Happy Easter

I was going to my last post stand for Easter, and it does for the sacred side -- but I couldn't resist adding a vintage element or two! 

Sacred Art for the Season

 Last Christmas Eve, Rick and I enjoyed a remarkable art experience when we visited St. John the Evangelist Church in Jackson, Michigan, a small city about 30 miles away from Lansing. It was a temptation to write about it immediately, but the art itself was better fitted to explain during Holy Week, so I held off on this post till now.

 

Christmas Eve was the official "opening" of a magnificent mural at the church's altar. It's enormous -- 32 feet tall and 21 feet wide and was created by local artist Joseph Macklin. Father Chas Canoy told us that it took a year to complete. Jackson is part of Lansing's Archdiocese and its St. John the Evangelist is its oldest church, built in the 1850s and Gothic in style. The mural is a perfect addition, with the style of art and the painting's subject matter fitting the setting.

We Are Exhausted! And It Was Great!

We had a lovely and fun pre-Easter, birthday weekend with the grandboys -- and boy, did they tire us out! To be fair, both of us were running on limited sleep. But it was a fun weekend so no complaints!

 

Our weekend started off watching Michigan State lose to UConn in the Sweet Sixteen. The first half was grim and the boys were in bed by the second. The game ended up much closer than expected from "Act One" and if MSU had played as they did in the second half, they would have made it to at least the Elite Eight. Alas. 

Spring, Maybe? The Bunnies are Back!

The calendar tells us it is officially spring. I've got to go with that because otherwise, it's just too depressing! 

 

So, on a remarkably warm (60 degree) day, I headed down to the Ditch for a look around, For the most part, nothing had changed much since my last visit, but I did notice this unique pine. I'm guessing it survived the tornado but with definite scoliosis to its trunk. Still, it looks healthy, just odd. (NOTE: I stand corrected! Tom, who knows such things, says this is a spruce, not a pine!)

At Home: Easter Fun

It finally feels as though spring has arrived here in Michigan. That doesn't mean it won't be cold, but not as cold or gloomy as it has been. Always a plus! I think celebrating a late Easter adds to the spring feeling. More sunshine. More flowers. More merriment.

Definitely more merriment.

Marching Into April (Finally!)

I can't say I'm sorry to flip my calendar to April. In "The Waste Land," T.S. Eliot wrote that  April is the cruelest month. But March -- at least this March -- has definitely been the weirdest.

An Odd Easter This Year!

This coming weekend is  Easter -- March 31. I'm not a fan of early Easter. I wish they'd just pick one date in mid-to-late April and stick with it! But, I don't set the calendar so you go with what you've got.

I have a lot of Easter memories -- some good, some less so. This year will be a little different because the grands are in Florida for the holiday so no annual egg hunt. 

Easter Weekend -- It was Eggcellent!

Easter 2023 is wrapped up and in the books for another year but it was such a terrific weekend, with kids, friends, eggs, good food and so much more, that I had to share a bit!

Early Easter

This weekend, many who celebrate Easter will do so on April 17. (Orthodox Easter is April 24.) We celebrated on Palm Sunday with our kidlets. And it was so much fun! 

More Bunnies

With only two weeks until Easter, it was time to bring on the rest of the bunnies! It may be frigid outdoors here in Michigan -- or not, we're on the seesaw season of Sprinter, no matter what the calendar says! But inside it's pretty cozy!

A Hopping Easter Weekend

A year ago on Easter, it was just Rick and me. On Good Friday we had decorated eggs, as we always do that evening but instead of doing it with our friends, Mark and Jan, we did them by ourselves and later Zoomed our finished products with our friends. This year -- back to normal!

After a wonderful dinner (I brought some of the shortbread I made earlier in the week, along with lemon bars) we got to work. Mine were both hard-boiled and raw, Rick's raw and Mark and Jan's were boiled. (It gives me a great kick to open my fridge to make eggs and choose from bright happy eggs!

