Fairie Festival Spring 2010

It's Spring! Time for the annual Fairie Festival at the Greenwood School! We went last year and this year was just as much fun...except that we got there a little late and the face painting table was closed :( Mia still had loads of fun decorating a basket that she later used in the egg hunt. She blew bubbles, had a red Popsicle...red is her favorite color, ya know. Mia danced and played music with Mr Michael and had a cookie and tea at the Fairie Queen's Tea Party. At the end, Mia found 10 hidden eggs...some cascarones and some hard boiled. She ate a hard boiled on the spot. Lily chewed on her fairie wings, swiped a cookie, found an egg...that went straight to her mouth and ate a lot of grass. I think Daryl enjoys when his girls get dressed up and frolic around. He had a smile on his face the whole time. Oh, I finally got a chance to wear my huge blue butterfly wings....happiness. It was a lovely day.

Cascarones - Happy Easter

Cascarones or confetti eggs are festive, hollow chicken egg shells, filled with confetti, meant to be thrown or broken over some one's head (usually as a surprise from behind), scattering confetti all over the person. This tradition is most often carried out among friends and family. Cascarones derived from Mexico and have recently regained popularity in the southwestern United States. They are used for many different occasions but, especially Easter. Having one broken over your head is said to bring good luck.

I've been making cascarones around Easter time since as long as I can remember. It was just part of what we did...for months ahead of time, we'd be careful and crack just the tops of the eggs when cooking with them, then rinse the shells out, let them dry, put them in a cartoon and then on top of the fridge for safe keeping. The Saturday before Easter, we'd sit down and either dye or color the egg shells with crayons. The coloring was for the older kids...at least 4 or 5 because the shells were so delicate. Then we'd stuff them with confetti, rub a little bit of paste (made with flour and water) around the edge of the hole and then top with colorful tissue paper.

On Easter morning, we found that the Easter bunny had hidden the cascarones outside! We all ran around with our baskets to grab as many as possible. Then it all broke loose when all the cousins and friends would hit each other over the head with the cascarones and confetti would fly through the air! We LOVED sneaking up on the adults, who sitting around the bbq with a beer in hand, and smashing their heads as well. Now that I look back, we probably weren't as stealthy as we thought we were :)

This year, Mia and I saved, dyed and stuffed egg shells. Our first family cascarones on Easter were postponed until the late afternoon because it rained all morning....after she found them all outside, we smashed them on daddy's head...we each got some confetti ..even Niles and lil Lily got a little sprinkle of confetti, too :) Daddy and Mia were all sweet crushing the eggs in their hands and then sprinkling the confetti on each other's head....um, I guess I'm a little old school and crashed them right on their noggins...Mia said, 'Mama, you play too hard...be gentle'. So I did :) Happy Easter!

Spring Fairy Festival

A couple of weekends ago, we went to the annual Greenwood School Fairy Festival. I can't even begin to explain how magical super fun it was. We met up with great friends Andrea, Sophia and Domi. It was fun to sit back and share the fun with them. I've posted MANY photos...and I have many MORE. They had sooo many things to do....basket decorating, wreath making, facepainting, fairy wand creations, BUBBLES...and Popsicles....music, a drum circle, seed planting, fairy tea party...with a Fairy Queen who went one by one and adorned the children with fairy dust. Oh, and an egg hunt! Thank you, Andrea, for turning us on to such a wonderful event!

Basket Decorating

head wreath making handsome honey sporting Mia's wreath...because she wouldn't
at the bubble tub
fabulous face painting
dancin' with daddy

Popsicle envy....
...that made her cry :(
Lovely Andrea and her lil fairy, Sophia
awesome idea...but the lil kids couldn't read the sign ;)
fab fairies seed planting (got a cool glow from something or other...not processed) photo by Daryl
my new fav shot (photo by Daryl)
the very musically talented Andrea...who looks like she's straight out of Woodstock
banging away at 2 drums...she ended up with 3!
Michael the magnificent drum circle leader
me holding Lily...the only way I can right now :) (taken by Daryl)
(also taken by Daryl)
Domi making quite a storm

NOT into chamomile tea
but soooo into scones (try 4!)
random sweetness...it was EVERYWHERE!
have you seen such attitude on a fairy kitty?
more love....
....and sleepiness (both shots by Daryl)
Egg hunt! found one in a BOAT!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this belly shot!
CASCARONES!!!!!
and one for Daddy!
ahhhh all she needed was a little fairy dust from the Fairy Queen
on the way home....captivated by her dirty feet :)