Easter Brunch Party

Good Monday morning!

The Showcase Pic is, of course, from our Six Flags' weekend. This is the only picture of me from this trip, and it was right after we rode Scorcher, so it isn't the most flattering. But it is of me and Roxie having fun, and I like it!

Get ready to be very, very hungry. The Gallery Pics are from our Friday night visit to the Marietta Diner. If you are ever within ten minutes of Six Flags Over Georgia, put the Marietta Diner on your itinerary. It was GREAT!

RANDOMNESS - I have a new favorite nut now. (No, Mikie has not been replaced.) I'm eating pistachios. They are WONDERFUL! My old favorite nut (other than Mikie) was the cashew. Just letting you know about any and all changes to my diet because I know it either interests you greatly... or not at all!

Special Guest Hints - Our Special Guest for April will be revealed Thursday, April 1. As always, I have a few little hints for you. Joan, if you guess this one, you are my hero!

1. She is the wife of one, and mother of two.

2. She was a cheerleader in 10th grade.

3. She grew up on the river.

Okay, Joan. Give it your best shot! There will be more hints tomorrow.

Easter "Oldie"

You have all probably heard of the Easter "oldie" for today... but just in case you haven't tried this yet, below are the instructions for a Resurrection Egg Hunt.

Resurrection Eggs

You can buy these "kits" at most Christian book stores. If you want to do it yourself, number plastic eggs 1 through 12 and hide them with all the other eggs you will be hiding that day. (Make sure you don't hide the resurrection eggs in hard-to-find places.) When the hunt is over, have all the children sit in a circle and ask for Egg Number 1. Have the child who found Egg Number 1 open it revealing what you put inside. Then read the scripture and tell the story one egg at a time.

1. Bread - Matthew 26:26. While they were eating Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to His disciples. "Take and eat it," He said, "This is My body."

2. Coins - Matthew 26:14-15. Then one of the twelve disciples, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, "What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?" They counted out thirty silver coins and gave them to him.

3. Purple cloth (representing a purple robe) - Mark 15:17. They put a purple robe on Jesus.

4. Thorns - Matthew 27:29. Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on His head, and put a stick on His right hand; then they knelt before Him and made fun of Him. "Long live the King of the Jews!" they said.

5. Scourge (a small piece of rope or thick string) - Mark 15:15. Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he set Barabbas free for them. Then he had Jesus whipped and handed Him over to be crucified.

6. Cross - John 19:17-18a. He went out, carrying His cross, and came to "The Place of the Skull," as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called "Golgotha.") There they crucified Him.

7. Nails - John 20:25b. Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the scars of the nails in His hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in His side, I will not believe."

8. Sign - Luke 23:38. Above Him were written these words: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

9. Sponge - Matthew 27:48. One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make Him drink it.

10. Spear - John 19:34. One of the soldiers plunged his spear into Jesus' side, and at once blood and water poured out.

11. Rock - Matthew 27:59-60. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, and placed it in his own new tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.

12. Empty - Matthew 28:6. He is not here. He has risen just as He said.

This is a wonderful way to add the Easter devotion to the traditional Egg Hunt.

Weekend Review

While Mikie and the boys were doing yard work this weekend, Roxie and I were roller coaster ridin' at Six Flags. I rode Scorcher (my new favorite), Batman, Great American Scream Machine, Run Away Mine Car (my old favorite), the "slingy ride" that goes in circles, and the Acme Roller Coaster.

I was ready to hop on board Super Man, but I had a bag. They would not even let me stand in line with the bag! They told me to rent a locker. I didn't want to rent a locker. EVERY other ride at Six Flags had cubbies for shoes and sunglasses and hats and BAGS, but not Super Man.

So I politely asked the lady if I could just stand in line with everyone and walk through when it came time to get on board. "You can NOT get in line with a bag," I was again told. This made no sense to me, but I did not argue. I waited patiently for Neisa, Hannah, Roxie and Lauren to pass above me and I took pictures from below. I was a saint!

Let the record show, the girls did not wear shoes so somewhere on the platform there were cubbies for shoes and sunglasses and hats... but NOT bags!

Roxie and a few others had to ride Goliath. I did not feel the need to ride Goliath. Could I have ridden the giant coaster? Of course. Would I have ridden the giant roller coaster if no one had been willing to ride it with Roxie? Absolutely. However, God answered my prayer with a "YES," and I didn't have to free fall 20 stories to make my daughter happy.

No one was willing to ride the Wheelie or the Giant Flying Swings with me. The circular motion either made them sick OR they just wanted to do the thrill rides. I understood and was very "go with the flow." But for the record, I want it duly noted I can ride the Wheelie six times in a row and not throw up. It's a gift... I know. I can't walk for about 20 minutes after I ride it six times in a row, but I do NOT throw up.

