Fun Recipes for St. Patrick's Day

I was in such a good moos this morning, even though Levi was up in the night and I could not get back to sleep...until about the time I normally get up and then I overslept by 90 minutes. Ouch. But still, pretty good mood. Enter female child. Adios good mood.

I let my buttons get pushed and then it just all went to crap. I struggle a lot with this relationship, if I'm being completely honest. It makes me so, so sad. I know children push limits and lie and are selfish and and and...obviously I know that. But there's an inward, I don't know, sourness, that I just don't know how to handle. I'll probably delete this because I don't want to throw the poor girl under the bus, but parenting her is one of the most difficult things I've ever done. Anyway, know you're not alone if you're really struggling with a child relationship also.

Moving on.

There is not a lick of Irish in me, but I married into a family with pretty deep Irish roots, so now I celebrate with lots of fun little things. I know some people go waaay out for St. Patrick's Day with elaborate leprechaun scavenger hunts and little green footprints on the potty with green water....maybe one day, but I do like to make it a fun day with yummy treats. Because let's face it: it's always about the food. :)

 Whoopie Pies with REAL Creme Filling- no fluff!!

They are to die for. Seriously!

 Sometimes we add a little green to the filling - not sure what happened to the poor sprinkles, never mind that, ha!

 When St. Patrick's Day falls on the weekend, like it does this year, we always make a rainbow fruit plate for a yummy brunch. Doesn't that look so fresh and pretty?

 I saw this idea on Pinterest or on a blog somewhere last year and just had to try it! It was slightly more difficult than I'd thought, ha, but we managed okay. So cute, right? For these, you melted the white chocolate and poured into a baggie, snipped a corner, and coated the pretzels by drawing/tracing their outline- add the sprinkles when the coating is still wet!

I cheated a little for the second round: I simply dipped the pretzels, individually, in the melted white chocolate, and then added sprinkles. Obviously they did not look as much like shamrocks but they were still festive and fun. I can't find a picture of this kind but if I do, I'll add it.

For dinner, lots of times I make this meal:

Or this one:

Well that's not the picture I was looking for but it shows the yummy ribs.. recipe below:

Crock pot Tangy Ribs and the trimmings

Scalloped potatoes recipe HERE 

I'm adding these pics because they make me so happy. This was little Levi for his first St. Patrick's Day last year, and I remember so clearly what a little love bug he was ALL day long. He was so sweet- his bib said "Kiss me, I'm Irish," but I got all the kisses that day. I posted this on instagram...can't believe a whole year has passed, almost!

And this.
Oh my goodness I can't even take it.

We took a little field trip to Massachusetts. I got lost (twice, but who's counting) which irritates me to no end, but I always figure it out. I will add that when I do get lost, it's usually when I'm following Mapquest or something. Ugh. It was such a fun day anyway. How can this be one year ago?!

I'm on IG @bethanylivs_life if you want to follow there. Have a nice day!

Friday Favorites ... St. Patty's Edition

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm linking up with these Erika, Narci, and Andrea for Friday Favorites today. 

I know some people have a blast with this day and do tons of crazy-fun things...but we do just a few fun, simple things to celebrate. Mostly involving food. Of course!

Favorite #1

Festive food!

Our hands down, absolute favorite of all time has to be... these Whoopie Pies!

This recipe has REAL creme filling - no gross fluff!

For St. Patrick's Day, I add a little peppermint flavoring and green dye to the filling.

They are So Good.

You can omit the flavoring and dye and stick with rainbow sprinkles- don't they look so fantastic!?!

You can read the recipe HERE.

And you cannot go wrong with this gorgeous array of fruit!

Sometimes I put out some Rolos in a small bowl for the Pot o' Gold next to the "rainbow."

We've had a few Irish dinners in the past, but they weren't such big hits. And tonight is Burger Friday so the chances of my guys letting me make something else is pretty slim, ha!

Favorite #2

Spring flowers!

Even though we just got 18 new inches of snow dumped on us from the storm this week, I still decorated our front door and entry way with springy flowers and decorations and will wait not-so-patiently for warmer weather. I usually do this on or near St. Patrick's Day, depending on where Easter falls on the calendar. It's super late this year, so we may even have an actual chance of not wearing snow pants to church on Easter Sunday. #goals

I put on this adorable blue bow for my Baby Shower last year, but for St. Patty's Day, I obviously stick with green. Obvs. ;) Just can't find a pic with the green bow and it's so cold, I am not going out to snap a pic! I can't wait for sandals weather, sigh.

 Gosh, just looking at this has my spring fever skyrocketing. 

I hear we're getting more snow this weekend and throughout next week. Nooooooo.

This is also the time of year that I get daffodils!!

They're such a pretty reminder that Spring is on the way. I planted a few bulbs in the fall and am anxious to see how they do.

Favorite #3

Traditions!

When the older boys and Isabelle were small, of course they drank green milk and ate green pancakes and eggs, courtesy of a mischievous leprechaun that had visited.  As they've gotten older, we're all about Shamrock Shakes and coffee with non-alcoholic Bailey's, but the green pancakes still make an appearance.
 

