Friday Five: Stops in Ireland that Will Make You Say Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever)!!

I am so in the St. Patrick's Day spirit here! This weekend we will be making Irish Soda bread and shamrock cookies for friends, having bangers and mash as well as getting ready for our huge Paddy's Day parade next weekend! That brings me to today's Friday Five: Stops in Ireland that Will Make You Say Erin Go Bragh (Ireland Forever!)!

 

Thanks to PD Photo for this public domain photo of Kylemore Abby

There are so many beautiful places to see in Ireland and I love them all. But for this Friday Five I had to go to an expert, my husband Brian who is from Galway, Ireland!

Map courtesy of CIA World Factbook

1. Trinity College/Guinness Storehouse tours - The University of Dublin, Trinity College was founded in 1592. It is a must see for visitors to Dublin. Located in the heart of the city, the cobbled stones are beautiful and lead to the 18th century Old Library building. Inside is housed the Book of Kells - a 9th-century gospel manuscript.

Also, while you are in Dublin be sure to check out the Guinness Storehouse tour in St. Jame's Gate. Even if you aren't a big drinker this tour is so full of amazing history coupled with technology that makes it the number one tourist stop in the country. Plus, the price of admission includes a pint in the Gravity Bar. It doesn't get any fresher than that! Plus this bar also provides the best 360 degree views of the city!

2. Cliffs of Moher - These cliffs provide a breathtaking look at where Ireland meets the Atlantic Ocean in County Clare.  From the Cliffs one can see the Aran Islands, Galway Bay, as well as The Twelve Pins, the Maum Turk Mountains in Connemara and Loop Head to the South. The Cliffs of Moher take their name from a ruined promontory fort “Mothar” which was demolished during the Napoleonic wars to make room for a signal tower.

Walking trail in Ireland

3. Newgrange Ancient Temple and Passage Tomb - Located in County Meath on the east side of Ireland this site was built around 3200 BC^[ during the Neolithic period. That makes this site older than Stonehenge and the great pyramids of Giza, friends!

The Ring of Kerry

This picture brings back happy memories of a special trip my sister-in-law Avril and I took with baby Shay and Teagan. We hiked up the Gap of Dunloe with a stroller instead of taking the old-fashioned horse drawn carriage up the steep climb. It is was a beautiful day out!

4. Ring of Kerry - The Ring Of Kerry offers some of the most pristine, gorgeous views of Ireland along with its rich history. There are plenty of beaches, hiking, golf, pubs with traditional music, thatched roofed houses and cycling as you make your way around the peninsula.

Killkenny, County Kerry

5. Kinsale - I had to mention Co. Cork in this Friday Five because it is one of MY favorite places in Ireland! Luckily Brian's immediate family has all relocated here so we have plenty of reasons to hang out and explore on our visits. Brian will be there in April and then we all plan to go this summer.

Kinsale is 30 minutes outside of Cork city and for many years Brian's brother, Keith and sweet sister-in-law Avril lived there. I just loved going to visit them as this beautiful port town boasts wonderful shops, cobblestone streets, amazing restaurants, art and history. In 1915 the "Lusitania" was torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale and nearby Cobh served as the final port of call for the Titanic.

Blarney Castle

While you there be sure to check out The Blarney Stone which is 24 miles away. You may wanna  kiss the Blarney Stone...or if you are afraid of heights and germs, maybe not? And you gotta stop by the Blarney Woollen Mills which has been in business since 1823! They have simply amazing wool sweaters, Irish linens and Waterford crystal.

OK, so it is technically more than five stops...but how could I smush all this fabulousl-ness into just five spots? I could go on and on because I love the Emerald Isle. But the BEST thing about the island? The people!! They are sweet, generous and so welcoming to this American. A St. Patrick's Day shout out to all our friends and family!! We love you so and wish you a very happy day there! 

I took this picture while out on a walk around Brian's parents farm in Co. Galway. The farm is beautiful to me with its stone fences, old cemetery, sheep, cattle and the old catholic schoolhouse next door that has been converted in the last few years. This is a sleepy little town but home to so many wonderful people and memories making it our favorite place to go.

