Apartment Blog

Take a gander at the photos below; here are a few For Rent Media Solutions’ employees celebrating St. Patrick’s Day! How will you celebrate this year??

The corporate Marketing Department in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia had a St. Patrick’s Day Pot-Luck lunch. Everyone dressed in their GREEN and flashed their pretty smiles!

And heres Mary Christenson from the Phoenix, Arizona office. Mary greeted everyone with the Luck of the Irish. There was some wonderful Irish music, from jigs to Irish drinking songs, and Mary’s sweet smile complements her shamrock earrings and shamrock necklace!

And in Edina, Minnesota Mandy Thompson, Emily Erickson, Jennie Robles and Kristy Jordahl are posing with the For Rent Magazine. On the table are all our fun little For Rent friends who are taking place of all our advertisers who could not be in the photo! Lovely ladies….

However you celebrate this year, For Rent Media Solutions wishes you a very Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Have fun and be safe!

 While ordering a cake the other day we were faced with a dilemma.  The cake specialist asked if we wanted a four leaf clover or a shamrock on our St. Patrick’s Day themed cake. Not understanding, we asked what the difference was. The specialist responded that the shamrock is the Irish symbol and the four leaf clover is the American version. She mentioned that in her experience some Irish people have gotten offended if the four leaf clover is used improperly. So for those of you who aren’t familiar with the differences between the two (besides the obvious additional leaf), here is an explanation.

The shamrock is a three-leaved clover; the plant was used by Saint Patrick to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. It has subsequently become a national symbol of Ireland. The word comes from seamróg, the Irish name for the plant.

 A four leaf clover refers to an aberration of a three leaf clover plant, “white clover.” The white clover is a deep green flowering vine with white blossoms. It is the original shamrock plant of Ireland and the unofficial state symbol. The shamrock already has powerful associations, and its occasional production of an extra leaf makes the rare four leaf clover especially lucky.

For more ideas about St. Patrick’s Day parties and crafts, please visit our Holidays section.

 Are you planning on cooking this St. Patrick’s Day? Or perhaps you’re thinking about throwing a party?! Having a pot-luck at work? If you’re a little stumped on what to bring or what to cook this year, look at a few ideas I’ve just tossed together. There are some for the serious chef or for the low-maintenance cookers.  Categorized in two ways, dishes that are Irish or dishes that are GREEN!

Irish Items:

• Irish Stew
• Corned Beef ( include sandwich fixings for a Rueben)
• Roasted Potatoes or Irish Potato Salad
• Lime Pie
• Rhubarb Pie
• Irish Soda Bread
• Sheppard Pie
• St. Patrick’s Day Punch (sherbet ice cream and Sprite)

‘Green’ Items:

• Spinach and Artichoke Dip (with tortilla chips)
• Green Tortilla Chips
• Shamrock Sugar Cookies
• Green Cupcakes
• Salad (w/green ingredients-green peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, etc.)
• Shamrock Shaped Biscuits/Toast (or use green food coloring for color)
• Green Fruit Tray (green grapes, green apples, honeydew melons, kiwi, etc.)
• Green Veggie Tray (cucumber, broccoli, celery, green peppers, zucchini, pickles)
• Green Bread Loaf (using green food coloring in the dough)
• Drinks: Sprite, 7-up, Mountain Dew, Limeade
• Coleslaw

Most sites, like FoodNetwork.com, will have recipes for these cuisines.  Or you can check out our ‘Holiday Recipes’ section which has traditional St. Patrick’s Day recipes.  Whatever you choose to do, have fun this St. Patrick’s Day!

Children and Adults will enjoy doing the crafts this holiday. It’s a good way to add holiday spirit with fun activities that’ll instantly give your home a festive look! Just put your creative minds together and take a stab at one of these crafty ideas:

Pot of Gold Party Favor:
For this simple activity all you need is a few household items to create it. You can use a paper plate, a toilet paper or paper towel roll (or yogurt cup), glue and paint. Cut the toilet paper or paper towel roll in half and paint it black. Then take the arc of the paper plate and cut it (make sure the arc can fit into the hole in the painted toilet paper/paper towel roll). Then paint it the colors of the rainbow. After both the rainbow and black pot dry, glue them together! You can make them for all your guests or just for little decor all over the apartment.

