Any modern woman, working in or out of the house, who is interested in improving her home and the life within it. This site is for all you NGHs to learn along with me, and all you current generation HWs to help teach and laugh at my attempts.
Who is the Next Generation Hw?
I'm Clarissa, a mid-20s happily married Midwestern girl with one "child," our 3-year-old cat, Dusty. My newest hobbies, and the focus of this blog, are some activities around the home including cooking, baking, sewing, and working to decorate and improve our house. Meanwhile, I'm a self-proclaimed "computer nerd" working in web design and IT consulting, so those topics and the latest technology will always be in the mix as well.
I took this picture at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland. I love how the three different pieces of the building that join together are so very different.
The center tower is Norman (also called Record) Tower, a medieval tower built in 1226. It was used as a high security prison at that time, and continued in that capacity for approximately 400 years. It is believed its 4.6 meter (about 15 feet) thick walls may be why it’s the only tower remaining from that time period in Dublin. Now it houses the Garda (Police) Museum.
The building to the right of the tower is part of the Treasury Building built in 1714. It is the oldest office block in Dublin and attaches right into the Norman Tower.
Finally, the building on the left of the tower is the Chapel Royal. This is the newest of the three parts of the building, built in 1814. It was originally the King’s Chapel in Ireland for the Viceroy, his household, and officials. Here’s a better picture of the chapel.
In the current days of building for 30 years and tearing down buildings once they’re older, I think it’s nice to see a spot where new was added (twice, even) while retaining the old.
Check out this castle that was built in the 1400s. At first glance it looks just like any other 15th century castle.
But then, take a closer look.
Notice how the bottom section has severely shifted to the left over the years? A few hundred years ago the problem was noticed and the wall in the very left of the photo was built to help stabilize. The guide said they are still working on it today, and we noticed a couple carefully placed bricks that looked brand new. Good thing that was after we had safely been in and out.
And you thought you needed to worry about your house’s foundation. Although with backyard view like this, maybe they didn’t care!
I realize it’s kind of hard to talk about home-related topics when I’m not home. So, I decided to add a travel category to this site and share some little stories from our travels whenever those occur. I hope you will find them as an interesting break from the housewife talk.
So, do I sound different? Last week I kissed Ireland’s Blarney Stone, which is supposed to give me wonderful speaking abilities. However, none of the legends address its effect on writing/blogging — maybe it’s time for Blarney to enter the 21st century. Whether it worked or not, it was a crazy experience.
Blarney is a small town with a famous castle that has become a tourist destination mainly for its famous stone. We were warned to be prepared for a very touristy experience, but we actually very much enjoyed the castle and especially the beautiful gardens and grounds that surround it.
First, some history… The castle currently standing on the site was built in 1446 by the family of the King of Munster. Legend has it that the king supplied four thousand men to help fight another king’s battle and was given half of the “Stone of Scone” in gratitude. That stone is now what’s known as the famous “Blarney Stone.” The name is said to be coined by Queen Elizabeth I who was upset that her Earls were not overtaking the castle and said their failed reports were all “Blarney.”
Here is our first view of the castle.
As we climbed up the narrow spiral staircase…
we saw rooms that used to be a bedroom, kitchen, living room, and banquet room. Once we got to the top, though, we had a great view.
And then it was time to kiss the Blarney Stone and receive our gift of gab, meaning we will be given the ability to speak beautifully and eloquently. The legend is that anyone with Irish blood already has the gift and is exempt, but I did it anyway because our tour guide said “it never hurts to get more.” My mom had warned me that kissing the stone required hanging off the edge, but I didn’t quite have a good mental picture until we got to the top. She wasn’t kidding! They have a man at the edge who helps each person lay down on his/her back and slide off the edge of the roof (for short people like me that means hanging off past the waist!), lean back until completely upside down, and reach out to kiss the rock. Hard to picture, I know. Maybe this will help.
And a great video of Adam kissing the stone (Note, the videos across the bottom at the end aren’t ours, just other random people’s)
After that strange experience, we just wandered the beautiful grounds and enjoyed our new speaking abilities
If you’re interested in joining the series of following our trip day-by-day, check out our site at AdamandClarissa.com. There you will also see links to all of our photos from each day. If you already subscribe to both sites, then you’re all set to receive the day-by-day series as well as NGH’s focused topic-based stories.
