• HOME
  • {A}’s Chipmunk Training Archives

 Homepage

  • The Homestead
    • Home Projects
    • Home Improvement
    • Home Decor
      • Seasonal Home decor
        • FALL Home Decor
        • WINTER Home Decor
        • SPRING Crafts and Creations
        • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • Our Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Organization
    • Re-Purposing
    • Furniture Refinishing
    • Budget
  • Crafts & Creations
    • Seasonal Home decor
      • FALL Crafts and Creations
      • WINTER Crafts and Creations
      • SPRING Crafts and Creations
      • SUMMER Crafts and Creations
    • DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project
    • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas
    • Holiday Crafts
    • Fan Pulls
    • Free Printable/Downloadable
    • Sewing Projects
    • Giveaways
    • Business Features
  • Recipes/FoodFun
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Main Dish
    • Sandwiches
    • Appetizers
    • Slow Cooker
    • On The Grill
    • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
    • Baking
      • Breads, Rolls and Muffins
    • Snacks
    • Treats
    • Desserts
    • Drinks
  • Homeschooling
    • Elementary Homeschooling
      • Elementary Homeschooling READING
      • Elementary Homeschooling MATH
      • Elementary Homeschooling LANGUAGE ARTS
      • Elementary Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Elementary Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
      • Kids Arts and Crafts
    • Middle School Homeschooling
      • Middle School Homeschooling SCIENCE
      • Middle School Homeschooling HOME ECONOMICS
    • Language Arts
    • Math
    • History / Social Studies
    • Geography
    • Foreign Language
    • Field Trips
    • Games
    • Nature Study
  • The Big Picture
    • Life In General
    • Celebrations
    • Faith
      • Into the Light; The Series
    • Giveaways
    • Reviews & Sponsors
  • Photography & Lettering
    • Photography
    • truck lettering
    • vehicle graphics
    • Newborns
    • Kids
    • Engagement
    • High School Senior Pictures
    • High School Senior Pictures Sneak Peeks

May Basket Delivering! – SO FUN!

May 1, 2009 By Laura 6 Comments

Our May Basket Delivering Day was so fun! We wanted to share it all with you.
may-day-baskets_
There was no schooling on our agenda today – just delivering our May baskets for May Day, and the kids could not have been more excited! But, first, I had to have some of my own fun, taking just a few more photos, as detailed memories.

daisies

rose

may-day-baskets

Ok, now I was ready. So next the kids loudly debated about which May basket was ‘theirs’, based on the tag they made, and who was going to who’s door, ringing the doorbell, and running for their life.   Once that was settled, they were very eagerly ready to go!  But you know I’m getting a photo of them first, and they know it too.

ready-to-secretly-deliver-may-day-baskets

I was so grateful that the light rain we had going on, went on hold for us once it was time to get down to business.  I didn’t mind the gray overcast day—it’s actually better for the photo taking. : )

Our first stop was right at the end of our road……

1_delivering-may-day-baskets
This is the home of a lovely elderly couple who have nearly ancient history in our neighborhood. This home of their is new, but it is built right in front of the old and smaller home that they raised 11 children of their own in!  They are so sweet.  So {A} placed the basket on the porch, rang the doorbell and ran. We were ‘seen’…..their visiting daughter opened the door as she and I were climbing back into the van up the road some. Last year their visiting son saw us the same way. Now…our hopes are always that our intended receivers would come to open the door, because that would give us more ‘get-away’ time, if you know what I mean. ; )

2_delivering-may-day-baskets

Next stop was up the main road a bit……

ring-and-run-may-day-basket-deliveries
{J} was up for his hit and run.  lol. This is the home of Sr. Jeremy—the long time nun resident of our parish.  She has done marvelous and wonderful things within our church family. We love her dearly…..and she loves children, DEARLY!!  She is a HOOT, if you know what I mean, and she has no reservations about speaking her mind. Ever. My kind of Girl!

ring-and-run-may-day-basket-delivering_
I was hiding behind a bush with my camera, and I couldn’t have been more tickled pink with getting this shot!! Look how his feet aren’t even touching the ground!  He was hysterical, trying to run before the door opened. We got away in time, but did spy with our little eyes, Sister open the door, see the May basket, and look everywhere for the sneaky one. lol

Next stop was a little ride, and it was {S’s} turn…..

secretly-delivering-may-day-baskets

This is the home of a lovely older couple from church, who dig us. And we dig them. We always sit all together in 2 pews in front or behind each other. They adore our kids, and are smitten with their church behavior.  They are probably in their late 70’s, and have great senses of humor.

