Living in Ireland: That Time A Tree Came Down
In mid-August the Irish village I live in started replacing sections of sidewalks (aka footpaths) on our street. It’s now October and they are still working on it. One might assume I live on a really long street. Nope. Not at all. There are probably 14 houses along this stretch of road. One might also assume this construction crew is juggling projects all over the area. Wrong again! I know this because I finally broke down and asked. Anyway, the point is I like to judge things I have no expertise in I don’t understand why, but it’s taking a really long time to replace the sidewalks. So imagine my surprise when…
Happy List: #41
People! I have exciting news. Both of my kids are going to a sleepover on Saturday night. That means Handy Husband and I get to go out to dinner with friends. I wonder if they’ll mind if we’re home by 9? Kidding! Okay, not really. Not a night owl and proud of it! Anyway, this is the first time we’ve had anything resembling a date night since moving to Ireland. So, just a wee bit overdue. This week I shared more denim pumpkin ideas and our favorite castle tour with kids in Ireland. Here’s what else is on my Happy List this week. BROOMSTICKS AND DONUTS I wish I had a…
Visiting Ireland: Our Favorite Castle Tour (with kids)
I grew up on the West Coast of the United States. The places and structures we consider old there aren’t old at all when compared to, well, basically everywhere else in the world. That perspective, in part, is why I find castles so fascinating. Ireland has a number of castles – some of which date back to the 12th century. The thing you need to know about castles is they are not one size fits all. They range in size, in function, in grandeur. It’s interesting to visit castles of all shapes and sizes because they each have an interesting story to tell about their place and purpose in history.…
Striped and Flower Petal Denim Pumpkins
Bet you were hoping I was done with the denim projects, huh? Nope! Hahahaha! I’m 97.328% sure this is the last post about denim pumpkins though, you lucky ducks! You already know all about the braided denim pumpkin. I don’t like to play favorites, but there is a reason I shared its textured gorgeousness first. It wasn’t my first trip to the denim pumpkin patch though! On my first trip I created a striped denim pumpkin made out of strips of cut-up jeans. I didn’t measure. I didn’t worry about straight lines. In other words, a project right up my alley! The only thing you’ll need to make this pumpkin…
Happy List: #40
Hello! It’s OFFICIALLY autumn, can you believe it? I’m trying to use the word autumn more because if I say ‘Fall’ in reference to the season, the Irish have no clue what I’m talking about. Or maybe they do and they’re just messing with me? Guess I won’t put up my ‘Happy Fall Y’all’ sign on my front door. Kidding. I don’t actually have one, which is odd considering I lived in the South for a few years. Before this post goes completely sideways, here’s what’s on my Happy List this week. AMERICAN GIRL DOLL COSTUME I thought this was a totally doable DIY Halloween costume idea from All Things…
Horseshoe Pumpkins Go Mainstream
Questions have come up recently about my DIY horseshoe pumpkin. This is, in part, because my braided denim pumpkin and the horseshoe pumpkin by extension were honored with a Salvaged Junk feature on Funky Junk Interiors last week. You know how much I love salvaged junk, so this really made my day! When I told my 7-year-old son about this good news, I thought he’d say, “cool.” Instead, he reached over, patted my shoulder and with all sincerity said, “I’m happy for you.” This might not seem like a big deal to you, but I’m living through a very long season of fart jokes. In that moment, hope sprang eternal…
DIY Geometric Mirror Using Children’s Blocks
A friend and I were discussing DIY fails the other day. Always a cheery topic. The reality of my life is that some projects turn out and others…not so much. She mentioned that IF I have flops, I don’t share them on the ol’ blog. Well, duh! I don’t share pictures of the gravity-defying things my hair does when I wake up in the morning either. But maybe I should. It would certainly shock and awe. I do try to share the foibles that inevitably come with most of my projects though. Today I’m sharing a project FILLED with foibles. It’s cup runneth over with what NOT to do. But…
Happy List: #39
Hello again! Our mornings have turned a wee bit cool and it’s definitely starting to feel like fall has arrived. Although, I say that kind of tongue-in-cheek because Ireland is always a wee bit cool – even in the summer. On Monday I shared more about life in Ireland as it relates to ER visits. Thank you for your warm wishes. My daughter is doing much better. Wednesday was all about pumpkins and denim. If you missed the braided denim pumpkin, go back and read all about it! I’ll wait. Here’s what is on the Happy List this week. I try to view these things through the filter of “I…
Braided Denim Pumpkin
I have these illusions that I’m an unique, one-of-a-kind, broke-the-mold sort of person. But I’m really just like most people. In fact, I’m just like the MILLIONS of other crafty people in the world who have fallen down the rabbit hole known as The Dollar Store and emerged with a styrofoam pumpkin. Okay, okay. I have six Dollar Store pumpkins. Six. But that’s all, I swear. And you can’t just buy a Dollar Store pumpkin and be done with it. Nooo. No way. That’s against the code. Something crafty must be done with those Dollar Store pumpkins or you develop an eye twitch and bad luck for 7 years. Or so…
Living in Ireland: Pediatric Emergency Medicine
When our family moved to Ireland 15 months ago, I did what I could from a medical perspective to make sure our transition was as smooth as possible. Today I’m going to share what I did in the hope that you’ll find my list helpful should you find yourself in a similar situation. Then I’ll get to the dramatic part tell you how it all went to hell a story of what happened last week that showed the drastic gap in my planning that most certainly contributed to a new patch of grey hair. BEFORE WE LEFT THE USA: Prescriptions: Before I left the states, I arranged to “buy-out” the…
