Monday Morning -Can't Get A Thing Done!

It's Monday Morning, and I can't get a thing done! Actually, even yesterday afternoon I had a difficult time concentrating on anything! Why?  Well, This is why:

Ever since the other day when I told you about the Sand Hill Crane family activity HERE, this sweet little "Colt" (which is what a baby Sand Hill Crane is called) has been taking all my attention!

Baby "Colt" (I decided to name him/her? that) and his parents have been pretty much in our yard every day, all day long, eating and eating and eating...

Mama sometimes feeds the baby, but most of the time he can poke around in the ground and find his own food.

Meanwhile, the Bluebird family has been a bit distressed because the Crane family is hanging around too close to their birdhouse, and they don't like going in and out of the house when anyone is around.

Now, early this morning I looked out and there was the Crane family, way over on the island in our pond. At first I couldn't see the baby, but then I spied him, just behind Mama.  The island is rather steep and I was afraid the baby would just tumble down into the water, but they have pretty good footing, and besides, I think he can swim already.

Do you see him, just between the two parents? He blends in with the ground pretty well.

Well, we left the house for a little while, and when we came back they were back in our yard, so somehow they managed to get "Colt" across the water to our yard. I wish I could have seen how they did it.

So here's a few family portraits.  Do you see why I'm not getting anything done? And now you aren't either! LOL.

But you know, they stay little such a short time, and then the excitement kind of wears off. Kind of like with our human children. The babies just grow up way too soon, and then they are teenagers, and well, the excitement can get pretty thin sometimes when you've got teenagers. Then again, it can get pretty exciting again too...just depends on the kids...and our own attitudes.

Anyway, I am enjoying this while it lasts.

Oh look, he is swimming!

Like Mother, like child. They sure do learn fast!

Meanwhile, over across to that island, there's also our usual flock of geese swimming around. So we have the Crane family on our shore, and the goose family (no kids yet that I know of) over on the island shore.

There they are!

You can see how close the bluebird house the cranes are. No wonder Mama Bluebird is a bit nervous!

She's sitting on her perch with a mouth full of food to feed her hungry babies, and she's afraid to go to her house while they are so close.

Oh, and the squirrels are also right there on the ground, foraging for seeds since they can't get up on that birdfeeder anymore.  

And there's also another little bird eating at the bird feeder, while Mama Bluebird waits for her opportunity to fly to her house, and the Crane family are close by eating their food...

There's the Crane family...

There's the Goose family...

Now do you see why I can't get anything done????

Just too much cuteness going on.

Well, I did manage to step out to the front yard and take some pictures of these 

Amaryllis flowers while they are blooming!! And I can see another stalk coming up on both plants with new buds. I love how pretty these are!!

And I finally got around to putting out some Easter Bunnies...

The Fairies said they wanted to stay and play with the bunnies and the other critters there on the swing set.  Sure why not? 

Some more bunnies here and there...

The family bunny collection:

But then while I was doing that and writing this post, which I  thought I could be finally done with, I looked outside and saw this:

The whole goose family came to pay homage to the new baby "Colt"!

They all came right up to shore and watched the baby for a few minutes...

And then it was like, "Okay, nothing more to see here. Let's go!"  And they turned around and swam back out into the pond, satisfied that they had done their part to welcome the new baby to their world.

And Father and Child stand at attention as their visitors leave...

And with that, I am going to "leave" as well.  I hope you enjoyed this morning with me...even if none of us could get anything done! Now it's time for lunch and then I go to the Ladies' Bible Study at 1:00. So I'd better get a move on!

Easter is coming!

Let's remember what Easter is really about...

definitely not the Easter bunnies, or even the geese or new baby Crane or bluebirds...although they are all apart of the broader message of Easter...

New Life because of what Christ did for us on the cross!!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

2 Corinthians 5:17

Amen!!

 

Wednesday Treasures: Vintage Easter Memories

Hello my friends! Here it is about a week and a half before Easter already! 

And that got me to thinking about old family photos and happy Easter memories.

This was my family when I was just a very little girl...yes, that's me down in front with the red hair.

This was Easter Sunday, probably around 1953.  We were at my Aunt Audrey and Uncle Paul's house for Easter dinner apparently, because I know that is their house.  We were all dressed in our Easter Sunday finery. Since this was in Pennsylvania,  I'll bet we wore our winter coats over those pretty little spring dresses. As you can see, we kids all have our Easter baskets on display. We probably weren't allowed to eat any candy out of them until after we had our Easter dinner.   I am also thinking my Grandparents probably were there because my Grandpa always took pictures that became slides. Those were the only pictures that were in color back then, and I know this picture came from a slide because I took a picture of the slide when it was up on the screen at our last family reunion so I could get this photograph. That's probably why it isn't very clear.

Now I am sure that somewhere there are more pictures of Easter day between this one and the next one, but I don't have them...they are somewhere in boxes of photographs that are stored at my sister's house waiting for us to explore someday when she decides to retire and we have lots of time.

I just added this picture a little later...this was my Sunday School on Easter back in about 1957 probably. Notice many of us little girls are wearing hats. I am sitting down on the floor, on the left side, behind a little boy with a dark string bow tie and has on dark pants and light jacket. I have on a hat.