Now, I have to tell you…THIS was a tricky one. And we got TOTALLY BUSTED!  See, here’s the thing. We were pretty sure these Peeps were going to be home. The brick sidewalk leading to this door, is very windy. It actually does a zig, and then a zag. So sidewalk is actually shifted very much to the right side, walking towards the door, and then does a zig to straighten head on to the door. So as we are walking, we are looking RIGHT IN the big window door-right. And we see movement in there. Oh dear!  So {S} puts the basket down, and tries to hurry ringing the door bell, which is of course door right….

may-day-baskets-getting-caught
…and as he rings, he finds himself face to face with Mrs. G….coming to the door. DAG NABBIT!! Do you see her?  Need help?

may-day-baskets-getting-caught_2
Do you see her now??  No??  It’s ok…it’s ok…it happens to the best of us. (Well, not really….I just don’t want you to feel bad…)…look again…

may-day-baskets-getting-caught_3
Now?? Because that’s really all I can do to help you. lol

So anyway….she’s coming, {S} sees her, but he starts ringing the doorbell anyway, and again, and again, because really….he was NOT missing the opportunity to ring a doorbell like everyone else! (We don’t have one on our house…lol).

Mrs. G opened the door, and laughing she said “WHAT are you DOING?”…and {S} said “Happy May Day!“, and she replied with a big laugh, “Aren’t you just the sweetest thing!“….and he has been repeating that all day. I think he believes her! lol. No…he is. So anyway…I was laughing so hard, from the nerves and getting caught, I forgot to take photos of her standing there, pleased as punch with their surprise.  Then we ran away, with her yelling after us…‘Thank youuuu!!!”

We had ONE more stop, and it was {O’s} turn……

may-day-basket-deliveries
This is the home of our friend, Dr. Ann. She is a veterinarian, and she has become quite attached to our kids too.  (And us, her.) We also know her from church, and we also sit near her.  (She saved a pew for us on Sunday morning, because we were running late, and it was JAM PACKED because it was a First Communion Mass….bless her soul!! We were so thankful!)   Anyway, she calls the kids ‘The Children‘….and if you heard her voice.  LOVE her voice. She’s a lector too…which is so lovely hearing her read Sunday readings to us…and she is also a singer. (She got us all tickets to her concert this Sunday!) Anyway….she knows all of he kids names, but she always says to the kids “So how are THE CHILDREN today??!!  HmmMM??”….and they all giggle, and say, “Gooood.”  She’s a doll.

We knew she wasn’t home, because her car was not there, and she works long hours at her business in town, her own Veterinary Hospital.   But…the kids enjoyed the fact that her cats were in the window watching us. lol.  So at least SOMEONE saw her in her cool hot pink slicker, even if they did have fur!

2_may-day-basket-delivering

That was the last of our May basket deliveries!  Met with BIG groans and sighs by ‘the children’.

As we all climbed out of the van in our driveway, they were still talking about how they wish we had more homes to go to.  They had SO much fun.  WE ALL did.  We just LOVE doing these kinds of things. Especially for other people. The whole process….planning surprises for others, shopping, making and baking things, and just having fun making someone’s day.

Here they all with mission accomplished:  Basket-less!

finished-delivering-our-may-day-baskets
Later on tonight, we got a call from the old woman at the end of our road. She left the sweetest message on our machine, expressing how wonderful that May Day gift basket made her feel, and the memories it brought back to her of the May Pole at school when she was a little girl. If you heard her sweet, sincere and shaky little voice, well….

