Happy St. Patrick's Day! ♥

Hello Dear Friends! ♥

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you all had a wonderful day! 🍀

We celebrated last night with a boiled ham dinner and my friend Eileen's mom's Irish bread that I look forward to making every year.  

I had a warm slice with my coffee this morning.

It was yummy! ♥

My mom loved this Irish bread and I was thinking of her while I was making it. 

She looked forward to it every year too ♥

I've scattered a few more bunnies around the house because it's time to start thinking about Easter.  

Only 2 weeks away! 

 These two little guys on the windowsill are making me smile today ♥

These early days of spring are so nice because I can finally see the river again.  

Nature is waking up ♥

It's refreshing after the long winter!

I put up my "egg tree" this morning. So simple. I probably could have found a better stick, but this was the first one I saw :) 

I love the pastel colors of the eggs ♥

Especially in the sunlight. 

The sun shadows in my front window are a sign of better days to come.  Warmer days with the smell of Lillies of the Valley in the air. 

They usually bloom around Mother's Day ♥

 I hope you're having a great week friends! We are having leftovers tonight, so I don't have to cook (yippee!).  It's currently 4:00 pm as I type this.  I'm going to make myself a cup of English Breakfast tea and take 5 before Rob gets home.  John is having a friend over tonight to "jam" so the house will be rocking with music later...haha.  Can you believe he's in his last semester of his first year of college?! Last year at this time I was starting to plan his graduation party! It blows my mind how fast time flies: )

Happy Wednesday everyone! xx 

♥

Happy St. Patrick's Day ♥

Hello Friends and Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🍀

I thought I would show you this beautiful bowl of veggies that will become my dinner tonight!  I have a little prep work to do peeling and chopping but once that is done it all goes into one big pot - easy peasy!  I'm making a smoked shoulder (ham) as our main.  We prefer that to corned beef. That's what my mother always made for us growing up.  It's a meal we only have once a year and we all really enjoy it! Even Rob who isn't even a bit Irish, loves it. 

I made my friend Elieen's Irish bread to go with it.  We've been noshing on it all weekend.  I brought some to my mother in laws on Saturday and everyone really enjoyed it.  Eileens recipe has a little sour cream in it so it's not as dry as traditional Irish breads.  

It's so good with morning coffee or afternoon tea :) 

♥

This past weekend we had beautiful weather.  Yesterday was 67 degrees!  I had all our screen doors open just for a little while.  It felt good to change the air in the house.  I think every bird in the neighborhood was singing because all I could hear was chirping.  Rob and I sat out on our back deck on Sunday morning and had a 30-minute conversation about what kinds of flowers we're planting this spring (now that's a conversation I can get into:).  It got me very excited for the nice weather and I can't wait for a trip to the garden center. I don't think I've ever been this excited for spring before. Like ever. 

Today is a rainy Monday but I'm not bothered by it.  I'm working from home today, so I'll stay cozy while my boiled dinner bubbles on the stove ♥

Another thing that got me very excited this weekend was I bought a vanity table for the bedroom! I've been thinking about getting one for a long time and finally bit the bullet.  I found one I love on Amazon.  It's white and has pretty lights around the mirror.  It comes with a cute stool and 5 drawers for all my things.  I can't wait to set it up and organize my makeup.  It's time for me to do a BIG purge of old beauty products anyway and this is a good excuse to do it.  Since we've been remodeling the bathroom, I'm slowing going through each room little by little and making mental notes of things I want to update and change.  Wait until Rob finds out I want to wallpaper the bedroom! OH DEAR that should go over well! LOL  But don't you just love wallpaper?  I miss it! 

I'll show you the vanity once it arrives and I get it set up.  It feels very vintage to me (even though it's not) and my heart loves that ♥

Well, I better get back to work now.  

I hope you all have a very HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!  ♥

Have a great week, my friends!  Cheers! 🍀

Hello Monday! Spring is almost here ♥

 

Hello Lovely Friends! 💚

I hope you all had a wonderful week last week and weekend.  I had made my friend Eileen's Irish Bread last Monday and spent the week nibbling on it because it's that good. There's a cup of sour cream in it so it's not as dry as traditional Irish bread (which is probably why I like it : ).  

Eileen and I worked together years ago and she used to bring this Irish Bread into the office every St. Patrick's Day.  I fell in love with it.  She graciously shared the recipe with me which she got from her Irish mother in law.  Eileen retired so we don't work together anymore.  I think of her every time I make it. 

  It's a perfect little tea bread for an afternoon treat : ) 

I'm still gently easing into daylight savings time.  It's been a slow process. I am enjoying eating dinner when it's still light out though.  John and I go for a walk every night after supper and lately we've been able to see the sun setting.  A few of my neighbors leave white twinkle lights up all year which I LOVE and makes twilight time even more special.  If only it were just a bit warmer....but I know that will come.  This week is the official start of spring which means I survived the dark days of winter.  

There IS light in my days ahead ✨

Yesterday Rob, John, and I went for a spur of the moment breakfast out. If there's one thing about me, it's the fact that I love a Sunday breakfast out.  Heaven!  I went for the red, white, and blue waffle this time.  It was called that because it was covered with strawberries, blueberries, and whip cream.  I ate the whole thing and have no regrets what-so-eva!! 

After breakfast we took a little ride to the beach.  Another thing about me is I love the ocean.  I don't like to swim in it, but I love to look at it, walk beside it, admire it, smell it, and make a thousand wishing on it.  And that's what we did.  This beach is about 10 minutes from our house.  It's so nice to drive over in the winter because there is on one there.  Look how lovely.  We walk and feel like we have the whole beach to ourselves. In the summer people are packed in like sardines! : ) 

The walk felt good to digest breakfast, but then it was on to the next meal because it was St Patrick's Day! I am trying to carry on my mother's traditions and every St. Patrick's day she made a boiled dinner, so that's what I did.  My Dad helped me cut up the vegetables and we tried to recreate what she would do.   I think we did pretty well : )   

And now it's on to then next holiday.  Only two week until Easter!  

