Judith, he is not co-operating one bit, LOL. He just has perfected "the glare" and prefers lay there and use it. I personally suspect he secretly likes the attention of being including in decorating. LOL Jenn...what do you mean poor, poor cat. How about poor, poor owner of the Brat Cat. He discovered my little pot of real clover in the bay window and proceeded to snack on it till it looks very pathetic now. I have a feeling it won't last another day, unless he got bored. Prosp, don't apologize for not knowing much about St Patrick. You are teaching so much about your customs and country and hopefully learning things here about ours. I read this on the Internet.... "The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston. Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. One might say it has become the first green of spring." I think folks get fascinated with the magic of leprechauns, the luck of shamrocks, and the fun of this Irish celebration. hugs, Karen

Those are really cute. So you printed all of these on your computer, then cut them out and fold? I've not tried anything like that before so I'm curious. What a neat gift idea--or they would sure be cute on a table too, then could be taken home as favors. Luvs

Thank you! The cookies are really good, soft and dense, with a very mild taste, and not too sweet, since I decreased the sugar. Something I noticed about the cooked buttercream icing is that it can be made ahead, refrigerated, then softened in the MW. After it softens, it can be whipped again to a smooth consistency, and a little milk added to thin it for piping. I've also used lime juice to thin it. As I mentioned, I used some left-over icing that had been refrigerated for a few days. Once the softened icing was colored, thinned, and piped on, it eventually became firm (I put the tray in the fridge for a short time), but not crunchy or gritty like royal icing, nor cloyingly sweet like powdered sugar buttercream. I couldn't stack the cookies, but the piped icing held it's shape, and covering with plastic wrap did not affect the designs. After a couple of days, the icing has stayed very smooth textured, although the colors have intensified slightly--it kind of has the consistency of a firm gel--maybe because it's made with a pudding base. I would imagine a thin layer could be spread on the cooky, allowed to become firm, then designs could be piped on top. Freshly made, it's delicious, light, and creamy--I can eat it by the spoonful, and I've decided I'm never again making powdered sugar buttercream, or royal icing. The following link has the recipe, and if you enjoy frosting cakes and cookies, read on about the author's testing of the different methods of making buttercream. Cooked Buttercream, and the Battle of the Buttercreams. Kids taste-testing different kinds of buttercreams--hilarious!

No Silvia, no kilt. Like you with the ancestry,...am not really interested. LOL Not sure if any of youse gardening experts out there can advise me, - but here is the latest bind I find myself in : That possum that we found in the large Havahart trap was gone by dawn this morning. So I rearranged the trap doors/settings, cleaned thoroughly etc and stored it away in a shed, confident that, from info gathered from the one google inquiry mentioned above, that I had made a new friend,..that a possum was a good thing to have hanging around a persons backyard garden. Then this morning I do more research,..ask more questions, and I find out that having a good sized ( which this guy is ) possum hanging around your backyard can be a bad thing,...a very bad thing. I was going to call him " Pancho " and feed him a few unripe fruits/veggies once in awhile. Now the sites I saw this morning mostly say, DON'T ENCOURAGE A POSSUM,..YOU'LL BE SORRY IF YOU DO ! Sooo, will " Pancho meet his match you know, on a desert down in Mexico ",..or will he be spared and become a friendly pal to us and our nearby neighbors ? Never even saw a possum before I met Pancho,...but before he is welcomed into my surroundings,...just think I should sound out my GW associates. My inclinations right now are to pull all Havahart traps back inside and throw out all the baits,...clean the decks, maybe discourage Pancho from coming around anymore. But if he's harmless, and as good for the garden as the first google site said,..hey, maybe just feed him a little and make friends,...this will be decided in the long term. Bottom line though,..I do NOT want to make a mistake at this stage,..could be a mess down the road. Haven't heard much about possums on this site,...so will be curious what surfaces ! A tip of my green St Patty's Day hat to all ! :o)