Isn’t Easter supposed to be in April?

Is it just me or has the fact that Easter is THIS Sunday completely escaped your Mom-radar? AAGH! Seriously. I am going to have to pull some major improvisation out of my you-know-what to pull this off. Add to that the fact that we usually do the Egg Hunt on Saturday morning puts me really, REALLY behind the 8-ball. That means I have to have the eggs died and decorated by Friday night. That means I actually have to get my tired carcass to the grocery store on a weeknight to buy the freaking eggs and dye kit. EEE-GADS! And what to put in the Easter baskets this year? They still have candy left over from Valentine’s Day. I think I’m going to stay conservative with a few jelly beans (Starburst only, right Stacie?), some Cadbury chocolate eggs, and a chocolate bunny. That’s all we really like (or need, hello!!) anyway. We also started a tradition with our girls to get them books and an Easter dress. Those are from us, not the bunny.

We actually attempted shopping for Easter dresses at Tar-jay on Saturday, but no luck. Everything is either tank topped (hello we’re still having 30 degree weather), or way too sheer for 5 and 7 year olds…don’t get me started on the spaghetti straps and skirt lengths. What is happening?!? I’m going to have to take them out on Friday to try and nail that down as well. I think I’ll probably hit TJ-Maxx and maybe Costco (they actually have some really cute dresses every now and then). I’m passing on myself more than likely since me finding a dress that fits and that I like takes way longer than a simple afternoon. It’s a debacle of epic proportions (thanks to my epic proportions, hee hee…just kidding!!)

Speaking of Easter dresses, this really is one of my FAVORITE Easter-time memories and traditions of the holiday I think. Is that shallow? Vain, perhaps? My Mom pulled out all the stops when it came to dressing in your finest on Easter Sunday. Not only would we have the pastel colored dress (or outfit for the boys), but we’d more than likely have the matching knee-high socks or tights, white patent-leather shoes, sometimes dainty white gloves, and a cute little hat to top it off. I’m not joking. We went all out. It was awesome. I felt so special, pampered, spoiled, and beautiful. I always looked forward to shopping trips with my Mom, but Easter dress shopping was especially an event I cherished. It was time to bond, talk, and celebrate. Growing up with 5 other siblings also made it that much more fun. It was neat to see how different colors and combinations complemented each of my siblings, and seeing us lined up in our pew at Church was probably like looking at a row of decorated Easter eggs, each one different than the next but complementing each other perfectly. I know she liked to do it too. She liked dressing up “her little dolls”. And we happily obliged. So thanks Mom for always making Easter special and unique and something to look forward to. You’ve inspired me to do the same with my own little “dolls”.

My other favorite tradition for Easter is making egg-salad sandwiches for brunch or lunch. After meticulously decorating my assigned number of eggs, letting them cool and wait in the fridge overnight until the Bunny comes to collect and hide them, and then feverishly hunting them down to plop (and crack) into my basket, I loved finally peeling away the intricate shells to mash up with mayo and a little mustard and Mrs. Dash to spread on bread. What a delicacy! (I really am my father’s daughter!) I’m already looking forward to doing this on Sunday morning! I’m sure that breakfast casseroles and coffee cakes and different things would be lovely, but I’m all about the egg-salad sandwich and chocolate…pure and simple.

An added bonus for us this year is that Dennis and Laurie (Mark’s parents) will be joining us all the way from Idaho! So we may have to serve up a few potatoes with those sandwiches just to “keep it real”.

So we’ve still got some time, it’s now T-4 days and counting…so get cracking (not the eggs of course) and have a great Easter!