Hoppy Easter!

Journal Entry 3

Happy Easter! Easter to me marks the official start of spring. It tends to be sunny, flowers have emerged from garden beds, the leaves and grass are turning a bright green, and spirits are high (possibly due to increased sugar intake).

This Easter was my 3rd Easter not spent with family. Missing out on holidays can be a bummer. I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me. I love Easter dinner at grandma's and the big egg hunt at mom and dad's house. Of course the delightful basket filled with chocolate goodies is sincerely missed (major googly eyes at reeses cups and starburst flavored jellybeans!). But alas, Tim and I try to make the most of our holidays not spent with family. This year we had a big brunch to start our Sunday. Our kitchen smelled amazing and our table was filled with chocolate chip waffles, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs and the essentials: maple syrup and butter.

The sun lit up our dining room and it felt tranquil as we hummed along to our radio and chit chatted over brunch. With our bellies full and caffeine levels high, we decided to settle in to a relaxing morning. There was no need to rush this holiday - we didn't have a dinner to go to, nor family egg hunt to attend. It was just the two of us and our cat, Eve.

After some chores and catching up with family over the phone, we decided to initiate our own little egg hunt. With Tim restricted to hiding eggs in the 3 back rooms, and myself in the two front rooms, we set off to find the hardest hiding spots (let me tell you, Tim certainly won!). It was a fun way to make the most of the holiday. Afterwards, we collapsed on the sofa with freshly baked gluten free lemon cake in hand. This cake was the perfect treat! I used my new hand mixer to whip up some from-scratch buttercream frosting and paired the cake with some creamy vanilla bean ice cream. Now this felt like a true holiday! Who doesn't love an excuse to have dessert?!

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE:

1/2 Cup softened unsalted butter

3 Tbsp heavy cream

3 tsp vanilla extract

4 Cups powdered sugar

- Abbie