Easter revisited

We experienced our St Louis family's Easter from afar ...

but consoled ourselves by having our Austin daughter visit with her family ...

and a few friends ...

15 adults and 7 children in all (one at 9 months old was too young to pose) ...

and definitely too young to draw ...

or hunt Easter eggs with the big kids ...

There are three more babies expected to arrive before next Easter, at which time G ...

will be able to help his little sister find eggs and bunny tracks ...

Wascally wabbit

Getting ready for an Easter gathering.

Picking mealy blue sage and grasses for the tables ...

Dyeing blown eggs in a vinegar/water steam bath with an old silk scarf (red), mealy blue sage (green-ish egg on the right), red cabbage (blue-ish egg to the left) and lots of onion skins (rich browns) ...

Our porch garden (mostly) defanged ...

with the very spiny chollas replaced by less hazardous succulents ...

and the converted chaise planted with a second crop of herbs and lettuces ...

One of Don's woodplay efforts landed in a planter ...

Speaking of Don ...

I'm thinking our guests tomorrow will be delighted ...

- Easter traditions: Old and new

Lapsed churchgoer that I am, I feel slightly hypocritical participating in religious holidays, but when it comes to passing on traditions to kids I'm all in.

Last year we were invited to an Easter potluck and were delighted to be included in the festivities again this year. I sewed up some goodie bags for the kids, labeling them with pictures from last year's egg hunt (amazing how much they've changed) ...

And Don cooked up a wine bottle label using Kendall's "Stay Cheese-y" sign-off from the Antonelli's Cheese Shop newsletter ...

Since it's a potluck, I'm baking Simnel Cake, first written about in this post and finally photographed for posterity ...

Don also cooked up a smoked turkey, which we'll carve tomorrow to put on a triple-batch of warm Apple Onion Walnut Muffins pictured here.

Guess we're ready to let the good times (and the Easter eggs) roll ...