I Just Want ONE Good Picture
One good picture. Is that too much for a mom to ask? We recently went on a hike. It was one of those “let’s go for a walk” moments when Handy Husband dupes us all and we end up hiking 7 miles. I’m fairly certain the entire trip was uphill both ways, but I probably imagined the snow and burning coals part. The mud was real though. If you can’t tell, there’s a chasm between Handy Husband’s definition of a “walk” and everyone else’s. But we are all healthier for it. If you ever go on a “walk” with my husband, make sure you pack your survival gear. You’ll probably…
Happy List #17: Happy St. Patrick’s Day
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…
Travel: Belfast with Kids
When we were considering a move to Ireland last year, we took a bus tour through Northern Ireland. Our bus stopped in Belfast for approximately one hour. Long enough to grab a sandwich, but not much else. Earlier this month we took a long weekend and headed north to spend more time in Belfast. GETTING THERE FROM DUBLIN: It is approximately a 2-hour train ride from Dublin’s Connolly Station to Belfast Central Station. I recommend booking your tickets in advance if you are traveling with a group. This just saves you the headache of finding a seat all together. Plus, the kids get to see their names above their seat…
Irish Flag Centerpiece
Our celebration of St. Patrick’s Day would not be complete without showcasing the Irish flag on our dining room table! Isn’t this Irish Flag Centerpiece festive? My flag holders are milk bottles filled with green mung beans, white basmati rice and orange split lentils. My son and I poured the dry ingredients in the milk bottles in color order as it relates to the stripes on the Irish flag. The simple design of the Irish flag was very helpful in this regard. The Irish flag, also known as the Irish tricolour, has been in existence since 1848. However, it didn’t become Ireland’s national flag until the rebels hoisted it over Dublin’s General Post Office during…
Happy List #16
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…
Recipes (Mainly) From Ireland
I’ve done some “research” and came up with a sampling of Irish recipes I’d like you all to try in the spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. If I tried them all in the next week, I’m sure my body would protest in one way or another. So let’s spread the love around! While I tried to skew this list in favor of authentic Irish recipes, I did make a couple of exceptions in the interest of culinary expressionism. In other words, I lead with my stomach. Irish Cream The Irish do love their whiskey and Irish Cream is typically made with Irish whiskey. This recipe from Good Housekeeping is not from…
Quick and Simple St. Patricks Day Wreath
My kids are counting down the days until they get the day off from school to celebrate Ireland’s biggest holiday – St. Patrick’s Day. Waiting is oh, so hard! Until then, they did help me make a super simple felt wreath to decorate one corner of our home. We traced shamrocks onto green felt, then cut them out and hot glued them on a wreath form. Super simple and not overly obnoxious! Those are my two main criteria when it comes to holiday crafting. I used a wire wreath form like this one so I could easily remove the felt shamrocks if I want to reuse the wreath form in the future.…
Happy List #15
Hello, hello! How are you? This week I shared what’s happening in my daughter’s colorful room. Emphasis on colorful. I also kicked off March with a burlap pot o’ gold craft. It’s fun, happy and perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s what’s making me all happy and inspired this week. Kitchen Makeover Adrienne and her husband started flipping homes in Arizona awhile ago. The before and after pictures of the homes they’ve remodeled are pretty incredible. This is the kitchen in their latest completed project. I’m loving those dark cabinets with that waterfall counter. I’m also a sucker for ceiling beams. See more pictures at Dream Book Design. (image) Bathroom Vanity…
St Patrick’s Day Craft: Burlap Pot of Gold
Happy first day of March! Who’s excited? March is a big month on the little island I currently call home. Ireland. I don’t say that every time to rub it in. I only mention it, again, on the off chance someone is joining the blog today for the first time. It could happen! Anyway, there’s this little holiday on the 17th with leprechauns and drinking. Lots of drinking. You might have heard of it. Well, have you heard of island time? Ireland operates on its own sort of island time. I just started to see advertisements go up for St. Patrick’s Day events. The local newspaper is still asking for entries…
Colorful Wall in a Girl’s Room
It was inevitable. Every parent faces it. That moment when your child develops an…it’s hard for me to say…here goes… An OPINION about what his or her room should look like. Cue the dramatic music. A little bit louder, please. Now, cue the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mine. Yes, it happened. Opinions, opinions galore. Conflicting opinions that changed without rhyme or reason. It was exhausting to keep up with it all. I’d add a “woe is me,” but I don’t want to sound melodramatic. After much discussion, brainstorming and compromise my daughter and I ended up agreeing to a basic framework for a design plan for her bedroom. The design plan was very specific. It…