That’s what it’s all about.

We can hardly wait until next year.  I’ve heard the kids talking, and I can see this getting WAY out of hand next time.

But who cares??!!

Hope you all had a wonderful May Day!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts & Creations, DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Project, Giveaways, Giveaways, Holiday Crafts, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, The Big Picture, Traditions Tagged With: Catholic, Catholic-family, Catholic-kids, delivering-May-baskets, developing-thoughtfulness-in-your-children, kids-May-activities, May, May-basket-ideas, May-basket-inspiration, May-baskets, May-celebrations

May Day Baskets and The Feast of the Ascension of our Lord

May 2, 2008 By Laura 2 Comments

May baskets
(Our May Day Baskets)

May Day
by Evaleen Stein

Let us take our baskets early
To the meadows green,
While the wild-flowers still are pearly
With the dewdrops’ sheen.
Fill them full of blossoms rosy,
Violets and gay
Cowslips, every pretty posy
Welcoming the May.
Then our lovely loads we’ll carry
Down the village street,
On each door, with laughter merry,
Hang a basket sweet.
Hey-a-day-day! It is spring now,
Lazy folks, awake!
See the pretty things we bring now
For the May-day’s sake!

Doesn’t it figure that two days we planned to acknowledge, had to land on the same day!  So it made for a busy day for us.  But the kids fell asleep that night with smiling faces, and peaceful hearts.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we decided to teach the kids about May Day, and help them celebrate it the old fashioned way.  I’m not sure how many of you know the May Day Basket tradition, but I had an experience from my childhood that not only taught me what the day was about, but helped me remember it to this day.  It’s a story my kids ask me to tell them over and over. And lucky you…they insist I share it with you in this post as well.

I forget what grade I was in, but one year in elementary school, we made May Day Baskets in art class.  We were told that we were to leave it on the doorstep of an older loved one, to ring the doorbell, and run away and hide before the recipient opened the door and found the basket.  It was meant to bring joy to others, in celebration of springtime.

The only person I could think of, to leave my May Day Basket for, was my grandmother.  She was a very kind and well-intentioned grandmother, who lived in an elderly complex.  She was closer to my older sister than she was to me, but I loved her none the less in the years she was here.  The funny thing about her, to me, was that she could never remember my name.  She would always call me Susan.  It didn’t make me feel like the most loved grand-child in the world, but I understood somewhat where her confusion came from.  She did have a grand-daughter named Susan, who was my cousin of course. And it was better than the fact that she called my brother Jeffrey, because in his case, that was not his name either, and there was no Jeffrey at all in the family.  She was up there in age by this time, and sometimes it seemed she didn’t recognize us at all.

So the morning came to deliver my May Basket to Grandma.  I was a little worried about just leaving it on her doorstep and running away, because I knew she was a worrier, and it might scare her. I wondered too if she would even see it on the porch there,  because she had one of those solid white metal doors with the screen, and the step down to the porch was steep. So I brought my concerns to my mother.

My mother agreed that it might shake Grandma up, to open the door to find no one there.  And wondered too if she would notice the basket down on the porch.  So she asked me what I thought I should do about it.  I told her:

“Well, I thought maybe I should take the basket to her door, ring the doorbell, and when she answers, I could say “Hi Grandma, it’s me, Susan! Happy May Day!” and then give her the basket.

My mother laughed hysterically. And through the years she brought that story up again and again, never losing the humor she found in it.  So eventually I told that story to my oldest daughter, who is ALWAYS asking for another story from my childhood.  This one was bound to come up eventually–because honestly, I’m running out. (Or running low on memory.)  She loved the story, and laughed just as hard as my mother.  So she then asked me to tell our little ones my story, and they think it’s just as funny!  Now really, I do not think it is THAT funny, and you probably don’t either, but my kids wanted me to tell it, so there it is.  I hope it was worth a chuckle at least.  And if not, I hope the photos or rest of this post help make up for it. : )

So below are 2 photos of our kids assembling 2 May Day Baskets, for some older folks we know of.  Unfortunately, none of their grandparents are local, to be able to leave on their doorsteps.  So we chose an old couple who still live at the end of our street, where they actually raised their now grown 13 children! I think they have ump-teen grandchildren and great-grandchildren now, who all come to visit a lot. We also chose Sr. Jeremy from our parish, whose service and dedication to her vocation is truly inspiring. She is such a blessing to our parish family, and she loves children!

