We finally dyed Easter eggs today

Easter news and pics

On Good Friday, after much debate with myself, I decided to ditch my somewhat sick kids and off-for-the-day husband in the afternoon and attended a 20 year college chorale reunion which involved a short rehearsal, dinner together, singing as a reunion choir for the last Bible Conference service, and a reception. Brian's mom came to watch the kids so that Brian could join me for the reception and it also happened to be my 10 year college reunion that night too, so we popped in on that as well. I'm so glad that I went to the chorale reunion. Being in that choir was my favorite part of college, and I love the director. He is a wonderful choral conductor and kind, personable teacher. It was so nice to see and talk with him again.

First thing Easter morning, Ethan created a couple of dioramas - I love this one!

Isn't Mom's Easter table pretty?

Brian and his grandma

The artist as one can usually find him

They missed the Saturday egg hunt, because, despite the cute pics, they were feeling really crummy.

So even thought I'd planned on skipping the Easter afternoon egg hunt, they begged for it.

So I swiped a dozen eggs from Gran and the candy from their favors and hid them - they were quite pleased!

Rosie got swapped out in Photoshop by my brilliant husband, and I think that it turned out rather well.

Our day-after-Easter-50% off- baskets and bunnies. It really was a great concept, but those toys redefined cheap. Ethan couldn't even use his - they have to be returned, and the others aren't far behind. I think we'll skip Walmart and see if K-Mart or Target have better quality next year.

Easter desserts

My contributions to the Easter menu were a spinach salad (a family favorite - my kids protest if I serve iceberg lettuce!) and three desserts.

Simply Lemon - a crustless cheesecake with a

sour cream layer and topped with lemon curd -

this is wonderful, friends

Lemon-Lime Daquiri Layered Dessert - don't worry it's non-alcoholic despite it's yummy appearance and name and would make a fantastic summer party dessert

Creamy Jello Jigglers - I thought that they would turn out a bit more pink :^)

A Blessed Easter

Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!

O Death Where Is Thy Sting?

Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift!

Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs

Remember His sacrifice today. Make hot cross buns for your family, listen to Handel's Messiah, meditate hourly on the events of this day (9AM, 10AM, 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM, 3PM), wear black or a cross necklace to remind you of the day's monumental importance, mourn for your sin and the cost to our Savior. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted...

Plans for Holy Week and other celebrations

Palm Sunday
We finally got our Easter decorations up. Ethan brought some wonderful things home from our fantastic children's program at church, including this craft, which is a family tradition of one of our pastors. It is hot glued stick crosses stuck into a foam block and covered with Spanish moss. It came with six interchangeable ribbons.

1. Palm Sunday - Green, The Triumphal Entry: Jesus Arrives in Jerusalem (Mt. 21:1-11; Mk. 11:1-10;Lk. 19:29-38)
2. Thursday - Brown, The Last Supper: Symbol of Jesus' Coming Death (Lk. 22:14-20)
3. Friday- Red, the Crucifixion: Jesus Dies for Our Sins (Lk. 23:33-47)
4. Saturday - Black, The Waiting: Jesus' Body in the Tomb (Lk. 23:50-56)
5. Easter Sunday - White, The Resurrection: Jesus Conquers Sin & Death (Lk. 24: 1-12)
6. Monday - Purple, the Mission: Jesus' Work Continues Through Us (Mt. 28:18-20)
   

Then we made this craft (Thanks, Dawn!)

Monday
You know that you celebrate too much when your kids find out that it's St. Patty's day and immediately want to know what kind of green breakfast you're going to have. I thought I bought Lucky Charms with extra clover - but I couldn't find it if I did, so we had green apple oatmeal!

We're going to an Ireland activity at the library later too, and have several books to read - and green clothes, of course.

Brian left me devotional readings of Jesus' final week in addition to the wonderful family devotions he's prepared for the evening. There are many wonderful ideas for Holy week at children's ministry.com, including the idea of having a special corner for worship this week, including candles or a bare branch wrapped in white lights. We don't really have extra corners at the moment, but this candle tray is top of a bookshelf and will be taken down and lit twice a day for family worship. I'm planning to incorporate most of their ideas for worship each day - they're so easy to implement.

We'll also do a green pepper craft - a pepper ring makes a clover shape. We'll dip it in green paint and make prints. Then corn beef and cabbage for supper and we'll watch The Quiet Man - it's tradition.

Tuesday
Alamo Day for school - books and the John Wayne movie - and Ethan's memorizing a song from his Western CD (can't find the title - will get back to you).

Wednesday
My birthday - an ice cream sundae supper?

Thursday
First Day of Spring - our second annual spring photo shoot. Each kid gets a disposable camera and photographs signs of spring (not including runny noses). We'll take the newly developed shots from last year and put them in an album. We'll also be at a short outdoor concert and have a picnic lunch.

Good Friday
Possibly a Resurrection Party at a friends. Hot Cross Buns for breakfast. A cross craft. Lots of Bible readings (Brian's off). 3PM quiet hour and blowing out the prayer candle.

Saturday
Egg hunt and Easter story at a local horse stable, then lunch and egg decorating with friends. Preparations for tomorrow's celebration. Contemplating attending the Great Vigil at a local Reformed Anglican church.


More concrete plans and ideas to come, this is just the beginning...

