Gesundheit! Ok, ok, so I know this post is long overdue seeing as Easter was almost last month..but here we go. Every year around Easter my aunt Jill and uncle Dan host a pysanky party. And every year around Easter I miss it. What is pysanky, you ask? Alana did a great job describing it on her blog a couple of years ago so I will let you read that before we start (and save myself some serious typing). Let me know when you are ready.
Ready? Ok, so finally this year I just so happened to be in town for the pysanky party! My aunt and uncle had everything ready to go when we arrived. I took my place at the huge newspaper-covered table, picked a nicely shaped egg and then tried desperately not to be intimidated by the professional artists across the table who were doing, among other things, portraits of presidents on their eggs. In the end, I opted for a simple bunny design. Which was plenty confusing for me. But I was so excited by the whole process that I wanted to try it at home with the boys.
When I got home I showed the boys my egg and told them we probably wouldn't be able to get the supplies in time for Easter but I would order them anyway so we could try it. Riley and I got online and lo and behold there is an online pysanky retailer here in NC! What luck! The folks at All Things Ukrainian were incredibly charming and helpful and we got our supplies in ONE day. Lucky for us too because we spent the better half of Friday just setting up the table...this is not Paas & crayons, y'all. The photo below shows a couple of Riley's eggs in the early stages of dying and waxing.
I do have to say that this year was one of the most pleasant Easter mornings that I can recall. No egg hunts, no bickering, just pysanky until brunch and then again until bedtime. The boys ended up decorating eggs for three days in a row. Now there are eggs in the candle holders on the mantle, in dishes on the tables, and apothecary jars on the shelves...three dozen in all. They are too pretty to put away (that and I still haven't figured out where to put them...)






















