Friday, March 14, 2025
St. Patrick’s Day is almost here!
When we think of St. Patrick’s Day we think of
green beer, shamrock shakes and shenanigans, of course!
While neither of us is Irish,
we’ve always looked forward to celebrating the day
with a little bit of leprechaun mischief thrown in for good measure!
Laura’s SIL is her favorite leprechaun!
Yes! He’s got a wee bit of Irish blood running through him!
And, yes! He might have a bit of shenanigans up his sleeve on occasion, too!
Welcome to this week’s edition of our WEEKLY SNAPSHOTS!
In this weekly post,
we each get to share a few memories from the past week
AND
to recall a few FAVES from our mutual love,
Our Grand Lives!
Keep on reading to see what we’ve been up to lately!
Laurie and her husband had a bit of a surprise waiting for them this past week
and she and her Sunday School kids reviewed a valuable lesson!
Surprise! A Family Sleepover!
Last Thursday evening, my husband and I returned home after a day away. When we walked in the door we were surprised by the overwhelming smell of paint fumes! Pee-ew! Definitely NOT a FAVE! Our remodeling crew had decided to prime the kitchen cabinets for painting that day and we were caught a bit off guard!
We quickly opened a few windows as the headache set in, packed an overnight bag and headed to our daughter’s home for an impromptu sleepover!
We stayed with our Littles and their mommy and daddy from Thursday evening until Saturday while the painters finished up and the smell dissipated. Our silly, happy, and excited Littles loved our sleepover and snuggling in our “bed”!
We were all jumping for joy! Definitely a favorite memory from our week!
Except for the paint fumes, that is!
A Good Samaritan Lesson!
Did you know that yesterday (March 13) was National Good Samaritan Day? This day was created in the 1970’s as a way of recognizing those who show selfless acts of kindness to others, often without expecting anything in return.
How fitting that last weekend our Sunday School lesson was based on the Bible parable that inspired this day. It was such a sweet lesson and definitely a FAVE from my week!
After listening to the parable, the kids in my first grade Sunday School class were given a piece of gauze. We talked about how this fabric could be used to clean or bandage a wound. Everyone was given a set of stickers, too. Then the kids added these stickers to each others’ strips of gauze to show they care! We continued to talk about ways we can help others. My Sunday School kids took their gauze home to share the parable and the meaning of the gauze with their families. I encouraged them to think of their Sunday School friends and their kindness whenever they looked at the stickers and gauze! Acts of kindness and compassion are always worth celebrating!
Laura’s highlights include moments that nurtured her soul
over and over again!
My Weekly WOW!
When I retired in the spring of 2021, one of the things I really wanted to add to my weekly schedule was a daytime bible study. Our church offered such an experience and it has become something I truly cherish! I look forward to every Wednesday morning and my Women of the Word (WOW) bible study! This year we’ve studied Revelation during the fall months and since January our study has focused on Season 4 of The Chosen.
The format of our study has been powerful, too, with a mixture of videos (the episodes and roundtable discussions) that we watch together, shared scripture readings, weekly homework and rich conversations.
The opportunities to grow in faith and to grow friendships at the same time has been such a blessing… always a FAVE each week!
Friends, Sunshine & Flowers!
This past week, I’ve had coffee and/or lunch dates with three different friends! How fun is that! Nurturing these relationships is always a gift! As is the beautiful weather and spring-like temps we’ve been experiencing!
Yesterday, a friend and I went to the Spring Flower Show at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum!
I know a Little or two who would LOVE
to explore this enchanting cottage!
Look at the decor surrounding the entrance to the library!
So many books stacked on top of each other to create a border
and then a garland of flowers and leaves made from the pages of a book!
An outdoor walk around the property,
a yummy lunch, great conversation and MORE flowers
made us grateful for the time together and
so excited for Spring and all that awaits!
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE these vibrant spring colors!
Did you happen to see yesterday’s post?
We shared one of our FAVORITE resources for finding activities to do with Littles!
Teachers Pay Teachers has been a longstanding resource
offering ideas for anyone (not just teachers!) who loves and/or works
and/or plays with Littles of all ages!
We shared a few activities we’ve downloaded ourselves for
Learning Activities,
Play Centers,
Sunday School Finds
and
Developmental Resources!
Check it out, if interested!
More TPT Inspiration!
Today we’re sharing two more activities from TPT
that our Littles and we absolutely love!
Editable Name Flash Cards!
Laurie used this free activity from Glitter & Glue and PreK Too to help her Little D recognize important letters.
I dropped my own photos into the editable flashcards and changed the name and print. Little D would match post-it notes with the same letters to the matching cards. Meanwhile, Little P (16 months old) points to the people in the photos when I name them!
Pet Shop Go Fish Card Game!
This was another great find! Laura downloaded these free game cards from Teaching Preschoolers for her Little L last fall.
I printed the cards on cardstock and then we had fun matching the pet to their food and home. (You could also print a second copy of the cards to play a matching game with them!) So many options!
St. Patrick’s Day Instagram Faves!
Today, we’re looking back at our Instagram archives in anticipation of all the green to come!!
Last year we posted 17 days of St. Patrick’s Day activities!
Here’s two fun ways to celebrate with Littles…
perfect activities for the weekend ahead!
A Green Fort for Your Little Leprechaun!
Collect all your Little’s GREEN toys and put them in a “fort” to surprise them with a leprechaun’s playhouse/playground! Play some Irish music to help them discover the playhouse and its contents!
Shamrock Pretzels!
One of our favorite treats! A yummy and easy snack to make with OR for your Littles!
We’ve always got new content popping up on our social media sites!
You'll find lots of fun for you and your Littles there!
We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions!
Feel free to comment at the end of this post or email us directly at
We’ll be back next Thursday with a new post.
We hope you’ll join us!
Our Final Thought for the Week!
You know that leprechaun at the beginning of today’s post?
That lovable, mischievous SIL of Laura’s
actually planned an amazing proposal for Daughter J seven years ago...
on St. Patrick’s Day!
(You can read more about that day here if you’d like!)
He sent her on a day-long treasure hunt that included surprise visits from her loved ones
ultimately bringing her here…
with him waiting with ring in hand!
No shenanigans!
It was a memorable, love-filled St Patrick’s Day!
Since then,
these two have created this beautiful family together!
Isn't that simply GRAND?
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What a cute proposal story and what a beautiful family they created. Love it!
What a wonderful post! I'm half Irish, so of course i loved the leprchaun and proposal story. My husband and I moved to Colorado over a decade ago so that we could live close to our children who moved here first, and our grandchildren who were born here. The years have flow by and the youngest grandchild is now 10 and oldest is 16, but it has been wonderful to share so many good times with them.
What fantastic fun for St. Patrick’s Day.
How fab that you could go to your daughters for a sleepover. I wouldn't have been able to cope with the paint fumes.
That flower show looks amazing!