MARCH / APRIL 2008

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Find 5 words that Grandma McCarty would write on your shamrock. (kids, get your parents to help) Instructions
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RGNAR
ERIMO
EINRG
NSEAE
GHYLB
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.Answers

I was talking to a friend of mine that has taken up coin collecting rather late in life. He figures it will be cheaper then getting married again. Anyways he went into a coin dealer he knows to talk shop and came across an interesting tidbit.


According to his coin dealer 1972 pennies are significantly more valuable than 1932 pennies.

Now I know that I am a layman and know absolutely nothing about this hobby but this doesn't seem right to me. Can any of you explain to me why this might be?

Optical Illusion Penny Answer

Find 7 differences between the two photos and type them into the spaces below.
Some are easy and some... not so easy

What is out on the lawn all summer and is Irish?

Why do frogs like St. Patrick's Day?

When is an Irish Potato not an Irish Potato?

Why did the Peanut wear his green sneakers outside?

Why did St. Patrick drive all the snakes out of Ireland?

Have you ever heard of the 6-leaf clover?

What happens when a leprechaun falls into a river?

What do you call a diseased Irish criminal?

What do you say to a leprechaun?

What is a nuahcerpel?

What does it mean when you find a horseshoe?

A St. Patrick's Day Party

Need a fun excuse to have a party with your family and friends? Why not celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Festive colors of green and gold coupled with the mischievous antics of the leprechaun conjure up plenty of creativity. If you’re looking for a fun way to celebrate the “luck of the Irish” here are a few suggestions.

FOUR LEAF CLOVER INVITATIONS:
Fold white card stock or construction paper in half to form a card. Create a shamrock from green construction paper by cutting out 4 small hearts and a stem, or use this pattern. Glue the shamrock to the front of the card and outline with gold glitter or gold glitter glue.

DECORATING
Inflate several balloons in white and different shades of green. Yellow balloons will add some color and represent gold. Hang streamers in rainbow colors from the ceiling and walls, and use green cups, plates and napkins for serving your goodies.

Other fun ideas for decorating can include some fun projects such as a rainbow Streamers using crepe paper of all the colors of the rainbow. Make shamrocks from green construction paper and hang them from yellow or white yarn, or string them together to form a festive garland. Hang the garland in the doorway for good luck!


Sponge

Painted

Easter

Eggs

Looking for something different this Easter? Try sponge painting! You can get creative with different colors and designs.

Here's what you'll need: Hard boiled eggs, Acrylic craft paints in the colors of your choice, Household sponge, Paper towel, Small bowl of water, Egg holder or empty egg carton 

1. Soak a household sponge in water, then ring it out completely. Cut the sponge into several different pieces, enough so that you have one for each color.
2. Using a paper plate as a palette, squeeze out small amounts of several different colors of paint.
3. Place an empty egg carton upside down so that you can rest your eggs on it to dry once painted. 
4. Hold an egg in your fingers, and with your other hand, dab a sponge into desired paint color.
5. Dab the sponge onto a piece of paper towel. The object is to remove the excess paint, but not completely dry it out.
6. Now dab the sponge directly onto your egg, using any type of random pattern you like. Paint as much of the egg as you can and place it down to dry.
7. Repeat steps four to six for each egg, using different colors.
8. For a colored background with white sponge marks, simply paint the egg a solid color with a paint brush or with one of your sponges. When dry, sponge on a pattern with white paint.
9. When one side has dried, complete the other side and allow that to dry as well.
10. Place eggs into egg holder, or fill a bowl with Easter grass and arrange the eggs atop grass.

Some Tips

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To make pastel paints from primary colors, simply add enough white paint until you have reached the shade you want.
Use a pair of scissors to round the edge of the sponges. Square edge can make your design look choppy, whereas a rounded edge looks softer.
Instead of painting the eggs a solid color, you can always dye them with traditional methods, then sponge paint them with white. This is an easy alternative if you don’t have several different paint colors on hand.
Get creative! Make different shapes by cutting hearts or letters from the sponges. Dollar stores will sometimes have shaped sponges in the kid’s bath section.
When boiling eggs, start the flame at medium high rather than on high. You will have less cracked eggs this way as they are not bouncing around in the pot as they would at a fast rolling boil.


Whip up a batch of these basic cupcakes and let them be the canvas for your child's imagination. With a little inspiration included, your little ones can decorate them to their heart's content with sprinkles, frosting and candies galore.
Cupcake Ingredients:
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1-1/2 cups (375 mL) all-purpose flour 
3/4 cup (175 mL) sugar 
1/4 cup (50 mL) unsweetened cocoa powder 
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking soda 
1 cup (250 mL) milk 
1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil 
1 tbsp. (15 mL) white vinegar 
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer just until smooth. Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling each cup no more than 3/4 full. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven, take cupcakes out of the pan and let cool completely on a rack. When cool, frost with homemade (recipe follows) or store-bought icing and decorate to your heart's content.


Creamy Vanilla Icing Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) butter, softened 
3 cups (750 mL) powdered sugar 
1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla 
1 tbsp. (15 mL) milk (optional) 

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat at high speed until smooth and fluffy. Add milk, one drop at a time, only if the icing is too thick. Makes about 3 cups (750 mL) icing, more than enough to produce a whole bunch of crazy cupcake creations. Divide this icing up into several bowls and tint each one a different color. If possible, use paste food colors, as they'll give you a deeper color and won't thin the icing. 

Now, you and your child can just go crazy with bowls of candies, sprinkles and icing.



Shamrock Shatter

Remove the shamrocks by clicking on groups of 3 or more of the same color.
Games is over if a shamrock reaches the top of the play area.

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