See the beauty that is Earth.

How cool is that!  It shows how creative you can be when dying Easter eggs.

Thanks for sharing Alex!

xo (Aunt) Mama Lisa

The song was written by Seosamh Mac Cathmhaoil and arranged by Herbert Hughes to old Irish melody.

Below you can listen to a video of the song, followed by the lyrics.

The Ninepenny Fidil

My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too
I bought a wee fidil for ninepence,
And it is Irish too
I’m up in the morning early
To meet the dawn of day
And to the lint-white’s* piping,
The many’s the tune I play!

One pleasant eve in June time
I met a lochrie man,
His face and hands were weazen**,
His height was not a span.
He boor’d me for my fidil,
"You know" says he, "Like you,
My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too!"

He took my wee red fidil,
And such a tune he turned,
The Glaise in it whisper’d,
The lionan in it m’urned’
Says he "My lad, you’re lucky,
I wish t’ I was like you,
You’re lucky in your birth star,
And in your fidil, too!"

He gave me back my fidil,
My fidil-stick also
And stepping like a may-boy,
He jump’d the Leargaidh Knowe
I never saw him after,
Nor met his gentle kind:
But, whiles, I think I hear him,
A-wheening in the wind!

My father and mother were Irish,
And I am Irish too,
I bought a wee fidil for ninepence
And it is Irish too.
I’m up in the morning early
To greet the dawn of day
And to the lintwhite’s piping,
The many’s the tune I play.

*A lint-white is a linnet (a small finch)
**Wizened

This song was sung by Maureen Hegarty in the video.

The leprechaun is a fairy shoemaker eagerly sought by people who like to get rich quick. If the mortal who meets him will only keep his eyes fixed upon the fairy, the little chap will have to disclose the hiding place of a certain crock of gold. But the leprechaun is so full of tricks to make people look away from him, that few of those who have met him have got rich at his expense.

Here’s a poem about this tricksy little guy….

The Leprechaun
By Denis Aloysius McCarthy
 

O summer is the time to see the little leprechaun;

He haunts the Irish hedges at the very peep o’ dawn;

You hear a little hammer going rap-a-tap-a-tap —

And then you know he’s close at hand, the foxy fairy chap.

And, faith, the little leprechaun has knowledge of a place

Where lies a crock o’ fairy gold — the hoarding of his race;

And, if you keep your eye on him, you have him in your power,

And he must tell you where ’tis hid, that golden fairy dower.

But, ah! beware the leprechaun, for he has tricks to blind,

And if you look away from him he’ll vanish like the wind.

And sure ’tis I that know it, for I flung away my chance

Of ever being wealthy by one fatal, fleeting glance.

For once at early morning, ere the sun had drunk the dew,

I came upon the leprechaun at work upon a shoe;

At work upon a fairy shoe, the crabbed little elf,

And, O, so very busy that he didn’t see myself.

"Good morning to your honor, sir," all flustered like, I said.

"Good morning kindly, sir," said he, and hardly raised his head.

‘Twas coolly he replied to me, betraying no surprise;

In fact, I thought I saw a roguish twinkle in his eyes.

"Tis early you are up," said I, not knowing what to say.

"Ah, yes," said he, "but that’s because I’m rather rushed to-day.

But, though I rise so early, yet I honestly declare

I’m never up so early as my neighbor over there."

With that he jerked his head a bit, and, thinking to behold

Another fairy cobbler with another crock of gold,

I looked away a moment — in that moment he was gone,

And vanished all my fortune with the tricksy leprechaun!

Many thanks to Gracie Gralike for sharing her Leprechaun drawing!

The Leprechaun,—the omadhaun*!—that lives in County Clare,

Is one foot wide and three foot high without an inch to spare.

He winks the sea-blue eye of him, like other saucy rogues,

And underneath the blackthorn-bush he sits to clout his brogues.

Then, if you catch the Leprechaun and never loose your hold,

He’s bound to show you where he’s hid a pot of yellow gold,

And give you, too, a fairy purse with tassels down the end,

That’s never bare, but always full, no matter what you spend.

‘Tis I would catch the Leprechaun;—and then what would I do?

I’d take the yellow gold, machree**, and give it all to you!

*An Omadhaun is a simpleton or fool (Irish word)
**Machree means "my dear" in Irish English.

Irish Blessing

May your pockets be heavy

And your heart be light.

May good luck pursue you

Each morning and night.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

-Mama Lisa

Leprechauns are known to be shoemakers.  At the end of the work day, they hide away the money they earned in a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.

Song of The Leprechaun or Fairy Shoemaker is a perfect poem for St. Patrick’s Day.  You can hear it sung in the mp3 below.

MP3 of Song of the Leprechaun

Song of The Leprechaun or

Fairy Shoemaker

Tip-tap, rip-rap,

Tick-a- tack-too!

Scarlet leather, sewn together,

This will make a shoe.

Left, right, pull it tight;

Summer days are warm;

Underground in Winter.

Laughing at the storm!

Big boots a-hunting,

Sandals in the hall,

White for a wedding-feast.

Pink for a ball.

This way, that way.

So we make a shoe;

Getting rich every stitch,

Tick-a-tack-too!

Rip-rap, tip-tap,

Tick-a-tack-too!

(A grasshopper on my cap!

Away the moth flew!)

Buskins for a Fairy Prince,

Brogues for his son, —

Pay me well, pay me well.

When the job is done!

Sung by Julia Niedermaier.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

MP3 of Love Is Enough

Love Is Enough
By William Morris

Love is enough: though the World be a-waning,
And the woods have no voice but the voice of complaining,
Though the sky be too dark for dim eyes to discover
The gold-cups and daisies fair blooming thereunder,
Though the hills be held shadows, and the sea a dark wonder,
And this day draw a veil over all deeds pass’d over,
Yet their hands shall not tremble, their feet shall not falter;
The void shall not weary, the fear shall not alter
These lips and these eyes of the loved and the lover.

Read by: Hugh McGuire

MP3 of Poet to His Love

2nd Recording of Poet to His Love

Poet to His Love

An old silver church in a forest
Is my love for you.
The trees around it
Are words that I have stolen from your heart.
An old silver bell, the last smile you gave,
Hangs at the top of my church.
It rings only when you come through the forest
And stand beside it.
And then, it has no need for ringing,
For your voice takes its place.

1st recording read by: Linton
2nd recording by: Nocturna

MP3 of Jenny kiss’d Me

Jenny kiss’d Me
By Leigh Hunt

Jenny kiss’d me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
Time, you thief, who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in!
Say I’m weary, say I’m sad,
Say that health and wealth have miss’d me,
Say I’m growing old, but add,
Jenny kiss’d me.

Read by: Robert Beach

Drawing by: Jason Pomerantz

Kita wrote from China a couple of days ago about how she hung up banners with Spring Couplets on them around her door for the Chinese New Year :

"Tonight is Chuxi. (Chinese New Year’s Eve.) This afternoon, my grandpa and I pasted up spring couplets.

My grandpa makes the paste with flour. We mix flour and water and then boil them together. It becomes very sticky. Then we paste up the banners. Using this self-made paste to paste up spring couplets is better than glue.

The banners were written by people who are good at calligraphy. People used to write them personally, and the banners used to be black characters written on red paper. Nowadays, people just print them, and sometimes they use gold characters.

The Spring Couplet is pasted up on both sides of the door.  A horizontal scroll bearing an inscription, usually an auspicious phrase is put above the gate (or door).

This year, my family’s spring couplet is:

国泰民安神州庆 (Peace and Prosperity, China Celebrates.)
家和人寿满园春 (Family Harmony, People Healthy and Long Life, Gardens Full of Spring)
恭贺新春 (Happy Spring Festival)

The Spring Couplet is composed of two contrasting sentences.  The sentences in the Spring Couplet are like ying and yang.

[The couplets seem to be a play on words done with Chinese characters in a way that cannot be done with the Roman alphabet in English.  Here's the example Kita gave...]