Teagan on St. Patrick's Day 2011! I can't believe how big she has gotten! Stay tuned for more Irish festivities this week including recipes, crafts and fun pictures of the kids. Happy weekend all! And if you get a moment, please comment and tell me what your favorite place is in Ireland (or where you would like to go when you visit there!)!

Slainte!

Michelle

Introducing...

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am so excited to introduce you to someone special. She's the newest member of our family as our second sponsored child via Compassion International. We are already feeling so blessed!

Elibie

Elibie is a sweet girl who lives in the country of Burkina Faso and she will be seven years old in May. She does not currently attend school but helps her family with child care and running errands for them. For fun Elibie likes to play with dolls, group games and hide-and-seek.

She lives with her father who at times is employed as a mason and her mother who sometimes gets work as a cleaner. Where she lives houses are typically constructed of dirt or cement floors, mud or brick walls and tin roofs.

The regional diet consists of maize, beans, rice, chicken, beef, guinea pig, fish and bananas. Common health problems in this area include malaria and meningitis. Most adults are unemployed but some work as day laborers, farmers, market traders or in domestic services and earn the equivalent of $33 per month.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in western Africa. It's slightly larger than Colorado. With a population of 13 million, it is one of the poorest countries in the world having few natural resources, fragile soil and an unequal distribution of income and prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

About 50 percent of the population is Muslim, 40 percent practice indigenous religions and about 10 percent are Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. 

We pray that through our sponsorship, Compassion International will be able to free Elibie from the chains of poverty. I love how this organization tackles poverty from several angles, one child at a time.

Call to Action: Change the Story

Today, you have the opportunity to sponsor a child of your own for $38 a month, the price of a meal out...or a little over a dollar a day per month. Touch the life of a child in Jesus' name. Listen to God's soft, quiet voice leading you. I promise you won't miss this money but it will have such a HUGE impact not only on your sponsored child but on their entire family.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Here are some of the children waiting for sponsors....

 Ceasar, (age 6) Nicaragua - waiting 358 days for a sponsor

Mebelyn (age 4) Honduras

Olnise (age 3) Haiti

As a former auditor I appreciate that Compassion International has been around for 60 years now and has received the highest ratings for financial accountability by independent auditing agencies. Charity Navigator has credited them with having the most consecutive four-star ratings in the nation.

Please comment if you are already a sponsor or if you decide to become one so we can pray for you and your sponsored children! Congratulations to Jim and Maureen who sponsored Bethlehem today from Ethiopia! What an amazing journey you've embarked on. And I know that little girl will be spoiled to bits by you!

In Jesus' Name, Michelle

Destination: Inspiration Linky Party #5

Welcome to Teagan's Travels' Destination: Inspiration linky party! I've got a ton of fun things to share with you this week including the new child we are sponsoring through Compassion International. This has made our hearts so happy and we can't wait for you to meet her. If you missed it, please check out my post on children living in desperate poverty who need our help NOW by clicking this LINK.

Yesterday I posted a tutorial on how to improve your blog photos for under $5. I credited one source for inspiring me but also want to add Jamielyn's awesome photo tutorial series at I Heart Naptime! This provides so many useful tips and I know you will love checking it out!

I also added Disqus into my site which will allow us to comment back and forth with more ease! If you left a comment and haven't heard from me know that I am doing my best to reach out to all of you. I so appreciate the time you took to visit my site and hope you will be back often!

Last week we had another group of off-the-chart submissions! You are one talented crew and it is getting harder each week to select my top three! Check out these amazing sites below.

Isn't this gorgeous wreath made of lima beans and peas by Rachel at Bubbly Nature Creations just beautiful? Check out her site for how she made it at Shamrock Wreath by Bubbly Nature Creations.

This hutch makeover by Katie at Impatiently Praying for Patience has me just itching to go flea market hunting! I love the color and the pattern she chose!

