Getting Ready for a Family Gathering

Mike and I have spent the day getting ready for a family gathering.  He went out to cut grass.  After a couple of trips around the perimeter of the drive, I got a phone call.  He was stuck.  So, out to the barn I went to get the ATV and a chain to pull him out of the mud.  Yes, it is wet and muddy from all the rain we've been getting. 

While I was out, I stopped under the oak trees in our front yard and picked up the dead limbs that had fallen into the yard.  So, after cutting the yard, Mike took the limbs and dumped them into a gully at the back side of the farm.  Then, he came into the house and scattered some grass and mud around the freshly vacuumed kitchen and ate a little lunch.  Next, he went out and cut the grass along the roadway and fence in front of our front field before doing a little work in his new greenhouse.

In the meantime, I ran the vacuum in the den and started the indoor prep process.  First, I set the table.  I kept it simple since I've done some shifting and am recovering from the beginning of the basement cleanout and recent yard sale.  I dug out a monogrammed burlap table runner, topped it with a Longaberger napkin basket filled with green shreds, a Longaberger bunny, and some ceramic eggs I painted when the children were tots flanked by a couple of blue and white eggs.  I added white plates, blue glasses, blue print napkins monogrammed with a spring-green O, and silver napkin rings.  It seems especially cheerful with the afternoon sunlight streaming through the windows.  I'll try to take a bit better photos later.

Then, I did a bit of shifting and shuffling.  With the changes coming to our household, I thought it would be a good time to see how some moving round would work.  So, I turned our island around where the drawers are facing the oven instead of the sink.  I like facing the person I'm dining with and this allows the small drop-leaf table to provide that opportunity.  So, Mike and I will be giving this a trial period. 

After a bit of fun shuffling, I decided I'd better get to work on prepping for our Easter feast.  I saw a cute recipe for Bunny Bark and decided to give it a try, thinking that the grands would really enjoy it. 

This turned out to be a Pinterest success!  It was super easy to assemble and turned out really cute. 

I should have bought more of the candy melt because I probably had enough supplies to make a couple more batches.  Instead, I guess it will be Bunny Trail Mix!

I prepared the hash brown casserole, the squash casserole, the fruit salad, the deviled eggs, the pimento cheese-stuffed celery, and the rolls.  I also stirred up some Tennessee Caviar and another dip for snacks later in the afternoon.  So, tomorrow's prep should be fairly simple.  Ham, green beans, mac and cheese, and maybe a tossed salad is all I'll have to make tomorrow as well as heat everything to be ready for lunch.  Yay for simplicity!

Hope your Easter Sunday is blessed and memorable!