Oh, The Stories We Will Tell
We have family visiting us in Ireland. Visiting us! In Ireland! How cool is that? Actually, it is literally cool here…62 Fahrenheit in August with a little rain every day just to keep the country’s emerald isle reputation SOLID. This week I watched my kids play on a 400-year-old tree with an 800-year-old castle in the background. This tree’s bottom branches had grown down low and were touching the ground, as if inviting each and every child in its vicinity to come play. (Apparently, this is a sign that the tree was in an area that had never been grazed by livestock.) I stood there and watched the kids for…
Happy List: #34
How is everyone? I know people who have spent this week either enduring extreme heat or extreme storms. August isn’t messing around! While over here in Ireland, I’m just wishing our weather would make up its mind! This week I shared what our first week back in Ireland looked like after a month-long visit to the U.S. I also shared another trash to treasure makeover. There have been a few things on the internetosphere this week that have peaked my interest. Read on! COTTAGE PLEASE! If I ever go missing, you can probably find me in one of these stinking cute cottages in Maine! There’s 16 of them! I’m dying…
Trash to Treasure Mirror
Pop quiz! Do you remember the trash I pulled out of our neighbor’s dumpster? Then I fast walked raced home with it like “there’s nothing to see here, nothing to see.” It still makes me feel weird. But I loved it! Still do! I turned that junky object into a 4th of July wreath, which I thought turned out pretty cool. I also laugh at my own jokes, so take all of that self assessment with a grain of salt! I mentioned this junky treasure might not stay a wreath. As the decorating fates would have it, I came up with a more practical use for it and I’m nothing if not…
Living in Ireland: Back After a Month in the U.S.
It’s flat out STRANGE to visit the United States after living in Ireland for a year. I tried to put my finger on why exactly. In part, I think it’s because I’ve changed. Evolved, shall we say? How could you not after moving to a foreign country? But when I went ‘home’ I realized how much HADN’T changed. There is something comforting in that though. I also realized that I’d gotten used to being slightly uncomfortable ALL. THE. TIME. while in Ireland. You can try to look and act local in the face of constant new experiences, but as soon as you open your mouth you see a flicker of…
Happy List: #33
Why, hello, again! We are back in Ireland – all settled in and prepping for our first guests to come visit us! It’s very exciting. This week I shared the soap dish I found in the creek. No, it did not come home with me because suitcase weight limits on airplanes are no joke. I also went on and on about why this bed frame was our best hidden storage purchase. Oh, and it holds our mattress up too. Here is what’s on my Happy List this week. DIY INDUSTRIAL LOFT BED Other than the fact that I have NO IDEA how I would get up into that bed, I…
Our Best Hidden Storage Purchase
Have I waxed poetically enough about how moving to Ireland meant downsizing? MAJOR downsizing? Get out your teeny, tiny violins. I’d say we got rid of 60% of Handy Husband’s our stuff. Start playing your sad tune now. The truth is, I don’t even miss Handy Husband’s most of that stuff. Even with all of that downsizing, I still knew storage would be a challenge. Think about all the stuff you store in your home – craft supplies, office supplies, Christmas ornaments, extra blankets, tools, all the shoes you can’t wear now that you have to walk everywhere, etc. My babies shoes! I can’t part with them. Yet. Homes in Ireland don’t…
Natural Rock Soap Dish
The last day of our trip to the U.S. was pretty special. First, we got to spend the morning playing with friends. Can’t go wrong there. After that, I ran into my very first piano teacher. There are a few people God gifted with a sweet spirit and an abundance of talent and she’s one of them. You really need to see her portfolio of oil paintings. Then, my son got a lesson on how to operate the tractor bucket. Apparently, he now thinks that makes him qualified to help Grandpa make hay next year. He’ll be 8. Finally, we capped the day off with a trip to the creek…
Happy List: #32
Hello!! July is flying by, isn’t it? This week I shared a funny farmer tale and my thoughts on why you should try to give your loved ones a gift that is handmade. I’m not advocating that ALL your gifts should be handmade. That would be nuts. But, at least once, try the handmade route. Here’s what making my Happy List this week. METAL SIDING THAT LOOKS LIKE WOOD The wood siding on this house is not wood, it’s METAL. Can you imagine the possibilities? The maintenance savings? Also, that front door. WOW. Mandi from Vintage Revivals shared this siding tip. It’s made by a company called Longboard. BIRTHDAY CAKE…
You Know You’re a Farmer’s Kid When…
You know you’re a farmer’s kid when… Your dad pulls out his wallet to pay for dinner… just a simple, well-worn wallet… and bits of HAY (yes, hay that cows eat) fly out of his wallet and land all over the restaurant table. All. Over. Then, without missing a beat, he says… “It’s just a little seed money.” Get it…hay seed? What dad can resist telling a good dad joke? Truly, I laughed. It was a pretty funny moment. My dad spends pretty much the entire summer on a tractor making hay. And, yes, that hay seems to get everywhere. And, yes, I’m glossing over how hard this season is for…
The Gift of Handmade
I recently said to Handy Husband, “Why did you have to go and make such cool beds for the kids? WHY??” Despite the fact that it was MY idea (and I probably begged) for him to make the beds. “It would be a lot simpler to move or change up the look of our house if I wasn’t sentimentally attached to these huge things!” “STOP BEING AWESOME!” Just kidding about that last part. I love him, but I don’t want him to get a big head. I also have some other things I want him to make, so I kind of do need him to keep being awesome. Then I’ll…