墨 (ink) and 泉 (spring) are a contrast:

Because the top part of the Chinese character 墨 (ink) is 黑 (black), and the top part of 泉 (spring) is 白 (white). 黑 (black) and 白 (white) are contrasts. Also, the bottom part of 墨 (ink) is 土 (soil), and the bottom part of 泉 (spring) is 水 (water). Both 土 (soil) and 水 (water) belong to The Five Elements [and they're contrasts].

There are also some rules about sounds in couplets. Chinese has different tones, usually we say there are four tones. Characters have two classifications: 平 and 仄 (level and oblique tones).   This classification is also used in ancient poetry.

The first tone belongs to 平 (level), and the other tones belong to 仄 (oblique).  In couplets, you have to avoid only using 平 or 仄 tones. They should be used alternately. Also, you can’t have only one 平 (level) word in a sentence."

You can read more about Spring Couplets here and about The Four Tones here.

Many thanks to Kita for sharing these traditions with us!

Happy New Year!

Mama Lisa

"Happy Chinese New Year for the 10th of February, this song is very popular in China.  It has a very catchy chorus that I sing at my music classes for preschool children.

The chorus is:

Gong-Xi Gong-Xi Gong-Xi Ni Ya,
Gong-Xi Gong-Xi Gong-Xi Ni."

English translation:

Congratulations, congratulations to you, yeah!
Congratulations, congratulations to you!

The song title, 恭喜恭喜 (Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ) literally means, "congratulations, congratulations".  It’s a sentiment of best wishes for the New Year.  Below you’ll find the video, the Chinese lyrics, Pinyin pronunciation and a translation of the song…

Chinese Lyrics:

每条大街小巷，
每个人的嘴里
见面第一句话，
就是恭喜恭喜。

恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

冬天已到尽头，
真是好的消息；
温暖的春风，
吹醒了大地。

恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你

English Translation:

On every street and pathway,
On everyone’s lips,
The first thing we say is,
"Good wishes, good wishes."

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah!
Good wishes, good wishes to you!

Winter has come to an end,
That is really good news,
A warm spring breeze is
Blowing to wake up the earth.

Good wishes, good wishes to you, yeah!
Good wishes, good wishes to you!

Translation by Mama Lisa.

Pinyin Pronunciation:

Měi tiáo dà jiē xiǎo xiàng,
měi ge rén de zuǐ lǐ,
jiàn miàn dì yī jù huà,
jiù shì gōng xǐ gōng xǐ

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya,
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

Dōng tiān yǐ dào jìn tóu
zhēn shì hǎo de xiāo xī
wēn nuǎn de chūn fēng
jiù yào chuī xǐng dà dì

Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ ya
Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ gōng xǐ nǐ

Thanks to Shirley for pointing out this song!

You can find the full lyrics to Gong Xi Gong Xi here.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Mama Lisa

Laba is a Chinese festival that has traditionally started off the Chinese New Year preparations. It’s on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Agnes wrote about it from China:

"We eat Laba Rice Porridge and Laba Garlic for the Laba Festival. Laba Porridge is made of mixed grains and corns, like peanuts, chestnuts, dates and lotus seeds.

We put garlic into a bottle of vinegar. When the garlic becomes green, the Laba Garlic is done."

The Laba Garlic is taken out on New Year’s Eve.  The vinegar is used to dip the traditional dumplings in.

Here’s an old song in Chinese and with an English translation about the Laba Spring Festival.  It’s also about preparations for the Chinese New Year and the New Year itself.  Interesting explanations by Agnes can be found below the song.

