Gallagher Family
a memoir for my family
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Pinterest: Inspiration or Desperation?
Is anyone else out there that feels incompetent after viewing pinterest?? I know that I am easily over whelmed and
pinterst makes my senses go haywire.
That being said I am ADDICTED to the site!! My mother always warned about comparing
yourself with others, “There will always be others greater and lesser persons than
yourself,” she wisely quoted from the Desiderata . Here are some of my favorite pinterest rabbit holes I followed. Two are from some awesome friends of mine.
Take this one:
This mother of 5 transformed her sons' lego instruction
sheets into cool, fabulously organized binders.
In my world this should be a headline on the evening news! I find these woman amazing!
Or this one:
This mother of 3 makes time in here day to quilt with her children!! She also has a fantastic blog Check it out! I actually feel quite proud to know her and have been part of a wonderful homeschool at our last home. She also is the creator of Speed card a wonderful way to reinforce multiplication facts and tons of other math concepts. Plus it’s an online App for ipad. How cool is that?
Another of my amazing friends woodworking shop class!!
This mother of 3 makes time to host star gazing classes,
wood working 101, and a history co op in her home and includes other
families. Check her out too! Here’s another personal friend to whom I owe
a great deal of gratitude. I am way
beyond being just impressed, kinda in awe.
I must confess my jealously is out of complete envy for
those individuals to whom the talent of “follow through” was bestowed in high
numbers. This is not one of my strengths. I tend to get super excited about a project
and then digress into wastefulness. I
waste my money, my time and my energy trying to live up to some crazy
standard.
I want to live at Downton Abbey and have a basement full of
people managing my day!
How about you? Do you
struggle to follow through with your ideas and plans? Do you know other terrific ladies with
talents? Share them with us here so we
can celebrate their talents and be inspired!
Melissa
Sunday, September 30, 2012
There's No Place Like Home
If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look further than my own backyard, because if it isn't there, then I haven't really lost it.
Friday, September 28, 2012
If all the
days that come to pass
Are behind these walls
I’ll be left at the end of things
In a world kept small
Travel far from what I know
I’ll be swept away
I need to
know
I can be lost
and not afraid
We’re gonna
trip the light
We’re gonna
break the night
And we’ll see
with new eyes
When we trip
the light
Remember
we’re lost together
Remember
we’re the same
We hold the
burning rhytm in our hearts
We hold the
flame
We’re gonna
trip the light
We’re gonna
break the night
And we’ll see
with new eyes
When we trip
the light
I’ll find my
way home
On the
Western wind
To a place
that was once my world
Back from
where I’ve been
And in the
morning light I’ll remember
As the sun
will rise
We are all
the glowing embers
Of a distant
fire
Music: Garry
Schyman ©
We'll miss all our friends here in Europe so much! It's been such a great tour.
Labels:
culture,
dance,
music,
peace,
travel,
where's matt,
world culture
Friday, September 14, 2012
Normandy Trail
Normandy is famous for it's apple cider and other apple products. We truly enjoyed sampling the different ciders (which are alcoholic) and the different apple butters and spreads. We stopped at a little cider house after visiting Monet's Garden.
Here we are enjoying a typical Norman cuisine in Honfleur. This yummy aperitif is called a Kir Normandy.
Where we stayed:
Where we dined:
Places to Explore:
Books to Enjoy:
Labels:
boy scout camporee,
cider,
cidre,
dday,
giverny,
June 6,
monet,
normandy,
world war two,
wwII
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Pizza Party in Naples
So Naples, Italy claims to have the BEST pizza in the world -- that's a taste challenge we HAD to accept (quite happily)! The crust is what makes it, in my opinion. It is thin, yet doughy and soft. We each gobbled down an entire platter ourselves and decided we could easily have eaten another one (we didn't!)
It was also Ryan's 13th birthday -- Happy Birthday Ryan!
Monday, August 6, 2012
Art for Travellers
Discovering great art in Europe is the easy part; carefully planning a trip to see it can prove challenging. Our family uses Rick Steve's travel guides for travel arrangements. Rick Steve provides excellent, concise narrations on most the historic and important travel sites for hundreds of European cities. A new find of mine is the Art for Travelers by Ann Morrow and John Power series. The book provides specific art "trails" both in the major city museums and also in between "trails" to hit art tucked away in smaller venues. Clear, concise profiles of the artist are coupled with prints and drawings helping to further explain paintings meanings and subject matter. The book is 5x7 inches making it easy to tuck into a handbag for take-along. Another resource I use in our classroom is How to Read a Painting by Patrik de Rynck. Each painting is shown in a large 5x7 print with many details enlarged. The book gives a small summary and discussion highlighting meanings within the painting itself. My children ages 13, 10 and 9 enjoy using this for their picture study pre and post travels.
All of these titles are current and available at your library :)
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Turkish Delight
Amazing and hypnotic colors inspire new designs for me. I am in love with the rich hues and intricate patterns. They truly are fabulous expressions of Divine adoration. Amazing to witness an entire mosque covered floor to ceiling with all this vibrancy. The overall pattern may feel busy and disorientating here in these little snapshots, but I can assure you it is a much more meditative experience in person.
The boys devoured their lunch of lamb and pita bread. Joe and I really enjoyed the eggplant and zucchini dishes. And of course, the baklava for desert is delicious.
And the crowning jewel; the real Turkish delight!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thorvaldsen Museum - Denmark, Copenhagen
Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844) is one of Denmark’s best known artists. For more than 40 years he lived in Rome where he became one of the most important European representatives of Neo-Classicist sculptural art.
Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen on November 19th, 1770, to poor parents. His father was a carver and immigrant from Iceland. His mother was the daughter of a parish clerk at the village of Lemvig. The young Bertel entered the Art Academy in Copenhagen at the young age of 11 with an unusually bright talent and was educated here as a sculptor until 1793. In 1796 he got the opportunity of travelling to Rome as the Academy’s scholar for three years to be further educated. But he stayed in Rome, received numerous orders and became one of Europe’s best known artists.
He welcomes worshippers into a world of neoclassical serenity. Statues of the 12 apostles line the nave — carved by the great Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen. Inspired by the famous Italian sculptor Canova, his art complements the relative austerity and comforting simplicity of Lutheran worship.
The apostles lead to Thorvaldsen's masterpiece: a statue of the risen Christ. Thorvaldsen was a master at showing both heavenly and human characteristics. Wearing his burial shroud Jesus opens his arms and says, "Come to me."
Monday, July 23, 2012
Copenhagen Lego Style
The boys were thrilled to find a Lego store on our walking tour. Here is Nyhavn Lego style. A five minute walk brought us to the real thing!
Nyhavn, a recently gentrified sailors' quarter, lounges comfortably around a canal. A few lonely tattoo parlors and smoky taverns stubbornly defend their salty turf against a rising tide of trendy, expensive cafés.
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