Tag Archives: St. Patrick’s Day

A letter to the Leprechauns

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I know we’ve never actually met, but I want to thank you for showing my family joy in the little moments of life.  Your arrival each year seems to be at the point when we are all officially tired of winter and a bad case of the “blah’s” has set in.  Having something fun and mysterious to brighten our days definitely provides a much needed boost.

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I don’t know if word got back to you about the words I wrote  last year, but some things never change.  The universal truth about children who believe in leprechauns is that they all want to catch one.  Whether because of folklore or family stories passed down through generations, there is something irresistibly enchanting about capturing one of you.  I can only imagine that idea sends shivers down your little spines.  Almost if by magic, the turning of the calendar page to the month of March creates in children an obsession with all things engineering and creative, if not wistfully enticing.

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What you probably don’t know was how much I needed your visit to spread some fun and laughter.  Time stands still for no one . . . especially our children who each day grow and mature into amazing young people.  Perhaps it is because Reed was taken from us much too young or perhaps it is because my heart wants my children to stay little forever just like Peter Pan, I am simply not ready for one of them to launch into the world.

Strapped in with a warm blanket, I rode that roller coaster of emotions on the eve of your visit.  Watching a movie which poignantly depicted a young man going away to college, I broke down and sobbed.  While you were whispering in the wind before your stop at our home, my heart wrenched at the thought that someday soon that same scene will be one in which I play a part.  The movie was delightfully entertaining, but I went to bed with a heavy heart.

As I lay sleepless in bed, my thoughts went back to a tender moment at Reed’s services when a mom, who had walked in my shoes, whispered as she hugged me.  “I am thanking God that you have Cloie.”  Those same words had they come from anyone else probably would not have been etched in my heart. Even so, at the time, I didn’t know how wise she really was.  The last thoughts in my head, as my eyes succumbed to the weariness of the day, were her encouraging words.

I will admit to having a lingering thought of what would await me the next day because many a St. Patrick’s morn have been spent cleaning up the mess adventure you have left for my children.

Because of the late hour of my slumber, I did not stir until I heard the wee one (as you call her) cry out, “Oh dear! What have they done with bacon!”  Nothing will quite wake up a momma quicker than the thought of cured salt pork smeared all over her house.  Her astonished cries were followed by tender, gentle cooing for her favorite porcine stuffy, Bacon.  She cuddled and caressed him to make sure he wasn’t too traumatized. Bacon (with a capital B) – not bacon (the breakfast food) –  was snuck away from her safe little arms where he spends all of his nights and stuffed inside the trap that had been meant to catch one of you.  (Of course, you all know that.)

I know you might not believe this, since so far, my children’s track record has not been very welcoming or inviting to you three. The same compassion she lavished on her stuffed friend was utilized when she jumped out of her warm bed to get you a soft towel because she couldn’t bear the thought of one of you spending a night cold and wet on hard rocks.

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Floating away on the morning air, the heaviness of my heart was lifted as I watched her comfort her beloved pig.  She spent the next few minutes examining the traps (Shoe Mart and Diving for Gold) to see what went wrong and what she could possibly do to improve her chances of capturing meeting you next year.  You probably should have untied the harness, because now she has a pretty good idea exactly how big you are.

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Thank you for always bringing us laughter.  But mostly, thank you for reminding this momma to not worry about what tomorrow’s troubles will hold.

Today’s childhood is something to be savored.

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Seamus, Finnegan, and O’Malley – wherever you are out in the world I thank you.   Your “presence” in our lives is the perfect reminder to enjoy the moments that are within your grasp because that is where the magic really lies. 

Until next year, my little Irish friends, be safe and enjoy that vacation in Barbados (0r wherever you end up). You deserve it!

The thing about leprechauns

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One of my earliest memories is arriving to my kindergarten classroom on St. Patrick’s Day only to discover the whole room turned topsy-turvy with the windows left wide open.  Keep in mind this was March 17 in Pensacola so Minnesota’s winter wind wasn’t something we had to contend with.  The alarmed and shell-shocked teacher asked us all to help her pick up and to see if we could figure out what happened.  Eventually one of my classmates discovered footprints – GREEN! and lots of them on the windowsills.  Leprechauns!

I only have a few memories from kindergarten, but this one is definitely my favorite.  As the Luck of the Irish would have it, those leprechauns stuck with me my whole life, and now they come to visit each year that my children remember to put out our special St. Paddy’s day treasure box.   Fortunately, we know all about the wee folk, their friends, and all their doin’s.

Once or twice, we have been pixie-led in a forest.  We have listened for water sprites in babbling brooks.  We look for faerie nets in the morning dew, and we sincerely hope that those faeries are wearing out their shoes.  (Of course, that’s how the leprechauns get their gold – fixin’ faerie shoes.)  Then there are the leprechauns. . .

