Easter M&M’s

If you know me very well you know I love candy crafts.  I’m always excited when I come across something new that I can use especially for holidays.  I’m so grateful for those creative women that actually share their talent with us simple minded ladies so we also can be creative and share special treats with our family and friends.  This idea is from Bobbi – you will find this and more at:  http://blogginwithbobbi.blogspot.com/search?q=Easter

I used this poem making it a small tag and tied it to a small M&M goodie bag (of course using the Easter M & M pastels). 

  

 

“As you hold these candies in your hand,

and turn them, you will see

the “M” becomes a “W”

an “E” and then a “3”

 

They tell the Easter story~

I’m sure it’s one you know

~It happened on the cross, 

a long, long time ago.

 

The “E” is for “Easter”

a time for us to ponder!

The “M” is for the miracles.

Jesus performed signs and wonders.

The “3” is for the third day

when Jesus rose again.

“W” is for worship

He cleansed all sin for men!

 

So, as you eat these candies

or share them with a friend,

Remember the meaning of Easter.

It’s a love that never ends!”

 

Remember, you could print it off on regular paper and roll up like a scroll, shrink slightly to use as a tag, adhere to the front of a card, or frame for something extra special. The possibilities are limited only to your imagination! 

 

Happy Easter and keep crafting!

Denise

Celebrating the Easter Season

Are you missing something?  Here are some more wonderful thoughts and ideas to ponder and then maybe implement in your family this Easter Season: 

He is risen, He is risen indeed! It’s Easter. Time to celebrate that triumphant morning when our Savior rose victorious from the grave.

According to the New Testament, during the Jewish Passover season, Christ was tried for treason by Pilate, the Roman appointed governor, and then by Herod, King of Judea, and again by Pilate, before being sentenced to death on a cross. Though declared innocent by the authorities, Christ was crucified and laid in a sealed and guarded tomb. But on the third day He rose from the dead, with the power to save mankind from their sins. This event is commemorated every year in the spring as a holy day for Christians around the world.

Yet, according to author Kim Wier, co-director of Engaging Women Ministries, Easter was never intended to be just one day. “For most families, including Christians, God gets an hour on Sunday, and we get the rest of the day to hunt eggs and feast on sweets.” Wier is quick to point out there’s nothing wrong with traditional Easter celebrations; it’s just that those in themselves are not enough.

“The shame isn’t that we are celebrating Easter Day; it is that we are missing Easter Season. It’s like scraping off the icing without realizing you could have had cake too. That may be hard for most of us to comprehend in our culture that prizes a hurry-up and move-on attitude. But God, who specifically called his people to times of annual celebration and festival, did so because seasons of celebration accomplish significant things in the lives of His followers.”

How about your family? Ready for some cake? Try these faith-filled activities that go beyond Sunday morning as you usher in this Easter season.                                                                                           

Ages 0-3

Help your little ones stuff hollow plastic eggs with one chocolate heart, because Jesus came to give us a new heart toward God. Then allow your little one to hand them out to friends, neighbors, or people you meet during the day. You might include a note inside with the passage from John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.” – Jesus

Ages 4-7

Hold a neighborhood egg hunt, but award the large basket filled with candy for whoever finds the one empty egg, representing the empty tomb. When the child finds the empty egg he or she must call out, “He is not here he has risen, just as he said.” Be sure to conclude the hunt with an Easter story on the lawn. I’d recommend The Parable of the Lily, by Liz Curtis Higgs.

Ages 8-12

Sometimes the greatest joy is in the giving. Visit a nearby hospital or retirement home and greet one of the residents with a fresh Easter lily. You may want to attach a card with some encouraging words about the hope we have in our risen Lord.

Age 13-18

Children this age might enjoy a surprise field trip for a sunrise service at the park or a nearby lake. Be sure to bring a Bible, hymnbook or maybe even a guitar for a worshipful early morning celebration.

All Ages

Since there are many new visitors attending church for the Easter service, make a point to greet and invite someone to lunch afterwards. Then remember to make plans to sit together next Sunday at church.

By Lynn Thompson                                                                                                                             Focus on the Family

Four Creative Ways To Teach Your Kids About Easter

Read the Easter story right from the Bible one night after dinner or before bed.  If you use a New International Version (NIV) or The Message Bible, it helps make the story easier to understand.  The Easter story can be found in several places but you can start in the book of Mark chapters 15 and 16.

Read the Easter story aloud while your kids are decorating Easter eggs.  You’ll have a captive audience.

Keep a stash of jelly beans for mom and dad’s use only.  In the week leading up to Easter leave a few jelly beans with short notes telling your children how much you love them or how you see God working in their lives.  Leave the jellybeans and notes in some fun places for them to find them (under their pillows, in their lunch boxes, in their backpacks, or on their dressers).

Make your own Easter story eggs.  Fill 12 plastic eggs with a Bible verse and corresponding item that will help tell the Easter story.  Number the eggs and place them in a basket you keep as a center piece on your kitchen table.  Beginning 12 days before Easter, allow your kids to open one egg each day in countdown order.  Read the verse and talk about how the item is an important part of the Easter story.  This helps tell the Easter story in a creative way.  It’s especially beneficial to those kids who best learn with hands-on activities.  Here are the items you’ll need: 

 

 

 

Message (Front)	Scripture (Back)	Items
1: Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people waved palm branches.	Matthew 21:1-11	Piece of palm branch
2: Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet.	John 12:2-8	Small perfume sample or cloth with perfume
3: Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples.	Matthew 26:17-19	Chex cereal
4: Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.	Matthew 27:3	3 dimes
5: Jesus carried His own cross.	John 19:17	Popsicle stick cut and glued in a cross form
6: Soldiers placed a crown of thorns on Jesus’ head.	John 19:2	Small thorny branch
7: Soldiers parted Jesus’ garments and cast lots for His coat.	John 19:23	Swatch of burlap and a nail
8: Jesus was nailed to a cross and pierced in His side.	John 19:18,37 & John 20:25-29	A nail
9: They gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall on a sponge to drink.	Matthew 27:34	A small sponge
10: Spices to prepare Jesus for burial.	John 19:40	7 or 8 whole cloves
11: The stone covering Jesus’ tomb was rolled away.	John 20:1	A small rock
12: The napkin around Jesus’ head was lying separately from His linen clothers. He was not there. He has risen!	John 20:6-7	A scrap of linen-type fabric

If you don’t want to make your own, you can find ready-made Resurrection Eggs online or in Christian bookstores from Family Life. 

Have a happy day!  Denise

The sources used for this page: annieshomepage.com and news@hearts-at-home.org  Graphics by Julia Bettencourt

The Jelly Bean Prayer

…Give a bag full of jelly beans, Colorful and sweet, Tell them it’s a Prayer…It’s a promise..It’s an Easter Treat!

Red is for the blood He gave

Green is for the grass He made

Yellow is for the sun so bright

Orange is for the edge of night

Black is for the sins we made

White is for the grace He gave

Purple is for the hour of sorrow

Pink is for a new tomorrow

…A bag of jellybeans, colorful and sweet,

 is a prayer, a promise, and a friend’s small treat!

 Incase you find the Easter candy aisle as tempting as I do.  Here is a great excuse to share a treat!  Enjoy!!! Denise