Happy Easter Weekend! It's a 4 day weekend here in the UK, and we normally spend it travelling to make the most of the time off. Besides when we moved 3 years ago, I can't recall a single Easter spent at home. This year, for the first time, we're staying in and enjoying spending some time together! Because we're always away, we don't really have any Easter traditions either - so we get to make it up as we go along. So far it's been painted 'eggs', hot cross buns, french toast and the farmer's market. All very casual!
Someone is enjoying having Dad around!
I don't know how to make hot cross buns (yet), but the Bramley Apple variety from M&S is accidentally vegan. The other flavours aren't, I don't think. Quite good toasted, but I think I'm getting very spoiled when it comes to fresh bread - the store bought stuff just doesn't cut it anymore.
'What did I do now? Wear red and purple together?'
Also tackling some chores, for instance my fella is cleaning our little back garden. I think she's trying to protect her only patch of dirt? Just you wait, in a month or two we're going to have some garden before and afters - I have high hopes.
In other news, I think my sourdough starter is well and truly started (been making some bad 'risen' puns...) and I've got high hopes about that as well. Fed it this morning, and will feed it again in 12 hours then move it to the fridge to slow things down a little while the microorganisms battle for supremacy. I will post in depth about that later.
Anyway, have a good Easter break. Hope you're all enjoying a nice meal with some good people.
When I was pregnant, I was quite apprehensive about parenthood. I'd made a choice, and I was happy, but I didn't look forward to it, exactly. After I found out we were having a girl, I remember standing in the craft section of Paperchase (the big one on Tottenham Court Road), looking at all the glitter, and craft paint, and stamps, thinking - yes. Yes. YES! I get to play with all this stuff! And she's finally, FINALLY old enough to paint with. And although I know how to sew and make some stuff, I wouldn't describe myself as crafty in the scrapbooking/holiday card kind of way, so this is quite a new venture for both of us. I got the idea from Fare Isle on her beautiful Instagram feed.
So, I cut egg shapes out of watercolour paper. Just freehand, I don't think anyone here minds if they are a bit wonky. I also made them biggish, like goose egg size.
Make up some paint colours. If you're a real control freak, you could limit the colour palette however you see fit. I sort-of had to get her started with globs of paint, then she caught on.
Ooooooooh, pretty. She was absolutely engrossed working on this. I should say, we were painting at the dinner table, with her in the highchair. It's another instance of the Stokke Tripp Trapp being absolutely brilliant (I scoffed at a highchair that pricey, but I am so converted), so once again glad to have a cheap table and a good highchair. The only other time we've tried painting, she kept wandering around with painty hands and feet, causing me more stress than I care to admit to.
Then they have to dry.
They curled up a little bit, but once dry I could easily flatten them with my hands.
Next I just taped them to a piece of yarn, 3 or 4 inches apart. I suppose you could poke a hole in the tops for a sturdier garland, but I wanted to keep them intact.
Voila! Easter decoration, afternoon activity, good fun.
