Ireland part 1

Part 1 of Ireland. 

So Thursday night we've safely seen the kids to Grandma and Poppi, whom I am forever indebted to!!!  I ran some errands and picked Tim up from the airport as he was on business in Maryland. Got home and we're packing.. Tim's passport isn't with the other travel docs.  I am nearly having a nervous breakdown. Call Grandma, she checks the van, nope. Much searching is done, and just about the time I've decided it HAS to be in the van Tim checks Drews' room.. ta-da. Drew missed Daddy and wanted his picture. WHEW!  So at 1:30am we crashed, up at 5:30am the shuttle picked us up at 6:45am. Off we go. LAX wasn't terribly busy so we were all through the screenings, luggage checking, and ready to go with over an hour before our flight. Breakfast in the airport, the food was surprisingly good!  Our flight plan was LAX to Philidelphia to Dublin to Shannon. We changed planes in Phili, but not Dublin. In Phili, Tim pulled out our envelope to get itinerary info. and this lady sitting across from us pipes in and says Ireland! Shiela, is now a friend. :o)

I slept most of the flights, really I was only awake for the movie to Dublin, and for lunch on one of the flights. Everyone else was jealous. We arrived in Shannon and waited for 2 other flights to come in, and were off. We stopped at the cliffs of Moher, and the Dormant Portal tomb both of which were amazing.  The first picture is Tim and I sitting at the edge of the trail on the Cliffs.

We arrived to our hotel in Galway around 4pm, dinner was at 6pm. Having traveled for 20 hours I wanted a shower!!! Dinner was fun, we got to meet the rest of the tour group and had the pleasant surprise of finding several friends had come that we didn't know were coming. 

We toured the Aran Island of Innis Mor, the Dingle Penninsula, Limmerick and Castle Bunratty, Kilkenny,Blarney, Kinsale, Cork, and finally Dublin.  I could type pages about each.  

Innis Mor is one of 3 islands off the Western coast of Ireland, It is in habited by locals and has been for centuries. The mainstain of the people now is tourism and sheep farming for wool.  It is also home to the ruins of the Celtic fort Dun Angaos, my mom made the hike up to the top. Pictures are of the fort, and one of my family, Tim, me, Dad, Mom, Bill jr, and Miranda (my new sis-in-law).  That evening we had a yummy dinner and hit the pubs, of course.

C-ya

I leave in 8 hours.. I'm going to IRELAND.. nope I'm not the least bit excited. I'll post gobs of details upon my return.

 

Trick or Treat

I'll be off to decorate the house real quick next.. but had to share our costumes. Pics. will follow.  Drew is captain hook. Beth his first mate, Tori a Vampire, Katie is Cinderella. I am not dressing up this year <sniff> I always dress up, but the wedding took me off my schedule.

Decorations are simple, a witch crashed into our house so we have her, then our jack-o-lanters, and finally some spider webs and two pumpkin tea-light holders that stake into the ground.  I've got a large bucket I'm going to line with black trash bags and then fill with dry ice and water.. should make it a little festive without requiring much effort. Which is perfect as my effort today went into setting up more campaign signs. :o)

 

 

45 hours straight, a little sleep and a big wedding

That's where I've been. I woke up Thursday morning took the kids to school and began the last dress and a half.  I finished the last dress, after two runs to our 24-hour wal-mart, for notions, at 6:45am Friday morning. When I then proceeded to gather my girls for school. Beth and I discussed options and agreed she got the day off. Tori and Katie "had" to go, it was their halloween parade. Drew went because he cried when I suggested staying home.  Tim took them to class while Beth helped me press dresses, and pack the 6 of us to leave. Tim stopped for errands he had. At 10 we went to the school to watch the great march of costumed kids.  Collected our Vampire and Cinderella, picked up Drew who was amiable about it, only because he knew it meant his chance to wear his kilt was coming fast!!!  Lunch, home, load the car, leave. We arrived at the hotel at 2pm, checked in, unloaded,  and I tried the dresses on the two out of town girls. long by 2inches on one, perfect on the other. Phew.  3 hems later, we had dresses. But that was done between rehearsals, dinners, and partying. Oh yeah, and I slept Friday night for about 8 hours. ahhhhh.  saturday morning we had breakfast of bagels, fruit, muffins, and mimosas, w/ chocolate milk for the kids. :o)    I began getting me ready, along with Beth. A. took all 4 little girls to the park for an hour of play then to her room to bathe and dress. Bless that woman!! After hair and make-up for all we got our bride dressed, and I nearly cried. She looked gorgeous!!!! We piled the lot of us into the limo and headed to the church.  We met the boys, M was in hiding, Drew in a kilt w/ tuxedo tie and jacket... oh my.. I nearly cried (again). He was sooo damn cute and handsome. He was a proud proud little man! All the grown-up men looked very handsome in their finery.  Then it was time. I lined up the girls and Drew took my place and they walked. I walked and then the music hit me full on and I cried. Bill was radiant (can a man be radiant and still be manly? I think so).  I took my place and the bride came down, and then the ceremony which was short, simple and absolutely beautiful.  From there we went to the reception which was held at a local yacht club, on the water, gorgeous afternoon. I cannot wait to see the pictures that were taken!!!  We did a grand entrance, the couple danced, then the traditional bride/father, groom/mother dance, toasts ( I toasted, and am told I did an incredible job) and cutting the cake. Then dinner was served and the dance floor opened. It was a lovely evening, The kids behaved very well. We got to visit with many many friends and distant family and it was a marvelous night. We returned to the hotel, tucked the lifeless bodies of our children into their beds and went to the pub to celebrate traditional Irish style, hehe. Then I slept!!!