This art from Lauren at First Comes Love caught my eye because I am a big Dave Ramsay fan. I've mentioned him before on this blog. We took his Financial Peace University course and are happily debt free with the exception of our mortgage. What an amazing, blessed reminder to Live Like No One Else today so we can Live Like No One Else tomorrow! Thanks for the inspiration this week, Lauren!

On to this week's party! If you were featured I'd love it if you'd grab my featured button to post on your blog. I got feedback last week that my buttons weren't working but (crossing fingers) I got that worked out. Leave me a comment if you have any problems with them!




<center><a href="http://teaganstravels.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/sticksandmouse/th_basebutton.jpg" border="0" alt="Teagan's Travels Button, 2012 February"/></a> <center></center></center>


<center><a href="http://teaganstravels.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i1195.photobucket.com/albums/aa394/sticksandmouse/IWasFeatured.jpg" border="0" alt="I Was Featured, 2012 February" /></a><center></center></center>

Passport to an Awesome Party

*I am trying to grow my little blog so please do follow me using Google Friends Connect or Linky Followers on my sidebar!

*Grab my button and post it somewhere on your blog.

*Link to your post instead of your overall blog address.

*We all love comments so spread the love to at least one other blogger.

Happy Tuesday! I'll leave the linky up again until Monday night.

When you are done here check out

 

Skip to My Lou's Linky Party!

Better Blog Pictures for Under $5!

We are off to another great week here and I am thinking about...pictures! How do those great big blogtastic sites in webland get such fantastic photos, I wondered? Are their authors pro photographers? Do they have a studio helping them out?

I started doing some research on what I could do from home knowing my photos, especially of close up crafting projects, could use some help! Thanks to a great site called Via U! I got some great tips to get me off and running on making my shots look better! I thought I would share what I've learned today and hope you'll pass on your tips in the comments section as well.

First, I needed more light and a great background. So I chose the sunniest room in our house which is our bonus room upstairs. Then I snagged Isla's baby gate and Teagan's table that she uses for Legos. Don't fret if you don't have a baby gate hanging around. The original tutorial called for a cardboard box where you cut off two sides and the tops to get basically the same shape.

This table was just the right height to catch the best rays from the sun. The gate was sturdy enough for what came next....

I bought two pieces of 20 x 30 x 3/16" white foam board and pulled a few bits of burlap and felt I had from previous projects. I put the two pieces of foam together at a 90 degree angle and used the tape to secure them to the gate. 

Next, I wanted to experiment with adding in texture and a bit of color so I took several shots with the bare table as a background, felt and burlap. I've also read wrapping paper makes a great base for pictures. Ultimately I found neutrals work best.

This setup allowed the light to reflect and made for a wonderful, soft background that highlighted the subject of my photos.

This is loads better than the pictures I took to originally introduce this vase. I edited the picture using an amazing free site called Picnik. This site is sadly going away in April but in the meantime I am putting it to good use. I cropped the photo, added rounded edges as a frame, my watermark, and an airy matte finish.

I think next time I just need one more piece of foam board to use as a base to give it an even softer finish.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am lovin' me some burlap and St. Patrick's Day decorations this year!

I also revisited the felt Valentine's wreath from the tutorial I posted here. In this photo I used a thumb tack on the back of the foam board to hang my wreath for pictures. And I used Picknik again to crop, add a matte finish and my watermark. In addition, I used their clone feature to fill in some areas that needed more fullness and intensified the pink color with a Vibrance feature.

I love my new shamrock from Hobby Lobby this year! It is hanging over my mantel which is decorated for Paddy's Day!

I did this during nap time while the kids slept (kinda) and Daddy snuck off for 9 holes of golf. All told it took about 30 minutes and I learned a ton! I hope this helps you as well!

Do share if you have photography tips! I especially need help photographing my mantel which is in a pretty dark room...with blue walls (I so haven't been able to talk Brian in to painting them neutral).

Have a great Monday! And be sure to join us for Tuesday's Destination: Inspiration linky party where you can link up crafts, recipes, Etsy shops and more, as long as it is family friendly and you made it!

Waiting

Waiting.

I must say, it is not a strength of mine...

Waiting.

At the doctor's office, for my name to be called.

