St Patty recap

The last thing I learned from Disney World is that if you and a 10 year old come barrelling out of an Irish themed pub singing "Wild Rover," you will get looks. Now, how does Little Clover know the words to "Wild Rover"? Because we've been listening to Irish tunes in preparation for St. Patty's.

Last year, I tried my hand at making fish and chips. Other than making way too much food, the experience went pretty well. This year, I added Nigella Lawson's Guiness Chocolate Cake to the menu.

From St Patricks Day 2010

I definitely could have done a better job with the fish. I whisked the batter way too much and I only had wheat flour on hand. I'm going to work on improving my fish recipe and will probably make an Irish Stew instead for next year. The cake, though, is a keeper! Not only does it look great posing with the Black and Tans (the grocer was out of Harp, so we reverted to B&Ts instead of our usual Half and Halfs), but the cake was moist and delicious. It makes a great breakfast, too.

From St Patricks Day 2010

We did have one mishap when I tried to take a photo of the entire meal:

From St Patricks Day 2010

I spilt Italian's nearly full B&T. Thankfully, he's skilled at making another.

From St Patricks Day 2010

We danced to Irish tunes as we cooked, we danced after we ate, and then we danced some more later in the evening. Although we missed Xavier Guy who couldn't be with us, we had a grand time. Next year, I think we need a bigger party.

Things I learned at Disney World

1. The Animal Kingdom Lodge has an incredible view.

From Disney March 2010

2. Zebras, elands, ostriches, and giraffes love to hang out by the hotel rooms, and you will end up naming the ones you see every day.

From Disney March 2010

3. Sometimes, ostriches follow a car for no other reason than to see where you are going.

4. Ten year old boys walk with a swagger when dressed in full pirate regalia.

From Disney March 2010

5. A ten year old boy will still walk holding his mother's hand when not dressed in full pirate regalia.

6. If you tell your server at the restaurant in France (at Epcot) that your horse just had a foal, not only will he ask if you own a ranch and dress as a cowboy, but he will now be fully confirmed in his belief that all Americans own horses and dress as cowboys.

7. While speaking in Korean to a Disney employee, it is perfectly fine to tell her that you meant to say "Thank you" (in Korean) instead of just blurting out "I love you" (in Korean). She will nod and say "Ah, ok" (in English).

8. Korean employees at Disney World are shocked and amused when a ten year old Irish complexioned boy with an Irish name and Irish freckles say "hello" in Korean. Then they look with surprised happiness at the Asian looking mom of said Irish boy.

9. When you speak German in Germany (at Epcot), you will totally make their day.

10. You beam with pride when you are told in France (at Epcot) that your son has a wonderful French accent, and you are equally amazed that he can hold a conversation in French. You wonder what he just said.

Spring Break

The snow has finally melted and spring is definitely nearing. While we were holed up in the house with a lovely fire glowing in out living room, I've been knitting up a storm to match the icy weather outside.

There's the February Lady Sweater that will hopefully be wearable at Maryland Sheep and Wool:

From WIPs

The Bohus Sweater, Wild Apple, is coming along nicely, and it is lovely, quite lovely. I'm taking my time so it can last longer.

From WIPs

Let's look at it again, just because:

From WIPs

Spring also isn't spring without babies. Two little babies will have their first pair of hand knit socks. If they are lucky, these little socks will be the first of many:

From 2010 Finished Objects

I've also had a nice alpaca lace stole resting on my lap.

From WIPs

Since this is my second Print o' the Wave stole, I have a bit more confidence and it's knitting up quickly.

Speaking of alpaca, I visited a local alpaca farm, just to start getting an idea of what it is like raising alpaca. I learned they are friendly, relatively low maintenance, and darn cute.

From Irish Clover

Our horse had it's baby and our local zoo welcomed a new giraffe.

From Irish Clover

Finally, Little Clover had his Spring Break, and we decided to have one more trip to Disney World, while he was still a little guy in many ways. To be honest, I am very glad we went. In many ways, he was still a little boy inside and Disney still was magical. We rode the big kid roller coasters, but we also rode the less intense rides. No trip to Disney is complete without riding "It's a Small World." We saw spectacular fireworks, including watching fireworks while riding Big Thunder Mountain, danced on Main Street to music from "High School Musical" and we wore our mouse ears with pride and gusto. The best part of the trip though was seeing my little boy on the cusp of big kiddom transformed into a swaggering pirate.

From Disney March 2010

He even had the piraty glower down.

From Disney March 2010

The grown ups on the trip got into the fun as well by posing with Tigger.

From Disney March 2010

The sock enjoyed the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular:

From Disney March 2010

All in all, it was a magical trip.

From Disney March 2010