St. Patty's Day {Crafts, Recipes, Decor & More!}

You didn't think I was going to let a holiday go by without celebrating it, did you?

Of course not!

But I also genuinely have a hereditary reason to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Both sides of our family have Irish descendants. My mother's maiden name is "Healy" and Brian's mother's maiden name is "Likens" so we both claim our Irish heritage and are proud to celebrate this fun holiday.

Fortunately for you, I did all the leg work and found some of the cutest ideas floating around Pinterest and Blog-land and complied them all here.

So without further adieu, let's hop right in like a little leprechaun and get down to it!

Free Printables 

Y'all know I love a good free printable! I was a little surprised at the amount of very cute and creative things people have made. Here are a few of my favs:

This Irish prayer below can be downloaded from the talented blogger, Marie, at Blooming Homestead.

I currently have this beauty framed and displayed on my kitchen counter. I just love those gold polka dots!

If you are planning to host a St. Patty's party for your kiddos, this entire party pack can be downloaded for FREE from WeHeartParties. I adore this color palette. 

And if you don't want to waste all of your computer ink, you can download it and either email it or bring a jump drive to Staples and they will print it for you for a nominal fee.

I think these gold/green shamrocks with the black & white background are so beautiful. They remind me of Kate Spade. You can download them at Paisley Petal Events.

I love to include little notes in Payton's lunchbox. Sometimes they are handwritten words of encouragement and sometimes they are printed jokes or fun facts. These St. Patrick's Day jokes will definitely be sitting next to his turkey sandwich next week. You can download them at Capturing Joy.

And if your family is anything like mine, I think this sheet of "Fun Facts" would make interesting dinner table discussions. You can print them off here at Degree Search. (Sorry they are so hard to read here, it was either this size, or so enormous it went off the page).

Craft & Gift Ideas

None of us are just sitting around looking for ways to spend more money or exert more energy toward another project. So I've found a few super easy craft and gift ideas that take no more than a few minutes to put together, but sure would make someone's day!

This free printable can be downloaded here from Blue Skies Ahead. Simply attach it to a single-serve container of Lucky Charms and BAM - you're done!

Or if you have some extra glass jars laying around the house, it would be a fun project for the kids to separate out a bag of Skittles to make "Rainbows in a Jar."

If you're willing to get your kids' hands a little messy, these crafts look very easy, but produce some grandparent-gift-worthy results.

This would be easy enough to assemble, but could be costly unless you can get the streamers at the Dollar Store.

I know Parker would love to do this craft. It's as simple as cutting off the top of a green pepper!

Depending on how adventurous you are with messes, this is one that any kid would love to do! Check out how No Time For Flashcards creates a super fun sensory play craft that results in puffy paint shamrocks. 

P.S. I would put my kids in their underwear and have them do this in the bathtub! :)

Recipes

My mother always made corned beef for St. Patrick's Day. I have very fond memories of it, and I still make it every year as well. But if you're looking for some other fun food ideas for this festive holiday, here ya go...

Such an easy and fun dessert for a kids party!

Simply make lime jello in plastic cups, then right before serving, top it with whipped cream and Lucky Charms cereal.

Yet another Lucky Charms recipe... I know. But I love the idea of just swapping out a couple of ingredients from Rice Krispy Treats and coming up with a super easy St. Patrick's Day dessert. These would be cute boxed up and sent in as teacher gifts.

And if you're not a big fan of corned beef, this Crock Pot Guiness Irish Beef Stew looks pretty darn amazing! You can get the recipe here from Season with Spice.

Or who doesn't love a loaded potato skin? This Irish spin on the classic appetizer looks AH-mazing.

You can get the recipe for these Ruben Style Potato Skins here on Simple Comfort Food.

And I had to include this little gem for my hubby who occasionally likes a little Bailey's on the rocks. These look both decadent and delicious.

Get the recipe here from Gimme Some Oven.

Okay loves, that should give you more than enough inspiration for your St. Patrick's Day celebrations. May the luck of the Irish be with you all! ;)

Spring Break Whiplash

Sorry for the silence on the blog.

Last week was Spring Break.

Enough said.

In fact, we went speeding along so fast; had so much fun; did so many things; that when it all came screeching to a halt on Monday morning...I felt like I was suffering from Spring Break Whiplash. I'm sure it's a real medical condition. If not, it should be.

It's like somebody played a cruel joke and combined Day Light Savings time, a week off of school, and two exhausted children and said, "Here ya go...good luck getting them up and ready and off to school on time" (with an evil laugh to follow).

Fortunately, the first day back was a rainy one spent inside, doing very low-key things, which helped me readjust my body to this whole "be-there-on-time" thing.

But looking back, our Spring Break was truly amazing.

Nothing too lavish or crazy. But just the right mix of excitement paired with relaxation.

Here's a recap in pictures...

Monday morning we hit the ground running by meeting my parents at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

Notice how it's still dark out? We got to the park at 8 a.m.

I love how the sun is just starting to come up in this picture. Although photos cannot do justice to just how amazing this "Tree of Life" really is. It's one of the most incredible things I've seen at a Disney park. Hundreds and hundreds of animals carved into the tree at every angle.

I had done plenty of research ahead of time and it seemed like everything I read said to get there right when the park opened and head straight to the Safari ride. The earlier you can do that ride, the better your chances are at seeing the animals.

I'm so glad I listened, because even our tour guide was surprised by some of the animal sightings. It was really amazing to be up close in the open air with no glass wall separating us from these majestic creatures.

Here you can see the two types of giraffes on the property: Reticulated (L) & Masai (R)

Again, this picture doesn't do justice to actually seeing these animals in person. But we got to hear this lion roar from far away on the property and then got to see him up close. He was MASSIVE!

