Turn Building Blocks Into Christmas Ornaments
Some people do crossword puzzles to keep their brain sharp. I constantly thinking of ways to repurpose items in our home. Totally the same, right? Hmm. The latest idea was to turn my kids’ natural wood building blocks into Christmas ornaments. Why?? Let me explain… One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the artwork my kids bring home from school. I’ve saved some of it and every year when I open the holiday boxes and see something they made with their cute little toddler (now big kid) hands, I melt into a pile of mom goo. This is one of my favorite pieces of foot-made handmade artwork. If…
Living in Ireland: Christmas in Retail 2017
We are counting down the days until we celebrate our second Christmas living in Ireland! Last year I didn’t know what to expect as far as the holidays go and I was pleasantly surprised to see that everyone – including retailers – really get into the Christmas spirit here. This makes sense given the heavy Catholic influence in Ireland. There is no “buffer holiday” between Halloween and Christmas in Ireland, so the holiday decorations starting going up in early November. As an example of how early festivities start, the tree lighting event in our town was on November 18. Santa arrived on a Harley Davidson (why not?) to turn on…
Happy List: #50
Does anyone else still have holiday boxes and decor strewn EVERYWHERE around their home? I’m seeing homes beautifully decorated for Christmas ALL OVER social media and I’m like, “Hey! Is this a candy cane from last year?” *sigh* The tree is up though. It’s halfway decorated. As is the mantel. I made some wreaths and I keep moving them around because I can’t decide where I want them. I just liked making them! So, basically, I’ve totally got it together in the holiday decorating department. On a less melodramatic note, on Monday I shared our trip to Blarney Castle! I’m glad we finally made it over there. On Wednesday I…
Refinish Wood Chairs Without Power Tools
That’s right! We did indeed refinish our wood dining chairs without the help of power tools! I know what you’re thinking. No. We are not gluttons for punishment. Well, not in this case, anyway. Have we lost our marbles? Possibly a few of them, but not from this project. Refinishing the chairs was less of a big deal than I thought it was going to be. This is often the case with things I procrastinate on doing, by the way. Since we only refinished the seats and left the legs and backs alone, the process didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Thank goodness – since we use these…
Visiting Ireland: Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle
I finally kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle! Cross that one off the Travel Bucket List! According to legend, I should be exceptionally eloquent now…but, I think I’m still waiting for the ol’ magic to kick in. Oh well. Our family visited Blarney Castle on a cold, rainy November day. It was fantastic! Truly. I could have done without the rain, but then it wouldn’t be Ireland! History: The original Blarney Castle was a wooden structure dating back to the 10th century. It’s long since gone. The stone castle you will see on your visit is the third structure on the site and it was built by Cormac McCarthy,…
Happy List: #49
Well, hello to you and December too! It’s good to be back blogging this week, but we really enjoyed our time with friends over Thanksgiving! I’ll tell you about the new places we visited in Ireland soon. This week I shared a list of board games we’ve been playing together as a family. These are games that EVEN ME as a non-game player enjoy. Wednesday was the third installment in the Would I Make It Again series featuring Apple Fritter Muffins. If you like Apple Fritters or are curious about what I would do if a muffin gets stuck in the pan, I suggest reading that post. Here’s what’s on…
Would I Make it Again? Apple Fritter Muffins
When I was a little girl, my Uncle Donny owned a doughnut shop. I can still remember the sweet smell of the shop, the flour smudges on my uncle’s all white uniform and, of course, the sweet treats. Looking back, I’m sure it was anything but glamorous to be up in the wee hours of the morning making bear claws, maple bars and apple fritters. But, oh, the deliciousness! Fast forward let’s not talk about how long to a couple of weeks ago when my landlord gifted me a bag of apples from the tree in her backyard. Tart green apples that were perfect for baking. That’s my kind of…
Board Games Even I Enjoy
I’m not sure what you guys lie in bed at night watching. Game of Thrones? Friends reruns? Stranger Things? The 10 O’Clock News? This Is Us? Do you want to know what I fall asleep listening to Handy Husband watches? YouTube videos of people playing board games. Try not to be jealous of my life. This is akin to my kids watching YouTube videos of people playing Minecraft instead of just playing Minecraft themselves. I’m giving you this window into my very glamorous life to illustrate an important point. When Handy Husband takes on a hobby, you can be guaranteed that he will take that hobby on 110%. There’s no…
What I’m Thankful For Ain’t On No List
First of all, apologies to my Grandma Olsson for using the word ain’t in the title of this post. I’m fairly certain if she could reprimand me from heaven she would! That was NOT a word we were allowed to use as grandchildren of a teacher. I think it was right up there with naughty words or ‘barnyard talk’ as she called it. Maybe worse! Since she was the sweetest grandma to walk the planet (I’m not biased or anything), I think she would forgive me just this once because I’m merely quoting a song written by Trisha Yearwood. Yes, I’m trying to get off on a technicality. The first…
Happy List: #48
Hurray! You survived another week! On Monday I shared another round of what my kids are reading. I’m really glad my kids still enjoy me reading out loud to them. It’s not a season that will last forever, so I’m soaking it up now. I also shared another round of Would I Make It Again? This time it was a recipe for Korean Beef and adding it into the dinner rotation was a no brainer! Here are a few things that made me smile or feel inspired this week. SWEETEST CHRISTMAS TRADITION Guys. I might be feeling sentimental, but I just read about THE SWEETEST Christmas tradition for daughters. Sorry,…
