Good Friday

Today is a day, at least for me, of reflection. It absolutely amazes me at how much God loves us. We are none of us worthy. It is humbling to think that Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, was willing to take on the sin of the world. To pay a price that He did not owe for a debt we could not pay. He was beaten, suffered and died all because He loves us and wants us to be able to be forgiven and dwell with God.

If you don't know Him, I pray that you would. I have so much love in my heart and such joy in my life because I do know him. He is an ever constant companion. He is strong when I am weak. He comforts me when I'm sad. He laughs with me when I am happy. He prays for me always. He is my best friend!

Know today, just how very much Jesus loves you! Accept Him and love Him back and I promise that your life will never be the same. He will be with you always!

Have a blessed Good Friday!
Your sister in Christ,
Tina:)

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

 

 

With Easter fast approaching, my interest in naturally dyed eggs has been renewed. In keeping with my goal of a more homemade and chemical free lifestyle, I felt this would be something to look into. Of course, if you have access to eggs from an Araucana chicken (sometimes called Easter Egg Chickens) there is no need to dye them as they are a variety of beautiful colors all on their own.

Now I know that Easter eggs are not really a Christian theme for the holiday but none the less, I know that it is something that many folks like to do. They are so pretty after all. So, I have searched the web looking for natural dyes that you could make with ingredients which you could find at your local grocery store. Here is what I found. 

At Chemistry on About.com I found some excellent info on how to dye naturally. They even suggest to boil your eggs in the dye instead of soaking them after boiling which I thought would be a great time saver. Listed in their color chart are several different options for each color. I think that this is my favorite link for common ingredient colors.

Big Sis Lil Sis, as you can see put a beautiful spin on hand dyed eggs. She offers a tutorial on how to achieve absolutely amazing designs and colors on her eggs. I am in absolute awe of these. This will definitely be on my list of things to try. These are quite simply amazing!

For a no mess way to dye using Mason Jars eHow has an article written by 17apart that is eggcellent (ok, I couldn't resist). I use mason jars for so many things, now I have a new one. I will using this method with my various dyes.


 Last but not least,  Tried and Tasty  has a wonderful "how to" with tons of fantastic photos. Lots of recipes for various colored dyes. Great site!

So, now that I have the all of this info I am off to town to get my ingredients to make beautiful and natural egg dyes. I don't think that I will stop at eggs though. I think that I will be using these dyes for a lot of different projects as well. You could color fabric, fleece, homemade paper, stain wood and so many other things. I think that you could use these natural dyes on anything which would absorb them. I think that I have found a new hobby.

In closing, a reminder.... Easter is not about colored eggs, bunnies and baby chicks. It is about our redemption and salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. That is the reason for this season.

God Bless!
Tina:)

He Has Risen!

Easter is only two weeks away. So, in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ, this Make it Monday project is an Easter centerpiece. It depicts the  three crosses to remind us of His crucifixion and death which paid the price for our sin as well as the empty tomb which proved his resurrection, conquering sin and death. I found this idea on Pinterest. I was unable to locate the original source. Whoever you are... thank you for the inspiration!

This is a simple project that the kids can help you with. My youngest son Layne helped me out. You will obviously need to do this in advance of Easter Sunday in order for your grass to grow. (I really should have made mine sooner.) You can substitute moss or groundcover plants from your local nursery if you wish to do this as an Easter project.

This is the photo which inspired my project.

Our scene is similar to this although I had to improvise on some of my materials. Here's the list of what we used.

1 plastic oil pan (couldn't find a terracotta base large enough)
1 small plastic pot
Dirt from the yard (Free!)
Small stones + 1 large rock for the tombstone (also from the yard)
Several small twigs
Raffia
Grass seed

This is all that I purchased. Everything else was found around the house. All together it only cost me about $5.00 at Walmart.

 



Layne filled our pan with dirt from the yard. 

 

 

 

We buried out pot sideways in the dirt making our tomb mound. Found the perfect flat rock for the tombstone out in the field along with smaller stones for our path. (No shortage of rocks on the property here!)

 

 

We needed sticks for our crosses so we went across the field to hunt for some since we don't have any trees yet on our property. Farmer Fred has a wooded spot in his field where we found lots of twigs. Thanks Fred!

 

Next we added our grass seed. I moistened the soil first with a spray bottle and then spritzed it again after seeding to water it.

To make our crosses we cut our twigs to length and tied them together with some natural raffia that I had on hand. I think that it turned out really great! Hopefully the grass will sprout before Easter but, even if it doesn't, it is still a wonderful reminder of what this season is all about.

"But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where he lay.""                  Matthew 28:5-6

Enjoy making your own resurrection scene and have a great day!
God Bless!
Tina:)