Easter Egg Hunt

I know this will come as no surprise.....but I ADORE Easter egg hunts. I still remember the excitement as a little girl....our Easter bunny hid the eggs outside in the flower beds among the iris and pansies. In Washington, where I grew up, we didn't have avalanches in our yard. It was just magical. And although a teeny, tiny part of me is sad that we didn't have our Steel Magnolia's party today, most of me is just plain happy that it will be a month later....when it is warm. So, this year I was back involved with the neighborhood Easter egg hunt in the gully. There were over a hundred kids and tons more adults....and while the eggs were being hidden, one of the "golden" eggs from last year (that had $20) was found! With the money still inside! The gal in charge said this year they had 1500 eggs. I just smile. I think of my 2000 eggs downstairs jumping in their bins....oh, I am an Easter egg crazy!

The weather was crisp and the noses were running. Here's Rylee ready for the hunt.

Boston is the man! He has more energy than all my grandchildren put together. Last night we went out to dinner with Travis and Tenille and the kids.....and it was like being in the middle of a tornado! Okay, a fun tornado, but a tornado nonetheless!

Okay, I should have had a panorama camera. I had to take 4 pictures just to get all the areas in.

Here is little Nash. He didn't care one bit about hunting eggs. He was just plain cold. He was trying to figure out what he did wrong to deserve being dragged out on a Saturday morning when he could have stayed in his nice warm jammies watching cartoons and having hot chocolate. Instead, he had to come to this old gully with a bunch of screaming kids with runny noses and it was just a little too much for him. See the little tear in his eye? That's how much he didn't have fun!

Sooooo.....today, after walking with Brendalyn I'm finishing the nursery and Sunbeam Easter baskets that Debbie Stowell put together. Only part of our family can come tomorrow for dinner and some will drop in later. I'm thinking we'll have Sophia's yummy french dip, salads and fresh banana cake or cupcakes (surprise!) for dinner. And we'll make bird's nests with the little kids.

Bird's Nests

1 can of Chow Mein noodles (the crispy ones in a can)

milk chocolate chips (I can't remember exactly how many)

Melt the chocolate carefully in the microwave. You know the drill....put the bowl in for about 45 seconds. Take out and stir. Put the bowl back in for another 45 seconds. Stir again. Until the chocolate is smooth and creamy and you just want to eat the whole bowl yourself. Then stir in the noodles. Let cool a titch. On waxed paper or parchment, let the kids shape bird's nest with the chocolate/noodle mixture. Coconut would be good in the mix as well. It makes a cute little nest. When cool and set up, fill the nests with little robin malt eggs (or any) and a little Peep bird sitting on the eggs. Nice and easy and cute. Not too complicated for the little ones.

Here's Sophia's French dip...I know I've posted it before but it is probably the best French dip I've ever had.

Crock Pot French Dip

1- (3 pound) sirloin tip or chuck roast

1 package Good Seasons Zesty Italian Salad Dressing Mix

1 package au jus mix (Shillings Natural Style)

1 (10 ounce) can beef broth

1 1/4 cup of water

French bread or hoagie buns

Brown roast on all sides in fry pan. (I never do this and I doubt Sophia does as well. This recipe is also in the Ogden's Junior League cookbook and if you are in Junior League, you brown the roast. If you are just plain ol'folk like me, you don't.) Place in crockpot. Cover with all other ingredients. Cook for 8 hours on medium. Slice and serve on buns. I actually just put everything in the crockpot when I am going to bed the night before, and cook it all night on low. It should be falling apart in the morning and smells so good, everyone hops right out of bed. That's why I'm fixing it on Easter. So everyone is hopping. Cause I love Easter hopping. Bunnies rule.

I probably mentioned this last year at Easter but it is my favorite Easter memory. When Tanner was just little, I took him to the mall to see the Easter Bunny. It was in the same place where Santa Claus had been just a few months earlier. After he visited with the Easter Bunny, he walked away with a big scowl on his face. I asked him why? He said, "That WASN'T the Easter Bunny. I could tell he was wearing a mask. It was just Santa Claus dressed UP like an Easter Bunny!"

Oh.............you can't fool that kid!!!