Egg Tree

For at least the last eight years I've decorated a tree in our front yard for Easter.  I usually do this about 8 - 10 days before Easter Sunday.  It is one of my favorite holiday-anticipating activities.

This was last year's tree - 

If you want to make your own egg tree, be on the lookout for the plastic eggs with two small holes already in the top (in the more pointed end). It will make your crafting much easier.

 In the top of the blue egg you can see the holes that the manufacturer so thoughtfully included 😉

You will need: a glue gun, fishing line, and plastic Easter Eggs (I use all sizes, all colors)

Open each egg.

  Place a small amount of hot glue between the two holes then thread a few inches of the line thru the holes and make sure it grabs each cut end of the fishing line. No tying is necessary.

Close the egg (of course)

 I don’t worry about my fishing line being equal lengths. Having the eggs hang a varying heights adds to the charm. My best piece of advice is the more eggs the better. I have about 3 dozen eggs on my tree.

I particularly love the eggs that are bunny shaped.

They're a little sun-bleached, but cute nonetheless.

By the time Easter has come and gone, my  little Japanese maple will be completely enveloped in leaves and my plastic eggs will be hidden in the recesses of the branches.  And that's a whole new kind of Egg Hunt.

 

Golf

If you are a true fan of the sport of golf then this week,  April 4 - April 10th, is a holiday.  Not a holiday as in "I'm taking the day off" but a holiday like a period of festivity, a reason to be excited and joyous.

Yes, this week is the week of The Masters.  The most special, dare I say, sacred week in all of athletics.  I know the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Final Four and the World Cup are special too to their own fervent fans, but The Masters has an aura.  And you can't say that about too many sporting events. 

Now, I grew up with zero knowledge of golf. It seemed to me that golf was a sport for rich people.  Defying my stereotype, my husband (who was decidedly not rich growing up) taught himself how to play golf when he was 12 by swinging a cheap club in his backyard and enjoying the game whenever he could.  He played a lot when he was a single young adult.  Sadly, I don't think it would take two hands for me to count the number of days he played a round of golf in 2010, but still, he loves it.  I mean, LOVES it. So too, he loves this week and looks forward to it all year long. 

Several years ago we had the great good fortune to be offered 4 "badges" (I was admonished by my husband not to refer to them as tickets or passes) to the final round of The Masters. 

If you are familiar with the event, you know that badges are not expensive but almost impossible to come by (many are owned by families and passed down from generation to generation) and so it was such a pleasure and a complete last minute surprise that our family of 4 was offered badges and was able to make the trip.  My husband had been to The Masters but for our family (not all golf-lovers, but since made converts) to make the journey together was really special.  

We sat in the gallery, surrounded by visitors from Scotland (real golf lovers) and California and Arizona and many other far away places.  Having traveled just 90 minutes to Augusta, Georgia, the thrill of seeing the world's best golfers on one the most beautiful golf courses in the world  (the grass is so gorgeous it appears artificial even from inches away) was unmistakable.

So this week my husband will mark the occasion of The Masters by staying up after the 11 pm news to watch the highlights of the practice rounds. He'll check The Golf Channel for constant updates. He'll probably hope a friend or client will call at the last minute with a spare badge but he'll definitely be happy with his 6 day holiday.
 

Carrot Cake Muffins

I know. I know.  I promised this wouldn't be a food blog.  Given my photography/food stylist skills and my limited culinary abilities -- it's the least I can do.  Still, every once in a while I stumble upon a recipe worthy of sharing (e.g., eating) and easy enough that even I could attempt it.  This is just such a recipe -- in time for Easter and all things Easter Bunny, like carrots.

The yummy result! 

I found this recipe in The New York Times online.  There are lots of ingredients, but it's well-worth it and none are too exotic.

You will need:

2.5 c. whole wheat pastry flour (okay, forget what I said about not being exotic.  I Googled "pastry flour" and realized I could combine half cake flour [1 1/4 c.]  and half all purpose flour [1 1/4 c.].  I used unbleached flour and achieved great results)

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Sift these ingredients together into a bowl.  I don't have a real sifter and instead substituted this strainer. 

