Hey there everyone, I can’t believe that it’s almost St. Patrick’s Day! What a perfect time to be finishing up the rest of our Ireland adventures. I have the last part of that series heading out your way Friday, wait until you see those photos!  Today I wanted to share with you a neat fact about St. Patrick’s Day.

(Read this next sentence in your best, cheesy game show host voice.) Did you know? The week leading up to St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated in Ireland as Irish Language Week! We heard a bit of Irish (Gaelic) on our trip but we didn’t try to speak it ourselves. We may just have to change that this St. Patrick’s Day.

Since we all celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (Irish or not), I’ve made a list of some key Gaelic words and phrases so you can take your St. Patrick’s Day dinner to the next level! Things always sound better in another language, don’t you agree?

(Click here  to download this free printable sheet for your dinner guests.)

• salann – salt
• piobar – pepper
• aran – bread
• càise – cheese
• feòil – meat
• buntàta – potato
• tì – tea
• cofaidh – coffee
• cèic – cake
• An bhfuil ocras ort? – Are you hungry?
• Cha toigh leam – I don’t like
• Is maith liom – I like
• An mbeidh níos mó agam? – May I have some more?
• tá – yes
• uimh – no
• Is féidir liom Guinness a fháil? – May I please have a Guinness?
• Bhí an dinnéar go maith. – Dinner was good.
• Tá sé go maith. – It’s good.
  
• Go raibh maith agat. – Thank you.
• Tá fáilte romhat – You’re welcome.

Do you have big plans for St. Patrick’s Day? What about a special meal you always prepare? I’d love to try your favorites! Let me know if you use the above phrases and how they work out. Share the story in the comments!

Have I mentioned that I’ve always been slightly obsessed with Ireland?

Someday I hope to visit and see the old ruins and castles, wander through little towns, stop and eat in pubs, and chat with the locals.

Granted, I’m American, which means that I most likely will actually be on super commercial tours and be generally annoying to the locals, but a gal can dream.

As a girl I was always told that I had ancestors that were from Ireland, but I was never able to trace the genealogy. A few summers ago, we dug into it a bit and we’re one missing link away from connecting our family to the high kings of Ireland (and hey, that’s close enough to royalty that I’m counting it).

Anyway, the love of Ireland means that I love St. Patrick’s Day. For our monthly pot luck I made a batch of warm spicy gingerbread cookies. For the majority of the cookies, I dipped them in melted white chocolate and it was delicious! I’m definitely tucking this one away for all kinds of occasions – Christmas especially! I can think of all sorts of different applications – using the chocolate to adhere festive sprinkles, bits of candy bars, all different types of cookies as well. It’s just so darn simple and pretty.

The circles with the clovers are the white chocolate dipped cookies. The other cut-out cookies are held together with icing. I made a grand total of three of the Celtic knots before I realized that without a cookie cutter I would be there all night. But they did look super neat!

I also made a beef pot pie with a Celtic knot crust. I don’t own a deep pie pan so I used a cake pan and it didn’t quite work as well as I had hoped. The thin edge didn’t support my crust and the crimped edge didn’t hold.

 

Not quite as decorative as I had hoped but it sure was yummy!

Life has been very full these days. I’ve been working a lot of over time. I was promoted at work and I am very excited, but as I’m transitioning over I’m worried about my old slot.

I’m trying to get things set up for the girl moving over full-time to have all the resources she needs. Not that I won’t be just a few desks over, but I still worry about the sudden change and making sure everything goes smoothly. I’ve been working through lunch and trying to get to work a little earlier to get a few things together for her.

I’m also partnering with a lady at work to start an employee-based wellness support group, and I’ve been working on some documents for that. I hope that the group catches on as I feel that we can achieve so much and really help with the work/home/life balance.

On top of the new work things, I’m also trying to get the apartment more organized, and I’ve been getting up at 4:30-5:00 to work out. I can’t quite make myself go to the gym, but I have a few DVD work outs I’ve been trying. I lost 20 pounds last year, but I’ve gained about 5 back. It’s beginning to get me down so I’m trying to get myself back on a healthier path.

Throw in trying to keep up with friends, family and the fellow, and I’m a bit overwhelmed. But overall, everything is a positive and I’m so excited about what is in store!