Easter: Part 1

too late for this year we learned of Peepshi,

Peeps Sushi (thanks, Kerry!)

Where are the Easter pictures, CraftingMama? Yes, yes, finally uploaded. We had a pleasantly gorgeous Easter day this year: the weather was beautiful and even a little HOT (remember last year?? fleece coats, red fingers from the whipping wind?). The hotness meant that I had my bare legs on view, in a skirt no less. This is so so so very rare for Easter in Maine.

We tried a Martha Stewart idea and used electrical tape on our eggs to block out certain areas. It was easy and fun to do. I also lit up a candle and used a wax resist method, making round dots on the eggs. I loved my red mushroom one, but then somehow moisture set in and made it sort of mottly.

a variety of eggs:

felted, sewn of felt, blown out and covered in origami paper, made of soap,

glass, and blown out and dyed with tissue paper

Easter hunt at home, then on to friends' for an idyllic afternoon with kids, stream, trampoline, more egg hunting, great food and hanging out. It's an important holiday in our family because you may remember that it is Jonas's favorite. More to come...

The Favorite Holiday

One more shot of my new favorite hankie,
already on the clothesline!
First day of hanging out the laundry!

A couple of years ago, Jonas told me (in utter disappointment on the actual day) that Easter was his most favorite holiday, and why had we not planned a party?!
Too late that year, but this year, Mama is on top of it. I think it's the excess that he appreciates, and thanks to Jenny, who has personally stuffed 72 eggs with a combination of candy, coins, and Easter jokes, I think he'll be all set. We will be having some brunch with a couple of families here at our house, and hopefully, an outdoor egg-hunt. One of our favorite 2 year-olds will be here, in some sort of festive adorableness, and my biggest fear is (not the testosterone-plagued 6-7 year-olds on SUGAR but) that Miss Z. will trip and come in personal contact with chicken poop.
This is always my biggest fear about anyone who comes to our house.

Tiny felted eggs in a hand-made basket by Ravenhill's Mom.

Above is the little package that I sent off to Miesmama for the Swap--CHOO; I am showing it to you because she told me it has arrived. Here's what she sent me. I chose the poem Litany by Billy Collins, one of my favorites. There was an ATC in there too, but it's hiding.
And finally, these amazing cookies from the latest issue of Cooks Illustrated, which really ARE worth the 400 times they spent trying to perfect the idea of chocolate chip cookie. The key: browned butter. Since receiving the new issue, I have already made these lovelies twice. Perfectly decadent, with that lovely toffee flavor of browned butter. And as Hannah says, why don't we use browned butter in everything, it is just SO great. I did make them smaller than Cooks told me to, because dang, they wanted them HUGE and they are just too rich for that size. I laughed out loud when I saw that Annie made these recently also and was raving about them on her blog!