On Thursday we did something I have been promising my kids we would do all year.

Dye Easter eggs!

Now, I know what you're thinking.

Wasn't Easter over a month ago?

No.

That was simply the beginning of the Easter season.

See, my friends.  The Catholic Church in her infinite wisdom set the Easter season to last from Easter Sunday through Pentecost Sunday.  Pentecost Sunday is this Sunday.

That's right.  Catholics get to enjoy not just one day of Easter but an entire season!  50 whole days to celebrate Christ's glorious Resurrection.

The Church did this for a couple of reasons.  One being that Easter is the highest feast of our faith.  Easter was the pinnacle and fulfillment of Christ's ministry.  His defeat of death.  Our salvation.

After all, even Christ extended his ministry past Easter Sunday.  He could have told his apostles everything they needed to know before his death, but instead he stayed after his Resurrection.  He could have appeared once, said "Hey, I'm alive." and gone right up into Heaven.  Then the Holy Spirit could have arrived and just given everyone whatever knowledge and understanding they needed.  Instead, Jesus hung out for awhile.  Let it all sink in.  "No really, I'm alive."

The other reason, obviously, is so that I can procrastinate.


Every year I consider dying Easter eggs.  The kids would enjoy it.  Every year I just put it off until next year.  They are still young.  They don't really know what they are missing out on.

We also don't eat many eggs.  I don't really see the point of hard boiling a bunch of eggs to dye and then throw away.  So, throughout the year I just save hollowed out egg shells to dye.  I usually don't gather very many.

This year I bought an egg dye kit.  Peanut saw it.  I promised him we would dye eggs for Easter.  Then Easter got crazy.  We had the No Housework Party.  Visiting family.  A pregnancy announcement.  Back injury and morning sickness.

So, I promised the Peanut that since it was still the Easter season, we would make sure to dye the eggs before Easter was over.

He has asked me practically every day since.  "Is it still Easter?"  I have assured him that it is and we will most definitely get those eggs dyed.  Then I continued to put it off.

After all, isn't it my duty as a Catholic mother to educate my children about the entire season of Easter?  What better way than to get my son to ask every single day if it is Easter?

I know.  I'm a genius!

This week I realized I was running out of time.

On Thursday I finally got around to it.  After all I didn't want to put it off too long.  I figured if I waited until Friday or Saturday, something would come up.  Best to not take that chance.

We mixed all the dye.  Pulled out the two dozen egg shells I managed to save all year.  Got all set up.  And I crossed my fingers that the havoc would not be too great.

Setting up.

I would have liked to take the mess outside but I don't have a table outside.  So, I did my best to clear everything away from the egg dye space, made sure nothing could leak through the table cloth and had paper towels on hand in case of any drips etc.

Dying eggs.

See, there are two problems with dying hollow eggs.

1. The eggs float.  We had to hold them under the dye water until all the bubbles stopped.

Sink the egg!

2. When your daughter gets the bright idea to pick up one of the drying already dyed eggs, it just might still have some dye inside.  Which will then spill all over you and your carpet.

More spots for my polka dot carpet.  You see why I put this off?

I chose t-shirts for the kids to wear that could stand to get a little dye on them without too much grief.  Then I made them strip off their pants and just wear the t-shirts and underpants.  I thought about stripping them entirely to their underwear but I figured you guys would appreciate if my kids at least appeared to be clothed in the pictures.  Notice the strategic waist up shots?

Note the floating egg and my daughter's lack of pants.

As it turns out, I probably should have imposed the same clothing standards on myself.  Thankfully the dye that was spilled on my skirt was blue.  It just so happens that when it dried it turned out to be the exact same shade of electric blue as my skirt!  Whew!

Can you spot the little spot of blue dye on my foot?

Next year, I think we will just color the eggs with crayons.

Pointing out the blue egg that held the blue dye that spilled.

Can you see the fear I instilled after the spillage incident?  "Don't drop those eggs!"

I think I have spoiled the Princess.  She seems to have gotten the idea into her head that we should do things like that more often.  She told me today she wants to "do something"  "like dye more eggs."  Argh!  The girl is going to want to start to do crafts and such frequently.  Like more than once a year!  Do you see the Pandora's box I have unleashed?!  What have I started?!