Kin Folks and Celtic Things

Saint Patrick's Day is Saturday, so I have pulled out some of my favorite Celtic things to celebrate the day.  These three are particularly special, because my cousin made them for me.  Her real name is Gwendolyn, but I lovingly call her littlecousin.  Her grandfather, and my grandmother, were siblings.  I used to love to go to her grandfather's..my Great- Uncle Mercer's house to see his minnow ponds, and raid his peach trees.  He would have watermelon in the summer too!  At family reunions, there would always be several of them in a nearby creek, cooling for dessert...if you weren't already stuffed from eating the farm fresh meat and vegetable dishes ..plus the delectable pies and cakes the assorted aunts and cousins made!  Our Hodges-Thomas reunion sprung out of the yearly cemetery cleaning day.   Our Great-great-great-great grandparents were founding members of a Baptist church in our home town in 1825...and yes, it is still holding services every week.  Many of our ancestors are buried in the cemetery there, and the family would meet and clean the grave sites once a year.  The church eventually hired someone to maintain it, but our family kept the tradition of the reunion for decades, at a nearby state park.  (My grandmother had 64 double-first cousins!  I don't have a single one!) This is a small part of the history that my littlecousin and I share.  We are related on both our mother's, and father's sides of the family.  I mean, she is my COUSIN!  My grandmother used to say, "I'm so Southern, that I'm kin to myself."  A very large number of Southern people are descendants of Celts..Irish, Scottish, Welch.  That is in large part where we get our love of family, tradition, storytelling, and fun.  I am proud to be both!  Now, here are the things littlecousin has made for me incorporating Celtic knots.

A beautiful St. Patrick's Day apron with shamrocks.

With this wee fellow on the bottom of the apron.   Sláinte - pronounced "SLAWN-cha", means "health" in Irish, and as a salute means "Cheers" or "To your health" ...

I love a good cup of hot tea, so she made this lovely tea cozy for me, with a Celtic knot on the front...it has a thistle on the back, but don't tell the Irish!

She also embroidered a set of 12 napkins with our monogram, and Celtic knots.

I love and treasure these things, not only because of the designs, but mostly because they were created by my sweet cousin...I consider both a family treasure!

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