Just a little bit Irish

While I was on hiatus last year, we held a St. Patrick's Day dinner for some very un-Irish friends

The guest list comprised Cubans, Mexicans, and to provide that necessary soupçon of Irish blood, we invited my husband.  He's the guy with the green polo by the window, who looks a bit put upon to have to pose for a picture when he'd rather be digging in!  My husband doesn't really know how much Irish blood he has in his background and is not interested in doing a search, however, the litany when he was growing up was “I'm English, Irish, French, Scottish and Italian . . .” usually things would trail off after that, but occasionally he'd add other nationalities just to keep things interesting.

I'm 2nd and 3rd generation Cuban born, my paternal grandfather having emigrated to Cuba from the Canary Islands, and my maternal grandparents born in Cuba.  One of my relatives did some research on the Grimón last name and supposedly it may have originated in Belgium.  So you see, I cannot claim any Gaelic ancestry whatsoever.

And does not explain why I'm so fond of this holiday.  I got the shamrock napkins through a friend who gave them to me with the condition that I should use them once, and then pass them on to another person that might like to use them next, and that person should do the same.  My sister-in-law, Kathy (Kathleen, and of Irish ancestry), now has them.  I can't wait to see how she uses them!

I love party favors!  So, in addition to an Oxalis Plant, everyone got to take home one of these darling miniature books with Irish blessings!

I love the green in these goblets!  Don't they look great next to the green fields in the books?

I can't conceive of this dinner without some lovely Kerrygold butter, and what better way to enjoy this treat than by giving each guest their very own butter dish?  Some things are just to delicious to have to share.  

The napkin rings reminded me of a Celtic knot and they provided a nice contrast against the simple white dinner plates.

I scattered some gold and green fake coins for an extra dose of whimsy.  

Now for the food.  Two big platters of Corned Beef and Cabbage.  It's simple fare, but, oh, so delicious!

And for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream Bundt Cake, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream from Baskin Robbins, my son's favorite.

We "greened" the house a bit  . . .

Hoping that a leprechaun would stop by and find the house to his liking . . .

And maybe, just maybe, we'd find his Pot o'Gold!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dishes:  Traditional by Apilco, from Williams-Sonoma

Flatware:  Jefferson by Reed & Barton for Monticello

Water Goblets:  Williamsburg by Reed & Barton

Butter Spreaders:  Rosewood hadles, by Laguiole

Butter dishes:  Amazon

Table runner:  Pottery Barn

Placemats:  Crate and Barrel

Napkin Rings:  Tortoise Knot by Juliska

Square Platter:  BIA Cordon Bleu, from Amazon

Cake Stand:  HomeGoods

A St. Patrick's Celebration

I'm not quite sure how it's come about that our family, who has barely a drop of Irish blood, ends up celebrating St. Patrick's Day every year . . .

Our celebration this year began in downtown Chicago, early last Saturday morning, where we went to see the annual dying green of the Chicago River . . .

A boat, manned by a small crew dumps about 40 pounds of a harmless vegetable dye into the river, turning its waters a bright green for a few hours . . .  Do you notice the brave little ducks trying to stay out of the path of the boat?  This article explains how Chicago's quirky tradition came about . . .

My husband is the guest photographer for all of the pictures taken downtown, since he has a shiny new smart phone with a cool new camera that he wanted to try out . . .

Me, I usually get so caught up in whatever is happening that I forget to take pictures . . .

We found a nice spot to watch on the Riverwalk, right across from Trump Tower, the skyscraper that has given so many Chicagoans heartburn because of its 20-foot-high Trump sign, which is seen as brash and tasteless . . .

Mr. Trump does seem to have a way of antagonizing folks . . .

The people watching was . . . marvelous . . .

The dyeing of the river was followed by the St. Patrick's Day parade . . .

But it was crowded, with so many young people walking in packs, and drinking, I felt like I was at Daytona Beach during Spring break . . .  

Even though we only stayed for a few minutes of the parade, by the time we got home our day was pretty much gone.  Chicago is always fun, but with a crowd like this, everything moves slowly.  We got home and collapsed on the couch and you wouldn't have been able to budge us if you tried . . . And I had to conserve my energy for our St. Pat's dinner party the following night . . .

Now THIS way of celebrating is more my style!  I really, really love my florist, Robert . . . He's made so many beautiful arrangements for me over the years, that I've lost count . . .

With minimal instructions from me via e-mail, this is what he managed to put together:  Three baskets that held white daisies, lime green button pom poms, white limonium, white wax berries, minty green carnations . . .

And, Bells of Ireland spikes gave the arrangements some height . . .

