How to Have a Happy Easter Sunday

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceuavslerPthlXx_ps0CkH7CgtlW6Hb3MWkbdzkuts1TGJX2zniEEAMOrGIJEurG-p8f9N5zVE-5ZNQUFJiFCrjwGorAlkQQr1qPSGTIHwTchdbx8uMGIeCgdN6_3BFPonyLm7u2_H0c/s1600/Easter_Activities_fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhceuavslerPthlXx_ps0CkH7CgtlW6Hb3MWkbdzkuts1TGJX2zniEEAMOrGIJEurG-p8f9N5zVE-5ZNQUFJiFCrjwGorAlkQQr1qPSGTIHwTchdbx8uMGIeCgdN6_3BFPonyLm7u2_H0c/s1600/Easter_Activities_fun.jpg" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <i>What are your favorite Easter memories from your childhood? Hunting for Easter eggs? Chomping down on marshmallow peeps? Biting the ears off your Easter bunnies?</i></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Or maybe the most magical part was the preparation: painting those eggs, and anticipating the candy you'd get. The Easter basket, with green grass and chocolate bunnies...maybe a stuffed chick or even a real duckling!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> I'm sure you'd like to recreate some of those fond memories for your family and especially your kids. So here are a few tips to help you make that happen.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> For many families, Easter is about their faith, but that won't stop anyone from enjoying Easter egg hunts and Easter candy as a secular celebration. Easter is a day of joy, and the colorful eggs and accessories of traditional Easter serve to enhance that sense of joy in the essence of Spring and rebirth.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> For kids, or course, some of the appeal of Easter lies in the fact that it is yet another holiday where they expect to get lots of chocolates, candies, and other treats. And for the purposes of this report, we'll focus on the fun aspects of Easter, along with its joyousness. You can have a happy Easter, celebrating Springtime and its beauty and freedom, without focusing entirely on sugary stuff.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>Easter is a Family Affair</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Families vary in how they like to celebrate Easter. So you get to pick just how you'd like to celebrate. But in spite of the individual differences, there are a lot of themes in common as well. Here are some of the standard ingredients:</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>a) Treats</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Easter is (for many folks) about treats...and key among the treats are Easter eggs. It's not Easter unless lots of eggs are tucked into the basket, along with a variety of other candy. And about those eggs... there are so many different kinds, from chocolate eggs with and without filling, candy eggs, marshmallow eggs, and yes, even hard-boiled eggs that have been decorated brightly to add to the cheer.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Peeps, preferably in various shapes and colors, are a must as well, as are jelly beans, which really look like miniature eggs.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Some families even have their own special baked goods for Easter, which can range from special breads to cookies to fancy cakes with colorful Easter decorations. My mother used to bake each of us a cake in the shape of either Easter bunnies and Easter lambs! Some years, she let us pick which one we wanted.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>b) Parades</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> If there's an Easter parade in town or even nearby, be sure to take the kids, and snap plenty of pictures. If you go, you should be sure to get (or create) some special Easter bonnets for everyone, as there are often competitions for the best Easter bonnet at these events.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> For example, Richmond, Virginia, has a special Easter parade, fittingly called "Easter on Parade," that turns Monument Avenue, a gorgeous tree-lined Avenue with beautiful old homes and monuments into a temporary playground for Richmond's citizens, who wander up and down, showing off their bonnets -- and their decorated dogs. There are contests for best bonnets, both for humans and for their canine friends.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Meanwhile, there's music playing all along the Avenue, and lots of fancy crafts as well as yummy goodies are for sale. There are also games for kids. Parades like this one can make for very special memories.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Children always love Egg Hunts, which many towns, villages or institutions will organize on Easter weekend, so if you have a chance to take the kids to an Egg Hunt near where you live, they'll have a blast. If not, you can always hide eggs and candies tucked into colorful plastic eggs around the house or outside in the garden, weather-permitting.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>Getting ready for Easter: Painting Easter Eggs</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> One of the most cherished Easter traditions, other than actually getting and eating the candy, involves painting Easter eggs.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> You have two options: You could paint hard-boiled eggs and then eat them later, or you could remove the eggs' contents and paint the shells to use for decorations.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> In fact, you may want to do both. You can always make a brunch frittata from the contents of the hollowed-out eggs, and then use them to create pretty center pieces once you've painted them.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> In order to create those centerpieces, you could simply get Easter baskets and arrange the eggs prettily in the "grass." Or you could get a few branches, either with or without leaves, and decorate them with your colorfully painted egg shells. Of course there are plenty of additional possibilities, from creating a mobile and hanging it from the ceiling, to decorating a wreath with eggs and displaying it on the front door or in the hallway.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> The painted hard-boiled eggs, on the other hand, will be part of the Easter baskets meant for consumption, and they can also be hidden for the Easter egg hunt. Just make sure the kids find them all, or else you'll have some mighty foul odors coming from their hiding places a few weeks down the road.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> So how can you color your eggs? Once you have your "canvas" prepared, the process is easy.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> First, you need to decide whether you want to give your eggs a solid color base. If so, you can color them in a bath of food color.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Next, you get some special Easter egg decorating tools, and paint away. It's entirely up to you whether you want to create a designer work of art, geometric shapes, or little bunny images. You can also incorporate stickers and special Easter egg "tattoos." If you are coloring eggs with your kids, encourage their creativity, and above all, have fun!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>Getting Ready for Easter: Shopping for Candy</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> It seems that every year there are more options. It's hard to decide what to get anymore.