As Easter is upon us were thinking of our childhoods and how similar yet different they were being over 350 miles apart.
Cathy's Easter:
Mom would always take me out the week before Easter to find a beautiful new dress, patent leather shoes (white), lacy white socks and an Easter bonnet. When under the age of 8 or so I also had little white gloves.
It was my favorite dress up time of the year!
Sunday morning my Mother would make sure everyone was dressed nicely for church and Dad would have an Easter corsage for my Mother that he had picked up the day before and hid in the refrigerator. She dressed beautifully for the special Sunday service.
After church we'd go home and change into play clothes because Mom was going to cook and we needed to be outside playing and out of the way :)
When we were called in, we dressed up again and the "good dishes",fine silver, and Grandma's etched water glasses were on the table with flowers and candles. Mom would bring out a beautiful ham that Dad would carve. All home made side dishes and fresh veggies on our plates and a prayer before we started our meal.
My brother and I clear the table and do the dishes and then on to the egg hunt with real colored eggs hidden in the yard. No plastics. Off we would go to find the eggs and when we came in we had a small basket with a large solid chocolate bunny. Thinking back of those memories warms my heart as the first part of the day was about celebrating the true meaning of Easter. The second part of the day was the family all together. No friends, no phone, just family.
My Mother was very sentimental about family which is why she would bring out her heirloom dishes to bring her memories to the Easter table. That is probably where I got the vintage bug from :)
Mary's Easter:
One of my earliest Easter memories was coloring Easter eggs. All the little dishes filled with different colors of dye. Being somewhat picky about how I decorated my eggs it could be a challenge sometimes to create something that I loved. My mom loved to color eggs, and hers always came out so pretty. That I have to admit I was always a little disappointed in the way mine came out. But my mom would make over each egg we did, as if they were all perfect treasures. They were displayed on our dining room table for all to see, along with a beautiful purple Hyacinth. I still love the scent of Hyacinth, it brings back that memory of childhood.
We always got new church clothes around Easter, to wear on the special day. I loved the new Spring dress, with the gentle pastels, or flowers, usually paired with little white gloves and matching patent leather shoes. Sometimes with a sweater or white shawl because of weather.
Our Easter day would start off with running down the stairs to see what Peter Cottontail had left in our basket overnight. My brother and I had our favorite, candies in our baskets, with plenty of chocolate and jelly beans. We were allowed a couple pieces before breakfast, but only a couple. Then it was off to church services.
After church we would come home and get out of our good clothes, while my father would go pick up my great-grandmother to spend the day with us. My mother and grandmother would cook up a storm in the kitchen, and my brother and I would play outside most of the afternoon, until dinner was ready. We did not always have an Easter Egg Hunt, but on those occasions when the weather cooperated, we had a blast looking for those colored eggs in the tall grass, that had not yet seen a lawn mower.
Our Easter meal was a more casual affair. We always began our meal with a prayer and grateful hearts. We used our everyday plates and cups. With exception of the Jadite bowl, that we always had slaw in. My mother made the best homemade slaw and always served it in the same bowl, which belonged to my great-grandmother. That bowl now has a place of honor on my Hoosier that was my great-grandmother's.
May your Easter be filled with a grateful heart, family, love and laughter!
Live, Love and Giggle
The Twins
