Category: Holidays

Our day started with true excitement! Greta found a snake! I raced inside and grabbed my camera, as she chased the little garter snake across the yard! By the time I got back, she had gotten to the rocks and stream on our property. However, she was not done looking for it, so I took a quick film. It still makes me laugh!

The Easter Snake from Dackel Princess Maribeth

One thing you should know is that I really hate snakes, but Greta was being so cute, that I forgot my fear, and just laughed like crazy!

After that excitement, I set the table and started preparing. Here is the table as it lay before our guests arrived.

Each guest got a small box of chocolate. After all, it is Easter!

Then our guests arrived and we sat outside enjoying the warmth.

Here are the salads. This was, perhaps, my favorite part of the meal.

Hubby slicing our Ham.

The vegetable bundles.

And for dessert, the coconut bunny cake!

It was a great day and we had a lot of fun. In fact the time slipped quickly by and before we knew it, our guests left and we sat down to digest! The only thing was the dogs wanted to get their dinner, so I had to pop up and feed them! All is done now, so I am off duty!

Friday was one of those perfect springs days. Bright blue, sunny skies and warmth, wonderful, delicious, warmth! At one point it was over 75 degrees! Now isn’t that fantastic?

I unwrapped the awning, and put it out over our back patio. I opened the windows in the family room, bedroom and pulled the screen across where the sliding glass doors are. in the kitchen. Everything was open and fresh and clean smelling.

The dogs loved it. They sat in doorways, played outside and sat on the back of the couch watching the happenings on the lake.

Here is Anneliese and Arnie.

And now Greta, Anneliese and Arnie.

And the truly handsome Arnie!

Fritz was busy following his Daddy around the yard. Hubby also took the shedding tool outside and gave Fritz a good going over.

Oh yes, and while it was lovely and warm here, Hubby drove up into the mountains and skied again today. I doubt there will be too many more days for him to do this.

Tomorrow will be my day to prepare for Easter dinner. I will do as much as I can and then get up early on Sunday to finish up the cooking.

I hope that wherever you are the sun is shining down on you and you will enjoy the holiday!

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps? I am not a fan, but my sister adores them.
2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down? I usually cook. This explains my lifetime membership at Weight Watchers.
3. People say, “April showers bring May flowers.” Do you enjoy Spring rains? No. We’ve just had so much rain!
4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker’s face on their bodies. I can’t imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why? My daughter Katie. She passed away at the age of 6.
5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring? Neither one.
6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? Yes. I am cooking a big dinner for family and friends.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs? Cadbury!
8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of? My dackel, Arnie.

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one? I’m still not able to read much because of my detached retina. But I check out People Magazine each week.
10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? Taking the curtains down, washing them and putting them back up.
11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? One.
12. Which color makes you happiest? Sky Blue!

Sunday was a wild day. I had planned a Valentine’s luncheon with my Hubby, my cousin Janet, and our friend Michele. We dined on Lobster, broccoli and homemade macaroni and cheese. You should have seen me in the kitchen this morning! I made a white sauce, and then added the three cheeses, whisking constantly to make the sauce for the macaroni! I felt like Julia Child! I had Hubby taste the sauce and he pronounced it totally unlike boxed Mac & Cheese, so I knew I had scored, as he really hates that!

I knew there would be a lot of dishes later on, so I actually did two sink-fulls of cooking dishes, as I had almost used every pot in the house to make this delicacy! Then I set the table, and all during this time I was letting dogs in and out and walking Bogey too.

Janet and Michele arrived and we sat down to our feast! It just doesn’t get any better than Lobster! The conversation was great and we joked and laughed and had a super time. At the end of the meal, Michele brought out her contribution…the most wonderful cupcakes ever!

Bogey’s parent’s arrived shortly afterward, just missing out on the cupcakes! They were so happy to see Bogey and he was sooooo happy to see them too! They came in and told us all about their trip, which included some truly amazing experiences along the Costa Rica coastline and through the Panama Canal!

Best of all they remembered that I love the Costa Rican coffee and they brought me two bags full! They also brought us the best, smoothest Rum that Hubby and I have ever sipped. This is not the sort of thing you want to mix with coca cola. It is a premier Rum that is best for sipping like a liquor!

Soon they scooped up Bogey, and all his stuff and then off they went. Janet and Michele stayed a little bit longer and then, they too departed.

After everyone had gone, Greta, Arnie, Anneliese and Fritz all settled down, and Hubby and I sat down in our chairs and the house was quiet! It was in that moment that I realized just how tired I was.

However, it was a great day all around and I realized that what the Beatles sang in one of my favorite songs, was so true….

“and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love….you make”

I wanted to share some of my Christmas decorations with you. Needless to say, they have mostly dackels in them. In any case, here they are.

I was incredible today! Really incredible. I finished printing all the Christmas letters, corrected and printed up a new address book and printed up Christmas address labels too. Once I was done with all of that, I brought it all out to the kitchen table and put everything down in neat, sorted piles.

I was so happy to get to that point that I immediately sat down and started writing, addressing, stamping, and putting labels on. I worked for about an hour until dinnertime. Once I was done serving up a delicious Yankee Pot Roast, with onions, celery, carrots and potatoes, eating it and then cleaning it all up, I wasn’t really in the mood to sit back down and work on the cards. So they will have to sit like this until tomorrow.

I will get to work right after breakfast and will spend most of the day writing. I love to write the cards and I love sharing good wishes during this time of the year.

I also love to get cards. Do you know what I do with them? As each Christmas card arrives I take it and decorate the doors in our family room. It gives me such a warm feeling looking at them all during the month.

I’ve got to get out a few things to decorate the house with tomorrow. Just a few things. I was going to put up the tree, but since we are going to be away for 11 days and the dogs will be here with the house sitters, I’m thinking it just might be easier for them not to have to deal with a tree and four dogs! However, I do want some decorations up, so I’ll have to get a few things down from the attic.

Yeah, I love Christmas!