buona pasqua!

yes-there was a holly hobby craze going on in the spring of 1977. my mom made me this outfit. and that is my little brother (who i am actually taller than in this photo!) patrick.

here is to hoping you all have a wonderful easter-with easter baskets full of peeps!

and that we take time to remember that the tomb was empty.

what not to do to eggs...

DO NOT...

...wrap plastic eggs in fuzzy yard. i know it sounds really cool, but it ends up looking like a cat threw up.

...wrap plastic eggs in twine and spray paint. even if it is blue ocean breeze. what worked well for christmas balls, doesnt really look all that great as easter eggs.

get some cool sparkley eggs from the dollar tree, start hot gueing them to a styrofoam ball and realize that  you need more. then forget about the project for a week (maybe 2) and finally go back to the dollar tree for more and...SURPRISE! they are sold out! no stores have them!

then you are stuck just throwing them into a jar (after ripping them off of the ball because you dont want to waste the ball) because they are sparkley and pretty and all.

just warning you now...

















i also linked up with someday crafts and the shabby chic cottage and tea rose home  and its so very cheri

guess what i did instead of cleaning yesterday...

i am certain ALL of  you in blog land saw this from MADE yesterday.

i think it went viral.

all i know is that it made me hungry.

i used pretty much the same instructions (because i am a copy cat...bunny...whatever) except i used a zig-zag stitch all the way around the peep.

no reason, i just like that stitch and use it whenever possible.

and i hot glued my peeps to the ribbon.

i do love the hot glue.

so here is my story that goes with peeps.

back in high school, my best friend was heather (h.d. for short). we did so much together people thought we were related. (see photo-we DO NOT look like we come from the same family at all)

here is a photo of us about 1988 in the district (washington dc). that is my brother aaron in the middle (getting squished) and patrick getting kicked in the face.

anyways, we loved peeps. and phar-more was having an after easter sale of the 12 packs of peeps...

10 for $1!

I KNOW!

we used all of our money (maybe $10) and brought them home to get stale.

and yes, we ate every. last. one.

and got so freakin' sick.

i seem to remember someone asking for some malox late one night.

(that might have been me)

that hasnt stopped me from loving them. one year for easter, chris got me about 10 packs for myself!

best. easter. ever. (this was before kids and i didnt have to sare with ANYONE!)

so thanks MADE, you made my day!

here comes peter cottentail...

it all started with this little bunny in an etsy store. of course i fell in love! i mean, with the stenciling on the burlap-could that bunny get any sweeter!?

then...oopsey daisy made one here.

so of course, instead of cleaning before in my free time before chris came home from a business trip, i made a few!
i pretty much followed what 'daisy' said, except i was able to sew across the top after filling mine with beans.
i didnt sew the ears together, but i did hot glue them. (we had 5 or more kids in the house. i loose count after awhile)

and instead of useing a stamp pad, i used my good old cover girl pink blush. it looks good on everyone!

the sad thing is, i made these to give to some friends, but that might not happen now. they are just too cute.

and im out of supplies. (i know-out of burlap!? wtfreak?!)

so thank you oopsey daisy for the instructions (because we all know that i'm not very creative AT ALL. but i am a good copier!).

**oh and on the 'red' one, i used one of those elastic bands that are on the inside of pants for kids. you know, the bands that make a size 10 slim even skinner (and they still fall off). the pants were distroyed and i scavaged everything i could. i'm so freakin' thrifty. or weird. (please no comments on the weird part)**

update...i DID end  up giving my little bunnies away. but they went to wonderful homes! here is what summer posted on facebook for the universe to see...Beth Anne is one of the craftiest, sweetest people around. I am so lucky to share in her wonderfulness :)

i also wanted to show what happens when you are on the phone with your little brother and are trying to sew split green peas into a burlap bag. there are many many more on the floor.

so for the love of pete, stay off the phone when you sew these little guys together!

Buona Pasqua! (happy easter to all you americans)

so many things to love about easter! the most obvious is spring is right around the corner. but you also have my birthday (38 days people). an the real reason why easter is celebrated...easter bread. (ok, that is a joke!)

if you havent had easter bread (cosuppa), well then i feel sorry for you.

this is one of the best breads ever! ok-and i will say it-it rivals jeansoyke bread!

which, when you think about it, it really isnt a fair contest. being that this bread IS italian and all.

i remember growing up and rolling the dough on the table at nana's home. i also remember the adults getting to eat it with breakfast with their coffee/tea. but the kids had to eat a real breakfast first.

let me put this out in the universe right now-

if my kids want easter bread for breakfast-

they shall have it!

(the top photo is of my cousin jackie, she was maybe 5 or 6, rolling the dough on nana's table. you can see some of the bread resting on the counter. the bottom photo is of her now with snookie from the show 'jersey shore'. she has grown up quite a bit.)

1 package Rapid Rise yeast

1.25 cups scalded milk, cooled to room temperature

pinch of salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup sugar

3.5 cups flour-maybe more, maybe less
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon of water

in a large mixer bowl, combine yeast, warm  milk, salt, butter, eggs and sugar. add about half the flour and beat until smooth with dough hook. (fyi-this will get really high in your kitchen aid mixer!)

add the remaining flour to form a stiff dough. just keep adding until the dough is not sticky anymore. keep mixing is smooth (like silk my great grandma used to say) with either dough hook attachment. im sure you could knead by hand, i remember nana doing that. put in a greased bowl, cut a cross on the top of the bread with a knife cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. (the whole cutting a cross in it is from my greatgrandma, and although im no longer catholic, i have done that. im NOT messing with tradition!)punch dough down, divide into 12 pieces. roll each piece to form a 1 inch thick rope about 12-14 inches long and, taking three (or 2) pieces, braid. you can make a circle or just lay in a loaf.  you can also put an egg (UNCOOKED) in it. (ok, summer, it WILL cook while the bread is cooking. trust me!)

place on a greased baking sheet. cover and let rise until double, about an hour again. brush each bread with beaten egg wash. n the middle of each bread ring, gently place an Easter egg, making an indentation with the egg. the egg needs to be UNCOOKED. (ok, summer, it WILL cook while the bread is cooking. trust me! i know how you are!)
bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. let cool.

we always ate with a layer of thick butter. mmmm....
DISCLOSURE! this isnt one i made! i found this photo of the interwebs.

please tell me i am NOT the only one...

who wants this!

(thank you potterybarnkids.com for the photo)
at $34 for the small and $89 for the big one, i dont see that happening.
i am trying to take time and figure out a way for me to make one. but i bet you someone out in blogland already has...