Saint Patrick's Day

I really do enjoy making a Holiday special and doing something fun.  It was certainly a lot easier to do this when the kids were little.  We could do a craft, cook something special, read some picture books.  We can certainly dive a lot deeper into subject matters when they are older but it takes so much more time to plan.  I am pretty good about doing a fun Thanksgiving bash, Christmas is often too busy with all the extras (parties, birthdays, shopping, rehearsals, plays) and I find that the kids are distracted.  Valentines is just too in the middle of Winter and I have trouble mustering up the energy and motivation to do anything fun.  But, Saint Patrick's Day is in the Spring and it seems like with the sunshine comes a jolt of enthusiasm. 

 
Saint Patrick's day 6 years ago.  Sawyer was 10, Jubilee 8, Evi 7, Brighton 5, and Glorielle 3.

And now!  Sawyer 16, Jubilee 14, Evi 13, Brighton 11, and Glorielle 9. 

I meant to make green eggs and ham and read the book but I loaned the book out so I didn't have it and I ran out of ham and had to use turkey.  The eggs were green though!



Green plates and these alstroemeria that Phil got me were perfect!

I was in the middle of doing Barton when I called the children in and announced this:
"I have a problem..." Child, "Is it mental?" Me, "Yes, but that is not what I am talking about. I have a hankering for Burgerville fish and chips."

We loaded up, brought some Saint Patrick's Day books, picked up Phil, and went to Newberg for a spontaneous treat eating adventure.
Next time, we need to leave the children home.  Too expensive LOL!

For dinner, our lovely piano teacher stopped by on her way home from her daughter's house and brought us homemade scones with Irish butter and strawberry jam.  They were perfect with the bangers and mash (chicken sausage and celeryroot/cauliflower/potato mash) I prepared.  I made black tea (decaf) and served it with cream and sugar.


We then imagined what it would have been like to be poor farmers back in the days of WW II (and probably much earlier) when bangers (and mash) was a popular meal.  They were sausages stuffed full of whatever would fill them, including a lot of air, because of the food shortages and rations and they would "pop" and "bang" in the pan as they were frying earning them the name "bangers".  We talked about what a special treat it would have been to enjoy butter and cream and jam and sugar with our biscuits and tea.  Something probably only reserved for special occasions.  Then we listened to Irish music and I read about Saint Patrick. 

Sawyer played the part by not wearing a shirt during the meal...not exactly sure how he got away with that.  Probably too dark for me to make an issue of it LOL.

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