Easter memories. New dresses. Pretty hats. Going to church. Eating ham and all the dressings. I loved hunting for our easter baskets as a kid. We had a large family so there were a lot of baskets to find, and finding the right one was a little tough.

I loved coloring eggs. There's something so basic and pure about it. Even as the kids got older, I'd still make easter baskets and color eggs. But, now they're all out of the house.

For the last few years, I even made my DH a basket, but this year will the first year I won't. I am getting him a solid chocolate rabbit, which he says is his favorite. However, he's had a lot of medical tests this year already and we have a lot to cut back on so no candy filled easter baskets. Just the one small chocolate rabbit for him to ration. It's already in the freezer getting nice and frozen.

I felt very "Spring-y" this week. I went shopping and bought new khaki shorts and 3 new tops in pretty colors of pink, yellow, and white. It made me feel special, like I was getting a favorite easter outfit.

Did any of you crack the hard-boiled eggs open on your forehead? My brothers and I would do this, just to see our mom's dismayed reaction.

If you try it, be sure to point the fat end of the egg towards your head - the pointy end hurts!

(maybe this is why I'm a little off...hmmm)

We use to all have our special eggs at grandmas house and run around each cracking their egg against someone elses to see who's was strongest and the winner got the huge chocolate cream filled egg at the end of the day. My one crazy Uncle use to win every year and when I was older he told me that the night before the contest he dipped the tip of his colored egg in candle wax, then painted it with clear nail polish to strengthen the tip...Oh, I was 11 and he was 15, what a cheater!

My Grandpa was a minister, so church was always the first thing every Easter! He preached hell-fire and brimstone...Pentacost, but the most gentle man I've ever known. And he always went on and on about how beautiful all 3 of his granddaughters were in their new Easter outfits! That made us feel so special.

We have an Easter egg hunt every year for the 2 grandkids that even the grown ups get a kick out of doing. My oldest daughter doesn't have children so I have a grand-doggie from her that hunts eggs as excitedly as his human cousins! Such fun! And then the boys get to fly their little kites, which is always an Easter basket staple. It's the simple things, like flying a kite, that bring the most laughs at my house.

Tami

chatty, your uncle sounds like a character. I have to laugh.

Tami, my parents always had an egg hunt for the grandkids. Certain colored eggs counted for a specific amount of money at the end of the hunt.

The kids would add up their winnings and then Mom would give them the cash.

One year I jokingly announced that a certain color egg won a trip to Disney. My nephew who found it didn't know I was kidding. I felt awful.

I found some more of those plastic egg molds so I'm making 50 jello eggs to take to the nursing home and 25 others made from round turkey and liverwurst to take to the dogs and cats at the shelter. I have about 20 bags of little chocolate bunnies so everyone gets some candy too. The animals get rice krispy treat balls. Then its off to my son Davids for an Easter feast. He and my DIL insisted I cook nothing just bring my appetite for a change....works for me!

[ April 08, 2006, 07:50 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]