Sunday, April 18, 2010

Pysanky...Ukranian Easter eggs!



Hey there everyone...a few weeks ago my frined Monica hosted a Pysanky making party...this is an annual treat for her girlfriends and it seems to grow each year. Some of us go to make the best dang egg we can...and some of us go to enjoy the company and have some good food and wine. I fall into the first category, although the company, food, and wine make it one of my favorite new traditions! This was my second year making the eggs and I love it!


A brief background on this tradition...this goes back to the WAY olden days where the Ukrainian women would put their children to bed and then stay up all night making these eggs. Tradition says that if Pysanky are not made each year than evil will overcome the world. They believe that they are keeping the world a good place year after year by making these amazing eggs. They would give some to their church, some to their children, the single women would give then to a man she was interested in, and they would keep some for their home. Each of the colors and symbols have a different meaning. As a point of reference...it took me about 12 hours to make these 2 eggs...each woman would make from 15-20 eggs for their family! And the eggs they make are FAR better and more detailed than the ones I made! Incredible!


Basically, you draw a design on the egg with beeswax and you dye the egg. Then you draw more with the beeswax and you dip the egg in another color of dye...you repeat this process until you are finished. Sounds simple...but it isn't. It's time consuming for sure...but it's one of my favorite new traditions that I've been exposed to since moving to Chicago.





Wednesday, March 17, 2010

update...finally

Hey there all...I haven't updated this thing for a LONG time...I've decided it is time to remedy that. Mark, Owen and I had been in Missouri for the first half of March with our good friend Isaul. We were working on repairing Mark's house so we can sell it finally. We knocked a fair amount of it out...but it's not quite finished. We have to go back this weekend to finish it...hopefully! We're in the process of trying to buy a home out here. I have absolutely fallen in love with this home in Franklin Park. It's basically a shell with the rooms framed out inside...so it is wide open for my design and ideas...the thought of just one room feels overwhelming to me...and now i may have an entire house! Not that any of this stuff matters...because the only reason anyone checks this silly blog is for new pictures of Owen...so with no further delay, here you go! http://cblindsey.com/CB_Lindsey_Photography/Clients/Pages/Baby_Owen.html