Category Archives: Family

How Will I Spend My Coin?

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“Life is a coin.  You can spend it any way you wish, but you can spend it only once.”

-Lillian Dickson

The 5 year old tightly clutches the purse that holds her coins.  Four bright shiny quarters that she has brought to the shopping center.  She wonders what these four coins will bring into her day.  Then she sees it.  The colorful, musical carousel with four gleaming horses traveling in their circular route.  That’s it…that’s what she wants to spend her quarters on.  They clink into the slot, and the child selects the most beautiful horse of all to sit upon.  She smiles and enjoys the ride; the people who watch her enjoy the sheer happiness of this moment, of the beauty of being alive in God’s beautiful world, of seizing the seconds.  When the ride is over, the child and the people are still happy, because they now have a wonderful memory of the music, the smile, and the moment.   Slainte, Lisa

They Love Each Othee (Yes, I Meant That)

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My youngest daughter used to always say when she was little, “We love each othee.”  She meant “other”, but it was so cute, and it’s kind of our family thing to say to her now.  Well, here is the sweetest video of a baby elephant and a sheep who “love each othee.”   Come on, it’s short, and it will make you smile.  And smiling’s a good thing.  Happy weekend!  Slainte, Lisa

Blessings and Small New Starts

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The end of Labor Day, and summer, and a new start to school, to work, to life.  These transitions after a holiday are always a little exciting, and a little nerve-wracking.  It takes the body and the mind a little time to adjust to new things, and for me, the more excited I can get about something, the better it usually goes.

That’s why I like this Irish saying/blessing:

“May God bless the work.  Let’s begin in the name of God.”

This picture is of a wonderful man from county Kerry, who worked in the Gap of Dunloe back in 2001.

His horse’s name is Billy Boy, and he loved that horse.  He loved his job.  He seemed so content and happy taking us through those beautiful hills, the kind of quiet contentment that radiates through a person.  As we would approach a hill, we would all get out to walk, and he would whisper encouragement to that horse all the way to the top.  I’m glad I have this picture to remind me of him and his love for what he did.

So, whatever you are doing today, it can be a small new start, a chance to give glory to God with what your hands find to do.  May God bless the work.  Slainte, Lisa

View From a Beehive (Hut, That Is)

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beehive hut

View From Inside a Beehive Hut, Dingle

Beehive huts can be found in various parts of Ireland, especially in Dingle.    Resembling….wait for it….beehives! in shape, and oft times clustered together in groupings.  www.celticquill.com has a great article on these amazing structures:  “Clocháns are dry-stone buildings dating from c.2000 BC. They are usually round in shape, but rectangular huts are known as well. What gives these huts their distinctive appearance is a building technique known as corbelling, i.e. the layering of stones, with each layer bending slightly closer and narrower towards the peak. Stones were laid with an outward and downward tilt to shed water, making these huts watertight.”

Photo courtesy of http://www.celticquill.com

People lived in them, such as visitors or monks, and later on, they were used for farm animals or storage.  When we visited some in Dingle, we were amazed by two things:  how low the door entrances were (my husband whacked his poor head on one), and how amazingly perfect and dry and intact they still were after all these hundreds of years.  Talk about well-built to stand the test of time.  To quote many a time-traveled elder:  “They don’t make ’em like they used to.”   🙂  Slainte, Lisa

Going In For the Flip

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My weekend was filled with Irish food.  Yummm…not too good for my South Beach diet, but excellent for my enjoyment and comfort!  🙂  We started out the weekend with a suggestion from my 6 year old that we should visit “The Blarney Stone” Pub in Fredericksburg, a relatively new Irish restaurant that we hadn’t tried yet.

Blarney Stone Public House, Fredericksburg, VA

We found a cozy nook in the back, and surrounded by deep green walls and rich wood, we ate fish and chips and shepherd’s pie.  Both wonderful.

A few doors down, we visited “Irish Eyes,” a delightful gift shop run by friendly people.  Cadbury’s lovely Flake bars made their way into our purchases, and were quickly devoured as we remembered all the wonderful soft ice creams with flake bars stuck into the top that we had had in Ireland.

Irish Eyes Gift Shop, Fredericksburg, VA

The weekend concluded with my lovely husband cooking us some boxty, or Irish potato cakes, for supper last evening.  We experimented with add-ins…some with turkey, some with grated cheese.  Yummm….we added some steamed veggies as a side so I wouldn’t feel too terribly guilty about the extravagance of my splurge.

Himself going in for the flip of the boxty.

So, now it’s back to my low-carb ways, but I’m not sorry for the tasteful and comfort-filled weekend I had.  In fact, I may do it again someday, after I’m good for awhile!  🙂

Hungry yet?  Enjoy the food that the Lord has given you today; He is so good to us.   Slainte, Lisa