by KRISTIAN RODDY

The affair has lasted for over 30 years, much longer than she ever dreamed. She had no clue what she was had begun all those years ago. Many years later she discovered that it had blossomed into something truly meaningful. She poured all of her love and passion into – tiny ceramic eggs. Yes, Robbie LeBlanc calls her three-decade-old family tradition “an affair with Easter Eggs.”

For as long as Robbie could remember, she enjoyed painting. “I can do whatever I want. I can go to never-never land and have happy thoughts,” she said. She remembers becoming intricately involved with art when she married her husband. She even acquired a booth at the famous Southdown Marketplace to display some of her artwork. It was here that Robbie discovered her inspiration.

While browsing her friends’ booths, Robbie noticed one of her friend’s artwork, a ceramic egg painted with flowers. She was struck by the eggs’ simplicity and uniqueness. An idea began to swirl through her mind. Although she did not know exactly what she was going to paint or even how, she knew that this year’s Easter would be different.

Robbie began painting an Easter egg for each of her eight grandchildren in 1981. She began with an Easter theme that was different for each child. She simply drew the design onto the egg. “No two eggs are alike,” she proudly exclaimed. “Some are better than others.”

That year, Easter arrived with much anticipation. She surprised her family with the results of her loving creations. Much to her astonishment, Robbie’s family adored her eggs and cherished them. “I never thought anybody would be interested,” Robbie said. “And I never thought I would keep on with them.”

Over the years, Robbie’s eggs became more sophisticated and creative. After creating so many different eggs, she could no longer think of unique and interesting things to paint. In 1995, Emma, one of her great-grandchildren, was born and so was the idea for a family-themed egg.
She painted Emma her very own “First Easter” egg.

Each year thereafter, Robbie painted the eggs according to common interests or important events in her family’s life. In 2002, she created somber eggs with depictions of the Sept. 11 tragedy. In 2006, she drew her interpretation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In 2008, she decorated the eggs in complete Louisiana State University regalia to commemorate their second BCS National Championship.

Each year arouses special memories for her and her family. As she looks through her collection of eggs, Robbie can distinctly remember the story behind each one. She picks up one egg with traditional Easter decorations and recalls that very first Easter she surprised her family. She picks up another with an old white church nestled in the swaying grass of spring and remembers the underlying reason for Easter. She shifts through the bucket and removes an egg blanketed in magnificent white magnolias, the flower of her beloved home state. She dips her hand back into the bucket and withdraws a fairly primitive egg. This was the year she worked at Southdown and barely had time to finish painting the eggs. She smiles with the memories dancing before her eyes and lowers her hand again. She lovingly peers at an egg she removes from the bucket. It reminds her of the year her family went to Gulf Shores, Miss. “This is my favorite,” she says. She painted each of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren playing in the sand on their own eggs and distributed them to the families.

As her family grew, Robbie’s stash of eggs began to grow. Her grandchildren became adults and began their own families, taking their eggs with them. Their parents, Robbie’s children, began to complain they
had no eggs of their own. So, Robbie recreated some of her eggs and continued to include them each year. What began as eight simple eggs has now developed into 24 hand-painted and unique eggs. This year, Robbie has welcomed a new great-granddaughter, Rebecca, into the family and already has plans to create her first egg. “Although as children we may not have appreciated them, now I can look back at how special they are because she personally painted each one for all of us,” says Lacie LeBlanc Picou, one of Robbie’s granddaughters and Rebecca’s mother. “We really enjoy receiving our eggs each year and seeing what she has for the yearly theme.”

As Easter in the LeBlanc family has become a highly anticipated event, the family hopes for a Saints-themed egg this year. Robbie smiles knowingly and says, “I don’t know. Time will tell.” PoV