April 21, 2014

Easter 2014

I hope and pray you all had a blessed and beautiful Easter. We sure did here in our cozy country home. Here are some pictures of our Easter celebrations...


Saturday we hosted a small Easter gathering with my mother, my sister Margie and her husband Chris, Steve's sister Sally, her husband Greg and son Tyler, and a couple of our dear friends. It was our first holiday without my dear father, and without my brother-in-law Greg's father, who passed away suddenly one week after my father passed. I asked Greg to pray the blessing before we ate, and we remembered our sweet fathers in our hearts.
Before our guests arrived, we set our festive Easter table...


with a new Easter tablecloth and four sweet arrangements in colored mason jars filled with fresh flowers and tied with raffia ribbon. After dinner, I invited each family to choose one to take home. : )


Our menu was yummy, and easy as well. We prepared most of the things Friday evening.


We took a few pictures before our guests arrived...Flynn sat perfectly still for her picture with her Peyton...


and had some fun taking pictures with Mommy. : )





My favorite. Ever.


And a super sweet one with Grandma and Aunt Margie. : )


After our guests left, the kids changed into their new Easter jammies...


and set out some carrots strawberries for the Easter Bunny. Because everyone else sets out carrots...and because a certain Mommy forgot to buy carrots.


And then we posed for the traditional night before Easter empty basket picture. : )


Easter morning we awoke bright and early, put on our finest, and headed to Mass...because as much fun as that bunny is, our Risen Lord comes first. : )
My Flynn loved her Easter dress...


and her big pink Easter hair bow.


After we returned from Mass, we changed back into our jammies...because that is how we do it around here...and hunted for baskets... Madison's was filled with beauty products, coffee, and perfume...


Peyton's was filled with true crime books, lotion, and retro television DVDs...


Rhett's was full of video games, movies, and books...


and Flynn's was filled with all things pink, some princess figurines, and her favorite...a "REAL" Handy Dandy Notebook from Blue's Clues.


 After the baskets were found and dumped and reorganized, we had a light breakfast at our Easter table...


we enjoyed some yummy cinnamon rolls...thanks for the help, little Pillsbury Dough Boy...and a big bowl of  delicious fresh fruit...


which I added to counteract the excessive amount of brightly colored festive chocolate!


 After breakfast, we settled in to enjoy a day of playing with new toys, watching new- to- us old shows...(my kids love The Munsters!) and sleeping off a sugar induced coma...me!


Hope your Easter was filled with family, fun, and lots and lots of chocolate, my friends!


16 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Btw, Liam had a Handy Dandy Notebook too!!! (when he was that age, lol)--thanks for sharing. You sure have a lovely family. Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, so much festivity...what fun!

    I love the PJ thing...my favorite thing to do on a weekend is spend the day lounging in my pajamas. Of course, I don't do it EVERY weekend.

    :) Hope

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beautiful day (days)!! I love your company table, with those flowers...and so sweet of you to give them away!! Love the menu and how you write it on the board for everyone!

    Love the sweet pictures the pretty dresses and light spring colors!
    Love the baskets...we do candy. That's it.
    Never heard of setting out carrots (or strawberries) for the Easter bunny, how fun!

    Happy Easter sweet friend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What beautiful pictures you shared here!! I just love that Saturday table setting! The flowers are gorgeous! Easter blessings to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are one hard working Mother! Everything was beautiful, fun and so glad it was that way. plus you are teaching the real meaning of Easter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a nice weekend. And finally PA had some nice weather, huh?
    Very creative Easter baskets, too. Great idea considering all 7 of us here are going through the sugar induced coma. Have a great week, Billie Jo.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful & blessed Easter, Billie Jo! I love seeing all your pictures. And what a great idea with the flowers in the Mason jars - and to have your guests take them home! So thoughtful. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your Easter tables, they look so pretty! You got some great pics especially the one of all the kids together. So glad you had a great Easter, I'm wishing I got one of those super fun baskets you gave your kids :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your Easter dinner tablecloth is beautiful! I love that each family member took home a flower arrangement...you are so thoughtful!
    I love the pictures of you and Flynn. I love your hair!
    I thought of you and prayed for your family yesterday as you spent your first holiday without your dad.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful pictures, as always! Everything looks so spring-like and the food delicious. You celebrate well, my dear. :) Happy Easter to your wonderful family!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Okay, where to start? I think I'll go backward. Madison, I love love love your dress. Love the color, love the shirt/jacket part, love the necklace!!! Flynn, oh the Easter egg smocking... adorable! Abigail wore smocking this year too! :) Billie Jo, your baskets were perfection! All of them! Did I see Peppa Pig in Flynns? I love the child like breakfast table set up with the sweet centerpieces. And I loved the beautiful Easter dinner table you set. Your new table cloth, the flowers in the center... you are so talented at making those! Beautiful. And I love the menu written on your chalkboard... darling! I so love peeking into the beautiful holidays that you create for your family. Thank you as always for inspiring and including us! :) xoxoxoxo tara

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh so pretty, the table, the flowers, the baskets, but the real beauties are those delightful children! Oh my goodness. Enjoy, enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful day! I love how after you got home from Mass you all got back in your PJ's! I am definitely going to do that next year! What a beautiful table you set! I'm glad you had a wonderful day with family and friends! PS I love The Munsters too! xo

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love your Easter Dinner table setting; it looks beautiful!! And that picture of your baby kissing your cheek...Melt My Heart! So precious! I'm glad you and your family had a nice Easter together. It is such a special Holiday with such a special meaning, and spending it with those dearest to us makes it that much sweeter. Happy Spring!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Billie Jo! I just LOVE those flower arrangements. They look so pretty on your table, and then double as an Easter gift too. Love it!
    How wonderful to ask your brother-in-law for the prayer. Such an honor, and honoring his loss too.
    Your family looks so happy, and just shows what a great choice it was to have the holiday to yourselves. Much cozier in pj's, right? Your oldest is starting to look like your carbon copy. Beautiful young lady.
    So glad you had such a blessed Easter,
    Ceil

    ReplyDelete
  16. oh those flowers are beautiful!! love all the frilly pink and bows too!!:) not so frilly here!:)
    what a wonderful easter celebration you planned for your family!
    have a happy day billie jo

    ps
    love the personalized easter baskets too!!:)

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for saying hello!

Billie Jo