Monday, March 31, 2008

2 Butterfly Cards

More cards for work.

The first one was a stamped "Happy Birthday" with embossed metallic powder.






Monday, March 24, 2008

Don't Call Me Martha

Easter Cross Stitch
Just because I spent the entire weekend washing floors, scrubbing toilets, doing laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting and shopping,

Just because I hand-made six family Easter cards,

Easter Card
Just because I decorated the house with baskets of eggs, bunnies and spring flowers,

Just because I blew out two dozen chicken eggs to decorate,

Just because I created little Spring Chicks for each place setting at our family dinner table,

Chicks Place Settings (Eggs decorated by Daughter)
Just because I organized an Easter egg hunt for daughter and her boyfriend,

Just because I put together Easter baskets for hubby and daughter,

Just because I made dyed devilled eggs, served on a platter with a matching larger Spring Chick,

My First Devilled Eggs
Just because I cooked a ten pound ham with a Merlot brown sugar glaze, scalloped potatoes, and all the trimmings for the family Easter dinner,

Easter Dinner 2008

And just because I set up Egg Decorating Class with Grandma and Grandpa after dinner,
Egg Decorating Class led by Daughter

Don't call me Martha.

In fact, don't call me at all today.

I've collapsed and am recuperating on the couch.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Good Friday Traditions

I really look forward to Easter... and no, it's not because I'm what you'd call Religious per se.

Unless you consider strictly adhering to two traditons a Religion, though.

Then I am. Oh yeah.

No, my giddiness involves two activites our family has upheld for years:

1) Painting Easter eggs.

Daughter's Easter EggA full-day affair; for we don't simply dip each egg in solid colors.

Oh no. I have to make it complicated, messy and time-consuming.

Daughter and I go full-out: I carefully blow out real chicken eggs for our Ukranian style decoration, using melted beeswax and six highly-stainable food dye colors.

All the while, futilely attempting to keep little feline paws OUT of the six highly-stainable food dye colors.

Yoda EggEach year I also hand-draw and paint a few eggs; using an airbrush, acrylic or even oil paint. I have done Star Wars eggs, Captain Jack Sparrow and cartoon eggs, whichever obsession er theme I decide upon that year.

Yup, they are works of art that I haul out of storage each year to display with pride.

Unless of course, they become sad victims of Feline Abuse... stealthly abducted from their basket on the table and batted about the floor until they are smashed into hundreds of tiny eggshell shards.

The other tradition?

2) Watching Jesus Christ Superstar.

Whilst trying, in vain, to NOT sing along to each and every line I know by heart.

At full volume.

To my family's horror.

I fell in love with this movie (and Ted Neeley) back in the early 70's when I first saw it in the theatre.

And since both daughter and I met "Jesus" after the stage show in 2007, it's a movie we hold near and dear to our hearts.

Actually, last year was my second time meeting Ted... back in the 90's I was ushered backstage to meet both he and Carl Anderson (RIP, Judas) too.

Hugs from Teddy in 2007
And I even admitted to him that during the show, I was singing along with every word.

At full volume.

Much to my family's horror.

Again.

My Magnolia Cards