7QT: Tis Good to Be Irish

Top o' the mornin' to ye!  Happy St. Patrick's Day!  And remember: "Tis not a sin not to be Irish, just a terrible, terrible shame."  Here we gooooooo...

1)

Some photos from St. Patrick's Days Past:

Me and my little sister, 1985

2)

We have an Irish outfit that we've been able to squeeze three of our babies into, and it cracks me up when people say our boys all look alike, because I can not see any resemblance between these three, aside from their baldness:

Eamon

Xander

Brendan

3)

What a week we had!  Poor wee Brendan got the flu and ear infections and was miserably sick all week.  Phil got in a small fender bender that was not his fault but the other driver is now claiming as such.  My Dad's closest brother (the only brother that came from Ireland to America with him) is dying.

Uncle Tom and Aunt Peggy visiting on a particularly sunny day!

  I am praying Hail Marys like crazy that he will die a peaceful death, in the state of grace and surrounded by his loved ones.  I am glad this week is over and thankful for my own healthy family again.

4)

In amateur basketball news...Eamon and Andrew's CYO team made the playoffs in the Round Robin and play their first game on Monday.  Eamon's town team is playing in the semifinals on the same night.  Of course!  So he has to pick a game, and I think it will be the town team which means we will have to split up to watch both games.  In professional basketball news...Phil and I and the three oldest boys have all filled out our brackets and put $5 in the pot to see who the Martin Winner will be this year.  I won last year but all I got were bragging rights.

5)

How about a shout out to St. Brigid?

Now she would have been fun to hang around!

6)

My 7 lucky charms from this morning:

Declan was very excited to find out he was Irish this morning, "I Irish, Mom?"  And Xander was very disappointed that a leprechaun didn't make it to our house overnight.  Me thinks the milk will be green when he opens the fridge after school.  Sometimes leprechauns have to sneak in during the day, ya know? 

7)

And now I would like to bestow an Irish blessing on you all:

Have an IRISH weekend!  We got a disposition from our Bishop to eat meat today to celebrate, crazy huh?!?!  Slainte! (Oh and ITALIAN on Sunday for St. Joe, he's pretty rad too!)  Go see Kelly for more Quick Takes.