A Belated Happy Easter! and We've Been Busy!!!

It's been some time since we hosted a family get-together.  Typically, we celebrate Thanksgiving at our house,  but we've taken a pass the last couple years, with daughter Kim gracious enough to step in last year.  She has sometimes hosted the Easter Holiday, but it seemed appropriate that we step up this spring.  It was the excuse we needed to thoroughly clean the house and rearrange some furniture - a chore we save for special occasions, since neither of us commit much time to upkeep. So, we HAVE  been busy!  I'll spare you the housekeeping drudgery. I did bake some crescents and small sandwich buns on Saturday, along with the small loaves of banana bread that my grandson, Cal, is so fond of.  Wish I had taken the photo bagless, but here they are:

As fate would have it, Easter Sunday was so spectacular that few spent any time in the house.  Fortunately, our older daughter, Carly, has not yet collected her outdoor furniture, so most of the family were content to bask in our first 80 degree day this year, even if the ambience leaves something to be desired.

Mom & Dad.  Mom isn't comfortable until it's 80˚.

Grandson Jeremy in his RED SHOES, obsessed with his phone.

Carly's Carrot Cake was the centerpiece.  And we managed to wrangle a couple of delectable leftover slices   (already devoured!)

 There was the inevitable egg hunt.  The bigger kids did a lot of griping when we turned the little ones loose first...

Yes, this is a GIANT walnut bowl, snagged at the  Goodwill for $10. Nearly 4 dozen eggs!

Josiah and Lydia, on the hunt, with their own art decorating their collection sacks.

...and this is what I found on the hunt! (We don't "believe in" gardening,
so it's a real treat to find something colorful in the yard!)

We've hauled all of the detritus of our "normal lives" back into place, and have pretty much settled down.  All's well except for poor Ryder, who took up lame after a run at the Bong State Park last month, and finally was finally diagnosed with a broken toe yesterday.  He'll be a tough one to keep quiet for the next six weeks, but for now, he's comfortable watching "Monster House" on Netflix.

Notice the taped-up splint on his left leg. "Keep him quiet and dry for the next six weeks." Right.

Though there hasn't been much time for stitching, I have made small progress on Amy Mitten's Tour Van Holland over the past several days.

...and all that's left of the Easter Celebration is a vase full of the leftover flowers that didn't adorn Carly's cake, and two much-diminished baskets of Easter Candy.  And of course, a great pile of ham.