Easterness

Hello, friends! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Easter. I meant to post this yesterday, but I got caught up making these from my new P-Dub cook book.

They were delightful and really impressed my father in law. Which is hardly a difficult task, but when he blissfully bellowed, "Man, oh man, these mushrooms are good!" with a mouth full of my culinary skillz (yes, skills with a Z), I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Especially considering that Christopher wouldn't even try them... not one bite.

Despite my hubby's distaste for the mushrooms, my Easter was nice. I got to spend some QT with one of my nephews and all three of my nieces. We played a couple of games of air hockey, made doily flowers with neon pipe-cleaner stems, and even had a tickle fight.

I won the tickle fight.

I did miss my family though. Being away from them on holidays is tough, especially when I know they are indulging in cheesy scalloped potatoes (homemade ones) without me. I became insane with taste-bud envy when I found out, despite having just heavily loaded up on my own Easter feast, which included two breeds of potato.

I didn't care. I wanted them.

I still want them.

But thankfully it wasn't a total Warren-free weekend. My mom stayed over on Friday night. She surprised us with a bunch of grown-up goodies inside of my childhood Easter basket. There were chocolates, and cheeses, and wines, among other lovely things.

Oh, and crackers for the cheeses of course. She knows me so well.

Needless to say, I indulged... but it was Easter, er, the weekend of Easter, so I had to overeat. And it was worth it. I savored every single cheesy, salty bite and every sweet, chocolaty morsel.

Mmm. It was heavenly I tell you.

But the 'real' reason she came to visit was not to fatten us up with treats... or so she said.

Mom is spearheading our big landscaping project this spring, so she wanted to map it all out. I'm so thankful she offered to help because I could never do it alone. No way.

While I do have enough green on my thumb to keep potted houseplants and hanging flower baskets alive, I want more. Particularly more than over-grown weeds and piles of dirt surrounding our home. And since all of my mom's appendages on both hands are bright, electric green, she's just the woman to conquer this feat.

Here are some of her blooms...



See? Aren't they beautiful?!

Jealous.

It makes me wonder why this green gene wasn't passed down to me. I am like her in so many other ways. Maybe it skips a generation. Or maybe gardening is an acquired taste that I must learn to love, like sushi.

I'm hoping that's what it is, and that her guidance will instill a passion for soil and plants and watering cans in me, because this bouquet of dyed coffee-filter flowers is my idea of a spring-time centerpiece...

Yeah, it does the job, but real blooms from my very own beds would be amazing on the kitchen table for Easter.

Maybe next year.

At least I have the 'real thing' in bunny form for now...

Thank goodness for Durdy.