Peeps

Did you know that if you put peeps in the microwave....

they explode?!

It's Monday, Peeps! Have a good one!

Chester...the Dog with a Resume

Chester the Labradoodle came to the Easter Party -- and thereby hangs a tail tale...

We include on our invitation to the Easter Party the stern words --"No dogs -- we have plenty."

It just makes good sense -- with cows and chickens and cats and little children, as well as the resident canines to deal with, bringing your dog along has the potential for major aggravation. And besides, what if Everyone on the list (well over a hundred) decided Rover would enjoy a day in the country?

The mind boggles.

But then there was Chester.

A little back story. It has been tradition for years now for a group of my younger son Justin's friends from college to turn Easter weekend into a bit of a reunion at the farm and they generally begin arriving on Thursday.  They are massively helpful in setting up for the party, hiding eggs, running the Easter egg hunt, and basically doing anything we ask of them.

Justin's good friend Cory is the overseer of all this energy. ("If you want anything done, tell me and I'll delegate it," he says.) 

A few weeks before Easter, Alan, (one of the out of town crew) asked Cory if he could bring his new dog to the farm as he really didn't want to board him.

"Absolutely not," said Cory. "It's a standing rule, no dogs!"

I knew nothing of this when, a little later,  I received a charming email from Alan, asking if he could bring his dog Chester, who, according to this email had done well in obedience training, was neutered, was past his puppy wildness, was well socialized, and got along with all people, dogs, and cats. (In addition to obedience school and trips to the dog park, Chester, it seemed, had two playdates with other dogs every week.)

It was the mention of the play dates that did it. After cautioning Alan that he would have to be reponsible for this paragon at all time, I said that he could bring Chester for the weekend.

"I can't believe Alan went over my head!" is the mild version of Cory's response when I told him this.

"But the dog has play dates!" I pleaded.

As you see, Chester came to Easter and all agreed he was a charming addition to the mix. And his people kept a watchful eye on him while he explored the pond and the cow poop and all the other joys of the farm.

Good boy, Chester! You're invited back next year -- just tell folks you're Bonafied Bonafido!

Another Easter Party

Yesterday was, I believe, the 31st Easter Party we've had at our farm.  Things don't vary much -- lots of good food, lots of little kids, some dressed very fancy.

There are three concurrent egg hunts, divided by age groups.

This year seemed especially joyous after the long cold winter with so many gray days -- everyone was ready to celebrate!

Happy Easter!!!

A Joyous Spring Day to All of You!

Let the Good Times Roll

Almost overnight, the grass has greened and the forsythia has exploded into a riot of chrome yellow.  The weather  is warm -- open windows, sitting on the porch, eating supper outside warm!

The first tulip has bloomed, just in time to welcome friends and family arriving for the traditional Easter festivities here at the farm.  The first visitors arrived Thursday and it will all culminate with the Easter party on Sunday. 

Our great nephew Asher is here for his first Easter --  one of many children whose parents hunted eggs here almost thirty years ago.  

 It's a busy weekend -- setting up for the party on Saturdayand a pre-party party with all the out of town guests on Saturday night --  and then Sunday a potluck and Easter egg hunt for around two hundred of our friends and neighbors.

The weather looks to be balmy -- almost summery -- and after the winter we've had, we're ready for a celebration.


Let the wild rumpus begin!

Egg Heads taking on Reindeer

The Easter Bunny needs to fire whoever currently does his PR,
because Santa Claus totally has him beat out.

Easter has the potential to be as big as Christmas, honestly.


Which sounds more appealing to you,
a jolly fat man in a red suit who sneaks in your house and eats your cookies?
Or a big furry bunny that poops eggs with surprises in them around your yard?



I think part of the secret lies in the music.
Christmas has a ton of great songs ties to it.
So, we need to come up with a bunch of Easter Songs.

How about:

We Wish you a Happy Easter (to the tune of We Wish you a Merry Christmas)

Randolph the Red-Spotted Rabbit (to the tune of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)



Santa's got sidekicks too. Elves, reindeer, etc.
So, our Easter Bunny needs sidekicks.

How about Egg Heads?
Little walking/talking eggs with faces, hands and feet, all brightly colored?

And, Easter needs to ditch the pastels.
If it wants to compete with Christmas, it needs bold, jewel-tones.

And I'd love to see those Egg Heads take on the Reindeer.

Any suggestions on how Easter could compete with Christmas?

The Pre-Party

Saturday was chilly and rainy but, undeterred, we prepared for the Easter Party, draping the workshops with quilts and dyed sheets to make ready for the Sunday festivities.

And there was time for food and fun with all those who come for this annual reunion, from as far away as Nicaragua and San Francisco.

Click HERE for more pictures from Saturday.

It's Alive! Easter barf and a bride.

It's ALIVE!! My poor Land Rover (which is about 10 years old) has been out of commission for four months. Yes, FOUR MONTHS!! It blew a head gasket or something technical like that. I don't speak car, but my husband does, and he took on his monsterous project. It took him a while (have I mentioned he's an attorney, not a mechanic by trade?), and I drove the gnome mobile during that time but as of now, my Land Rover is alive again and ready to go! YAY! I've missed it. Yes, it's a gas guzzler, some of the windows don't work so well, the locks stick, the headliner's starting to fall, and the kids have done their best to trash the insides, but I love being high up and, most importantly, it's paid off!


Does your house look like this? Mine does...every room has a small pile of Easter-looking barf; broken plastic eggs, plastic grass, chocolate and candy wrappers. Colorful but messy.

Our sweet Annie, whom we adopted from DFW Lab Rescue this summer, is the love of our life. We spoil her and love her so much. This is her cushy couch-bed she got for Christmas...although she sleeps with my older son in HIS bed every night. So, maybe this is her daybed...

I had to share this next picture, because it is something I look at every day and can't live without. I had lap-band surgery back in November and have lost 30lbs so far. I still have more weight to lose, but it's a huge start. Anyway, I have to take in lots of protein every day, and the way I most enjoy doing this is with protein powder in my homemade smoothies. I'll have to share the recipe sometime soon, ,although it's super simple. Here is one, below, in my favorite Target cup:

Finally, I just couldn't resist sharing this portrait of me, in my wedding dress, taken almost 12 years ago! I can't believe it's been that long.

If you've made it this far down into the post, congrats! This was a long and random post today. The boys' Spring Break ended and they went back to school today. It was hard waking up early this morning. I worked all day as well, so I'm beat and trying to overcome a bad headache. I also banged my head on a cabinet trying to take a picture of the car in the garage. Sigh. The price I pay for my blog. lol