Easter pics and newsyness

Well, it's still crazy around here. I feel like I've been careening from project to project. First the church ministry fair, the next week Mom's birthday dinner, the next week Brian's mom in the hospital (she looked so much better on Easter! thanks so much for praying) and the car in the shop, then Anna Kate's two parties that weekend, and then I realized that I ought to have Easter dinner at my house because Mom shouldn't have to worry about it. So I threw together a dinner menu with a lot of help form Kraft Kitchens:

Orange-Spinach Salad
Spiral Ham with Coke (poured over it. makes it very tender)
Mom's amazing green beans and devilled eggs that she insisted were no trouble
New Potatoes in Dill Cream Sauce
Maple-Glazed Baby Carrots
Brown and serve rolls
Lemonade
Iced orange, passionfruit & jasmine green tea (our family's favorite tea, except Anna - there always has to be one dissenter)
Strawberry blossoms with almond cream
Rice krispy squares iced like petit fours sent by Nanny from The Popcorn Factory
Easter creamy jello jigglers (I used lemon jello and white chocolate pudding mix
and cut out butterflies instead of eggs)
Angel lush (used a Gluten Free Pantry cake mix)

Now, don't be fooled by that innocent little Rosie face. She is a terror! I can't take my eyes off of her for 30 seconds without some disaster occurring. Easter dinner was a little late thanks to her. She went into the laundry room and turned on the sink and pulled out the drain and stuffed something else in it and flooded the room and into the adjacent playroom- then she managed to sneak off and do it all over again about half an hour later. She is in a bed because she could climb out of her crib, she pulls chairs over to kitchen counters and the stove, she can turn doorknobs, she can knock over safety gates...

When it comes to Easter baskets, it's all about the chocolate(in Rose's book at least). Don't know where she gets it from. She was on a mission to find the caramel kisses in her basket - and everyone else's!

On the flip side, after we prayed for the meal, Anna Kate asked to pray. She thanked God for sending Jesus to die for us and that He is alive, and that when she got to go to heaven she was going to sit on his lap!

And Ethan demanded everyone's attention as he shared the Easter story with the Resurrection Eggs.

In other news, my beloved has really been feeling awful. He's been having terrible knee pain which makes all moving around very painful. Please pray that it passes soon; we have no idea what triggered it.

Our Resurrection Sunday service is always such a beautiful celebration. The large clusters of lilies at the front of the church were lovely. We sang so many of my favorite songs before and after the sermon. "I Will Glory In My Redeemer", "The Power Of the Cross" (it's been in my head ever since),"I Come By the Blood," and what Easter service could be complete without "In Christ Alone"? I had been teaching it to the children all week. Anna Kate and Ethan waited for it at the beginning of the service, but we didn't sing it, then the sermon, then singing at the end. It was the last song! They were happy to be able to try to sing along.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ
Copyright © 2001 Kingsway Thankyou Music

I wonder...

What was it like the day after Jesus died?

Did the world springing to life around them seem to mock them?

Or did everything seem colorless without Him?

Did any of them anticipate what would happen next?

Did they dare to hope?

Hot Cross Buns

I thought my hot cross buns days were over, but I found this recipe and gave it a shot. I just pulled them out of the oven and we tasted a hot one. They took about 4 hours with double rising, but they are so worth it! Hurry, there's still time to have them after dinner.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who consideredthat he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous,and he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors

The Messiah is for Good Friday not just Christmas

Dust off your CD of The Messiah. Start at track 20, "Behold the Lamb of God," then continue through "He Was Despised," "Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs," "And With His Stripes We Are Healed," "Since By Man Came Death," and on through until you're singing, "Worthy is the Lamb and hath redeemed us to God, to God by His blood..."

Easter for Kids

1. The egg decorating stencils and scrapbook paper are just two of the many gems at Hershey's Easter pages.
2. We are going to do this craft to remember the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. I think we'll have to listen to that selection from the Messiah while we do it.
3. We'll probably print these bookmarks for favors at our Easter dinner.
4. And the toymaker dresses up our holiday once again with this beautiful decoration that we'll print onto cardstock for the door.
5. Here's a great empty tomb coloring page.
6. And, of course you can have crosses or lilies on your DTLK writing paper and other Easter themed worksheets too. Brian took the children through Isaiah 53 in family devotions last night. I believe that we'll have phrases from Isaiah 53 for copywork the rest of the week. "All we like sheep have gone astray," "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" "He was despised and rejected of men." "And with His stripes we are healed."

Celebrating Holy Week

March was a crazy busy month! All of the birthdays are now over for a bit and Brian's mom came home from the hospital on Saturday finally. She's still trying to get adjusted to new medications and is still feeling lousy, so I'd appreciate your keeping her in your prayers. I really wanted to do more with Lent and Holy Week this year, but I've had to scale back considerably in order to mantain sanity. So I've returned to my Easter file and pulled out a few gems. I have one that I haven'r found a link for yet that we'll be using this year. Each day we will read the Scriptures relating to the events for each day of Passion Week. Brian has off for Good Friday and the Scripture for that day follow a timeline from early morning, 9AM, 12 noon, and 3PM that I hope to follow. Here are links to a few great resources for remembering this week's events.

1. The Teaching Home's Easter Unit Study
2. Christianity Today has Family Activities for the week leading up to Easter as well as a Countdown to Easter article with 40 ideas for 40 days of Lent, many of which are great for this week.
3. Christian Homemaking (and a million other websites) have Resurrection Story cookies that are in my plans for Saturday evening.