This one I had in my own little album, and here we are in Florida about 8 years after the previous picture. 

This is me, my sister Doris, and my mother.  Mom made my dress, and it was a lavender tiny gingham check.  Don't you love the crinolines?  

My sister made her own dress. She was a very good seamstress, especially for a teenager.  Her dress was also a lavender and white check. The jacket was lavender.  My Mother's dress was a light blue if I recall correctly. I don't think she made that dress, but she worked full time as a secretary at the Sheriff's Office, and I don't know how she had time to make my dress, let alone do everything else she did so wonderfully. 

Please note that we are all wearing white gloves, have white purses and I am sure we had white shoes too.

Here I am again:

Now fast forward a few more years, to probably around 1966 or 67.  This is my cousin Becky and me.

We were always together for holidays (and have lots of fun memories of the things we did). She and her mother, "Aunt Marion", lived in the next town over from us. My grandparents also lived in that same town. We all moved to Florida in the late 1950's.

I believe this is in my grandparents' back yard.  Oh, and guess what?  I made my dress for that Easter. I remember it well.  It was a pale blue kind of a smooth crepe knit material, and the sleeves were a see- through chiffon material of the same color. (I think. I may have my fabrics confused, but I remember the sleeves were see-through, and I don't remember lining the dress, so it must have been something else, but then again, maybe I did line it. I kind of doubt it though. That would have been a lot of work!  That was a long time ago...)   ( just noticed my shoes matched my dress! Wow! I wonder how that happened?)

Fast forward a couple more years, and here I am with my fiance', (who is now my hubby of 51+ years) the Easter before we were to be married in August.  And again I am wearing a light blue dress with white polka dots on it. I made that dress as well. Since this was 1969, the skirt length was inched up a bit, but that was the style. I wish this picture wasn't so faded, but you can see that my hair was still quite red!  This is in the front yard at my parents' home.

That same Easter I gave John this card:

Please note that I circled the "Steiner" in Helen Steiner Rice's name above. I thought that was pretty cool that her name was Steiner, and soon my name would also be Steiner.  I also underlined words that were meaningful to us at that time as we made preparations for our marriage. John was soon to be a senior in college, and I was finishing my freshman year of college and looking for a job so we could get married in August.  I also love that this card showed that we were very much aware of seeking God's plan and purpose for our lives as well as believing in the real meaning of Easter.

Fast forward a few more years, about 9 or 10, and here is our little family on Easter, with my hubby's parents and his brother Billy.  I guess I took the picture since I'm not in it. The folks had come to visit us at our home in Ft. Pierce, where John pastoring our first church.  Precious memories...

And then fast forward another 26 years, and here we are at my parents' home, with most of my extended family...four generations.  Our one and only grandson is on the far left below on the front row, in a red shirt, holding his blue Easter basket. He was about four years old. He is now 21 years old and 6'4" tall.

This was a wonderful day, filled with Easter egg hunts and seeing who could find the golden egg with the prize $5.00 bill in it, along with many other eggs filled with candy and money. It was a lot of fun for all the little great-grandchildren. Priceless memories that still linger.

And now we come full circle from the beginning.  This is that same family that was up at the very top.

My Mom and Dad, (who are now both in heaven)

My oldest brother Russell (who is also now in heaven), me, my brother Clifford, and my sister Doris.

Sadly, this was the last Easter (2005) that our nuclear family was together for Easter, as my mother passed away the following spring.

Of course there are many other happy Easter days that I don't have time or space to share here. Our immediate family still gets together for Easter dinner, and our family tradition is to hide an Easter basket for each member of the family somewhere in the house. It gets pretty challenging for "the Easter Bunny" to find new places to hide the baskets each year so that it won't be too easy for these smart big kids to find them.  Yes, our kids are in their 40's now, but it just wouldn't be Easter without them having to look for their Easter basket. Some traditions just have to be kept. That is how my family did it when I was growing up as well, and so it is a happy tradition that must be continued.

Here's a few pictures of some of my favorite Easter bunnies:

These are each special...the little one with the butterfly on its foot belonged to our son Scott when he was little, the long dark brown one belonged to Benton, and the light brown one in the back belonged to Matthew. My mother had given them to them many years ago. 

This green bunny is mine from my childhood. My maternal Grandma Tedlie gave it to me,

so it is a real treasure (and quite old).

These fun bunnies are swinging into Easter and having such a good time:

This was a gift from a good friend many years ago.

Just some more bunnies that I've accumulated, again, they were gifts.

But please rest assured, I know Easter is not about the Easter bunny or Easter baskets or Easter egg hunts, or even about new dresses or white gloves or a ham dinner with the family...

(my grandparents always had leg of lamb for Easter, which I loved, but my family doesn't care for it so I don't get it anymore)

 Let's read "An Easter Meditation" that Helen Steiner Rice wrote once again:

That sums it up pretty well.

"There is comfort just in knowing

That God triumphed over sin,

For our Saviour's Resurrection 

Was God's way of telling men

That in Christ we are eternal...

and in Him we live again..."

That is pretty good news, wouldn't you agree?

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down the Easter memory lane with me.

May God bless you as you prepare for and contemplate the real meaning of Easter as well.

Have a wonderful week.