So Lucky to Have You!

Check out big sis as an adorable baby! These are very simple March layouts using a free scrap called Lucky Me kit that I found a couple years ago. It included alpha, elements, and papers.

So Lucky to Have You, 2000

 Credits: Template is by Jacinda and the Lucky Me kit is by Delicious Scraps. I used love ya like a sister and Lady Rene for the fonts.

Cousins, 2000

Credits: Template is by Cindy Schneider and the Lucky Me kit is by Delicious Scraps. I used grumble font.

March 2013 Summary

March flew by quick as the wind! I've been busy doing some Family Search Indexing, making a quilt for my baby (thanks to my talented sister in-law Marilee for her help), planning a baby shower for my dear friend, and scrap booking during my spare time. We have just a few more months left until we get to hold our little baby boy! There is still so much to do before he comes, but we cannot wait to finally meet him! 

On Patrick's Day, the Green Leperacan left a bag of goodies for my girls (Pringles, Skittles, Rolos, and Ande's Mints). John and I made incredible mashed potatoes, corned beef, broccoli, and Irish soda bread. As for dessert, we made brownies topped with mint chocolate chip ice cream. For my primary children, my girls and I wrapped Hershey's Nuggets with some cute Candy Bar Gift Wrappers and stapled St. Patrick's Day Journal Freebies on a small ziplock bag. With the leftovers, my girls gave them to their teacher or friends at school the next day.

Big Sister had the opportunity to perform in her school's grand choir concert, which was a fundraiser that benefits the music department. It was a marvelous concert, which extended family members came to support big sister!  She also tried out for chamber choir this month (a women and men's choir) and was picked to join them next year. She is very excited because most of her friends all made chamber choir too! Way to go big sister!

St. Patrick's Day Fun and Happy Birthday/ RIP Gramps

What a busy weekend!  We had serious green thumb syndrome yesterday!!!  John has been getting our 30' by 25' garden ready.  We borrowed a tiller from our friend to loosen up the ground.  I started filling the pots, planter boxes, etc with fresh soil.  In the next couple weeks, I am starting some plants which will be in the greenhouse.  Yes, we have a greenhouse and I am very excited to take advantage of it!  To our surprise, there are several tulips starting to come up all over the yard!  I cannot wait to see them bloom!  I have SPRING FEVER!!! Next, we gave Jagger his first haircut!  Obviously, it looks unprofessional and hopefully in time we will be able to do a respectable job.  He was a good boy while trimming it with clippers and snipping with scissors.  I had to bribe him with chopped carrots and puppy treats.  A "leprechaun" left some gold coins and Rolos for the girl's St. Patrick's Day treat.  I printed the I'm so Lucky to have you that was placed on the top of a ziplock bag!  My printer ran out of green, ack!  It was poor quality printing; however, it is the thought that counts! For dinner, the girls requested corned beef again just like last year!  Then John and I decided to make Colcannon (mashed potatoes, cabbage, bacon, cream, and butter) as a side dish, Irish Soda Bread, and apple beer.  As for dessert, we made rainbow sherbet floats (Sprite and Rainbow Sherbet) and  Lucky Charms Cupcakes.  

As for my Grandfather, he died early this morning (March 17, 1925-March 18, 2012).  He was in a coma with a high fever these last couple weeks resulting from leukemia.  I am very impressed that he held on until his 86th birthday, which was on St. Patrick's Day.  He lived a wonderful life.  I admired the fact that he worked very hard most of his life and did his best to provide for his family.  He was always positive looking on the bright side of things even when challenges came his way. He found true love twice, loved music, worked as a TV and radio engineer for many years, enjoyed building model airplanes, liked walks near the beach, and was a great example to all his family members by living a healthy and joyful lifestyle.  I will miss my visits with my Gramps!  I will always cherish my happy memories we shared together on Cape Cod. You can read his obituary from the Cape Cod Times . I love you, Gramps! Rest in peace and say hello to Grandma and my Mother for me!!! XOXOX

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Today we had a lot of fun celebrating the holiday.  My husband made scrambled green eggs and ham (topped with melted cheese) for breakfast while my girls and I did nail manicures.  We painted our finger nails neon green and a green glittery clear coat on top.  

Here are my girls wearing their green lucky charms!

