This is What Easter Looks Like At Our House

Francesca wasn't left out either, she just happened to be asleep when this picture was taken, but we caught up with her later. . .

Daddy gets dibs on all her Easter goodies.

Holy Week started out busy at our house. I gave Sophia the week off for her Spring Break, but there were Easter Cookies to be baked. We were invited to a friends house for Easter and I planned on bringing them a basket of Easter cookies, so I had a plan.

Monday I baked Decorated Shortbread Cookies and Iced Lemon Shortbread Fingers. The kids had a good time decorating their own cookies. I really should do that more often.

Even Annamaria got into it.

I received a Dean & Deluca catalog in the mail a bit ago, I love their stuff. They were selling decorated Easter cookies that were so cute. But they were so expensive. Something like $55 for 1/2 pound of cookies. Ridiculous, so we just made our own. We had rabbit cookies, carrot cookies, sheep, eggs, and butterflies. So much fun.

Tuesday I made part 1 of Marguerites, sugar cookie bases smeared with jam then topped with a meringue, Apricot Almond Bars, and Sesame Seed Wafers. Wednesday it was Fudgewiches part 1, and Apricot Sandwich Tea Cakes, part 1. Thursday was Almond Sweethearts and Praline Meringue Puffs. Friday found me making Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons and New York Black & Whites. Finally on Saturday I made the fudge for the Fudgewiches and filled those, made the meringue for the Marguerites, topped them and finished those, and filled the Apricot Sandwich Tea Cakes. I was going to make two more types of cookies on Saturday but pooped out. I brought the biggest tray of cookies I could find to our friends house on Easter. Vince kept calling me a Whack-a-doodle. I also made a Salmon Torte. So maybe I am a Whack-a-doodle. But I love Easter. Of course I forgot to take a picture of the basket of cookies before we left the house.

On Saturday we also decorated Easter eggs. Annamaria was under the impression that the egg dye was some type of yummy drink. Until she actually got away with a taste. I think the vinegar spiked water didn't appeal to her. But they had a great time none the less.

And yes, Sophia is wearing a Target bag over her shirt. She's getting too big for the cobblers my grandma made them to protect their clothes.

On Sunday we went to mass as usual, then came home, put the goodies together and headed over to our friends house. We had a massive egg hunt at their house, there were a dozen kids, and over 200 eggs. O-kay, so a third of those kids were mine, but that's still a lot of kids. And everyone had a good time.

Our friends had ham, another couple brought the potatoes, someone else brought the green bean casserole, and another some desserts. Of course I had to buy a ham too, especially since it was on sale, so we had our own post-Easter dinner last night. Now I just have to say something about the green bean casserole. I just don't get it. Why is it, that just about everyone serves the gloppy, pastey, goopy, tasteless green bean casserole? It seems to be tradition, and I know this "dish" is on millions of tables every Thanksgiving and Easter. But shouldn't something at least be good to be merited as "tradition"? Shouldn't it be something that you can at least look forward to eating? Canned green beans and condensed soup mix?

Really?

First of all canned green beans aren't any good anyway. I know, I know. I'm a snob, I grew up in a house of homemade, from scratch cooking, but just bear with me. Frozen green beans are just as easy to prepare as canned and so much better. Better looking and better nutrition I'm sure. I'm not such a snob that I don't resort to frozen when fresh aren't in season. And I certainly would never complain when in someone else's house about what is on the table, but I'm not about to serve something to my family or friends that could be used to seal envelopes. So when planning my post-Easter dinner I found a recipe for Green Bean Casserole that didn't involve anything premade, prepackaged, or condensed. And you know what? It was soooooo much better. And I felt good about my kids eating it. Which they did, with gusto. Now I'm not saying it was low-cal, but at least I knew what was in it. And it wasn't gray, and it didn't look like a failed science experiment. So to all of you whom I've offended because you love the "traditional" Green Bean Casserole, I'm sorry. But for those of you who would like to try something better, let me know, I'll send you the recipe.

O-kay, enough about my rant about preprocessed Green Bean Casserole. This was supposed to be about Easter, not bad food. My husband just pointed out that I'm still wearing the bunny ears I got for Annamaria for Easter. I put them on over an hour ago, and forgot they were still on my head. I bet the neighbors were laughing when I went out to check for the mail.

We both have a mouth full of Easter chocolate, like mother, like daughter.

Whack-a-doodle.

Big, Big News

No, Vince hasn't found a job yet. I told you I'd let you know, you wouldn't need to ask. And speaking of needing to ask, the other topic I said I'd tell you about has happened again.



Yep, Booth baby #5 is on it's way. Looks like we'll be having another December baby. Sophia is just besides herself. I wouldn't want to share my birthday, but apparently she's a better person than I am. Vince is beaming, and Harrison has been asking for a brother for some time now. So maybe he'll get his wish.



Hopefully Sophia will be out of her booster seat by then, or looks like we're going to have to get a bigger car. Again. There is no way we can fit three car seats in the back of the minivan.



Now if you're thinking there is no way they can be happy about this, just look at these faces . . .

And before you start thinking I've completely lost my mind, let me just say this one thing . . .

April Fool's!