At the traffic light for it to turn green.

Waiting.

For an opportunity to travel the world despite a college girl's tiny budget and closing doors.

For the man who was meant to be my husband to come into my life in my late twenties.

For God's perfect timing in placing two sweet babies in my arms in my late thirties and early forties.

Waiting.

When I think of it, we do a lot of waiting in our lives and my list does not even begin to scratch the surface. And if you were to ask him, I'm sure my husband would tell you I am the poster child for impatience. I like to be in control at all times. Now I ask you, is that soooooooooooo bad?? Plus, I am on the move so much that I find it really tough to just.sit.still. And watch a movie, for example. Never mind waiting. 

But today I want to focus on a different type of waiting. One that is so powerful, so full of hope. Children in poverty. They are waiting for us, my friends. They are waiting for the love of a sponsor. Waiting to be told they are important. Special. They are waiting for the hope that is salvation through Jesus Christ. Waiting for an escape from a life of desperate poverty.

I've shared before how becoming a Compassion International sponsor and Advocate changed our lives and the life of our sponsored child, Pascaline. And I shared why I believe in supporting Compassion International when there are several worthy non-profit organizations available offering the same opportunities.

COMPASSION IN ACTION

Today, imagine that Compassion International has come to your village and taken the steps to register you and take your picture. It is a wonderful day of happiness! Becoming a sponsored child means you will receive education opportunities, health care and instruction, nutrition, life-skills training and most importantly, the opportunity to hear the gospel. You are all registered! Now...all you have to do is...wait.

Our sponsorship of a waiting child changes their lives forever. And it will bless you too, I can promise you.  For a little over $1 a day, the price of a meal out each month, you can connect with a child who will write you throughout the year, send pictures and updates.

Watch this powerful video that is less than two minutes long.


Sponsor a Waiting Child from Compassion International on Vimeo.

A CELEBRATION

I hope you will join me in dedicating $38 each month to changing one of these precious lives forever. They need us to care. I am so excited to share today that Brian and I have been thinking of sponsoring a second child for a few months and today provides the perfect opportunity!! We will ask God to match us with one of these children with a heart in the lower left-hand corner of their picture! That child's wait of six months or more is over and a new life of opportunity begins! So today we are celebrating in Jesus' name! I'll share more information about him/her this week in a post.

Will you join me? At a minimum will you link to the post and look at these children? Where are they  from? How old are they? Perhaps it will prompt you to choose one based on the age of one of your grandchildren. Or maybe you homeschool and want your kids to know more about a region you are studying? You can even pick a child based on someone special's birthday. If you are like me a little face will touch your heart. I also want to mention that right now when you sponsor a  Longest Waiting Child you will receive a free Compassion Scrapbook.

Click Here to go to Compassion International's Page for Waiting Children

Dear Lord, thank You that You have offered us so many blessings in our lives. Please give us a heart for children everywhere who are in a battle with poverty that tries to convince them there is no hope, that they are unimportant. Help us to give to them your truth and the resources they need to live a changed life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

I so can't wait to hear from some of you! If you are already sponsoring a child, or chose to sponsor a child today please leave me a comment! It would totally and completely make my day to hear about your child or children! Now, on to a great Saturday with you!


Blessings, Michelle

Friday Five: Ways to Obsess While Trying to Get Preggers!

Baby Isla

Happy Friday everyone! Today's Friday Five takes a peak at what to do when you are ultra-focused on getting preggers! As in pregnant. Like, now already, right? Oh have I've so been there! This month I am going to post  the story of our path to parenthood. We've been blessed with two beautiful girls via invitro fertilization (IVF) procedures. Here's the way I made it through the long hours of waiting for that moment when I first held them in my arms!

Teagan at 5 months old in Ireland

1.  TwoWeekWait.com - This brilliant trying to conceive(TTC) and pregnancy community is a miracle in disguise! I can not tell you how many hours I've spent on this site but it provided sweet distraction when I needed it most! You can join forums based on your age, fertility treatment type and more. This is the spot where you can also obsess with others on your early pregnancy symptoms, ask questions and get a ton of support! Then we you do get your BFP (or positive pregnancy test) head on over to their pregnancy boards to meet other women with your due date. Elle has really put together something special with this site!