The spring décor and bunnies are so bright and cheery after the long winter.  

This week will include work days, paperwork, endless laundry, finalizing Easter plans, and trying out a few new recipes I pinned online.  At night we'll watch old tv shows, read, drink tea, work on an ongoing puzzle, and go to bed early. Nothing exciting, just the ordinary....exactly the way I like it.  

Have a wonderful day friends! And happy Spring! It's almost here  ♥

(don't tell my allergies : )

Love you! Byeeee! xo 

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ♥

Hello Friends! ♥

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

It's Friday night as I write this.  We just finished dinner and I wanted to pop in and wish you all a happy Friday!  This has been the longest week for me.  I've had the worst time adjusting to daylight savings. It usually doesn't bother me but for some reason (probably my age : ) it's taken its toll.  I even overslept on Wednesday and made John late for school!!!  This has NEVER happened.  He missed math class and was quite happy about it I might add! 

Well, I finally made through and I'm very much looking to the weekend and staring fresh on Monday. 

Because I was so out of sorts this week I had nothing planned for tonight.  We usually make a corned beef and cabbage dinner but I wasn't feeling it this year.  I saw on my friend BJ's blog this morning that she was making Irish Stew.  I thought that sounded delicious and even better - she was making it in my favorite kitchen appliance....a crock pot!  You know, the thing that does all the work for you!  I texted her and within minutes I had the recipe. (I love my friends!!)

Off  I went to the store to grab some stew meat and beef broth.  I had everything else!  

I decided to stop and get a shamrock shake on the way!  

A St. Patrick's Day tradition : ) 

I came home, seared the meat, chopped some veggies, and into the pot it all went.  

.

5 hours later here we are.  So yummy!!!!! 

I had already made Irish bread earlier in the week.  There was just enough left for the three of us tonight to round out the meal.  

The most delicious St. Patrick's Day meal! And nice way to end the week.  

Not bad for a last minute decision! ♥

I hear the sun is coming out this weekend and spring is on it's way! Oh and in case you are wondering about that BIG snowstorm I mentioned on Monday.  We got nothing. Just rain.  

 I hope you are all having a happy St. Patrick's day however you are celebrating tonight!  

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll meet you back here on Monday! 

Cheers! xoxo 

(now I'm off to bed to get my hour of sleep back : ) 

♥

Ordinary Friday ♥

Hello Friends! Happy Friday! ♥

The week has gotten away from me and now here we are.  I was just sitting in my cozy spot here trying to get motivated to start the day.  It's super bright today which is nice because the sun is shining in through the windows and is lifting my mood - as if I needed help on a FRIDAY! 

  Can you believe this weekend is daylight savings?  We'll lose an hour of sleep (after a few days of adjusting:) but it will be worth it. 

 I can feel the shift coming. Can you? 

 

I gave myself a refill (with whip cream - a TGIF treat : )   

Today is an ordinary Friday.  

My favorite kind ♥

I'm waiting for this Christmas cactus to bloom.  I have no idea when : ) 

New candle for Spring I picked up yesterday. 

 I love lemons! ♥

A puzzle I've been wanting to do since Christmas.  Soon! I just have to figure out a spot to do it in because I'm sure it will take more than one sitting! LOL 

Ready for St. Patrick's day! 

One week from today! 

My kitchen is small but I try to make it as cozy as possible

♥

I'm going to make a strawberry salad dressing out of these.  I'll let you know how it turns out! 

It sure does! : ) 

This little plant stand was once a CD tower.  Remember those???  

Seeing all the green is so pleasing.  I like it better than CD's.  

My ordinary Friday will consist of working, more coffee consumption, a breakfast dinner (don't knock it till you try it : ) and a family movie night.  John's pick! He's trying to see all the best picture nominees before the Oscars on Sunday.  I think he only has 3 left! 

I would like to make an Irish bread today as well, so we can snack on it this weekend! 

♥

Thanks for popping by and visiting me on an ordinary Friday.  

Have a wonderful and cozy weekend! ♥

xoxo

A Few Touches of Green ♥

Good Friday Morning Friends ♥

I've added a few touches of green to the house this week 🍀  

All my valentine hearts and few remaining snowmen I had hanging around have all been packed away in preparation for Springtime. 

Although, let's be real, it's still very much winter around here. The groundhog wasn't messing around.   The temperature read 21 degrees in my car this morning.  

I love prepping for St. Patrick's day because green is such a springy color and a sign of rebirth.  

It means another season is coming to end and things are once again changing.  

♥

 

Blue and green is such a pretty color combination.

I've been worried about this spider plant.  She hasn't been looking good the past few months. She's wilty and I wasn't sure she was gonna make it....when all of a sudden....I noticed a spider baby!!! 

That's a good sign 💚

Out and about it's still snow and ice everywhere.  As quickly as it melts more falls.  

Some store fronts still have signs of Christmas.  

But not for long.  

Flowers will bloom soon.  I'm sure of it. 

♥

On Wednesday evening we celebrated Ash Wednesday with a pancake dinner and then attended a 7pm in person mass.  It was lovely to be back at church and a nice way to start lent.  

And then there's this... my once a year Shamrock Shake.  Every March.  I sat in McDonalds parking lot this morning and enjoyed every drop. 

Have a cozy weekend friends.  Spring is coming!