Shrove Tuesday Party, Carrots and Parsnips, Have an Irish Day

Good Wednesday morning!

We're back! We survived a very wet, very muddy, very cold Spring Break camping trip... and for the most part we enjoyed it. Sunday was great. The weather was warm. The sun was out. We played basketball after we set up our campsite until my sister and her family joined us around 3:00 p.m. Everyone played and we roasted hot dogs on sticks and made s'mores under the stars. We went to bed tired, smelling of smoke and ready for the next day. And then it happened...

The rain James Spann had predicted came... and came... and came. Our tent didn't leak, but our rain fly did! There was nowhere to eat breakfast because of all the wet picnic tables, but Mikie saved the day and went into town and bought Chick-Fil-A. We sat on our very damp blankets and ate. After we got dressed and went outside, it stayed very cloudy and very cool, but the rain was gone so the kids fished, played basketball, rode bikes, played tennis, and fished some more. We were even able to take the boats out. We ended the evening with a big dinner together (all ten of us) and more s'mores before heading back to the now dry tent (for what we hoped would be a much better night's sleep). A game of Scattergories and we were ready to hit the hay. Ahh. A good night's sleep... without anything dripping on your forehead. Good stuff!

NOTE: While the kids played all day, Mike and I spent a lot of time "hiking" trying to find an empty dryer to dry quilts and bedding. Around 4:00 Monday afternoon, everything cleared out, and I was able to dry the last of the wet stuff.

Tuesday morning, Josh and Roxie made pancakes while Mikie fixed bacon, and we had a wonderful breakfast around the campfire before we packed up and headed home. All in all, a very good camping trip with some very good memories. What about all the rain and the mud and the yuck, you may ask? In 12 years of camping, sometimes that happens, but not often. And when it does, you pretty much have to go with the flow or it can ruin the whole trip. We decided to go with the flow. (Although there have been times when we didn't. I have to be honest.) Maybe that's one of the good things about getting a little older. You don't sweat the muddy stuff as much as you used to. (Or maybe that was just me!)

Moments Matter

My Friday Moment came late in the day last week. Austin had gone to work. Mike and Josh were watching a basketball game. It was just me and Roxie. So, very uncharacteristic of me, I did something "spur of the moment" and rented Enchanted with Amy Adams. I have always been surprised how much I like that movie. Amy Adams is innocent without being "silly," and I love, love, love her voice. It sounds like a bell! Roxie and I cuddled in my bed, turned off the lights and watched this girly-girly movie without any interruptions and just thoroughly enjoyed it... again. That was my moment. I love being able to climb in the bed with Roxie and watch sappy movies. I love smelling her clean hair as we get really, really close. I know our "window of time" to do this is slipping away (not watching movies together, but cuddling), so I'm determined not to take it for granted. It was a very nice moment.

The Showcase Pic today is what the sunset looked like Sunday evening... right before the RAIN CAME! Pretty, but ominous.

The Gallery Pictures are of the camping trip. (Surprise!) I tried to capture most of the different things we did and enjoyed with our extended family.

I also added a picture of something else I think makes my house a home... my dining room table (tonight loaded down with green food for St. Patrick's Day). So far, I've had pictures of my scrapbooks (memories), the lot (lots of kids playing), the puppies, and now a table. Not just any table though. It is where my family gathers at the end of the day to talk or laugh or share. It's a very important table.

Shrove Tuesday Party (Party/Event)

Shrove Tuesday is the annual pancake feast that takes place on February 24 each year in Ireland. This is the night before the start of the Lenten fast, and is commonly known as "pancake night." It is a time when many still engage in the practice of making, tossing and eating MOUNTAINS of pancakes. Over-indulgence is expected, if not demanded, and children go to school on Ash Wednesday boasting of their pancake-eating feats.

Generally, large, thick pancakes are simply sprinkled with lemon juice and sugar, rolled into a large cigar shape and eaten as a sweet.

Although the fast is not as widely observed as it once was, Shrove Tuesday is as popular as ever. (Go figure!) During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church forbade the eating of meat, eggs and dairy produce during Lent (a total of 40 days). On Shrove Tuesday, thrifty housewives made use of all the perishable eggs, milk and butter in the preparation of pancakes.

(Taken from http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/.)

This would be a simple, fun little dinner party to throw for your family. (We're trying it next Tuesday. I told Mike and the kids about it, and they are excited about eating MOUNTAINS of pancakes. However, since we're not going to be fasting on Wednesday, there WILL BE a limit.)

Tiny Treasure Hunt Game

When dinner is over, give each member of the family a very small container (for example, a mint tin). To play, kids look to fill them in a set amount of time with items from the house or yard. Try different challenges, such as the most objects, the greatest variety of items, or the most things of one color.

(Taken from http://www.familyfun.com/. Idea by Becky Karush.)

Carrots and Parsnips (Recipes)

I told a fib. I said I would try these before I put them on my blog... but I cannot find parsnips. I'm going by two farmer's markets today in search of the elusive parsnip. Until then, I will post the recipe, and if you have any better luck than I have had, you can try them first! Or, hopefully, I'll be able to make them tonight and let you know whether it's worth the trouble of looking for a parsnip. Either way... here is the recipe.

You will need:

1 1/2 pounds of carrots, cut lengthwise into wedges
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, cut lengthwise into wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, toss vegetables with oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Spread vegetables in a single layer and bake for 25 minutes, turning over a few times, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned around edges. Serve immediately.

Very simple... and if parsnips taste good, I think it will be okay. Wish me luck during my parsnip hunt today.

Have an Irish Day (Seasonal Tradition)

In order to have an Irish Day (it doesn't have to be St. Patrick's Day), you can do any or all of the following:

Have an Ireland Fun Facts jar in the center of the dining room table. At different times during the day, let a child pull a Fun Fact out of the jar.

1. The longest place name in Ireland is Muckanaghederdauhaulia, in County Galway. (Let everyone try to pronounce that one!)

2. An odd Irish birthday tradition is to lift the birthday child upside down and give his head a few GENTLE bumps on the floor for good luck. The number of bumps should allegedly correspond to the child's age plus one.

3. Couples in Ireland could marry legally on St. Brigid's Day (February 1) in Teltown, County Meath, as recently as the 1920's, by simply walking towards each other. If the marriage failed, they could "divorce" by walking away from each other at the same spot on the same day the next year.

4. In olden days, a pig was often allowed to live in the house with the family on an Irish farm. He (or she) was commonly referred to as "the gentleman who pays the rent."

5. The Vikings founded Dublin in 988.

6. The national symbol of Ireland is a Celtic harp, not the shamrock.

7. According to tradition, a wedding party should always take the longest road home from church.

8. About 30% of the people in Australia are of Irish descent.

9. Ireland is the world's only country with a musical instrument for a national symbol... the harp.

10. It is not the custom in Ireland to wear green ties, hats or other green clothes on St. Patrick's Day. A sprig of shamrock in the coat lapel is the preferred display.

(Taken from http://www.ireland-fun-facts.com/.)

Let your child wake up in the morning having been visited by leprechauns.

1. Leave a green kiss on your child's forehead in their sleep.

2. Leave green food coloring in the toilet bowl that morning. (FUNNY STORY: When Austin was about four or five, I did this. When he woke up and went straight to the bathroom, my strong suspicions were finally confirmed. He used the bathroom in the morning with his eyes closed. When he did open his eyes and saw bright green in the toilet bowl, he freaked out. I know, I know. It was kind of mean... but more than that, it was funny!)

3. Have ten or more green balloons taped around the child's bedroom when they wake up.

4. Of course, have green food and green baths.

Have Irish music playing softly throughout the house (or at least during mealtimes). You can usually get a CD or cassette tape at a local library. (I'm thinking bagpipes!)

Have a traditional Irish meal for dinner. Although there are too many to mention, here are a few of the recipes you can get from www.southernfood.about.com/cs/stpatricks:

Baked Cabbage with Apples
Potato Griddle Cakes
Irish Buttermilk Scones
Spiced Soda Bread
Glazed Corn Beef
Lamb Stew with Potatoes
Shepherd's Pie

When you go to this website, you just have to type your recipe into the Search box and it will pull it up for you. Plus, they have many, many other ideas.

As stated in the fun facts, don't wear green, but do wear a shamrock in your lapel during the day.

I hope you're having a fun Spring Break. I know we are. Next Monday will be here before you know it.

Tomorrow I have the NEATEST Irish Date for locals. It's free and unique, and it sounds like it would be so much fun. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to in the near future. Don't miss it! I'm also going to be adding a Irish Superstition Jar for the dinner table for your Irish Day, too.

Have a great Wednesday, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.