Pinewood Castle

Easter Blessings

Off to the Easter vigil.

{The PJ's on the baby? An optimistic wardrobe decision.}

In each egg: five jelly beans and the scripture verse for The Garden of the Good Shepherd.

 

Natural or Paas? We do both. Paas for the kids, nartural for Mom & Dad.

 

 

 

May your Easter season be blessed with new growth and the every day pockets of beauty through which God speaks to our hearts. Alleluia.

The Triduum is Coming

And this year I have ambitions of making it to all three services.

I even have spring cleaning plans now that we are officially on spring break.

They go something like this:

Wednesday - clean the children's rooms. Dust. De-clutter. Gather items for a 2013 garage sale because I doubt we will have time this summer.

Thursday - clean the mudroom. Remove everything from benches and cubbies and wipe them down. Take the long runner rug and give it a good beating outdoors. Wash the floor. Wash coats and woolies. Take coats, mittens, and boots to the basement. Keep out jackets and even mittens (just in case). Clean window and full length mirror. Clean the doors and threshold. Lay out Easter outfits and make sure everyone has everything they need. Make a Costco run. Practice Pange Lingua and Tantum Ergo. Take older kids to Holy Thursday Mass.

Friday - make hot cross buns. Clean the fireplace. Shovel out ashes and spread them around the lilacs. Clean the glass doors. Clean the basement storage/toy mess. Wipe down kitchen counters, appliances, and cabinets.  Take whole family to Good Friday services.

Saturday - dye eggs, each child gets a dozen. Make as many egg-free desserts as possible: chow mein noodle egg nests, egg-free spring cut-out cookies, and egg-free lamb cake. Bake grain-free lemon bars. Make ingredients for Bellinis to take with us Sunday. Put away the Lenten decor and decorate for spring. Decorate pascal candle. Assemble a breakfast casserole. Take whole family to the vigil. Assemble and hide baskets.

Sunday - egg and Easter basket hunt, travel to in-laws and celebrate!

 

Thankful Thursday - Eastertide

our first egg tree

(though I am not sure how to change the water when it gets yucky)

husbands who take charge of egg dyeing

the Pascal Candle - a centerpiece that truly centers us

superglue for fixing angel wings (they break off every year)

girls in bunny ears

my blue eyed baby boy (who will not wear his bunny ears)

deer-proof daffodils (unlike tulips)

sprouted wheat berry grass for preschool play (not as messy as flour in the jelly-roll pan)

super-hard basket hunts (in the stock pot on the top shelf above the oven)

 

lamb cakes that don't fall (completely) apart

bonds forged between brothers and sisters

spring birthday parties for my first-born

 Now, if the spring weather would just come to stay!

How the Washing of Feet Went Over With a Toddler in the House

Simon Peter saith to Him: Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.

 

Easter Blessings

He is Risen!

 

I have risen too - but just from my bed, not the dead. I have to confess - I have been craving just an hour or two of computer time to do a few things I cannot or have not yet learned to do from the iPhone. I am not sure how long I will get this stretch. Sleep, rest, nursing, eating, drinking and keeping my wee babe warm and cozy are my first priorities. I am sure you understand. There's nothing in the world like your very own newborn.

Watching a few good movies during my babymoon is my second priority (indulgence). More Elizabeth Gaskell this time than Jane Austen, thanks to a lending friend. I think I shall never tire of bonnet & bustle movies like North & South, Cranford and Wives & Daughters. Victoria and Albert and John & Abigail Adams have been other Netflix favorites.

My accumulating stack of books is my third priority this babymoon. Simplicity Parenting, Dancing With My Father, The Dean's Watch and MODG Teaching Tips are all in my pile.

The podcasts I thought I would get to - they put me right to sleep. That's a good thing I guess.

So I sleep in and cuddle with my little Easter egg. An introvert's dream come true.

 

I can't tell you how much I love these SwaddleDesigns blankets. They are perfectly square 100% cotton flannel and made in the USA. Can't get any better than that.

Well, we managed to pull off some Easter fun over the weekend. Well, my husband mostly. He took over the egg dying and basket hiding and ham baking. I made the lamb cake. Twice. I always forget to season the pan first so the first one stuck and the second attempt released from the mold just fine. I didn't look quite photo-worthy this year, but here is how it turned out several years ago -

We put away everything purple and replaced our decor with refreshing spring favorites.

I didn't feel quite up to getting to Mass with the baby after just one week, but did help everyone out the door. I can't believe the forsythia and daffodils have bloomed already. Did you know this was the first Minnesota March on record without any snow?

I apologize for not getting my Spring Circle Time plans typed up, for my sake as well as yours. The Garden of the Good Shepherd calendar is a great substitute. Charlotte and Jessica have planned all the bells and whistles to go along with it so I do hope you check out what they have put together. We might skip the calendar this year but I am printing out the menu ideas for my file!

Time to go back and rest. Until next time ~

Easter Calendar Lyrics

For those doing the Garden of the Good Shepherd sticker calendar, I've finally gotten around to typing up the lyrics to the songs and printing them out on cardstock for the children. Feel free to use them and do let me know if you see any typos!

 

Download Garden of the Good Shepherd