Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!  Rejoice!

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." Matt 28:6

Pinch Me, I'm Irish

Like many Americans, my ancestry is a mish mash, - a heinz 57 of ancestry, if you will.  I know I have Irish ancestry as well as English, German, and Native American and I'm sure there are others.  But today, St. Patrick's Day, I'm going to celebrate my Irish ancestry!  If you want to celebrate too, pin on a shamrock, grab a plate of corned beef and cabbage along with a pint of Guinness and watch out for Leprechauns while I share a little info on these traditions.

St. Patrick

In case you did not know, St. Patrick was not actually Irish. He was a nobleman born in about 400 A.D. in Britain and kidnapped by Irish pirates at the age of 16. He was born into a religious family, but was an atheist early in his life. However, he rediscovered his faith while enslaved in Ireland. After 17 years as a slave, he escaped Ireland and found his way home, but later returned to Ireland as a missionary saying he was ready to die in Ireland in order to make his mission successful. It's unclear if St. Patrick did in fact die in Ireland, but March 17 is widely believed to be the day of his death.

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day began as a religious holiday in Ireland but became a celebration because of Irish Americans.  In the United States, St. Patrick's Day was first celebrated with banquets at elite clubs in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga. New York City hosted the first St. Patrick's Day parade in 1762, and by the mid-19th century parades were common.

Shamrocks

The shamrock is used to represent St. Paddy's day because according to St. Patrick's Day lore, Patrick used the three leaves of a shamrock to explain the Christian holy trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Traditions as early as the 17th century incorporated the plant, people wore shamrocks on their coats and closed the day by "drowning the shamrock" — placing it in a glass of whiskey before drinking.

Leprechauns

There's also the Irish fairy Cluricaune, a cunning spirit who haunts cellars, drinks, smokes and plays tricks, -or a leprechaun. Today's leprechauns are usually rosy-cheeked, boozy little men in green attire with their pot of gold buried beneath the end of the rainbow.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Although a classic St. Patrick's Day meal, corned beef and cabbage is more American than Irish. Irish Americans in the 19th century were mostly poor. The most affordable meat available was corned beef, and cabbage was a spring vegetable and it's cheap.

Guinness

Well, because it's an Irish stout making it the drink of choice on St. Patrick's Day.

Wearing Green and Getting Pinched

Today we associate the color green with this holiday, but that color has not always been the color used. Blue was the color originally associated with St Patrick's Day, but since Ireland’s nickname is “The Emerald Isle” and because of the green in the flag and the shamrock Patrick used in his teachings about Catholicism, these things played a big role in why green is the color used on this day. As far as the pinching goes, there is a legend that wearing green on this day makes you invisible and therefore leprechauns can’t pinch you because they can’t see you.

So, do you celebrate St. Paddy's Day?  Do follow these traditions or do something different?  Do you have Irish ancestry?

St. Paddy's Day

May your troubles be less

May your blessings be more

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door.

To keep you from getting pinched on the 17th, I have put together a look for St. Patrick's Day.

St. Paddy's Day

You can see all of the items in this set on my Polyvore page. The dress is from eShakti.  I haven't ordered from them as of yet, but they are definitely on my list to try soon.  Have you ordered from there?

Everything Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day to all of you lovelies.  Here are some hearts to show you my love.

{{All images were found through Google search.}}

Merry Christmas

Luke 2:1-14

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

I hope everyone has a very blessed holiday filled with lots of love, laughter, and joy.  From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Deck The Halls

You may recall from this post that we have a very rambunctious toddler living with us at the moment, so I didn't expect to do a lot of decorating for Christmas.  But, I decided to put out a few things and I wanted to share them with you before my little tasmanian devil whirled through and destroyed them.

Our fireplace is a pass through and is made so that you can walk all the way around it from one room into the other.  I am in the process of redecorating and painting and shared my inspiration for the fireplace with you here.  But, with our current living arrangements, aka rambunctious toddler, the actual fireplace remodel has been put on hold.  Right now it is painted a deep shade of orange which I have definitely grown tired of and looks out of place in Christmas photos, but it is what it is and hopefully I will get to continue with my remodel plan soon.

Each side of the fireplace has a mantle which I have decorated quite differently.  So grab some coffee or hot cocoa, and lets take a look, shall we.

This is the dining room side.  I decided to go with a homespun country theme.

The other side of the fireplace is quite different and if the wall was painted a nice neutral hue, which is the plan, it would have a very different feel.  I've tried to stay with various shades of whites, tan and browns with a pop of green.  There's some mercury glass thrown in for some sparkle.

Our tree is decorated with various bird ornaments and woodland creatures which Oliver, the kitty, has found delightful this year.  We have a slimline tree because, as you can imagine with so many people living in our home, we don't have a lot of space.

I've set up various baskets of greenery, pinecones, etc. because I love bringing the outdoors in and the smell of the greenery, which is wonderful since we have an artificial tree.

And finally, we have part of my collection of old world Santa's.  I don't know about you, but I collect way to many things! 

So, that's it, I hope you enjoyed it and I will be sure to let you know if the decorations survive the two year old and kitty.  I think they are actually plotting and scheming together to destroy them as I write this.  Have you decorated for the season?

