My Trip to Ireland

Several years ago my husband and I took a trip to Ireland. During this trip we also visited Scotland, Wales and London. I will tell you about those in another post. For this and the 10th day of my blog post challenge, The best trip of my life, I would like to share my trip to Ireland with you. While I can’t say for sure that it is the “best” it certainly ranks up there as one of the best.

Our first morning in Ireland we went to visit the House of Waterford Crystal. We had a tour through the factory and got to see the crystal being made. It was very interesting and a little scary being near all of the expensive crystal.

At one time all of Waterford Crystal was made in Ireland but now it is being produced in other countries.

Isn’t Ireland beautiful? It was everything I expected it to be and much much more.

Next we ventured to Avoca to visit Ireland’s oldest Hand weaving Mill and watch the weavers at work. You know how I love weaving and knitting and everything like that so I was beyond excited. This mill is the oldest surviving working mill in Ireland today and dates from 1723. The original whitewashed buildings of the old mill now house the store which carries an extensive selection of clothing, gifts and food. I did have to buy several scarves and a couple of hats. Check out more details here

The next place we visited was Glendalough. Glendalough is a glacial valley in County Wicklow Ireland. The early Christian monastic site founded by St. Kevin in the 6th Century. It was so beautiful it was one of our favorite places. For more pictures and information check out the site here.

And from the quiet countryside into the fast paced city of Dublin. Dublin is a beautiful city we spent some time shopping there and just checking out the sites.

We did go to the Guinness Brewing company and went to the top floor where the Oxygen bar is. It was Halloween and it was so crowded you could not move!!! It is on the top floor and the views are amazing.

Dublin

St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

So that was the some of the highlights to our trip to Ireland. I hope you enjoyed it and if you haven’t been to Ireland you get to go one day. I will save the days in Scotland and London and Wales for another post because their just too good to share.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!

What’s In My Bag

Hello friends, today is day 9 of the 30 day blog challenge. I will have to say I am enjoying the blogging and getting to know many new people. It has also introduced me to a lot of new sites I didn’t know about. If you are a blogger it really is a great challenge. But get back with me on that in another week or two and things may be different haha.

So the topic for today is What’s In My Bag? I am assuming it could be a purse or a bag I carry daily with me to work. I tend to be a little high maintenance and like to have a lot of things with me at any given time.

So what I usually do, instead of carrying two large bags, is carry a rather large purse and put whatever I need for my work day in that.

So first of all let me tell you about this brown bag. It is my favorite bag of all time. I bought it several years ago at Christmas at the mall. I got it at American Eagle. It was on Black Friday when everything in the store was 40% off. I had just ask one of the sales associates if that included the bags and she said yes. This bag was only about $40.00 but I was thinking man, 40% off of that is awesome. Well of course when I got to the register they told me the bags weren’t included. The sales lady happened to be standing nearby and she said yes she had told me that so they let me have it for 40% off. Score!!! This bag has seen me through so much. I take it with me every time I travel because it is perfect for taking on the plane. After all of the hundreds of times I have carried it it still shows very little wear.

So as you can see quite a few things. Maybe more than some people maybe less. As I said I’m a little high maintenance. My husband tells me I will take everything from home but the kitchen sink if I can.

I always take my laptop with me and usually my charger that I didn’t show here. My wallet is very plain I don’t believe in all that matchy matchy stuff I just like a basic wallet. That little white thing is a screen cleaner roller and it is amazing. Mark ordered several from Amazon and you can roll it across any of your devices and it cleans lint, fingerprints whatever. To clean it all you have to do is hold it under water and then let it dry. I carry a tape measure because we are constantly measuring things at work. I like to take knitting with me because if I find myself with a few minutes to spare I just whip out my knitting and knit a few rows. It’s very calming. I like to have a book with me. This book is Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. I love his books. I read a lot of books on my phone through Tennessee Reads but I still like to hold a book sometimes when I Read. The smaller brown bag holds a little make-up for freshening up and I always have several lipsticks and chapsticks with me. A brush, emery board, ink pens and I’m all set. Oh I often take a snack to work with me also. Whew!!! does you bag look like that? or do you have more? or less?

So that’s about it for what’s in my bag. Of Course if I am just going out for the day shopping or to eat or go to a movie, I don’t carry all of this.

So what’s in your bag? do you go big or small or carry a bag at all? I have a friend who doesn’t even carry a purse she stuffs everything she carries into her pockets!!! Man, she’s low maintenance. I just can’t be that way.

Tomorrow’s post is about the best trip of my life. I don’t know if I can say it’s the best but it is the trip Mark and I took to Ireland and Scotland several years ago. Lots of pics. Stay tuned.

Happy Monday

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!!!

