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…
Travel: Paris with Kids
When I told a family member we’d be visiting Paris, she said, “That sounds so romantic!” To which I replied, “Did I forget to mention we’re visiting Paris WITH our kids?” So, no romance this trip, but lots of family fun. It’s a good trade-off. Right?!?! While I would love to see Paris in the spring, it was pretty special to be able to ring in the New Year (from our hotel room, of course) in this beautiful city. Here are my impressions of Paris, things we did and my tips for visiting with kids. (Our kids were 7 and 10 at the time of our visit.) GETTING AROUND The…
Would I Make It Again? Chile Lime Almonds
Some girls get flowers and chocolate from their significant other. I get almonds. No, really. I did. It was a sweet and thoughtful gesture from Handy Husband. And I say that with the utmost degree of sincerity, not sarcasm. Sometimes I need to clarify these things. However, I kind of ruined the moment when I said, “You got me UNSALTED almonds?” And he said, “What? No. Why would they be unsalted? Check the label.” This isn’t my first almond rodeo. I know a package of healthy unsalted almonds when I see one. I humored Handy Husband though (there’s a marriage tip for you!) and turned the bag over to find…
Happy List: #62
Hello, hello! How’s life treating you? I hope exceptionally well. This week I talked about “surviving” a snowstorm in Ireland, a place that doesn’t get snowstorms. A full week after the storm started and 4 days after the stores reopened, my grocery store was STILL not fully stocked with the basics that it usually sells. It’s back to normal now and it sure does make me thankful. On Wednesday, I shared four of my most favorite St. Patrick’s Day ideas! This year St. Patrick’s Day is on a Saturday, so I’m wondering how crazy is it going to get here in Dublin? Here is what is on the Happy List this…
St. Patrick’s Day Ideas
I’ve been so wrapped up in snowstorms that I forgot spring is on its way. Or, rather, spring is SUPPOSED to be on its way. She sure is taking her sweet time! I’m ready for warmer temperatures and pretty flowers, but as it turns out, Mother Nature cares nothing about my opinion. How rude! Father Time, on the other hand, keeps marching forward so in 10 days it will be St. Patrick’s Day! There is no better place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than in Ireland, but if you can’t be here with me, perhaps these St. Patrick’s Day ideas will get you in a festive mood. St. Patrick’s Day Ideas:…
Living in Ireland: Surviving a Snowstorm
Surviving a snowstorm. Yes, that’s a bit melodramatic. However, snow is not something I thought I’d be writing about while living in Ireland. This island is supposed to have a temperate climate, after all. But every decade or so conditions are just right to deliver a weather wollup to the country. In this case (March 2018), it was in the form of Storm Emma colliding with “The Beast from the East,” which was a disruption to the stratospheric polar vortex that normally stays right where it belongs – up above the Arctic Circle. (And, yes. I had to google that.) When these two meteorological forces combined over the country of Ireland,…
Happy List: #61
March? Already? I’m afraid I’m going to say something similar at the start of every month, folks. 2018 needs to slow the heck down. Except for that hour every evening when we do homework. That can accelerate at light speed, thank you very much. This week I shared the weird thing I pack when I travel. It’s probably not actually weird, but I write my own sensational headlines. On Wednesday I tapped into my inner resourceful self and created a leather map out of a pair of old boots. Still not over losing my favorite pair of boots though. Here’s what’s on the Happy List this week! SNOW IN IRELAND…
Leather Map From Old Boots
There are a great number of things to be sad about in this world. Your favorite pair of boots falling apart at the seams is not one of the things that should make you sad. Don’t worry. If it did devastate make me sad I wouldn’t do anything immature like text my bestie a million crying face emojis when I realized the boots were not repairable. Of course not. Instead, I decided my heart would go on to save the leather from the boots. Perhaps I could use it for a crafty project in the future. That’s where the idea for a leather map from my old boots originated. Here’s how…
