Merry (almost) Christmas! How are you? I hope you are enjoying this season. Me? I am! I just can’t believe 2017 is almost over. There were hours and days that seemed so. darn. long, but the year flew by. On Monday, I wrote about how our Christmas tree went from bringing me no joy to all the joy. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I experienced mental drama over a tree though. Sheesh. On Wednesday, I shared some far less dramatic Christmas snapshots from around our home. Here’s this week’s moment of distraction, aka The Happy List. PLAYHOUSE DESIGN Playhouse designs have really changed over the years, haven’t they?…

10 days until Christmas! Are you ready? Or are you fa-la-la-la-frazzled? I’m feeling pretty solid. Or as solid as I can be hoping the items I ordered show up on time! This week I finally (a whole 11 days into the month) shared something Christmas-y with you. On Monday it was window shopping in Ireland to see how Irish retailers get in the Christmas spirit. Spoiler alert: no grinches here! On Wednesday I shared the ornaments I made out of my son’s wood blocks. Apparently, nothing is safe in this house from one of my crafty ideas. I’ve got some good stuff for you on today’s Happy List! I do…

Does anyone else still have holiday boxes and decor strewn EVERYWHERE around their home? I’m seeing homes beautifully decorated for Christmas ALL OVER social media and I’m like, “Hey! Is this a candy cane from last year?” *sigh* The tree is up though. It’s halfway decorated. As is the mantel. I made some wreaths and I keep moving them around because I can’t decide where I want them. I just liked making them! So, basically, I’ve totally got it together in the holiday decorating department. On a less melodramatic note, on Monday I shared our trip to Blarney Castle! I’m glad we finally made it over there. On Wednesday I…

Well, hello to you and December too! It’s good to be back blogging this week, but we really enjoyed our time with friends over Thanksgiving! I’ll tell you about the new places we visited in Ireland soon. This week I shared a list of board games we’ve been playing together as a family. These are games that EVEN ME as a non-game player enjoy. Wednesday was the third installment in the Would I Make It Again series featuring Apple Fritter Muffins. If you like Apple Fritters or are curious about what I would do if a muffin gets stuck in the pan, I suggest reading that post. Here’s what’s on…

Hurray! You survived another week! On Monday I shared another round of what my kids are reading. I’m really glad my kids still enjoy me reading out loud to them. It’s not a season that will last forever, so I’m soaking it up now. I also shared another round of Would I Make It Again? This time it was a recipe for Korean Beef and adding it into the dinner rotation was a no brainer! Here are a few things that made me smile or feel inspired this week. SWEETEST CHRISTMAS TRADITION Guys. I might be feeling sentimental, but I just read about THE SWEETEST Christmas tradition for daughters. Sorry,…

It’s starting – just starting – to feel like winter where I live and basically my response is NOOOOO! But enough about my issues. This week I shared a glimpse into my married life a recipe for Rhubarb Scones. That sentence makes no sense unless you read the post about Rhubarb Scones. Also, all the rhubarb lovers came out of the woodwork. There are so many of you! Who knew? I also shared another story from the train. Several months ago I shared this one, which was pretty deep because we talked about my least favorite 4-letter word – hate. This time the conversation was all about superpowers. Kids have a…

Another Halloween is in the books and we are racing toward the end of the year! The days can seem long, but the years short. Why is that? Anyway, this week I spread the word that Talking Statues have arrived in Dublin. I also shared a hard-to-write, personal account of why I sent my kids to Catholic mass. Basically, I got up on my soapbox. So let’s follow that up with some not-so-deep stuff. Here’s this week’s Happy List. WORLD’S BEST MUSEUMS My grandma was the first person to take me to a museum. We went to a lot of museums and I’m sure I did not appreciate them as…

Welcome back to the Happy List! This week I shared the Scandinavian idea of using two duvets on one bed. I also debriefed our experience with Storm Ophelia. Here are some other things that floated my boat this week… BROWN SUGAR FUDGE WITH PUMPKIN SPICED WALNUTS Okay. I like the IDEA of this recipe, but I’m wondering if it is all hype because there’s hardly any pumpkin spice in the recipe. I make these controversial declarations in the hope that someone will make the recipe and give me a sampling. Walnuts aren’t my jam, so I’d probably switch them out for pecans. Hint, hint. Check the recipe out for yourself…

Here we are again, folks! And it’s a Friday the 13th! Ooh! This week I shared how I used rope to makeover a planter and a list of easy, mostly recyclable Halloween decorating ideas. Also, this mirror makeover of mine made an appearance on Funky Junky Interiors last week. Be sure to check out that post. So many great projects and bloggers were featured! Here’s what else made me smile this week. FUNNY PARENTING TWEETS I love it when HuffPost rounds up funny tweets. This latest article on 23 Funny Tweets That Will Ring True To Anyone Who’s Been Married made my day. Here are a few that made me…

Hello, Friends. I want to start by saying thanks. This blog is my happy place – a creative outlet of sorts. The people I interact with here have always been so positive, kind and understanding. That matters to me – more than I could ever express. I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the horrific shooting in Las Vegas. Around the natural disasters in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Texas. In the police and voting incident in Barcelona. In the car attack in Edmonton. You get my point…the list of horrors in our world is long and I haven’t even mentioned wars, disease, etc. Some of these things can be…