In the baskets the kids put what {A} shopped for the day before (with me of course):  Celestial Tea, Tea Biscuits, some chocolates, and some sugar-free hard candies.  They were such a team, and got the baskets together nicely.

May baskets
May baskets

Of course then I wanted another photo of them all together. In the photo below, they are all just recovering from a hardy belly-laugh. See, I thought they were being especially co-operative for the camera, with their big smiles, until they broke out with laughter.  Turns out, Daddy was behind me, pretending to lick my head.   NICE, huh?

May baskets

In the morning, we added the fresh flowers to the baskets, just before delivering them.  I know so many photos of this is not really necessary, but I couldn’t choose. I love each one of these images for different reasons. In the last one, {J} felt there was no room for the last flower, and decided to give it to his sister. Aawwww. <sniff>

  May baskets

May baskets

May baskets

May baskets

kids-delivering-may-day-baskets

kids-delivering-may-day-baskets_2jpg

kids-delivering-may-day-baskets_3

Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

With this day being a Holy Day of Obligation, we had Mass to go to that evening.

So we ate dinner early and got there in plenty of time. It was a wonderful Mass, with an effective homily (as always) from our pastor. But what touched me most, was the part of the Mass when we say the Lord’s Prayer.  As a family, we have always held hands for this prayer.  We say it together on a daily basis for Devotion, and of course always at Mass, and I don’t remember ever not holding hands. With that being said, I know there are people and families who do not join hands.  In fact, some are quite against it.  We know and respect that it is each one’s choice, and it’s a personal preference for each person.  But we just do.

So that part of the Mass comes, and as always, we join hands. I was second to the inside end, and {S} was at the very end of our family, at the far inside.  A few feet away next to him was an older couple.  As we began the prayer, I saw out of the corner of my eye, him slowly turn his head to look to his right.  And suddenly, his little feet shuffled to the right, and he reached out to hold the older woman’s hand. I looked down at his sweet face, now looking forward again, as he mumbled the prayer—holding back that smile, as he always does when he is feeling a little shy, and a little pleased with himself, at the same time.   Apparently, he noticed that the older couple was holding hands too, and so he reached out to her.  I think the lady just about melted.  I know I did.  And I was really thankful she was open to his outreach, and the notion of holding a stranger’s hand, as we were gathered together in His name, and didn’t break his little heart.

It was a wonderful day all around.  We hope your May Day was just as sweet, and if you didn’t get a basket on your doorstep, look on the bright side:  Maybe no one thinks you are old enough yet.  : )  I’m happy to report, I didn’t get one either.

 

Save

Save

Filed Under: Celebrations, Crafts & Creations, Holiday Crafts, Holidays, Homemade/Handmade Gift Ideas, Seasonal Crafts and Creations, SPRING Crafts and Creations, The Big Picture, Traditions Tagged With: Catholc-family, Catholic-blogs, Catholic-kids, kids-May-activities, May Day, May-basket-delivering, May-Day-Basket-ideas, May-day-ideas, teaching-your-children-thoughtfulness

We are wicked happy to have you here! We hope you find much inspiration, help, humor and enjoyment here.




Archives



POPULAR POSTS

* * * * * *

SUBSCRIBE to House of Joyful Noise blog! Every new post, delivered right to your email box!


Privacy Policy

Amazon Affiliates

Never at any additional cost to you, we may earn a small commission for our endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products from our website. Your purchase through our links helps support our family, while sharing with you the products we authentically use and recommend, for various ideas, and letting you know where you can purchase them. Thank you for your support!

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2025 HouseOfJoyfulNoise.com · Genesis Framework by StudioPress