Our Easter

Nature gave us the gift of wild blossoming branches to hang our painted eggs from. We found them in the woods and they weren't hard to harvest...the lumberjacks had cut down an old flowering tree, and left it by the forest path.

Rafael had his first Easter...next year he will be able to hunt for eggs.

The tiny fallen nest I found looked so sweet and cozy nestled in between the boughs.

Green is flourishing and the forest floor is frothy with wild white anemones.

Our village is bathed in sun here, but we are having our share of April showers, too. The plants are grateful.

My husband, pictured here in mid-air with his (exhausted) brother-in-law, has been enjoying outdoor workouts again, using whatever he finds. He jumps on and off tree stumps with both feet at the same time (harder than is looks), and does shoulder presses by lifting tree trunks.

Hope you are having a beautiful spring, or autumn, depending on where you are in the world.

xoxoxo

Carrot Cupcakes with Lemon Sour Cream Frosting, And Bunny Bunting

Every Monday, Rafael and I make our way to the local vicarage where a weekly playgroup is held. Mothers with their children and babies meet for singing, playing, crafting, and coffee and snacks. Moms take turns bringing snacks for the group, and this week, it was my turn. Since Easter is just around the corner, I thought I would make some cupcakes, and what better flavor to make for this holiday than carrot cake?

Carrot cakes I have made and eaten in the past have tended to be too heavy for my taste, loaded with raisins, pineapple, nuts, and coconut. One slice and you are full. I wanted to make carrot cupcakes that were simple, moist, and delicately spiced. I used this recipe, substituting melted virgin coconut oil for the vegetable oil, and using my Kitchen Aid mixer instead of a food processor. The result was delicious and exactly what I was hoping for.

I realized too late that I didn't have any cream cheese for the cream cheese frosting which typically goes with carrot cake. But I did have sour cream. I am sure that situations like this one are when some of the best recipes are discovered. At least, I am very pleased with the tangy, sweet frosting which I whipped up with the ingredients I had on hand.

My recipe for Lemon Sour Cream Frosting:

5 Tablespoons soft unsalted butter
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
1 1/2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip the butter and powdered sugar until combined. While the beaters are still going, add the remaining ingredients. If it's too runny, add more sugar. If it's too stiff, add some more sour cream.

This recipe frosted 16 cupcakes, though I don't pile it on too high. I sprinkled some of them with finely chopped walnuts and topped them all with little flags that I made from toothpicks, craft paper, and glue.

To get the 'rosette' look that I achieved with my frosting, start in the center and circle outwards.

............

As I mentioned in a previous post, I wasn't able to make anything at the little craft party I held here last Friday, because Rafael was teething badly and needed to be held the whole time (by the way, his second bottom tooth made it's appearance this morning!). So last night, while Rafael was sleeping, I finally managed to make an adorable bunny bunting, which I strung up in his room. The original idea, along with the printable stencil, can be found here. What I did differently was that I folded my craft paper and traced the stencil so that the ears stayed attached at the point where the paper was folded. In this way, I was able to simply hang the bunnies by their ears instead of sewing them to the baker's twine at the body. I find they also have a nice 3D look because of being doubled. 

Wishing you all a great start to the week, hopefully with time for baking a crafting!

xoxo

Easter Crafting Party

I had three mommy friends over for an afternoon of Easter crafting yesterday. It was raining cats and dogs and Raffi was teething horribly, even though I captured this one smile of his on camera. He was so clingy and tearful that I didn't manage to craft a single thing, besides frosting some chocolate cupcakes. But it was still fun having my girls over, and they managed to make a few things: Neli made brownie-filled eggs, Steffi made bunny bunting, and Dani took the chance to make finger puppets, although they didn't have an Easter theme.

I was close to tears by the end of it, only because Rafael was having such a hard time and there was nothing I could really do to comfort him. But besides that, it was so nice to have friends over, fellow mommies who understand about a crying baby and understand that sometimes you just need to take your baby to the bedroom even if you have guests over.

Afterwards we all agreed that we should get together for crafts more often, ideally once a month. It's so nice to sit around a table and talk, share, create.

I'm planning on making my bunny bunting and also some cupcake flags while Rafael is sleeping over the next couple of days, as it is the only realistic chance. I'll share them with you when they are done!

Have a beautiful weekend!

xoxo

Bits Of Our Spring Home

Today the sun was shining brightly in a robins-egg blue sky. The perfect day to spread Easter and spring around the home.

It's funny: I've never really been excited about spring or Easter as far as decorating or celebrating goes. But for some reason, this year it's different. This may or may not have something to do with Pinterest.

So this morning on our walk through the woods I gathered branches that were already sprouting tender green leaves, and put them in a vase where I hung them with little ceramic eggs (hanging decorative eggs onto branches is a tradition here in Austria at Easter time). I found a fallen bird's nest a little while ago which I nestled in the branches and filled with tiny speckled quail eggs. A few years back I watercolored two blown eggs, and I placed these in egg cups.

Even though Rafael insisted on being held most of the morning, I somehow managed to bake up chocolate cupcakes for an Easter party we've been invited to. The dogs dozed on the sunny couch, and our home felt so bright and cheerful with all the green and pink.

xoxoxo

tiny treasures abound...plus, easter inspiration!

When my twitter friend Sandra, or 'sweetpeas4me' as she's called there, heard about the project we have going on here, she told me she had some treasures she had collected over time and that she would love to share them. She quickly put all these little items together and sent me the pictures. Here they are, for us to admire:

"Found these along coast of Maine in September of 2008. I love Maine."

"Found these feathers in my yard over the past three years. Hawk, Blue Jay, Cardinal, Junco or Chickdee. Don't know what the white one is."

Thank you, Sandra, for sharing these tiny treasures with us. They are very beautiful. I especially like the beach glass and the cardinal feather. We are looking forward to seeing more of the beautiful things you find.

We finally took down the Christmas ornaments this morning. When the bobbles and birdies were nestled safely in their cartons they looked so beautiful that I had to take pictures. I've seen some people decorate white or silver artificial trees or bare branches in a vase for Easter and was wondering if I should do the same with some of these. They are almost too pretty to use only once a year.

I can imagine some of them would look pretty mixed with blown white egg shells hung with pastel ribbons. Here is my inspiration:

GORGEOUS.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend. It's a sunny, freezing cold Saturday here...my husband and my dog are both napping and the only sounds are of the clock ticking, hot water trickling through the heaters, and my two loved ones breathing. Glorious. 

Looking forward to hearing from you....what do you think of the Easter trees? Have you gone on a walk today? Did you fill your pockets with nature's humble treasures?

Tell me everything!

xo country girl