Easter Week - Saturday

Hi mommies! Speaking of mommies, my momma just arrived last night for a week-long visit! We're glad to have her here, and Caleb was really happy to see his Deedah. Isn't it funny what kids will call grandparents? I have always called her Grandma to him, but he has chosen to go with Deedah. Super cute :-) I am going to write quickly while Caleb and Deedah are still asleep!

I hope that this Easter week has been memorable for you and your families. Know that the best is yet to come! You don't ever hear a lot about this particular day. Good Friday is marked as the day of Christ's death, and Easter Sunday is marked as the day of His resurrection. So...what about Saturday? Read below for some neat insight from my friend, Gayle. To make an Easter devotional box, see my post of Palm Sunday.

Easter Week - The Jewish Sabbath

It was on the Sabbath that the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate and asked for a guard to be placed at the tomb. Even this act was against all that they were supposed to believe, because Sabbath observance was very strict for the Jewish people. The Jews of this time were overzealous in living the man-made rules, but easily forgot the Lord of the Sabbath. However, when lived with the true spirit of the law, the Sabbath helped the Jews commemorate and celebrate their relationship with God. The Sabbath was a day of joy and celebration, of laughter of song, of rest, and worship of the sacred. Tradition actually prohibits sadness on this day. Imagine how difficult it was for those who loved Jesus to appropriately observe this particular Sabbath. He was dead in the tomb, yet they were commanded by God to be joyful and grateful. Talk of war and politics, problems and pain, were meant for other days of the week. Family members prepared for the Sabbath by taking ritual baths and dressing in their best clothing. With everything in place on Friday evening, Jewish mothers lit candles and prayed a sacred prayer, signaling a transition from the secular to the sacred. Dinner was served on their best dishes and was often shared with strangers and the less fortunate. Part of that dinner always included two loaves of bread twisted together as one. The loaves are an important symbol of God's Sabbath, and signified the time when the children of Israel were commanded every Friday morning to collect a double portion of their manna...this way, they would have a double portion of food because no manna was sent on the Sabbath (see Exodus 16).

Application: What might I do to better prepare for a Sabbath experience? What might this teach us about trusting in the Lord for patience? Is a weekly Sabbath time something that our family might like to do? Let's talk about it!

Prophecy (this prophecy is from Jesus' before He was crucified): "I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy." John 16:20

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:62-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19:38-42

Ideas for dyeing eggs!

First, don't mess with boiling eggs anymore. I don't know about you, but mine never turn out right...I think it has something to do with the altitude of Colorado, but whatever the case, it was frustrating! Try this! Put an egg in each opening of a muffin tin. Bake them for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. They will have a little brown spot where the egg was touching the pan, but you can gently pick that off. The eggs will be cooked perfectly, and they will be super easy to peel!

Genius! Check out more egg-dyeing tricks at Outnumbered 3 to 1

I stocked up on Kool-aid packs when they were free with a coupon at the store. Needless to say, we have about 30! I'm not a big fan of the sugary drink, but I thought we could use them for crafts. This website has a great idea for using Kool-aid to dye eggs! Check it out at Hands On As We Grow

Enjoy your sweet families today! I will post tomorrow morning on Resurrection Day!!!