Grandma Dorrie: Always Easter

Right before Dee and I got married, he invited me to his mom's house: dinner, egg hunt. Sounded simple enough. My brother, sister and I had participated in many a fun, civil Easter egg hunts...one would hide, two would search. We would then switch, with another hiding, two seeking. Civilized, and fun. Dinner was great at my future mother in laws, and then we were escorted to the front door. And outdoor egg hunt was the plan. Sounded great to me...memories of childhood will repeat, with Dee, his younger sister-Susan, and I...three hunting...so fun! Dorrie opened the door, I began to step out, and was literally plowed over by the likes of two Tasmanian she-devils. I had no clue what had just hit me, but I glanced outdoors to see objects-later found to be people-zipping from one side to the other...grabbing rotten fruit, ripping up dead leaves from holes, groping the chain link fence through grapevines...It was my future husband and his sister tearing with reckless abandon through the yard. I had NO chance! All the "easy" spots had been taken (Dorrie is no slouch when it comes to hiding eggs...I swear the Easter Bunny could learn a thing or two from her!) I got NONE...those two had scoured high and low, in, out up and down in moments! I still married that sweet guy, though the dark egg hunting side always concerned me! In future years, there was an egg for ME...hidden in the mailbox...no one else could touch...I would go out, get a picture taken with MY egg, and then get out of the way!

Egg hunting at Grandma Dorrie's continues, though the heated competition has cooled...I guess it took putting that brother and sister in separate states to calm things. Anyway, Easter at Grandma Dorrie's involves a big potluck dinner, including Dorrie's meatballs and chicken strips, Sherri's funeral potatoes, Marina's Rolls, my cabbage salad, Nano carrots, Eric's layered bean dip, Cameo's mac and cheese, Danyel's deviled eggs, and lots and lots of other great stuff!
After the food has settled, Dorrie hands out the pastel plastic baskets, instructs that "the obvious eggs are for the kids" and opens the door.
It's a lot of fun, finding eggs in shoes, mailing boxes, tall grass, fences, and just about everywhere you could...or couldn't think of.


Then, the best part: the eating...Tootsie rolls, licorice, Sweet Tarts, to name a few.

Then everyone sits in a big circle, eating, talking, counting, and just enjoying one of the few nice days before the short Arizona Spring ends.











Easter at Grandma Dorrie's....always!