Happy Easter!

Well, I had intended to wow you with some fancy photographs of the festive hot cross buns I got up at 5:30 this morning to make. Unfortunately I scorched the little beauties, and while they were still edible (after we sliced off the crispy, black bottoms), they were hardly photogenic. The tops were quite delicious, and I'm going to definitely try the recipe again, at a lower temperature. Knowing that my oven tends to run on the hot side, I should have automatically done this, but ah well. I'm no stranger to domestic catastrophes. So, we have a gratuitous cute kid with Easter eggs picture instead.

We had a family lunch over at my parents' house this afternoon, followed by a big Easter egg hunt. Or, more accurately, several mini-Easter egg hunts. Kate was quite the enthusiastic egg hunter, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be bombarded with requests to "find eggs" for the next few weeks.

Even though my poor hot cross buns didn't pass muster, I did much better with Kate's Easter basket. It was so much fun to put together, so I thought I would share what we included:

The Story of the Root Children: This is a charming, nature focused story about the coming of spring and the changing of the seasons. Gorgeous, whimsical illustrations.

Emily and Daisy: This is a lovely story about a little English farm girl. When my dad saw this book, the first thing he did, in all seriousness, was give Kate a lecture about how she was NEVER to pull our cows tails like the little girl on the cover of the book. :)

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes: This is a sweet story, and in my opinion, will appeal to grown-ups as much as children. Again, such pretty, colorful illustrations.

Stockmar Crayons: I debated long and hard over whether or not I was willing to spend $12.99 on a box of crayons (you'll note that they're actually $18.95 on Amazon; I found them cheaper at our local food co-op.) But, I'm glad I did. Kate was fascinated with the color blocks (and the cute tin they came in), and when we tried them out, they really do have a simultaneous vibrancy and transparency that Crayola can't quite compete with. Assuming we don't lose them within the week, I'll consider them a good investment.

Jewel's Lullaby CD: Arguably this was as much for me as Kate, but I expect we'll both enjoy it. Jewel's voice is beautiful to the point of being surreal, and is especially well suited for the dreaminess of these beautiful lullabys. You definitely don't have to have kids to enjoy this album.

You may notice an absence of candy, but lest you give me credit for being a more health conscious mother than I deserve, I should point out that I knew perfectly well that she would also be getting Easter baskets from grandparents, aunts and uncles laden with Cadbury eggs, Jelly Beans, and chocolate bunnies galore. Deprived she is not.

*You'll note that I've linked to Amazon, but that is just as a matter of convenience. I'm not an affiliate, and in fact, would always recommend searching your local independent bookstore if possible!