Ways to make Easter special

Here are some ways we have found to make Easter special, if you have some additional ideas feel free to leave them in the comments!

1.  A favorite Easter tradition for our kids over the years has been reading the book, Benjamin's Box.  It's a fun historical fiction book of a boy who collects treasures that remind him of his interactions with Jesus.  It's a companion book to the Resurrection Eggs.  We read part of the story each night leading up to Easter.

2.  Life is short, so bring out the good dishes for Easter dinner and make a special meal!  There are many ideas for making your table setting special, but one fun thing I did last year was put a chocolate chick in a little nest of Easter grass in a glass dessert cup by everyone's place.

3.  Add some Easter music to your playlist and rejoice that Christ the Lord is risen today!

4.  Buy a potted Easter Lily or some tulips to bring the beauty of spring into your home.

5.  Decorate eggs with your kids.  It's a mess but they love it.  Then when you do your Easter egg hunt hide the real eggs instead of those ugly plastic ones.  If you don't know what to do with all those hard boiled eggs, make deviled eggs with them!  Here's a great recipe.  (Is it right to make "deviled" eggs at Easter?). (:

Deviled Eggs--

12 hard boiled eggs
1/2 c. mayo
4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon or 1/4 c. real bacon bits
2 T. finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 T. honey mustard
1/8 t. pepper
Slice eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks.  Mash yolks in bowl and add remaining ingredients.  Spoon back into egg whites.  Makes 24.

6.  There are some good ideas out there for special Easter food.  You can make Resurrection cookies, empty tombs made out of donuts, or Rice Krispie nests with peanut m & m eggs.

7.  Decorations always help set the mood, and although it is hard to find nice Easter decor, it is out there.  One thing I am glad we have is our Easter scene, kind of like a manger scene but with Jesus at the empty tomb.

8.   Watch an Easter movie together as a family.  We have the movie Resurrection, by Max Lucado.

Easter Lack

We are still having computer and internet problems.  So frustrating!  The above photo is from a couple years ago, but it won't be long and we should have a new foal or two around here again!  Spring is a great time of year.  There are signs of spring here in our neck of the woods, tulips poking up through the ground, NCAA tournament brackets lying around the house, lots of wind, and wild turkeys strutting around in the fields.  I am thinking about Easter.  Have you ever noticed the lack of Easter decorations and Easter music, especially compared to Christmas?  It doesn't make sense.  Easter is a much more joyous holiday for Believers, but all I can find in the store to decorate my house with are cheap plastic eggs and stuffed rabbits.  If any of you know of any good Easter decorating ideas let me know.  Pinterest didn't help me out either.  I did manage to round up a few Easter songs for a playlist, so that's been nice, but it's nothing compared to what's available for Christmas.  One of my favorites is He's Alive by the Continentals.  Well, this post is a little scattered, kind of like my life lately, but I hope you are able to get out and enjoy the springtime blessings God has given us this week!

The Ides of March

The middle of March is the time we plant our spring vegetables

here in our part of the country- and thankfully today was a beautiful

day for it!  AJ and SJ helped me plant the sugar snap peas.

My Grandma taught me to love sugar snap peas, she loved

her garden and would show it to me when we would go to visit.

We also planted some lettuce, kohlrabi, and carrots.

The white stuff in the dirt is ashes from our woodstove.

We heard they are good for the dirt,

especially if you are adding manure to your garden.

Now this evening we are getting our first spring thunderstorms-

perfect for watering our seeds.  This time of year is so nice!

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

Fishing and More Waiting

Hello!  I feel like I haven't written anything in a long time!

We have been having internet and computer issues, so

that's the reason for my lack of posts lately.  I am

convinced that technology has not made our lives easier.

Thankfully it looks like spring has come to our state, and

that always improves one's outlook.  We were even able

to do a little fishing Sunday, and although we didn't catch

anything, it sure was nice to sit outside and enjoy the warm air!

We are still waiting to hear something about our adoption.

There are two sisters, age 9 and 11, and a 1 year old girl

who we are waiting for right now.  Because of the timing

of meetings, it could happen that we would have to choose

between them.  Please pray with us that we won't have to choose!

We are praying that God will make it very clear which

child or children we are supposed to have.  Thanks so much

for praying- sometimes when we have to pray for things

for such a long time it's easy to wonder if God is

even listening.  But He just reminded me again yesterday

that He cares about even the little details- there were two

instances yesterday where He showed his love and care for us.