Sometimes I got the kids plain white carnations and we put them in vases or cups filled with water the different colors of the rainbow- so fun to watch the petals transform and have your own rainbow bouquet! We've done just plain green, too. (I wish I could find a photo but I didn't used to label my pictures, and trying to find them years later is haaaaard, ha)

I thought we'd try something new this year, so when I read about these fun treats in this post , I knew Isabelle would just love to help me make them. We think they turned out so cute! Every ten or so minutes, I would hear Isabelle wondering aloud if they were ready to eat, going to check on them and announcing even louder that they looked about ready now.  ha ha ha   She wanted one soooo bad! I'm mean Mom, making her wait until tomorrow.

I've read about making treasure maps for your kids with little treats awaiting them at the end and that sounds like so much fun, but I've never done it. I think it's hilarious to put little green footprints on the toilet and turn the bowl water green, too! I'm going to have to do these for little Levi!

Favorite #4

This guy on the move!

Well, truth be told, now I don't have a nanosecond of peace throughout the day. But...he looks so cute with his little peg leg crawl that it totally makes up for it! Such joy he brings our family! Best surprise everrrrrrr.

Favorite #5

March Madness

I'm off to a pretty great start, too! Everyone in our family filled out a bracket and now It.Is.On!!!

We're having a lots of fun with this this year!

One last extra Favorite because Easter is right around the corner... this Eyelet Baby Bonnet!

 Isn't it the sweetest!
And this gingham seersucker bonnet? Can't even.  :)

 They're for sale in my shop, Rose & Ruffle, and there's still plenty of time to get an order in for Easter, but don't wait if you want one! They're selling out quickly!

These are my other favorites, so pretty and feminine
And they're reversible, so it's like getting two for the price of one!

Someone's Daddy might be very mad at me for possibly using our newborn son as a bonnet model, but I'm not admitting to anything ;)

This shows you the style and fit when worn, though it was a bigger size - this is my own design and I really love it.

And there you have it...can't wait to read about your favorites this week!

Thanks for reading! Have a fantastic weekend!

ps: I'd love to hear any thoughts or advice on getting our 11-month-old to sleep better...I wrote about it in  this post . It's beyond rough, it's brutal. I'm losing my mind! Thanks!!!

GLIMPSES OF SPRING

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We've had a very windy, snowy-then-sunny, and then sleety kind of day. The wind is blowing so hard now that I'm praying we don't lose power. Ugh. The other day, though, we got a taste of spring and loved every minute!

 

Kind of an awkward picture, but can you see how happy he looks? His little eyes were all squinted up with pure joy, and his cute nose wrinkled up with all the fresh scents and smells. He has his moments, this guy. Ha.

And this guy?!?! Ha Ha He sure makes life so much fun. He told me he was just hanging out, before all the snow melts for good. Well okay, then. ;)

It's late and we've got a busy week ahead. We're planning a big trip with the kiddos, and while it's stressful, it's terribly exciting, too. I've been making lists galore for weeks now, and now we're getting down to the nitty gritty. Goodnight!

Spring Fever & Random Fun Things

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

We headed straight for the beach on Saturday when the temperature began to rise (for the first time in many, many days). We were snowboarding and sledding the day before, and yesterday we woke up to more new snowfall. I've got SPRING FEVER something fierce! I slipped my feet into a pair of flip flops, and then felt the warm sand between my toes. There's no going back now. I'll probably end up with frostbitten toes or something, but... worth it. ha ha

Speaking of Spring, I've been adding to my fashion board here. Please keep in mind, fashionista I am not. But I like to look cute, and there are some really pretty outfits and things this year.

Some adorable sewing things have caught my attention recently. One of them is from my friend Lindsay, a busy Mom, fellow seamstress and Etsy seller (PA Country Crafts). I have fallen head over heels for the beautiful Quiet Book she made for one of her girls. She's written a series about making it on her blog. Here's a link to one of the pages.

This video just makes me smile. There's really nothing more I can say. So, so cute.

I've got a birthday party to finish planning for this weekend. Watching my kids grow up is rewarding and amazing and inspiring, but it's bittersweet. Always bittersweet. I just want to hold on tight and savor those snippets of time, but I can't. Nobody can. It goes by so, so quickly.

Oh, and here's a shot of that gorgeous "gymnaskets" ponytail I referred to in this post. =)

Gulp. Why does she look sixteen in that last photo?

Happy Monday! We've got a busy, busy day ahead of us!

Whoopie Pies With REAL Creme Filling

Isabelle was so excited to get off the kinder-bus at a friend's house the other day. We (the Mamas) planned to meet up at gymnastics after lunch since our girls are in the same class. On the way home from gymnastics, Isabelle announced that her friend's Mom (who is so kind and sweet!) hadn't let them watch a movie in the car. And she was pretty bummed about it. I giggled, and told her how surprised I was by this, since after all, her friend's Mom is waaaaay more fun than me.

