Easter 2011

Has it really only been a week since easter? it seems so much longer...although I'm not sure why...maybe because things have slowed down in our lives this last week?

Been giving Easter a lot of thought this month and how I wanted to make sure my kids understand that although the Easter Bunny, baskets and eggs are fun, they aren't the reason we have Easter. A good friend of mine made us "Resurrection Eggs" which are a dozen plastic eggs filled with little symbols of the Resurrection. It was a great way to bring the scriptures and the understanding of what really happened to a level that my girls could comprehend. The day before on the ride home from the Tulip Festival we went through the 12 eggs and read the scriptures for each symbol. Afterwards we talked about it and how Christ is really the reason behind Easter and then I asked them what the Easter Bunny and everything else has to do with Easter-we decided it was a celebration of Spring.

Sunday was a great and fun day-it started out with a great Easter program in both Sacrament and Primary. I was able to teach the Sunbeams which was a great experience! We went through the Resurrection Eggs, colored pictures of Christ and the tomb and had snacks.

When we got home from church we found the Easter Bunny had paid us a visit. Leaving a trail of Jelly Beans and candy on the floor and up the stairs to where they found their Easter baskets on their beds. It did become a big joke that the Easter Bunny put the wrong basket on the wrong bed in the girls room. They giggled about it all night calling him Silly Easter Bunny.

Tate-well Tate came home a lil tired and although he was excited to find his Easter basket in his bed he was just as happy to sit in his bed with his binki and his blanket and play with his toys there while the girls did their own little easter egg hunt in the Family room.

Among all that candy-the girls mostly just played with it using it to make gardens and pathways for their new lil easter Dolls.

As for Easter Egg Dying we did things a little diffferently this year. Instead of Dying Easter eggs we painted ceramic eggs. It was still fun and an added a little twist to things. It was also a great activity for the girls to do while Mom and Dad had a little afternoon snooze.

Loved waking up to the results.

It was a really great day and we had a great time celebrating!

There's an article in the Friend Magazine this month re-featuring a recipe from 1980-an orange roll called Bunny Buns.

We couldn't wait to try it out-well I guess we could since we've had the magazine for about a month now. My kids aren't fond of orange flavoring-so I just added a lil extra sugar to the dough to make up for the lack of OJ and the results were fantastic!

We even got an "Oohhh" from Tate.

The girls had a lot of fun making them and eating them.

In case you wanted to try them out here's the recipe:

Bunny Buns

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 teaspoon butter

1. 1.

   Wash hands with soap and water.

2. 2.

   Sprinkle yeast in the warm water and set aside.

3. 3.

   In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt. Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.

4. 4.

   Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough. Let stand for 10 minutes.

5. 5.

   Knead dough 5–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic. Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover bowl with a clean towel and put it in a warm place. Let dough rise for 2 hours, or until double in size. Punch dough down and let stand for 10 minutes.

6. 6.

   On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long. Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes. Cut one strip into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls.

7. 7.

   Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet. Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end. Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.

8. 8.

   Cover bunnies and let rise in a warm place for 45–60 minutes, until nearly double in size. Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 12–15 minutes.

9. 9.

   For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together. Frost bunnies with the glaze while they are still warm.

10. 

Easter Sunday!

With my parents in town the sleeping arrangements changed a bit. We put Tate in the Girls room and brought the girls in with us. I have to admit it's been fun to have them in the same room-and convenient for when Tyler gets me up to go use the bathroom.

I have to admit I don't know how the Easter Bunny got past us, leaving an egg under each girls pillow with a little bracelet in it. Sneaky bunny!

Easter Bunny tracks

Finding the baskets

Chocolate bunny for breakfast? Why Not?

In-between Conference sessions we took a LONG walk.

Thank you for coming to see us Grandma and Grandpa Harris.

We LOVED, LOVED, LOVED having you here

and look forward to the next time we can all be together again!