially if both your hands…
Leather Wrapped Rock Paperweight
Editor’s Note: Late last week hackers redirected all my website traffic to spammy sites. It’s a horrible feeling and a mess to fix! I apologize if you tried to visit this site and weren’t able to do so. Huge thanks to Handy Husband for tackling the problem and kicking them off my happy place! I’d be lost without him! I have a crush. A style crush. Lately, thanks to Instagram, I have found inspiration in the spaces created by Studio McGee. If the name doesn’t sound familiar, you might recognize the fantasy kitchen they designed for HGTV. No biggie, right? (image: Studio McGee) Studio McGee is a small company started in…
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…
Spring Break and an Irish Blessing
I hope you had a lovely Easter. Here’s an Irish blessing to start your week: May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life’s passing seasons bring the best to you and yours! I’m hopping off the blog this week to spend time with Handy Husband and the kiddos. If we end up doing anything exciting, I’ll be sure and post it on Instagram. Have a happy week! Share this:
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…
