Easter Symbols {An Easter Basket for the Whole Family}
, an adorable Peacock, a Butterfly clip, a beautiful small statue of the Good Shepherd (this one, I think), and a Good Shepherd Holy Card. Charlotte also made a beautiful little Easter Symbols Booklet that I included as well! I’m planning to fill another Family Basket with little gifts representing the Easter Symbols and thought I’d share a few of my ideas for this year, in addition to the Parable Pouch from Jesse Tree Treasures.
Cross: The cross is perhaps the best known of all Christian symbols. In the ancient Church the cross was usually depicted without the figure of Christ. It was adorned and decorated as a symbol of the victory Christ won through His suffering. For the ancient world it was a symbol of humiliation, but for Christians it was a symbol of victory and glory. In Christian art, the figure of the suffering Christ was added to the cross only in medieval times. ~ Immaculate Conception Parish
As you all know, our family loves puzzles. We haven’t worked on one since Epiphany and, since we really enjoyed putting the Good Shepherd Puzzle together last Easter, I’ve been looking for another. At this point I’m trying to decide between the I Am With You Cross Puzzle and this beautiful Easter Morning Jigsaw Puzzle (which, in addition to the cross, has the “IHS” and lilies on it as well). A few more ideas: Chocolate Crosses, a new Crucifix, really there are so many gifts that can symbolize the “Cross.”
Lamb: We refer to Christ as “The Lamb of God,” and “The Paschal Lamb,” because he was sent as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. We also lovingly refer to Him as “The Good Shepherd,” since He is our Shepherd and told Peter to feed His sheep.
A few more ideas: Good Shepherd Puzzle, Good Shepherd Holy Cards (from here or here), Lamb Puppet, this little stuffed lamb is as precious as can be, Lamb Cookie Cutter, Lamb Chocolates, and (if you don’t have one yet) a lamb butter mold!
Bread of Life: Bread and Wine/Wheat and Grapes: Because of the bread and wine they produce, the symbols of wheat and grapes are often used to designate the Eucharist. Bread is the basic food of every culture and of every age in human history. Made from the toil of human hands, the many grains of wheat are transformed and become one to nourish and sustain us. A meal, in which bread is broken and shared, becomes a means of bonding human beings together. This is the sign Jesus used to describe Himself as the “Bread of Life.” Following His command, in faith we take and eat this Bread, His Body, and become one with Him.” From ancient times wine is associated with banquets, joy and celebration, a gift of God to gladden our hearts. The grapes, like the grains of wheat used for bread, are fruits of the earth and give of themselves in order that we might celebrate and be glad. This sign which Jesus used for His Blood, speaks to us of giving and of sacrifice in order that we might enjoy the benefits of His love in the banquet which is the foretaste of heavenly joy. IHS: IHS stands for the first three letters of the name Jesus in Greek.
For this symbol I decided to order one of the beautiful new Pysanky Bread Basket Liners from Catholic Embroidery. I know it isn’t embroidered with the IHS, but it does have the Greek letters for Christ: IC XC and Greek verb for triumph: NIKA. (If you order this, or any of the Catholic Aprons, directly from this Catholic Cuisine page I will receive a commission. Thank you!) A few more suggestions: A Mass Tote embroidered with the IHS symbol would be another great alternative. We love ours! The Chalice Notepad from Saints Galore would be lovely as well!
Lily: The lily represents purity, chastity, innocence, and St. Gabriel’s trumpet, and is a symbol of Our Lady and used to depict the purity of the Saints, especially SS. Joseph, Francis, Clare, Anthony of Padua, and Catherine of Siena. In America, it has become, too, a symbol of the Resurrection. Legend says that lilies originated with Eve’s tears when the first couple was banished from the Garden of Eden. Other legend says that they sprang up from the ground when drops of blood fell to the foot of the Cross. It is interesting that these two legends exist, because Christ, the New Adam, wipes away the tears of the children of Eve who became the children of Mary when Christ gave her to us, through John, from the Cross. Mary herself is symbolized also by another lily, lilium candidum, or the Madonna Lily. ~ Fisheaters
Every year I try and pick up an Easter Lily for our home right before Easter. I hope to do the same this year.
I also purchased The Parable of the Lily for the children, to include in the basket for this symbol. I haven’t read it yet, but it looks like a sweet book and we have enjoyed the others in the series including The Legend of the Candy Cane.
