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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A "Grand" Parade

Our Easter parade took place in the front yard, starring our "grands".



Gaige forgot to wear his cool new shades that he found in his Easter basket at home and had sun grins. It didn't hamper him from finding lots of eggs in his fancy Kroger "basket" though.



















Lauren is sporting her new glasses that change in the sun. She just started wearing them recently to correct a lazy eye. She only wanted the real Easter eggs and not the fake plastic ones...even though the fake ones had real candy and money hidden inside.
















Nathan couldn't wait to run to the next hiding spot and he brought along his own Easter bunny to help find the eggs.


Kaitlyn didn't care which kind of eggs she found as long as she got her equal share.















Matthew was soooo excited! His mommy would throw a plastic egg near him where he could easily find it, and he would squeal with delight every time! It was the cutest thing















The lame cake that I threw together at the last minute. I only had about two hours after arriving home from Cincinnati to get the house cleaned and the food started before the family showed up!



The bouquet of daffodils that David picked for me from the woods between the front yard and the road. Don't pay any attention to the browned edges of some of them. That happened because I had to dowse the flowers in cold water to get all the little black bugs off them! There were hundreds of them!

34 comments:

California Girl said...

You're the first blogger to post a pic of Peeps! (Like that?) That probably should have been the TT for last week, "Peeps".

Anyway, adorable grandchildren. What fun to get to hide eggs all over again. Miss when my boys were little. sniff.

Deborah said...

Great pictures of happy, happy kids, Susan! And your cake was NOT lame!

Lucky you to have your grandkids around you like that. I'm not sure I'll ever have any, which right now I think is OK, because I don't know any better...

Gorgeous closeup of the daffodils. They are such unpretentious things.

The Bumbles said...

That's funny - our nieces and nephews had fancy brown plastic grocery bags for baskets on their egg hunt too! Practical but not as pretty for photos as Matthew's real basket.

When I was littel I only remember the real eggs that we had dyed being hidden. One year we had to do the hunt inside due to the weather (it was only ever me and my brother - we grew up away from our extended family) and we missed one of the eggs. Boy do eggs stink when they've been forgotten about! After that we used plastic eggs - but there was never any money or candy in them. Just the thrill of the hunt.

I love your Peeps decor on your cake. Very cute.

Wanda..... said...

That lame cake looks pretty good to me, Susan! Wasn't it pleasant weather that we had for Easter!?
You have beautiful grandkids, they are at a wonderful age. My nine are between 7 and 23!
...Wanda

Char said...

what fun shots!!! they are so beautiful.

and i adore peeps so the cake looks yummy to me!

A Box of Chocolates said...

oh wow what beautiful grandchildren what fun you had and i love the daffodils how amazing they grow wild for you fantastic

Susan said...

Cali Girl, hey, maybe I should start a blog about nothing but Peeps! I could call it 'Bleeper'! ;) They usually have a Peeps contest in our paper using them to create dioramas. There are some really creative people out there! Don't know why they didn't have it this year.

Fortunately all the big "kids" hide all the eggs. I get to just sit back and enjoy the show!

Susan said...

Thank you, Deborah. Those happy grandchildren are what keeps us here. We couldn't bear to be apart from them very long...at least in this stage of their lives. Maybe when they're teenagers and we're no longer the wonderful heroes and are just old farts to them!

Daffodils make such great picture subjects!

Susan said...

Molly, I felt kind of bad about the Kroger bags, but I just didn't have the time to go around the house and empty out all my little baskets. I know I should buy "real" Easter baskets, but it would be just one more thing I would have to find room for in storage.

When I was little, I don't think there were any plastic eggs available! Yes, those lost eggs really do stink, but it makes it easier to find them. With a dog in the house you never have to worry about that! lol

Thanks! I loves me some Peeps!

Susan said...

Wanda, thank you! It didn't taste half bad. It was an angel food cake from Kroger, layered with strawberries mixed with Cool Whip/cream cheese and covered with the CW mixture. I got a little too much cream cheese though, so it looked like white molten lava. It was tasty.

I can imagine the fun you had when all your grands were little! And still do, I'm sure!

Susan said...

Char, thank you! I've learned that there is no in-between on the subject of Peeps...people either love 'em or hate 'em! They're really good toasted on a stick, too!

My husband took all the outside pictures, and he doesn't have the patience with a camera that I do.

Susan said...

Kim, you are so sweet! I really wish the daffodils grew wild, but I was the fortunate recipient of the previous owner's hard work in planting all those lovelies! One nice thing about them is they do spread over the years, so they just get more and more!

Ruth said...

Susie, Susie, Susie.

First, I can't get over how much the kids have changed in just a few months. Matthew is no longer a baby!

Love Lauren's Chinese top!

That Peeps cake is adorable, you are so creative.

The white daffodil in the center of yellow is just fantastic (and I never ever would have noticed the brown edges).

Wonderful springy post, my dear.

Cora said...

It's grand to have grands! They are so cute and sweet...love their "baskets"!

Cindy said...

Such adorable grandkids! We missed our annual Easter egg hunt this year... first time in 12 years. After a few moments of hesitation, Isabel decided she wanted to go hang out with her friend and attend an Easter vigil. Sniff, sniff.

