AND THE WINNER IS…….TA DA. Czarinalex! Seems my problem was actually a simple fix. Made *easy chicken enchiladas ( cooked breast pieces ftom T.J.s…as were the floweres) with the cheese Sherry suggested: grated and surprisingly good. Just don’t sprinkle on top…it doesn’t melt well. Both dishes were made up Saturday night and baked together Sunday. The rellonos had raisins and apricots, which I added to the enchiladas.That surprising little bite of sweet is nice. I so appreciatrd ALL your hints and suggestions. p.s I have a hostess rant which will be on a new post. Don;t we all like a good rant? 😆😁

The children are getting so tall! They still have two of the best smiles I have ever seen ❤️ Happy Easter to your family, and a special mention for Jumper for his outstanding appearance as the Easter basket surprise!

Thank you all! I appreciate the encouraging words ❤️ I spent Saturday in an oils class at the art studio downtown and while I am pleased with that result it just doesn’t make me happy like watercolors do. I’ve only been painting with them since last June and the particular artistic expression they afford has had a significant impact on my life. This is the landscape I painted Saturday It’s big and took hours of work and mixing colors and blending them. I was tired when it was finished and it’s too darn big to do anything with. I’d much rather spend an hour on a card that I can give to someone and make them happy. This morning our mixed art media class worked on wreaths for Easter and I brought home the basic piece and added detail to the wooden eggs I painted in the class, then found the perfect wide, double sided satin ribbon for a bow which I out on sideways so I can use the piece on my dining table surrounding a vase or pot of flowers. Then I uncovered the pink and white gingham pique ribbon and I’m planning to tuck it under and around the eggs to hide the ring underneath. I’ve never been crafty and somehow this watercolor painting has really helped me come along in that respect. It’s unfinished (the glue we used to fix the eggs to the ring takes a long time to set) but I am thinking about using moss underneath as well. The colors are just the thing for my Easter table! Partymusic, at present my animals lack a certain je ne sais quois…I have drawn a couple of cats but they are not my forte. But they both wore sweaters so they did have a bit of style 😎

Do you have Hot Cross Buns in the US? Sold everywhere here in the UK, often from early January! As Good Friday is a Bank (national) Holiday, which not so many years ago meant all the shops were closed. We children were sent to the bakers early in the morning to pick up a pre-ordered bag of Hot X buns. These days, while offices, banks 'places of business' are closed life seems to go on as normal but with too many cars on the road as folk try to get away for a few days thinking/hoping for some early warmth and sunshine. Adding, 'though the UK hasn't been a Catholic country since the Reformation we still follow many of the 'old' traditions and until recently when the Govt changed the holiday of Whitsun (ie Pentecost) to become the 'Late Spring Holiday' most of these days-off- work had a basis in religion . . . although Church attendance seems to be well down now.