chickies & eggs

there's something about little chicks and colorful eggs that just makes me happy! lots of rainy days and sick kids this vacation week yielded a ton of pretty easter eggs. we had so much fun making them. 

we tried the rubber band technique...

we tried the crayon on hot eggs technique but i think we did something wrong...

we decoupaged tissue paper onto large plastic eggs (these came out so nice and we can keep them forever)...

and in honor of earth day, we repurposed old magazine covers and weaved them into little egg baskets. so cute!

i really really wanted to do the natural egg dyes this year. i had all of the ingredients (beets, red cabbage, tumeric, grape juice...) but tired at 9pm on the night before easter, when I went to open the white eggs i asked my husband to buy, every egg had red 'eggland's best' logos stamped on them. booo and i was just too tired to go back out just for more eggs, so there's always next year, right?

so i think the easter bunny's sugar high has finally come down (can i really be sick of sugar?) and so i have been in need of some healthy eating again. bunnies love carrots and so i searched for a yummy carrot recipe, because carrots can be so ho-hum, and i definitely found one that i will make again and again. it's sooo good. i remembered that art cafe released one in the hook magazine this current issue (if only they would give out their hummus recipe...). here it is. you gotta try it!:


mid-eastern carrot salad


8 carrots
3 T fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
1/2 t paprika
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t cumin
1/4 chopped cilantro (or parsley)
salt & pepper to taste


wash and peel carrots. bring two quarts water (several pinches of salt) to boil and add carrots. cook for up to 8 minutes, but do not let carrots get soft or tender. remove carrots from heat and rinse under cold water and let cool completely. slice carrots in approx. 1/4 inch round slices. mix by hand as a dressing in a separate bowl the lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, mashed garlic and cumin. in a serving bowl, mix the sliced carrots and dressing lightly. add salt and pepper to taste and add the cilantro. serve chilled. enjoy!