Easter

We enjoyed our church's Easter service on Saturday evening, which was convenient since we were hosting Sunday.
 

Easter Sunday...

My family came over, and I made a couple of quiches like last year, and they brought veggies. Stace cooked up a ham steak for those who must have ham on Easter.

Egg hunt time...

Also, ripe blueberry time!

And, a handful played croquet.

It seemed like the right day for Stace to teach Cora how to drive a stick shift...

...although he might have traumatized her by taking her out on the main road, where she had to immediately start the car on a hill coming out of a dead stop, at a traffic signal. Poor girl.

Easter Sunday

We celebrated Easter Sunday with worship at church and family time at home. 

So thankful for Christ's Resurrection and what it means for us today!

Ellie came over for a while prior to the rest of the family, while Melanie and Nick looked at a new (used) van. 

We got out the girls' Calico Critters, and she had a blast. I'm so glad we saved so much - Ellie is at the perfect age to enjoy it all.
 

I made an Easter brunch this year, because with the ongoing work around the house, I didn't have it in me to cook a roast dinner. 

The girls had an egg hunt - even the young adult - because why pass up little goodies? 

Grandma Easter Bunny brought baskets, as well. 

Happy Easter!

Easter Break

The girls are now on Spring Break, and this year, the first weekend of break included Easter Sunday.

Melanie and Nick are on a trip with Ellie, so instead of making a big meal, we decided to eat out at Route 66. This is where we had our rehearsal dinner more than 20 years ago. 

Here, the girls are opening their Easter goodies from Grandma.

Violet brought her iPad with her to draw while we waited. 

On our way home, we stopped at a boba place that normally would be way out of our way. Whoa, it was pricey, but I guess we can consider it part of our Easter treats. The drinks were pretty and tasty.

I managed to do a tiny bit of seasonal decorating and figured out some basket fun for the girls.

The weather was rainy off and on, so we didn't get to church in person, but watched online. I was able to get in a quick canyon walk during a rain break, and it was beautiful!

On Saturday, we had dinner at Rigo and Colleen's, and after dinner, we took a walk around Val Verde. In a field, a resident has quite a collection of old cars!

Lazy mornings on days off school are the best...especially with a kitty sleeping on your legs...

...or in your arms.

Family, Friends and Felines

JT and Callie and Jonah stopped by for dinner on their way home from a road trip, and Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty made their famous pizza for us all. While that was happening, JT helped Cora with lines for her next play, And Then There Were None.

Later, we had a lovely evening with a fire in the fire pit. 

On Saturday, Uncle Bill helped Stace change the brakes on the Vibe. It's always great spending time with them!

A few days later was Easter, and Mel, Nick and Ellie met us at church. We then went into the church coffeehouse for a drink before heading home to get ready for our meal.

I should have taken a photo of our beautiful lamb! Aunt Patty cooked it perfectly on the barbecue and it was amazing. And this time, Stace's yorkshires were divine. 
 

These guys! Waiting for their third set of grandparents to give them love and treats...

Hey, you're kinda too big to be a lap cat!

Easter Weekend

Over Easter weekend, we babysat Ellie on Saturday when both Melanie and Nick were working. She enjoyed a couple of trips to our little park - nice to see another generation playing there!

Cora set a very bad example.

On Easter Sunday, after church we went to Loaf Bakery for some treats before later heading to Grandma and Grandpa's for a family meal.

Are my girls too old for an Easter egg hunt? NOPE!

Especially not when some of the eggs had quarters and $5 bills inside!

It was a nice time together.
 

Easter Sunday

We celebrated Easter with church and family on Sunday, including a little backyard egg hunt. 

Here, Melanie is showing Eloise a tiny pompom chick toy.

Ellie also got to meet the mice properly - she touched Copper so gently, with one baby finger. So cute!

Violet took it upon herself to fill the eggs - it's lovely that she's still excited for egg hunts!

Such a cutie!

My dad recently found a bin of old photos and memorabilia from his parents, including this fabulous photo of newlywed Grandma and Grandpa and some of his Navy buddies. It was taken at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., but no date is listed. The friends signed it, and Grandpa wrote "Your undeserving husband Jerry." Grandma wrote, "me!!!" Such a great snapshot of young love in the early 1940s.

Dad also found a folder with Christmas letters they wrote to the family in Michigan not long after they moved to California in the 1960s. I deeply enjoyed reading my Grandma's humor as she updated their loved ones on their lives, including my elementary-school-aged Dad.

Stace and Lisa at Easter, 2021

I convinced Violet and Cora to wear dresses to church, since it was Easter Sunday. And I even managed to get a photo back home, before Cora changed back into her normal clothes.

They get along so well most of the time! Emphasis on "most."

Easter Fun

 Easter Sunday 2020, quite a different holiday this year!

Perhaps because of the weirdness, I made sure we did all the Easter things - we got dressed nicely, took part in worship (online), dyed eggs, had an egg hunt, ate a nice meal and connected with family.

We even had a visit from the Easter Bunny!

And it ended up being a lovely day.

My mom dropped off Easter baskets, and I added a few things to them. Violet and Stace made lemon cookies Saturday, and when Stace noted that he'd love some hot cross buns, Violet got busy with the red icing.

Thanks to a great idea from my friend Jen, I set up a different kind of egg hunt this year. I created a word scramble hunt, with a paper with one letter folded into each egg. 

 The girls had to find the eggs, and then put them into color groups, and then unscramble the words to find a clue about where their prize was.

Chocolate coins to share!

 We also chatted with Nan and Pop and Dean, Jenny, Euan and Livi, and the girls were pleased to get some Easter money from Nan and Pop.

 These paint markers and stencils were in their Easter baskets, so they did some coloring.

More coloring - this time, with dye and eggs.

 Their eggs turned out so pretty! And our dinner was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

We were "joined" for dinner by lots of friends. Meetings over Zoom have become the rage this quarantine season.

Later, we played Jackbox with my parents and Mel and Nick, using Facebook messenger's video chat feature.

So, all in all, it was a fabulous Easter!