 

The boys were very happy with all the rides and play areas available for kids. Parker talked both grandparents into riding this pseudo Dumbo ride.

And Payton talked Brian into riding "Expedition Everest" twice! It was more than this mama could handle so I was glad Brian was so willing to go on it (along with other rollercoasters) alone.

My favorites were the shows. The Nemo show and the "It's Tough To Be a Bug" show were both fantastic!

Payton & me waiting for the Nemo show to start

We also went on the Kali River Rapids ride, but of course I brought my own poncho. And boy am I glad I did! Everyone else was SOAKED by the end of the ride!

I had to include this photo because it makes me laugh every time I see it. I took the boys to the bathroom while the rest of the adults stood in line for ice cream. We finished up several minutes before them so we waited outside the bathrooms. The boys played with this pay phone the entire time. They thought it was so fantastic! (I wonder if you can buy an old pay phone on Ebay?!?)

And of course, no Disney trip would be complete without a one-on-one photo with Mickey & Minnie. Parker was really excited and beamed ear-to-ear. Payton was less impressed but did a great job staying animated for Parker's sake. What a good big brother he is.

By the time the parade rolled around at 3:30, Parker couldn't hang on any longer and he crashed in his stroller. And I mean, crashed! He did not wake up with all the parade commotion, noise and our attempts to shake him awake. He was wiped out!

There were some really neat "floats" in the parade that were controlled by people walking in front of the structures.

And of course Mickey was at the end!

 It was a wonderful way to kick-off the week and I'm so glad we had that time with my parents. It was a memory-making day.

On Tuesday, Brian went back to work, but our fun didn't stop. We headed out to the beach the next morning to join some friends.

We were there so early Payton had the whole place to himself!

We took Wednesday to relax and pack and then on Thursday we headed up to our friend's house in Welaka, FL on the St. John's River. 

It is so peaceful there and so full of wildlife and nature. It's one of my favorite ways to really, truly disconnect. 

This is what my mornings look like up there. Coffee in hand, nothing but water & conservation out front.

We did some boating the first day.

The boys played on the tube.

Payton climbed this tree about 100 times a day.

We were so excited when we spotted some manatees!

The first day we saw a few of them swimming in a cove near a natural spring.

I could not believe how close they came to the boat!

The next day, we took out the little fishing boat which is much smaller and our friend paddled us into the same cove. Everyone got to actually "pet" the manatees! They would swim right up to the boat and let us touch them! It was incredible.

We headed back late Saturday and didn't miss a beat by jumping right back into things on Sunday with another trip to the beach, followed by a community St. Patrick's Day party. The kids had a ball running around with their friends, jumping in bounce houses and getting their face painted. It was a great way to end an incredible week.

Sorry, Parker. It was a bit windy that day.

My Superhero.

Late that evening after the kids were in bed and I had finished what felt like the 39th load of laundry, I whipped up a batch of green pancakes...because I knew I wouldn't feel like getting up early the next morning to make them.

I decorated the breakfast table with gold coins and enough rainbows to make it look like a Leprechaun had thrown up everywhere. But the kids loved it. Nothing like sugar overload on the first day back to school!

And just in case there's any confusion...that's syrup in the bottle, not alcohol. :)

Phew.

Just typing up that post makes me tired.

We sure did fit in a lot of fun in 7 days.

So now, as I sit at my desk and review the week with my virtual whiplash neck brace on, I realize...it was all worth it. Even if it does take me another week (or two) to get back into the groove of things. :)

A Weekend of Spoiling

There was a lot of spoiling going on in the Heckman family this weekend.

It all started on Thursday when Payton went to spend a couple days with my parents. He pretty much has free reign when he's with either set of grandparents. Mostly because he doesn't ask for outlandish requests. But when he picks up his Kindle first thing in the morning and asks Paca to make bacon and cinnamon rolls for him (this is before their trip to McDonald's later that morning), or a second (or third) glass of orange juice, or another game of Candy Land... the answer is always "Sure!"

He was treated to non-stop fun all weekend including...

A trip to their local Science Center:

(Which for this smart computer-lovin' kid, is like heaven!)

A exciting round of mini-golf at Congo River Golf, which also included an alligator feeding!

Making his own pizza...

And making Nana cookies...

And lots and lots of board games and Lego building...

 They also had a wonderful night where they lit a fire in the fireplace and watched a movie together that Payton had been dying to see.

Payton is an incredibly fortunate child and he truly does appreciate these special weekends with both sets of his grandparents.

Of course, a little someone was VERY happy to have his "Bubba" back on Saturday.

I don't think he let him out of his sight for one minute.

I was also treated to some nice spoiling this weekend as well.

On Thursday morning, I had a wonderful breakfast date with two of the most handsome men in our community...

My sweet hubby treated me to my all-time favorite dinner...

Cedar plank salmon & asparagus on the grill:

I got lots of sweet one-on-one time with my little man while big brother was out of town.

I received such a special letter from my 93-year old grandmother. 

I keep a stack of her letters in my keepsake box. I will treasure them forever.

I also had a wonderful phone call with her the same day. She is so very important to me.

Saturday night we hung out with our neighbors for a bit in their hot tub enjoying a clear night with lots of stars above our heads. 

And then Sunday we had an awesome church service followed by a really fun St. Patrick's Day party in our community.

Green beer... why not?

A weekend full of memory-making moments for each one of us.

I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day and Spring Break too.

Now... on to Easter!

One of my most favorite and meaningful holidays of all year.

What fun plans do you have for Easter?

Any fun crafts? Special recipes? Travels to see family?

Whatever you have planned, I hope you are excited about it and looking forward to celebrating our risen Savior!