Eastering at Clear Lake

Waiting Easter Baskets



Those April showers threatened this year's Easter Hunt, but clear skies and good spirits prevailed with everyone having a wonderful holiday. Sue's color coded baskets were lined up in anticipation of the arrival of the Easter Bunny.



Filled to the Brim



 The color coding is simple but brilliant: Each hunter picks up only the goodies that are tagged with a ribbon the same color as his or her Easter basket. No fights. No tears.








Kasper



And the kids actually help each other by yelling to a sibling, "Here's one for you."  This procedure is getting more complicated as the years go by; we now have a total of eight hunters, the youngest this year being Kasper, celebrating his first Easter.







The hunt was, of course, the main event; but many other activities were on the agenda for the afternoon.



Hot Tubbing



Fishing

Laughs

 


Canine Romping

 

Story Time

 



Just Plain Old Fun

   

And Silliness. Some things never change. How many times have my brother and I struck this pose over the years! He still thinks I don't know what he is doing behind my back.

Another year, another Easter jam-packed with fun, family and good food. It would have been perfect if Jane and Fam had been there too, but it seems there are just too many of  us these days to fit into one normal sized home.

It all began with my brother and me...and now there are eleven grandchildren on the family scene. Amazingly wonderful.

Wordless Wednesday: Bumper Sticker

Home Improvement

It's always something around my house. I just get one project completed when another one rears its ugly head. This latest make-over was my disgusting laundry room sink which has made me cringe in passing every wash day.

The improvement speaks for itself!  The question is what took me so long? After all, thirty years is quite a stretch to be annoyed by an eyesore I visited every laundry day. Truth be told, I have to be sufficiently irritated by household ugliness in order to act, and there have been so many other projects on my plate. I finally reached my limit a few weeks ago.

And here is the result. I gaze with approval at the shiny sink and new cabinet every time I pass by, mentally patting myself on the back.

 However, I still hate to do the laundry. C'est la vie.

No Room at the Inn



Mr. and Mrs. Titmouse have been oh, so busy  the past few weeks weathering the wind and the rain in preparation for the arrival of their new family. Watching this nest building marathon from my kitchen window has been more entertaining than Dancing With the Stars and American Idol all rolled into one.

Since I have not seen too much activity lately, I suspect the nest-sitting is now taking place. I await signs of hatching.







Mirror, Mirror




  I've lost...well, my youth. Not that I am just noticing; this has been going on for quite a while. However, I am often surprised when I look in the mirror and see this person that I have become. The hair is gray. Wrinkles have deepened and multiplied. Glasses are essential. On and on. There is an unconscious part of me that still expects to see my thirtyish self in that truth-telling reflection, but the fact is that I am changing day by day into this new me. It's not bad; it just gives me a weird feeling in my gut that can almost take my breath away.

That's the outside...what everyone else can see and that I notice in others of my age group, but there is no mirror to my inside. Changes are ripening there as well. I've moved to a new-found appreciation of life and developed a mellowness that is expanding internally as the gray hairs multiply on my head. There is a richness and contentment to my life now that I was too busy to develop when I was fretting about my responsibilities and hectic schedule.

Now. It's a good place. But I don't look in the mirror as much as I once did.

Major Yum

A big thank you to Tess at Willow Manor for this absolutely marvelous recipe. Not only is it quick and easy, it is extremely tasty as well.

Cut two sheets of thawed frozen puff pastry (1-17 oz. pkg) to form 4 rectangles. Top half of each with 1  1/2 cup chicken, 1/2 cup frozen peas, and 1  1/2 cup gruyere. Seal the pastries and brush the tops with a beaten egg.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve with Dijon mustard.

Serves 4...or 2, if you have my appetite.

I love that it looks so complicated; the secret to that, of course, is the prepared puff pastry. I ate all four all by my lonesome*, but next time I will prepare these little cuties for guests.

*two sittings. I wasn't a total pig.

Speaking Volumes

Theme Thursdays - Books

Books

My late night companions

Propelling me on many a journey

Into worlds so far away

With adventures
Beyond my mundane realm.

These dear and dependable friends

Experts at the art of escape

Work their magic

To enrich the daily patterns

Of a comfortable and tidy life.

janice 2011

written for Theme Thursday

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