Hippity Hoppity - Crazy Is Here To Save The Daaaaayyyy

I am an Aggie through and through...  I hate change.  In fact, I DETEST change.  * please say those two sentences in a robot voice * I like to make plans WEEKS in advance - just to always know what to expect.  I don't function well with the unexpected.  I know, I know - Chris is one lucky man to live with such an exciting, fly by the seat of her pants kind of gal, right?!?!?!  I am just comforted by the thought of having my life all mapped out in front of me - you know, weeks in advance.  And, very few things in this lifetime throw me off of my schedule more than having Easter in March.  NOOOOO... It just stresses me out!  Do I leave my Easter decorations out through the entire month of April even though Easter has already come and gone?!?!?!  Do I even moderately give a nod to St. Patrick's Day?!?!!?  My eye is literally twitching as I type this...  Easter belongs in APRIL.  Luckily for me, I like to plan my Easter gifts unnecessarily and obnoxiously early.  This leaves my calendar wide open to plan my children's 4th of July outfits.  Do I need medication???  ABSOLUTELY.  Alas, there is nothing on the market yet for this level of crazy.  At my girl's Valentine's Day parties, I was telling a few of my really close friends that they should just come to me for the next event on the social calendar.  I happily offered this service when two of them innocently shared with me that they had purchased Valentines for the party the night before...  The wind got knocked out of me for about 30 seconds.  I sadly looked at their children and touched my heart in utter sympathy.  I silently whispered "I am here to help, little ones" to them.  Do my friends not realize that they are messing with their kid's Pre-K careers here - I mean, don't they care?!?!!?  Or, do they just have a life unlike myself?!?!? When I was able to regain normal brain activity, I happily told them that I would offer my ridiculously premature holiday gift aid to both of them before the Easter party.   SO, here it is!  Ready!?!?!?  

Dollar Tree is stocked with both whirly pops and mallow pops right now!  I hit the Dollar Spot at Target for some cute Easter pieces to bling these pops out!  The Dollar Spot at Target has a set of 16 cardstock Easter eggs in multiple colors for just $1.  They also have a set of 6 felt Easter bunnies in various colors for $1.  The simple addition of these Easter ingredients onto lollipops makes for a fab Easter gift!  You could also remove the plastic cover altogether from the mallow pop and adorn it with a cute bow and tag!

The Dollar Spot at Target currently has 4 small jars for $3.  I purchased edible grass from the Easter candy section at Target.  I also purchased peeps, small chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans from Dollar Tree!  The peeps come in a pack of 4 and the chocolate bunnies come in a pack of 6!  You take the ingredients and make a fun Easter candy jar!  If you want to really jazz your gift up, attach a gift tag to the peeps jar saying "Happy Easter To One Of My Favorite Peeps".  If you go with the chocolate bunny jar, the tag can say "Some Bunny Loves You"!

The candy jars are ALSO a delightful option for your Easter teacher gifts, too!  I made these last year for my girls' teachers and for my MOPS table, and they were a HUGE hit!  You can purchase Mason jars at Target and the larger chocolate bunnies at Dollar Tree in white or milk chocolate.  You start with the edible grass, and I used M&Ms instead of the jelly beans, then you pop in that large bunny.  Once again, if you want to kick up the gift a notch, add a gift tag saying "Thank You For Being An Egg-cellent Teacher"!

Dollar Tree has an adorable carrot lollipop bouquet available right now!  Each one has a total of 6 lollipops for just $1.  I took the bouquet apart and tied two of the pops together with some cute Easter ribbon that can also be found at Dollar Tree!  Once again, you could add a cute gift tag saying "Carrot Crossing" like a street sign with a bunny on it!

Dollar Tree also has these divine gumball machines available in Spring colors!  You can fill them with traditional bubble gum OR with Jelly Beans for some fab Bunny Day flare!  A fun gift tag for these could say something like "Hippity Poppity ~ Easter Is On It's Way" as a fun play on words regarding the bubble gum!

This is a super simple gift!  Just buy some Wilton plastic cones (the kind you use to frost/decorate cookies and cakes) and fill them with Goldfish, Cheetos, or Cheese Balls!  Close it by tying green ribbon or ric rac at the top!  

These two dishy lollipops just might be the most delightful things that I have ever seen in my life!  The bunny mask pop is the size of an actual mask to cover a child's face!  The crazy cuteness factor is off the chart!  Both of these pops are only $1.50 each and can be found in the Easter candy section at Target.  If you want them, hurry because they will sell out FAST!  The "Carrot Crossing" and "Some Bunny Loves You" gift tags would also look ravishing tied onto these presh pops!

The Dollar Spot at Target has these charming bunny jars in two packs for only $3!  These would make darling teacher gifts with some yummy Easter candy in them!  These will undoubtedly sell out quickly, as well, so hop on over to Target soon!  

~ Side bar:  If you do not have someone in your rolodex to make fun gift tags or party paper products for you, feel free to reach out to my girl, Erin Lee!  She lives here in McKinney across from Boyd.  If you are not local, she can ship, too :)  I have used Erin for years!  If you have a saying in mind or even just a theme, she can design something amazing for you...  Feel free to shoot her a message on her Facebook page should you decide to add some tags to your Easter class goodies - https://www.facebook.com/loveleecustominvitationsandmore ~

After all of this hard work getting our kids ready for their Easter parties, we deserve a drink!

Easter Basket Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 1/2 ounces of Cherry Vodka

1/2 ounce Triple Sec

3 ounces of half and half

Dash of grenadine

Shake all ingredients with ice until chilled.  Pour into a glass with a Peep on the rim - cheers!!