[Disclaimer: The following is a collaborative post] Most of us grow up with a desire to own our home one day, and when we envision that property, we think of a place that oozes warmth, calmness, and love from every orifice. Finding the perfect property isn’t always easy, but often it’s possible to turn a… Continue reading Injecting Personality and Practicality into a Family Home
So here’s my news. Spring arrived, all better-late-than-never-here’s-some-sunshine-to-go-with-those-daffodils. Winter had been pretty reluctant to release us from its clutch this year, hadn’t it? The sudden burst of sunshine has really shown up the grime though. It is easy to see where the notion of Spring cleaning came from. My mother will probably hate to read… Continue reading I say Spring, you say clean?
On the drive home from work most days there are horrific stories on the news. In The Irish Times recently there was an article on the stabbing of a teenage girl in a town close to us here in Germany. Work is busy. The weather has been woeful. The youngest is being a handful. I’m… Continue reading Things That Made Me Smile This Week
January and February have been quiet months here at Three Sons Later. Unlike last year when crochet took over my spare time, so far this year I haven’t lifted a needle at all. I haven’t had time to since I have mostly had a book in my hand. In the past month I’ve read everyday… Continue reading Books, Flowers and Stuff in General
Being back home over Christmas and the new year reminded me of the magic of having a range in the kitchen. I grew up in a home with an oil-fired range and the hum of it, the heat of it and its big, solid presence make me long that for our home too. Back before we… Continue reading The Magic Of An Aga (and how to keep it running smoothly)
Reading through this blog, you’d be forgiven for thinking we have a big, sprawling house. In fact it is pretty compact. The rooms aren’t huge by any means but we try to make good use of them. The children’s bedrooms double as their playrooms, the kitchen table doubles as their desk for homework, the dog… Continue reading A [Craft] Room of One’s Own
December is rushing past or, more accurately, I am letting December pass me by in a blur of meetings, appointments and planning sessions, almost all of which are entirely unrelated to Christmas. Advent, as I have mentioned here on this blog often, is a time of year I love. The anticipation, preparation and the weekly… Continue reading The December Rush
When we were on the lookout for a house we had lots of dreams but very few definite requirements. We wanted a room for the boys – we only had two back then, – a room for ourselves and a guest bedroom. When we finally found our current house, we fell in love with it… Continue reading Living Life & Using Space
A house that looks lived in is perfect, to my mind. I don’t feel welcome in overly clean homes, afraid just by being there I’ll deflate a perfectly plumped cushion or inadvertently drop a long, dark hair onto white tiles. The same goes for gardens. In parks or the grounds of stately homes, I’m… Continue reading Pretty Neat
Last year one of those wonderful occasions came about. The kind of thing you daydream about now and again throughout the course of your young life. My sister got engaged! And, to my surprise and delight, she asked me to be one of her bridesmaids. I‘ve never been a bridesmaid before and, with my friends… Continue reading Calling All Bridesmaids
