Sunday at the Feis

Auntie Lolo captured some great stills…

 

This dance competition was a ‘shuffle’ where the dancers are grouped with dancers from other schools of dance that they’ve never danced with before. Addy’s group earned a third place for their performance together.

This was the final dance of day.

What a enjoyable Feis. It was great toe be together to cheer for our Addy!

Uncle and Auntie flew in on Saturday morning and flew back home Sunday afternoon.

Some of us gathered for lunch at an Irish Pub just down the street from the convention center before we dropped Josh and Laura off at the airport. It was a appropriate finale to our Irish Dance Weekend!

I had just enough time to recuperate from our busy dancing weekend and now I’m on a plane today to Southern California for a Bridal Shower! It will be another weekend where I’m absent in bloggy world. September has been and will end as the busiest month in a long time for me. I’m leaving the PNW in the Summer and returning on the first day of Fall!

Saturday at the Feis

First there were some soft shoe reels and jigs.

A quick shoe change and it was time for the hard shoe dances.

Here are Addy’s people who came out to watch this time around.

The first day of Feis At the Falls was in the books for our crew. Sunday would be another morning filled with dancing.

We all drove to a great Mexican spot, Birriería El Sazón Spokane on Sprague in Spokane Valley for our lunch. Addy was the most famished of all of us after all her nonstop dancing and shoe changes! We highly recommend this spot but beware…the portions are huge!

Back at the hotel there was an afternoon of swimming before the crew landed in our room for Charcuterie that Dan and Jamie hauled to Spokane in their trusty cooler. It was quite a spread that we all enjoyed including home made pickles, sourdough and summer sausage!

The orange watermelon from a friend’s farm was so delicious!

We had a nice large corner room in the hotel so it was comfortable to gather and enjoy each others company before we called it a night. An early night since our little dancer would be on stage bright and early on Sunday.

Since our hotel room only had 3 chairs available both Josh and Dan rolled the office chairs from their rooms to our room for our gathering. Josh and Laura were 9 floors up from us and Dan and Jamie were 5 floors up from us so they made quite a sight rolling their chairs and the cooler down the elevators and down the hall to our room!

The littles decided they would ride on their way back to their rooms.

Uncle is always ready to accommodate these two.

 

A Dancing Hodgepodge

Our granddaughter dancing through this past weekend at the annual Feis (Irish Dance Festival) in Spokane, Washington.

Another September Hodgepodge is here today thanks to Joyce From This Side of the Pond.

1. How do you define beauty? 

My mind went to 1 Peter 3:3-4: Do not let your adorning be external–the braiding of hair and putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear–but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

2. Have you ever taken a trip by train? If so where did you go and what did you think of the experience? If not do you have any desire to do so? Where would you like to go? (You might find inspiration here-The Best Train Trips in The World)
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We experienced parts of some trips by train in Scotland and England. York to Edinburgh in 2004 with our daughter and then Edinburgh to London on the same trip. With Josh and Laura we rode the train from Manchester airport to York and back to Manchester airport from York. On another trip we rode the train from Stirling to Edinburgh. In the Spring of this year Greg and I traveled by train from Cambridge to Ely and back to Cambridge again. All these journeys were good and seamless except for our Manchester to York trip in 2023 when the train suspended it’s journey midway to York and we had to scramble off the train to another platform to get on a different train to York. We made it but it was harrowing.
~

3. Shell shocked, bombshell, bandshell, shellacking, in a nutshell, walking on eggshells…choose one and tell us why you chose it, or how it relates to your life in some way currently.
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I’m going to say in a nutshell since September has afforded a series of short life events that are very different from each other and that I have a short span of time to enjoy. Each nutshell is unique and short and over in 3 days or less.
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4. Tacos, pistachios, oysters, clams, eggs…your favorite food on the list that comes in/with a shell? 
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I’m torn between tacos and eggs benedict! Lunch or dinner favorite, tacos! Breakfast out favorite, eggs benedict!~

5. Are birthdays a big deal in your house? Is your own birthday a big deal in some way? Elaborate. 

~Some birthdays are more of a big deal than others for the adults in the family. All birthdays are acknowledged in some way. Sometimes big and sometimes small but a touch of love goes out on the special day. Our ‘Grands’ birthdays are always a big deal. Landmark birthdays like turning 16, 21, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 have been a bigger deal than others. From here on out making it to another birthday for Greg and Me is a big deal.~

A flashback to my 60th birthday that was very special with a great variety of celebrations. The one above is with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook (some of the gals). Some of the girls who live in British Columbia, Canada drove down to Chuckanut drive in Washington State with their husbands for a dinner in honor of my 60th birthday.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This past weekend we enjoyed watching our granddaughter as she competed with hundreds of Irish dance pupils in Spokane at the annual Feis (festival). I’ll have two full posts coming soon about our time. I’m adding a couple Gifs showing a little of the action. Our granddaughter exudes joy when she dances. I’m unable to post a full video.

