Kiss Me, I’m almost Irish

The week 11 theme for the 2015 52 Ancestors Challenge is “Luck of the Irish”. I don’t really have an ancestor that fits the theme … we’re of Scottish and German heritage and, while the Celtic route would still sort of fit, I decided to focus in on family tradition this week in light of St. Patrick’s Day. 

For as long as I can remember, we’ve celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, cake, and some sort of green drink. The basis of the menu is always the same, although the preparation changes sometimes.

My mom goes all out with the decorations, too! 

She changes the fireplace mantel for every holiday … notice how luck plays into it! 

She sets the table with a variety of items around the house … Mom’s a pro at repurposing things! She has a full set (and then some) of Johnson Brothers Friendly Village that my dad started buying her when I was a kid. She used it for St. Patrick’s Day along with a Douglas Clan tartan to represent our Scottish heritage.  

I have no idea where she had the Celtic Cross trivets hiding … I hadn’t seen them before Sunday’s dinner! Notice the tartan … it’s actually a shawl that she ordered from Scotland. Remind me to “borrow” it!

We had green and blue Celtic knot napkin rings, too. 

All the girls received a spoolie as a favor … Mom’s into making these right now. They’re cute!

Each spoolie was different. Mine had Mary, Queen of Scots on it and Noodle’s had this cute smiley leprechaun.

And the drink … I won’t tell you what I called this … I’m too much of a lady!  Okay, not really.  Let’s just say one or two will do ya! It’s equal parts Irish whiskey, Midori, and sweet and sour mix. I topped mine with ginger ale, too 🙂 

Of course … no holiday is complete without 106 photos of Noodle. Yes, I took 106 photos of my child posing, running, helping, running some more, Vogue-ing, blowing bubbles, and running some more. She had a new monkey with purple eyes that she wouldn’t hardly part with … so here they are!

The people around the table at our St. Patrick’s Day party have changed over the years, but nothing can replace being together with family and friends. I’m the lucky one … 

Check out my mom’s blog post for more photos and the full menu!