Moving on into March...

Can't believe we're well into March already!! Where has the time gone? More importantly, why haven't I been posting all this time? The answer to both questions - "I haven't the foggiest idea!!" (Come to think of it, we have had a lot of fog lately!)

I usually look forward to March as winter in our part of the country is generally pretty much done for by the middle of the month. If it wasn't for a calendar, we probably wouldn't know we had even had winter this year! We've had less than 2 inches of snow all season (knock on wood !) and there isn't any predicted for the rest of this week here. I must say, we did have some heavy flurries for about 15 minutes today - close to a white out! It was 40 degrees at the time! WEIRD!!!

St. Patrick's Day is also something to look forward to. I like the party atmosphere taken on by the entire community. I really enjoy the corn beef and cabbage. It's a dish The Big Guy isn't so crazy about so we really do eat it only once a year. I love the excuse to make it. I can take or leave green beer but it does give the joint a festive air so, go ahead, pass me one! And, hey, where would be without at least the possibility of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow - put there by leprechans, of course!

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MARCHPHOTOADAY

I've decided I really need a push to get me back to daily posting here so I've joined the Marchphotoaday Challenge along with Mama Tink and some other bloggers. Basically, every participant posts a picture of a specific subject for each day of the month. I think I can do this!! Wish me luck. (Please.)

Today's subject is "a smile":




Here's the list if you'd like to play along, too.

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY, Y'ALL !!!!!

What a great excuse for a parade!!




May you have a world of wishes at your command,

God and his angels close at hand,

Friends and family their love impart

and

Irish blessings in your heart!

Know ye a leprechan?? Then, g' luck to ya!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY !!!!

PARTY HEARTY MY IRISH FRIENDS (AND ALL THOSE WHO JUST WISH THEY WERE IRISH !!!!)

The Irish are coming... The Irish are coming...

Are you getting your Irish on yet? St. Patrick's day is just a little over 24 hours away. Better get ready to PARTY !!!!! (Any excuse to party works, doesn't it?)

Thought I'd drop another recipe on you just in case you were looking for something easy and tasty to whip up for that St. Paddy's Day get-together.

I found this recipe a year or two ago in one of the local weekly papers just a few days before our St. Patrick’s Day house party. It went over very well as an appetizer and that crowd has requested it a number of times since then.

CORNED BEEF & HORSERADISH SPREAD

1 (12 oz.) can corned beef
3-5 oz. from a jar of horseradish (to taste)
4 oz. cream cheese
½ cup mayonnaise
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
Black pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate for several hours (even overnight). Serve with crackers. Can be garnished with some fresh parsley to make it look pretty.

For a more “dip-like” consistency, use 1 cup of mayo and omit the cream cheese.

Hope y'all are planning a BIG party day. After all, everybody's a little Irish on St. Paddy's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day !!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY !!!!!!!

I'm not crafting at all today. I'm celebrating the holiday. We don't do the bar and party scene like so many today but we will have a nice meal here at home and maybe even a little ale. (We'll forego the food coloring though. Green beer is simply not real appetizing looking!)

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Just thought I'd share a little St. Patrick's Day humor and facts with you today.

Wearing of the green --

So why do we all wear green?

Green is the color of shamrocks and Spring. When St. Patrick began his work of converting the Irish to Christianity, he used the shamrock (plentiful in the Emrald Isle) to illustrate the Holy Trinity and the hope provided by the Church. Shamrocks came to serve as the symbol of hope and good luck. So, wearing green is similar to rubbing a rabbit's foot and is considered a means of "touching the luck of the Irish". Also, we just don't want to be pinched for not wearing it on the big day, a tradition begun many years ago in the school yards of Boston by the Irish children.

In Ireland, St. Patrick's Day is more of a religious holiday than just a party day. The party atmosphere actually began in America as a means to support the Irish spirit and ancestral pride among the many Irish immigrants. The first St. Patrick's Day Parade was held in Boston, not Ireland, in 1737. That sense of celebration has since spread back to the homeland. Pubs there used to be closed for the religious observance and the day was a more somber occasion. There are now parades and, yes, a bit of partying. Dublin now holds the largest St. Patrick's Day parade in the world.

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Want to be lucky this St. Patrick's Day?

Follow this advice:

1. Find a four-leaf clover.
2. Wear green.
3. Kiss the blarney stone.
4. Catch a Leprechaun if you can. (You'll then be able to find his pot'o'gold!)

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Just what does a Leprechaun look like ?

A Leprechaun looks like a little old man. He's about 2 feet tall and wears green, usually with a cocked hat. They are generally somewhat aloof and unfriendly, living alone and passing the time by making shoes. It is said they each possess a hidden pot of gold. You can find them by listening closely for the sound of their hammer as they make the shoes. If you can catch one, you can force him to reveal where he's hidden his treasure. (It is said they normally mark the sight with a rainbow.) Be very careful! If you take your eyes off him, he will surely vanish and your hopes of finding his treasure will vanish with him.

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Why do people wear shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day?
**Regular rocks are too heavy.
Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
** Because they're always a little short.
How can you tell if an Irishman is having a good time?
** He's Dublin over with laughter!
How did the Irish Jig get started?
** Too much to drink and not enough restrooms!
What do you call an Irishman who knows how to control his wife?
** A bachelor.

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And now, for an Irish blessing for you --

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow,

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go.