"I know," Isabelle eagerly pipes up. No pause, no hesitation, just as matter-of-fact as you get. Ha Ha Ha

Maybe these yummy, fun treats will redeem me!

If you know me at all, then you know I'm all about finding things to celebrate as a family, such as Pi Day. Since the crust-making gene seems to have skipped over me, I thought I might surprise my crew with Whoopie Pies for 3.14 instead. It's for the best, really. So.Many.Tears. Making pies shouldn't make a girl cry, right?

I found this recipe and promptly fell in love.
I made some very slight adjustments.

For the Pies

1/4 cup Crisco

1 cup milk

1 scant cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/4 cup + 1 heaping Tbsp cocoa (I use a combination of regular and dark)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

dash salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the Crisco, sugar, egg and vanilla; then add the milk alternately with the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. This cuts way down on the amount of dust, but it still gets a little dirty. Don't set the speed too fast at the beginning!

Using a cookie scoop (spoons would work but probably not come out as perfectly round), drop onto ungreased baking pan/ cookie sheet. They spread more than I thought they would so don't overcrowd the pan- I have 12 per pan. Bake for 7-8 minutes (this oven seems hotter than my old one); pies may need another minute, but keep an eye on them! Remove from oven and transfer to cookie rack immediately. Sometimes the bottoms get that "crust" when you remove them, and sometimes they stay smooth, but they all taste phenomenal. Go figure.

For the Creme Filling

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter, very soft

1 cup white sugar

1.5 Tbsp flour

generous dash vanilla

1/2 cup 2% milk (warmed for 15 seconds in microwave)

The author of the original recipe said you'd have to beat the filling for a l-o-n-g time, and it's true! Mix the butter and shortening together for a minute or two, then add the sugar and mix some more. Add remaining ingredients, put the mixer on medium speed and go do your nails. Or walk the dog. Just kidding...it does take forever for the lumps to dissipate and the filling to resemble that gorgeous, fluffy creme. No fluff-from-a-jar required!

And there you have it! Perfect, heavenly Whoopie Pies!

I filled up nearly 3 cookie sheets, so that's...what...about 36? I'd say you can count on 15-17 assembled bites of pure, glorious, sweet perfection.
  *I've also added pure vanilla bean paste to the cream filling- I dip in a butter knife and let it drip off into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. It's really really good!

Who says I'm not fun? I even jazzed some up for St. Patrick's Day! =)

Alas, they won't last around these parts 'til St. Patty's Day.

Or Pi Day for that matter...

Thinking ahead to St. Patrick's Day, here is a photo of the rainbow fruit plate I made for Isabelle's birthday party- so pretty and cheerful! My grocery list just keeps getting longer and longer this week...

Interested in other fab recipes?

Check out these...

Homemade Truffles 

Amazing Homemade Brownies

Sharing this post with:
All She Cooks
Crafts a la Mode 
Six Sisters' Stuff 
Sew Many Ways
At The Picket Fence

The almost-skinny-dipping afternoon...and some more

Swimming!

Yes, my crew took the plunge yesterday afternoon at one of our favorite lakes.

They may have had to strip down to their skivvies.

And then change real quick because people started walking down the path toward us, ha!

Jonah and Caleb dove all the way under, but Ethan and Isabelle couldn't take the chill.

My little arctic wonders! And...we discovered that Ryder likes to swim! He looked soooo cute paddling along!

I didn't get any pictures of the adventure, but I will always remember it! 

I've been really sad about several different things lately, and yesterday was like a healing salve, a wonderful gift. Maybe I will share more later.

Jonah and I had a special date at the Currier Museum. We brought his sketchbook and pencils but didn't end up sitting down drawing for very long. There were a lot of neat exhibits but we loved the painting by Monet the best. There were some other paintings by Spanish and Italian artists and it made me so nostalgic for the time I lived in Spain.

It isn't a date without chocolate milk and cookies!

  We enjoyed green French Toast for St. Patrick's Day. Then they told me I forgot to give them green milk for dinner. So sorry guys! I guess that just ruined the whole day, ha!

Ethan and I spent some time together at the mall this weekend. That wasn't the highlight- the best part was the ride there and back. Boys open up in the car more than any other place.  =)

 I've got such great kids! Sometimes I forget how much I've been blessed.

We celebrate the first day of spring with ice cream cones outside, but since yesterday was warm enough for a dip in the lake, we decided to party a little early.

Guess who had his very first ice cream cone???

 I thought he'd have inhaled the whole thing in one big bite, but he got confused and kept rolling it around on the ground, and then licking the ice cream off the driveway. Silly dog!

Since we were all a bit, um, sandy, we showered earlier than usual and hung out watching a Jeff Corwin DVD. I can totally see one of my kids doing that for a living!

Isabelle and I made granola. It's delicious!

First load of laundry is done and waiting to get hung outside...yay! I had sheets on the line yesterday, and they smell sooooooo good!

Someone is upstairs clearly not happy about something, so I think I'll just stay down here, tending to the clothes for just a few minutes longer than necessary and see what happens. Wish me luck!