Shamrocks and Flower Wreaths:
The materials for this wreath are really up to you. You can use the traditional shamrock theme or go for flowers which will be reusable for your doorway all of spring. Regardless, you’ll need about a small to medium sized plain wreath. Ribbon color/design is your choice, obviously depending on the style you want. If you’re going for a shamrock themed wreath, then you’ll need a green or white ribbon preferably with shamrocks on it. Thickness would depend on the actual wreath you have. For little decorations you can get shamrock confetti, green silk leaves/clovers, green pipe cleaners and maybe even a few white satin roses to add some color. Arrange the materials in an order you like and glue all into place! You’ll have a decor element for years to come!

Shamrock Mobile:
With three different hues/shades of green construction paper, scissors, trace of a shamrock, glue and yarn you can create this lovely idea! Perfect for decorating your home for St. Patrick’s Day parties! Cut out various shamrocks in the different color card stock. Save the leftover paper (with the shamrock cut out) and cut around the rim (leaving a couple centimeters). See picture. Then punch a hole at the top of each of the pieces and assemble together using ribbon, yarn or string. Viola! You’ve got yourself a handmade mobile!

And finally, this next idea is most appropriate if you have children. Making a Hand print Rainbow is best using multiple colors of green. (You are forewarned that this is a messy craft!) Use a large piece of poster board and have your child’s hand dipped in paint. Each child can be a different shade of green (or you can vary outside the traditional colors for St. Patrick’s Day and use the colors of the rainbow). Use a blow dryer to dry the paint in between colors so the colors won’t blend together and look messy! Have each child (member of the family) sign his/her name too! To keep this memento, have it laminated for future holidays!

Hope you enjoy all the crafty ideas. If you have any of your own, please feel free to add them!!

Source: amazingmoms.com, kinderart.com, 123greetings.com

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations

In the United States there are many festivities to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. It goes back to the first celebration in Boston, Massachusetts in 1737 where the first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade took place on March 17th.

From the major cities like Boston or New York to your home town. Here is a brief list of some major festivals, parades and events happening in the U.S. Feel free to add your city’s celebrations to our list!

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah’s Saint Patrick’s Day parade usually takes place on March 17th, regardless if it’s during the work week. However for 2008, the parade will take place on Friday, March 14th to honor Holy week in the Catholic faith. The parade route changes each year but usually travels through Savannah’s Historic Park District and Bay Street. In additional to the parade, Savannah’s Waterfront Association has an annual celebration on Historic River Street which mimics Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street.

New York City, New York
According to Wikipedia, the New York parade has become the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the world with more than 150,000 marchers and close to 2 million spectators on the street! The parade marches up 5th Avenue in Manhattan and ends by the U.S. 69th Infantry Regiment.

Seattle, Washington
A unique fact I did not know is that Seattle and Galway, Ireland are sister cities given that Seattle has many Irish residents! The annual Irish Week Festival is enormous and includes activities such as Irish step dancing, food, historical and modern exhibitions and Gaelic lessons. It starts on March 14th and goes through the 17th.

Chicago, Illinois
The dyeing of the Chicago River has been a tradition for over 40 years. While many cities have tried to mimic it, none can get as true of a St. Patrick’s color as Chicago’s river can. This year the dyeing is to take place on March 15th. Chicago also has a St. Patrick’s Day parade that takes place on the same day.

San Francisco, California
On March 15th, San Francisco will have the 156th anniversary of its Saint Patrick’s Day parade. At the end of the race there will be a family festival with games, music and various other ‘green’ activities!

If you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, there are many options to choose from! Regardless of where you are, cheers to you having a great time!

Source: Wikipedia.com

With St. Patrick’s Day approaching the theme of merchandise available in stores will be shamrocks. And when you see one this holiday season, you’re going to know why it’s the symbol for this holiday and what it means to the Irish people.

The shamrock is a symbol of Ireland and is also a registered trademark of the Republic of Ireland. Its shape is a three-leaf old white clover which is frequently used as a name and symbol for Irish pubs throughout the world. Many (especially those of non-Irish origin) confuse the four leaf clover with the Shamrock.  While the four leaf clover is a symbol of good luck, the three leaf shamrock is mainly an Irish Christian symbol of the Holy Trinity and has a much greater significance.  The Holly Trinity is taught by Christians to represent the “three persons in one God”, the Father, Son and the Holly Spirit.  Traditionally the shamrock was used for it’s medical properties as well as being a popular motif in Victorian times, but today it is commonly associated to represent St. Patrick’s Day in decorations, face paintings, signs, etc.

When you’re thinking of images to decorate your Saint Patrick’s Day party this year, definitely use the shamrock. Not only for good luck but also for it’s meaning & representation to the Irish.

Source: wikipedia.com