A HUGE birthday shout out to my two kiddos! My daughter turns double digits today (HOLY COW, TEN!) and tomorrow my son turns SEVEN! I have to admit, I got a lump in my throat last night when I tucked my daughter into bed. I told her, “this is the last time I will kiss 9-year-old you good night.” Then I gave her a million kisses until she finally said, “MOOOM!” I don’t want to make this about me, even though I did grow them, birth them and have spent a decade devoted to their whims and whines health and wellbeing. But, really, it’s their day! After months and months of debate, decisions and…

Why, hello again! This week was started out as a blur of gorgeous weather. Today is has fizzled a bit. On Wednesday when the weather was amazing, I shared pictures from my commute in Ireland. It was filled with all the good, the bad, the weird and the pretty that I’ve seen in the last couple of months. On Monday, I shared a 15% off coupon code for Anonymous Jewellry. It’s a subscription service that I tried and enjoyed recently. It would be a great Mother’s Day gift and something you can do last minute for all of you pick-up-a-card-on-the-way-to-mom’s-house types. You know who you are! Here’s what’s on my Happy…

Ah, Friday. How I love thee. This week I shared the story of paddle boarding with DOLPHINS and a MANATEE!!! Yep, I’m type yelling with excitement still. STILL!!!! I also shared my shortcut to making store-bought spaghetti sauce taste good. It is not Italian chef approved, but it totally works. Here are some other random things on my mind this week. DIY Food Wrap Would you make your own food wrap? With beeswax and fabric? Did you know there was such a thing? Do you think it is worth it? I’m full of questions on this one. Here’s a tutorial. It looks pretty easy and uses beeswax pellets. Famous last…

Hello! How are you? After a two week break from school and work, I’ve been humming “back to life, back to reality” and “if I only had a brain” all week. It was a little rough those first couple of days all week! This week I shared a virtual tour of two hardware stores in Ireland and a tutorial on how to embellish a t-shirt with embroidery thread. Here’s what has caught my eye this week. Rubber Boot Racks Or, wellies as they are called across the pond. I deal with a lot of wet shoes, not necessarily rubber boots, but definitely wet, dripping shoes that need to dry. I just…

Happy Good Friday! This week I shared the most recent books my kids and I have read together. Plus, how I’m teaching them how to type. It doesn’t actually involve me teaching, so they are knocking it out of the ballpark! Here’s what’s on my Happy List. Good Friday Newspaper Ad I thought you might like to see an example of how grocery stores in Ireland advertise for the Easter season in the newspaper. At the last count in 2011, 84.2% of people self-identified as Catholic in the Republic of Ireland, so you can see why advertisers are choosing to speak to one specific religious group. Also, fun fact. You…

Hello! My kids have a half-day at school today…the excitement was palpable in our house this morning! But the angst over the one toy they could bring for “toy day” was…intense. This week I shared the gorgeous spring flowers that are blooming in our Irish garden. All thanks to my green thumb, I’m sure. Actually, I think the blooming flowers are proof that nature finds a way. I also walked you through the “should I, shouldn’t I” decision of switching to linen bath towels. Decision was probably the wrong word there. Maybe indecision would be more apt. Here are some things I’m not indecisive about! Old Fireplace I don’t know…

It’s a snow day of sorts here in Dublin. No, we don’t have actual snow, but we have the second best (or is it worst?) thing. We woke up this morning to a public transportation strike, which makes getting to and from school a real pain. Handy Husband called me from the train station to tell me everyone was frantically trying to get a cab into work – with mixed success. There was no warning about this strike, so everyone was caught off guard. It’s a little chaotic here today. It seemed like a good day to surprise the kids with NO SCHOOL! If you want to know why we…

Hello everyone! How is spring treating you? Fun tidbit. We don’t spring ahead for daylight savings time here in Ireland until this weekend! That’s why my posts have been publishing an hour earlier recently. Here’s a list of countries around the world and when and if they do the daylight savings time switch. Also, Sunday is Mother’s Day in Ireland. I had been wondering why the stores have been carrying Happy Mum’s Day items for weeks. Now, I know! I’m not sure losing an hour of sleep is a very good way to celebrate moms though. This week I discussed how well my green thumb is working with my newly acquired…

How cool is it that the 17th edition of my Happy List falls on the 17th? And not just any 17th, but St. Patrick’s Day! I couldn’t have planned it better myself. When you’re reading this, I will hopefully be watching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in DUBLIN. We’ve got to do it at least once, right? Be sure and follow A Pretty Happy Home on Instagram to see what all the fuss is about or if we even make anywhere near the parade route. This week I shared our easy Irish flag centerpiece. You could easily modify this idea for any country, so go forth and celebrate! I also gave…

Why, hello again! I hope the first week of March has treated you well! The ol’ blog posts have been Irish-themed this month. Give me a theme and I will run it into the ground. This week I shared an easy felt shamrock wreath craft and some mostly authentic Irish recipes. Someone needs to make the Guinness Brownies – STAT! Okay, I will make them. Today’s Happy List is largely home-focused. While I love Ireland, my Irish home has me feeling a little meh. I’m determined to get out of this decorating funk one way or another and I’ve been finding a lot of inspiration online lately. It’s not always inspiration that helps…