A Joyful Easter Monday

The weekend was so packed full of glorious activities that we're looking forward to to a restful and joyous Easter Monday. I snapped a few pictures over the weekend, although not as many as I intended.

We finished our Station Grottoes on Holy Thursday and placed them in the front window.

We colored our eggs on Saturday. Unfortunately neither my children nor their mother are very patient and we ended up adding food color to a few egg dyes, and mixing up a few Kool-aid dyes to make up for the natural dyes that flopped. Back row, left to right: cherry Kool-aid, red beets juice, water from soaking black beans, blueberry pomegranate juice, purple Kool-aid (not a good color at all), orange Kool-aid; front row, left to right: green tea (which did nothing and so we added green food color, beet juice again, Barry's Gold Tea, spinach water which did nothing and so we added blue food color, yellow onion skins, celery seed water to which did nothing and so we added yellow food color.

Unlike some people who do this with excitement and artistic flair, my lack of patience and my children's desire to "get Easter egg colors" made this not such a great project for us. The children are just too stuck in their ways to want to do it any differently and I didn't listen. I guess it was more of a tradition for them than I realized. We modified, when some of the colors just weren't turning out at all, we added food color, or mixed up Kool-aid dyes, and they ended up o.k. with it. I would have been happy with a bowl full of Barry's Gold Tea eggs, beet juice eggs, and the black bean water eggs. They were very pretty. Maybe we each need to have our own dye session to be happy.

Saturday night after getting Easter baskets ready I had to laugh and take a picture. Yes, it is an abundance of candy. I told my husband, who really doesn't care what I do with the Easter baskets as long as he doesn't have to be involved, that I am living my childhood through my children. One year when I was about 12 years old, my best friend received the best Easter basket ever. Where the bunny gifted me with cream-filled and foil covered chocolate eggs and chocolate bunnies, my best friend received Now 'n' Laters, Sweet tarts, Lick 'em Aid -- the junky sugary stuff that kids love. I coveted her Easter basket with every bite of good Russel Stover chocolate.

This year I ordered candy from Old Time Candy Co. and boy was it a blast from the past. my kids declared it the best Easter ever, so it must have been the right choice! I was impressed as I unpacked the candy and toys -- whoever packed it up at the company gave me four parachute men in four different colors, and four stretchy men in four different colors -- clearly an experienced mom!

Peach after Easter Mass in her new dress (it arrived on Friday!) next to Mother Mary. It was a little chilly but the sun was shining.


The egg hunt.


Even the big kids participated.

We had a beautiful Easter and hope you did too!