The Easter Story In Eggs

Last year our family implemented a new Easter tradition.  It is a very simple and easy activity, yet it helps everyone reflect on the true meaning of Easter and why we celebrate this sacred event.

This countdown-to-Easter activity is known by a myriad of names.  The 12 Days of Easter, The Easter Egg Story, Easter Story In Eggs and Resurrection Eggs are just a few of the names I have heard.

Regardless of its true name, this Easter presentation is a unique advent activity which helps people, especially children, focus on the real symbol of Easter, our Savior Jesus Christ … not bunnies and eggs and chocolate.   (Although we still do little Easter baskets and egg hunts in our house.  We just choose to do these aspects of the holiday on another day other than Easter Sunday.)

First you gather 12 different plastic eggs and then you number them 1-12.  When the eggs are filled, you will be placing them either in an empty egg carton or a basket.

In each egg you will put a piece of paper with a scripture on it.  You will also add a small item to represent the passage to be read.  (If you have more than one young child, you might want to put double or triple the number of items in every egg so each child can each take something away from the activity.)  The 12th egg, though, will be symbolically empty to represent the empty tomb when Jesus rose on the third day.

1. Matthew 26:26-27,39 (sacrament cup or small cracker or chex cereal)

2. Matthew 26: 48-49 (chocolate kiss)

3. Matthew 26: 14-15 (3 dimes) [This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 11:12-14.]

4. Matthew 27:1-2 (knotted twine)

5. Matthew 27:15, 17, 21, 24-26 (chunk of hand soap)

6. Matthew 27:28-30  or Mark 15:16-17 (square of red or purple fabric)

7. Matthew 27:31-32 (small nail or toothpick cross)

8. Matthew 27:50-51, 54 (crushed rocks)

9. Matthew 27:57-60 (strip of white cloth)

10. Matthew 27:60, 62-66 (a small, flat stone)

11. Mark 16:1, 2-6 (bay leaf or other herb)

12. Matthew 28:5-6 (empty)

There’s still nearly a week left before this countdown activity beings which gives you plenty of time to create your own set of eggs.  And if you can’t find an item, you can also print a picture of the item on paper from the computer and use that in your egg.

This activity can also be tweaked and done as a single lesson. It is great for Sunday School lessons, Family Home Evening lessons (FHE)  and for teaching Seminary.  It also makes a nice gift to give to neighbors.

Furthermore, there are many variations on what items and scriptures you can use.  Here are a few links to more ideas:

Annie’s Easter Story Eggs

Explaining Easter to Children

The Easter Egg Story

Egg Carton Easter Story

Happy Easter!

Our Thanks and Giving Trees

As many of you know, Fall is my favorite season of the year.

A beautiful Autumn bush right outside our apartment building.
We loved watching the leaves change color on a daily basis.

And during my favorite season of the year, comes one of my favorite holidays of the year, Thanksgiving.  But I don’t like to just celebrate Thanksgiving and what it means on one given day, I like to celebrate the virtue of gratitude the whole month long.

One tradition our family started last year was to have a Thanks Tree and a Giving Tree** posted in our home (graphics available at the end of this entry).  Every evening, each person in the family takes two leaves.  On one leaf they write down something they are grateful for and put it on the Thanks Tree.  On the other leaf they write down a service they performed that day and they put that leaf on the Giving Tree.  The act of service can be something as simple as sharing a smile, helping when asked with a cheerful attitude or saying, “I love you.”

I am eager to watch our trees go from bare to full.  I adore watching my children get so excited as they find ways to serve others.  I know my heart is full of gratitude for all the tender mercies the Lord bestows upon me on a daily basis.  He is constantly reminding me I am not alone.  The daily Remembrance Journal I keep also helps me to never forget that the Lord truly has my life in the palm of His hand.

And of course this post wouldn’t be complete unless I shared some things I am currently grateful for.

