OH, THE EGGCITEMENT!

My daughter loves Easter.  I mean she LOVES decorating, coloring eggs, hiding eggs, making cute baskets.

Last year she took off Easter from work ... forgetting all the egg hunts are the day (or week) before!  She was more disappointed than the boys.  This year she is taking tomorrow (Saturday) off and they have two egg hunts on the list.  The favorite one is at the Lake Oswego Hunt Club where she began her equestrian journey.

Wednesday she took just Mr. 3 to a hunt on the other side of town (where she works) that was only for ages 5 and under.  Deacon was SO excited when he got a lamb sticker inside a plastic egg ... because Lamby is his special comfort toy!  Lamby proudly wore that sticker all day.

(He also won the little blue bear)

I am going to make a special ham dinner for Saturday night so we can all sit down together.  Today I'm scrounging around looking for one of my tablecloths hoping they were not put into storage with my Mom's china and my Mother-in-Law's silver.  Not sure I can talk Jesse into trying to find all of these just to use for one meal ....

Kate has always especially loved the Easter candy.  Lately she has changed her whole eating style to fresh, organic (when affordable enough), and unprocessed food.  She's given up her nightly bowl of ice cream and all candy.  I had to call several grocers to find an organic free range nitrite/nitrate free ham and it better be delicious.  Little does she know, I made a tiny easter basket for her and Jesse ... Skittles for him (his favorite) and organic free trade 70% cocoa dark chocolate with sea salt bar for her.  And each a gift certificate to their favorite grocery.

I have never had a sweet tooth.  Born without one, I guess.  I remember my Easter basket having little bags of potato chips or a can of ripe olives or a stick of REAL butter, with just a bit of chocolate.  My idea of heaven.

My memories of Easter are great.  Hard boiling at least 5 dozen eggs (when there were just 5 of us). And then coloring them ... with coffee cups filled with warm water, food coloring and a spoonful of vinegar.  One year my Mom made sugar eggs with a little scene inside.  

She made Jello eggs to have after dinner.  I always got a new (to me, probably from a cousin!) dress and patent leather shoes.  We grew up Catholic and everyone wore their Sunday finest on Easter.

Mostly Mom (and older kids eventually) hid the eggs in our tiny house.  We were SO GOOD that some years it was a week later when we could smell an egg that never was discovered.