Today Gracie and I spent a fun filled morning with good friends.
At the annual USS Kentucky Gold Easter Egg Hunt.
Gracie was thrilled to see her friends. One of which she saw all of three days ago...but you would have thought it had been years.
The festivities got underway around 10:30. The sun was shining and it actually looked like Spring. I know, I was shocked too.
I watched the ducks in the pond and chatted with good friends while the kids played in the playground.
Finally they did the actual "hunting."
Gracie only got 15 eggs but that's not because she was slow. No my daughter would find an egg, open it up and if the prize inside wasn't to her liking, she put it back together and threw it back on the ground for the next kid to pick up.
When I asked her "why" she was doing that her simple reply was "I don't want to get any crap like the football stickers in that last one"
Finally after a few eggs that were "Gracie approved" were in her basket, she started just picking them up without the inspection.
After the egg hunt, Gracie and I headed to the mall. She desperately needed new jeans. We went to Penney's (Why do I feel like my Grandmother whenever I say that?) and bought a few really cute bedazzled pairs and some capris.
We lunched in the food court. Nothing it to good for my daughter. Then she got her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. I hate to admit it, but it was $20 well spent. Super cute picture.
After that we headed home where she enjoyed what was left of the sunshine, outside with the neighbor kids. The temp was only 50 at it's peak today, but the blue sky was pretending to be closer to 70.
After an hour or so outside, a frantic neighbor boy tears into my house "Mrs. Abplanalp, Gracie fell in the pond!!!" Naturally I have visions of the worst in my head. Once I got over to her, it was her pride that was wounded, nothing else.
She was wet, head to toe. Dripping wet. I covered her up in my sweatshirt and got her home and into a warm bath.
She is perfectly fine now, but her clothes are soaking in the washer as we speak because you should see the layer of mud she brought out the the pond with her. Ugh!
All in all it's been a perfectly pleasant day. Even Gracie thinks so...once she warmed up.
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
April 4, 2009
March 17, 2009
Wee Bit O'Blarney or, 10 Things you didn't know about the Irish
Today is St. Patrick's Day. The day everyone claims Irish decent, searches their yards for four leaf clovers, seeks the elusive leprechaun and his pot of gold, eat corned beef and cabbage and drinks green food coloring laced with beer.
Well, I don't claim Irish decent only on March 17th. I am Irish 365 days out of the year. My grandmother was born in Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. She had one heck of an accent and taught me the ways.
I'd like to dispel a few myths for you that irk me something fierce.
1. We don't eat corned beef. It simply isn't a food in Ireland. Cabbage...yea, lots of that...but corned beef is an American dish.
Our traditional food on this day is the usual fare....stew. Which is in the slow cooker as we speak!
2. Soda bread does NOT have raisins. Ok, I'm guilty of this because frankly...it's better with them. However it's not traditional. if your soda bread has raisins, it's actually called "Spotted Dog"
Real soda bread is bland and has very little, if any sugar. No butter and none of the extras to make it tasty. It's a filler. Dip it in your stew and it tastes good. Other than that....make Spotted Dog.
3. the only Green food item I can think of is cabbage. Green food coloring does NOT make something Irish. Seriously...that's like saying all Americans eat Red, White and Blue food. yummy, dyed blue hot dogs. Tasty. Get my point? Quite frankly, there is nothing appetizing about green food unless it's a vegetable.
4. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Not the patron saint of the beer keg. I grew up with this day being a religious holiday. Church, followed by a big family dinner....of stew. Think Thanksgiving....with soda bread and boxty pancakes.
5. The Irish do make a tasty beer. nobody can argue that. However, just because I'm Irish does not mean I'm a drunk. In fact, I rarely drink alcohol. A good Guinness is fine once in a blue moon...but I don't drink all that often.
6. That brings me to pubs. The pub is short for Public house. Where the town folk come to socialize. Drinking is optional, but just like any other culture alcohol is a part of it for many reasons including health! Children are allowed in the pub. Think of it as an old fashioned chat room with music and food.
7. Yes, potatoes are the staple of Ireland. So those of us of Irish decent have indeed eaten our fair share of potatoes. In fact, I can cook a potato 1000 different ways. You take away my potatoes, I'll break your face. that said, I also know the difference between russets, yukons, red Potomac and Jersey royals.
8. Dancing...."can you dance a jig?" Seriously? How stereotypica....yea, I can. However a jig is really just a set dance (you've seen Riverdance) of girls lined up with their arms board straight at their sides making happy clicking sounds with their fast moving feet. I prefer a Ceili. Group dancing. You know "the Waves of Tory" Oh, well, my second grader does...so there. On that note, when I was a kid Riverdance was just one of the many gender-bending thoughts in Michael Flatley's head. So I had to learn the hard way....from my family. Luckily for my little Clare, Irish dance was all the rage when she was born, so there are schools and Feis' and all the fun stuff that only happened in Boston until 5 years ago.
9. Someone said this to me not a week ago "The Irish and the English are basically the same"......deep breath.......find a happy place......No, they are not. I won't go into the Catholic vs. Protestant debate. You are intelligent people, if you want to know....go forth and seek. I will simply say, that statement is like saying America and England are the same. Why did they bother with that silly revolution?
10. We are devoutly religious. My Grandmother crossed herself a good 752 times a day. Had a prayer for everything from waking up alive in the morning to making bread to tying her shoes. No joke. Being deeply religious also lends itself to being deeply superstitious. I remember being tossed outside when I was a girl because I was whistling in my Grandmothers kitchen. It's bad luck for a girl to whistle in a house. If you find a four leaf clover (a real one, not a hybrid) always keep it on you and never show it to anyone! Bet you didn't know that one!
Have fun today. Take some time to remember why we celebrate the day and go to the local pub. Enjoy a Guinness without the food coloring. Try some soda bread and stew. Put on your green and enjoy the day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone
Beannachtai Na Fheile Padraig!
Well, I don't claim Irish decent only on March 17th. I am Irish 365 days out of the year. My grandmother was born in Macroom, Co. Cork, Ireland. She had one heck of an accent and taught me the ways.
I'd like to dispel a few myths for you that irk me something fierce.
1. We don't eat corned beef. It simply isn't a food in Ireland. Cabbage...yea, lots of that...but corned beef is an American dish.
Our traditional food on this day is the usual fare....stew. Which is in the slow cooker as we speak!
2. Soda bread does NOT have raisins. Ok, I'm guilty of this because frankly...it's better with them. However it's not traditional. if your soda bread has raisins, it's actually called "Spotted Dog"
Real soda bread is bland and has very little, if any sugar. No butter and none of the extras to make it tasty. It's a filler. Dip it in your stew and it tastes good. Other than that....make Spotted Dog.
3. the only Green food item I can think of is cabbage. Green food coloring does NOT make something Irish. Seriously...that's like saying all Americans eat Red, White and Blue food. yummy, dyed blue hot dogs. Tasty. Get my point? Quite frankly, there is nothing appetizing about green food unless it's a vegetable.
4. St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Not the patron saint of the beer keg. I grew up with this day being a religious holiday. Church, followed by a big family dinner....of stew. Think Thanksgiving....with soda bread and boxty pancakes.
5. The Irish do make a tasty beer. nobody can argue that. However, just because I'm Irish does not mean I'm a drunk. In fact, I rarely drink alcohol. A good Guinness is fine once in a blue moon...but I don't drink all that often.
6. That brings me to pubs. The pub is short for Public house. Where the town folk come to socialize. Drinking is optional, but just like any other culture alcohol is a part of it for many reasons including health! Children are allowed in the pub. Think of it as an old fashioned chat room with music and food.
7. Yes, potatoes are the staple of Ireland. So those of us of Irish decent have indeed eaten our fair share of potatoes. In fact, I can cook a potato 1000 different ways. You take away my potatoes, I'll break your face. that said, I also know the difference between russets, yukons, red Potomac and Jersey royals.
8. Dancing...."can you dance a jig?" Seriously? How stereotypica....yea, I can. However a jig is really just a set dance (you've seen Riverdance) of girls lined up with their arms board straight at their sides making happy clicking sounds with their fast moving feet. I prefer a Ceili. Group dancing. You know "the Waves of Tory" Oh, well, my second grader does...so there. On that note, when I was a kid Riverdance was just one of the many gender-bending thoughts in Michael Flatley's head. So I had to learn the hard way....from my family. Luckily for my little Clare, Irish dance was all the rage when she was born, so there are schools and Feis' and all the fun stuff that only happened in Boston until 5 years ago.
9. Someone said this to me not a week ago "The Irish and the English are basically the same"......deep breath.......find a happy place......No, they are not. I won't go into the Catholic vs. Protestant debate. You are intelligent people, if you want to know....go forth and seek. I will simply say, that statement is like saying America and England are the same. Why did they bother with that silly revolution?
10. We are devoutly religious. My Grandmother crossed herself a good 752 times a day. Had a prayer for everything from waking up alive in the morning to making bread to tying her shoes. No joke. Being deeply religious also lends itself to being deeply superstitious. I remember being tossed outside when I was a girl because I was whistling in my Grandmothers kitchen. It's bad luck for a girl to whistle in a house. If you find a four leaf clover (a real one, not a hybrid) always keep it on you and never show it to anyone! Bet you didn't know that one!
Have fun today. Take some time to remember why we celebrate the day and go to the local pub. Enjoy a Guinness without the food coloring. Try some soda bread and stew. Put on your green and enjoy the day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone
Beannachtai Na Fheile Padraig!
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