5 Current Goals That I Have

I know that goals are important to have but I just hate them. I like to try and think of different words to use for goals, like challenge, opportunity, a new focal point, you get the idea. Every time I formulate a plan in my head, and it becomes a goal, for some reason it is doomed to failure. I think I probably put too much into it and when I haven’t achieved said goal in two or three days or seen the results I want to see then I give up.

Photos by dreamstime

While there are a lot of things I need to do in my life to help make my life better I don’t really want to think of them as goals. For instance I know:

I need to get more exercise. I am at an age where I am losing muscle mass by the second. I know how important it is to have more weight bearing exercise in my life.
I need to eat more vegetables I know that vegetables are great antioxidants and can ward off cancer and heart disease and bad things like that and are packed full of vitamins.
Better sleep is something I really need. I have terrible sleeping habits. I can tell such a huge difference when I don’t get good sleep.
Finish projects that I start. Stay focused.
Lose weight!! nuff said.

So with all of that said why can’t we set goals that are fun? I know what is good for me. I know that I need to get more exercise and lose weight etc etc. Most people do. We know what our bodies need. But having fun and living is just as important to our well being and our souls. One cannot exist without the other. So 5 things, remember I hate that G word, I need to do: (And these are just 5 of many)

Spend more time with family and friends
Get a manicure whenever I feel like it
Eat a salad and have a chocolate sundae for dessert
Start a million projects if it is something I want to do.
Enjoy Life to the fullest

Do you set a lot of goals? How does that work for you?

No matter what

Always remember

Love your day your way!!!

My 5 Favorite Songs

Well it’s Saturday and a beautiful day here in East Tennessee. I still have a horrible cold and I am so stuffy, if I could remove my head temporarily I would probably do it. I caught sight of myself in the mirror when I was letting Scruffy out for his walk and almost screamed. Who was that pasty woman with the red swollen nose and puffy eyes. Yep you guessed it. Me. I have been in the recliner all day and Scruffy and Kitty Kitty have been fighting for a spot on my lap. I guess if you have to be sick this is the best place to be. I have been reading a couple of different books and working on some knitting. Just chilling out trying to get rest and fluids.

I did venture out for a walk with Scruffy for a bit this afternoon. The sunshine is so nice and the temps are in the 50’s so not too bad. Trees and bushes are blooming everywhere. I am so afraid a cold snap will kill what has bloomed out.

This is day 7 of the 30 day blog challenge and today is about my 5 Favorite songs, These are in no particular order I love them all. So here we go;

Proud Mary by Tina Turner. I love this song because I love Tina Turner and I love that this song offers a different way of life. Someone quits their job with the man and hitches a ride on a River Boat Queen and sees different cities in ways they never have. I guess I have always thought of ditching my job and taking a job somewhere and seeing things I never have before. I once told my husband I was going to quit working for the man every night and day and hitch a ride on a River Boat Queen. He said, well when you can make the same amount of money that the man pays you that might be an option. He is such a stick sometimes ha ha. Oh and also I do want some Tina hair I keep working on it I know it will happen.
We Are The Champions by Queen. This song was written by Freddie Mercury. I loved him. Even more so after he died. While he was popular and performing I was a little young to appreciate what talent he had. I especially loved the movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, that was made about Freddie’s life and the band Queen. If you haven’t seen it please watch it now. It is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I loved Freddie because he didn’t care to be different and show people how different he was. The lyrics, But it’s been been no bed of roses no pleasure cruise I consider it a challenge before the whole human race and I ain’t gonna lose, speaks so much. He was a freaking musical genius. All of Queen were unbelievably talented. I listen to this song on my way to work everyday. It gets me inspired!!!!
Crazy Love by Poco. This is an oldie but I remember listening to it when I was a teenager and having first loves. I still know every word and will sing it at the top of my lungs if I hear it. I remember me and my girlfriends listening to this song over and over every time we went through a break up. It happens all the time this crazy love of mine, wraps around my heart refusing to unwind. I just love it.
I melt with you by Modern English. I am not sure why I love this song except that it reminds me of love. I’ll stop the world and melt with you. Isn’t that romantic? And the tune is so catchy you will want to dance your butt off every time you hear it. I never was a fan of this band otherwise but I love this song.
Circles by Post Malone. This has just recently become a favorite but I love it. I love several songs by Post Malone. This song is again one that I know every word to and sing it all the time. It is a little sad but it is about a love affair that can’t go anywhere but in circles: Seasons change and our love went cold. Feed the flame cause we can’t let it go. Run away, but we’re running in circles run away, run away.

Man after reading these and the lyrics I have to proclaim myself a true romantic ha ha. Oh well I am what I am.

What are some of your favorite songs? I really have many many more than this I didn’t even get into country music and gospel music which I love and have many many favorites. I will save those for another time.

Always remember,

Love your day your way!!