Well, my brain is running like a little hamster on a wheel. Do you know what I mean? It's so full of thoughts that I don't know what I even want to post about! So how about we just pretend you are here at the house and we'll sit down with a glass of sweet tea and just visit!
We had a lovely Easter with church family and friends. We got to see our 'daughter' for a good long while. She and I had a great visit and enjoyed eating our strawberry cupcakes and chatting at the kitchen table. :) This was the first Easter that The GuitarMan did not worship with us. He is playing lead guitar in a praise band at a church in another town. I am so proud of him and happy for him. He loves music so much and to see his talent blossoming and being used to glorify the Lord is awesome for me as a mom! Incidentally, the pastor and my husband went to college together and I taught his son in Pre-K.
Oh, let me brag for a minute! We asked The GuitarMan if his guitar professor had anything to say about the recital/concert the other night. Now mind you, it was a big deal that he got to solo since he is a freshman. The guy he played with (they alternated solos throughout the song, it was cool) was a junior. Well, the professor told him that he is the first he's seen that didn't choke when they did their first solo. Oh, I wish I could get it to cooperate so I could post the video! But it just keeps saying there was an error.
Speaking of having had a lovely Easter I find it sad that the word Easter has become so synonymous with such commercialism. I do believe in speaking in terms children will comprehend but I do not believe in sugarcoating just because they are children. We have been studying the Passover in Children's Church and I have been emphasizing the correlation between the sacrificial blood of the Lamb and how it spared the Israelites and how Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb and Christians are spared. So I brought up to them Sunday how the word Easter can be confusing because the stores make you think about baskets, eggs, candy, etc. However the word Resurrection Day leaves no room for misunderstanding.
Some Christians refuse to celebrate "Easter" because the word has pagan roots and activities such as egg hunts do as well. Some refuse to even say the word anymore. I understand where they are coming from. But some even get to a point of anger over it. To me, Easter has the same feel as Christmas. It brings out the child in me. It makes me feel so close to family, my church, my Savior! And it hurts to see this day robbed of its true meaning in order to make a buck.
We don't "do" the Easter Bunny here but we never did growing up either. But there are some things that are special to do especially for the children. It makes nice memories.
Take new outfits, for instance. It's so much fun for a little girl to get a pretty new dress at Easter. It makes you feel special. We are in the South so Easter means you can now wear white shoes! Now is that what the day is about? No! And that is not what we teach our children. We teach them that the reason we have that special new dress is because it is such a special day! In today's culture of everything becoming more and more casual the thought of wearing your best to church as a part of giving your best to God.... well, that is being lost, I'm afraid. No, clothes don't matter, the heart does. But it is also good to set everything apart unto Him.
Easter egg hunts? Wow, that is a sore spot with some folks! We choose to allow our children to take part and they have a blast. Last year FlowerChild found the golden egg and she was ecstatic! They still talk about that! The Resurrection Eggs are a neat way to teach the gospel. Also, when you decorate eggs with your children it is a fun time to talk about it and to find ways to incorporate it into the decorations.
Easter baskets? No, we don't surprise the children with a basket that morning. They are fun, I am sure, but as I said we don't do the Easter bunny thing and honestly, it can get way too expensive even if you just want to give them one, minus the bunny! Our children's SS teacher gave them each something special for Easter. She is so sweet about that anyway. They get individual birthday parties and gifts along with special Christmas gifts, Valentine's Day gifts, you name it. For Easter she gave them each a plastic bucket lined with decorative cloth and filled it with a large wooden cross they decorated that said He Is Risen, there were decorative eggs and big chocolates. She even got the baby a little toy.
Sunrise service is so awesome. I haven't been able to go in the last few years since my little ones are not quite ready yet. When you are nursing you have to plan around certain times of the day and early morning is one of those. We had a great turnout for our service this year and The Fisherman was so pleased. I have to say that our church truly stands out as a location for a sunrise service. The building is an old fashioned white church and we are up on a hill. When the sun comes up it bathes the hill in shades of pink and purple and orange. It is breathtaking! There is simply no way you can be up there and not worship our Creator!!
I always cook a big meal on Easter. Finances did not allow for our usuals this year but we still had a nice time. The GuitarMan drove all the way back here after church to spend the afternoon with us. Their service is at 10 and ours at 11 so that is why he can pull that off. We had a relaxing afternoon together. Church that evening was also relaxed and satisfying.
On a different note, Cornbread cut a new tooth. It looks like his 2 top teeth will be in for his first birthday! Oh, and last night after church we were all sitting around visiting and the babies were playing. He bumped his little chin so hard on the pew, it scared us to death! He never really cries over a bump or a fall so when he does cry you know it hurt! He wailed. Oh, it broke my heart! I think it was a bit sore today because each time I fed him he did not really want to close his mouth over the spoon. But at least he is nursing with no problems and tonight at suppertime he did much better. Last night's little boo-boo or the cutting teeth, I'm not sure but I gave him some Tylenol through the day. Since last week he has become so interested in table food. So I have gradually been offering some new foods...well, fresh form I guess you would say instead of jarred baby food. He is growing up so fast!
Our new dog, Daisy is working out so well. If all Basset Hounds are like this I don't ever want to own anything else! She is very obedient and affectionate. She doesn't mind her crate in the least. We put her in there at night when we go to bed and if we are not home. She even goes in on her own sometimes to sleep. She is totally housebroken, too. So I don't know if her being so well-behaved is mainly her breed, mainly her previous owners, or a combination of the two but we are so glad we found her. These children are bonkers over her. She reminds me of a dog I had for years so I guess Mama is too!
I am mainly a news junkie when it comes to TV but there are a few shows I enjoy. One is coming back on tomorrow with a new episode. It is Deadliest Catch about the crab fisherman. I love that show. The language is a bit rough but so are the guys that fish. Most of it is 'bleeped' out. Actually I heard worse the other day when I stopped off at a gas station and the locals were hanging out on the porch there. Have you noticed guys don't respect women enough anymore to curb their language or topic of conversation in their presence? One thing I do notice is that when a woman is dressed in a modest, feminine way most men are more likely to do so. But anyway to get back on topic... if you can look past that to the people doing the work you will find the show fascinating.
Well, hope you kept up ok. See what I mean about my brain jumping around on different subjects? I could go on but I won't put you through it. Besides I need to go to bed. :)
We had a lovely Easter with church family and friends. We got to see our 'daughter' for a good long while. She and I had a great visit and enjoyed eating our strawberry cupcakes and chatting at the kitchen table. :) This was the first Easter that The GuitarMan did not worship with us. He is playing lead guitar in a praise band at a church in another town. I am so proud of him and happy for him. He loves music so much and to see his talent blossoming and being used to glorify the Lord is awesome for me as a mom! Incidentally, the pastor and my husband went to college together and I taught his son in Pre-K.
Oh, let me brag for a minute! We asked The GuitarMan if his guitar professor had anything to say about the recital/concert the other night. Now mind you, it was a big deal that he got to solo since he is a freshman. The guy he played with (they alternated solos throughout the song, it was cool) was a junior. Well, the professor told him that he is the first he's seen that didn't choke when they did their first solo. Oh, I wish I could get it to cooperate so I could post the video! But it just keeps saying there was an error.
Speaking of having had a lovely Easter I find it sad that the word Easter has become so synonymous with such commercialism. I do believe in speaking in terms children will comprehend but I do not believe in sugarcoating just because they are children. We have been studying the Passover in Children's Church and I have been emphasizing the correlation between the sacrificial blood of the Lamb and how it spared the Israelites and how Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb and Christians are spared. So I brought up to them Sunday how the word Easter can be confusing because the stores make you think about baskets, eggs, candy, etc. However the word Resurrection Day leaves no room for misunderstanding.
Some Christians refuse to celebrate "Easter" because the word has pagan roots and activities such as egg hunts do as well. Some refuse to even say the word anymore. I understand where they are coming from. But some even get to a point of anger over it. To me, Easter has the same feel as Christmas. It brings out the child in me. It makes me feel so close to family, my church, my Savior! And it hurts to see this day robbed of its true meaning in order to make a buck.
We don't "do" the Easter Bunny here but we never did growing up either. But there are some things that are special to do especially for the children. It makes nice memories.
Take new outfits, for instance. It's so much fun for a little girl to get a pretty new dress at Easter. It makes you feel special. We are in the South so Easter means you can now wear white shoes! Now is that what the day is about? No! And that is not what we teach our children. We teach them that the reason we have that special new dress is because it is such a special day! In today's culture of everything becoming more and more casual the thought of wearing your best to church as a part of giving your best to God.... well, that is being lost, I'm afraid. No, clothes don't matter, the heart does. But it is also good to set everything apart unto Him.
Easter egg hunts? Wow, that is a sore spot with some folks! We choose to allow our children to take part and they have a blast. Last year FlowerChild found the golden egg and she was ecstatic! They still talk about that! The Resurrection Eggs are a neat way to teach the gospel. Also, when you decorate eggs with your children it is a fun time to talk about it and to find ways to incorporate it into the decorations.
Easter baskets? No, we don't surprise the children with a basket that morning. They are fun, I am sure, but as I said we don't do the Easter bunny thing and honestly, it can get way too expensive even if you just want to give them one, minus the bunny! Our children's SS teacher gave them each something special for Easter. She is so sweet about that anyway. They get individual birthday parties and gifts along with special Christmas gifts, Valentine's Day gifts, you name it. For Easter she gave them each a plastic bucket lined with decorative cloth and filled it with a large wooden cross they decorated that said He Is Risen, there were decorative eggs and big chocolates. She even got the baby a little toy.
Sunrise service is so awesome. I haven't been able to go in the last few years since my little ones are not quite ready yet. When you are nursing you have to plan around certain times of the day and early morning is one of those. We had a great turnout for our service this year and The Fisherman was so pleased. I have to say that our church truly stands out as a location for a sunrise service. The building is an old fashioned white church and we are up on a hill. When the sun comes up it bathes the hill in shades of pink and purple and orange. It is breathtaking! There is simply no way you can be up there and not worship our Creator!!
I always cook a big meal on Easter. Finances did not allow for our usuals this year but we still had a nice time. The GuitarMan drove all the way back here after church to spend the afternoon with us. Their service is at 10 and ours at 11 so that is why he can pull that off. We had a relaxing afternoon together. Church that evening was also relaxed and satisfying.
On a different note, Cornbread cut a new tooth. It looks like his 2 top teeth will be in for his first birthday! Oh, and last night after church we were all sitting around visiting and the babies were playing. He bumped his little chin so hard on the pew, it scared us to death! He never really cries over a bump or a fall so when he does cry you know it hurt! He wailed. Oh, it broke my heart! I think it was a bit sore today because each time I fed him he did not really want to close his mouth over the spoon. But at least he is nursing with no problems and tonight at suppertime he did much better. Last night's little boo-boo or the cutting teeth, I'm not sure but I gave him some Tylenol through the day. Since last week he has become so interested in table food. So I have gradually been offering some new foods...well, fresh form I guess you would say instead of jarred baby food. He is growing up so fast!
Our new dog, Daisy is working out so well. If all Basset Hounds are like this I don't ever want to own anything else! She is very obedient and affectionate. She doesn't mind her crate in the least. We put her in there at night when we go to bed and if we are not home. She even goes in on her own sometimes to sleep. She is totally housebroken, too. So I don't know if her being so well-behaved is mainly her breed, mainly her previous owners, or a combination of the two but we are so glad we found her. These children are bonkers over her. She reminds me of a dog I had for years so I guess Mama is too!
I am mainly a news junkie when it comes to TV but there are a few shows I enjoy. One is coming back on tomorrow with a new episode. It is Deadliest Catch about the crab fisherman. I love that show. The language is a bit rough but so are the guys that fish. Most of it is 'bleeped' out. Actually I heard worse the other day when I stopped off at a gas station and the locals were hanging out on the porch there. Have you noticed guys don't respect women enough anymore to curb their language or topic of conversation in their presence? One thing I do notice is that when a woman is dressed in a modest, feminine way most men are more likely to do so. But anyway to get back on topic... if you can look past that to the people doing the work you will find the show fascinating.
Well, hope you kept up ok. See what I mean about my brain jumping around on different subjects? I could go on but I won't put you through it. Besides I need to go to bed. :)
I love your post. We missed ya'll in church also. Glad you had a wonderful weekend. Can't wait to see Daisy. Fisherman told us that when ya'll went to check out Daisy that Cornbread was sitting in the floor and she came and curled up around him. Would have loved to seen that. See ya'll Saturday.
ReplyDeleteHey Country Life Girl
ReplyDeleteYes I need to get my pictures off the camera and post a picture of Daisy. Hey I thought I would bring some potato salad Saturday....let me know if I need to bring something else too. And don't forget we will have a fellowship meal Sunday so no prayer breakfast that morning.
I'm so glad I got to see you! I enjoyed everything. LOVE YOU!
ReplyDeleteAngela
ReplyDeleteSo glad we got to see you too! Maybe when you come back we can squeeze in another visit. Don't forget what we talked about...be bold and milk every chance!! :) Love you!