I wasn't going to write today, but then decided to go ahead because we had such a good day, I wanted to share it with you.
It all started when my alarm went off at 7:45 this morning. Yes, that is very early for me, especially on a Sunday. But it was for a good cause - I had to start the ham cooking. I was trying a new recipe this year (one which said it was 'quick and easy' but was going to take over 4 hours to prepare). I should have known right then and there not to go down that road, but, noooooooo. I had to try it out. First, I throw a variety of veggies, fruits, and spices into a stockpot with the ham, get it to a boil, then let it simmer (for 20 minutes for each pound of ham) however long is needed - in this case, 3 hours. That's why I wanted it on around by 9, so it could cook while we went to church, and I could take the next step when we got back. Seemed like decent timing to me. It took me a while, almost half an hour, to get all the veggies/fruits quartered, peeled, sliced, etc. and into the stockpot so I could get it all going. The spices were no problem.
Then it was time for showers, dressing up, a bit of make-up for me (just eyeshadow, don't worry!), and off we went - a little early for a change. This is Easter, and it's not a bad idea to get there early on Easter Sunday. The parking lot was already about a quarter full! Trust us, it's usually not that full when we get there on a normal Sunday. By the time Mass started, church was overflowing (all except the front rows - no one wants to sits there) and that's so wonderful to see. It's so sad that it only happens twice a year.
After church, we had to stop and get gasoline for Ron, either lawnmower or motorcycle, I'm not sure which. The car smelled wonderful on the way home...
When we got home, we hopped into gear. I had a list ready of things to do. 1. Hide eggs outside. These are the plastic eggs that the generous Easter Bunny puts money (some bills, some change), and candy into and hides in the front yard. He can't hide them the night before, and this must be done before Corgan gets there, which today is going to be 1, so we have a bit of time to get this work done (thanks to prior planning). 2. Cut flowers. These are daffodils from the front hill that I am going to use in a centerpiece once Jean gets here with the daffodils she has cut from theirs. I think they'll make a pretty little centerpiece! Luckily, this task only takes a couple of minutes. 3. Ham. Since it was done in the stockpot, I had to take it out, peel the skin but not the fat (yeah, right), then score it. I could not do this peeling. I could not. Ron came and did this for me, but it was not a fun job for him, either. This 'skin' is not loose in any way, and does not come off easily at all. And as you cut it off, the fat comes with it. It was a very frustrating job.
After scoring it, the next step is rubbing it with brown sugar, then pouring honey over it, then sticking whole cloves into each crosscut.
Finally, I could get it into the oven to brown/glaze. Finally!
We went outside to wait for the family then, because it was getting mighty close to 1. It was so nice to be able to relax for a few minutes and not have to think of anything at all, to just enjoy the sunshine and to be able to sit outside for a change.
They pull in, Corgan starts finding eggs, Chelle and I start taking pictures. What else are family get-togethers for? After Corgan finds the whole dozen, we sit on the front step so he can open them and see what wonders are inside them. Besides his favorite Warheads candy (which will not be in his basket), he had 2 eggs full of change - just silver change - he had 2 $1 bills, a $5 bill, and a $20 bill!! Wow!
Then we all went into the house - oh, no! Brown Sugar! We smell Brown Sugar burning as soon as we walk in! Yuck! I rush and turn the oven off.
Chelle and I get ready to take pictures of our Spock child when he sees what the Easter Bunny did on the kitchen table. I don't know why we put ourselves through that every year, but we do. I guess we are hoping one time, we WILL catch a reaction. He came in, and we got the everyone looking at/in their baskets going.
We enjoying digging in our baskets for a little while, then Josh started walking into the living room and calling out that he sees an egg, and here's another one, so Corgan went into the living room and found all the eggs (the real hard-boiled eggs) that the Easter Bunny hides in there. The EB gets a little smart when these are hidden - a list is written, just in case one can't be found. Corgan did a good job this year. He found all but 5 before he even mentioned that he couldn't find any more. Then he insisted that he didn't need any hints or help but wanted to look some more. He's funny - if that were true, why'd he mention it? He did find a couple more, his dad helped him find one, and I had to give him hints on the last two. He found the one, but just couldn't find the last one, so I got it out for him. He was very indignant and wanted to know "why would an egg be hidden there?" We all just laughed at him. Yeah, why would the EB hide an egg somewhere? Why?
We finished clearing off the table and put the ham (and my pretty little centerpiece) on the table and had our real Easter Dinner. Yep, ham sandwiches. That was it. Of course, you could have your choice of white, wheat, or rye bread, so it wasn't a 'normal' meal.
They tried to fly the kite, but the wind just wouldn't cooperate, so they had to give that up.
Then, they flew the plane. That sucker was cool! And it was made so that if it crashed, it broke apart, so when it hit the ground, that was pretty cool, too. It caught what small wind there was, and glided on drifts, and went on and on like a dream. When it landed on its belly like it was supposed to, it was sweet.
Then out came the basketball hoop. Corgan has definitely improved since the last time I saw him play basketball! Ron even got out a second basketball and was trying to make baskets, too. I truly never thought I'd see that day - Ron shooting baskets. Amazing.
It didn't last long. Ron - old man Grandpa, you know - got tired and quit, and no one else would play, so away went to hoop (it rolls), and now Josh and Corgan started playing their little version of backyard baseball.
It was quite an afternoon! Kites, planes, basketball, baseball. I just sat and watched, taking pictures the whole time. I still got tired. But it was a very nice afternoon to sit outside, and it was fun to watch the guys be energetic, and it was very nice to just have an afternoon to sit all day, basically, and not have to worry about the things we usually have to worry about. I can go back to that tomorrow!
They all left around 5 - Chelle was tired, she had worked this morning - and Ron and I just chilled for the rest of the evening. I got on the pute for a while, then we played some mini-golf on the Wii, then he went on to bed and I got back on the pute. I wasn't going to go on MFP, but then I did - I figured why ruin my twenty-some day streak I had going? So, I figured I would ballpark 2000 calories for my candy, then add my ham sandwich and boom there it is. Yep, totally sucky day, but what do you expect for Easter?
I sincerely hope your Easter was as peaceful and as blessed as mine (ours) was.
And on a super, super good note - I have my car back and can go as needed, and I used the last of my Christmas stamps mailing out my bills for this week! I love it when things fall into place at Eastertime...
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