The Annual Hunt

The Easter of 2013 was the very first I spent without my mother therefore, the egg dying and most importantly, the hunt was up to me this year.

Luckily, I have friends who like to play along so on Easter Sunday, before our reservations at Table 6 (a new tradition), five friends came to help me keep the tradition alive.

The tradition involves clues - this isn't just your run-of-the-mill egg hunt here, my loves. You need to figure out the clue to find the egg, then on the last egg - you'll find your basket (or in this case, eggs filled with candy). Clues like "Larry can get you what you need." (Larry is the llama bartender who sits above my bar - see below) and "Hope the cat doesn't poo on me" (bathtub, if you know Sienna).

It was a beautiful spring day - one of the very few we've had in Denver so far this year (much to my dismay), so we walked to Table 6 where our afternoon was filled with mimosas, delicious food and even this guy....

So here's to Easter - to tradition, to brunch and to good friends. 

Martha Lies.

So every year, Pep and I get together to dye Easter eggs for the annual hunt. Since we are now on year 26 (give or take the first two years), we try to get creative. Correction, I try to get creative. Pep is perfectly satisfied with bold colored eggs. I want to make them fancy! And sparkle! So who do I turn to? The master, Martha Stewart, of course!

So I fall in love with two - well really all - of the designer eggs but there are two in particular that seem do-able. In Pep's kitchen. With supplies that you don't have to special order. There are the lace eggs, found here and then the swirly eggs, found here. As we are in JoAnn's looking for lace, Pep is telling me, "Kate, I really don't see how this is going to work." "No Ma, Martha said we just need to rubber-band the lace around the egg and BAM beauty." "Ok..."

Well, come to find out, Martha lies. The lace eggs turned out to be not-so-lace like and the swirly ones using electrical tape worked on a FEW (meaning the ones that my mother did). Here are the results...

The Hunt

Every year for as long as I can remember, I've had an egg hunt on Easter Sunday. This is not your typical egg hunt though, kids. This is a Pep style egg hunt, complete with clues. The past few years, she has tried to get out of it and I've thrown a fit. "But Kate, we've lived in the same house for 19 years now. I ran out of hiding spots YEARS ago." 'But Ma, it's TRADITION!" And sure enough, she comes through, each Easter better than the past. Here is how it works: I come over a few days before Easter for the dyeing process.

Then, on Easter morning, I rise and shine, put on my Easter dress, (and this year) loaded up my own Little Bunny Foo-Foo and hopped over to Pep's house. She wasn't ready for me this year, "You're always late!" Um, not when there is candy involved. She gives me one clue at a time, I find 11 eggs and then my final clue leads me to my basket of GLORY! Let the hunt begin.



(And these are my mom's new teacups...a gift from Sam, aren't they beautiful??)
And my personal favorite of this year...

My final clue this year was a sentimental one. It read Mom + Katie and it led me to a ceramic plate I had painted a few Mother's Days ago that she keeps up in the guest room. My basket was everything I dreamed of, Cadbury Mini Eggs, Peanut M&M's, York Peppermint Patties, alongside a cute wind chime, gardening gloves and a gift card to Old Navy. I am one happy bunny.
Thanks, Ma. As always. And don't worry, someday there will be grand kids and then you can start recycling some of those clues :) Love you.