Happy List: #86
Hi! Hello! Happy Friday! While things in my world are normal, I know there are millions of people in the path of Hurricane Florence and I’m thinking of them today. This week I shared our tips for keeping our kids safe while traveling in foreign countries. I’m serious about hearing from others who have tips to share on this topic. Especially as my kids get older I know our needs will change and it is a good discussion to have. I also shared a recent pet project of mine – a dresser makeover. I really love how it turned out and it didn’t give me nearly as much trouble as…
Makeover: Dresser with Brass Details
My love affair with my local Habitat ReStore is still going strong. In early August I found a small dresser with brass accents at the ReStore. When I spotted those brass accents it was like the heavens opened up and angels began singing. Honestly, I need to have this sort of reaction when I find a piece of used furniture in order to go through the herculean effort to get it home and refinish it. We all have our barometers. Mine is angels singing. Totally normal, right? As you can see, the dresser had a hutch on top that I still do not understand. It has the same brass edging…
Travel With Kids: Safety Tips for Foreign Travel
I’m not a safety expert, but I am a mom who overthinks ALL. THE. THINGS. Especially when we are traveling with kids in a foreign country because there is plenty of opportunity for things to go wrong. Specifically, there’s increased opportunity for my kids to get lost. I have two kids, ages 8 and 11, who have already visited 11 countries. We are American citizens who just spent two years living in Dublin, Ireland. It was a big change moving from the U.S. where we NEVER used public transportation to living in a foreign country and ONLY using public transportation – even for going to school. I’ve learned a few things about…
Happy List: #85
Hello, hello. Thank you for thinking of me my kiddos this week. They are such troopers and roll really well with change – or as well as can be expected. It’s been a learning curve, especially on the middle school front, but they had a fantastic week. My son would probably say I’m overselling it with the ‘fantastic’ word, but he’s 8 and school isn’t his favorite thing in the world. On the first day of school I predictably asked him, “How did it go? How was your day?” And he replied, “Great!” Then he followed it up by saying, “My teacher said you were going to ask that and to…
Happy Thrifting: The Nest at Farmstead Farmers Market
Ready to go thrifting with me? Virtually speaking, of course. Oh, good! The benefit of these one-sided conversations is that you always say the correct thing. I like that about you. The kids and I were recently driving through Palmyra, Pennsylvania, and decided to stop at an antiques co-op called The Nest at Farmstead Farmers Market. Actually, I decided to stop. My kids just whined, “Hey! Why are we stopping?” Where’s your sense of shopping adventure, kids? If you and I were actually going thrifting together, I think there’d be far less whining. I like that about you too. Enough about my glamorous life. Let’s step inside. My eagle eye spied that…
Happy Labor Day and First Day of School Eve
This is our last day of summer before school starts tomorrow. New schools, new teachers, new friends. There’s a lot to be excited about. Truly. There’s excitement in the new. There’s incredible possibility. I’m telling you guys (because you’re my peeps, but let’s not say the word ‘peeps’ out loud because we’re adults, darn it and not marshmallows) that on the outside I am Miss Positive. I have to set the right tone for my kids. Fake it ’til you make it is how I navigate life anyway and it’s amazing how this positive attitude helps me too. However, deep inside is a part of me that’s currently hoping, praying,…
Happy List: #84
Last day of August? I thought it was never going to get here and then it came in a flash! Funny how that works. I’m not ready for summer to be over, but I am ready for fall to start. That sentence made zero sense. My brain is a confusing place. This week I shared one of the reasons why I want summer to stay: summer excursions to explore our new part of the country! This one was to West Point Military Academy. Honestly, it was a very cool place and the proverbial Kool-aid they serve there is delicious. Then on Wednesday I made an exciting announcement about my new…
Does Owning an Ant Farm Make Me a Farmer?
This is a legitimate question. Does owning an ant farm make me a farmer? Or just crazy because I have live ants in my house? Ants that I PAID MONEY to bring into my home and that I’m feeding and watering. You’re right. I drew the same conclusion. It definitely makes me a farmer. Glad we cleared that up. We recently took the kids to a place in New Jersey called Insectropolis. It is a self-described bugseum, which is a pretty great name. It was also a pretty great place to spend a couple of hours. We saw thousands of bugs and even touched a few live ones including a…
You May Also Like
Bird Nest in a Shoe
Jet Lag is Real
Vintage-Looking Animal Prints – Free Printable
Travel: West Point Military Academy
Yes, a military college is a tourist attraction. Judging by the number of tour buses in the parking lot, West Point Military Academy is a VERY popular attraction! Who knew? FIRST, A BIT OF HISTORY Before West Point was a military academy, its location played a pivotal role in America’s Revolutionary War. George Washington considered this area along New York’s Hudson River to be the most important strategic position in the fight against the British. In 1778, soldiers built fortifications to defend the area and also ran a 150-ton iron chain across the Hudson River to control river traffic. Their plan worked. After the war ended, the country’s founders became…
Happy List: #83
I don’t want to jinx it, but I have to say it feels glorious to go an entire seven days with no website glitches! Living the dream over here, folks. Living the dream. I really hope I didn’t just jinx it. This week I wrote about my chair makeover with fabric tape and a few books my kids and I read this summer. Even if you aren’t into reading children’s books, I pulled out some inspirational quotes from a few of the books that are sure to give your soul a boost. You know what else might give your soul a boost? The Happy List. (Did I oversell it? Just…
