Easter Bunny Letters & Special Easter Treats

If you are like me you have lots of things on your mind when planning a holiday. With Easter right around the corner I am thinking ahead about such things as Easter Bunny letters and what special dishes to have for that all important Easter dinner.

Because my grandkids are a big part of any holiday I always try to plan things they will enjoy. They are still young, ages 2, 4, 11 and 13. The 13 year old definitely does not believe in The Easter Bunny and the 11 year old stopped believing last year, but she is still happy to enjoy the ideal that Peter Cottontail ‘might’ exist. 

With this mix I have lots of fun. The oldest two kids like to help me with my decorating tasks. They do everything from stringing jelly beans to create garland to hanging plastic eggs on my outdoor shrubbery. They also enjoy helping me in the kitchen when I prepare special Easter treats.

The younger children like to get in on the fun too so as always; my craft box gets a good workout during the holiday planning phase. I try to have the box well supplied with items that will be fun to decorate with and also with things that are safe even for the little ones to use. This includes keeping a supply of the heavy duty crayons and large washable markers. 

When the time comes to write letters to The Easter Bunny I encourage all the kids and even the adults to join in. This usually turns into a fun event for everyone. After all, who doesn’t enjoy getting creative once in awhile?

The bonus for me is not only spending time with everyone, but the kids are always happy to create adorable Easter keepsakes for me. I keep the best to use from year to year. Eventually I will give the decorations to the kids – then they can do whatever they want with them.

One of the favorite things the kids and I do to celebrate Easter is baking cupcakes. Besides the usual baking we get into the decorating side of things. I have found that the tops of cupcakes can be a virtual canvas for any holiday theme. We use store bought sprinkles to add a special touch to the cakes but we also try to get creative and make our own touches. 

We have crumbled graham crackers to use as part of our décor and added gummy worms to simulate worms in dirt. Crumbled Oreo cookies can also be used.

I have found that I can warm store bought vanilla and sour cream frosting in the microwave and make it soft enough to mix in a few drops of food coloring. This allows me to create pastel colors of frosting that result in the perfect backdrop for Easter decorations. 

Shredded coconut makes a great look for Easter cupcakes. You can even color it to your liking. Just add the shredded coconut to a zip lock bag and add in a few drops of desired food coloring. Shake until well mixed. If you want to lighten the shade just add in more coconut and re-mix – and of course, if you want to darken the color just add more food coloring. Small Easter candies can be added to the tops of the cupcakes for a final touch of flair.

A Magical Easter Weekend

How do you celebrate Easter? Thousands and thousands of families with children will include some of the traditional holiday activities. This includes spending time coloring Easter eggs, preparing special treats, writing letters to The Easter Bunny and of course playing Easter games and having a fabulous dinner.

Many people will begin Easter Sunday at church, but long before that time they will enjoy discovering what The Easter Bunny brought them the night before. This is especially true for kids.

I have found that if I want a holiday to turn out great I need to plan for it. So I am sharing with you my plans for Easter weekend 2011. 

One of my first concerns is what I will serve for Easter Sunday dinner. The traditional dishes I serve include baked ham, potato salad, candied yams, garden fresh green beans, and deviled eggs. But of course, I have a tendency to get carried away when I am preparing holiday meals.

One of my favorite dishes is peas with cheese. I prefer frozen peas. With that in mind a friend shared one of her recipes with me and I plan to try it out on Easter. You begin with 2 of the larger packages of frozen peas. 

You cook the peas according to directions. In the meantime you crumble up a cup ½ of your favorite snack crackers. This can be any kind at all, from the typical Ritz style crackers to wheat and herb flavors. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese to the crumbs and then mix in 2 – 3 melted tablespoons of butter.

After placing your prepared peas into a serving dish you simply use the crumbs to ‘frame’ the peas. This will be a quick and easy dish and I think it sounds delicious.

One other dish that will be on my menu is glazed carrots. 

I use the ‘baby carrots’ for this. Once they are cooked tender I drain off the liquid and I add my special glaze. To make it I simply mix 1 frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed), about ½ cup brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet and heat until hot. Then I pour the mixture over the carrots and mix. This is a family favorite.

When it comes to desserts my rule is I have to have at least 3. I still haven’t decided what they will be.

One of my other priorities is to ensure that my craft box is well stocked. I know the younger kids will spend time writing letters to The Easter Bunny and creating holiday craft projects.

I also try to ensure that The Easter Bunny makes a stop at my house. That means I have to have whatever I need to create a beautiful Easter basket filled with lots of goodies. I generally use an oversized basket because I only prepare one and it is shared by everyone that visits my home during Easter.

Besides adding a few special decorative touches to my home and ensuring that everything is in order, that’s about all the preparation I do for Easter. My goal is to make sure that my friends and family visit, that they have a good time and have plenty to eat, and that even while focusing on Easter Bunny letters we keep in mind what the holiday is really about.

Easter Letters & Easter Trees!

Decorating a tree for Easter is quick and easy. You can decorate any tree you have in yard or you can purchase one from a craft store if you want one for inside your home. This is a fun way for a family to spend a nice spring day.

I get my kids busy writing letters to the Easter Bunny while I get all my crafts supplies together. If you are going to put lights in your tree this is a good time to do it. As I gather the supplies the kids and I chat about what they hope to find in their Easter Baskets on Easter morning. Once I have everything we will need to do our crafts together I help the kids finish their Easter letters. They wait to seal their letters until after the crafts so we can send a picture of what they made.

The easiest ornaments to make are plastic eggs. All you need to do is tie a string around the egg. I used a small strip of tape on each side of the string to help secure it. If you live in an area that is windy you may want to put tape all along the string. Simply hang on the branches of your tree. My kids like to paint designs on the eggs before they attach the string, but you don’t have to.

A few bunches of artificial flowers can go a long way. Take the individual flowers off of the stems.  Use glitter glue around the edge of each petal. Now using a large needle thread either a ribbon or string through the flower. Use the ribbon to hang the flower from the tree. Pick flowers in bright vibrant spring colors.

Hang long pieces of ribbon from the tree so that they can sway in the breeze. They really catch the eye. Use several different colors and lengths of ribbon.

Glitter balls are simple and fun to make. Start with plain Styrofoam balls. Give your kids a variety of glitter glue sticks and let their imaginations go wild. Use string to hang them from the tree.

If you are doing an indoor tree you can have your kids cut out Easter shapes out of construction paper. Add a little bit of glitter to give your tree a bit of sparkle.

After your tree is finished be sure to snap a few pictures. My kids always send a picture with their Easter letters to The Easter Bunny. I love to have pictures to remember the fun we have each year decorating our trees. The pictures make a nice surprise for The Easter Bunny and grandparents.