Back to School!

Time to take some more of my Irish Good Will and spread it around.
This stop, The Elementary School where I make my weekly visits and add to the glue usage quota of the county.
By now, the children are aware that Ms Deb packs enough construction paper, glittery embellishments, yarn and puffy fringey balls, to make any holiday more festive.
Today, I ransacked my Auction Pauline stash of vintage shinys to make my little friends happy with their handmade shamrocks.

How these little mock leprechauns manage to take the same equipment and in a very short span of time, make something so sweetly unique, always amazes me.
I love how they bring them back to me full of positive reinforcement of their craft capabilities.
I always giggle at their own touches on a basic design.
And their memory.
They remembered quite a bit of an Irish lore book that I read last week, including the colors of the flag of Ireland, a point that their beloved teacher had forgotten.

Ms. Deb had to bring in her shamrock bearing curtain to frame out our Wish Tree in the hall window.

I love how proud of their little room decor and how a relationship has started with the students and I over a very simple project that they now see as theirs.
Take some simple gifts and time to your local school and watch the magic....

Corners of Ireland

Seriously.
You had to know that I would have a shamrock plant, right?
Try to have one going all the time.
I believe this one is on it's third year.
My father in law had a ginormous one that I loved. That thing lasted forever.
I love their fragile stems and perky foliage and their sweet little blooms.
Keep her watered and sunny and she'll be around for a long time...

Molly McDougall comes out of the china cabinet every March to oversee the March Celebrations. She's a pushy Irish lass but she keeps us merry...

One of my prized possessions is my very large Waterford Jar from Hubby's Aunt Peg and Aunty Anne Shaughnessy's bestowment. Before the wonderful duo left their large apartment (a blog unto itself), they sorted all their beloved things into separate boxes for all their nieces/nephews/grand nieces/nephews, matching up the item with each recipient.
This lovely was in our box. It had a tragic crack years ago that I will not speak of, but I keep it cracks, chip and all.

Another piece of their Waterford, matching candlesticks. A small mustard jar completes my Waterford collection from the aunties...Did I mention that Aunt Peg lived to 107 years old? Actually, her funeral was the day of her 108th....
Amazing woman...

These wonderful, whimsical ivory elephants have marched for decades. The aunties told us that Hubby's daddy loved to play with these fun guys....There is a few tusks missing and some 'repaired' with scotch tape..Bet Papa Si didn't so much as get a hand spanking when that happened...:D

And look who I found way up high on my laundry room cabinet?
The Goosey Couple! Actually, a triplet passed away several years ago; aggressively played with by one of Papa Si's wonderful grandchildren....Inherited roughness?
The Goosies are happy in front of my Grandmother Sommers' sewing box. Many a day I played with the expandable drawers, drawn to the accoutrement of a sewist.
Where my sewing lust began.....
Hope you enjoyed your tour of mama's Ireland!

MARCH-ing In!!

Of course one has to have a St. Patrick's Day door decoration.
Firstly, my Hubby's name is Patrick, Irish Catholic, born in the area of March with St. Patrick and St. Joseph. Hence the name, Patrick Joseph.
His great grands came from Ireland toting an extra letter in the last name.
Ellis Island saw to it that there was to be no further baggage and promptly discarded the unecessary 'e'. To this day, I joke when people want to put that superfluous e in, I state that we could not afford the e so it was dropped years ago. (Thanks Skip!) Of course, I came from the Murphy Clan, with my mother toting the Irish surname of Sommers as well. And I have freckles; my dad had red hair.
So every year we pull out all the stops to make sure our St. Patrick's Day celebration is grand.
One year when the children were small, we had our own little parade. Another year, I darn near had Youngest Son on the day, settling instead on the Ides of March, much more appropriate for my Shakespeare loving son.
It is a fun holiday that demands that we include all our friends into, the Irish and the Nons. We make believers of naysayers regarding Irish Soda Bread, Corned Beef and Cabbage and all things green. Quite a few converts have exited our door way.


This month, I will focus on the proper way to celebrate a grand Spring like holiday like St Paddy's and gear ya up for the rest of the Spring Ritual at the Cory's.

Find something green to decorate your door with.
This year my Electric Shamrock pooped out on me so I had to grab some English Green Satin to wrap around the frame.
Something tells me my impoverished, Irish famine survivors ancestors would be very proud of my thrifty ways......