Eggstraordinary Easter!

Cuteness Alert: This post is filled with sweet little boys! Insulin shock warning!

Early in the week I got a few Easter cards out. There's a story to these -- a few years ago I made an Easter banner. Well, it was looking a little long in the tooth but I still loved the images on the bunting so I cut them up and added them to cards! A good creative outlet.

It was quite the Easter weekend, starting on Good Friday evening when Mark and Jan came over to do eggs and our annual "Life of Brian" viewing.

We managed to do quite a few and fairly fast -- with fairly little mess!

I made the most wonderful thing and I have one of you to thank for it. Please 'fess up, because I can't remember which blog steered me toward Ina Garten's easy risotto which was to die for, and suggested grilled shrimp with it. Fabulous. And even better on my new bunny plates! (Whoever it was, thanks for this!)  (This just in -- it was Sandra from Maison de Jardin! Thanks for telling me!)

Guess what was for dessert!

Saturday was grim and gloomy and made a little scarier when Rick called at 4 a.m. with breathing problems. We think in the end it was probably a drug reaction with the Advil and Eloquis but it was pretty freaky at the time, worrying about those clots. His follow-up with the surgeon is Thursday and it will be good to get the news. He was given a bit more upright-time so that's been a plus.

Sunday brought us the serious cuteness we so sorely needed!

Little Big Guy loved his basket with some little cars, and a book.

I think the favorite might have been the play doh!

We also did an Easter egg hunt for him. The night before, Rick and I stuffed plastic eggs with animal crackers and goldfish. But we weren't sure how a two-year old would do with this.

He took to it like a duck takes to water!

Little Little Guy was too young to get that but he was into the spoils.

Although there were moments when sharing didn't seem like it was going all that well!

It was such a gorgeous day -- close to, if not, 70 degrees. So Molly, the boys and I took boys on a walk down to the Ditch to see if we could seem some critters.

The ducks were out some, the geese all the more so.

And they certainly captivated this little guy!

Even the wiggly Little Little Guy was into it!

And then back home, where the menfolk were at the grill.

And look who's upright!

There were smiles...

...giggles...

...only occasional tears.

And oodles of love, more than enough to go around.

A basket full of eggs...

... a blue sky, the people you love.

I'd call it a perfect day!

Sharing with:    Let's Keep in Touch     /     Calypso in the Country's Best of the Weekend     /     Pink Saturday

Mural Monday: England -- London's Portobello Road 1

Today I'm joining Sami and all at Colourful World's weekly Mural Monday.

Our visit takes us to London's Portobello Road where this image greeted me from a tall building on the corner of Lancaster and Portobello roads.

As always, I marvel how these are done on such tall buildings and the detail work. Can anyone translate what the characters on her hand mean?

You'll find loads of other mural's over at Sami's Colourful World here so check it out!

Sharing with:  Colourful World's Mural Monday     

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

This weekend I send wishes for a very happy and blessed Easter for those who celebrate and a lovely weekend to those who don't.

We decorated eggs on Good Friday with our friends Mark and Jan.

It's a long standing tradition!

And of course there must be an Easter basket in the mix! What's an Easter basket without eggs and candy?

 Rick dyes his eggs raw. I do mine half raw, half are hardboiled (and turn into deviled eggs on Easter Sunday!)

And a few get used in decoration!

 Easter, like all holidays, brings memories of times past. Singing in the Plymouth Church choir on Easter Sunday -- two services and a big breakfast in-between, served by my mom and dad and loads of other choir supporters. Easter baskets at home. And during college, I would often invite friends who couldn't go home for the holiday to dinner at our house. Sometimes it was quite a mix and that, too was memorable.

I don't remember these photos but I do remember that all my baskets had creamed herring, sardines and olives in them. And a half-dollar piece, which was a pretty big deal to a little kid!

It's the time of spring, of rebirth.

And this year, Easter Sunday is on the day that my mom died in 1977.

One of my fondest memories was making eggs for our tree every year. I still have a few she did -- and we did a lot!

No surprise, she was a big holiday person (it's genetic, I think!) and I'll be thinking of her today.

So, from me and the Big Bunny...

A Happy Easter, blessed Passover and good wishes for a lovely spring weekend!

On another note: Blogger Elizabeth (and Bleubeard) has been locked out of blogger. "This is a devastating problem for me, especially since I am in the middle of my recycle campaign," she wrote. She has set up what she hopes is a temporary blog to get through until she can reclaim hers. She asked that her friends pass the word. You can visit her for now right HERE.  


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Harry's Back -- and He's Hungry!

Those of you who have followed The Marmelade Gypsy for a year or more will be familiar with my favorite Big Bird (OK, my second favorite -- my favorite is the "real" Big Bird!")  I call him Harry the Heron and he lives at what I call the Ditch (a series of ponds created by the city for water runoff.)

Well, Harry is back! And he was hungry.

He was hunting, big time!

The dive for the big catch!

And very lucky indeed!

YUM!

He wasn't the only bird at the ditch. The geese are out in force. If you look to the right below, you'll see this one is nesting.

And this one, too.

But it is Harry that stops me in my tracks.

And it does mean that spring is really here, even if it's sometimes in disguise.

Gotta Fly!