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…
Happy Birthday Junk Whisperer
The Junk Whisperer had a birthday yesterday. She’s going to be SUPER glad I’m mentioning this milestone. And she’s probably wondering if I’m going to share that EPIC photo of her showing my kids how to do a cartwheel. I’m not. The thought did cross my mind though. Briefly. Ever so briefly. I simply want to wish her a very happy birthday and a year full of blessings. And hopefully international travel. To a little island called Ireland. I also want to tell her thank you. Thank you for sharing her life with my dad. I can go off on these adventures because I know he’s not alone. Thank you…
Matchbox Car Magnet
Guys! I did some crafting! First time since we moved to Ireland. It felt good. So good. Plus, it was a 2-minute project, which is my favorite kind of craft project. Do you remember the sheet metal United States map I made for my son? It’s still one of my favorite projects. At the time, I thought it would be cool to make tiny magnets that my son could put on the map to show all the states he had visited. I just wasn’t sure how I was going to execute on that idea. Then we moved to Ireland. I should have made a world map. Ah, hindsight. It’s always there when…
Irony, Thy Name is Child
I mentioned my kids have really grown up this summer. Further evidence of this happened last week when my son decided to make his own lunch. Apparently the chef was too slow for his liking. His “take matters into his own hands” approach suited this chef just fine. He got out the bread, peanut butter, jam. I stayed in the other room with my eyes averted and my ears plugged. My son is a relatively picky eater. Among other things, he refuses to eat the crusts on bread – any bread. It drives Handy Husband nuts that I indulge him by cutting the crusts off. My logic is less bread is wasted this…
Burl Wood Table
I grew up on a farm. Now, I can’t speak for all farms, but I can speak to my experience. When you have a lot of barns and outbuildings on the family farm, it’s easy to put stuff in these buildings because you might need it someday. That’s not hoarding. That’s, uh, that’s being practical. Waste not, want not. That sort of thing. I can also fix almost anything with baling twine, but that’s a farm story for another day. When the Junk Whisperer (aka my stepmom) came into the picture, she started unearthing these long forgotten treasures while cleaning out the farm’s outbuildings. Thanks to her hard work and ingenuity, I…
