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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Why My Family Is Cooler Than Yours – Easter Style

Though I’m in my late twenties, I still haven’t gotten over my love of dying eggs, and luckily my family likes to indulge me. This year was no exception.

Anyone who’s ever dyed Easter eggs knows how hard it is to get them brightly colored. I swear that every year the dye gets less and less potent, and while the Easter holiday may be teeming with pastels, my Easter eggs shouldn't be! Lightly colored eggs might not bother most families, but it absolutely bothers mine. Side note: My family is a tad bit on the competitive side. One Easter we wound up going to Wal-Mart at midnight to procure a second – and then third – box of dye so we could have the very best eggs. Holiday decorations are a contact sport in the Hennessy family. 

However, this year when the brand of egg dye we prefer was nowhere to be found, we were forced to use something substandard. The horror! And it did not go well. The first round came out pale and weak – the Draco Malfoy of eggs. Fortunatly, this time we were prepared. We busted out our box of back-up dye and tried it again, adjusting the ratios of water, vinegar and lemon like mad scientists. And while they didn't come out much better, my mom and I had a terrific time making a mess. (My dad tried to steer clear of the chaos.)

The final product still had a few . . . kinks.

But the fun doesn't stop there. A few years ago my mom, cousin and I saw this picture in a magazine where you add hats, ears and tails to the eggs to turn Easter eggs into Easter bunnies. It’s now become an annual project which we’ve dubbed “Hats Off to You” (named thus for the tiny hats they wear). And due once again to our competitive nature, each year we get a little more creative. So while our eggs started out pretty straight forward, it's evolved into this:


Sadly this year my cousin Allie, who’s away at college, wasn’t able to make it home for Easter. We decided that my mom and I would dye the eggs ourselves, but wait to decorate them until she got home for the summer. Still, that didn’t stop us from strategizing . . .


And that, dear readers, is why my family is cooler than yours. Hope you all had a happy Easter (or Passover) and see you tomorrow for the letter "H" in the Blogging from A-Z Challenge. 

14 comments:

  1. if i could like a post on a blog like it was facebook, i totally would :)

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  2. I haven't dyed/painted eggs since I was a kid! Superheros and villains sound like an awesome idea though :)

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  3. I am proud to know the coolest writer ever (anyone who can come up with a line like 'draco malfoy of eggs' takes the cake for eggcellence in imagery...

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  4. Wish I had some pictures to post, but my family gets really crazy with the Easter Eggs too.

    My grandmother used to create prize winning Fabrege eggs for the county fair and she's got the whole Ukranian egg wax/dye kit.

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  5. Several years ago, we did Star Wars eggs. Partially, it was due to a kit we got, but the kit was because of a failed attempt the previous year at an R2-D2 egg (I really just needed a paint brush). Anyway, we ended up with a C-3PO and a Darth Vader that ended up living in our fridge for months.

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  6. Oh I LOVE it! I did easter eggs this year too and man the dye just doesn't do a thing! I tried doing the rubber band eggs and geez they did not cooperate. I'm going to have to play around and see how I can get my dye to be as vibrant as yours. That's impressive!

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  7. Alex and Sarah – Ah, my partners in crime. Watch out eggs, we’re coming for you.

    Elizabeth – glad you liked that one haha.

    Hazel – I’m definitely looking forward to it. It’ll be a great belated Easter project.

    Kimberlee – Your family’s eggs sound incredible. And I’ll admit it, your family might be as cool as mine.

    Andrew – That’s wickedly cool. In fact, and I apologize for this, I may rip off your idea for next year. It’s just too good.

    Herding Cats – believe me, it was a struggle. Little hint, more vinegar!

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  8. Oh, go right ahead and don't feel bad about it!

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    1. Just consider it my tribute to you...and Star Wars.

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  9. Ok, so this isn't a A to Z Challenge post but I just had to comment when I saw the beadazzled eggs with masquerade masks. xD Your family definitely went all out with the egg dyeing but it looks like you had a blast. It's definitely giving me ideas for next Easter.

    "the Draco Malfoy of eggs": Were they scowling as well? Haha!

    Sarah @ The Writer's Experiment

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  10. I don't actually celebrate Easter till next Sunday, so I still have a day of dying ahead of me, and I can't wait. I love the colors. I've never dressed up an egg though. Just done two-toned ones.

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  11. It is cooler than mine, but I have another chance, this coming Sunday is Greek/Russian Orthodox Easter, so you have another chance as well. So this is to Gwen, Happy Orthodox Easter.

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  12. Ha, that looks like so much fun! Yes, our eggs were always much more brightly colored when we were kids. (And I'm a bit older than you are.)

    http://laughatalzheimers.blogspot.com

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