As I'm preparing for the Easter Egg Hunt I realize that I'm not at all prepared this year...
Easter rushed up on me and I have left everything to the last minute!
Which is so out of character for me since I typically embrace each Holiday and Holy Day with gusto and draw it out for as long as possible... starting early... and putting it all away late. Being excessive in my Planning and Decorating... but not this Year!
This year there were so many things that I had Planned to do... including Mendhi & Mandala inspired Egg decorating... but I never even got around to boiling the eggs... I almost forgot to buy White Eggs in fact for dying & the fridge was filled with rich Brown ones!
But the G-Kids weren't complaining when I broke out just a sampling of the enormous stash of Plastic Eggs instead... 22 apiece... which might seem a lot to YOU, but for ME that is Minimizing considerably! *LOL*
Yeah, we'll dye the Real Deal later when we can do it properly and savor the experience... and have the whole Family together.
Because that was part of the problem for me too... The Man was going Treasure Hunting in the Desert with Friends on Good Friday and part of the Easter Weekend...
And we often share the G-Kids with extended Family during Holidays so the Young Prince was leaving Good Friday Afternoon to spend time with his Paternal side of the Family in the City for Easter.
Which meant preparing and giving him his Easter Basket & Goodies two days early... when I'm already running way behind schedule to organize anything! *Le Sigh* So there I was early Good Friday Morn after I got the G-Kids to School... madly making Easter materialize early! No easy feat since I am NOT a Morning Person & this was all happening before 7:30 A.M. ... after waking up at 5:30 A.M. on barely 3 hours of sleep!!! *Yawn*
Which he didn't mind at all because he had been fretting & obsessing over whether he'd have to wait until he got back to receive his Easter stash from us?!? *Insert incessant questions & whining from the G-Kid Force about "when" we'd DO Easter Fun since it would just be Princess T and I most of the Easter weekend!?* So Gramma's Promise that we'd do Easter Traditional Fun on Good Friday after School delighted him! Yes, this is him 'delighted'... he abhors Posing for Photos and so the Joy wanes to bare Tolerance as soon as Gramma has camera in hand! After all, my Pathological Picture Taking is Legendary!!! *LOL*
And of coarse this meant that Princess T also had to receive her Easter Basket & Goodies at the same time as her Brother now didn't it? Otherwise she would have fairly imploded with righteous indignation at the unfairness of it all! *Smiles*
And in stark contrast to her Big Brother she LOVES Posing for the Camera and "Voguing"... *LOL*
In fact she'll insist on having me wait until she puts more of her Bling on, restyles her hair & adjusts it "just so", changes Wardrobe, arranges Props and has several frames taken in various Poses that she'll critique as if she's expanding a Professional Modeling Portfolio & I'm the Hired Help!!! *LOL*
This one comes Alive in front of the Camera and yes, she's ALL Diva and most certainly her Mother's Child since her Mama has always been very much like this as well! Our Youngest Daughter is the Diva of all Divas! *Smiles* And at School today they had Created Bunny Ears and so that Prop had to be incorporated into the Photo Shoot. *LOL* It has a Violet Pom-Pom Tail on the back because this Princess only rolls in Vibrant Colors and her Creation will always be a Rainbow Bohemian Bunny. *Winks*
And I must say it was a positively GLORIOUS Day outside for an Easter Egg Hunt! Not too Hot, not too Cold, a Sunny, lightly Breezy Day that makes me glad we live in Arizona. Everything is in Bloom now as we usher in Spring... so the Fragrances and Visuals outside are Divine!
In previous years it can sometimes be quite Hot already here in the Desert... so we really appreciate these balmy mild Spring Days that are just right! It makes the Easter Egg Hunt more enjoyable since you can take your time and not worry about everything melting... including yourself! *Winks*
The Fresh Herb Pots were a favorite hiding place... since they are so Fragrant and lush, so hiding and hunting amongst them is Heavenly! And Princess T likes to take a nibble as she goes along, savoring all of the Fresh Herbs... especially the Mints and Basils. This Mint with the Orange Easter Egg hiding in it is Chocolate Mint & tastes just like those After Dinner Mints.