So even though God is having us wait on the adoption,

it was so nice of Him to remind us He does hear.

I waited patiently for the LORD;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

Many, O LORD my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

Psalm 40:1,5

Doll Clothes

We are very ready for winter to be over around here, but with highs in the teens this weekend and a forecast of sleet, freezing rain, and snow, it looks like we will have to endure it a little longer.  But when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right?  So I decided that instead of feeling depressed about winter I would do something fun- make doll clothes!

For the Barbie dresses I used the tutorials on this website.  The directions were very easy to follow and fun to make.  I made up the knitted poncho and crocheted hat- even Barbie needs to keep warm in this weather.  And for the calico pioneer dress I used an old Butterick pattern my Mom had.  I really liked how it turned out, but I think I'm going to make an apron yet to go with it. 



As far as what little girl will play with them, we still don't know!  But we "might" be getting a little closer.  Hopefully we will know in the next few weeks whether we will be chosen for the girls we have submitted our homestudy for.  And, last but not least, here's a little encouragement for the day~

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another;

be sympathetic, love as brothers,

be compassionate and humble.

1 Peter 3:8

New Bathroom- before and after

One fun thing we did this winter was give our master bathroom

a makeover!  We love log cabins, and have never been able to live

in one, so we decided maybe we could at least have a log cabin bathroom.

 

First- the before pictures.

 

 

It had this nice plastic bathtub on one side,

and a little bitty shower on the other-

very 90s doublewide looking...

 

So we (meaning Andy) tore out everything but the toilet,

and put in new oak cabinets, new vinyl floor, and our

favorite part- pine siding for the walls.

 

Now- the after pictures.

 

 

We bought unfinished cabinets and stained and varnished them.

 

 

Where the bathtub had been we put in a new 48" shower,

and I sewed a cabin themed shower curtain for it.

 

Andy made this cool towel rack from a deer antler-

I love it!

 

We are very pleased with the results-

now it feels like we're on vacation all the time! (:

I'm joining Home and Garden Thursday.

Schooling Choices

~DJ playing basketball this winter~

 

Have you ever wondered if you are making the right educational choices for your child?  We sure have.  After having our children in 2 different private Christian schools, home school, and now public school, we still don't know if we're doing the right thing!  School choices are one of those things that we consider every year, because every child is different and has unique learning styles and needs, which are constantly changing as they grow and mature.  So, since we have experienced each of the different types of schooling, here is my list of pros and cons for each one.

Private Christian School-

Pros- Your child is surrounded by "good people"- not necessarily Christians- but the kids usually come from solid, good homes, therefore they would not be as likely to tempt your child to take up bad habits.  Hopefully your child will be taught to look at life from a Biblical worldview, although as we have found, this greatly depends on the teacher and the individual school.

Cons- Kids who live their whole life in the Christian bubble of church and school tend to become proud of their "goodness", and look down on those who live differently than they do.  In addition, usually this type of schooling is very expensive.

Home School-

Pros- You get to decide what your child will be learning each day.  You have total control over their learning environment, choosing their curriculum, the kids they hang out with, and where they spend time.  You get a first hand look at how your child is doing in school, and you get to be with your child all day long. (Some might consider this a con!)  Without all the waiting for the rest of the class to finish their work, the school day is much shorter, allowing the child more free time to play.

Cons- There is a temptation for families who homeschool to think that their way is the only way to live, thus pride is a temptation.  Kids do not learn how to work for someone other than their parents.  It takes much more effort to expose children firsthand to a wide range of viewpoints and cultures.  Because of almost no peer pressure, homeschooled children tend to stand out in the crowd, which can be a positive or negative, depending on how they're standing out!

Public School-

Pros- Your child learns a lot about how to get along with all types of people.  Education is basically free.  Mom has plenty of time to get her housework done, and might take up blogging or something.  Your child hopefully realizes that their home life is pretty good.  The difference between doing things God's way and the world's way is very obvious. You can be a good influence in your community.

Cons- Peer pressure can be hard for some kids to handle.  If "everyone" is doing such and such, why can't I?  You have to counter some of the information being taught that goes against your beliefs- for us that has been things like evolution, global warming, you should only eat salad, etc.  You have to make sure your child is thinking independently and not just blindly following whatever the popular government line of the day is.  The educational standard is not as high as the private school.

At the end of the day, I believe that each choice has valid arguments for and against it, so we should not be judgmental of others for their choices.  And as far as what we do next year?  Still deciding...

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

Matthew 7:1

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him.

James 1:5