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Photos of Our Easter Day Details – 2009 – Simple Easter Ideas

April 17, 2009 By Laura 6 Comments

Just another short post, with lots of photos, from our blessed Easter Sunday. We hope they are simple Easter ideas, to share with you.

The kids woke up to these surprises on Easter morning. They were thrilled!

The kids, looking all dapper, just before heading out to a beautiful Easter morning Mass. {A} altar served, as usual. The kids were surprised with some gifts from friends at church, too. People can be so kind and thoughtful.

When we got home, we had our simple Easter dinner.

This is my plate, below. As you can see, I despise carrots, and I love asparagus. : )

I also forgot to put some potato salad on my plate before I took this photo, which I worked so hard on. lol

The Easter cookies {A} baked, and us parents helped decorate. It was tooooo FUN!

Chocolate Coconut Jelly Bean Cake, which was also more fun, to take photos of.

I took some individual shots of the kids too.

Easter is one of my very favorite holidays to take photos on. The spring-ish atmosphere, all of the colors around, and the sheer joy in the air, as we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, after a long and soul-searching Lenten season. But the truth is, I just always have my camera in hand, taking photos, because I love to, and I can. 🙂 I like to think this is a great place to share them, with you all, as they all are the details of our days, our life, and our joys. Just so you know…This blog will always have more photos, than wise words spoken. Because I definitely always have more way photos. lol

Our Giveaway winner, Regan, had received her home-made gifts. So would anyone like to see photos of what she received? I took lots of those along the way for that, too. Of course. It’s coming up!

Our family hopes your Easter was all kinds of Blessed and joyful, too!

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Creative Coloring Easter Eggs – Photos

April 13, 2009 By Laura 6 Comments

Just sharing with you today some photos from our creative coloring of Easter eggs tradition. Our family here LOVES to color and decorate eggs. Do you? We could do it every day. It’s also one of my favorite things to photograph. We do hope you all had a lovely and blessed Easter! Our entire Triduum was so focused and beautiful. We especially enjoyed the services and Masses at our church throughout the Holy days, and our quiet Easter celebration together was pleasant and relaxing.

We will have more Easter photos to share tomorrow or the next day, but have a heavier than usual work week, so we just may not be so chatty until later on in the week, if we are disciplined. ; ) But we’ve got a long list of blog posts and plans on hand-so stick around! And Enjoy!

white-eggs-ready-to-dye

cups-of-dyeing-easter-eggs

white-eggs-ready-to-dye
cups-coloring-easter-eggs

cups-coloring-easter-eggs cups-of-dyeing-easter-eggs

Hope you enjoyed this fun photo collection of our family memories!
Thanks so much for visiting.

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Stained-Glass (looking) Tissue Paper Easter Cross – Kids Craft

April 7, 2009 By Laura 20 Comments

Today we have an Easter themed craft tutorial for you! It is beautiful, and so fun to make! It’s a stained-glass (looking) tissue paper Easter cross, for your home or school windows. Or glass door!

The kids have been working really hard with their school work, and will actually be done with their formal work in just a couple of weeks. So in preparing our hearts and minds for this Holy week, we decided to do some more lengthy study of the Stations of the Cross, and then get creative today and make a big Stained Glass (looking) Easter cross decoration for our Easter celebration come this Sunday. It will be fitting in faith and spring spirit, to leave it up as beautiful cheery decor, for several weeks following Easter.

There were really only 5 things we needed: a very large sheet of window cling, lots of colored tissue paper, a sponge brush, some Modge Podge and a pair of scissors.

I didn’t take photos of this part, but, we first drew out a large cross on the back of the window cling material backing-paper, using a board for the straight edges, and a round container for the rounded decor ends of the cross. Once that was done, the kids all grabbed sheets of the tissue paper, and starting ripping it into pieces 1-2 inches or so. (Might I add, the colors each of them go for are so predictable. lol)

Once we had plenty of pieces ready to go, I started spreading some Modge Podge, with a sponge brush, in small sections (on the front) of the cross at a time, going outside of the lines somewhat on purpose. Then the kids got to work, putting down pieces, overlapping each other, and rubbing them down.

When the entire cross was almost done being covered with pieces of colored tissue, I started on one end, and went over any uplifted corners, or flappy pieces, of tissue, just Modge-Podging them down good with my sponge brush. I LOVE Modge Podge-that stuff is great for so many projects!

We made the cross 20″x34″.

Once it was all dry, we cut it out!

It was a perfect fit for our front door, because we planned it that way. : )

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With the main events of Holy Week still before us, we anticipate the somber and difficult remembrance of the journey Jesus has yet before Him-and we will follow Him all the way to His last breath.

But the radiating colors of this cross, brought to life by the sunlight, reflect the state of our hearts come Sunday, when we will celebrate our risen Jesus Christ, in all of His dazzling and promising glory.

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We appreciate the 100’s of visits our blog has received in the past couple of days. As we all take part in this holiest week of the year, and end our personal Lenten journeys, may you feel your hearts full of peace, prayer, and the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit, and find yourself in a deeper, and more meaningful relationship with Christ.

