I bought more blueberry bushes today. And I weeded my garden. Then I went back for more. And now I’m thinking that I could totally plant a full garden this year and freeze dry all the things and we’ll pick gallons of every berry that comes in season and get at least 10 bushels of peaches in a few months and and and…I think it’s very fitting that we celebrate the one perfect human being who came back to life after being killed in the season when everything starts to come back to life, including us. I love snuggling down and burrowing into winter. Then spring comes and I can’t wait to get in the sun and get my hands in the dirt. I wake up. People with way more poetic bones in their bodies have commented extensively on the beauty of spring and its connections to Easter’s real meaning so I’ll leave it to them. Let’s just say that I get it…deep in my guts I get it. I find myself plotting and scheming and so, so happy about all of it. The wisteria that woke up once the daffodils finished. The herbs in my garden that wont quit that I can feed to my bunnies. How good I feel. All of Spring. We celebrated as we always do…old traditions and some new projects (posts coming soon).

On a frantic grocery shopping trip (nothing new, all our shopping trips have an element of barely controlled chaos), I remembered that we needed to dye eggs so I stared at the wall (I’m not exaggerating here) of kits and grabbed one. Almost at random, certainly didn’t read anything. Well this kit was very different than anything we’ve ever done. It was weird but overall everyone kind of dug it. It came with bags you filled with rice, then poured dye packets onto the rice. After shaking it up to coat the rice, the eggs go in. They turned out pretty well and the kids had fun so we say, “Victory!”

Have you ever had welsh cakes? Have I asked you that before? Look them up, they are magical. Think crumpet and cookie and English muffin all at once. We discovered them watching a YouTube cooking video from a British baker we really like. Neil is actual the master welsh cake-er in our house. I’ve never made them because as I said, he’s the boss. We did them with Easter cookie cutters for breakfast on Easter Saturday to fuel the tanks for the egg hunt and they were delightful. Lunch was out classic bunny bread, but as a picnic on the front room floor because we didn’t have kitchen counters or sink…ergo no kitchen table because it was full of stuff.

While the kids became properly full of breakfast, I finished farm chores and a few…other…um…things. Then it was time for the hunt. That was one week ago and we needed snow jackets, it was so chilly. Today we were in the 80s…because Spring likes to keep you paying attention. Tatanka chewed on sticks and ran around blissfully unaware that there was yummy stuff in those plastic colored things.

The Resurrection Rolls for breakfast on Easter Sunday were an abject fail. They didn’t stay crimped, the marshmallow certainly didn’t disappear and they leaked goo everywhere. But I was told they tasted just fine, so I’ll let it go with a heavy sigh. The key lime pie was, however, so successful it more than made up for the roll fiasco. I was in charge of dessert for our family Easter dinner…I may have suggested my all time favorite dessert. It really is the best thing ever.

Today was our last Easter hurrah…a Primary egg hunt and picnic. Garyn and Naomi have aged out of these activities but they were so cute helping their sisters and any other littles that needed them. We had sandwiches, found eggs and the 3 older kids ran the obstacle course a few times. Corra was gung ho about it, until they said they would time the kids and keep score. At that point Corra got stage fright and hung out with me. I’m ok with that…she’ll be done snuggling me for reassurance soon enough.

It’s a beautiful thing we celebrate with Easter. I am in awe of the whole thing…that life matters enough that a way was made for us to keep living even after we die. That we were loved by a man enough that He gave everything so that we could keep on living. Mostly I’m humbled that this crew I live with, who are my entire universe, are mine forever and ever. The thought makes me choke up…there is no greater motivation for me to live my best life every day.