Jesus has given His very life for all humanity and I am blessed to be able to celebrate his Resurrection with my family in the catholic Church!
The feasts days and sacraments of the Church are such awesome way to participate in God's life while we are here on Earth!
He is Risen!!
I thank God for my beautiful family and His life within us!
I have been given new life this Easter season through my beloved Jesus Christ. He has given me the graces to attend daily Mass once again. I used to go everyday before the family started to grow and the pitter-patter of lil' feet was the music of the day. It wasn't in season for me until now.
Mass begins at 8 a.m. so I am able to get up at 7 o'clock and get myself ready in time to leave for church. I feel so blessed and loved by God to be able to start my day with Him. The beautiful church filled with flowers and all of the signs of the Resurrection and a God that is Love and Mercy itself, keeps my focus on my mission in this world.
Today, was especially awesome being the feast of the Annunciation, and to be able to focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary and her humility. I feel so privileged to be a part of the mystery of God taking on human flesh and dwelling among us.
I was so caught up in pondering that an Angel, we call Gabriel, came down to Earth and visited the Blessed Mother and that this is actually a true story and we are all part of. The immensity of that very fact alone makes me soar way above this material reality and brings my focus were it should be, on my beloved.
This season of Spring is such a wonderful time of year when it is so Heavenly to observe the green blades of grass and the new shoots of the flowers that are waiting to grow each day. The Catholic Mass is exactly that, LIFE through the death of God who loves us without end.
This Easter I am filled with gratitude because a very close relative of mine came into the Catholic Church and has been a witness to me through faith of God's continous renewal to His promises. He continues the covenant with His people to this day in time and His love is never ending. Jesus is the Lamb of god who takes away our sins and I am so thankful for Him.
Not only is it the Annunciation today but it's my special boy's birthday! This is so grand because usually the feast is on March 25th but because it was on Holy Week it had to be celebrated on a later date. Last year his birthday was on Easter. Two years, two special feasts.
He was so thrilled with his new car and our whole family was reaping the rewards of his joy as he showed how pleased he was with it. Today's readings said, " There is life where it was once barren, All things are possible with God." The Catholic Church, the Bride of Christ, is here on earth and I can't wait to meet my beloved again tommorrow and start another day focused on Him and all of His possibilities.
Let the celebrations begin!
Easter Morning: He is Risen! Alleluia!
After Church, we had our Easter lunch:
My son Joseph set the table while mom and dad where cooking. The tablecloth is actually a sheet. I love the delicate spring flowers on it.
DH did pork chops on the grill. We had red beans and rice, potato salad, mashed potatoes, green beans and pineapple. Simple and delicious!
Later, we went outside for a bit of warm sunshine and recreation.
Grandma and Baby Eliana sitting in the soon to be patio.
The kites were a big hit.
The girls got paid in jelly beans for helping the boys with their kites.
Up, up and away!
DH even got in on the fun. What a great way to celebrate the Resurrection, raising kites into the air.
When the kiddos got tired they moved on to:
The lil' bird whistles could be heard chirping though out the day.
All of the activity helped us to work off our calories so there was enough room for....
our traditional lamb cake. My Max reminded me of this the week before Easter. It is so great to know they look forward to the traditions.
We sat outside on the swing relaxing and talking and drinking...
some tea. Ahhh, the small wonders of life!
It was such a delight to sit back and see the kiddos so full of energy and having no worries.
Easter, new life, we are a resurrected people.
God surrounds us with His love and His life. It is so good to share it with each other!
Happy Easter!
Today is Good Friday, the day our Lord was crucified. As His follower I have also carried some crosses in my life. I came to the Lord because my life was broken and I didn't know how to fix it. Jesus showed me and I am still learning through the Holy Catholic Church how to repair the damage sin has created in my life.
During the past thirteen years of my life I had to carry some crosses. At first, I was like one of the apostles in the boat saying, Lord, Lord don't you care if I drowned. I was so frightened of suffering. I had a pretty worldly upbringing and easy access to most of what I wanted in life. I was spoiled so to speak. Most of the time I got my way.
It wasn't until God started growing me up as a Catholic that I realized how to carry a cross and how it leads to the Resurrection.
Crosses
I am not afraid of sharing these crosses because I have learned so much from them and I have been given a great privilege to unite them with that of Jesus's to offer up for myself and all of humanity. It is when I have had these crosses that I cry out the most and commit my spirit to God the Father and allow Him to heal and transform me.