I am incredibly grateful that the Lord softened my heart and let me know that the time had come to bring another child into our home.  Little Eli, who turned four months old today, has been such a blessing in my life.  The warm spirit and pure joy he brings into our home is truly astounding.  It is amazing how I can be in one of the foulest moods, but as soon as I see this precious infant, especially when he greets me with a smile which lights up his entire face and which creates the biggest, toothless grin, my anger simply vanishes.  Eli is definitely a gift sent from heaven.

I am also grateful for grandparents and the legacy and honor and wisdom they possess.  Rudy’s dad was able to make a brief visit this weekend and it was such a joy having his presence in our home.  It warmed my heart to see him interact with his grandkids as he engaged them in conversations and as he played with them.  They had the neatest time going out to get ice cream as a treat after dinner.

I also loved listening to him and Rudy chat.  Rudy’s mind is always in constant motion, he is for ever generating new thoughts and ideas, and this weekend was no exception.  I readily enjoyed listening to him share some of his innermost thoughts with his father because his father sits and listens to what he has to say with such profound attention.  It is actually quite a beautiful sight to behold, seeing Rudy and his father  engaged in a stimulating conversation.

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** The idea for this activity originally came from the ever talented Chocolate On My Cranium.  If you want to start your own Thanks and Giving Tree please feel free to visit her blog to download the beautiful graphics. Or you can click on the images below.  Once you copy or download the images, they can easily be enlarged.

My Grandfather’s Funeral and Some October Activities

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to attend my Grandpa’s funeral in Southern California. Even though I am 32 years old, I had never been to funeral before.  I found it fitting that the first one I ever went to was so meaningful and tender. 

Of course many tears were shed by those in attendance, but we were all grateful that my grandfather was able to live such a full and complete life and that he is in a better place now for I know his spirit still lives.  He was just a few months shy of turning 90 when he peacefully slipped away.  My grandpa was always a very goal oriented kind of person and his goal was  to live until he was 90.  He basically made it to that major milestone.

I readily enjoyed hearing the memories and stories which were shared by the speakers.  Most of the thoughts shared were rather enlightening, some were even quite humorful.  The thoughts shared just further demonstrated the quiet wisdom my grandfather possessed. 

He was truly an exemplary teacher.  It was obvious that many, many people were touched and changed by the things he said and simply by the way he conducted his day to day life.   He was a kind hearted soul who never passed judgement upon any.

My grandfather left a remarkable legacy and I am grateful to be a part of his heritage.  His passing away has sparked within me an even stronger desire to get to know my ancestors better and to bring about honor to all of their names.

I am grateful my husband was so willing to watch Cory and Keri for a week while Eli and I were able to fly to my parent’s home.  Cory even got the stomach flu while I was away, yet Rudy still kept his head up and lovingly took care of him.

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And on a completely separate note, I wanted to re-share a few fun and easy Fall and Halloween activities.  I have posted about these before, but I thought I would briefly mention them again.

Mess Free Pumpkins are always a hit with the kids.  It is a great alternative to carving pumpkins, and the kids enjoy munching on the candy while they create their masterpiece.

Kids also get a kick out of making these egg carton spiders, especially little boys who adore creepy, crawly things.

And no Autumn season is complete without baking and indulging in Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread.  I made some while on this trip to California and it was inhaled rather quickly.

And lastly, this simple Fall Centerpiece will always brighten up a room.

Happy October!

Keeping The Spirit Of Christmas – Stocking “Stuffers”

During this time of year it is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the season. We need to put decorations up, we need to buy gifts, we need to wrap gifts, we need to bake yummy treats, we need to deliver all the baked goods, we need to go to this Christmas party and this Christmas program and we need to address and mail all of our Christmas cards. When we have so much to do it sometimes gets hard to keep the true spirit of Christmas.

To combat the craziness, I like my family to do something that my mother taught us 9 kids to do when we were little children. During the month of December (ideally we would try to do this every night) we would write notes to each other, including to the parents, and put them in each other’s stockings. We weren’t allowed to read them until Christmas, although I remember some years I would sneakily take down my stocking and run to the bathroom so I could peek at the notes I had. (Sorry mom !)

You didn’t have to write a note to everyone every day, but you were supposed to write at least one note and you were supposed to rotate to whom you wrote. They could either be simple notes about thanking someone for doing the dishes when it was supposed to be your turn to do them, or they could be more involved letters where you told your sibling or parent why you were grateful to have them in your life. There would be times when we would really get into it and we would write several notes throughout the day. And of course some years we did better on writing these notes than other years.

On Christmas morning it was a tradition in our family to “open” our stockings before we opened any presents. I still remember the special feelings of love and warmth I would get when I read all these notes that had been written just to me! Writing these notes and receiving these notes really did help us to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas and it also taught me many valuable lessons. Above all it taught me how to enjoy doing quiet/anonymous service for others and it taught me to love the feeling I got inside when I did something nice for someone else.

**This post was originally published in 2006.**

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For more Christmas activity ideas, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar. For more Holiday Traditions, check out Banana Migraine.  For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, please visit Shannon of Rocks In My Dyer.

Our Christmas Giving Tree

At the beginning of November our family started a new tradition where each night we added leaves to our Thanks Tree and Giving Tree. This experience was such a raging success that we decided to implement another new family holiday tradition, a Christmas Giving Tree.

Every night we add a paper ornament to our paper Christmas tree. You are probably much more creative than I am and can come up with a more festive tree – my tree is very basic. However, you get the point .

On the ornament we list an act of service we did that day. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It could be as simple as smiling at your neighbor or saying “I love you” to a family member. It is a wonderful way to remind everyone daily what the holiday season is truly about.

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For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, please visit Shannon of Rocks In My Dyer. For more Christmas activity ideas, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar.

The Thanks and Giving Tree

I love the reason why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Whenever I think about this November festivity, my mind instantly reverts back to all the Thanksgiving holidays I enjoyed when I lived at home in California.

Even now I can smell the buttery aroma of my mom’s famous monkey dough rolls, I can hear the cheery laughter and loud voices of the 20-30 people who were always crowded into our warm yet cozy home, and I can taste the sweetness of the homemade punch my Grandfather made year in and year out. I truly cherish the traditions and family togetherness this holiday consistently creates.

Now that it isn’t so easy to spend this holiday with my entire family, my husband and I are building our own traditions. One thing we like to do is focus on gratitude for the entire month.

This year, and hopefully every year hereafter, we will have a Thanks Tree and Giving Tree displayed in our house. Every night each person in the family will take a turn to write on a leaf something they are grateful for. This leaf will go on the Thanks Tree. Every night each person will also write on another leaf an act of service they have given to someone else during the day. This leaf will go on the Giving Tree. The act of service could be as simple as smiling at someone, saying “I Love You” to a family member or writing a letter to a friend.

I can’t wait to see our trees grow bigger and I am eager to see the things we will each share, especially my children. I know my heart is full of gratitude for all the tender mercies the Lord continues to bless me with on a daily basis.

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The idea for this activity originally came from Cocoa of Chocolate On My Cranium and she kindly gave me permission to tell about her family tradition on my site. If you would like to start your very own Thanks and Giving Tree, then please visit her blog to download the necessary graphics.

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For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday ideas, please visit Shannon of Rocks In My Dyer.  For more Fall and Thanksgiving activity ideas, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar.

The Lowdown On Trunk-or-Treat

One of the moms in Keri’s first grade class recently asked me what we were going to do to celebrate Halloween. I casually replied that one of the things we like to do is attend our Church’s annual Trunk-or-Treat party.

She looked at me with this incredulous look on her face and asked, “A what kind of party?”

“A Trunk-or-Treat party,” I explained. Apparently this social phenomenon isn’t understood by everyone.

So what is a Trunk-or-Treat party? It is when a bunch of people get together (i.e. through a Church, neighborhood or school organization) to celebrate Halloween, but instead of going door-to-door trick-or-treating, you go trunk-to-trunk trick-or-treating. People park in a big lot, decorate their trunk and hand out candy to those dressed in costumes.

**Picture courtesy of Google. I was too busy following my trunk-or-treaters to snap any outdoor shots of my own.**

There are a myriad of benefits to this type of activity. For example, it prevents people from getting hit by cars (the parking area is normally roped off), the candy is safe (everyone knows everyone since you are part of a community) and it is an extremely family friendly environment.

If you don’t have one in your area, you should really think about starting this new tradition.

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For more Fall activities, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar carnival. For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday participants, check out Shannon of Rocks In My Dryer.

Placemat Purses

A few weeks ago at a Church activity I made some placemat purses.

Yes, me, the one who doesn’t really know how to sew or be especially creative and domestic … at least in this sense of the word.

Being organized and efficient – that I can do. Pretending I am related to Martha Stewart? Not a chance. There is a reason why I despised Geometry, but adored Algebra. It is just the way my brain functions.

When my mom, an experienced seamstress, tried over and over again to teach me this highly useful, yet dying art form when I was a know-it-all teenager, I wanted nothing to do with it. All I wanted to do was play beach volleyball and hang out with my friends. However, now I wish she lived a little bit closer so she could teach me a thing or two. I think I am feeling more humble and teachable than I did about a decade and a half ago.

If you want to make your own placemat purse, then check out Scribbit’s and Amy’s post on the subject matter. They are much more talented and capable of explaining the instructions. And if I can create this project, then you can do it with your eyes shut.

There is definitely a reason why I don’t show you every angle of my new purse. If I did, you would see there is a lot of character in my handbag .

Anything you would like to share for Talk About Tuesday? And if you haven’t entered my one year blog anniversary giveaway, make sure you do that, too.

Egg Carton Spiders

This Halloween craft is incredibly easy and the kids really seem to get a kick out of it. You most likely have all the necessary supplies on hand, scattered throughout your house: an egg carton, crayons or markers, colorful pipe cleaners, scissors and a thick sewing needle. Optional items could include paint or googly eyes.

**These spiders have seen a lot of trauma from the sometimes-not-so-gentle hands of toddlers. Please excuse their overly bent legs.**

1. First you need to separate one or more cups from an egg carton.

2. Next, using a thick sewing needle or scissors, make 8 small holes (4 on each side) on the base of the cup.

3. Then insert four, 4-6 inch piece pipe cleaners into the holes for legs.

4. Draw on a face and decorate the body.

Happy Halloween!

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For more Fall activities and recipes, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar carnival.

Mess Free Pumpkin Activity

If you are ever in the mood to do an enjoyable pumpkin activity with the kids, but you aren’t in the mood to be cleaning up slimy messes (i.e. pumpkin guts and seeds), then this activity is just for you. Instead of carving a jack-o-lantern, create one with soft gummy candy and pins.

Shoestring licorice or gummy worms can be used for the hair. Junior mints can be used for eyes. Tootsie rolls make excellent eyebrows. Gumdrops, marshmallows, gummy bears, gummy lifesavers, fruit by the foot, jelly beans … the creative possibilities are endless.

This is also an excellent idea for a Halloween party, a school activity or any other large gathering involving kids!

Enjoy!

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For more Halloween activities, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar carnival.

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday participants, check out Shannon of Rocks In My Dryer.

A Simple Fall Centerpiece

This centerpiece is so incredibly easy to make that even I don’t have problems messing it up. First you cut off the top of a smallish pumpkin. Then you clean it out. Add some soil to it, plant a flower, add some more soil and then water it. Voila! You now have a gorgeous and festive Fall decoration.

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For more Halloween activities, check out Scribbit’s Winter Bazaar carnival. (Isn’t the button classy? My brother designed it!)

For more Works-For-Me-Wednesday participants, visit Shannon of Rocks In My Dryer.