A wee bit Irish!

Don't we all feel a bit Irish on St. Patty's day? I found the shamrock plates above at Homegoods. I could spend a fortune there. I am off to the grocery to buy my corned beef. We have a parade here and the canal is turned green! It's a lot of fun. Also, there are lots of pubs with Irish fare and green beer!

Here are some good St Patty's Day recipes.

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Did you know?
Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland wasn't actually Irish, he was born around 373 A.D. in either Scotland, near the town of Dumbarton, or in Roman Britain.

The Leprechaun is an Irish fairy. Full grown leprechauns are reported to be about 2 feet tall. They will frequently be clothed in the garb of a shoemaker, with a cocked hat and a leather apron. Frequently scowling, leprechauns are said to resemble small, grumpy old men.

According to legend, leprechauns are unfriendly, live alone. They spend a great deal of their time making shoes. Most importantly, each and every leprechaun possesses a hidden pot of gold.

Treasure hunters should listen for the sound of a shoemaker's hammer, when looking for leprechauns. If caught, the leprechaun must reveal the whereabouts of his pot of gold. But be careful! Keep your eyes on the tricky leprechaun every second. He will try to trick you into looking away, and if you do...PooF! He vanishes and all hopes of finding the treasure are lost.

Every year we go to our Irish fest. We love the band, Brigid' Cross, a folk band from NE Ohio. They play a mix of Irish tunes and mixes of other music. They are so fun.

Happy Valentine's Day

I thought I would share my Great Grandmother's blanket chest on this Valentine's Day. It was given to her by her "sweetie", my dear Great Grandfather back in 1897!!!

Hope you're having a good day with your "sweetie" or family.

Hugs,

Nan

Valentines Day- celebrate or not?

I know I'm a bit early but I was wondering....... do you celebrate Valentine's Day at your house?
The cards above are made using quilling papers. Do you remember quilling? I used to decorate wedding invitations with flowers and leaves made from the papers. These look even easier.

We don't do a lot for the day but we get each other nice cards and I usually make a special meal. My H likes steak so.........probably a nice filet with some twice baked potatoes, asparagus, or salad. For dessert, I often use my heart shaped cake pans or make creme brulee. I thought these cup cakes looked like an easy treat using red hots to spell out X's and O's.



Images from Martha Stewart Living.

My Valentines

Here is my attempt at the picture frame plates that I saw in my magazine the other day. You may remember this from my post the other day. I had some other pictures of niece's babies that I was gonna use but I didn't seem to have the right sizes. I found the plain white heart plates at TJ Maxx. I think the total of all three was about $10. I took my Bailey's picture and his doggie friend, Laddie, and cut them out to fit the plates and just taped them on with double-faced tape. I found some rub on transfers in my craft stuff and rubbed on the "Best Friends" and the hearts. I tried weaving the ribbon completely around the edge of the plate but it covered up a lot of the decorative edge.
I can always change them out to something else if I want a different look. This took no time and was super easy.