This is why we call today Good Friday because if it would not have been for the Cross there would not have been any Resurrection.
Jesus Christ is real, I have experienced His love personally. He is my Savior and my God! Through Your Cross and Resurrection you,Jesus, are the Savior of the World !!
I feel so blessed to be able to use the gifts that God has given me to bless my family. Today, I was looking at some blogs and I came across a cute tote bag. I was inspired to make a couple for the girl's Easter baskets. I had that wonderful spring floral that I was going to use for a pillowcase top but I ended up using it for the this project:
These are so easy to make you don't even need a pattern. The blue checked was from some curtains that I had made out of sheets. The seed packet pocket is from a tablecloth that I got at a tag sale last year. I ended up making three bags.
This one is for Abba Do.
This one is for Hannah.
I made one just like Hannah's but just a bit bigger for myself and I added...
a big inside pocket and two smaller cell phone pockets on the other side.
I was going to put the totes in the girls Easter baskets like this...
but when I was playing around with the things, I realized that all of the items would fit perfectly inside of the bags. They can carry their totes to the park filled with their bubbles, jump ropes, frisbees, and bird water whistles. I didn't even plan this; Divine Providence once again!
Here is how they look now. I am going to put candy around the outside,too.
I have 6 baskets to fill so I try to keep it simple. I picked up some cheepies at Wal- Mart.
I always save the paskets and grass. I especially like this paper grass, it's less of a mess.
Under $4.50 not bad. Of course I still have to get the candy.
I just love these, aren't they tweet?
Join Backyard Eden for Make It Your's Day for more projects.
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Today, is the Day the Lord Has Made let us rejoice and be glad. I must confess I am doing this post at the very beginning of Easter Day; I actually need to go to bed but I want to unload the last couple of days! Good Friday, the kiddos and I went to witness to life at the Planned Parenthood a couple of towns over. What an awesome gift we have been given to be able to be a part of such a ministry. When I see my family among other CCatholics that love Our Lord and His Truths ,I am so thankful to be a part of it all! We are an Easter people! The glory of Christ's Resurrection out shines the darkness in the world today through His resurrected people, us!
Earlier today we died some Easter eggs, even hubby and the teenagers got in on the fun.
Lots of thought and concentration went into those eggs.
I love having traditional rituals that bring us closer together. God is so great to give us a Catholic faith so rich in celebrations and traditions.
The kids were so enthused to be able to dip and dye. Their eyes seemed to sparkle with delight as their eggs changed colors.
Our finished eggs were so colorful, unique and beautiful just like each member of our family. Each year we grow closer to each other and closer to Jesus. May the blessing of His Resurrection bring us all closer together and allow us to bring His love to the World!
I am so excited(and exhausted) so I must go to bed now. Tomorrow I will try to post the pictures of the Easter baskets that the kiddos will receive. After fasting and sacrificing God always blesses us. He gives us so much more than we could ever offer to Him and yet His love for us is so abundant. May He bless you; have a wonderful Easter!
We are finally finished !! It was alot of work but we can take pride in the work we did with our own hands. We made a total of four nativities. One we will keep for ourselves, one is a gift for our Godchild, and the other two are Godparent gifts.
Making these gifts made me think of the part at Mass where we say, " Fruit of the vine and the work of human hands." What a beautiful statement of how Christ allows us to participate in creating. Even in the gifts that become His Body and Blood, He allowsus to create them. I hope these wooden presents will bless those who will receive them.
For the manger we used Alene's tacky glue and a c-clamp, no nails involved. It dried over night and is very sturdy. This is the one we will keep. I hope the kids will play with it and treasure it for years to come.
This one is for our Godchild. I found the crate at Jo Anne's Fabrics for $3.99 and we added some "hayish" looking stuff we also found at Jo Anne's $2.99 a bag. It's not Spanish Moss but I forgot what it's called.
This is the other version we made, a bit rustic and simpler.
We placed them in a basket with some tissue paper and "hay" and then wrapped them up.
Here is the next one. The arch is a bit smaller but it still works. the figures could be placed closer together so more of the arch shows. Either way would work.
Put in a basket and ready to be wrapped. They're all slightly different and that's what is special about hand-made gifts.
