Holiday Gifts

Easter gifts are truly wonderful to receive.

Along with the usual chocolate bunnies and decorated Easter eggs, a well thought out gift is especially appreciated.

I was just blessed with such a surprising Easter present.

A spurtle.

Started off with an Easter egg hunt for the girls. They were so great finding the eggs. Still needed some coaching though. Then opened Easter gifts. I have a hard time with Easter turning into Christmas. The wife enjoys it and it makes memories. We do focus on Easter being about the resurrection of Christ and the girls know that. Then off to Crystal Springs golf course. I shot a 97. Not bad for seven weeks of rust. Had a few great drives and a couple of fantastic chips. One came within a few inches of the cup. There were deer on the fifth as usual....

I bought all the kids Easter gifts. We don’t do candy ladden baskets. It’s a throw over from mommy having a weight problem. I just don’t see the sense in spending tons of money on candy. So they get a big gift instead. And I buy a chocolate bunny and some jelly beans. That’s it. Dinara is the only one who misses it. She tried to negotiate with me the other day that perhaps I could let the Bunny know via our email contact that she would prefer a big basket of candy instead of a toy. I told her The Bunny doesn’t negotiate gifts and perhaps she might not want to appear ungrateful.

She contemplated that and agreed.

Seems my honey and the bunny are pretty tight - I got the inside scoop on how the bunny tried to get me a set of Denise Interchangables but ran out of time, so I got this crate of stuff instead. NO COMPLAINTS, the crate is good storage, I needed more point protectors (apparently, since it seems I pilfered a set from Justin at SnB by accident last week, so sorry!) and how can you have too many stitch markers and holders, needles, or too many yarns to play with? The colors of the wool he bought probably don’t show in the picture that well, but they have a really subtle varigation thru them, can’t wait to see how it knits up - now, the question is what to make with them?

Happy Easter everyone!! I’m off to spend quality time with the Knitting bunny the greatest guy in the world.

oh no its good friday, ive got nieces comming, and no easter gifts ithink im gonna be busy today

i will be trying to do something like this!!!

I bought three hens at lunchtime. Three milk chocolate hens, perched atop three chocolate wicker baskets, presumably filled with lots of little Easter goodies. I haven’t rattled them - in fact I barely dare approach the bag for fear of being overcome by a whiff of chocolate escaping from under the cellophane wrapping and succumbing to temptation. Which is why I am telling you there are THREE chickens. So that I can’t eat any of them between now and Easter Sunday. And if I mumble sheepishly upon arrival that one of said hens got smashed into smithereens when my hand luggage was scanned at the airport, DO NOT BELIEVE ME. Look for telltale signs of chocolate consumption around my and Tadpole’s mouths.

This weekend, the parents had 'homework.' I had to buy a dozen easter eggs and fill them with candy and toys. Okay that's easy and fair. They are having their easter egg hunt on Wednesday.

But then I had to make an Easter Bonnet. Excuse me? A bonnet for a boy?

I didn't know what to do, so headed to Hobby Lobby ....

Below is the 'bonnet' we came up with for his easter parade.

Do you have somebunny special you want to send a special Low Carb Easter gift to? CarbSmart makes it easy with THREE great low carbohydrate gift baskets! These precious easter assortments are sure to delight that special somebunny in your life. Filled with low carb versions of all the traditional Easter treats including sugar free chocolate filled eggs and an Easter bunny for them keep for years to come.

Happy Easter everyone! Unlike Clotilde, Dave and I don't have any special Easter traditions. In fact, last year I even forgot to buy him an egg!! This year, I decided to make up for that by splashing out on some very special eggs from Hotel Chocolat (the same people who do my monthly Chocolate Tasting Box)...

Dave's White Chocolate Extravaganza is shown above and looks absolutely gorgeous! My egg was half milk and half dark chocolate and was filled with eight huge chocolate truffles in assorted boozy flavours. Mmmmmm!

Hey, people with the Fellowship of the Ring extended dvd, this website has instructions on how to find the neat "easter eggs" hidden in the discs. There is the Two Towers trailer (which I notice shows scenes that were not in the theatrical release, so I assume they will appear in the extended release of that film), and an MTV spoof of some sort (I haven't watched it yet).

I got this e-mail from a reader, in response to my writing about the sad throwaway cycle for bunnies. Buy them for Easter gifts, and dump them when the novelty wears off (and isn't that a great lesson for a child?):

I am responding to the question about an overflow of rabbits from Easter. Why don't they just keep the rabbits for a few weeks, and if no one adopts them, make them into meat rabbits and sell the meat?

I'm hoping he's just a troll, trying to jerk my chain a little. But I'm guessing not.

Instead of snow on the last day of winter, 2,000 brightly colored eggs adorned the lawn next to the Fishkill town hall.

It only took about 15 minutes for them to disappear.

About 200 children took part in the annual Town of Fishkill spring celebration and Easter egg hunt Saturday.

The eggs were collected in three waves of dashing children, starting with the oldest -- all urged on by their parents.

The first group was so eager to start gathering eggs, they tried, unsuccessfully, to speed up the countdown by Fishkill's Recreation Director Cindy Starke.

For the free event, each participant was allowed to collect eight eggs and was given a raffle ticket for gift baskets of stuffed animals and candy.

I saw a whole row of these on the holiday candy shelf at Duane Reade's yesterday and did a double take because I found their very existence so bizarre:

The product page copy describes it as "a beautiful and "tasteful" symbol of the religious holiday" and I have to agree because, really, nothing says "I love you, Jesus!" or "Screw you, Herod!" as much as chomping down on a milk chocolate cross.

Folks.... I have been diligently looking for low carb Easter goods for my kids' baskets. The only place I have found anything is CVS with Russell Stover chocolate bunnies and chocolate pecan eggs.

Few people know that jelly beans actually have a story to tell this Easter. The Easter Jelly Bean Story Jar is filled with 31oz. of jelly beans (almost 2lbs) that explains the hidden meaning behind all of the different jelly bean colors as they relate to Easter and Jesus. A grown-up alternative to an Easter basket, this gift will continually remind the recipient that someone loves them! http://www.pixiedustgifts.com/updates/06.php

I made one more bunny, so here is my current litter of bunnies.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to rescue and education, HRS blames thousands of cases of rabbit neglect, abandonment, and even death on impulse Easter purchases. The current campaign, "Make Mine Chocolate!(TM)" (http://www.makeminechocolate.org) was created by the Columbus, Ohio, chapter of HRS and is aimed at changing the public's attitude toward rabbits as holiday gifts.

"Purchasing chocolate rabbits would spare the lives of the countless rabbits ordinarily bought for Easter and then relinquished to shelters, or, worse, released outdoors during summertime," says Margo DeMello, administrative director of HRS. "With proper care, companion rabbits can live 10 years. Most children lose interest long before this, and the rabbit ends up being neglected or abandoned." DeMello says that many rabbits purchased as Easter pets will never live to see their first birthday.

The Run, which has grown in popularity over the years, is simple in concept. Around 5000 bikers tour Wirral, delivering gifts to sick children; thousands of spectators line the streets.

It sets off from New Brighton and ends at Clatterbridge hospital, where the riders hand out chocolate goodies to the children.

Seemingly the Easter Egg Run, which is enjoyed by all except Nanny, is a threat to health and safety.

The hapless organisers of the run have, reportedly, been in discussions with Nanny's council and police officials in a bid to keep it going; but to no avail.

The committee has finally had to give up, they claim that public safety chiefs have been "moving the goalposts".