Robert placed the arrangements in brown rattan baskets, and that became the inspiration for the rest of the table . . .

I used my Spode Delamere Brown . . .  Somehow, this pattern feels right at home whether I dress it up or down, and seemed to get along very nicely with the rustic rattan baskets . . .

The napkins were an Etsy find.  I alternated the two designs throughout the table . . .

Each place setting included an individual butter dish that held delicious Kerrygold Irish butter to spread on Irish Soda bread . . . St. Patrick's Day is the best excuse ever for eating Irish Soda Bread . . .

And a great opportunity to bring out my Laguiole spreaders with the cute little bee on the handles . . .

The hurricane lantern votive holders added a touch more green . . .

Then I scattered some lucky charms on the table . . .

To hopefully lead us to the end of a rainbow, so we could find a pot o' gold!

These brownies with mocha cream frosting and chocolate chips would do very nicely for those who preferred chocolate to a pot o' gold . . . Especially when served with mint chocolate chip ice cream on the side . . .  After they finished their corned beef and cabbage, of course . . .

It was all so much fun, we were all happy to pretend being Irish for a little while! Éire go Brách!

Joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  Please stop by!

Lee on the Grass

This was not the plan.  The plan this summer, after a very hectic 2012, was to kick back, do a little bit of maintenance work, but, for the most part, just relax and enjoy the weather . . . (sigh) . . . the best laid plans of mice and men . . .

Lee bought, what he thought was, weed killer, but the stuff has destroyed our lawn.  Our lawn is currently riddled with patches of dead grass.  Let me put it a different way:  If our lawn was a dog, it would definitely be a dalmatian.  So for the last two months, he has been painstakingly tilling, removing the dead grass and planting grass seed.  He's about half done.

It's been a lot of work, but my husband is the most patient man that walks this Earth.  He is making the tedious job fun!

When Lee and his 6 siblings were growing up, someone was always writing Lee's name on the butter, then blaming him.    It's a running joke within the family, and we now receive notifications by e-mail of new “Lee” sightings.  Clothing, restaurants, gas stations . . . we never know where Lee's name is going to pop up next . . . 

I think he felt the next “Lee” sighting should be closer to home:  He cleared a patch on the lawn, and planted grass seed spelling his name!   Maybe it wasn't his siblings writing on the butter after all . . .

A Topsy Turvy Easter

Our sons had complicated work and school schedules so we had our Easter feast on Saturday night - our Topsy Turvy Easter Brunch!

Instead of the simple, symmetrical lines I usually prefer, I tried something more whimsical, and, overcoming the testosterone that surrounds me, I went pink!

I bought these glass candy dishes from Lillian Vernon, a long, long time ago - at least 15 years ago . . .

They are tiny, but perfect for candy-coated sunflower seeds . . .

Remember the nests from Williams-Sonoma?  They are making their second appearance, this time holding jelly beans . . .

The jelly bean colors were pure serendipity.  The Jolly Ranchers jelly beans were, at first, a make-do substitute for the Jelly Bellies I'd bought earlier . . . and which my DH ate as soon as he discovered the stash!  But the colors in this bag matched my theme . . . Sometimes, things seem come together so beautifully!

More rabbits!

The tulips were placed in bud vases in two different heights to create interest, and it was still easy to see the person sitting on the opposite side . . .

The taller bud vases came from IKEA (79¢ each!) . . .

The smaller vases came from Crate and Barrel . . .

I bought the tablecloth and napkins at HomeGoods . . . The pink and green plaid was a strong design element that balanced the overall softness of the pink theme . . .

I placed tea light holders on the table thinking that it would be dark enough to light them.  However, there was still plenty of daylight left when we sat down at 6:30 P.M. . . . And that was totally fine with me!

Later on, they glowed beautifully on the fireplace mantle.  What a lovely green color!

Where do you go if you want the best seasonal - and reasonably priced - flowers?  Trader Joe's of course!

The tulip-shaped Chardonnay glasses came from IKEA.  At $1.99 each, who could resist?

Fresh Blueberry-Raspberry Muffins with Streusel topping . . .  The napkin has a Reticello lace corner and is part of a tablecloth set given to us by my godmother on David's baptism.

What would Easter be without a butter lamb on the table . . . ?

The menu, as always, was my kids' favorite:  Dad's pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage . . .  

I added the muffins and Quiche Lorraine, and a nice bottle of Chardonnay (I mean, it was dinner, right?)

Oh, and some flaky rolls . . .

Never surprise the kids while eating, or we get this . . .

And this . . .

Happy Easter to everyone!