Over the past week there have been many interesting happenings here at the Coleman House. Last week, when I went to my OB/Gyn my blood pressure was a bit high. She suggested 1/2 hour of lying on my side 3x's a day. I was not very successful at doing this but it was still in my mind as an ideal to try and reach. I was also battling terrible mouth pain and ended up in the dentist office.He told me I have pregnancy induced gingivitis. No fun believe me. Salt water and Sensodine toothpaste are the relief tools and they have helped.
My oldest son called wanting to return home and there was much to consider for the whole family. It was a day of intensity and stress.
Yesterday, I went back to the OB and of course the blood pressure was still up. I was told that she wished that i would go on my left side on bed rest but she didn't enforce it yet. I had to get lab work for my platelets because they are doing their funny business again and I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday to see how the baby is tolerating the high blood pressure. Please keep us in your prayers.
Today I am starting my informal bed rest regiment. I will be homeschooling form the couch on my left side. My mother actually took the 2 younger boys for the night and today, Raphael 9 and Max 7. Thank God for her charity. My hubby has also been so supportive and is doing a tremendous job of household management.
I also see a lot of positive and beautiful things around me. This is what the New Springtime is about to me. Seeing the light outshine the darkness. Knowing that even though there are these little deaths (crucifixions) the resurrections are right around the corner.
I see the beauty in the positive things God has placed in my life. I would like to share some of them with you. These pictures were taken by my 9 year old son.
Joseph and Abbey putting up a cabana in the back yard. Ages 4 and 14. Behind them our beautiful cherry tree in full blossom.
Abbey being the silly girl that she is.
The best doctor money cannot buy. She examined me and said, " I know your problem, your pregnant."
Raphie captured the daffodil perfectly. It is glowing in the warm sunshine.
The flag out front and more daffodils welcoming Spring.
Beautiful two tone daffodill coming up in the mist of a dead plant from last year. How life overshadows death. Alleluia!
We are a resurrected people, that is what our priest tells us each Easter Season. How exciting and true. He said to always remember those times of resurrection in our daily lives. The times we Jesus raises us from our little graves along the way. This is the reality of our rising from the dead! We are an Easter people.
I have experienced this many times over and I am now beginning to be able to have hope even in the midst of my trails and sufferings. Jesus is always with me in my strength and in my weakness. I haven't and and still struggle with being patient with the whole process of dying to myself and rising with Christ but God knows me and is helping me to learn this beautiful reality!!
Happy Easter to all of you, an Easter Resurrected People!
We enjoyed a truly wonderful day! My oldest son showed up to church on his own, Alleluia! He is risen. We all made it to church on time and my mother managed to save us a pew. Alleluia! He is risen. The easter meal and dessert was delicious. Everyone was full and sleepy afterward. Alleluia! He is risen. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful and loving God. I want to focus on the Alleluia this Easter season and try to reflect that in my posts. It's good to be blogging again. Here are some pictures from our Easter Feast:
These are the Easter baskets I put together. Some items I got at my favorite thrift store, Savers. Other things I bought new. The thrift finds were my favorite but I could ony make it ther once, it is about 20 minutes away. The girls got the girly stuff: headbands, sparkly socks, sunglasses, and a purse ( $ store finds) Each got a shirt $1.50, mini care bears 2/$3.00, care bear book $0.69,and mini jewelry cases: a lady bug and a butterfly $3.50/2). The boys got over the door B ball hoops $3.99 ea., I spy books $0.99 at the thrift store what a deal, journals and pens, and some balloon rockets. Joseph, 14, got a calligraphy set a sockerball rug $2.50 from Target and a basketball bank $2.50 also Target, and 2 T-shirts. I like to keep track of what I bought and the prices. It is possible to have a large family and provide nice things with the gift of frugalness it works. My kids loved what they got and one even said," Mom I like my basket way better than that pre-made one at Wal-Mart I saw. Alleluia! He is risen.
Our traditional lamb cake, the kids favorite.
Every year we take a picture out in front of our home: Joe( DH), My Great Uncle Walter (87), Joseph (14), Kafele (19), Me and baby in the belly, Abigai l(4), Hannah (6), Raphael (9), and Max (6).
Me 31 wks. pregnant , My mother, Abigail, and Hannah
Alleluia!! Thanks be to God for such wonderful blessings!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter season!
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