WHEW, NEARLY MISSED IT !

Four hours until Easter. 

If I don't make too many typo's this will get "published" before midnight.

This has been a great week. (In another post I will share our visit to Roanoke, VA.  A very fun town to visit, especially when meeting one's daughter. Yep, overnight stay, amazing food, shopping and the most amazing and FAMOUS salvage store ever.

Will share that soon.)

Yesterday, made another trip to garden shop and bought amazing PINK geraniums and more lavender plants.  Just had to poke a few E.E in them.

Last years lavender didn't make it. Sad.  I have a friend who planted her entire front lawn in small sprigs of lavender. A test of patience and strong back. Within a few years, she had a Provence Field of Lavender. Can you imagine walking up to her front door, in knee high lavender?????

While I am out in the yard, one more short story.

 While attempting to HOIST upright a very large outdoor umbrella, unexpectedly, a huge bird nest tumbled out, landing on my head! 

( Fortunately, no tiny bird eggs.) Haven't a clue how Mrs. Bird, built it while umbrella is prostrate on the cement patio floor!  

Being a collector of empty NESTS, I was thrilled, despite the debris in my hair. Perhaps it is apropos, my hair does somewhat resemble a bird's nest. 

A treasure trove always lies inside a vacated nest.  This one had cellophane candy wrappers.  Receipt. Laundry lint. Berries and sticks. Skeleton leaves. 

Paying homage to the mother bird who built this abode.

Despite being large, it is now fragile after landing on my head. It cautiously rests in a pottery pot, with a "fake" egg tucked inside. 

FINALLY I made time to do some spring-y, Easter-y sketches. 

If you read the last post, you know that I was berating myself for not filling a sketchbook before starting another.

OKAY, made a good start.  

Hong Kong has many parks, but a real favorite is the Bird Park, where men stroll the grounds with their "pet" bird in a beautiful cage or a simple bamboo. (Rather like going out for ice cream or a coffee with friends.) The men linger and mingle the afternoon away, discussing the merits of one's bird.  A bit of a competitive air.

 No Chocolate bunnies for us this year. Mr. H and I are by ourselves for the first time ever in our marriage at Easter.  I guess that is one reason why I managed the sketches this week. smile. 

Treated myself to three small grocery store bouquets of flowers.

You can tell I was excited by them as they are in many of my photos!

 In Roanoke I saw this large, enamel mug. I loved the words. Six dollars well spent. I didn't think about the fact that I can't use it in the microwave. Oh, well it makes a great vase, or paintbrush holder.

Bavarian papier mache eggs.  

Decades ago, (wow that sounds old), I had opportunities to travel to German speaking countries. Besides everything else, I fell in love with the authentic Bavarian folk painting...Easter...Christmas...Spring...

each season has its own quaint and colorful look. 

The photo below shows a few of our eggs. They nestle inside one another. Lace-like doilies separate the eggs. The interior has delicately printed paper that indicates where it was made...

The small bowl is my attempt at paper-clay sculpting.

So that's about it.

If you have stayed with me to the end, I want to share a fun website.

No doubt many of you will be aware of it, but if you aren't and you love all things French.  French sketches. French pastry. French open markets. French flair.  Then this is for you.

PARIS BREAKFASTS is written by the very talented Carole Gillott.

You can even subscribe to her Paris Letters and bi-monthly received a beautiful, large, watercolor from Paris. I will share photos of mine if someone reminds me!

Click here..

You will see her post I enjoyed today, via email (you can subscribe to email/no cost.) I love the last photo in her posting...my all time favorite spring blossom, which you never see in the south.

LILAC

And with that, I say adieu, have a beautiful April. 

And for those who celebrate Easter, a prayer for Peace in this struggling world.  Actually whether you celebrate Easter or not. 

smiles: Sharon

Unusual Easter Eggs

I am really stretching the Easter egg theme this year. Having just returned from Chicago and now watching baby Lauren while other Funny Bunnies are in Hawaii with mommy and daddy (tough life I know) coloring eggs, baking goodies just isn't in the plans for this Easter weekend.

However, I can't let the special occasion pass without something to share and hoping you have a beautiful weekend with friends and family.  

