easter sunday funday

Even though Easter isn't as big of a deal as Christmas or Thanksgiving, I still treat it like any other holiday. And that means, getting up early in the morning, baking cookies (pre-made packaged ones, obviously; Jenn doesn't bake), and making my homemade artichoke/jalapeno dip. Preparing and "baking" gets me excited and puts me in the holiday spirit.

My Aunt held Easter dinner at her house this year, so the whole family came together to celebrate. Lot's of food; lot's of laughs; lot's of love.

Decorating Calla Lilies is a traditional favorite in our family. My parents have tons of Calla Lilies in their yard, and we'd always use water paints and markers to decorate them. You should try it...it makes for a great art session!

The food was uh-mazing, and I couldn't get enough of it. Ham, mashed potatoes, yams, green beans...it felt like Thanksgiving in April. And I'm perfectly okay with that.

The kids played outside and couldn't wait to hunt for Easter eggs. So much so, that no one even knew they had done it already! They came inside with eggs in their baskets and smiles on their faces. Whatever makes them happy! Speaking of eggs...we found a crushed hard boiled egg and it's shell pieces in the Barbie's kitchen sink....and of course, it was "Barbie's fault".

I mentioned in my last post, that this years' Easter Day feature was bringing back the Egg Decorating Contest. I must say, everyone did a fantastic job. And as promised, here are the contestants:

"Eggpunzel" - let down your golden yolk

"Egguana"

"Pool Rack"

"Eggcident"; "Egg Plant"; and "MEGGerita"

And the winner.......

"Eggy Gaga" (and the 2011 Egg Decorating Contest trophy)

The "Eggy Gaga" still has me laughing. Next year I'm definitely getting in on the fun and entering the contest. I wish we could resurrect the original egg trophy. But it is almost twenty years old and it's housed in Arizona with my Grandma.

I'll be taking a mini blog break since we leave for Canada on Thursday. I haven't even begun to pack. Typical of me to wait until the last minute. I had every intention of going home yesterday and at least starting to pack; but instead, I had a beer, watched F.R.I.E.N.D.S, played games on my phone, cooked dinner, played more games on my phone and then went to bed.

I'll attempt to pack tonight...but I already know how that will turn out.

Happy Tuesday!