Please Excuse Me

Some of you already know that I lost my Father a few weeks ago, but most of you probably did not know and may have been wondering where I have been. Well, here I am, sitting in this fog of grief.

Even though my Dad's death was expected, this is so hard, I never imagined how hard it could or would be, especially for this Daddy's Girl. I am finding it hard to function other than just going through the motions of my day to day life. I put on a good front that I am ok, but deep down inside I constantly ache. I struggle to remember simple things, let alone put two sentences together in some semblance of coherency. So bare with me, please, as I struggle my way back into the land of the living. I know that I am capable, strong, and resilient, I just need time.

It would be very easy to just lie in bed, pull the covers over my head and let the world go by, but my dad would come back from the afterlife and really let me have it. I know that he would want me to go on—to live my life. Isn't that what the grieving process is about, learning to live my life, not without my dad, but with him in my memories, in the traditions and love that I pass on to my children and grandchildren, and especially through the love that I still feel for my dad.

But where do I start, how do I find my way out of this grief, my way through the holidays without my father, and the strength to help my mother, siblings, and my children do the same.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4

I certainly don't feel blessed because I am mourning. I took a hard look at the last part of the verse: "for they shall be comforted." That means God will provide comfort when I'm hurting so badly I feel like I can't take another breath. He will sustain me and carry me through this time. He will provide what I need.  So I go to Him for my comfort and am blessed for it.  And I'm truly blessed for having had a father who taught me to turn to God for my needs and comfort.

So please excuse me while I take some time to grieve the loss of my Dad.  I will still post periodically, when I feel inspired, and hope to once again be filling these pages with vintage cheer very soon.

Thank You Veterans

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as "the Great War."

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…"

November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938 —a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." On June 1, 1954, in the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

So, today, on this Veteran's Day, take the time to thank a veteran for serving our country and protecting our freedoms.  

TVs 5 Greatest Dads

In honor of Father's Day, I have listed 5 of my picks for best TV dad. They aren't ranked into any particular order, all of them are equally great in my mind, and are from shows long since ended but still living on in re-run heaven.

Andy Taylor - The Andy Griffeth Show ran from 1960 - 1968 but lives forever in syndication and I'm sure everyone is familiar with Andy's fathering skills. He was a great dad because he was involved in Opie's life, teaching him right from wrong and disciplining when necessary. The lessons involved life, love, and everything between, with Andy imparting a lot of useful wisdom. Plus he always made time to take Opie fishing! 

 

Charles Ingalls - Little House on the Prairie ran from 1974 - 1983. Charles "Pa" was father to Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace and in later episodes also adopted several children. The show is loosely based on the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder about her family life in the 19th century American West. Charles cherished his family as well as his wife. I feel that part of being a good father is teaching your children to treat their mother well, and what better way than to lead by example.

 

Howard Cunningham - Happy Days aired from 1974 - 1984. Howard handed out his parenting, not only to his children, but also to their friends. He was stern but loving, generous but not over indulgent, teaching values and letting his children learn from their mistakes. He was always available, making time whenever his kids needed him.

 

Ben Cartwright - Bonanza aired from 1959 - 1973. Ben had three sons, all from a different wife which passed away, so he was raising his boys on his own. (Well, there was Hop Sing, the cook, but mostly Ben was alone.) He taught his boys the importance of family and caring for one another as well as the importance of community and helping others.

 

Ozzie Nelson - The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet ran from 1952 - 1966 and starred the real life Nelson family. While the series focused mainly on the family's run of the mill problems and was the epitomy of family values with Ozzie handing out great advice, what truly makes him a wonderful dad in my mind isn't really about the fictional father that Ozzie portrayed, but the real life Ozzie who came up with the shows concept because he was a busy bandleader and wanted a way to be able to spend more time with his family, more time being a husband and father.


And that's really what parenting is all about, spending time with your kids, being there for them, teaching them right from wrong, teaching them to love each other and to treat others with respect, and to have compassion for others. And to remember to have fun and enjoy the life you have.

Gift Ideas For Dad

Father's Day is fast approaching so, if you haven't already gotten your gift, I thought I would share some unique ideas to help you out.

Here we have some whiskey stones that you would place in your glass to chill your drink without diluting it.  This is an awesome idea that doesn't have to be used only with alcohol, you can place them in your Coke Zero too.  Get a set of nine for $19.50, here.

For the fishing enthusiast we have a collectors set of playing cards displaying fishing lures from the 1800s to the 1940s.  It also includes a set of 5 dice.  It's currently on sale here for $11.97.

These are a pricey option but would be perfect for a Star Wars fan, each silver-plated, enamel R2-D2 cufflink is also a 2GB USB flash drive.  You can find them here for $199.95

Have you ever tried to work on something and needed an extra hand to hold the flashlight?  Well, this solves that problem.  Find it here for $29.95

For your sportsman, how about a Sigg travel water bottle.   These Swiss made bottles are ecologically sound, reusable and easily recycled.  They come in a wide array of colors and designs as well as sizes.  You can find them here and they run from around $15 to $32.

Hope these help to inspire you when picking out Dad's gift.  Happy shopping!