A touch of green!

17 March… yes, it is Paddy’s day.  Think green!!

So, here goes with all the green I can offer from the BBEST Team!

Queen Anne Lace Scarf by Bags and more by Pam

Twisted Gold and Green Flower Pendant by Zudagay

Moss in the snow brooch by Fantasy Creations1

Jasmine Green Tea by Get Lathered

Neighbourhood Girl by Sixsisters

Personalised Irish Shamrock Knit Blanket by Blazing Needles

Native American Beaded Earrings by JStinson

For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way.  Good health, good luck and happiness for today and every day.

Sláinte!

The Wedding

As many of you know, through my numerous postings on the team forum, the month of August is a very important month in our family this year. Our youngest, our daughter, is getting married later this month.

Panic has not quite set in yet! However, the days seem to be passing ever more quickly with only a short time to discuss and implement those last minute details. It is always the small things that seem to take the most energy and organising. Sometimes, you can’t help wondering if anyone would really notice whether the gold butterfly confetti was strewn on the tables or not? But, putting all these little details together does make a magical day even more magical!

In case there are other people out there who are looking for that extra something for their wedding day I thought I would stroll through the BBEST team to see what I could find. You never know, there might be something that we can’t possibly do without!!

Wedding Hoops by Jems by JB and Company

Lovely, white freshwater pearls with sterling silver components dangle from the hoops.

These would look so pretty with the bride’s outfit!

Roses Champagne Flute Glasses by Glitz n Glass

This pair of hand painted Champagne flutes would be just the thing to toast your love with. A single pink rose bud in a modern heart with a matching rose on the base. What could say "I love you" better than that?

White Cake Candle by AJs Country Cottage

Smells just like a moist, delicious white wedding cake! Tantalizing vanilla blends with a yummy almond note for a totally mouthwatering scent!

Positively edible smelling, not to be eaten!!

Ivory Bridal Veil by By The Way

An elegant, versatile bridal headpiece, this item can be worn either traditionally on top of the head, or at the back under an elaborate accent.

Champagne Gift Bag by BBesigns

Next time you need to say good luck say it with a bottle of champagne wrapped in this wine bag with a hand made tag.

The tag is hand painted champagne glass with a rhinestone embellishment. Good luck is printed on the tag and there is room at the bottom or back for your greeting.

Wedding Favour Bags by Fickle Faerie

A wedding favor that can be used over and over again!!! It won't be thrown in the garbage!

For a change, why not fill it with fruit instead of sweets?

Grace by Magdalene Jewels

Such a beautiful piece of jewellery. This graceful and delicate 17" Necklace would add sparkle to anyone who wears it.

Stained Glass Keepsake by Nonnie’s Treasures

Do you have a wedding invitation, or love letter that you want to keep forever? Don't put it into a plastic sleeve! This is a custom-made display, sealed on all sides with clear glass and trimmed with stained glass.

What a talented group we have in the BBEST Team! So many ideas, so much inspiration. I hope that you have enjoyed my journey and that you too have caught a little of the excitement that surrounds our household this month!

A christening!

The term properly refers to the acceptance of the recipient of a christening, or Baptism, into the church of Christ. It means to "bring to Christ."

In this case, our latest grandson is due to be christened this weekend.  As a Church of England tradition the actual ‘christening’ will often be added at the end of the normal Sunday service.  So, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long as for other little ones it can be tiresome!

This ceremony does give the family the excuse to meet, join with friends and neighbours to enjoy and formally recognise the latest addition to the family.  Hopefully, the weather will be kind to allow a barbeque to be held outdoors otherwise it will be a finger buffet style meal indoors.  Either way, I am sure our grandson will be totally oblivious (he is only 6 months old) as it will be his nap time anyway!

Whilst strolling through the realms of this talented team of interior designers I came across some beautiful items that might be perceived for the celebration of a christening.

Stained Glass Manager by Creations in Glass.

A handcut beautiful opalescent iridized stained glass, for the base & foiling the pieces using the copper foil technique, and soldering to a music box base that plays away in a manger there are two wise men & baby Jesus.  Perfect for that Christmas christening!

 

 

Christening gifts can be difficult to source but what about this useful item?

The Owyn Toy Box by Mod Mom Furniture

The Owyn Toy Box is a modern organic-style chest designed for any room in the house!  Use it to store everything from toys to gadgets to blankets. It has two easy lift-off lids that fit the top like a puzzle. Easy for little hands to manipulate!  The Owyn Toy Box is separated into two convenient compartments under individual leaf lids.