Egg: The egg is like Jesus’ tomb. It is enclosed, it is quiet, and it seems lifeless. Yet within an egg, the promise of new life is waiting to burst forth. Jesus’ tomb was like an egg until early on Easter when Jesus rose up to a new and glorious life. ~ Catechist.com
A few other ideas: Egg Candies, Egg themed Easter Books (including the ones in this post under Easter Eggs), Egg Decorating Supplies, or maybe even some Hand-painted Pysanky Eggs. Oh, and I am intrigued by this Butterfly Easter Egg Puzzleball and this Ravensburger Easter Puzzleball Lamb Jigsaw Puzzle. Do any of you have either of those and what do you think?
Butterfly: Butterflies are an apt symbol of the day’s meaning. Beginning life as lowly humble caterpillars, they “entomb” themselves in cocoons only to emerge with jewel-colored wings and the ability to soar. What better symbol of the Resurrection — except maybe for eggs, which had always been symbols of Spring and were items of wonderment to all — an inanimate object out of which comes life. For Christians, they became the perfect symbol of the tomb Christ conquered. ~ Fisheaters
Anyhow, we ALL love the Folkmanis Puppets! I’ve already ordered a Chick Finger Puppet for in Snuggles’ basket. I thought I’d order a Butterfly Puppet for the whole family. I had a hard time deciding, but ended up just choosing the cute little Mini Monarch Butterfly Finger Puppet.
A few more ideas: (In case you are not addicted to all things made by Joseph’s Studio)… A Butterfly Puzzle would be fun, as would a Live Butterfly Garden or this tube of Wild Republic Nature Butterflies.
Peacock: “It was once believed that the flesh of the peacock never corrupts, so peacocks became the classic symbol of immortality. They are an ancient Christian symbol of the Resurrection, and representations of them are found on the tombs of ancient Christians as an expression of their hope to follow Christ in His defeat of death. ” ~ Fisheaters
A few more suggestions: The Plush Peacock that made it’s way into our basket last year is just darling. I love the Folkmanis Peacock Puppet, and the Safari: Peacock would also be a cute (smaller) option. And doesn’t this Paint By Number with Watercolor EcoPencils Peacock look like fun?
Bells: “In countries like France and Italy the bells are silent from Holy Thursday until Easter Sunday. In Germany and central Europe even the bells on farm buildings are still, though they begin to ring again on Holy Saturday. With the bells silent, the farm people of the Middle Ages felt uneasy. So, to comfort themselves and their children, they would say, “The bells have flown to Rome, but they’ll come back on Easter.” ~ Lilies, Rabbits, and Painted Eggs: The Story of The Easter Symbols
And once again, here is the link to the Easter Symbols Booklet.
If you are still looking for some additional ideas for your children’s baskets, last year I posted some Catholic Easter Basket Ideas and you can also browse through the posts from our past Easter Mornings here (including 2011, 2010, 2009).
Hands-On Science :: Looking Back to 2007
Our visit to the Science Museum this past Friday had me thinking back to our last visit. It really didn’t seem like it had been five years, but I was able to find the pictures I took back then and sure enough it was in January of 2007, just before I started this blog and Snuggles was born. I thought it would be fun to share a few of those pictures with you all!
Hands-On Science
Yesterday we went on a field trip to a Hands-On Science Museum that offers over 80 interactive science exhibits, Science Live! performances and tons of hands-on activities! It had been over five years since we had visited this great place, so only our oldest two even remembered it at all. The kids were all wishing that their Dad would have been able to go along with us, and are really missing him, of course… Especially today since it is his birthday! Happy Birthday Daddy!!! Only two more weeks to go…
Here are some of the things we explored.
Bubble-ology
Five different ways to play with, and learn about, soap bubbles. Put yourself in a bubble; experiment with a wall of bubbles; watch bubbles magically float in mid-air; and more.
Water Rocket
Mix just the right amount of water and air pressure, and fire a rocket to the ceiling.
Pulley Chairs
Pull yourself up into the air. Three different chairs, with three different size pulleys, provide different levels of difficulty. Does the seat with more pulley wheels make it easier or harder to lift you? Count how many arm lengths of rope you must pull to reach the top. Do you pull the same length for each chair?
Sportsology
An exciting, interactive, bilingual exhibit that explores the science behind sports. This exhibition is composed of a series of hands-on challenges that allow visitors to test their athletic abilities while learning how their bodies work. Visitors can explore different kinds of athletic abilities including strength, speed, endurance, balance, coordination and agility.
Got Nano
Do you have nano? We have nano. Explore the extremely tiny (“nano” is a billionth of something) and extraordinary world of nano in this year’s ScienceLive! theater show. How do materials behave differently on the nanoscale than on the macroscale? By participating in outrageous experiments like the “bed of nails” and “magic sand”, you will discover the secret science of nano. At the end of the show, everyone is going to “get” NANO!