腊月歌

小孩儿小孩儿你别馋，
过了腊八就是年。
腊八粥，喝几天，
哩哩啦啦二十三。
二十三，糖瓜儿粘；
二十四，扫房子；
二十五，冻豆腐；
二十六，炖白肉；
二十七，宰公鸡；
二十八，把面发；
二十九，蒸馒头；
三十儿晚上闹一宿；
除夕饺子年年有。
大年初一扭一扭；
初二、初三满街走。

The 12th Lunar Month

Kids, kids, don’t be impatient,
Laba is coming, the Spring Festival isn’t far away.
We eat Laba porridge for several days,
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is coming la la la! 
On the 23rd day, kids have sticky Tanggua candy (1)
On the 24th day, we sweep the house. (2) 
On the 25th day, we make frozen tofu.
On the 26th day, we stew the pork.
On the 27th day, we make the chicken.
On the 28th day, we ferment the dough, (3)
On the 29th day, we cook steamed buns.
On the 30th day, kids go downtown at night to shoot off noisy firecrackers, (4)
On New Year’s Eve we eat dumplings every year. (5)
On the first day of the New Year, we dance the Yangge (秧歌) to celebrate, (6)
And on the 2nd and 3rd days of the New Year, we go to a temple fair or to relatives’ and friends’ houses to pay a New Year’s visit.

Song Notes:

(1) On the 23rd day, people worship the Kitchen God (灶王爷) with Tanggua (a kind of candy).  It is said that the Kitchen God of China is a god who likes to gossip very much. On the 23rd day of the last month of every year, he must go back to heaven to report on the conduct of families. So people give him some sweet and sticky candies called "Tanggua" to gag him.

(2)  From 24th to 29th days, this is a kind of description about how people prepare for the Spring Festival.

(3) The dough for making steamed buns is fermented a day in advance.

(4) On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, all family members get together to have dinner, to shoot off firecrackers, to pass on good wishes to each other. We must stay up late together to pray for long life, we call it "Shousui" (守岁).

(5) Chuxi is another name of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. On the evening of Chuxi, usually at twelve midnight, Chinese people have dumplings to celebrate the New Year.

(6)  On the first day of the New Year, we dance the Yangge (秧歌) to celebrate. We say "Niu Yangge" (扭秧歌) in Chinese. Yangge is a kind of traditional dance that celebrates a good harvest and festival in the most northern areas of China. Below you can see a video of the Yangge Dance…

Agnes wrote, "We have lost most of the old customs for the Chinese New Year in the big cities. Now, we just have dinner and dumplings together on the night of Chuxi. I loved the way of worshiping the Kitchen God of my grandpa and grandma. But I never saw the ritual myself. The atmosphere of the Spring Festival has become less and less interesting."

Many thanks to Agnes for sharing this song and for explaining old Chinese New Year traditions to us.

Song translation by Agnes and Lisa.  (We welcome help to improve the translation.)

Photo Sources:

Laba Porridge Photo
Laba Garlic Photo

In France, schools don’t have ceremonies.  Here’s what Monique wrote about graduations in France:

I’ve never gone to a graduation, our final exam is something totally different: you take an exam and some days later either you check the newspaper or you go to the high school where you took it and check the lists that say "admis" (i.e. passed) or "non admis" (not passed) and that’s all – though nowadays they probably check the internet.  Also, some of the tests are taken at the end of 11th grade.  There’s no ceremony and no party -unless you planned it but there’s no tradition, some have a party with their friends, some don’t.

When I passed my "bac" 42 years ago, there was some family gathering -my dad’s dad wanted champagne because I was his first grandchild to pass it and my mom was somewhat pissed because they didn’t really have extra money for such fancies as champagne which was, comparatively to now, far more expensive.

I think that some universities (Medicine, Law, Pharmacy) have some sort of ceremony with special outfits when people pass their Ph.D, but not all universities have that.

Please feel free to share what graduations are like in your country in the comments below.

Thanks for sharing Monique!

Mama Lisa

Monique Palomares works with me on the French version of Mama Lisa’s World.

These Sugar Cookies are Gluten-free and made with icing that has no food dye in it!

When making gluten-free recipes, make sure beforehand that all your ingredients are gluten-free.