Looking for something to keep as a memento of this auspicious occasion?  Why not this item which you will agree is a little diferent?

 

Decorative Silver Giraffe Flower by Yoola

The artist created it as most of their creations using the smallest crochet needle available in the market and a silver colored copper wire.

 

 

 

For a reminder of how we welcome cherish this new child into God’s midst this delightful image would be prefect!

Gift of a Child by DeborahVoizin

This is one of my most favorite images. It shows how tiny and fragile a newborn baby is, in comparison to adult size hands that will be caring and guiding this sweet child through life.

 

 

 

Perfect for that old fashioned style!

Victorian Style Crochet Christening Cape by Precious Quilts aka me, On a Whimsey!

Can you imagine your little one on their special day wearing this romantic Victorian style christening cape?

 

And, so I look forward to our family gathering next weekend!

Who was Saint Patrick?

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, is well known for all sort of stories like the belief that he rid Ireland of all snakes.  Totally untrue and merely a result of many years of folklore and handed down stories that were often exaggerated. For your information Ireland never had snakes but it is thought that the meaning came from the fact that St Patrick was to eradicate all pagan beliefs!

It is known that St. Patrick was born in Britain to wealthy parents near the end of the fourth century.   At the age of sixteen, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity.  Lonely and afraid, he turned to his religion for solace, becoming a devout Christian. (It is also believed that Patrick first began to dream of converting the Irish people to Christianity during his captivity.)

After more than six years as a prisoner, Patrick escaped. According to his writing, a voice which he believed to be God's, spoke to him in a dream, telling him it was time to leave Ireland.

To do so, Patrick walked nearly 200 miles from County Mayo, where it is believed he was held, to the Irish coast. After escaping to Britain, Patrick reported that he experienced a second revelation; an angel in a dream telling him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Soon after, Patrick began religious training, a course of study that lasted more than fifteen years. After his ordination as a priest, he was sent to Ireland with a dual mission to minister to Christians already living in Ireland and to begin to convert the Irish.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

So, are you feeling Irish?  Why not find out how Irish by completing the Irish quiz at this link?

Meanwhile I thought I would search through Etsy to find some Irish related items that had been created by the Boomers and Beyond Street Team (BBEST for short!).  Here goes…….

Irish Eyes Earrings

by

J Stinson

 

 

4 Knit Shamrock Mugrugs

by

Blazing Needles

 

Dichroic Shamrocks Brooch

by

Designs by Christine

 

 

Neighborhood Girl - Original Watercolor ACEO

by

Six Sisters

 

 

St. Pats Day Can Cozies

by

Bags and More by Pam

 

Why not take a scroll over to Etsy and search for more wonderful items from the BBEST team?  Follow the BBEST link or just type in BBEST when you do a search and see what comes up!  I think you may be amazed by the talent in this team, but then I am biased!!!

May the roads rise to meet you.
May the wind be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rain fall soft upon your fields
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
A GAELIC BLESSING

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day to you!

PQ

An exciting day

Yesterday was an exciting day for me…. my birthday!  Yes, another one.  They do seem to come round more quickly each year, don’t they?

It was a grey and dull day but that didn’t detract from my day!  As a treat we were to go to London to see a show called the Jersey Boys which I had long wanted to see.

We got ready to go out and had decided to take the bus to the rail station.  Waiting at the bus stop with about 8 minutes to go we noticed an Interlink van driving out of our road.  Hubby realised that a parcel he had been waiting for might have been attempting a delivery.  As soon as the van came towards us at the bus stop he flagged it down.  The driver expecting a hold up by a couple of wrinklies looked quizzically as my husband explained.  Yes, the package was onboard so it was signed for and duly handed over.  Right!  A quick sprint to the house and I’ll be back, according to  Hubby.  There was to be just enough time before the arrival of the bus.  I waited thinking that if I could just see my husband coming out of our road I would be able to delay the bus long enough for him to catch up.  The clock ticked, and ticked.  At last!  Around the corner he rushed just in time to arrive at the bus stop simultaneously as the bus!  Unbeknown to me as he was locking the front door a ParcelPost van drew up wanting to deliver a box of flowers for me!  Quickly they were accepted, placed in the hall, door locked and then the rush to return to me at the bus stop.