I know.  Resourceful, right?

In a separate bowl, beat together:

2 eggs

1/3 c. raw brown (turbinado) sugar - it's, apparently, all the rage these days, but I did have to make a special trip to the store for this item

I had to settle for the individuals packets.  1/3 c = approx 10 packets

 1/3 c. canola oil

1 1/3 c. buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

 Also, 

1 1/2 c. grated carrots (hooray for the food processor!) 

Note: The NYT suggests the addition of 2/3 c. golden raisins tossed with 1 tsp. of unbleached all-purpose flour or 2/3 c. chopped pecans.  I didn't add either, preferring pure unadulterated carrot muffins - though the addition of cream cheese frosting or a nut crumble on top did cross my mind. 

Using a spatula, combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Do not beat, even "lumps are fine, but don't leave flour in the bottom of the bowl" (the NYT food writer knows me too well).  Finally, fold in carrots.  (If you include raisins or nuts, you would add them now and stir). 

Coat muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and fill each cup 2/3 full.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.  

Not too sweet.  Not too carroty.  Just 12 delicious muffins.  

The finished product minus 1, 2, 3!  

I told you they were good. 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Yesterday was Opening Day in Major League Baseball.  This had very little impact on our family.  

It didn't affect  her . . .

At a Braves game in 1996

or him . . .

A sports camp photo from 2001 (and he played a few seasons of t-ball too)

though he looks adorable doesn't he?  

or him, really . . . 

My husband played catcher on his high school baseball team. That's him rounding the bases in the spring of 1978. 

though my husband is an avid and lifelong Braves fan and he'll be watching more than a few games this season.

However, hundreds of miles away in Virginia, this guy may be the happiest member of my family to see today arrive.

I don't have a cute photo of him dressed in baseball apparel, but trust me when I say, he's got it. 

My dad is a huge fan of baseball. He roots for the Red Sox and Orioles, but we forgive him!  

Baseball great Rogers Hornsby said, "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball.  I'll tell you what I do.  I stare out the window and wait for spring" but it sounds an awful lot like something my dad could've said. 

So hooray for baseball season, the boys of summer and the inventor of the major league baseball network! Right, dad?

Play ball! 

La Tour Eiffel

Our daughter took these lovely photos - April 2010

One hundred and twenty-two years ago today the Eiffel Tower was opened to the public.  

The most iconic edifice in the world is beautiful, an engineering feat.  

So, it is regrettable to have to admit that although I have had the good fortune of traveling to Paris twice in the past 25 years, I have never actually been in/on the Eiffel Tower.  

My first trip, just after college, I didn't think I could afford the, what I considered, hefty admission price. So, I was satisfied standing on the ground admiring its beauty and grandeur.  Truthfully, I wasn't heartbroken.  I know I must have felt that I most certainly would be back - sooner rather than later and then I could, if I wanted to, take the ride to the top.  

In front of the Eiffel Tower in May 1986.

Imagine my utter disappointment when last year on my second trip to France, an electrical workers strike "short-circuited" (pun intended) our visit. The Tower was closed during our entire 3-day stay in Paris. 

 

I hope to return one day, sooner rather than later, and ascend to the top, taking nothing for granted. 

63 Years Ago Today. . . .

this little dog came to live at our house.  

Okay, it wasn't really 63 years ago (to anyone but her).  It was actually nine years ago today, that Liberty Bell "Libby" Smith arrived at our house via a pet rescue organization.  

"No shedding, less than 20 pounds, free and not a puppy."  Those were the criteria for acquiring a dog that my husband set out once we agreed that we would add a canine companion to our family.  Surprisingly, it only took a few days before our dream dog was found.  And she was free (that is until I ran into the back of a Mercedes as I drove home from the pet rescue). She has been a dream dog, more like a cat than a dog really and worth every insurance- deductible penny. 