 

The First Day of Spring

Uncle Joshie and Auntie Lolo arrived early for the big birthday weekend. On Friday, Addy’s actual birthday day, we showered her with love. Preparations were already underway for her party that would be on Saturday. While cake making and other preparations were being started we also enjoyed revisiting the Rock Band days. Dan had pulled out the drums and Josh and Laura brought the microphones. Addy and JJ have enjoyed the drums for a while and with the microphones added, singing commenced. So many memories from years gone by with this interactive program. By the time we gather for JJ’s birthday party in April I won’t be surprised to see a guitar join the fun.

Friday night we had a table at a fundraiser for the local Rotary Club. It was an Irish themed event with a corned beef and cabbage meal included. The reason we were there was to see the special entertainment, the Haran Irish dancers that Addy is part of.

We all wore a little something to go with the theme of the night.

Besides the dancers there was a musician who played several Irish tunes.

We always enjoy seeing our favorite dancer, Addy May! They were the stars of the evening.

Our dinner table took advantage of the photo op before we all headed home to rest up for Saturday!

Photos from Addy’s Epic ‘Survivor’ party will be coming soon. It was so much fun!

A Celtic Hodgepodge

“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”
Luckily, Joyce from This Side of the Pond, has a fresh set of questions for us to answer for Wednesday Hodgepodge!
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1. St. Patrick’s Day lands on March 17th. Do you believe in luck? Are there things you do thinking they’ll  bring good luck or  things you avoid because they’re considered bad luck? 
Nyet, nyet, nyet. 🙂
I believe in the sovereignty and providence of God. This is a deep subject.
———
Here is a quote (Daily Doctrine pg. 97, Providence, DeYoung) that sheds some light on this belief;
“If sovereignty is God’s power to do whatever he pleases, providence is the wonderful good news that this power is pro-us. “Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty–all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from the fatherly hand.” Therefore, we can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and have confidence for the future that nothing will separate us from God’s love (Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 27,28).
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2. Forest-lime-sage-mint-olive-emerald…what’s your favorite shade of green? 
Of these shades sage is my favorites. I really enjoy the combination of pink and green.
Purple/lavender and green is a lovely combo, too.
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3. In Ireland the meal on this day is often a hearty beef or lamb stew served with colcannon (mashed potato mixed with cabbage and leeks). In the US corned beef and cabbage is the more typical St. Patty’s Day meal. Will you/did you mark the day with one of these dishes? Baked-fried-roasted-mashed…what’s your favorite way to eat a potato?

We have enjoyed corned beef and cabbage on this day and other days, too.

 

On Monday, because my creative energy levels are at minus something,  I bought a package deal for a slow cooker corned beef and cabbage meal. I just have to open the package and put all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Everything is washed and ready to go, corned beef, carrots, potatoes and cabbage with a spice packet, too. On Tuesday morning I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it prepare itself. The aroma was wonderful during the day. We enjoyed the meal when it was ready to eat.

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4. What color of the rainbow best represents your personality/mood today? Tell us why. 

I’m going with a lighter answer here after my deep one in question one!

Sisters wknd 076

Yellow is the color I’ll go with, as in daffodils and sunshine. I like to smile and share the light.  Daffodils and sunshine make me smile and tell me Spring is on the way. The photo is of  my sisters in a sea of daffodils, in the glorious sunshine from 2016 in Mount Vernon, Washington State!

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5. Which ‘lucky’ quote resonates with you. Elaborate. 

 ‘Luck is not something you can mention in the presence of self-made men.’ E.B. White 

‘Diligence is the mother of good luck.” Benjamin Franklin 

‘Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.’ Seneca 

‘Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson 
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I’ll go with ‘Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.‘
We are just back from 16 days abroad and many good things culminated in the research that we made before we landed in all the places we visited. The preparation made the opportunities more meaningful and enjoyable.
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6. Insert your own random thought here. 

An Old Celtic Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you –
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire.

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Feis Day Two

Day Two of the Feis was Deirdre Haran Abeid Day.