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How to Make a Beautiful Palm Cross – Tutorial with Directions and Photos

April 5, 2009 By Laura 3 Comments

Hi Friends! Are you ready to make a beautiful Palm Cross, with your Palm Sunday palms? Well we are ready to show you, with this step-by-step tutorial, complete with directions and photos!

Today has begun Holy week, so as we move through it, I am sure it’ll slow down around here a bit once again, as we help bring our children, in a mindful, prayerful and heartfelt way, through the most significant events of Jesus’ life, which led to the willing sacrifice of His own life, for us.

Last year on Palm Sunday, Michael took the fistful of palms we brought home from Mass, and created a big cross with them for our home.

Last Year’s Palm Cross

Our family has enjoyed it so much throughout the year, that the kids and I wanted him to make another new one with the palms we brought home today. So as he did, I took photos, with the thought that maybe some of you may want to create one this way as well, with your own palms, for your own family home. It is a difficult thing to explain in words only, so I am hoping the photos will help show you how to do it.

How to Make This Beautiful Palm Cross

First, he takes 3 sets of 2 palms each, and at least one good palm whisp.

In the area the intersection of the cross is, he put the ends of one set of palms alternately layered in between 2 of the others, going in the opposite direction of course.

Then he takes the last set, and layers those for the other side.

Pinching it all together at the intersection, he takes one side of the palms and makes a loop with them to the back.

He secures that with his fingers to the middle as well, and then does the same with the other side.

With the formed cross in hand he takes the wisp and starts wrapping the intersection of the crossed pieces, to secure them tightly.

The below collage, to be viewed left to right in rows top to bottom, is not every single move. It just gives you a general idea of how he wraps it around, crisscrossing, and going up and down as well.

When he only has about 2 inches left, he turns the cross over, and places it on the table, and holding the wrap tightly, he takes the remaining end and feeds it under the wrap a couple of times, and then just pulls it tightly. The front of the middle of the cross then looks like the last square in the above collage.That’s it!

We’re sure you all have found various ways to make your own beautiful crosses with palms as well, or perhaps you just stick them behind the crucifix of your home, as we have done for many years as well. We would love for you to share how you do display your blessed palms in your home, what you may make with them, or any traditions you may have for Palm Sunday in your family.

We hope you had a happy and peace filled Palm Sunday .
May God bless you all, this Easter season!

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Veggie Pockets – Lent Meatless Meal – Recipe

February 27, 2009 By Laura 5 Comments

Here’s a delicious meatless meal for the Fridays of Lent, or for any day, for either lunch or dinner! My kids love most vegetables, so these pocket sandwiches are always a real hit with them! They always cheer when they ask what we are having, and they always ask for 2nd one!

I didn’t take any photos in the early stages, as I usually do just for fun. But I think you’ll be able to follow along just fine without them.

Ingredients:

red peppers
zucchini
summer squash
broccoli
vegetable oil
American cheese
whole wheat pockets

~ Naturally, you can use any stir-fry type vegetables your family likes best.

1.) Wash *all vegetables well, of course. : )

*How many of each vegetable you use depends on your family size. Use your best judgement. Once it’s all in the pan you’ll get a better idea.

2.) Clean out red peppers, and dice.

3.) Zucchini and summer squash:

>>> a.) Cut off ends.

>>> b.) Cut length-wise in half

>>> c.) Cut again lengthwise, cutting halves into half. Now you have 4 quarters of lengthwise slices. (Aren’t I great at explaining these things? Maybe I should have taken photos of this part too. lol)

>>> d.) Now slice the quartered lengths the short way, about 1/4″ thick. You will have nice quarter-0f-a-slice pieces.

4.) Cut up broccoli into medium sized pieces, chopping off ends first. (You will chop it all up later.)

5.) Get broccoli going in a steamer. (We have a Black & Decker Handy Steamer. But you can steam however you do.)

6.) Heat a large stir-fry pan at medium-heat, and add 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

7.) Add red peppers, zucchini and summer squash to pan, and stir up.

8.) Cook all vegetables in steamer and pan, to desired tenderness. (We call it done when fork inserts nicely. Be careful not to overcook.)

9.) Remove steamed broccoli from steamer, and put on cutting board.

With a large chopping knife, chop up into smaller pieces, and then add to the pan on stove-top, with other vegetables.

Stir all vegetables together.

So happy to-ge-THERRRRRRRR! (Name that tune!)

For pockets, we use this brand:

10.) Take a bread disc out, and cut in half.

11.) Lay some slices of American cheese in the pocket half. Break slices up to fit nicely. (Us grown-ups sometimes put some Pepper-Jack in too, for some kick! But it’s delicious just with American.).

12.) *Fill pocket up with vegetables.

* For the little ones, we don’t overload it, because it’s a wide/big pocket, and a little bit difficult to for little hands to handle. Reminders to eat over plate are a good idea, with these babies! But what falls to the plate can be eaten up with a fork, after.

** Us grown-ups really fill it up. : )

Filled just right for a kiddo.

13.) When they eat it all up, and ask for another, SAY YES!! A kid can never eat too many vegetables! : )

ENJOY!!

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Last Year’s Palm Cross

How to Make This Beautiful Palm Cross

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