And now my brother and his wife my sister(in-law) are on honeymoon in Paris. They'll meet the group of us in Ireland on Saturday. My big brother is all married and I'm thrilled!!!!!! Now I have to go pack.

pumpkins

It was hot. Like 100 degrees hot. My poor Coastal kids were melting fast. We did the petting zoo and then picked out our pumpkins, and left. Drew was RED-faced. Tori was whithered, and I was melting.. it was hot.  BUT, we did have fun. Katie will tell you all about the goats, sheep and piglets she got to feed and/or pet.  We each got our choice pumpkin for carving. The family carving party will take place Sunday next after our church's family halloween party. All of that is after my brother gets married on Saturday.  Should be interesting. We brunch at 11am, drop Tim at the airport, nap, party at church, dinner and carve pumpkins, bath, bed.  My parents will be here to lend strong hands (dad) and moral support (mom). So it will be fun.

I'm having a moment of nostalgia.. I guess. It's not sad, just an awww. type of thing. Tonight is Drew's last night in the toddler bed. This is good, he's so excited to have his big bed. As am I. But it is the last time this toddler bed will be used in my house for any of my children... I'll take a picture of him in the morning, maybe asleep.. otherwise pretending to be asleep. hehe

Speaking of which.. it's time for me to sleep.

 

 

Stuff and things

My best friend/soulmate/husband has been sent to Balitmore. He was gone the last 2 weeks, came home for a whirlwind weekend, and left again this morning. I'm not pleased.  I'm not the dependent can't-do-formyself wife.. but I'm also still a girl, and rather a princess.. and I want my man here, my bed is modest in size, but big when I'm alone. 

So to save me from total insanity I have planned to stay very busy. In just a few minutes my crew, + 1 (friend of Beth's) will head up to my in-laws to go to their local pumpkin patch for selection of THE pumkins for our home. Dinner, home, bed for kids, netflix for me. Gilmore Girls season 2. :o)

Tomorrow after sewing in the morning, I'm going to devote a bit of time to getting Drew's room ready for his big boy bed, which arrived yesterday. It's not a loft, or a captain's bed.. it's a regular old twin bed.. but it was free, and free is good. Some shifting of furniture has to take place and some things have to come out, but all will be done as quickly as possible, for no other reason than the bed is now leaning on end in my dining room. NOT working for me. I am, however, extremely grateful to my DGMIL, for the gift of the bed.

So, between sewing up the last of the dresses, making way for a new bed, lunches with friends and 4 kids, I should be ok. Besides 4 days is a snap compared to 12!!!!

sewing..

As I've mentioned before I'm making dresses for the girls for my brothers' wedding. which is in 8 days.  We're on schedule, and so far, all is going smoothly in the task.. very smoothly.. and slippery.  Tafeta. is an evil fabric for sewing.. especially if you are a modest novice sewer, like me.  This stuff slips and slides like you wouldn't believe. UGH! 

My mom's outfit is done. I believe my dress is also done, but my mil is making it. Beth's dress is 1/2 done. The little girls dresses are cut out waiting to be put together.

Jen's sewing service will be closed from 11/1- sometime later to let her eyes, and brain regenerate. hehe.

I leave 2 weeks from today for Ireland. WOHOO!!!! I'm only a little excited.... I've started my packing list. hehe