Phillips Family Easter Day Reunion
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It's A Family Tradition
Every year since 1985 come Easter Day the whole clan gathers at Gary and Margaret's place. All the members of the Phillips Family and the Extensions of Phillips Family (whether by birth, marriage, or friendship) arrive in droves - or cars and trucks, at the countryside home. Several have traveled hundreds of miles in order to join in with the Easter Day gathering. We start by catching up with each other's lives and hear the tales of what the children and grandchildren and nieces and nephews have been doing during the past 12 months.
2011/07/06 21:13
Contents at a Glance
Meanwhile, Back At The Farm
Gary and Margaret have the perfect home site for the gathering. Lots of land for hiding Easter Eggs. Lots of animals to interact with and take photos. And Gary has had an extensive assortment of animals, I can tell you that. Not just the expected horses, cows, cats, dogs, chickens and pigs. There have and still are plenty of those; but also the Bengal tiger, two bobcats, a Boa Constrictor, fighting cocks and hens and wolves. The exotic animals have all been given away, sold, or traded. The main crux of the farm now is DOGS. Little dogs, big dogs, short dogs, tall dogs, over 200 altogether, not counting puppies.
Thomas The Train Easter Toys and Book
Um-mmm Good
The Smells of Great Foods Fills the Atmosphere
Margaret started cooking a day earlier and has the kitchen half filled with the best food one could hope for. Then the rest of us start pouring in. Everybody brings a dish of some kind of food in one hand and a bag full of Easter eggs in the other. It doesn't take long until every surface top in the kitchen is covered with food - casseroles, cakes, hams, chilies, various beef dishes, cookies, candies, bowls and trays of vegetables, fruits of all kinds, homemade breads. It's a veritable Hungry Man's / Woman's / Child's haven. Most of us have brought our favorite recipe. I've always baked a ham. Those spiral-sliced hams are especially tasty. This year I have decided to also make a couple of loaves of bread. Since I pulled my Little Sweetie Bread Machine out of the dungeon area under the kitchen sink, I've been making a lot of bread.
In The House
Looking For Food
It's A Stampede!!!
Finally Margaret calls; "Time to eat!". Look out, Nelly, the cows are headed in. A person could get trampled. We are a hungry bunch. Most of us don't eat breakfast in anticipation of what we are about to get to eat. We actually are a civilized bunch (pfft); the youngest ones are given their plates first before the rest get called in to eat. Also, any elderly are given theirs. Wonder how much longer I have to wait before I get to be in that group? Now there are people sitting all around the living room, out on the porch, at the picnic table in the yard, sitting on every outdoor seat to be found, even sitting on the grass. And a quietness fills the land, the only sound is the chomping of teeth.
Around The Farm
"The game hens look pretty," says Ariana, "while they're inside the fence."
Duel Debate Module
I don't care how old or how young, everybody wants to get in on the action when it comes to the Easter Egg Hunt. Now, there are those of us who prefer to be the Egg Hiders. It's so much fun to find some really good hiding spots for the eggs.
Then we have the Egg Hunters. I can actually see the gleam in their eyes when they speak of "The Hunt." Who's going to find the most candy? Who's going to find the Prize Egg? There is so much anticipation, they can hardly sit still. They act like they've got ants in their pants they're so excited to get going.
So - which are you???
I like to Hide The Eggs. Those Kids will NEVER find the ones I hide. Bwa-haa-haaa.
grandma_deal says:
I would be an Egg Hider. My happiness comes from seeing the children's faces light up when they find the eggs.
I am The Great Egg Hunter. I am so good at the hunt that I can find eggs that were hidden last year.
Off To The Hunt
Gang-way Gertie, Here They Come
When the bags and boxes of eggs are finally empty, it's time for the hunt. All the hunters grab their baskets. The very littlest get taken out first. Each one has an older child or parent to help them. After a minute, the rest of the children get turned loose. They run out yelling and running and leaping through the air. It's truly a sight to see. It doesn't take long for baskets to start filling up with eggs - dyed and decorated boiled eggs, plastic eggs with candy inside, eggs with little toys inside, and the inevitable "Prize" eggs - money, money, money. Adults have put all the change from pockets and purses (holding back enough for the toll roads to get home) into several of the prize eggs.
Hide the Easter Eggs
All Six Hundred and Fifty-Three of Them!
About an hour later, when we're all through moaning and groaning from eating too much, it's time to hide the eggs.
All the children who are still young enough to hunt the eggs are brought inside. The children who've become too grown up to hunt eggs, along with some of the adults, go out to hide the eggs. Even the occasional grandma can be spotted out there hiding eggs. At first they go to a bit of effort to find good hiding spots. After about 200 eggs, they just start dropping them by twos and threes in the grass. Those are "for the youngest ones" to find.
Cutest Easter Baskets and Treasures I Ever Did See
Best Easter Basket Stuffers
The Prize - Lots of Candy
and Maybe a Nickel or a Dime
After about 30 minutes of searches, it's determined that there are no more eggs to be found. Of course, we know there are likely to be a few still out there which will be found next time the yard gets mowed. Everyone gathers into several groups to sit on the ground and examine their eggs. Eggs get dumped out for easier sorting. The real eggs are returned to the basket, it's very likely we know what's inside those. Then the plastic eggs are opened. The anticipation lies heavy in the air. Candies - lots and lots of candies. Chocolate, jelly beans, gummies, marshmallow-filled, cream-filled, egg-shaped, bunny-shaped, round, oval, all colors of the rainbow. And, finally, a little voice screams out: "I Got Money! Look, Mom! A Quarter!" "I Got Two Quarters!" "I Got Six Dimes!" "I Got A Bunch Of Money!" "I Got A Dollar!" Soon, little mouths are filled with boiled eggs and/or candy. The rest of the candy and toys are put into bags. Usually the empty plastic eggs get re-hidden so they can have another hunt just for the pure joy of finding.
Take Me Out To The Ballgame
Buy Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
The Very Sweetest Easter Bunnies
A Little Easter Music
Play some of these during the Egg Hunt
Easter 2011
Rain - All Day Long
Youngest brother, Mike, and his family.
Into The Setting Sun
As for me and mine, it's way past time to go home. It's been an idyllic day, excellent and delightful. We have a great family. When we only see most of us once a year, it's easy to relax, sit back and enjoy each other.
Show Me Some Love
Pretty Please
Without you, I'm just me.
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Phillips Family Reunion Quiz
A Little Easter Fun
Well, you read the story. Now it's time for the Pop Quiz.
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by grandma_deal
In honor of Easters past. Mom and Dad went to Heaven in 1991 and 1999. Mom of cancer, Dad of a broken heart. Our Family Reunions always have an empty... more »
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