I don’t know why but whenever Easter falls right  the beginning of the month of April (this year the 5th) it always feels like the rest of the month is on FAST FORWARD! Of course, we made sure to follow our family traditions… pictures of the family together, girls in pretty dresses and new hats, the bunny ears (though those are getting too small for the available heads). Now that we are set in our home church we also went to Easter Sunday Service. Add in some decent spring weather and dying of eggs and I figure we did it up right.

The girls did classic egg dying… messy but fun!

Ken and the boys tried something we saw on Facebook… rice and food colouring in a cup then shake… it worked!

Although, I must admit the BETTER pictures were taken a week later in the same outfits (for the kids) in a shadier spot. The original picture was taken in front of the small Catholic church at the end of the street (they have a larger building behind they now use but it is less aesthetic). Sun was not our friend and the camera battery our mortal enemy!

Of course I also took pictures in the church…

The following weekend…

I actually spent much of my month before creating baskets for each of the kids. I could not resist this crochet pattern and was able to embellish it as I wanted. Add in some presents from Mom and Dad and Gammie and I think it was rather fun! You can find the pattern HERE.

Of course we had to take a picture with our new FAT SHEEP… well Echo named her Cookie the Sheep… she was a lovely gift from Sharon back in Canada… our predecessor had been loved flat by Miss Echo so Cookie lives OUTSIDE the bedroom. (New Easter hats as usual too!)

So a very happy belated Easter… CHRIST IS RISEN… HE IS RISEN INDEED… HALLELUJAH!

And us

Our Easter stained glass windows.

And just a couple more images… there is something special at looking back at these days and pictures that reminds me how precious this year has been!

There has been one place I have ALWAYS wanted to go, but never been near one to do so… well today – Sunday, August 26th I finally did it! Ken and I (without the kids) got to go to the Renaissance Festival! In costume (both of us) no less! Although not exactly period in our costume medieval stuff but it is a start! And after going to the festival and seeing what there is to be worn and how people are wearing it my mind is already buzzing with ideas for next year. I am thinking… gypsy or belly dancer!! A costume I can work on creating myself!

A bit more gypsy but there were definite belly dancers wandering too…

Anyway, THIS year’s experience… We made it right around opening so that we could see Shandai (my best friend in high school) dance with her troop… she is also the one who got us the complementary tickets! Talk about a terrific reunion. 

Shandai and I catching up!

There is so much to see even BEFORE you get into the actual venue… I loved the girl with the fire!

A bit fuzzy on her one hand but I love this image

And then, right inside the doorway… so many people and things to see!! And this was right at 9am!

Geese and all!

A wench maybe?

What to do after you  get through that? Wander, shop and enjoy the entertainment and sights… which we did! Oh if Ken was working right now and I had excess spending cash! There was more than a few things I would have picked up without a second thought… BUT what I did get was… a pretty parasol…

I wish I had taken my glasses off for this pic. But I love the design on this parasol. I don’t think that my next costume would go with per say but I would love to have something inspired by.

Ken thought he was funny

Ken got his fried cheese curds…

Cheese curds

And we saw things that would have made Trinity absolutely go crazy in joy! The if only list for ALL the girls in our family is quite long now! There was a pretty mask here, fairy wings there… and entire outfit that I COULD have gotten with 25% down and… yah right. Again WISH LIST!

Some Princess outfits on display

So much whimsy

So we ran BACK into Shandai after we had been travelling rather aimlessly and she took us over to see the mermaids… oh and pointed out her boyfriend who is a real cutie. 

Mermaid

We stopped to watch the knife throwing jugglers (and have a chocolate covered strawberry!) who were VERY amazing. They were called The Danger Committee. 

Jugglers and knife throwers

At that point we had been there well over 3 hours and it was starting to get hot. So after saying goodbye to Shandai at the booth she works at.. Lady Artisan. With the most interesting bodice chillers ever! And boy do they CHILL. Shandai let me try one out. I figure next year when we plan for the whole day I will maybe purchase one! There were these BEAUTIFUL copper roses I would have loved to have as well at another booth…

Stained glass

Dragon Pets

So really we came, we saw, we walked… we photographed… we fell in love with the entire experience. My mind is buzzing away with ideas for my costume next year… I figure the safest bet is going to be to make my own top out of a nice bra… OH and to get some belly dancer lessons! Just gotta figure out how to get there (no driving comes back to curse me) and afford them and have the guts to do it in the first place! 

Ken dressed to impress

And don’t worry there is most definitely ANOTHER blog entry after this one of overflow images… warning though, lots of them!

VERY talented!