Easter time was always so exciting as a child growing up in the south. The warm air and sunshine promised to bring a full day outside hunting for Easter eggs.  My mother made sure my sisters and I were dressed in our Sunday best for church. Matching blue dresses, white patent leather shoes, Easter bonnets and, of course, little white gloves. After an exhausting morning of dressing, and no air-conditioning at The Colonial Baptist church, taking a nap on my mother’s lap was inevitable, waking up just in time to go home.

After church, my grandmother, mother and aunts were in the kitchen for what seemed to be an eternity preparing an Easter dinner of ham, creamed corn, green beans, jello salad, yeast rolls and a great big bowl of banana pudding for dessert. How they ever produced such a delicious meal in that tiny kitchen is beyond me.

My sister and I would spend all day outside, hunting for Easter eggs in a garden of Dahlias my grandfather grew, and chasing baby chicks that my mother had bought at the local 5 and dime; the poor little things had been dyed pastel colors of blue, green and pink for Easter, and unfortunately for them, it was much easier for us to spot them running all over the yard as they tried to escape the wrath of our little hands.

Celebrating Easter in the Midwest is not quite the same; with our unpredictable weather, sometimes Easter means hiding the eggs inside the house and wearing warm coats that cover your new Easter dress. But no matter where you live, Easter always means a time to celebrate with family and welcome in the new season of spring!

Decorating the table in fresh floral patterns and colors is a great way to bring spring’s excitement indoors. Whether you are serving brunch or dinner, layering your table with colorful flowers, light and airy dishes, and crisp white napkins makes for a presentation as beautiful as spring itself.

Give your chairs a quick makeover by covering them in fresh fabrics for the season; try a French blue floral, or add a table runner of white eyelet or pink ticking stripe. Fill tall slender vases with pink Easter Lilies and blue Iris. I love to use an assortment of small containers like egg cups, creamers, salt cellars, and silver bowls to arrange cuttings of Hydrangea, Dogwood, and Daffodils, then place them around the house for color.

To create a springtime table setting, start with large white chargers, next add gold-rimmed dinner plates, then a floral salad plate, and top each place setting with an etched dessert cup filled with Easter treats. For a more casual elegance, use green leaf majolica as a layer, or mix and match your floral patterns and glasses.

A collection of antique paper-mache’ rabbits deliver warm hard boiled eggs for breakfast, just laid by the Easter bunny.