Celebrations

 I don't really have time for a lengthy post at the moment, so here's a little Easter show-and-tell (see my previous post for some other Easter thoughts).

One of the most common types of decorations you can find in Russian homes and posted on Russian blogs is the vase with branches, hung with little ornaments, much like a Christmas tree. My mother-in-law and I accidentally bought each other the same set of ornaments, ha ha!

This photo also features my ugly interesting eggs that I dyed using onion peel, chamomile tea, and instant coffee. It wasn't incredibly successful but I got some neat earthy tones.

I have to say that the store-bought dyes are more fun in terms of overlapping colors and other interesting effects. The natural ones take a while, so you basically just do the prep work and then leave them in there for a few hours, and then let them dry before you can tell what they're really going to look like.

I did get out the "He is Risen" banner, but didn't end up hanging it. However, David spotted it lying on the couch this morning and went nuts over the bright colors and the fuzzy felt. :)

I also had fun reviewing what I'd done other years while living in Russia. There was the year of the church retreat, the year where we learned a dance, the year of kulich-baking with my roommate, and an Easter afternoon spent going for a walk with good friends. What great memories!