Easter Fun at Mom's House

These are mainly for my sisters to enjoy. :-) And for those of who aren't my sisters, we headed up to Monroe County on Saturday, going to my mother's to visit and enjoy the beautiful countryside. Amber and my sister Snort were there as well. (We missed you Aunt Hug and I think I need to come up with an online nickname for Amber. Hmmm....) That evening we headed over the Grandma's for the night. Sunday is always an extended family get-together at someone's house - it rotates every year. And it was VERY soggy this year.

Mom made a pair of round carrot cakes. Cutting the second cake to make ears and a bow tie, she turned the boring round cakes into a cool, if crumbly looking, bunny. And then, she turned the girls loose with plenty of  cream cheese icing.

That's Mom, on the right, checking out their handiwork. Drama Queen likes to make and ice cakes, so she was going at it like an old pro. Monkey Girl, on the other hand, took a little bit to get the hang of it. Of course, when you have that much icing, you just keep piling it on to hide your mistakes. ;-)

Add some red food coloring to the ising for ears, the center of the bow tie, and his whiskers. And then turn your grandchildren loose with pastel peanut M&Ms. A masterpiece in the making...

And the final product! Isn't he a beautiful bunny? He was pretty tasty too!

Next up we have Mr. Incredible changing the batter in Mom's car. I love watching him do "guy work". (Actually, Mom asked him to do it because the battery was too heavy for her to lift...)

Just so those of you reading this who aren't my sisters, working on Mom's car is definitly an honor. A pic of the car might help explain a little bit better...

Yep, that's the backend of a 1964 Ford Mustang. Isn't she pretty?  She's been sitting for awhile in the garage, waiting on some major repair work, but it looks like she's finally ready to go out on the road again.

A lot of time was also spent wearing out Mom's new dog Lady, as in Lady Taz. She's a two-year-old black lab who's spent much of her life loved, but on a leash. Monkey Girl wore out Lady and Lady wore out Monkey Girl. It was a match made in heaven. (And Chip, Little Brother, I promise to get some pics of you next time as well, okay?)

Monkey Girl's Easter "basket". (Guess who forgot the baskets at home...) The big thing was the polymer clay sculpture in the middle there, with the penguins. A local young artist made it just for her. Thanks, Izzy. It was a big hit!

Here's Drama Queen's pile of goodies. I need to get a better pic of her sculpture, which had crows fighting over a piece of meat in a cemetary. I know it seems morbid for Easter, but it was actually absolutely perfect for DQ - she was absolutely delighted with it. Izzy did another great job.

So, there it is - the photos from our Easter Weekend in Monroe.

And now for the shameless, enthusiastic plug about Izzy's artwork. Izzy is about the same age as Monkey Girl, just so you know. He's been working with polymer clay for several years and everything he's done recently has topped whatever just came before it. I have a lovely little sculpture of a pair of manatees in my office area. I love manatees. Izzy and I discussed the what I was willing to pay and I turned him loose. He made a mama with one flipper protectively over the back of a calf. There's even some seaweed and a small crab on it! Oh, and sand! It's fabulous.

MG meant to spend some of her Christmas money on a penguin sculpture, but forgot and spent it on other things. So....Mom saw an opportunity for a really cool Easter gift. Izzy and I talked it over a few weeks before the deadline. I told him what critters I wanted and pretty much turned him loose. I mean, we brainstormed a wee bit, but the final products were all his idea and creation. I love how he made MG's penguins so colorful. And crows in a cemetary was absolutely spot-on for DQ. And the detail in them are just wonderful. I'll post again as soon as I get some good pics taken.

In the meantime, if you'd like to talk to Izzy, commission your own work (the prices are beyond reasonable), or see what his mom creates (she's a wonderful fiber artist), check out AndreaSternArt or her Etsy shop - The Multimedia Art of Andrea Stern. Your eyes will enjoy the sight!