I'm guessing that peeps cake was a big hit. It doesn't look lame to me! How many peeps does each slice come with?

Susan said...

Ruthie, Ruthie, Ruthie!

No matter how hard I try to make them stay babies, they defy me and grow up anyway! I see them at least once a week, and even I'm amazed at how they've grown!

Lauren's top is actually a dress and Kaitlyn has one also, but they didn't coordinate their wardrobes Sunday. Wouldn't that have been too cute?!

The Peeps cake was pretty good, but not my best effort by any definition. But I thank you for being nice. :)

I love those orange and white daffies. They're my favorites.

I think I'm finally getting over my non-blogging malaise. At least I hope I am.

Susan said...

Cora, thank you! Our grands make life worth living and bring so much happiness to our lives.

I'm going to do better next year on the baskets. That was just pitiful! :D

Susan said...

Awwww, Cindy, your little girl is becoming a woman right before your eyes! It's so sad when they stop doing their childhood things one by one...egg hunts, trick-or-treating, believing in Santa...makes you want to turn back the clock.

I actually made two cakes, so there was plenty for everyone and enough to send some home. The kids got a one-Peep slice, and the adults got two-Peep slices.

CottageGirl said...

YOU are the woman! 2 hours to Clean and cook and prepare and you made that adorable cake ... AND washed all the bugs off of the daffodils? I want to be like you when I grow up!

Your grandkids are getting so big! What a fun time for those adorable sweeties!

steviewren said...

Susan, your grandchildren are adorable! Aren't they fun? I'm in awe that your pulled everything together in only 2 hours. I'm not a fan of peeps, but I think your cake idea is the perfect showcase for them.

Susan said...

Thank you, CG. And I know that comes from someone who could do the same thing herself. BTW, there were a few escapees, but I squashed them before the little girls got a glimpse!

Susan said...

Stevie, it was pretty crazy around here for a couple of hours! I have to confess that I didn't complete all the cooking before the first ones arrived. I'm not sure why I bothered to clean, because it was a disaster when the little darlings went home!

M said...

I want a bite of the Peep cake! People just kill for peeps around my house---well, mainly my husband, actually. Your grands are cute and sweet.

Mary
Flat Rock Creek Notebook

Ruth said...

(I'm going to have to try a vegan cake one of these days. Do you have any recipes? Why would you? Thankfully Don wanted pie this year. But Earth Balance margarine sticks don't make the best crust. I'll try the shortening ones next time.)

alaine@éclectique said...

Lovely Grandies; I missed that this year but got a 'thank you' on Facebook from the youngest one. We left eggs for him and his Mum the week before, on our way home. He's 9 and I'm pretty certain he knows there's no Easter Bunny by now, having 18 and 16yo brothers!

The cake looks delectable, Susan!

Susan said...

Mary, you're very sweet! Does your family stick with the traditional yellow Peeps, or go for the jazzier colors? My favorite is purple! I really only like to eat one as is, but they're very tasty toasted just like regular marshmallows.

I really enjoy watching my grandkids, especially when they're having so much fun with the traditions that have been passed down for generations.

Susan said...

(Ruthie, in my opinion shortening makes the best crust anyway. I've always made it with Crisco. I know it's the not the healthiest way, but pie is something we have on special occasions and not on a regular basis.)

Susan said...

Alaine, thank you, you're so kind!

It's pretty hard to escape the awful truth about the Easter bunny, Santa and the tooth fairy when one has older brothers! Especially if they like to tease. So far all of mine are still believers. How lovely that you tried to maintain the illusion though. Isn't that cute that he thanked you on FB?!

ds said...

Looks like your Easter was very "grand" indeed! Love the daffodils and the peep cake.

Happy Spring!

Susan said...

Thank you, ds!

Happy Spring to you, too!

GailO said...

Susie, Your egg hunt looks like fun....ours was a little tense with the four year old becoming very competative with his two year old sister:)...

That cake is adorable but I have to come down on the side of Peeps haters...I buy them just to look at them (and take pictures) and no one will eat them:)

I agree about the Crisco crust tho...that is the kind I grew up with ...and it is healthier than the one my grandmother always made with lard:)

xo

Susan said...

Gail, it's so nice to have you back! Darn those computers!

Well, you just didn't see the level of tenseness(is that a word?) going on here! Lauren was definitely feeling a little territorial herself and nearly killed Kaitlyn over the real eggs! It would have made a more dramatic picture, but I wasn't taking them!

Actually, your grandma's lard might have been healthier than Crisco if she rendered it herself. David's grandparents raised their own hogs and she used lard exclusively for baking and cooking. They ate sausage, ham, or bacon (all of which they cured themselves) and homegrown eggs and biscuits every day of their lives and they both lived into their 90's. I've always had the theory that it's the processed foods that are killing us, not pure homegrown ones.

Anonymous said...

I love that Lauren only wanted the real eggs even though they didn't have cool stuff inside :) And that cake is perfect for Easter. Looks like a fun day with the family.

Susan said...

Stacy, yes we thought it was a very interesting turn of events! We did have a fun day, even though Grammy was quite exhausted by the end of it!