Easter is about Jesus (It’s also in 25 days!)

eas·ter/ˈēstər/ meaning “the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Christ.”

It is a day to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord.

I’m not against fun or chocolate covered eggs, I just like meaningful things to remain, well, meaningful. I want my family to celebrate Him. Sure, we can add in the fun, but I don’t want the fun to be all there is.

Call me a radical zealot.

Thank you.

Here are ten ways to keep Easter About Jesus and have fun:

1. Read The Parable of the Lily and plant (or force) a lily bulb
2. Create this easy, beautiful watercolor Cross Art
3. Plant an Easter Garden
4. Dye/hunt eggs. Share the reasons behind the traditions
5. Make Resurrection Eggs. Read Benjamin’s Box: The Story of the Resurrection Eggs
   along with it.
6. Bake Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday
7. Fill Easter baskets with something meaningful (a new Bible, a cross necklace, eggs with Scripture)
8. Make Resurrection Rolls for Easter morning breakfast
9. Share your Easter meal with someone who might spend it alone or take a basket to a child in a hospital
10. Have a family devotion together and talk about the meaning of Easter (this is a good one)

I think Easter is fun when it’s celebrated for all the right reasons!

And that works for me!

What would you add?

 Repost from archives

Who knew such a simple touch could make me smile every time I entered my kitchen?

When I discovered fun porcelain knobs at Hobby Lobby for 50-80% off, I knew exactly where I’d put them.

And by I, I mean my husband. He’s nice like that.

A bright kitchen makes me smile.

And works for me!

I am not a health nut. I’m also not a great cook.

But I can follow a recipe and I do like nuts (and have been called Nuts), so there’s that.

We decided a few weeks ago to give the Paleo Diet a shot. With my husband’s diabetes, we are constantly reevaluating food.

All that to say, food isn’t very fun in our house. The Paleo Diet has also been called the hunter-gatherer or Caveman diet. Appetizing, huh? Not really.

Basically, it’s cutting out carbs, dairy (except eggs), and processed food. While extreme diets aren’t for everyone (we were vegan for a year to help my husband’s health), they do promote extreme health. And honestly, there’s not much worse than going vegan. My kids still randomly ask if we are eating real or fake meat. Bless their little hearts.

There is NO way I could do Paleo cooking without Emeals. I’ve been a huge fan and user of Emeals for years now. Basically, with a click, I can print out a shopping list and recipes for 7 meals based on the menu of my choice (which is Paleo for now, but there are many other options.)

And  y’all? We are really liking the food. It turns out I’m quite the hunter/gatherer (only not really). Crazy, I know. We are baby-stepping it: our evening family dinners are completely Paleo (thank you Emeals) and my kids really haven’t noticed we’re doing anything different. They aren’t asking for carbs at all and they loved parsnips and leeks this week! My husband and I are trying to cut out carbs at lunch and we usually eat an egg for breakfast. I’m also still drinking sweet tea. But y’all knew that.

Positives so far:

• We feel great, more energy
• We have each lost several pounds
• We love the family meals
• Emeals offers breakfast and lunch menus too

Negatives so far:

• It cost more since it’s a lot of fresh vegetables and meat
• Snacking is tough. I’m sick of carrots. Can of tuna, anyone?

So, healthy eating works for us! Who knew?

When I was 19 year old freshman in college, I TWIRP’ED (The. Woman. Is. Required. To. Pay) a guy. We were friends, but I liked him a whole lot. There was a group of us who played Spades and so I took a deck of cards and creatively reconstructed them to be an invitation on our first date.

I took him two-stepping. I didn’t know how to dance, but he did. I believe that’s called manipulation.

That date was the beginning of a deep and abiding friendship for years to come. We ended up dating each other’s best friends and didn’t realize we were in love until 3 years later.

I married that guy.

I love that memory. ”The heart of marriage is memories.” -Bill Cosby

You know what our spouses want tomorrow? They want us. Make a memory!

1. Some Time Together: Carving out date night time is always a challenge. Some times we just lock our door and don’t answer it. Last week one of our kids figured out the old butter knife door unlocking trick. My hubby high-tailed it to Home Depot and now we have a key. Time together  is always a valued gift. 30 FREE Romantic Printable Paper Craft Ideas

2. Something Handmade: He still has that deck of cards (swoon). Since my hubby is diabetic, making him a sugar-free dessert is always appreciated. Wanna give your spouse something sweet?  Fun Free Valentine Treat Printable

3. Something Sentimental: We like to give mushy cards and write each other letters. I might just pull out our old love notes and read them to him deep into the night. Free Valentine Stationary for the Love Note you need to write

4. Something They Love (but aren’t expecting from you): This is the hardest gift to give, but I love when I’m able to surprise my husband. What does your mate want to pursue but hasn’t due to time or money? What small gift can you give to encourage that dream in them?  Free Printable Coupons for Your Valentine

5. Something to Remember: Make a new memory, try something new, do something unexpected. Some of our best moments in our nearly 20 year marriage are the small decisions to try something we haven’t. Beautiful Free Printable Card to write a memory for your Valentine.

 What works for you?

1. For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men
2. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs
3. The Good Girl’s Guide to Great Sex: (And You Thought Bad Girls Have All the Fun)(her)
4. NIV Couples’ Devotional Bible
5. Men Are Like Waffles–Women Are Like Spaghetti: Understanding and Delighting in Your Differences
6. Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage
7. For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women
8. Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul (him)
9. Every Man’s Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time (The Every Man Series) (him)
10. Have a New Husband by Friday: How to Change His Attitude, Behavior & Communication in 5 Days (her)

*Amazon links
What works for you?