DECORATING AND DOWNSIZING FOR EASTER

I haven't written about the fact that we have downsized; dramatically so! I suppose with the house and outbuildings we're now living in a home almost, but not quite, 1/2 the size of the former house. What do you think Amanda? Close to it?

I'll write later on about our desire to down-size, but for now let's talk about the realty of downsizing & decorating for special celebrations & holidays.

I need & want to downsize even more than what has already been done. I do not have the room nor the where-with-all to store & bring out a lot of "stuff" several times a year.

Here is my simplified plan, using Easter as the example. I put a few little Ajuga blooms into a very tiny little bunny vase. He will not take up a lot of storage room when not out on display. Use whatever flowers you happen to have on hand.

In our part of Texas there's lots of wild onions blooming now. The point is that it doesn't have to be elaborate. Bunny is in the bathroom because if you're not doing much decorating you must be sure to place what you do have in a prominent place...everyone visits the bathroom!

Go through your old photos and gather up favorite photos of Easters past - the ones of Easter baskets, egg hunts, portraits, etc. If you collect Easter cards, bring them out. Once you have your collection all together, pull out your favorites & put them on a memory board. Be sure to display them in a prominent area so all will see it!!!!!

If there's enough room, buy a flowering plant to put in one fabulously breathtakingly beautiful planter out on the porch near the door. At the end of the season, plant in the yard if it's still alive. If not - toss it. What did you lose? $10-$15?

I admit, I haven't made the memory board & I still haven't made it to the plant farm to buy a hydrangea. . . but I have dyed eggs, baked tea cakes & pulled out one vintage Easter postcard that I stuck in the side of an old mirror. If I can find where the metal cross is, I'll put it out too. (Remember, I'm still unpacking). The point is - make it as uncomplicated as you need. Decorating our homes is not suppose to be a burden!

Do something similar for the other holidays your family celebrates.

Even without the memory board, I think the house will festive enough. Peeps & teacakes,eggs & vintage cards should be enough. . .What do you think? I've been giving this a lot of thought & it's very appealing to me. What do you think? Am I cracked? :)

PS: Wendy, of Wendy's Wonderings, shared about dyeing Easter eggs. Instead of the usual little dye tablets that come in kits, use Wilton's icing dyes! To 1 cup warm water, add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar & some of the gel dye. We used toothpicks for spoons & kept adding color until we got the intensity we desired.

Thanks Wendy, Wilton should pay you royalty for all the people you inspired to go out & buy their dye to make the best Easter eggs ever!