Shovel Head Owl Art
It’s hard to find an appropriate title for “she took a rusty old shovel head and a bunch of random metal scraps and made something cool.” But that’s what happened. As you might have guessed, this is a Junk Whisperer project. Who else do I know that would turn a shovel head into a funky, awesome piece of outdoor art? No one. The Junk Whisperer had the vision for this shovel art project, but she used the mad welding skills of my uncle to make her vision come to life. Interestingly enough, my uncle is quite the talented guy, as are many of my relatives. He made my first car –…
Summer’s Twilight
For us, summer is almost over. It’s been an extra long one. Normally, the kids would already be two weeks into their new school year, but Irish schools start a bit later than schools in Georgia. I call it a moving bonus of sorts. For the kids. I think of this time of year as summer’s twilight. The season is coming to a close and I’m going to miss all of the fun summer dished out for us this year. I’m really going to miss the unscheduled, flexible nature of summer. I’m taking this week off from blogging to just be in the moment with my kids and husband. We’re going to explore,…
Living in Ireland: Exploring Our New Country
For our friends and family back home, today is just a little bit of random life as viewed through our iPhone lens. We know Ireland’s beautiful summer weather is fleeting, so we paused for a picture one night. I’m not 100% sure, but I think Handy Husband was trying to blend into his surroundings. This is hard to do when you are standing next to a kid wearing multiple colors and prints. I admire her sense of style bravado. Wearing an uniform to school is going to be a big adjustment for this 9-year-old. She did ask me if she could wear any headband she wanted to school. My answer? Well, they didn’t…
Moving Tips to Keep You Sane
Last week I mentioned my number one moving tip to end all moving tips. No, it wasn’t go to a beach and sip daiquiris while someone else does all the hard work. Although, I’d like to research that one just to see how viable it is. It would be tough, but I could take one for the team and do lots and lots of research. My number one moving tip was to designate a Parts Box to hold all of the small parts and pieces for your belongings. This includes parts for the bed frames, clock hands, screws and anchors, furniture feet, shelving pins, etc. It will save your bacon. Trust me.…
Two Books That Made My Eyes Leak
As a general rule of thumb, I’m not a crier. I make exceptions for the occasional sappy movie and anytime my kids are on stage. Oh, and when I was pregnant I could cry during those Coca-Cola commercials with the polar bears. Dang hormones. The point is I don’t remember the last time my kids saw me cry. That’s why it’s a little awkward that the two books that made me cry recently are CHILDREN’S BOOKS that I was reading aloud to my CHILDREN. Oy. On a whim, I picked up A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd while in a bookstore in Corvallis, Oregon. It was on the bookshelf of staff…
My Number One Moving Tip
Between Handy Husband and I, we’ve lived in Oregon (a few different times), Washington, Canada, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Georgia and now Ireland. We have enjoyed the luxury of being moved by moving companies, domestically and internationally. We have loaded our stuff in a uHaul. We have loaded our stuff in my dad’s cattle trailer. Don’t worry, he hosed the manure out. Just think about that one for a minute. We have moved our stuff in the back of a car. Yes, a sectional does fit in a Toyota Venza. If you take 3 trips. If anyone wants to question my moving credentials, I think I have the market cornered on all…
Our New Pet
Meet our new pet, a blue whale named Per. Did I have you going there for a second? Okay. It’s not a real pet, but my kids don’t know that. I don’t think. Well, my 9-year-old kind of knows, but she likes to believe, so I’m not going to ruin the fun. A few months ago, in a riveting blog post, I told you about an amazing TED talk I listened to by author Mac Barnett and the children’s book I bought as a result, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem. I think I mentioned in that previous post there’s a fun surprise under the jacket cover of that book. My kids…
Our Foyer – Come On In
When we lived in the Atlanta, Georgia area, I finally had the spacious foyer I’d always dreamed about having in a home. Always. The irony is not lost on me that while I finally had the spacious foyer, no one used it because the house was a ‘come in the back door right into my kitchen’ sort of home. *sigh* Our home in Ireland is definitely a ‘come in the front door’ type of home. The foyer is actually of decent size and is its own designated space, so people aren’t walking immediately into our living areas. Assuming that we’ve actually had people over. We haven’t. Note to self: need to…
Moving to Ireland: Grocery Look Alikes
There are certain things I take for granted about life in the United States. Going to the grocery store is one of them. I have my routine. I know where everything is located. I know what’s a good deal. I can cruise through the grocery store on autopilot grabbing the items we use most frequently. In my experience, the hardest thing about moving to Ireland thus far is the mental effort that every single little thing, like going to the grocery store, takes. Even though I can thankfully read the labels, I can’t cruise through the store on autopilot. How do I know if Tomato Sauce A or Tomato Sauce B tastes…
