Today was a mostly-day-off for me and it was an absolutely wonderful Friday. I’m spending tomorrow giving a day-long tour for a German journalist who’s visiting Dublin, so I decided to give myself today off. I find myself doing quite a bit of work on the weekends, and when that happens I’m realizing I need down time on other days in order to not hit a wall mid-week.

The day started with babysitting my little niece until lunchtime. Michael and I took her out for a few errands and up to Howth for a coffee (us, not her) and to watch the boats. Then we sat in our living room for a picnic lunch on the floor (no highchair at our house but the floor cleans up easily!) in the sunshine. The weather has been gloriously warm and more sunny than we can usually expect and it’s making the shorter days feel a little more civil.

I spent the afternoon picking blackberries up in Howth with my mother-in-law in the aforementioned glorious sunshine. We’re making jam on Sunday! Tonight I’m watching Scandal and catching up on some emails while Michael is out. Such a good day.

Also good? These straw flowers on our dining table in the sunlight this afternoon. I picked up a bunch as a complete impulse buy from The Garden flower shop in Powerscourt and the smell of them reminds me of home. A neighbor, Nancy, always had them or made arrangements with them? I can’t quite remember but I’m absolutely sure I remember them from when I was little. And it makes me terribly happy to have their cheery colors on the table.

Have a happy weekend, friends! See you back on Monday!

{Autumn kale salad with maple bacon vinaigrette}

I go through phases during which I completely avoid green leafy things. Well, that’s not really true. If someone else is making the green leafy things, I’ll eat them, but I go through phases where the last thing I feel like doing is making something leafy. I am a big fan of vegetables, but the green ones are often my least favorite. Also, if anyone can give me tips on how to make the green leafy things last more than two days in the fridge, I’d be all ears!

But, I figure fall is as good a time as any to fall back in love with green veggies. Mostly by distracting from their green leafiness with lots of butternut squash, cranberries and pomegranates! Here are a few recipes I’m eyeing for a healthy and green start of fall.

{Butternut squash and kale tart} 

{Pan seared brussel sprouts with pecans and cranberries} 

{Roasted pumpkin and quinoa salad with chickpeas}

{Roasted sweet potato salad with pomegranates and pistachios}

I have a bunch more pumpkin/sweet potato/butternut squash distracting from the green things recipes on my Savory Recipes Pinterest board, too!

I’ve been staring at a blank blog post page for at least an hour (while half watching that George Clooney movie The Descendants which is an absolutely depressing movie, by the way), and what I think I’ve really been trying to figure out how to say is that over the last several years of starting a freelance career, I’m glad I haven’t been afraid to fail.

Last night, over Gchat with my little brother, I was trying to explain why it’s absolutely okay to try all of the things when you’re trying to land on a career after college. How the heck else are you going to figure out what you want to do with your life if you don’t give things a shot? Some people (like my darling husband) figure out what they want to do pretty quickly, and others of us shop around for a while – and might keep shopping forever!

Over the last few years, I’ve tried so many ideas and pitched so many projects. Some of them have worked, and some of them just haven’t. But I’m glad I wasn’t afraid that some of those ideas would fail. I’m glad I was able to focus on the projects and ideas that were successful and capitalize on and replicate those.

So the moral of my story is that there is no shame in failing when you’re trying things out. It’s the only way some of us learn what success looks like.

Image above of me failing at taking a selfie a few weeks ago. There’s a little shame in that. 

I’m in the market for a new pair of glasses. Mine are a few years old and could use an update.

What’s your vote?

Sources, top to bottom: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Now that Delightful Dublin is live, I thought it would be fun to share a little peek inside! In case you’re on the fence about buying it, which you can do right here, this will give you just a sliver of what the book includes. I hope you enjoy it!