As I’ve gotten older, I seem to have a complicated relationship with the three that visit our house.  For as long back as Reed was old enough to leave out a treasure box, the same three Irishmen have visited our house.  Oh, I believe in them, but I just don’t endorse their ways all the time.  The funny thing about leprechauns is they do keep their promises; albeit not exactly the way you think they should.

They are obliged to fill that treasure box if you leave that treasure box out by the light of the moon on St. Patrick’s Eve.  The problem arises when the whole “Hey! They’re trying to find me gold” mentality that the wee folk have rears its ugly head.  When the kids were really little that thought never crossed their minds. But as it goes with children, they, too, get bigger and their thinking gets more sophisticated.

Almost overnight, some type of magic switch turns itself on, and my normal children become construction experts as well as engineering and architectural aficionados.  They have created elaborate traps, each offering some alluring “bait” to entice the leprechauns to enter in the hopes of hitting it big – meeting a leprechaun.  (So far, none have spent their gold before they caught one.)

Trap 2013 - complete with Fairy Cloie's house on top of a gold mine

Trap 2013 – complete with Fairy Cloie’s house on top of a gold mine

All the shoes that Fairy Cloie needs repaired.

All the shoes that Fairy Cloie needs repaired.

All that gold - notice the trap door string.

All that gold – notice the trap door string.

Well, despite their yearly return, the leprechauns don’t take too kindly all this trap business.  Each year they leave a treasure ranging to sugary cereal like Lucky charms (which my kids’ mom would never buy) and various Irish treats and treasures.  But what they really leave is a big fat mess and a treasure box hidden in some elaborate place!  Whole rooms of furniture have been turned upside down, children’s rooms have been toilet papered, and one year the entire dining room was set up outside on the lawn.  They might be little, but they aren’t weak.

Expensive cereal and messes in my house! Sometimes my love of these pint-sized gentlemen wears a little thin.  But when I see the sweetness in the notes they leave each and every year encouraging my kids to keep studying because someday  – just someday – they might actually catch one of them, my heart goes right back to my first leprechaun encounter all those years ago.

So to Seamus, Finnegan, and O’Malley if you are out there reading this blog, thank you for keeping the magic alive at our house. Somedays it really does pays to be an Irish girl, especially one young of heart.

Oops, I almost forgot. Finnegan – Cloie did find your hat, and she promises next year to leave it next to the trap treasure box.

Finnegan's hat and this year's note.

Finnegan’s hat and this year’s note.

Bling it on!

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I like comfort anything.  Comfort foods, comfort quilts, comfort footwear – all of them rate very highly in my daily existence.  I love boutique shopping, but more often than not, you can find me in a favorite t-shirt and jeans.  Even though I am really into comfort, aside from gardening season, I really enjoy having well done nails. I cherish being unique in my style, and for an outfit to really be mine, it has to involve something animal print, from the ocean, from the heart, or something with a touch of bling.

I was blessed with the best mother-in-law in the entire world.  I love her, but if she were to have a signature look it would not include any of my pizazz.  Jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts are her daily uniform – but no embellishments and definitely no bling.  I adore her and there isn’t much that she does that anyone could improve upon.

That was until . . . yesterday.  My mom-in-law is like the Pied Piper of children, and one of her tried and true tips is to always have play dough on hand.  Of course, it is the homemade kind that is so much better than store bought. She has an entire corner of her kitchen dedicated to all things play dough.  Over the years some additions have been made to her recipe like using Kool-Aid packets instead of food coloring for tint.  I even once added essential oils as an experiment for aromatherapy dough.  (It worked, but we never repeated it. I have to say lemon dough was pretty amazing. )

As we were preparing for St. Patrick’s Day, I just couldn’t help myself.  I decided to attempt something I had seen on the internet somewhere (my friends would tell you probably Pinterest) by embellishing Grandma’s Dough in honor of our good friends the leprechauns.  We made the recipe below as usual, but as we were cooking on the stove we added 2 tablespoons of gold glitter.  I, of course, loved it as did my little shadow who also has a penchant for all things fuzzy and bling-y.dough hands

She thought it was much too wonderful to keep to ourselves; so, we made a bag for her friend and  a bag for the leprechauns (more on that tomorrow).clo & dough

Some days, I feel as if childhood is becoming an endangered species in this country.  I will do anything possible to keep that magic alive.  I want my kids to be kids as long as they can. Honestly, though, I am not sure who had more fun making sparkly dough.  I think it would be a tough call.

Long live imaginations including hers!

 

leprechaun dough

Grandma’s Play Dough recipe (Kid tested and approved!)

Heat burner to medium.

1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 2 tsp cream of tartar, 2 Tsp cooking oil, 1 cup water, food coloring or Kool-Aid mix,  2 Tsp glitter (We used gold, but my imagination tells me that faeries might like purple.)

Mix water and food coloring or Kool-Aid mix.

Stir this and other ingredients together in a saucepan.

Put on burner, stirring 3 to 4 minutes until mixture looks like stiffly mashed potatoes.

Allow to cool and then enjoy!