St. Patrick's Day - 2019

I try to make each and every holiday special for the kids -- partly because it brings me such joy to draw from my creative side and also because these are the things that I hope that they recall for years to come.

Last year, Jack remembered that we never constructed a leprechaun trap and he was determined that this year we would ... and he had BIG plans for it.  We set to work at the dining room table on the afternoon of the 16th, pulling supplies from my craft closet and making his vision a reality.

We used a simple brown box and wrapped it in GOLD wrapping paper and then added some green feathers and a few signs.  We then attached a clear string of fishing lure to a fake gold coin so that when the "leprechaun grabbed the coin and tried to walk away with it, the string would pull the toilet paper roll out from under the box, trapping him inside."  In the meantime, there were some Lucky Charms cereal, a mug of hot cocoa and a bed for him.  Quite the accommodations.

We set it up in the kitchen before bed in anticipation of catching a real, live leprechaun.

The next morning, the boys were up bright and early to check their trap.  No leprechaun, but he left behind some special things for the kids.

Little footprints all over the counter top, a note with some leprechaun rocks, some plastic gold coins ...

and some Rainbow Seeds (aka skittles).

And the best part?  His "pants" got stuck under the trap when he slipped out and there was even a tuft of his hair lying there!

As for the leprechaun rocks -- the kids had to dissolve them in vinegar to get their prize!  (This was a simple acid-base reaction between a green baking soda paste and vinegar, releasing lots of carbon dioxide).

They had no idea what was going to happen or what was inside, but they were certainly anxious to find out.

Lots of fizzing!

Lots of smiles!

Lots of stirring ... and then they found real coins hidden inside that they got to put in their piggy banks!

And when they got hungry for breakfast, I fixed our usual shamrock cinnamon rolls.  Yum!

Jack already has new plans for NEXT year -- all I know is that we will be using the same Leprechaun Hotel and some sticky double-sided tape!

Weekend Randoms

Steve came home from Nashville and brought a little something back for everyone.  He gave Jack this coonskin cap and I just about died.  It's perfect for him ...

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The girls (and our neighbor) found the optimum place to dig snow tunnels -- in the ditch across the street from our house.  Just look at all of those footprints above them.  Yes, this was a widely-used play area for weeks.

Sophia's alcove ended up being more of a chair and I found her laying it in so many times this season.

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James and I wrapped the gifts for Steve's birthday while he was at work and the older kids were in school.  For something different, I wrapped the gift from Jimmy to his dad in simple black wrapping paper and then let him paint all over it.  He thought that it was the best thing ever.  (And now this is an idea that I am planning to use again for future birthday presents -- such a neat idea!).

And this is the cake that I made for Steve .. a mug of beer.

Later that night, we ate dinner and gathered around to shower Steve with love and gifts.  Everyone was looking at the camera (!!!!) and I considered that a true birthday blessing.

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The next morning, we sang happy birthday to Sophia -- check out that long purple candle that she picked out -- and sent her to school with two trays of dirt brownies for her classmates.

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Nibbles enjoyed a few minutes of fame during a recent photo shoot.  We are going to begin selling organic apple sticks for animals at the orchard and we wanted to demonstrate on our website how much Nibbles enjoys them.  She uses them to sharpen her teeth because they never stop growing and without the sticks, they will become dangerously long.

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March is National Reading Month.  That means that the schools try to promote reading and anything associated with it each and every day.  One of the daily activities was to come up with a NEW word that you could wear and then teach the class the meaning. 

Jack chose "cattywampus," which means "diagonal" or "kitty-corner."

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There is new construction taking place at our house.  I am giving up my office (one of the bedrooms in the basement) so that the kids can each have their own bedrooms.  As a result, Steve is designing a new office for me and then we are modifying the laundry room on the other side.  It will be smaller and won't have any windows, but there are a few other nice perks (heated floor!) and I get to design a space that is all mine now.

In the meantime, Jimmy has enjoyed doing some work with his dad whenever he gets the chance.

Future electrician?

Even Jack jumped in for a bit.

Jimmy insists on wearing his own safety glasses, sometimes when he isn't even "working," and that makes my momma heart happy.

And this also makes me smile ... any good worker knows that it is important to clean up when you are done with your job.

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