Easter Preperations

It's Holy Week, as I'm sure many of you are well aware. Lots, lots going on.

The scrubbed down, my-life-is stress-free-and-easy breakdown is like this: tonight is Maundy Thursday, which means church for Superdad (too late at night for tired, unruly kids to join what is always a somber, quiet service). Tomorrow is Good Friday, which means church in the afternoon. And Sunday, of course, is Easter, which means a sunrise worship service, breakfast at church and then home to see what the Easter Bunny left while we were gone and a huge afternoon Easter feast, which Superdad and I host (which this year will include my family, Superdad's family and our pastor and his family).

Here are all the nuances that were missing from the edited breakdown: today is grocery shopping, cleaning like a madwoman and cooking. Superdad will be gone. All day. Friday is more cleaning, polishing silver and more cooking. Saturday is last minute errands (fresh flowers, wine, renting The Passion of the Christ [which Superdad and I will watch Saturday night] and all the things I forgot when grocery shopping on Thursday), all the cooking I was supposed to get done Thursday and Friday but didn't and deciding what table linens and china to use for our Easter feast. Sunday is manically cooking, washing up and playing hostess.

Don't fret though, folks. We've been hosting Easter for about six or seven years now and I adore it. I love it all. I love the way the house looks when all scrubbed, polished and picked up, I love having lots of people I love around and I love the challenge of orchestrating a holiday meal.

Or maybe I'm just so thankful for Christ's resurrection and finally being able to say "alleluia" after eight long weeks of Lent and singing "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" that I'm still on a high after church and I just think I love it. But whatever; I'm always happy on Easter.

On this year's menu? We'll start with Borscht (courtesy of Wicky, my mother-in-law, who, as it happens, is 100% Ukrainian, just like the Borscht) and then move on to roast leg of lamb, oven roasted potatoes, ham (courtesy of Diana), scalloped potatoes, oven roasted asparagus, a tossed green salad, Paska (courtesy of Wicky), two Jell-O salads, one with fruit, one without (guess who requested those *cough, cough* Madeleine and Hank *cough, cough*) and then we'll move onto dessert, which is also courtesy of Diana, so I only have a vauge idea what it is, as yet, though I'm guessing trifle. R_____, our pastor's wife, will also be bringing a salad or appetizer. I'll also be contributing a couple pans of egg strata for our breakfast at church on Easter morning.

At some point I hope to sit down for five minutes and reflect on the importance of this holiday and give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed onto us.