The Awards Ceremony for the competition was held at 6:00 p.m. CST, so we headed to the amphitheater. The Intermediate Band won a Silver trophy (which is excellent), and the Advanced Band (which is Roxie's band) won GOLD! It was a great ending to a great day.

But wait... it wasn't over yet! Since we had driven over the night before, we didn't have to leave with the buses. We decided to eat dinner and ride a few more coasters. Roxie wanted to ride Goliath again, but the original Goliath riders left on the bus. Into this story walks Tim with his son, Nick. They, too, had driven. They were going to stay a little later. Tim wanted to ride Goliath in the dark. Go, Roxie, go. Stay with Mr. Tim! Another little answered prayer!

Papa John's Pizza, one more bathroom stop and we were Birmingham bound!

My Sunday list of things to do was not humanly possible.

Church
Wash and pack Austin's clothes
Austin leaving at 2:00 for symphonic band concert
Mike and I leaving at 3:15 for symphonic band concert
Get Roxie to church class at 4:00
Pick Roxie up at 5:00 for dinner
Get Roxie back to church for 6:00 Bible Study
Get on my knees and pray as Josh drives to Area Bible Study across town

Yeah. Something had to give. Mikie called his parents, and they were ready, willing and able to attend the 30-minute concert. That left me free and clear to pick up and drop off to my heart's content!

Homework, Amazing Race and bed ended our weekend. Oh, is anything better than being in your own bed? Simple pleasures!

NOTE - I told Austin it was my gift to him to do his laundry his first year at college as he transitioned into his new life. April 27 will be my last load of "Austin Laundry." Notice has been given and received. I'm counting down the days! (Josh and Roxie will be given the same gift when the time comes... unless they make me mad. I'm kind of hoping they make me mad.)

Easter Brunch Party

With its long holiday weekend, Easter offers a nice opportunity to host a get-together for friends and family. Whether you plan to handle the entire meal yourself or go potluck, an afternoon brunch is a great way to celebrate the season.

Make sure to send out invitations at least two weeks in advance, giving guests time to respond while allowing yourself time to make any final preparations.

Decorating for the gathering can be a simple affair. Just use the cues of the season... budding flowers, fresh colors, and of course, bunnies. Pile decorated eggs into attractive bowls or baskets, place arrangements of Easter lilies and pussy willows in corners, and set the table with an Easter theme. Sugar-coated fruit and flowers make an easy, yet elegant, Easter centerpiece.

Have a quick welcoming craft to engage kids while guests arrive, like Easter Bunny Gear (see below), to allow adults a chance to set up the potluck buffet or just mingle. Once their holiday finery is completed, kids can show their stuff in an informal Easter parade.

The meal, too, can continue the holiday theme. Deviled eggs and a platter of baby and sliced vegetables served with dip make appealing appetizers. For the main meal, serve up Easter Ham Sandwiches accompanied by potato salad. A carrot cake will provide a sweet finish to the menu.

For after-brunch entertainment, invite kids to participate in games. They can play the tag variation Fox and Rabbit or head out individually on a Carrot Scavenger Hunt (see below).

For an extra special treat, reward the participants with Jelly Bean Carrot favors. If a wind down activity is needed, ask an older child to read an Easter story to the younger children. Try one of these three: Pooh's Easter Egg Hunt, The Easter Story, or Rechenka's Eggs.

Easter Bunny Ears

For instructions AND pictures of the Easter Bunny Ears, go to this website for step-by-step directions. (www.familyfun.go.com/crafts/easter-bunny-ears-662781/)

Carrot Scavenger Hunt

Your kids will not only love their vegetables, they'll seek them out.

You will need the following:

Orange construction paper
Green construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Snacks
Instructions

1. Cut out 20 carrots from orange construction paper and glue on the green construction paper tops.

2. "Plant" them all around the house under sofa cushions, in the silverware drawer, or taped to the refrigerator door, for example.

3. Then send your kids around the house to gather all the carrots. Let them redeem their carrots for snacks, such as a small box of raisins, a pack of gum, a bag of pretzels, or a piece of carrot cake.

This party idea was taken from www.familyfun.com.

Have a glorious Monday. Tomorrow's recipe is too easy to believe, but I feel I must post it just the same. I'll also have more hints about April's Special Guest, another Easter "oldie and some more pics from my weekend in Atlanta. Can you contain your excitement?

Feel free to add your name to the bowl for the third Mystery Bag Party Contest. Six winners will be drawn May 12, and I'll share more details as the time draws nigh. (That's church talk for "closer to time.") Just leave your name in the comment section, on Facebook, or e-mail me saying you want to enter the contest and it will be done!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda