celebrating easter

The reality of our busy-ness has eliminated any possibility of a creative and beautiful post about this year's Easter celebration. But, I do want to provide a bit of a record, as it were, of some of the fun we had preparing for and celebrating this season.

Crafts

We made these glittery eggs using the gorgeously glistening MS glitter

and tucked them into living Easter baskets just like these we grew last year:

Candy



In addition to the bags of jelly beans and pastel wrapped chocolates purchased from the local retailers, I also tried my hand at candy making this spring. I was first inspired by Amy's St. Valentine's lollipops over at Angry Chicken. I made butterfly lollipops and it was actually rather fun. I am sporting an ugly little burn on my thumb from a drop of 250* corn syrup, but otherwise, it is a project that will be repeated. Sorry, no pictures. But, they were a lovely addition fluttering over the wheat grass in the aforementioned living baskets.



The children and I also blew out some eggs and sterilized the shells to make chocolate eggs. The picture below is from Martha. The entire undertaking was a complete mess. Literally. Chocolate. Everywhere. I need to practice with a pastry bag before attempting this again. And, yes, there will be another attempt. As I told Firstborn, I am not going to be defeated by a pot of melted chocolate and a $3 pastry bag. Despite the mess, we ended up with eight or nine nicely filled shells. Oh, and one delightful advantage: we didn't have to dye those shells because our hens lay beautiful blue-green eggs!




Celebrations and observances

Most importantly, our religious celebrations were lovely. We spent Holy Thursday night reading the epistle and gospel from the Mass and discussing the significance of the events that took place that night. On Good Friday, we spent noon to three together in quiet (not silent) prayer and discussion. We prayed the Stations of the Cross and then The Prof read several readings from the Good Friday service. The children were eager to discuss and ask questions about what they were hearing. We talked a great deal about the Old Testament pre-figuring and foretelling the events of the Passion and Ressurection. Firstborn even made the connection that the story of Moses striking the rock and water pouring forth was a pre-figuring of the soldiers thrusting the spear into Christ's side and the blood and water pouring out. I never thought of that! We split up, each adult taking two children, and went for a quiet walk. I had Firstborn and Rosebud, we prayed a rosary as we strolled the neighborhood. When we returned there was reading, coloring (lenten coloring book) and quiet.

On Holy Saturday there was lots of cooking and cleaning. Finally Easter Sunday! The choir sounded fabulous under the direction of my beloved Prof, the church was bedecked with lilies and the gold vestments seemed to sparkle. Following the Mass, friends came over for a pleasantly relaxed potluck dinner and egg hunt.

The Original Novena

Today we begin our nine day prayer journey from the Ascension of Our Lord to the coming of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost. There are many novenas that have become traditional among the faithful, but this is the original. For a succinct explanation of novenas (and links to dozens of traditional favorites), visit the Fisheaters website:

Its name deriving from the Latin word "novem," meaning "nine," a novena is nine days' private or public devotion in the Catholic Church to obtain special graces. Though they are not part of our liturgy and remain a "popular devotion" (a very few are prayed paraliturgically), they've been prayed since the very beginning of the Church -- and before its official beginning: Mary and the Apostles prayed from His Ascension to the Pentecost, a period of nine days (Acts 1). Also, a nine-day period of supplication was a pagan Roman and Eastern practice, so novenas were easily accepted by the earliest converts in these lands.

We will be offering the Novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts as found here because I really like the additional prayers that are offered on the front page. I love that Pentecost, while among the greatest liturgical celebrations of the year, remains a wholly spiritual event--that is, void of all commercialism. While some of us may don red to Mass next Sunday or even enjoy some celebratory foods, there is no peddling of must-have decorations or expectation of exquisitely wrapped gifts. The only gifts are spiritual and given to us by God through the Holy Spirit. Let us, then, prepare spiritually through the prayers of this beautiful and ancient novena.

FIRST DAY (Friday, 6th Week of Easter)

Holy Spirit! Lord of Light! From
Your clear celestial height, Your pure beaming radiance give!

The Holy Spirit

Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only one thing,
therefore, is to be feared--sin· Sin is the result of ignorance, weakness, and
indifference The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Light, of Strength, and of Love.
With His sevenfold gifts He enlightens the mind, strengthens the will, and
inflames the heart with love of God. To ensure our salvation we ought to invoke
the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity. We know not what
we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for us."

Prayer

Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to
regenerate us by water and the Holy Spirit, and hast given us forgiveness all
sins, vouchsafe to send forth from heaven upon us your sevenfold Spirit, the
Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and fortitude, the
Spirit of Knowledge and Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

Our Father and Hail Mary ONCE.
Glory be to the Father SEVEN TIMES.
Act of Consecration, Prayer for the Seven Gifts

Thread Eggs for Easter

The moment I read about these Thread Eggs (check out the fun "minis" & platters while you are at the site), I knew we were going to try making them. The eggs looked lovely, but more importantly, they are made of embroidery thread. I don't yet know how to embroider, but I absolutely love gazing over the gorgeous rainbow of shiny colors of the DMC threads at the craft store. The hues are so very subtle and rich and the smooth strands literally glisten. I spent about twenty minutes swooning over the selection before narrowing it down to those in the photo.





Next Firstborn blew up a whole bunch of five inch balloons for us. He was obligated to do this because I haven't got the lung power to blow up a balloon. (I remember trying to play the tenor sax in high school, no matter how hard I blew, the horn was mute) Anyway, he blew them up just a bit, molded them to resemble the shape of an egg and tied the knot.



Next step, we cut the threads into 12-15" lengths and soaked them in liquid starch. (Note bene: it is worth buying the liquid starch; spraying little puddles of starch for the soaking just doesn't work. 'Nuff said.) Wipe the excess starch off of each thread as you are ready to use it.




Now for the creative part: wrap the threads around the balloons in desired pattern, using as many or few colors as you wish.

Hang to dry:

Once the threads are completely dry, pop & remove the balloon. Enjoy the lovely thread eggs!

We delivered them to friends in these living Easter baskets and the rest are on display in a little (purchased) nest.

Now the green blade rises...

Now the green blade rises
from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth
many days has lain;
love lives again,
that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

In the grave they laid him,
Love whom hate had slain,
thinking that never
he would wake again,
laid in the earth
like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green.

Forth he came in quiet,
like the risen grain,
he that for three days
in the grave had lain,
quick from the dead
the risen Christ is seen:
Love is come again like wheat that springs up green

Sowing Seeds for Easter

The children and I undertook the preparation of a different kind of Easter basket today. We are planning some Easter basket gifts for friends and I suggested a "living" basket. I have seen the wheat grass baskets before but somehow this was the year that I realized that this was a simple project we could at home.

We began with simple materials: Potting soil, Small Metal Pails, and Wheat Berries

Each pot was lined with plastic wrap and filled with a few scoops of soil.

Next, we covered the soil with a scoop of wheat berries.

Lastly, we watered our little gardens.

And now, with a daily watering, plenty of sunlight, and lots of prayer, we hope to present our friends with a little basket of living wheat on the feast of our Lord's Ressurection.