Chemistry Matters!
What do atoms and molecules have to do with your life? Everything! This ScienceLive show will get kids of all ages thinking about what makes up everyday “stuff” and how the science of chemistry helps us create new kinds of useful substances. A variety of fascinating demonstrations and entertaining audience participation help you gain a clearer understanding of physical science topics including states of matter, chemical reactions and more!
Bee TV
See a live bee hive where bees travel in and out of their bee hive through a clear tube providing access to the outdoors, flowers and trees for pollination. Watch trails of bees exiting and returning with pollen visible on their little feet. A magnifying camera, donated by Ashland Kiwanis, is on a telescoping arm that can be adjusted to anywhere on the glass bee hive enclosure. The magnified image projects onto an adjoining television so you can see the eyes, wings, bodies and feet of the bees up close. Look for the queen bee and watch how honey is made. Found in the Discovery Lab, the bee exhibit is available for all visitors to the museum to see.
Make an Impression
5-foot high wall made of 65,000 plastic “pins.” Push up against it and you’ll get an impression of your face, hands, body, etc.
State-by-State Baking :: Maryland Crab Cakes
by Twinkle Toes (L) and Chiquita (R)
Inspired by The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States
that swim in the Chesapeake Bay.
Males are called Jimmys and females Sallys.
That’s what the fishermen say.”
United States Coloring Book (Dover)
State Birds and Flowers Coloring Book (Dover)
The United States Cookbook: Fabulous Foods and Fascinating Facts From All 50 States
Other Posts of Interest:
State-by-State Scrapbook
State-by-State Scrapbook :: Maryland
{pretty, happy, funny, real} :: A Look Whooo’s Two Birthday Party!
This past Saturday afternoon, after our St. Patrick’s Day breakfast and morning at the Rink, and before Mass and the St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at Church, we attended a fun birthday party for a sweet little two year old.
The End of Season Players vs. Parents Hockey Game
St. Patrick’s Day Coffee Hour
This is the second time I’ve signed up for the coffee hour… It’s been so fun to tie in the saints and seasons. I wonder which feast day we should do next?! 🙂
Our 2012 St. Joseph’s Altar
The St. Joseph Altar is an old tradition from Sicily. You can click here to read an explanation of how the tradition started. There are three tiers to the altar, representing the Trinity and the three members of the Holy Family; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Usually a statue or picture of St. Joseph is placed on the top tier.
I had been so pre-occupied planning for all the various events we had scheduled over the weekend that I really hadn’t put any thought into celebrating St. Joseph’s Day this year, other than picking up a package of fig newtons and some cream puffs during my last grocery shopping trip. Thankfully everything just fell into place and the kids set up and decorated the altar, while I started preparing the food. It was such a nice evening, though we all missed Daddy, and wished he could be home to enjoy our special meal in honor of St. Joseph, patron of Fathers.
We didn’t include all of the Foods for St. Joseph’s Altar on our own family altar this year, but here are some pictures and descriptions of the foods that we did enjoy for our dinner and St. Joseph’s Day celebration today.
For these I just defrosted a bag of frozen dinner rolls and the kids had so much fun shaping symbols with the dough.
We purchased a package of Fig Newtons and made some quick and easy “bibles” to add to our St. Joseph Altar. Behind the cookies is a beautiful holy card that one of the “Uncle Fathers” gave the boys, while visiting us following a retreat he gave for the Carmelites in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. The Carmelites made this holy card, as well as some lovely St. Therese holy cards he brought for the girls, by using dried rose petals from their convent to frame the images of the saints. The back of this particular card reads:
We didn’t exactly have wine, but my kids were more than happy that I finally let them have the bottles of Sparkling Cider and Peach Grape Spritzer that have been chilling in the fridge. Captain also filled up a basket with some fruit and a vase with some chocolate lilies, which also symbolize St. Joseph.
St. Joseph’s Day Baking
P.S. And don’t forget to enter the giveaway over at Catholic Cuisine. You have until midnight.
Please Pray for our Priests
Yesterday I received an email from my dear mother-in-law asking us to keep my husband’s oldest brother in our prayers and wanted to ask you all to do the same. As she said in her email, “”The truth will set you free” and it will also get you in trouble. Courage in the face of a Godless nation. May God protect him from the onslaught that is sure to follow.” Instead of linking to the article I read yesterday, I’m going to send you over to WDTPRS to read the details:
Isn’t Father awesome?! I have really been blessed with the most amazing and inspiring in-laws. Please keep Father, and all priests, in your prayers!
Prayer for Priests to St. Joseph
0 Comments