For the first time this year, we dyed brown eggs. We get almost all of our eggs from Stillman's at the Turkey Farm, and about 95% of them are brown. (The others are pale blue.) In past years, we've gone out and bought disgusting white grocery store eggs just to dye for Easter. But, this year, Kate Stillman forwarded us an email with instructions on how to dye brown eggs. I'm so glad that she did! The results were beautiful! And, we didn't have to buy anything at the store.
You can see in the background of one of the egg photos above another one of our favorite Easter traditions: wheat grass! My good friend Kara gets the credit here. Many years ago, she shared this tradition with us, and we've been planting wheat grass every Spring since then. Wheat grass can be planted in any shallow pot or dish. You can even line an Easer basket with aluminum foil and plant it there for REAL Easter grass. The amazing thing about wheat grass, and what makes it so perfect for little people, is that it is 100% natural and non toxic, plus it grows about an inch a day! To plant wheat grass, you just need to buy wheat berries, and plant them. I buy them in the bulk section at Whole Foods, but I have also seen them packaged like rice or barley in the grains/beans aisle. They only need a small amount of dirt, and you want to make sure that you leave some room between the top of the soil and the top of the pot, because the wheat grass will push a lot of dirt up as it sprouts. If you were to let it grow, you'd have full grown wheat after several months. We usually toss it out after a few weeks, and then plant some more! You can also use the same wheat berries to make homemade sprouted wheat bread, which we tried for the first time this year, with delicious results.
Here are some photos of our wheat grass. To show just how (visibly) fast it grows, I took pictures of the same grass on Saturday morning, and then again on Sunday afternoon. The four small brown pots were planted 8 days ago. The flat pan was planted on Wednesday. (It comes up faster in the shallow pan because the top layer of soil, where the seeds are, stays moister.)
The last Easter tradition what I wanted to share is what we use in our baskets: silks. When Jack was not even 1, I bought that plastic Easter grass that they sell in every store, and that I always had as a kid. It ended up all over the house, and it was impossible to keep out of Jack's mouth. I felt like I found small pieces of it for at least 6 months after Easter. I knew I never wanted to buy that stuff again, but I wasn't sure what to use as a replacement. I think this inspiration may have also come from my friend Kara, but we started using brightly colored silks from Sarah's Silks. We have them in at least a dozen colors. The first few years, the Easter Bunny would bring a new silk for the boys in their baskets. Now, the boys pick one to leave out in their basket each Easter Eve. I love that there's no mess, and that they kids have an open-ended play item to use all year. (They make great dress up pieces, ropes, fort toppers, magician's accessories, capes, and more!)
We had the pleasure of celebrating a friend's wedding in addition to Easter this year, so we had double the fun. Amidst our busy days, this Easter week was a great reminder to me of one of my most cherished beliefs, borrowed from a Katrina Kenison's quote, "I strive to keep my garden small, but tend it well." It's often hard to turn down opportunities to participate in countless Easter egg hunts, stuff the kids' basket with too much candy, or try to do every craft and activity imaginable. I tried to pick just one or two things that we all enjoy and make a simple Easter tradition our of them. Then, I made sure to sit back and enjoy the week, the day, and the beginning of the Spring season with the boys. I hope that you were able to do the same.