And the Spring Bulbs give off a heady, thick, Sweet Aroma... you can smell them from the Street in fact and the Fragrance seems to magnify at Night! Princess T is very OCD about what goes together and matches... and so she insisted on matching her Brother's Eggs that she was hiding with whatever they were going near!!! Yes... it took her much longer than the Young Prince to hide 22 Eggs indeed!!! He went inside and had some Peeps while he waited for her to finish hiding his! *LOL*
And coming back Outside high on a Peeps Sugar Blaze Rush he was discovering Eggs at lightening speed! *LOL*
Well... except for ONE that is... yes, this Year the Princess found ALL of her 22 Eggs first... and then we all had to help the Young Prince find that last missing Egg! Which she even forgot where she hid from him *LOL*... All she knew was that she hid it GOOD! *sMiLeS*
And that's typical for this Clan... in fact, we're still often finding Easter Eggs hidden from previous Years from time to time! *LOL*
Which is why we no longer use Real Eggs for the Egg Hunt... fierce Desert Heat + Rotten unfound boiled Easter Egg = Funky Aroma! *Smiles*
And we have an Acre... so in recent Years we've also narrowed the scope of WHERE on the Property the Egg Hunt shall be since I don't want to be Hunting down unlocated Eggs all Day and Night... or for days on end... *Smiles*
The G-Kids exchange each other's Baskets/Buckets and he hides hers on the West Side of the Front half of the Property...
And she hides his on the larger East Side of the Front half of the Property... since he's older it is necessary to make his more difficult or he's done in a flash...
And we no longer ask the Uncles and The Man to help with the Egg Hunt Hiding because the Menfolk get Crazy about where they hide these things and then nobody can EVER find them! *LOL* These would be the Eggs that we keep finding YEARS later my Friends... often faded & weathered by the elements much like these Old Bottles & Skullys! *Winks*
The G-Kids keep it Real when they're hiding the Eggs... after all... their attention span is like that of a Gnat... a Nanosecond at best... and so these Eggs have to be 'scored' in a relatively brief time or they simply lose interest! *Smiles*
But for the brief 20-30 Minutes it takes them to hide AND locate a couple dozen Eggs each, more or less, they're really into it...
And having a big time...
And it brings me great Joy to see them enjoying themselves so much...
And I always have to participate... since by the 16th Minute or so as the Hidden Eggs become scarcer, well, their enthusiasm wanes and so I have to bird dog for them and drop hints in order to find all the Eggs... before boredom and frustration sets in and tears are shed... mine and theirs! Okay, so I get fed up first I confess... *Winks*
And this year we found ALL of them... all 44 eggs. *Whoo Hoo!*
And a good time was had by all... and after all of the Festivities the Young Prince headed into the City for the Easter Celebrations at his Aunt, Paternal Gramma & Dad's Homes...
And Princess T and I will be having our own Grand Time now that it's just us Gals! Can you say
S-H-O-P-P-I-N-G!? *Winks* Yes, Thieves Market is where we shall be heading this Morning with the BFF for a Girl's Day Out Junquing...
And here at the Bohemian Valhalla Residence we're now all stocked up with Treats... {I "Heart" this 'Graffitti' Taffy, so Colorful & Tasty... and check out the English Silver Urn I 'scored' to put it in... for only $2.99!!!}
Well, for a brief interlude anyway... Treats never last long around here with this Crew... *LOL* See... they're already disappearing as we speak! {Compare Treat levels in Silver Candy Urn from previous Photo to this Photo... LOL* And this was just in a matter of MOMENTS!!! *Smiles*
And did you notice my most recent Sweet Easter 'Score'? This ADORABLE Collectible Easter Chick all decked out in Boheme' Style by "Katherine's Collectibles" hand painted in the Philippines & signed...
And at a mere $1.50 I only wish there had been more at the Thrift I found this wee Treasure at!!! LOVE IT!!!
And now as the Seasons change it's time for another Banner Change... so out with the Old and in with the New...
And please join us for loads of Vintage Easter Inspiration at Debra's Blog Party over at COMMON GROUND.
Easter Blessings from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian