Happy Easter

What a weekend!

It was decided just a bit ago that we would host my family for the Easter celebration.

Friday was spent working in the yard - it was finally warm and dry enough for me to cut the dead out of the flowerbeds and let the kids play outside.

Saturday I baked and cleaned and decorated.

Fresh tulips from my husband were put to good use.

Okay, technically I just got this bunny today. It's been at the grocery store all of Lent and I've been waiting for the after Easter sale so I could afford to buy it.

Resa and Mommy got some new sandals.

I volunteered to make dinner rolls for the meal. I used my mom's cinnamon roll recipe,  making one dozen cinnamon rolls for Easter morning's breakfast and 2 dozen dinner rolls.

On Holy Saturday Travis had a track meet (he's a coach) but as soon as he got home he lined up the kids and tickled them.  It's what happens almost every night - they beg for it.

Then we dyed eggs. I don't have the virtue to do it on my own so we wait for Daddy to do such things.

We like to use white crayons to make designs...

...and we tried a Pinterest trick of adding water to the dye so the color's intensity changed.

Final results.

After Mass we tried to get a good picture of the kids.

We did alright.

Then we tried to get a nice family photo.

We sorta succeeded.

Then it was home for Easter baskets.

We don't do the whole Easter Bunny thing.

Instead I assemble the baskets Holy Saturday night (I did that and painted my nails before I fell asleep watching The Passion. Do I fail as a Catholic? I probably should, because while I was watching it all I could think of was this. Thanks a lot, Mary is My Homegirl.)

Then I hide the baskets for the kids to find.

Ben's was in the bathtub.

JF's was in the credenza, with the DVDs.

L's was tucked into the exersaucer in the kitchen.

Resa got nothing but joy.

After naps and more cleaning the family came over for dinner.

Instead of having people write their names on cups I decorated each one with some Easter-y expression or picture. My mom was the only one who said she liked it, but I thought it was neat.

Dessert included a strawberry pretzel salad pie.

There was really enough of the cream and jello fillings for two pies and next time I'll double the pretzel crust and make two. It was so good, I may have eaten most of it.

After dinner was the egg hunt outside. The kids loved it but

Resa and Travis were happy to wait inside.

Also: A big WELCOME! and a YAY! goes out to my friends Beth and Emily (and her hubby Ben and two kiddos) who joined the Catholic Church this Easter Vigil.

I thought of you both all day on Holy Saturday and have been praying for you for a long time.

Please know that you will continue to be in my prayers and I hope this is a joyful time for you. If things get hard or you're struggling with your faith or the Church's teachings I encourage you to go back and re-read this post and the wonderful comments that follow it. And don't be afraid to share your struggles with your priest, sponsor, and Catholic friends. We want to walk with Christ with you and if we're doing it right we'll all be learning new things about God and our faith for the rest of our lives.  In the end, the most important thing to remember is this: God loves you and because He loves you He came to earth, died for your sins, rose from the dead, and established a Church so that you would be able to be with Him for eternity.

Jesus Christ is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Funny ending: while looking for a picture of an empty tomb this image came up:

Resurrection rolls.

And I found this:

Seriously? This is funny... and sad.

PS - Here's the post I wrote for Ignitum Today: Living Liturgically.