At Considerable Cost

All dressed and ready for the Easter Vigil Mass!   They really do so well and I like to see the adult baptisms at the Vigil.   It reminds me of the Vigil mass when I came into the Church.   Plus, since we're not "good Catholics" ;) who are always able to participate in the Triduum , we like to take advantage of the privilege of participation in the Vigil.   After mass, I come home and eat my first Cadbury Crème Egg.   Then, they all fall asleep in their Easter clothes & that makes for some pretty Easter morning pictures! I had one of those little bird water whistles when I was Clare's age. Our Easter table  "Yes, I decorate with bunnies."   In my head, I said that like Shirley McClain in Steel Magnolias when she tells Annelle, "Yes, I pray."   Mama always had bunny decorations, but I do wait until Saturday to set them out. Emmeline's godmother, Nancy, bought these beautif...

It's still the Easter season, so these are not late!   Happy Easter to all.   The children made it through another Easter Vigil Mass.   The fire at the beginning and the candlelight as we entered the sanctuary were highlights for them.   As always, it brought back memories of my baptism and welcome into the Catholic Church.   My 16h Anniversary as a Catholic was Good Friday.   Easter Sunday was a beautiful day of an extraordinary amount of chocolate and time spent together with dear friends.   And desserts.   Lots of delicious desserts!   The children's lunches reflected the joy of the Octave with one of Joey's homemade coconut cupcakes every day. I realized I haven't taken outdoor Easter pictures in their Easter finery for the past two years.   Who takes indoor Easter pictures at home?! Very excited over stuffed bunnies.   We don't have that many stuffed animal...

Here's my link-up to Jennifer Fulwiler's 7 Quick Takes: 1.  Dancing Cinderella Demons  It's madness...March Madness and my Alma mater, Northwestern State University , which is located in picturesque Natchitoches, Louisiana (as seen in Steel Magnolias ), made it to the Big Dance. They are one of the Cinderella teams at the NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament. I'm so proud of what this coach and team have accomplished, even though they lost tonight to Florida. They represented our school well, though. Our mascot is Demons, specifically Vic the Demon. It's pretty ironic since the university is located in one very conservative town in the Bible Belt! So, job well done and Fork 'Em Demons (spell-check about a million times).    Here's an article about my small, but excellent Alma mater: http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/19816/cinderella-stories-northwestern-state-u 2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory My...

A blur of azalea bushes in full bloom on either side of a wrought iron gate which led off our back porch to our side yard.   Bees buzzing about as I ran as fast as I could between the blooms in an attempt to avoid being stung.   Decorating eggs on Saturday night before Easter.   Waking up to a new stuffed animal and more chocolate candy than I normally saw all year and jellybeans (meh).   The excitement of bubble gum eggs and the disappointment of mistaking a malted milk ball egg for one of the gumballs.   Lunch, promptly at noon, with Mama's lemon meringue pie.   Maybe an egg hunt, with my sister hiding eggs for me or if it was a lucky year, a trip down the road to Mrs. Carmel's house to hunt eggs with her children and visiting cousins.   Those are actual little vignettes of my childhood Easters that I tend to share.   Those are the ones people expect from me.   Those are the ones I share with my children, but their dominance in my ...

I'm a little behind on the blog, so I'm trying to catch up with a few posts. Easter was a wonderful celebration this year!   I spent the day before baking and occasionally staring at the Cadbury creme eggs and Elmer's candies.    We went to the Easter Vigil Mass at our parish.   It was so beautiful.   I love to see the converts as they are baptized and/or receive first communion and are confirmed.   The kids handle the mass well; I think it's because there's so much happening, from the fire pit outside to the glorious music and candlelight.   When we returned, I had my first Cadbury egg! The next day, the children enjoyed their Easter baskets.   The Bunny and I may need to have speaks--sugar overload!   That afternoon, we spent the afternoon with friends for Easter dinner and an egg hunt.   Blessings abounded! I wait for Cadbury Creme Eggs every year.   When I went to Eng...