Setting the Table for Easter Brunch

Hard to believe that Easter is less than two weeks away! My daughter is under the impression that spring does not arrive until Easter and given the importance of the day and all that comes with it, I think she’s justified in her beliefs.

Our house is still under renovation, otherwise I would love to do a creative Easter table setting, like the ones above from Southern Living.

Any special plans this Easter? Brunch with the family? If so, what are you serving? How are you decorating? Will there be egg hunts in the back yard, local park or church? Share your plans!
Images courtesy of Southern Living

Humanity

I heard a story on the radio yesterday that touched my heart and I wanted to share this with you. The next time you are watching your child, grandchild, niece or nephew playing a sport, count your blessings. I know I will.

Above is a photo of the U.S. under-17 women's soccer team. They recently beat Haiti 9 - 0 in a regional tournament in Costa Rica. But, the win was bittersweet for the young women, knowing what their Haitian counterparts had endured since the devastating earthquake in that country. Seeing the Haitian goalie still lying on the ground after the game, sobbing, the American team walked over, picked her up and hugged her for a lengthy period.

One U.S. player said she had her mom and aunt in the crowd cheering for her, but many of the Haitian players had lost their loved ones or are unsure of their whereabouts. The majority of the team is homeless due to the quake. They only have each other and the sport of soccer.

Prior to leaving for the tournament, the U.S. team expressed a desire to help the Haitian team. Each young woman brought a bag full of cleats, soccer gloves and other equipment for each member of the Haitian team.

From NPR: Defender Olivia Brannon read a letter to the Haitians, thanking the team for inspiring the Americans to play great soccer and commending them for everything they had been through. "Seeing the Haitians smile," U.S. goalie Bryane Heaberlin says, "was amazing for all of us."
Photo courtesy of NPR

Get Your Green On

Happy St. Paddy’s Day to all you lads and lassies! I’m decked out in green today and that’s probably the extent of my celebrating, given that we have kid commitments tonight. Speaking of the kids, they have a Leprechaun hunt at school today, so hopefully they’ll come across a Leprechaun who will lead them to a pot of gold. Hey, whatever helps pay for college.

Hubby has a pair of friends, twin brothers actually, who celebrate this day like nothing I’ve ever seen. Both brothers take the day off work. They invite friends over to one of their homes for an early morning viewing of “The Quiet Man” and a breakfast of Lucky Charms. Then around 11 a.m., it’s off to the bars. Seriously. They hit two or three Irish pubs in one neighborhood and then make their way to a few more in another area of town. Then, the day ends at one of the best Irish pubs in town, The Irish Rover, where there’s a huge tent over the parking lot, music, dancing and plenty of Guinness flowing. I’ve been to a couple of St. Patrick’s Day events there and it’s such fun. You end up seeing every Irish Louisvillian you knew growing up. It’s basically a homecoming. A very drunk homecoming.

If you’re celebrating today, have fun and be safe. Erin go bragh!
Images courtesy of history.com

An Irish Feast

Tomorrow, we Irish-Americans observe one of our high-holy days: St. Patrick’s Day. And, in honor of the event, I’m going to shamelessly recount a story I heard on NPR this morning.

British food writer Nigella Lawson (LOVE HER!!) provided some fabulous suggestions for a St. Patrick’s Day meal, including the London Irish Club’s (which, alas, is no longer) version of Irish stew and chocolate Guinness cake.

For those of us familiar with standard Irish stew, it can sometimes be a little watery and full of under or over-cooked potatoes. When in Ireland, hubby and I did try some Irish stew at a restaurant in Dublin, and I must admit it was nothing to write home about. So, when I heard Lawson talk about this recipe that calls for veal stock and lamb chops, well, my ears perked up.

As far as the cake, it sounds amazing. But, as I mentioned, I’ve given up chocolate for Lent, so I won’t be partaking in such a devilishly good dessert. Although, do you think the Archbishop will give me a dispensation for one day? Probably not.