Once at the station we bought our rail tickets to travel by train to Victoria from where we were to continue our journey to Leicester Square by Underground.  Since we were early we decided to have a drink and a spot of lunch.  How civilized!

Now the time was coming to enter the Prince Edward Theatre.   We were to be sitting in the grand circle.  Settling down we waiting in anticipation for the lights to dim and the production to begin. By the way, we sat in two of the red seat pictured in the picture on the right!

The musical show of Jersey Boys is based on the electrifying true life story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. With spectacular performances of their hits, follow the rollercoaster journey of a group of working class boys from the streets of New Jersey, who worked their way to the heights of international pop stardom.  The show featured many memorable hits, including: Beggin’, Oh What a night, Can’t take my eyes off you, Sherry, Walk like a man, Bye bye baby and Baby, big girls don’t cry to name but a small selection of songs preformed.  Follow this link to read about the story of the Four Seasons http://www.jerseyboyslondon.com/jerseyboys_behindthemusic.asp  You can even get a taster of the music as well as some clips from the actual show! 

Actually, one of the scariest thoughts was that here we were clapping and singing our hearts out to music from over 40, yes, 40 years ago!!!  Gulp!  It was especially hard when I looked around me at some of the audience and fully realised, here were all the wrinklies….mmmmm.

We had thought about having a drink and a meal to round off the evening but decided just on a drink, travelling back home to invite our daughter over for a take away pizza with some bubbly!  A wonderful end to a brilliant day.

What were the flowers and who were they from?  Beautiful cream roses with purple irises and some lilies in between from one of the boys, wasn’t that kind?  Who loves ya baby!!!?

Pancake Day – Get Ready!!!!

You must all have heard of Pancake Day or at the very least, Shrove Tuesday?  This year it falls on Tuesday, 24 February so you just have time to check your stocks, get out the pancake pan and start tossing your pancakes!

The term ‘Shrove’ comes from the old word ‘shrive’ which means to confess.  On Shrove Tuesday, in the Middle Ages, people used to confess their sins so that they were forgiven before the season of Lent began.

Shroving is a ancient British custom in which children sang or recited poetry in exchange for food or money.
A popular shroving rhyme went like this:

Knock, knock, the pan's hot
And we are coming a-shroving
For a piece of pancake
Or a piece of bacon
Or a piece of truckle* cheese
Of your own making.

*Truckle cheese is barrel shaped and is often mature Cheddar.

Lent is a time of restraint or abstinence.  Shrove Tuesday is the last day on which you can indulge yourself  and need to use up the foods that aren't allowed in Lent. Pancakes are eaten on this day because they contain fat, butter and eggs which were forbidden during Lent.  Throughout the United Kingdom, and in many other countries, people indulge themselves on foods that traditionally aren't allowed during Lent.  I believe in the US and French speaking states it is called Mardi Gras.  Here some ladies from the mid 1950s enjoy the pancake race!

In the UK this coming Tuesday it is traditionally the day on which pancakes are made to be eaten, tossed or raced with in pancake races!

An English pancake is a thin, flat cake, made of batter and fried in a frying pan.  Caster sugar (superfine sugar) is sprinkled over the top and a dash of fresh lemon juice added. The pancake is then rolled. Some people put golden syrup or jam on their pancakes.

Pancake recipe: -

Ingredients
100 g (4 oz) plain flour
1 large egg
300 ml (1/2 pint) milk
Pinch of salt

Method
1. Sift the flour and pinch of salt into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle. Break the egg into the well and whisk the egg so that it starts to incorporate the flour from around the bowl. Gradually add in the milk and continue to beat the mixture together until it is smooth.

2. Heat a little butter in a frying pan and pour about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture into the pan. Tilt and move the pan until the mixture covers the base evenly. Cook on a medium heat for 30-60 seconds until golden. Flip the pancake and cook on the other side.

3. Keep the pancake warm and repeat with the remainder of the batter.

To serve

Sprinkle each pancake caster sugar and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

 

 

On a more lighthearted note I spotted this joke….

It was Shrove Tuesday and Mrs Williams was making pancakes for her sons, Justin 5, and Freddy 7.

As usual, the brothers began to argue over who should get the first pancake. Their mother saw a wonderful opportunity for a moral lesson.

'If Jesus were sitting at the table, He would say, "Let my brother have the first pancake".'

Quick as a flash Freddy turned to Justin and said, 'Justin, today you can be Jesus!'

A very auspicious day!