Recipe for Gluten-free Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. White Rice Flour
1 1/2 c. Oatmeal Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 1/2 t. Xanthan Gum
1 c. Butter (softened)
1 c. Sugar 
3 t. Vanilla Extract
1 large Egg

1.  Sift the white rice flour and the oatmeal flour into a bowl.

2.  Add the salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum to the flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or a whisk.

3.  In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until well mixed.  Add in the egg and vanilla and combine on low.

4.  Slowly mix in the flour on low speed. 

5.  At the end you may need to combine the dough together with your hands to make it smooth.  Shape into a ball.

6.  Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

7.  When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit.  Grease your cookie sheets.

8.  Put some white rice flour or oatmeal flour on the countertop, and roll out your dough to about 1/4".  (You can roll out half the dough at a time.)

9. Cut out the shapes with cookie cutters.

10.  Place cookies on cookie sheets and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.

11.  Place on rack to cool.

See instructions below for icing your cookies….

Sugar Cookie Icing (Dye Free)

I try to keep food dye out of my family’s food as much as possible.  I’ll explain below quick simple ways to color your icing naturally.  The colors are less vibrant but they look natural!  Like real food.

If you want to use food coloring for your icing, simply use the measurements below to make the icing (doubling the recipe).  Mix together the confectioners sugar with the water until you get a smooth consistency.  Then separate the icing into little bowls and add different color food dyes to each bowl to get the desired colors.

Basic measurements for the icing:

1/2 cup Confectioners Sugar 
2 t.+ Water

If you don’t want to use food dyes, you can use some of these ideas:

Yellow: Mix the icing using the proportions above and add turmeric and a food extract that you like (such as almond, lemon or orange). This will give your icing a unique flavor.  (Note: The more turmeric you add the darker it will get.)

Yellow (2nd way):  Instead of using water in the recipe above, use orange juice with no pulp.

Pink: Use all-natural raspberry syrup or cherry juice as a replacement for water in the recipe above.

Purple: Use all-natural grape juice or blueberry syrup instead of water in the icing recipe.

Brown: Make chocolate icing with chocolate syrup and confectioners sugar.  This tastes particularly good!

Be creative with the ingredients you’re able to find… look for all-natural juices and syrups… add extract for flavoring.  Experiment!

Then ice your cookies…

And enjoy!  Yum!

Mama Lisa

New Year’s Resolutions are a way to consider how to improve your life.  They should be remembered throughout the year.

There’s a simple way to improve your chances of sticking to your resolutions…

Make them achievable goals. 

Instead of saying, "I’m going on a diet", buy less unhealthy snacks and replace them with fruit.

Instead of saying, "I’m going to exercise more," say, "I’m going to take a walk with my spouse every weekend and with my friends twice during the week."  Exercise partners help you stick to it.

Instead of saying, "I’m going to spend more time with my family and friends," call them up and make plans.  Or put time on your calendar for your family and say that’s our time to do something together.

Instead of saying, "I’m going to enjoy life more," make plans to do something fun.

Instead of saying, "I’m going to help others," call your library and find out how to volunteer in your community.

In short, whatever your resolutions are, don’t just talk about them.  Make plans and stick to them.  Write your resolutions down on your calendar on the first day of each new season to see if you’re following them.  If not, then make new plans to achieve your goals.

Good luck and Happy New Year!

Mama Lisa

Photo: Wikipedia

This is the best cranberry bread I’ve ever had!  My family loves it too.  It just happens to be gluten-free. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, please read the labels of your ingredients to make sure they’re all gluten-free.

Recipe for Gluten-free Cranberry Bread

Ingredients

1 cup White Rice Flour
1 cup Oat Flour
1 cup Sugar
1 t. Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 Egg
1 cup Orange Juice
2 T. Vegetable Oil
1  T . Grated Orange Peel
1 1/2 cups chopped Cranberries
3/4 cup chopped Walnuts

Note: I chop the Cranberries and Walnuts together in the food processor until they’re medium chopped.

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9 x 5" bread loaf pan with butter.

