Easter Shelter and the F. E. F.

 This year on Easter, we will most likely be enjoying leftover Seacoast Pizza at the beach, so I was thankful for the chance to put on a real Easter dinner today...twice!

For my turn to host Shelter, I fixed a ham, "funeral" potatoes, French onion soup, broccoli salad and sauteed Brussels sprouts...all those tried-and-true comfort foods you can make without a recipe.  I also had way too much fun collecting all the ladies' favorite Easter candy for Easter baskets.  Adults never get their very own Easter basket, and it's not fair!  Today, we all got our very own of everything, including a wiiiide slice of coconut cake.  I tried to take credit for making this beautiful cake, but Ptolemy blew my cover when he said, "You didn't make that.  You just put the jelly beans on top of it."

Midway through a delightful feast and rousing conversation about the Russian Revolution and medical malpractice, Ptolemy took off and went to Abe's house.  Later, he justified it by saying, "Well, MY party was OVER."  He just makes stuff up, this kid...except when he tells the truth about Sam's Club cakes.  :)

Since the table was already set so nicely, I had planned a family dinner that I touted as "FEF."  Family Easter Feast.  I was afraid FEF would be a bust, with everyone's varied schedules and the fact that nobody believes me when I say that there's going to be food.  To my delight, everyone was there ready when I got home from ballet, and the Family Easter Feast was Norman-Rockwell-perfect.  If you've ever tried to sit nine people down to an Easter Feast on a Wednesday night between ballet, scouts and Young Women's, you know I wouldn't be remiss in calling the success of FEF a miracle.

Maybe I'm going overboard.  Maybe it wasn't THAT great, but if I were going to die next week (another lunch topic), this is the kind of day I would want every day to be like, right down to the cake I made bought.  I still have some left if anyone wants to come over...