Easter

This little Easter chick might have the right idea donning a winter toque. Our weather forecast for Easter Sunday is predicting possible wet snow - ugh.

I think the egg hunt may have to be moved inside.

Our traditions are adjusting with the changes of our growing family. For many years the holidays were quiet - my children and I alone. We built holiday traditions together that we now share with our new union. With the blossoming of our families together over the past seven years, the holidays have suddenly become celebrations of happy noise. 

Leading the happy noise and excitement is our granddaughter who is thrilled at the thought of the Easter Bunny arriving, but mature enough to question the meaning of Easter. But let's face it when you are just turning five, chocolate eggs and jelly beans get the most attention. 

Our granddaughter has recently discovered Egg Bread. Lightly sweet, soft, and incredibly delicious with butter - she's is devouring egg bread if it were a chocolate egg. It is the new after school snack.

I will be bouncing between the kitchen and the dining room as we celebrate Easter with family, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Are you cooking this holiday? 

What is on the menu?

Easter traditions.........

Jennifer Benner

For us, Easter means celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It offers us a time to reflect, give thanks and gather our family together for the celebration.

The renewal of spring at Easter time means that everything is in bloom, and I couldn't be happier about that. I love seeing the buds on the tree's, the bulbs pop up from their hibernation and the abundance of flowers at the market. Our neighbourhood is beginning to burst with fresh spring flowers.

A lush garden in Oakville.

Garden at St. Jude's Church - Oakville

I am without my own garden right now while we try and find a new home. Container gardening is just not the same, but I still fuss with flowers in colourful ceramic pots to give myself the sense that I'm attending a 'small garden'.
I have had a request to consult for someone and design their garden beds. I welcome the opportunity to dig and play in someone's garden, so the 'planning' may come with a lot more for both of us.

Stone chicks sitting in the containers of my garden.

And I dream of building a large flower garden again...........

Quebec garden.

We took a road trip to Quebec about three years ago and came upon many beautiful stone homes with lush floral gardens. The layers of flowers nestled in front of the hydrangea had me stopping to snap a few pictures.

 

As I try and contain myself from bringing home every flower from the market {they seem to cry out to me when I pass by}, my attention turns to the long list for our Easter dinner celebration. Of course it will include eggs, chocolate, cake and special meals as we gather together.

zakkalife.blogspot

I always hid {sometimes very obviously} mini chocolate eggs and jelly beans for my children to hunt for at Easter. Do they know how excited I was getting each special holiday together for us as a family. I think they do. My children are incredible people and they continue on the traditions I established for us so many years ago.
Last year was our Granddaughters first Easter. What a fun time it was to watch my Daughter begin the traditions with her baby that we shared as a family for so many years.

Baby K last Easter trying her hand at cake for the first time.

We didn't make coloured eggs for Easter at our house. Maybe I could have gotten away with telling my children that the colourful chicks laid the coloured eggs.......

kidskitchen

Royal Winter Fair Toronto                                  image: glamour begins at home

Of course it wouldn't be a celebration without me fussing with the dinner table and the trimmings. These are a couple of great idea's on dressing your dinner table from Jordan Winery in Niagara.

Irish Moss with sparkle eggs.

Add several small vases with flowers around the moss and eggs to brighten up a table.

 

 

Simple table setting of grass that can be transferred to the garden. via homebasedmom

colourful glassware for the Easter table from Pottery Barn

Table design by Pottery Barn

Easter egg hunting wouldn't be complete with a basket to collect all the treasures in. These beauties are from the pages of Martha Stewart.

Shhh, don't tell Baby K - her basket is just like this.

Chick basket by Martha Stewart has both rustic charm and soft chick appeal.

This elegant basket by Martha is my favourite.

Our family has so much to give thanks for - and an unwavering love for each other. 

That is a blessing every day. 

Wishing you and those that you love a Joyous Easter.

Our Parish - St. Andrew's Church - Oakville, Ontario

AN EASTER TALE

I'm looking for a special Easter basket for a special little bunny. Our eleven month old Granddaughter will experience her first Easter; and I want to find a basket that she will keep for many years to come. My own children had little baskets that came out of hiding each year in anticipation of the Easter Bunny's visit.

Baskets by Martha Stewart

I can imagine Baby K running around searching for chocolate, jelly beans and foil wrapped eggs, all the while dragging the basket along with her.

When my Son was just a baby (ahhh, 30 years ago) my Mother and I took a cake decorating course. The course was meant to be something fun to do, and it was; but it morphed into something much bigger. A simple cake course started many years of cake designs, and then candy and chocolate making..... and a small home business.

Bunny's by Vosge

There were years that I had our dining room table covered with orders for chocolate bunnies, eggs and goodies ready for Easter. My children became accustomed to watching me bake a cake only to see it go out the door for someone else. They also had the benefit of enjoying special treats and cakes made just for them.

cakeitaly.com

Cake decorating is as addictive as blogging, and so rewarding. I learned to bake, to construct tiered cakes, make and decorate with royal icing, buttercream and fondant. The first wedding cake I ever made was five tiers with a fountain (back in the day having a fountain was 'the thing').
After all of the cakes, cheesecakes and wedding cakes I've made, my Son's all time favourite cake is white cake with chocolate buttercream icing :: simple and yummy.

 

foodnetwork.ca

It was fun making hollow chocolates bunny's or Santa's; and then playing with the different fillings for bonbons. The small business gave me a creative outlet and some much needed extra cash while raising my children on my own.

It's funny how something so simple can morph into something so much more meaningful. The wedding cakes developed into jobs as a Wedding Coordinator...... which developed over the years into Event Planning, then into Fashion Show writing and Choreography. I ended up back in event planning and orchestrating of large scale Film Festival celebrations in Toronto. AND that is how Richard and I met.
He owns the company that provided the lights, sound and giant screens for the events I produced. Suddenly my life was happy and sweet because Richard was in it.

Armani Dolci Easter Chocolate - New York

Yes, it's funny how something so simple like a basic cake decorating course could develop into several businesses that changed my life path. And now, here I am thinking of the fun I will have finding that special Easter Basket for Kya; making cakes with her just like I did with her Mommy, and maybe even make some chocolate again.

Traditions are developed by the things that tug at your heart. Our family is rich with traditions and the cycle continues with the newest little bunny in our life.

We are Blessed.