You can't help but feel the electric excitement that is not only engulfing America but the world too! Today will be one of those days which we will all remember. Today, the 44th President of America is to be sworn in. That in itself is important. However, more importantly, this is the first time that a black American has had the opportunity to enter the White House. I remember, not too long ago, all the demonstrations we followed on the news about the troubles in America. To think that a few years down the road the picture has changed. There will be many who are still alive and remember the dark days. Today, there is enlightenment for all of us, not just America! A new hope and a new adventure.

There will be many problems inherited and many more to solve but with resolution, integrity and a new hope these will be overcome in one way or another.

I tried to see if any of a team I am passionate about had any items to commemorate this special event and found the follow:

Barack Obama Inaugural Window Cling Suncatcher With Stained Glass effects

'The audacity of hope!
I made this window cling in honor of our newly elected president,' says the creator,

Clingingimages

No disrespect! However, you have to bring in the humour too, don't you?

Obama '08 - Lipstick on a Pig with Freebie

'Make a political statement or if you wish, remove the lipstick. Great fun and great for conversation,' says

Felt4Ewe

Patriotic Earrings

'These fun fun fun Patriotic Earrings are perfect for those who love America!' quotes Katz Kreations

This selection is from a team on Etsy called Boomers and Beyond Etsy Street Team or the BBEST for short! Just place BBEST team in your search and you will find the most amazing items from very talented folk! Why not go to their blog http://boomersandbeyond.blogspot.com where you will find postings on all sorts of subjects.

Enjoy the day for all the right reasons! There won't be another like it!!

Happy New Year to all!

Yes, it's that time of year when you can follow the party around the world.  By now New Zealand and Australia have already celebrated and as the hours pass by another country celebrates.  Other countries such as India have celebrated less opulently due to security issues.  The leader of Dubai in the Middle East has cancelled all outdoor festivities due to the Middle East conflict in Gaza.

London is waiting patiently. The temperature is set to slip to a cold and very frosty night but the bright colours of the fireworks planned by London Eye will help overcome the chill of the night.  Of course one of the most famous part of the world regarding Hogmanay will be Edinburgh in Scotland where 100,0oo revellers are expected to turn out in sub zero temperatures.

2009 awaits us all!  With sadness we leave 2008 with all we experienced whilst with nervousness and excitement we look forward to 2009. What will next year bring us all?

A wonderful original painting by Sixsisters entitled Joy!  "Their joy is apparent as they move across the floor. Time stands still for a few moments as we look at them and feel the music and the lightness of their steps. This is the perfect painting for anyone who appreciates dance or the love of it."  I expect a few of us will be dancing the night away, or wish we did/could!  However you see the New Year in, let it be joyful and fun - even if the zzzzzz are being pushed up!

Thank you to all my wonderful BBEST friends, my faithful followers of this blog and to my new readers I would like to extend my warm wishes for a happy, peaceful, healthy and prosperous New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

A very merry Christmas!

Without further ado, I would like to thank all my readers for joining me in my various escapades during the year, the highs and lows!

The parcels/presents are all wrapped and sitting invitingly under the tree... no feeling them to guess what is inside!  The shopping has been completed apart from the few last minute items.  The food is being prepared and readied for cooking on the big day.  Light up the lights, pull a cracker or two and share a 'not so funny' joke with a funny hat on whilst you try to play with plastic toy from the cracker.  Don't you love tradition?

So it just leaves me the important job to wish you all the merriest of Christmases.  May your cup be overflowing, as they say!  Some of you will be experiencing a white Christmas (and how!) whilst the rest of us in parts of UK will be enjoying a cool, damp day.  Where ever you are, may your Christmas be peaceful, share with family and friends bringing you fond memories to relish over the years to come.

Minstrels a Christmas Poem by William Wordsworth

The minstrels played their Christmas tune
To-night beneath my cottage-eaves;
While, smitten by a lofty moon,
The encircling laurels, thick with leaves,
Gave back a rich and dazzling sheen,
That overpowered their natural green.

Through hill and valley every breeze
Had sunk to rest with folded wings:
Keen was the air, but could not freeze,
Nor check, the music of the strings;
So stout and hardy were the band
That scraped the chords with strenuous hand.

And who but listened?--till was paid
Respect to every inmate's claim,
The greeting given, the music played
In honour of each household name,
Duly pronounced with lusty call,
And "Merry Christmas" wished to all.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!