What happens on Easter? Will everyone get to see the grandkids?

Easter has always been a big time in my family. It was the one time of year that Mom and Dad hosted the whole family for dinner and all the goings-on. There was the egg hunt, fun games designed by my sister-in-law, and an ongoing meal. Easter was all about the grandkids and they loved every second of it.

Times have changed since Mom died and Dad is in an apartment. It's rather sad that tradition has been broken and most of us do our own Easter celebrations.

This year my mother-in-law and some cousins are flying here for Easter. We also invited a couple friends so it looks like I'm having a house full.
I'm going to take the easy way out and order a honey baked ham. Of course we're doing the baked manicotti also. (My husband's family is italian) My boys are older now so I guess we won't be having a visit from the Easter Bunny but I'll still make sure there's plenty of candy in the house!

Our Easter has changed too. Our oldest won't be home. He's coming home the week before and leaving Good Friday to visit a good friend close to school. I can't believe this, but we still haven't made our Easter plans other than chruch. Times are changing. I'm sure if I offer to have dinner here, everyone will come. I may do that.

TVC, are you cleaning the house yet? Out of town guests always motivate me to do house projects.

LOL, I've started on some closets and such. I'll get more motivated the closer it gets to their arrivals!

About 15 years ago my husband and I made giant paper mache'd (sp) Easter eggs from balloons with our pre-teens and teens. Everyone, including my husband, begrudged the idea. At my persistence, we stripped old newspaper, mixed up a 'dip,' inflated balloons, and brought out the acrylic paint. Of course it became a two-day project that tied up the kitchen for both days. We ordered out (since there was no room for cooking) and had ostrich-sized 'raw' eggs everywhere to dry. We painted them and after they dried, set them in a large wicker laundry basket with Easter grass. It was an oversized display, for sure, next to the piano and a palm tree.

Each year when we go to the attic to get them out I expect to see those eggs deteriorated. They are amazingly preserved. You would think by now that we'd quit laughing at my husband's egg. He painted one black with little hot pink fluorescent crosses all over it. It stands out from the whole lot in the wicker laundry basket like a neon sign.

Equally as amazing, everyone remembers how much fun it was to make the eggs.

How smart you are! I cannot believe the air was gone from the balloons. That is a project you should submit to a craft magazine or a children's mag...how creative.

JJ

Sammie,
What a great project and now a wonderful family tradition!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jawjaw:
[QB] How smart you are! I cannot believe the air was gone from the balloons.


I must fess up. It wasn't really 'smartness.' I couldn't remember how to make the 'dip' so I invented one by mixing drywall plaster, flour and water. Evidently mice don't like the plaster in the mix. We can hear the deflated balloons rattle around in there. It's funny how we just stumbled across something that works.