2.  Sift both types of flour into a bowl. 

3.  Add the sugar, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Mix it all together with a spoon.

4.  Beat the egg and add it to the dry mixture with the orange juice, oil and orange peel.  Mix together well.

5.  Stir in the cranberries and walnuts.

6.  Pour mixture into the pan and spread it out evenly.

7.  Cook for about an hour until a toothpick comes out clean.

8.  Let cool a bit before eating… it’s good warm!

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa

The kanji character of the year is unveiled for the 1st time at Kiyomizu Temple each year.

Ayako wrote from Japan:

This year’s Kanji character is "gold" 金 (kin).

Many topics related to "gold" happened:

金環日食 – A Solar Eclipse occurred in Japan for the first time in years.

金メダル、- Gold Medals: Japan won a lot of gold medals at the London Olympics this year.

ノーベル賞 – Nobel Prize: Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese physician and researcher won The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine this year.

Thanks for sharing Ayako!

–Mama Lisa

Most people tip their mail carrier if they see them on a regular basis and it’s the same person throughout the year.  In the US, the standard tip is $20 – $25.  In the UK, they’re not supposed to accept a large amount, so it’s about £5 – £10.  In France it’s 10 – 15 euros.

Many (but not all) people tip their garbage men.  In the U.S. it seems to vary a lot.  It can be anywhere from $25 for the whole crew or $10 – $25 per person on the crew.  In the UK, they’re not supposed to accept a large amount, so it’s about £5 – £10.  In France they get less, 1 to 5 euros in general.

Newspaper delivery people get about $20.

Cleaning Ladies & Nannies in the US – One weeks pay depending on quality of service.

Hairdressers’ tips at the end of the year vary greatly in the US and UK.  It seems to depend upon the quality of service, price of services, and one’s economic circumstances.  Generally, people give anywhere from a percentage (10% +) above the normal tip up to double the normal tip.  Some give a specific amount above the normal tip like $10. There’s a big range.  Also, people who tip well all year seem to give less (but still more than the normal tip).  The shampoo girl gets a larger tip at the end of the year too, anywhere up to double the normal tip.

Teachers often get gift certificates (either individually or from the whole class).  Otherwise, they get small gifts from the student, like chocolate candy, mugs, etc.

Please let us know how you tip at the end of the year in the comments below.  Please let us know the state or country you live in and type of area (suburbs, city, etc.)

You can read more about tipping around the world here.

The hearts can also be given for Valentine’s Day (or kept hanging on a hook in anticipation of the holiday).  You can also make stars for Hanukkah.
 
Recipe for Cinnamon Ornaments

2 1/2 cups Cinnamon
2 cups Applesauce
1/4 cup White School Glue

Glitter Glue (if desired for decoration)

Preheat oven to 225 Fahrenheit.

1. Mix the first three ingredients together with a spoon.  Then knead it with your hands until you get a smooth "dough".  Add a little more cinnamon or applesauce if needed to get the right consistency.

2. Cover countertop with a thin dusting of cinnamon in an area big enough to roll out the dough.

3.  Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

4.  Cut shapes out of the "dough" with cookie cutters.

5.  If you want to make "outline" hearts use two heart cookie cutters that are two different sized hearts.

Then take out the middle heart and you get a heart "outline".

6.  Use a straw to make a hole in the ornament (to later put ribbon through).

7.  Cook in oven for 1 – 3 hours until hard.  Check every 1/2 hour for doneness after the 1st hour.

8.  After the ornaments are cooked, let them cool off.  Then, if desired, you can decorate them with glitter glue.  Once that dries, string a thin ribbon through the hole and tie the ends together for hanging.  Otherwise you can use a pipe cleaner for hanging.

I am also using my ornaments to decorate gifts, like bottles of homemade vanilla extract (see photo below).  You can also put them on wine bottles you’re giving as gifts to lend the bottles a bit of flair!

If you want to save the ornaments for next year, you can seal them in a Ziploc bag and put that inside an air-tight container.  Or you can totally seal them with Mod Podge glue.  Otherwise, simply enjoy them for the season and a little beyond! 

Happy Holidays!

Mama Lisa