Lawson also suggested stepping outside the box in regard to your drink of choice. Now, for some folks, not having a pint of Guinness or a shot of Jameson on St. Paddy’s Day is a sacrilege. But her suggestion of the Emerald Isle sounds like a tasty alternative. It’s a minty martini that calls for a shot of gin, a teaspoon of green creme de menthe and bitters.

So, if you have time to labor over a St. Paddy’s Day feast, you may want to stop by the butcher for lamb chops and the market for fresh veggies and dessert fixings. What’s my family having for St. Paddy’s Day you ask? Well, considering our daughter has soccer practice, we’ll probably be dining on the Filet O’Fish from that other well-known Irish establishment. ;)

Recipes:

The Irish Club’s Irish Stew

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Images courtesy of Nigella Lawson and Flicker

Rain Showers Bring Cute Coats

It rained most of the weekend, so in trying to see an upside of the lousy weather, I did notice some adorable raincoats out and about, covered in poppies, plaids, geometric shapes, you name it.

I’ve been sporting my yellow raincoat that I snagged at Old Navy last year during a fabulous sale. It's very cute, but it doesn’t have a hood. And, when I was trying to get the kids out of the car yesterday at church, well, not so practical (I know, use an umbrella, but those tend to go missing quite often at our house). So, I’ve been looking for a raincoat with a hood that won’t break the bank. Target has some cute ones, as does Old Navy, Lands End and Boden. I've featured a few here that I think are especially fun.

Seen any cute rain gear lately? If so, what styles or brands do you recommend?

Oh, by the way, did you see which team is a number one seed in the NCAA East division? Yep, how excited am I?! That reminds me, I need to fill out my bracket...
Images courtesy of Boden and Lands End

SEC Tournament - GO CATS!!!

Have you heard? The University of Kentucky Wildcats are ranked number 2 in the NCAA basketball rankings and they're playing their first game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament today. I had my UK car flags flying this morning! You may have discovered by now that I'm somewhat fond of my alma mater's team...

The Cats take on Alabama at 1:30 p.m. Hopefully, we'll roll all over the Crimson Tide. I know so many folks who left yesterday for Nashville to attend the SEC tournament (Boo - I couldn't get tickets!). I imagine productivity at many workplaces will come to a grinding halt this afternoon.

Before the hoopla of b-ball, we're taking Miss E. to her kindergarten screening this morning. So exciting! She'll get to meet both K teachers, but we won't know which one she'll have until later this summer. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well!

Don't forget - Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone!
Image courtesy of www.uky.edu

Train Wrecks and The Downside of Social Media

PR guru Kelly Cutrone (center) celebrating after a successful fashion event.

As I mentioned the other day, I was being killed slowly by the stomach bug. So as I lay dying, I flipped on the TV, because, what else was I going to do on my deathbed?

I came across a new program on Bravo, “Kell on Earth,” a reality TV show that focuses on PR guru Kelly Cutrone and her company People’s Revolution. And, like any good Bravo train wreck, I got sucked in and watched a couple of episodes. I guess I’m especially fascinated with this show because I have worked in public relations and while I haven’t been surrounded by the crazy divas of the fashion world - something that Kelly’s group specializes in - I served as a PR manager in the performing arts and, well, there’s plenty of drama to go around there.

If there’s a lesson to be learned about social media and how stupid people use it, I saw it on this show. After firing one of the assistants and having one quit because she was about to be fired, the People’s Revolution staff brought in several applicants for interviews. One gal was a finalist and had the skills for the job, yet made the mistake of writing about it on Twitter. When one of the People’s Revolution staffers was doing a Twitter-check of the company name/brand a few minutes later, this gal had tweeted that she was in the office, a shoe-in for job, had seen the Bravo camera crews, etc. The staff was floored, given that one of the qualifications for the job is discretion because of their high-profile clients. (Although, if it’s about discretion, why have a reality TV show? But, hey, that’s just me…) Anyhoo, little Miss Twit was called and her job offer was revoked. Moral of the story, kids? Don’t put your sh#! out on Twitter, Facebook or anything else a potential employer may read.

As a colleague of mine says, "There are only three things that might appear to stand the test of time: cockroaches, the pyramids at Giza, and that inappropriate picture of you on Facebook."
Image courtesy of zimbio.com