Later in the afternoon, I did some visiting teaching.  It was my turn to teach the lesson this month.  I gave my visiting teaching sisters a bag of gold chocolate coins and a note that said, "We are so lucky to know you!"  

The Supplies

Lucky Shamrock St. Patrick's Day Card

White and green card-stock paper

Green ribbon

small heart shaped cookie cutter

Green paint( I used green finger paint)

Chocolate gold candies in a mesh sack

Pens or markers (green and black) 

Paper hole punch

Stamp the clover using a small heart shaped cookie cutter on white card-stock paper. Allow the green paint to dry.  Cut some green ribbon out.  Cut out a square around the dry painted clover and glue on the white paper on top of green paper. Cut around the edges so that it looks straight and uniformed.  With the hold puncher, press a hole through papers and pull the ribbon through the mesh candy sack .  Add the following text with a marker: "I'm lucky to know you!"   

After school, the girls were surprised to find out that a tiny leprechaun visited our house  today.  "He" filled the toilet tanks with green food coloring.   He left some shamrock clues for a scavenger hunt. There were (lucky seven) shamrock clues and messes around the house for the girls to find. At the end of the hunt, they found some gold coins and "I am lucky to have you" paper design from The Crafting Chicks. The clues were the following:

Front Door: Warning A Leprechaun was here!  Find his clues written on shamrock near his messes he made.  Start in the living room.  Ready set Go!!!

Clue 1. Rainbow Balloon Mess: Find #2 mess in Kitchen Ha ha ha!

Clue 2.  Homework Mess: Find #3 mess in laundry room.

Clue 3.  Toilet Paper Mess: Find #4 mess in your bedroom.

Clue 4:  Laundry Mess: Find #5 in Mom and Dad's Room

Clue 5: Bed Pillow Mess:  Find #6 mess in Mom and Dad's master bathroom.

Clue 6: Nail Polish Mess:  Find #7 in a green plant in living room.

Clue 7: Hidden in Living Room Plant: Look under the bed on the side that snores to find your surprise! (Dad's side of bed).  LOL!!!

Surprise!  I'm so LUCKY to have YOU!

They were very happy to eat chocolate coins for their after school snack!

At dinner, we talked about the history of St. Patrick Day.  As for the amazing food, we decided it would be great to try a traditional Irish meal.  We got some corned beef and cabbage on sale at Smiths.  We made Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage, which I got the recipe from Family Fun.  With our bread maker, we made a garlic and herb crusty bread.  I made a simple green fruit salad.  As for our drinks, we had apple beer (non-alcoholic of course).

Rainbow Fruit Salad

Strawberries

Peaches or mandarin oranges

Bananas or pineapple

Green grapes

Blueberries

Purple grapes 

Sweetened Whipped Cream (see below for recipe)

Small Green Jello Mix

Cut up the fruit into bite size pieces and add to a medium size bowl.  Toss together the many fruits.  Beat the sweetened whipped cream mixture.  Add cream to fruit and  pour in the green lime Jello package. Gently stir together and allow the fruit salad to chill for a couple hours before serving.

As for dessert, the kids absolutely loved helping me make the rainbow cupcakes, which we got the recipe from Family Fun.  Here is the recipe:

Taste a Rainbow Cupcakes

White cake mix

Food coloring (red, blue, green, and yellow)

Baking cups

Sweetened whipping cream (for the cloud)

Rainbow sprinkles

Follow the directions on the cake package.  Divide the batter evenly among six small bowls.  Follow the chart below, dye each bowl of batter a rainbow color.   Line the muffin tin with baking cups.  Add purple, then blue, green, yellow, orange, and red evenly.  As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.  Bake the cupcakes according the cake box directions.  Before severing remove the paper wrapping, and top with whipped cream "cloud" and dash some rainbow sprinkles.
 Food Coloring Drops Chart
Purple:  9 red and 6 blue drops

Blue:  12 drops

Green:  12 drops

 Yellow: 12 drops

Orange:  12 yellow and 4 red drops

Red:  18 drops

Sweetened Whipped Cream (Our Best Bites)
1 c. Whipping Cream
1/3 c. powdered sugar
Combine whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl.  With an electric hand mixer, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.
It was a busy day! We made a lot of fun memories today! The girls especially got a kick out of the leprechaun scavenger hunt!  I hope you had a wonderful Green day!  Take Luck!!!  ~Jen