2. Nameberry - While you are dreaming away of that little baby in your arms check out trending around popular names, meanings, and more! I think I could have at least 50 children before I used up all my favorite names! I am still in shock that this site predicts Isla will be in the top 10 here this year! Wow! I'd never met an Isla before but there is one in her church nursery, Kade's school and more so I suppose the numbers are climbing. We still love the name along with Teagan's and wouldn't change anything.

3. Conceive Magazine - For every woman who is tired of sitting in a doctor's office full of magazines covering pregnancy or parenting, Conceive is a breath of fresh air. Full of tips and information on how to get increase your odds of getting pregnant, this is the online version!

4. Can You See A Line.com - Join over 20000 members to vote on pregnancy tests or submit your own, post in our forum and more! If you are willing to look at another person's pee sticks, zooming in and darkening to determine if there is any sort of line then consider yourself in Super Baby Obsessed status. Still, kinda fun if you are testing and want to compare your results against others who went on to have a successful pregnancy!

5.  Betabase.info - This site collects beta scores from pregnancies and makes the information available as a public service. You can enter your beta numbers to find out how they are doubling and where they are charting according to other women who are the same number of weeks pregnant. For those of you going through infertility treatment this is an awesome site in that it can take your beta numbers and tell you statistically if they indicate a multiple pregnancy!

Wherever you are in your trying to conceive journey I wish you well! Feel free to shoot me questions or prayer requests below or at teaganstravels@yahoo.com.

*Babydust* to you!
  Michelle

A Boy and His Cars

Last weekend we celebrated my nephew Kade's 5th birthday! He had an awesome time with his buddies from school and chose a Cars theme! The location was so much fun with a room dedicated to about ten huge bouncy castles. Next, we moved to an arcade where the kids got pre-loaded cards they could use to play games or for mini bowling. We wrapped up with a cake and pizza party. I was still not feeling great so I just got a few pictures but we had such a great time celebrating our little guy! It is hard to believe he is off to kindergarten this fall!

We love you five year old boy!

He was sooooo proud of this cake!

Poor Sport. The dog wasn't prepared for a rowdy group of boys! He even lost his dog tag in the process. I am pretty sure he is calling in for reinforcements here.

This is the stuff happy birthdays are made of, great job Mommy Melissa!!

Last week I made this cute frame for Paddy's Day from another $1 wooden frame from Michael's featuring little Kade! I love this picture of him. I hope to be finished with the girl's frames this weekend so I can reveal my mantel. I am loving my burlap and green moss together this season!



I got to catch up with Krissy and Shanna at our book club night this week! It was fun seeing all the girls. This is a great group of about fifteen women...and they actually read and have great discussion around the books!I mention this because I've been in groups where we just loved talking so much that the books kinda became an afterthought. They were awesome groups too but I am excited about being a little more accountable for actually reading what we choose. I just joined them and look forward to getting to know these girls better. We just finished reading The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow.



Me with Shanna! We are getting ready for our 10k race later this month. She is rocking it and burning like 1K calories a day. Hello! With two kids. I am barely functiong most days and finding it hard to get excercise in. There are nine girls going on our weekend girls trip for the race, many of them from the book club. So I am not ready but really looking forward to it! I think it will be the first time I've ever been away from Isla overnight so that will be hard. I remember with Teagan who was exactly the same age at 11 months old. I traveled to this same race with another group of girlfriends. That was the first time I was away from her too and I called home about ten times a day just missing her and Brian. I know they will be in good hands with Daddy but these times make me so grateful I don't have to travel for work anymore. I do miss my STK team, to be sure. And all the cool European and Asian locations but at the end of the day this is better. So much better. I am so grateful to be a stay-at-home mom! 

Speaking of, little Isla just wants Mommy to hold her today so I am wrapping this up with one-handed typing! She's had a 101.2 temperature sand was up most of the night.

Hope all are having a great day! Tell me, what great books have you read lately?