I remember thinking at the time how competitive it was to adopt a rescue animal -- 8-page forms and multiple assurances that "the well-being of the dog will be your family's highest priority."  Perhaps the conditions for getting married, having children and lots of other things, should be as exacting? 

When the pet rescue folks called during that year's broadcast of the Academy Awards (remember A Beautiful Mind?) to say we'd been selected as her new owners, we were elated - like we'd won our own little award that evening.    

Libby was housebroken from the minute we brought her home and  incredibly low-maintenance.  Our veterinarian estimated her age to be older than the 2 years the pet rescue folks said, so we have no idea of Libby's real age.  Suffice it to say, even in those first couple of years, our daughter would often say, "We didn't get a dog, we got a grandma" because Libby was so quiet and easygoing.

It is sad for me to think that sweet Libby is in the twilight of her life.  She has brought us lots of joy, put up with a lot over the years (see above) and has been almost no trouble at all.  I have been known to say, "We feel like we won the dog lottery"  when referring to Libby.  On second thought, perhaps we should have named her "Lucky."

###

Birthday Party Idea - Edition 3

Like most little boys, our son LOVED superheros.  He particularly liked Spider-Man, but also Batman and Superman (and Power Rangers, too), and any character with fantastic, extraordinary talents for fighting (and defeating) the bad guys.  Here's just some of the evidence:

Spider-Man for Halloween

Who needs Robin when you have a bear? 

A secret identity and a sippy cup. 

What?  Superheros don't nap?

So it didn't take too much pondering (or creativity) to decide that a Superhero Birthday Party was in order for our then almost 4 year old.

The invitation was a simple white postcard that I printed and decorated with superhero stickers and then color copied. I know this seems ridiculous in this age of clip art, cut and paste, etc. but, honestly, that didn't exist then (either that or I was too busy raising children to notice). Nowadays, you can find lots of superhero invites at party stores -- the problem was, I was looking for a non-specific superhero invite (not just Batman, for example) and that was difficult to find. 

Children were encouraged to wear a costume or just a cape. 

The over-sized sign on our front door said, "Welcome to the Superhero Training Center."

Once inside we engaged the kids with activities designed to instruct them in, test and refine their superhero abilities.  Our games involved utilizing and assessing extrasensory skills (for example, discerning certain sounds -- a kazoo, scissors clipping, deck of cards shuffling, and smells - pizza, flowers, etc.,  all while blindfolded).  

We also tested their running and jumping abilities.  I know that seems sort of ridiculous, but when it's December and the weather outside is not cooperating you'll do anything to entertain a rowdy group of boys (plus never underestimate what a 4 year old will do in the name of becoming a Superhero).

Another game involved two volunteer dads (one of them my husband) for the "Bad Guy Wrap."  We divided the kids into two teams and gave each  a roll of toilet paper.  Their goal was to secure (e.g., wrap)  the Bad Guy to a chair,  since preventing a crime in progress and detaining  evil doers until the legal authorities arrive is one of the chief aims of a Superhero.  The first team to run out of paper - won.

That's the look of a confident Superhero on the right, in case you couldn't tell.

Here's a photo of the Kroger made cake:

Heavy on the Spider-Man but with Batman and Robin along for the ride.

 That's my guy on the right. 

After two hours of 4 year old mayhem (how's that for a good superhero word?), we presented our "graduates" with their "diplomas" which I had created using stickers and ceremonial type font.  The words were taken from my own college diploma as well as some Google sources and adapted for the occasion and printed on watermark paper:

In recognition of the successful completion of the course of study prescribed by the Superhero Training Center and by virtue of the authority granted by the Unofficial Crime Fighter's Organization (aka, Tate Smith's mom and dad) hereby confers upon [insert name] the title of Superhero, Jr. In testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed the signatures of the officers hereof on this sixteenth day of December 2000.

I then printed, with a signature line above, the names of Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Clark Kent (Superman), Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Tim Drake (Robin) and signed them all.

Here's the finished product:

I loved it so much, I had it framed.  Ten years later, it still hangs in my son's room.