The Haran School of Irish Dance was founded in Kettle Falls by Deirdre Abeid over 45 years ago. Her daughters Caitlin Trusler and Claire Worley have continued in her footsteps, running the Kettle Falls and Spokane branches of Haran for the past 25 years.

All signed in and ready to dance

 

There are breaks between the soft shoe dances and hard shoe dances.

Both Addy and JJ appreciated Uncle and Auntie being at the Feis on Sunday. I appreciated it, too, as Laura could get up close and take photos and videos that I was not able to.

Soft shoe, hard shoe and then it was time for another soft shoe competition.

There is a trick to lacing the soft shoes!

When all the traditional jigs and reels and treble and Hornpipe were completed it was time for the creative water/sea dance. The dancers who wanted to participate in this dance had to come up with their own costume and dance.

This is the outfit conception that Addy came up with thinking about water, ‘under the sea’. Here was the completed outfit Addy and her Mom created.

It is so good to have the support team of mom and dad in the dancers corner.

Waiting for their solo performances. I wish I could share the video Auntie Lolo took of Addy’s dance but I’m unable to on my blog. It was a wonderful performance and we found out while we were out to lunch that Addy had received a 1st place for her outfit and dance!

We gathered for lunch before taking Uncle and Auntie back to the airport for their flight home.

After lunch on their way home Dan and Jamie stopped by the convention center to pick up Addy’s prize for her creative under the sea dance and costume.

Her 1st place trophy!

After getting home Addy donned all her awards from her first Feis!

Well done, Addy. Your hard work was rewarded. Hmmm, I wonder if she’ll want to sign up for another Feis?

Thanks for coming along and for all your kind comments.

Adieu to Summer Hodgepodge

A summer sea scape dinner party to celebrate the end of summer from our deck in our former home. This is also a nod to Addy’s creative under the sea outfit at the Feis. (End of post)

It’s time for Wednesday Hodgepodge and Joyce has a fresh batch of questions to prove it.

Dinner parties were mentioned in one of our questions so here are a collection of dinner parties from the past with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook in Canada.

1.  Are you more life of the party or more party pooper? If your answer is somewhere in the middle which side of the middle do you lean towards more? 

I think I’m a little above middle, more toward life than pooper. 🙂 I might be one of the first ones to say goodnight these days.

Birthday party, beach party, cocktail party, dinner party, charity fundraiser, surprise party, costume party, garden party, Christmas party, reunion...what’s your favorite kind of party? 

Dinner party and Christmas Party are my favorites!

2. Cheese, wine, and balsamic vinegar all improve with age. What would you personally add to the list? 

Personally I believe human beings, relationships, marriage, and friendships should all improve with age. Most importantly, my faith and trust in Christ should improve with age and I should be more like Christ each new year. This is challenging and humbling and something I’d never attain to without the Holy Spirit, our Helper.

3. How do you feel about your birthday? How do you want to be celebrated? Or don’t you? 

I enjoy my birthday regardless of fanfare. I do enjoy having special meals with loved ones to celebrate my birthday. I’m past needing or wanting gifts other than good times with family and friends. A card or note or text is gift enough.

4. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily your same birth year, just the same date/month. 

March 14th: It is Pi (π) day, 3.14.

In 1942 Anne Miller became the first American patient to be treated with Penicillin on this day.

5. Share two good things about your life right now. 

Right now my health is good (I do have some typical old lady aches and pains) and my life in the country is good. I’m where I’m supposed to be. It is so good to be in the same town as our grandchildren.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

On Friday I’ll share more about Addy’s first Irish Feis!

This outfit isn’t representative of an Irish Feis but it played a special role in a creative dance challenge (Water, Under the Sea) at the end of the festival (feis).

The First Feis

A Feis (pronounced ‘fesh’) is an Irish dancing competition. The Word “Feis” is Irish Gaelic for “Festival.” Throughout the year there are many feiseanna (plural of feis) that dancers can compete in. Dancers are always encouraged to feis, but are never required to. Feising will help dancers set goals and gain confidence. They will learn how to win and lose gracefully while meeting new friends and cheering on other dancers.

This experience was a first for all of us, Addy, her parents, grandparents and Auntie and Uncle. None of us knew exactly what to expect. The event was at the convention center in Spokane conveniently located on the same property as our hotel. We walked over on Saturday morning wondering what the morning would be like.

We found some seats together and soon realized that if we wanted to see we’d have to be standing on the edges of the room. The judges table along with their water bottles placed strategically to block (just kidding) your view. Other hazards for good views and photos included the speakers podium and people. Parents and dancers hopping up out of their seats to check-in for their competition and parents moving about the cabin to watch their loved ones dance.

The dance music live! That was amazing to me. Four hours of continuous playing with short breaks in between each age grouping and type of dance, Slip Jig, Light Jig, Reel, Single Jig, Treble, Hurnpipe, etc. Yep…I have no clue what all those are but maybe in a few years, if Addy continues dancing, I will learn.

Each dancer ready for their time to dance.

First day complete and Addy placed in several of her dances, a first, third and fourth and then to cap things off an overall win with a plate to commemorate.

Addy, you performed well. Your cool and calm readiness and alertness was a pleasure to watch.

Addy’s first day of competition was done by noon and she and all her cheerleaders were ready for a nice lunch.

This years Feis had some heart tugs attached to it.

All of the Haran School of Irish Dance participants had this patch attached to their dance outfits.

Lucas was a gifted dancer and competitor with the Haran School of Dance in Kettle Falls. He had won many competitions. He passed away in a swimming accident this summer and it hit the whole dance and Stevens County community very hard. Not only was he a gifted dancer but an amazing piano player, too. He was deaf with cochlear implants. He loved His Lord and Savior and represented Jesus well with a wonderful attitude. We draw comfort knowing Lucas is with his Savior.

With Saturday’s competition complete we looked forward to Josh and Laura flying into Spokane to be with us for the Sunday morning competition line-up. I’ll save Sunday’s photos and commentary for another day this week.

All the Things

It wasn’t just Mother’s Day Celebrations like a Ladies Tea this past Saturday. We had other events stretching our calendars on Saturday and Sunday. Our First Baptist Ladies Tea and Blooms Luncheon was on from 11am to 1pm. My Beatrix Potter Tea Table was put together on Friday afternoon.

At 10am JJ had a Taekwondo promotion so his mom wasn’t able to be with us at the tea. (JJ’s daddy was working on Saturday). Uncle Andrew was able to be at JJ’s promotion, too, and JJ passed!

Uncle Andrew treated JJ to this monster of a sugar delight while we were enjoying our dainty tea sandwiches. We wrapped up our early events and spent a couple leisurely hours in the afternoon before we all met up for a Mother’s Day meal at a restaurant in Kettle Falls.

When our meal was done, Jamie and Addy left to get ready for Addy’s Irish Dance recital while the rest of us visited a local park for JJ to let off some steam before having to sit for two hours at the dance recital.

The park we picked had this great sculpture and tribute to the lady who started the school of Irish dance that Addy has enjoyed for a couple years now.

JJ had a lot of exercise while the adults kept a watchful eye on him and then we were off to the Woodland Theatre to get our seats for the performance.

Addy performed brilliantly for her dance routines and then as a leprechaun in the Giant potato play. I was busy with videos and did not get a photo of her in her costume but these group photos were shared with Jamie and she shared them with me. The narrated drama was fabulous and had us all in stitches!

Our Monday was full, too, with a drop in reception for our Assistant Pastor Candidate in the afternoon and then a  Q & A in the evening with an ice cream social afterwards. It was good for many or our church members to be able to get to know the candidate and his family in a casual setting.

I’m sure many of you had busy weekends, too. I’ll be away from my computer most of Tuesday. Hope y’all have a great day!

St. Patrick’s Day 2025

“May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow, and may trouble avoid you wherever you go.”

An Old Celtic Blessing

May the blessing of light be on you –
light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart
till it glows like a great peat fire.

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I love Celtic Crosses. This one above is from Graceland Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

“My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers. I am looked down upon by many. My father was Calpornius. He was a deacon; his father was Potitus, a priest, who lived at Bannavem Taburniae. His home was near there, and that is where I was taken prisoner. I was about sixteen at the time.”

“St. Patrick’s Lorica points beyond himself and his adventurous life. It points to Christ, the one he proclaimed to the people who had taken him captive:”

Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

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God bless you all, dear friends, with the saving knowledge of Christ’s redemptive work on your behalf. May God lead you to repentance and new life in Christ!

St. Pat's 025

 

Are you wearing green today?

Do you make a special Irish dish to serve for dinner on this day?

Do you have a favorite Irish saying?

Have you ever been to Ireland?

Do you have any Irish relatives?

Collage from a St. Patrick’s day meal Russian style with Golubtzi in 2011.