Travel: The Weird Thing I Always Pack
Let’s face it, there’s probably more than ONE weird thing I pack when I travel. Although, compared to what airport security sees on the regular, I’m guessing my stuff is pretty bland. For instance, I have never tried to pack 240 live fish in my suitcases. Have you? So what is the weird thing I pack when I travel? A tennis ball. Why do I pack it? Do I have a love for tennis? For playing catch? Nope. I pack it because I’m not a spring chicken. I pack it because traveling with Handy Husband means oodles of miles on my feet. He’s not a fan of taxis. I pack…
Happy List: #60
Hello, everyone! Thanks for bearing with me on the website changes this week. I can’t think of a good way to segue out of that, so I’ll just use my jazz hands move on. Many people have asked me what it is like to live in Ireland without a car. I think they might really be asking if we are crazy, but that’s fair. On Monday, I shared our experience on this topic. The second question I ALWAYS receive about not having a car is if I’ve forgotten how to drive! In my experience, it’s more or less like riding a bike. So, get out your helmets! Ha! On Wednesday…
Personalized Wood Hangers
Hangers are that one useful tool in my house that no one wants to use. This is particularly true when it comes to our coat closet. Coats will find their way to a hook, the back of the chair, on a bench, on the floor, and my least favorite place, hanging on the closet door knobs. But not ON a hanger IN the closet. I’m living with a house full of rebels. I tell you this so there’s no doubt that this crafty project – personalized wood hangers – was just for my pleasure. In this house, it seems, I’m the only one who thinks hangers are useful AND can…
Don’t Freak Out! Website Changes!
Hello my favorite people! I’m popping in today to say don’t freak out because the website looks different. I’m the only one who needs to be freaking out! I was trying to add/improve functionality for my mobile readers behind-the-scenes and well, one thing led to another and I pushed the pretty flashing button that said “activate.” It turns out that button changed how everything looked! Why can’t I have one of those buttons when I’m trying to get ready in the morning? I’m not sure if the site is staying this way or not. I need to work out a bunch of bugs, which is my least favorite thing to…
Living in Ireland: Life Without A Car
As I type this, our family has lived in Ireland without a car for 21 months. Almost 2 years. No car. So what’s that like? It’s interesting. How is it possible? It’s complicated. Will we ever get a car? Not sure, but my kids ask everyday. How do you get stuff home? I have strong muscles. Doesn’t the weather suck? Yes, usually. Do you miss driving? Not as much as you’d think. First, some background. We are an American family who moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to Dublin, Ireland, for work. Our kids were starting 1st and 4th grades when we embarked on this adventure. To say we have learned and grown from this experience of not only living…
Happy List: #59
Hello, Hello! And welcome back! I hope you had a good Valentine’s week if that’s your thing. My kids have been off school all week, so it’s been a bit of a whirlwind. The good kind though! And in case you were wondering – nope – my dear children do not know how to sleep in when they get a week off from school. On Monday I shared the books the kids and I have been reading together this winter. Then on Wednesday I gave you a little update on the whereabouts of St. Valentine. Well, his earthly remains. As you can see, I like to mix the topics up…
St. Valentine’s Remains Are In Dublin
Hold onto your pink teddy bear and open up your box of mystery chocolates because I have an interesting Valentine’s Day story for you! The actual saint that kicked off this entire multi-billion dollar holiday is St. Valentine and his remains are indeed located in Dublin. I read about this link between Valentine’s Day and Ireland on a site called Irish Customs and Culture. You’ll have to read the full account yourself because it is quite detailed. And we all know digging into the minutiae, as important as it may be, is not my love language. That’s why there are experts. Now, as I understand the story… The remains were…
Books My Kids Are Reading Part 7
I’m back with another update (the 7th!) of what books my kids and I have been reading together. The books I share here are the ones my kids, 2nd and 5th graders, enjoyed and gave their stamp of approval. My feelings are sometimes more complicated. I’m a mom. I overthink all. the. things! First, I wanted to show you a different kind of book. This is my son’s Irish reading homework from a few months ago. Suffice it to say, I have to trust him when he says it’s a story about a monkey drinking milk. Now, onto the book list! The World’s Worst Children by David Walliams We’ve read…
Happy List: #58
Hello! Fancy meeting you here again! Did you catch my post about the cheese tea? Are you going to try it? I made that tea in my kitchen and on Monday I shared the behind-the-scenes of that swanky place. Kidding – it’s not swanky, but I’m thankful we have it! This week’s Happy List is random – per usual! Consider it a look inside my brain. WEIRD RESERVOIR This is a picture of the Pontsticill Reservoir in Wales by a fantastic photographer, Matt Thomas. It’s actually not weird. You’re looking at a bell-mouth spillway, which releases water from the dam. I love it when an interesting picture prompts me to actually do…
Would I Make It Again? Cheese Tea
Yes, you read that right. CHEESE. TEA. Apparently, cheese tea is a thing now. Regular tea wasn’t good enough, so we had to fancy it up with cheese? They should have come up with a better name for it though. I mean…gross. The cheese tea trend originated in Taiwan about 5 years ago according to this article. Instead of tasting like cheese the tea is supposed to taste like cheesecake. That sounds better. But, wait. The original recipe is made with POWDERED CHEESE. *gag* That does not sound better, but my only experience with powdered cheese is from a box of mac n’ cheese. I’ll try and reserve judgment on…
