Who let that child go without shoes?

There were people selling art and organic food. This market is there every Sunday.

Day out in Dublin

Matthew, Mark and I spent the day out in Dublin on Saturday. Granny stayed home with the girls and their cousin. This photo is of the Four Courts on the Quays. I took it from the car!

We visited the National Museum of Ireland and learned some Irish history.

We spent time in 2 different bookshops, which are across the street from one another: Hughes and Hughes and Waterstones, this photo is the top floor of Waterstones, many a poetry reading I attended here back in the day!

We spent time in coffee shops.

Dancing

The kids cousin came over to granny's house last night, they made up dances to themes that Matthew suggested, even Annie joined in.

time on the wall with the neighbors

Kitchen sink

This is my mum's kitchen sink, the bit on the right is the draining board. Bread is always on tap in the bread bin.

Take Away fish and chips

We are off to Libero's Take Away fish and chip shop. I went to this chip shop many Saturday's in my youth with my dad to pick up fish and chips for dinner.

There is nothing in the world like Dublin take away chip shops. They are dotted around the city and are all run by Italians and sell the same thing - fish or cod in batter and chips or French Fries. The taste is unique, the smell is unique, the experience is very Dublin and unique.

Let's order some fish and chips

Don't you love that girl's huge pink hair clip?

Before the deep fry

Batter covered cod fillets await.

While we wait

They always have Italian soccer games playing on a TV at these chip shops!

Getting closer

They shovel the chips into the bag and then pour tons of salt and vinegar on them.

All packed up in brown bags

The grease soaks through the paper. I was wondering what that dude was doing, not helping with the cooking. People live above the chip shop, so perhaps it is his place!

Here they are

Explanation

I understand how annoying it is to click on to a blog and find the same post for months and months. So I wanted to share why I have stopped posting to this family blog recently.
Firstly, I am busy doing my photo a day blog. On that blog I do post photos of the kids, but with no explanation.
Secondly, the photos that I have been taking with my new camera are much larger files and they take a while to upload, and I am taking so many it would take so long to sort through them and decide which ones to post.
I can only do so much in the day, with homeschooling, learning photography, doing my Somerset Studio type art and running this house I just have not had time to blog about our family life. So for friends and family members who like to see our daily life, I am sorry I have not been posting. Perhaps one day I will have the time to capture it in this space again.

More Mark

Mark is the Executive Director of Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Houston. In that capacity he sometimes writes articles for journals. Here is an article that was published this month.

Mark Published

I am the proud wife of an author! Mark wrote a book on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. It is a collection of short (interesting) bios on each of the signers, great for homeschoolers doing American history, and for us adults who want to know a little about signers other than John Hancock and Thomas Jefferson!

It is listed on Amazon!

He is such a productive man, he has many wonderful projects he is working on, including 3 other historical books in various stages of completion all while working two jobs - as an attorney for US Development group and as a spokesperson for Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, serving as a Deacon at church, being an AWESOME daddy, teaching Latin and Greek to Matthew, working on a PhD in something to do with religion (I ought to know more), studying Classical Literature for his Thursday Great Books class, being part of a worldview class on Sundays and he and Marcus Mucha are going to learn Olde English on Friday's so that they can read Beowulf in the original language. And he is a great husband too. Mark ROCKS!

More fun

Here are the States (in red) that I have visited in my time in the States.

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide