Easter: In Retrospect

Easter was different this year. For one thing, it was the first Easter in five years that didn't involve being at the church where Nathan worked; since he resigned from that job earlier this year we've been attending a new Anglican church and loving it. We're both singing in the choir there - and Nathan's brother Andrew, too - and have gotten to sing some really lovely repertoire. Holy Week meant about 15 or more hours spent in church all told, and while it was time-consuming, it was also more than worthwhile. It was my first Easter Vigil ever, which I think bears mention, and I hope I never forget the glorious Alleluia proclamation and the way the whole church rang with hundreds of handbells, every person in the church ringing joyfully with all their might. Afterwards there was chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate for everyone and people milled about like one big family. And then the next morning - more church!

We had about a dozen people here for Easter festivities and dinner, and I'm really grateful for the help of Andrew in cleaning the house for the occasion. He's seen this house at its worst, at times when I've been far too busy with school and work to stay on top of household tasks, and he's never judged me for it; on the contrary, he's always willing to lend a hand. What a good brother-in-law.


This year I decided to make cakepops for Easter. I'd seen them on Bakerella's blog, and subsequently pretty much everywhere else, too, and I'd really been wanting to make them. They're just so darn cute. Sadly, I was too busy being busy to take any good pictures; I just snapped a few really quickly.




Oops, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before the cakepops there were appetizers, and then there was dinner food: homemade rolls, herbed potatoes, fresh green bean casserole, salad, and the obligatory ham.


And along with the cakepops, I also made my Mom's carrot cake recipe and a two-layer coconut cake. The coconut cake marked my first time making a "seven-minute frosting," a frosting with an egg white base. It was pretty easy. All in all I used my Grandma's old double-boiler at least a half-dozen times in my Easter preparations - including for this icing - and I was really glad to have it. After she passed away, my brother and sister-in-law packed up some of her kitchen things and sent them to me. It's fun having not only the special-occasion kinds of things I inherited, but also the double-boiler, the spatulas, and other everyday memories in my kitchen now.


Again, too busy being busy to take good pictures. Oh well.

In the end, everything was devoured.

Well, almost everything.

What was left, Nathan has since devoured.

And that was Easter 2011.