HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

It's All About the Shamrocks

Ambiance Vintage Garden

"Céad mile failte"

A hundred thousand welcomes!

It's time for Kathleen's

Annual St. Patrick's Day

Blog Crawl

May good luck be with you

wherever you go and your blessings

outnumber the shamrocks that grow.

I was the lucky one to receive the traveling Irish topper!

If you don't know the history of this vintage cloth full of
shamrocks and Celtic knots, Marigene @ In the Middle of Nowhere

first sent it to Kathleen @ Cuisine Kathleen with the stipulation

that it be passed on to another blogger for the following year.

Kathleen passed it along to Rett@ The Gazebo House ,

who then sent it on to Mary @ Home is Where The Boat Is.

Only the leprechauns know

where it goes next year!

To continue my good luck I bought a shamrock

plant to fill a favorite vintage ironstone sugar bowl.

I had a bit of good luck when I found this piece while

shopping the fields at the Round Top Antique Shows.

It was missing its lid, but I didn't mind.

Just look at the details on this beauty!

I fixed a special

tray to help us celebrate.

Used a favorite Lucky Four Leaf Clover napkin

with vintage mother of pearl and silver flatware and . . .

Shamrock linens to join the

traveling vintage Irish topper.

A stack of green!

My friend Yvonne @ Stone Gable

says, "Stack, stack, stack!"

A stack of beautiful plates makes

for an interesting placesetting.

Clockwise above,

~ Ambiance Vintage Garden Charger ~

~ Bordallo Pinheiro Cabbage Leaf Charger ~

~ Bordallo Pinheiro Dinner ~

~ Wedgwood Napoleon Ivy Salad ~

How about a mug of Irish coffee

made with Bushmills' Irish Whiskey?

I topped it with sweet whipped cream

and green sugar crystals.

What have we here?

I think the leprechauns

have made us a special treat.

A cake of rich, dark chocolate

with a cherry on top!

Our Sadie girl wants to tell you

about our new Courtly Check tote.

We call her Miss CC. We will join

Pattie @ Pandora's Box along with a group of others

who have their own Courtly Check tote.

You can read about The Traveling Totes here.

Unlike the Traveling Irish Topper, Miss CC won't be traveling

to other blogs, but you can follow along as

Sadie and I take Miss CC on adventures.

Long live the Irish,

Long live our cheer,

Long live our friendship year after year.

It's all about the shamrocks,

so put on some green and join in the fun.

Cuisine Kathleen's

St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl

Also joining

Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style

Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephant

Share Your Style @ Northern Nesting

Share Your Cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen

Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life

Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm

Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Simple and Sweet Fridays @ Rooted in Thyme

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

Show and Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

Amaze Me Monday @ Dwellings

Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage

Make It Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House

Inspire Me Monday @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

You're Gonna Love It Tuesday @ Kathe With An E

The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Ranch

Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

Monday, March 2, 2015

Sheep, Goat , Ram ~ Lion or Lamb

Chinese New Year

Country French Ceramic Sheep

The New Lunar Year began

February 19, 2015 and goes through February 7, 2016.

2015

Is it the Year of

the Sheep or Goat or Ram?

Chalkware Sheep ~ Desvres Goat ~ Wisteria Vintage Urn

The Chinese character Yang can be translated

to mean goat, sheep, or ram in English.

Antique Toy ~ Boerne Antique Show

Sheep are considered auspicious animals.

Those born in the Year of the Sheep

are kind, trusting, helpful, and peace loving.

Detail of Trenton Road Farmyard, Gail Packer

The Legend of the Chinese Horoscope

Reprinted from china-family-adventure.com with permission

"The origins of the Chinese Zodiac go back a few thousand years. According to the myths, a long time ago, Buddha decided to call all the animals on earth. Only twelve came: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat or Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Pig.

Quimper Spill Vase with Breton Crest

In recompense, Buddha assigned each of animals a year on the cycle affirming that children born in that year would acquire the personality traits of the animal assigned to that year.

Antique Sheep ~ Boerne Antique Show

In order to decide their order in the Chinese Zodiac cycle, the animals held a very exciting race. The first one to cross the river would be granted the first year, the second to come in would be the second animal in the cycle, and so on.

Detail of Transfer War ~ Nancy's Daily Dish

The strong, hardworking Ox was in the lead. Suddenly, the clever Rat, jumped on the Ox's back, he did not even feel the little thing getting a free ride. At the last second before reaching shore, the Rat jumped on land, winning the race! The Ox came in second, the Tiger third, and so it went . . . the happy-go-lucky Pig took his time and came in last . . . and the Chinese Zodiac and its twelve signs were born.

Detail of Wood Wall Art Print, JB Brunley

Born in the Year of the Sheep

Those born in the Year of the Sheep are kind, tender, and sympathetic. Sheep are creative and elegant, and because of their softer side, they are symbolic of peace and harmony. Empathy comes naturally to sheep; their happiness is derived from other people's happiness. They avoid confrontation, are good-hearted, and will always look after everyone else first.

Concrete Lamb in Burlap Wreath ~ Boerne Antique Show

A steady path, generosity, and keeping the peace are this year's mantra."

The primrose, one of the few things

blooming in my winter garden

is a lucky flower for those born in the

Year of the Sheep or Goat.

Lucky numbers are 3, 4, 9.

Lucky colors are green, red, and purple.

Glided Dapper Animal Plates, westelm.com

When I spotted these adorable plates on the

West Elm website, I dashed off to our local store.

Based on paintings of real animals by artist Rachel Kozlowski,

then dressed to impress with gilded adornments,

these plates are the perfect touch

of whimsy for a celebration.

Glided Dapper Animal Plates, westelm.com

As luck would have it,

I was too late for a complete set,

but I did come home with the

gentlemen owl and ram.

The dapper Ram was my inspiration to celebrate

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival.

Just a simple tray waiting for

Chinese take-out for tonight's dinner.

Chopsticks at the ready.

I've ordered a very auspicious goat dish.

San Yang Kai Tai ~ Three Goats Bring Wealth

Everyone knows Chinese food

comes with a fortune cookie,

but I'll have a white chocolate lamb for dessert.

I'll leave the fortunes to these sticks ~

Chien Tung, Chinese Fortune Sticks.

It's still a damp, cold day here.

I thought this special winter candle

would add warmth to our meal.

It's made to look as if it were

woven of fine wool.

Johanna @ Silber and Rosen

sent it to me as a gift.

Isn't it charming?

I placed a golden sheep on my desk.

I'm hopeful the peaceful critter will bring

good luck to my Mah Jongg game.

Punkin's Patch, photos used with permission

"Sheep are wonderful reminders to us to slow down
and enjoy the warm sun on our faces,
meadow flowers in bloom,

and soft cushions of green under our feet."

If you want to visit a real sheep farm, stop by

Punkin's Patch where you'll find a variety of

these darling creatures at Equinox Farm in Kentucky.

Punkin's Patch, photo used with permission

Meet Mira.

You can read more about her here.

March comes in like a lion,

and goes out as a lamb.

Joining