Happy St. Patrick’s Day – 2011

It was about 4 years ago today that the hubby and I were in Ireland.

That’s right – we had no kids, had the money, and

going to Europe sounded like a great idea.

Now, the idea of traveling isn’t really an option,

but I like to think back about this trip and how AWESOME it was.

We still went on a budget, but we were able to go to Cork, Ireland

and KISS the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle.

Kissing the Blarney Stone is said to give to you the gift of eloquence.

Definitely don’t think THAT happened, but it was still fun.

Any who, that’s pretty much our only association with Ireland,

and since it’s St. Patty’s and all, I thought I’d reminisce for a minute on that little adventure of ours.

But, back to reality…

I hope everyone is wearing GREEN today.

That’s the one tradition I’ve actually tried to do each year.

This year I wanted to do more since Lily is 3 and just devours that stuff up now.

SO – here’s what we did…

{and I stole some of these ideas from my readers, so thanks!!}

We made these for the cousins:

We threw all of Lil’s stuffed animals all over her room because we told her the leprechauns sometimes make messes looking for gold {which we laid out some gold coins to try and “catch” them}.

I also put a WEE BIT of green food coloring in the toilets and told Lily the leprechauns are so crazy they might have to go potty and if they do, the water turns GREEN.

I’m making this for dessert tonight:

I might make a few other foods green if I have the energy.

I cannot even tell you how fun it’s been

starting some new traditions in the Merkley Home

{even the hubby helped wreak havoc in Lily’s room and had a blast!}

Also, here are some interesting St. Patty’s Day FACTS:

• St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
• Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.

NOW, I want to know what YOU’RE doing TODAY

to be GREEN.

ENJOY & HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY!

{P.S. We’re still hoping for a St. Patty’s baby…}