Easter Gardens

As I was browsing Pinterest a few days ago,

I stumbled onto a picture of an Easter garden and instantly knew it would be perfect project for my children and I!

We spend time doing special activities with the children at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ,

but Easter is an even more significant event for the Christian!

Jesus' death on a cross and resurrection from the grave is our salvation and hope for eternity.

I want my children to understand why we celebrate Easter,

and this seemed like a great way to start more discussions about it. 

There were only a few basic items needed to make the gardens.

(And if you haven't figured it out by now, I'm all about simple projects! 😉)

I found the clay plate and faux moss at Walmart and got the pebbles from Hobby Lobby.

We just picked out some twigs from our backyard to make the crosses.

Not pictured: an empty tin can

We started with a layer of dirt that Nicholas scooped from somewhere (probably my flower beds!),

then added the tin can with the open end toward the front of the plate.

I hot glued the moss over the can and the children placed the pebbles around the sides and front.

I used twine to fasten two twigs together, which created the crosses, and then hot glued them into the moss.

 

I took the children on a four-wheeler ride to find some larger rocks to cover the opening of the can.

That was probably their favorite part of the whole project!

It was such fun to watch their gardens take shape,

but even better to have conversations with them about why Jesus went to the cross for us that day. 

I love how a simple activity like this can communicate profound truth to little (and big) hearts.

What Easter traditions are meaningful in your family?

A Shenandoah Springtime

Every season is beautiful in its own way,

but spring will probably always be my favorite.

There's something incredibly amazing about watching a dead earth burst into new life!

         The long blossom-covered branches of the weeping cherry tree

remind me of a bridal veil.

I think that a tea party under these branches would be absolutely magical!

If springtime on earth is breaktaking,

I can't even imagine how glorious it will be in heaven!

We're getting a lot of use out of the swings!

And no, we haven't figured out which shoe belongs to which foot yet :)

I call this "the white way of delight".

{I think Anne of Avonlea would agree!}

Can you imagine waking up to a view like this one?!

Take time to pick the tulips...

....A L L of them!

There's new life on the farm too!

And the farmer stays busy in the fields {and garden!} 

with his little sidekick close by. 

After we bought a gardening set for her little friend,

Hadassah needed one too.

Because gloves and tools make gardening so much more fun!

"Are you going to climb over the fence? Me too!"

"See, that was easy Mom!"

These two have become such good friends,

aka: double trouble.

 Happy spring weekend, friends! xoxo

The Abundant Life

The past couple of weeks have flown by in a whirlwind of activity,

with housecleaning, garden planting, weed pulling and flower planting.

They've been weeks of abundance.

The cool morning air is perfect for jogging with a stroller of babies.

The warm afternoon sun tempts us to play in the pool!

Or in the sandbox, if that's your thing!

But Spring also brings with it an abundance of work,

especially for my Farmer husband!

 The hours are long, and the nights short. 

But there is tremendous satisfaction in seeing the fields get planted,

just before the rain comes!

There are suppers in the fields with Papa,

and rides on the skid loader!

There is so much beauty everywhere!

But it's possible to experience all these things

and not live an abundant life.

 I know...because I've been there!

Sometimes, it's just the mundane, mind-numbing normalities that drag us down,

And we forget to stop and say "thank you" for the precious gift of now.

Or more often, it's the trap of comparison.

I love my life...

until I see someone who has a perfectly decorated home,

a toddler who is potty trained in 3 days,

and is still efficiently managing a business!

It's so childish, really...but it's a battle, 

this choice to live an abundant life.

Because it is a choice.

There will always be someone smarter, prettier, skinnier,

a better housewife, and yup....a better mom!

I look at these precious little girls (who, by the way, are the cutest!) and I see joy.

An abundant life is one that is full of joy.

 It's not devoid of suffering. It's messy and hard.

But it is lovely,

when it is lived with joy.

That's the life that I want to live!

An abundant one.