a glorious Easter (m)

If I could have scripted a day for Easter it would have gone like yesterday.  The weather was drop dead gorgeous.  Even better than Saturday...abundant sunshine, gentle breeze, dry.  We decided to take advantage of the day and moved the party outdoors.  Sam came from school with his friend, J, and my great friend Abby's daughter, M.  It was extra special having them join us.  My brother Phil's family was there (and the little devil dog, too) along with my nephew's girlfriend, L, and my mother and two aunts.  We missed my brother Joe and his family who are vacationing in Mexico.  We didn't show my mother the pictures of him zip-lining in Cancun, four weeks after his heart procedure.

I had been preparing all week.  The menu, the shopping, the cleaning, the decorating.  My mother accused me of putting most of my energy into the Easter egg hunt and she was correct.  It's my favorite thing to do.

Harrison mixed up a pitcher of Margharitas (pour the mix in, add ice, run the blender) and served it up to the aunts and my mother.  After a full drink and one hour in the sun, one of the aunts fell asleep and we moved her to the sunroom to take a nap.  She later said it was the best nap she's had in a while.

Here was the menu:

Appetizers

Shrimp cocktail
Veggies and yogurt dip
Cheese and cracker assortment
Deviled eggs

Main course

Filet mignon on the grill
Baked ham
Green beans almondine
Mashed potatoes and gravy (requested by the kids/easy to chew for the elders)
Butternut Squash (easy to chew)
Caesar Salad
Tomato and Mozzarella salad
Soft rolls/butter

Dessert

Fresh fruit salad
Carrot Cake (from the bakery that was voted "best wedding cake" by the Today Show)
Cupcakes (made by my mother)
Sugar Cookies (ditto)
Toll House Cookies (ditto)
Haagen Daz ice creams
Ricotta pie (the aunts brought this)

As usual, we had too much and I have a lot of leftovers which I will pack up today and bring to someone.

The hunt was hugely successful.  My husband hid the eggs (about 200) and belabored the explanation of the prize structure before the contestants broke into a run.  The age range is 16-26 but they acted like eager ten year-olds.  Harrison won the grand prize and magnanimously gave it to Abby's daughter, M, who couldn't run because her arm is in a sling from recent surgery.  Nevertheless, she went home with Frankie the Fish from the McDonald's Filet O' Fish commercial.  He sings the song, too.

The fresh air did us all good.  We relaxed, talked a lot and took out my wedding album for M to see her mother who was my Maid of Honor.  We all decided that M looks exactly like her mother.  My own mother got a little teary-eyed and said to me "It was like it was yesterday that Abby came to our house for Easter dinner.  She was the same age as M is now."

I can't remember a more relaxing family holiday.

I know I won't forget this one.