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> A few decades ago, the choices were pretty clear. There were chocolate Easter bunnies, chocolate eggs, candy eggs, basic yellow marshmallow peeps, jelly beans, and those Cadbury cream eggs.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Now, the selection has grown in every direction.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Where there were only yellow chick peeps, peeps now come in a range of colors, including pink, blue, and purple. There are also bunnies in various electric colors. And yes, you can even buy sugar-free peeps for those of us who must avoid eating sugar.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Next, you can select from a huge range of other candy in all sorts of shapes and sizes, from egg-shaped candies with creamy fillings in strawberry, raspberry, and coconut flavor, just for starters.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> And then, you can get Easter bunnies and related critters in all sizes, from pocket size all the way to bunnies big enough to dwarf your toddler.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Some of the smaller chocolate bunnies also come with fillings, from marshmallow to peanut butter and more.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> How do you select the ones your kids will enjoy most? You can ask them, take them shopping with you, get one of each and take notes for the coming year, or buy a really big Easter basket so you can fit in a huge assortment of the options.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Speaking of baskets -- the choice will also depend on whether you're going to compose the baskets yourself, or whether you're going to give the kids baskets filled with fake grass that they will fill as they hunt down their goodies all over the house -- or garden.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Be sure to hold a few items back in case the outcome of the hunt is too uneven, so you can sneak a few extra eggs into the "loser's" basket to avoid tears.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> It's Not ALL About Food! What Else Can You Put In An Easter Basket?</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Some parents may shudder at the thought of the Halloween-like candy overload that could result from Easter baskets limited to edible treats. So what else could you include?</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Just about anything you like, really, as long as the kids will enjoy it.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> From CDs to games to books, to cute little notebooks, pens, and erasers, you could really include anything that would make a good stocking stuffer. It's just that for Easter, it will go inside a basket.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> You could even include small clothing items or accessories, from socks to hair decorations, jewelry, and more.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> And don't forget gifts for the parents and friends. Here, you definitely don't have to restrict yourself to bunnies and candy, though feel free to include them, along with a choice piece of jewelry, a new watch, or a neat new electronic gadget and even new earphones in Easter-egg colors.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> And of course, no one has decreed that all the bunnies have to be edible. Some kids will enjoy bunnies that will be their pals for months and even years to come. In fact, a few people take the "pals" literally and give live bunnies and even chicks. That's not always a good idea, especially to other people's children. Be sure to check with the parents -- they may not appreciate the extra work. If you'd enjoy baby bunnies, remember they grow up and become big rabbits, and even more bunnies, if you don't watch out!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>Preparing an Easter Feast</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> There are no real rules for what to serve for an Easter feast. Unlike Thanksgiving, Easter doesn't usually call for Turkey. Instead, many families prepare a big ham, or rack of lamb, or maybe a rib roast. But it's really up to you what you and your family enjoy - a vegetarian brunch might suit you better.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Instead of including a recipe here, I'd like to encourage you to prepare your family favorites. There is something very comforting in gathering around the traditional feast each year.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> When it comes to desserts though, feel free to get creative and include some new elements or decorations. Unless you have a favorite dessert that's an absolute must-have.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>What To Do About All Those Hard-Boiled Eggs After Easter?</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> It's actually kind of funny that there are basically three kinds of eggs that make up the Easter repertoire: chocolate eggs, candy eggs, and hard-boiled eggs.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> And of course we won't have to worry about what to do about the first two categories -- they'd keep for weeks, if necessary. But it's not likely that they survive that long.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Instead, it's the hard-boiled eggs. Once the novelty of the decorations has worn off, there are bound to be left-overs in baskets around the house.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> So gather them up and incorporate them into your meals.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Here are a few ideas for what to do with all those eggs:</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>a) Deviled eggs</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Cut them in half, mix up the yolks with your favorite combination of mustard, mayo, relish, and your favorite spices, and fill them back into the egg white halves. Serve chilled.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>b) Sliced eggs as sandwich toppings</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Just slice your eggs and use them to top sandwiches.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>c) Egg salad</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> Chop up the eggs, mix with mayo, mustard, and onions, or anything else you'd like to include, and serve as a dip or on sandwiches.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <b>d) Other salads</b></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> You can also serve them chopped up on chef salads and in potato salads. You can combine egg slices with spinach and make a hot dressing. Just get creative!</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> There's no limit to what you can do. Take the ideas I suggested and build on them. Consider your family's preferences and be sure to get everybody's favorites, but also add a few potential new favorites to the mix.</blockquote> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: https://goo.gl/IjzbSl</span></div> </div>

Easter Sunday Entertainment How to Have a Happy Easter Sunday

What are your favorite Easter memories from your childhood? Hunting for Easter eggs? Chomping down on marshmallow peeps? Biting the ea...

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