Today is the last day of the school year! No more homework. No more keeping track of school uniforms. No more packing (and the dreaded unpacking) of school lunches. No more forcing certain offspring to wear socks AND underwear because that’s what civilized people do on school days. HURRAY! HURRAY! HURRAY! On Monday I’ll probably be saying, “Oh, sweet heavens how long until school starts?” Kidding! That will definitely probably happen on Tuesday. This week I shared the unexpected thing I am so glad I saved after my mom died – sweet, sentimental pieces of her handwriting. By the way, I love you all to pieces. Your sweet comments here and on social…

Why, hello again! I sure am thankful for all of you who keep coming back week after week! I’m excited because we have a 3-day weekend. I have no idea why Monday is a bank holiday and I do not second guess these things. Also, if you want to do anything touristy on a bank holiday weekend in Ireland – forget about it. All 5 million people that live on this island plus a herd of sheep will be in the same place at the same time. Guaranteed. This week I shared how I repurposed my wine rack into a display shelf for my children’s beloved tchotchkes. If dessert soups are your…

TGIF! Finally! Some of my friends are celebrating the last day of school. Or, as I like to say, the last day of packing school lunches! I love seeing all of those first and last day of school pictures pop up in my social media feeds! You guys know I crack myself up right? I’m not even ashamed to say that! This week I shared a funny story about the new vegetable my husband hates. Celeriac. Have you had it? It’s delicious. I also shared an awesome craft, which I’ve aptly called emoji golf balls. My daughter and her friends had so much fun making these. If you have some…

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…