A gigantic chocolate bunny and spring colored eggs outside one of the many quaint businesses and homes in St. Charles, IL.

This is just too yummy.

The charming homes lining the streets are the best of Easter egg colors!

Since we didn't color eggs, this is the next best thing I can share.  I believe you will be able to figure these images out.

Cupcakes would be lovely right now but lets try something a bit different.  Tea anyone?

Wishing all you dear friends a lovely Easter celebration. And if not Easter, a spring time weekend filled with happiness.

Easter with Ashley-Anne and Daniel

This year spring, springtime and Easter all sprung up in a WINTRY melange of weather. Easter was no exception. Although chilly outside, inside was warm and toasty as we spent the day with Ashley-Anne and Daniel.

Grandpops had just returned from a four day trip to North Carolina, spending a wonderful time with Hunter, Molly, Kayla, Luke, Ed and Cathy. He had gone "down south" to have a cap put on his tooth by his personal dentist Hunter. But that took but moments, the rest of the time was full of fun activities and visiting.

Ashley-Anne and Daniel picked dad up at the airport then drove to our home

to spend a day together.

Dad is always ready for a delicious meal. So bring it on!

Daniel and Ashley had brought perfect lamb chops, steak, potatoes and other treats. Braving a bad cold and the even worse weather, Daniel barbecued the meat to perfection outside on the windy, wet deck.

Sharon always happy to cook with her tajine prepared a rather spicy Moroccan vegetable dish....spicy enough to unstuff the stuffiest of noses.

The talk was "a bit of this and a bit of that." Always wonderful to catch up with loved ones while dining on delicious cuisine.

Almost forgot the salad which was visually pretty and very yummy. Big juicy oranges, blood oranges, red onions, olives mixed with a dressing of spices and lime juice.

Not the traditional American Easter dinner, but the flavors of the mid-east shone through.

We did our best with table decorations...the few BRAVE DAFFODILS that had dared bob their golden heads out of the frozen soil, were brought inside to add a bit of color. You can't see the bird's nest filled with seashells and the family heirloom of tiny Germany dolls.

Dad's AI sauce reigned supreme!

Later we retired to the family room for more chatting, discussion concerning the challenges of raising a family at this time and of course funny family stories.

Dessert was delicious ANGEL FOOD CAKE crowned with really juicy red STRAWBERRIES, and vanilla ICE CREAM!

As we ponder the symbolism of EASTERwith its renewal of spring, life and the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST coupled with ALL BLESSINGS GREAT AND SMALL, we are all grateful for the blessings, joys and abundance in our lives.

Our family is truly BLESSED.

We are all very grateful for the GRACE in our lives.

Peep-a-Boo

Peep-a-Boo, colorful marshmallow chicks and bunnies dipped in crunchy fine sugar,

a "peep-a-licious" treat! Grammy and I went to World Markets and while we "peeped" through the Easter treats I spied a Peep Cookbook! What a "peep-a-find."

What color PEEPS do you like? Grammy and I LOVE bright turquoise blue, emerald green, lavender, yellow and RED! Have you seen red peeps?

They are the prize.

Grammy and I couldn't resist buying the Peep Cookbook, what is a girl to do? Next was looking at all of the fun ideas and recipes. Someone was very very very clever that wrote this cookbook.

It would have been so FUN tasting all of the creations.

My BIG decision: what would we make first? It was all very "YUM-LICIOUS" I decided on PEEPS in a NEST! I made a "NEST" out of a meringue mix---sugar, coconut, flour.....voila...

This is HARD work for little hands, but I did it all by myself. Grammy was busy taking photographs!

After much stirring I was able to carefully spoon batter onto a cooky sheet, spread it into a NEST shape and put in the oven.

We had to watch it very carefully. No burned nests for us!!

The final result. PEEPS-IN-A-NEST! Aren't they adorable? And they were yummy, too! PEEP-A-BOO to you this Easter Day! I had so much fun baking bird nests that I had a GREAT IDEA, why don't I find a NEST just my size. Here I am!!! Having a PEEP-A-BOO time. Story by Emma.