Those of you that know me, know that I like to entertain and that I sometimes, ok let’s be honest, all the time, go a little over board. Just a smidge. Ok, a whole lot more then a smidge. I’ve been accused of making things hard on myself. It’s true! No one is pressuring me but me. I just can’t help it! And to be honest, I really really love it! I want every birthday and holiday to be perfect, memorable, fun, delicious, pretty….. I want my daughters to share in old family traditions, create new ones and most importantly have wonderful memories of their childhood, and of course, me, their mama!
I like a good theme! A theme to center everything around; the food, the decorating, the music, etc. Well, Easter is no different. This year’s theme was inspired by the lovely Beatrix Potter books that my daughters and I have been collecting and reading. We have our fingers crossed that the Easter bunny will slip a few more of these tiny cuties into girls’ baskets.
Look at these adorable napkins we found at TJ Maxx! We just had to get them! Just had too!
Once we had our theme and our adorable carrot napkins, we were off! First came the plates. It just would not be Easter without my grocery store plates. I have had them in my “hope chest” since I was at least 13 years old. That’s right! While the rest of you were watching MTV and taping Duran Duran posters to your wall I was polishing up things in my hope chest, which really was a hope closet. I had spatulas, glasses, napkins, measuring spoons, tablecloths and dishes long before I could even drive! My grandmother, mother and I picked these beautiful plates out at Skaggs Albertson long ago when they were the featured place setting of the month. They came with a teacup and saucer and must have been $1.99 a set, with the newspaper coupon of course. We finished off our place setting with a lovely blue flower plate that we found at Walmart years ago.
Next, we (my very eager 4 year old decorator, chef and mama in training) started “shopping” our house for things that we could use. We pulled the carrot swag and moss right off the front door and threw them down the center of our table to make our base layer. And then things started rolling! Next came our bargain bunnies- mama bunny and her 3 little baby bunnies we found at Hobby Lobby after Easter last year for 80% off. Next came some little pots we had on our dining room mantle, some watering cans from Miss 18 month’s room…. Oooo and go grab those mini shovels, hoes and rakes that are up in the closet! Yes, we have mini shovels, hoes and rakes in a closet! Don’t judge, lol! Things were rolling and we were having fun! Miss 4 was grabbing things that had nothing to do with Beatrix Potter, bunnies or Easter. She was placing all sorts of crazy stuff (beautiful in her mind) on the table and kept wondering why they kept disappearing. We did a lot of “editing” to achieve our final look.
I love adding a little height to my table elements by using stacks of coverless paper back books tied with jute. We go to our library system’s book sale every year and pick up 10-20 books for only 50 cents each. They look so cute in wire baskets, on tables, bookshelves, etc.
And we couldn’t forget our herb markers made of old forks! We tucked them in here and there up and down the table for that final “in the garden” feel.
Our table is almost pretty enough to eat (if you’re a rabbit!) We just hope Peter Rabbit doesn’t stop too long to nibble the carrots!
Now for the menu. . .
For breakfast we have Italian Easter Bread
And some yummy french chocolate coffee cake. Can you tell we like sweets! Our mom made this recipe almost evert Easter morning from a recipe she found in the newspaper. I was so sad the years she did not make it. Although I really like the Italian Easter bread, this is my very favorite. It’s more like a bread then a cake. It’s slightly sweet with chocolate and a hint of cinnamon. I LOVE chocolate and cinnamon together! We like to spread it with a little butter and eat with a cup of coffee. I use the same recipe that my mom found all those years ago. Out of curiosity I did a search for it on the Internet and found the exact same recipe from Better Homes and Garden. * Recipe Note- both recipes say to bake for 50 minutes. Over the years I have found that 50 minutes is WAY too long! I cut my bake time down to 35-40 minutes this year and I think it is finally perfect!
Check out the recipe over on Better Homes and Garden
For dinner we have
- Smoked or Pulled Ham
- President Reagan’s Macaroni and Cheese
- Pea Salad from The Pioneer Woman
- Secret Ingredient Honey Garlic Roasted Carrots by Carlsbad Cravings. These carrots are seriously the BEST! The kids eat them like they are candy. If you need a new side for Easter, give these guys a try.
- Asparagus
- Rolls
- Sigrid’s Carrot Cake from the Pioneer Woman
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