After our traditional "Life of Brian" viewing, we picked up our eggs and headed home, eager to enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend.

Saturday was one of those get-ready days, lots of house tidying and prepping. We had big plans -- Kevin and Cam, who will be three this summer, were coming. So, I filled  loads of eggs with chocolate and goldfish for an egg hunt and made him a little basket. And I got the table ready!

Not long ago, Carol showed this very cute bunny cake on her blog and since Cam was coming, I thought I'd make one. I chose a lemon cake and modified the recipe, using ideas from this post from Home is Where the Boat Is. I was thrilled with the results!

Later, Rick made challah bread, which we have each year on Easter Morning with our French Toast. As always, yum!

We started Easter morning with a basket -- it wouldn't be the first! Then our challah French Toast!

But the real action of the day came when Kevin and Cam arrived. We started out with an Easter basket with stickers, play doh and chocolate. (I think there was a tad too much chocolate on Easter!)

 Then, a walk to the park a couple of blocks away...

...where there was loads of play time.

Sometimes I wondered who was the biggest kid. Well, we know the "biggest."

But it's hard to top the joy on this face!

After we returned, we did a little egg hunt in the back yard. 

Nothing is better than hearing the words "I see one!" as little legs run to collect yet another egg! 

 

 It was quite a haul!

Then it was time for dinner. Three of us were hungry. The fourth? Not so much. All those M&Ms, kisses and goldfish can fill a boy up. After opening and closing the fridge at least 50 times to look at the bunny cake, this guy was too full to enjoy it!

I never thought I'd have kids and then I met Rick with two ready-made boys. But they were a little older. It's almost like magic to see how they change with every visit when they are this young. It's all the more radical after so many months of no visits during our pre-vax Covid times. 

So, forgive me a bit if I jump for joy when I talk about this little munchkin and his brother.

I may not jump so well as I did when I was this age, but the pure joy is all there!

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An Easter Card (or Two...or More)

Sending all good wishes for a Happy Easter if you celebrate the holiday.

And if you don't, celebrate the bunny!

Or, imagine a basket filled with goodies just for you!

Or a full buffet, with all your favorites!

And if all else fails...

...celebrate spring! With all good wishes for a time...

From me and my bunny!

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The Colors of Spring

When you live in the north and the colors you see for several months of the year are white, gray and dark branches against an often gray-white sky, there is nothing more pleasing to me than to welcome the colors of spring, whether they are in festive decor or outdoors! (Not that the house wasn't colorful enough with all those bunnies!)

So when I saw this post, I became inspired to paint my own eggs! (I wish I could remember which of my regular bloggers leaked to this post. Apologies -- if it was you, tell me and I'll link in!)

There really are no rules. I got the eggs a few years ago at Michael's. You want a smooth egg, not the shiny plastic ones that come apart to stuff for kids. If you get those, you'll need a coat of paint over them and who needs to spend the extra time? Then, using watercolor (which dries quickly) or the paints of your choice, even markers, just free form your favorite blooms or patterns!

Easy peasy and pretty, too. (You could also add a hanger for an egg tree!)

There are more colors than those on the eggs. My first trip to the nursery brought me face to face with these pansies that I couldn't leave behind!

And these, too!

Tulips have been a frequent companion as well.

Of course, the floral color isn't limited to "store-bought." My dwarf iris were the first to come up this spring!

Those were followed by crocus popping up in the most unexpected spots.

And then there were the mini-daffs!

Every year after buying bulb gardens, I plant them in the garden in the fall and they bring about such joy when they bloom! 

All that bright, cheery yellow! What's not to love? 

Even the birds were showing their colors!

But the best part about this spring is that I'm collecting long overdue hugs!

The visit of friends was short -- but since we were all vaccinated, we could be together mask-free!

So, find our favorite bloom, your favorite flowering tree, your happiest Easter bunny or brightest smile!

It's spring!

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