if you know my mother-in-law, you know she is one of the most talented women in the world. i feel very lucky to be related! this was a topic of discussion, yet again, at our "green meal" last night. she can do anything and everything (yes we miss her...a lot). a little of her maybe has rubbed off on me (or so parker tells me)...when it comes to traditions and holiday celebrating. she has an annual "green meal" to celebrate st. patrick's day. my family was not about to miss out on this fun tradition, even though she is so far away. which is when the " leprechaun cheryl" in me came out.
green eggs, pancakes and milk for breakfast...
green tulip sugar cookies, and huge green balloons for teachers. my kids get just as excited when dad comes home with these huge balloons for holiday's, as the teachers are to have them accent their classrooms for the day. promise.
green frosting and green sprinkles galore. conway and tilley were my afternoon helpers. they rolled out, frosted and sprinkled 2 dozen cookies. it took them all afternoon, and they were in sugar heaven. and i was totally ok with it...while i peeled 10 pounds of potatoes for cheryl's irish stew.
mental note: never use an entire 10 pound bag of potatoes for irish stew again. unless you're feeding an army. literally. 
irish stew with garnishes (me), homemade green bread (carrie), spinach salad and pesto pasta (malia), green apples, green grapes and green fruit dip, green milk and green koolaid (steph), and homemade oreos stuffed with green frosting, and green coconut cake (maile). it was heaven sent. and i thought of my mother-in-law, and this fun tradition she started, with every bite.
steph and i were a toss up of who played the role of cheryl last night. she won since she hosted!
her home was decked out in green, minus the bowls for the soup (we used cups), all her fun clover cut outs (all over the house), and her clover accessories. so lucky to have them here in utah, and thanks for hosting...again. we have been having so much fun with mike, steph, haven and story. their doors have always been open to us, for meals or to hang out, and we love and appreciate it so much. they have become close friends, as well as family. and this is my favorite picture of the night. i haven't laughed so hard in a long long time. thanks again cheryl...i mean steph!
lucky to have maile, lei's, talan and nae's in town for their spring break. we've had some fun play time with them, and auntie malia. it was an especially memorable "green meal" with all my family around. good company and good food made this holiday special. after a late night of sugar cookie making with jennilynn and cooking again all day, i was a tad cranky. the "green meal" totally put me in the best mood. we hung out and laughed till way past my kids bed time. and i didn't even care. it was the perfect st. patrick's day. i am lucky! 
the green package from grandma cheryl. we got it a couple days late...which made another day special! thanks grandma.
