We had a lovely Easter holiday over here.  For starters we didn’t go to church.  That is to say we didn’t go today.  (I liken Easter Sunday crowds to the ones you find at the mall the day after Thanksgiving. It’s almost as if they are thinking, “okay, I have to do this thing and this is the best day for it so here we go.)  Instead we took Sister to see Victory Christian Center’s annual Easter production last night when the crowd was (relatively) small.  That is less than 500.  It was her first time to really experience a retelling of Christ’s crucifixion and she cried from His sentencing by Pilot until His death.  The drive home was full of questions as I’m sure there will be many more in the coming days.

So because we went to church last night, this morning was allowed to mosey along at its own pace.  We didn’t invite scads of people over like we have in the past.  Just family this year - which still means a lot of people but not so much stress.

Many thanks to Boo Mama who orchestrated dinner.  Okay she didn’t actually come over  - in fact other than being a frequent lurker of her blog I don’t know her at all but I do know a good recipe when I see it.  She recently recommended Asian Pork Tenderloin, Shrimp & Wild Rice Casserole & Green Beans Y’all Won’t Believe and because I’m lazy always looking for ways to make life simpler, I stole borrowed her dinner plans and made them my own.  Every dish was incredibly easy and tasty as well.  My Sister-In-Law baked fresh bread (”Yummo!” to quote Sister quoting Rachel Ray) and Aunt R. brought dessert. (double Yummo!)

After dinner we sent the five children present out to hunt for the over 100 eggs we had hidden earlier.  Some contained money but most had chocolate and it is for that reason I was grateful for the coolness of the day.  Digging sticky, gooey chocolate out of a plastic oval is not my idea of a good time. (Though the kids may disagree on that point.)

We let the kids go through their treasure while Will & I set up to dye eggs.  Usually we boil several dozen eggs and let the kids do as many as they can.  That always seems so wasteful to me because we never eat all those eggs. In fact many of them get broken in the frenzy.  This year, I boiled only enough for each child to have 3 (one white, one blue, & one brown) with a few extras for the adults.  Interestingly, the process was much more organized and the children were more deliberate in their choices. 

Instead of dozens of mottled gray/blue eggs they created really beautiful designs.  We used materials around the house instead of buying kits and we discovered that food coloring and vinegar make more vibrant colors than those little Paas tablets.  Rubber bands, stickers & plain white crayons enhance the design process and glitter is always a nice touch. 

About midway through the dyeing process, I decided to award prizes:

Then it was our turn: