General – Page 85 – Tonja's Gatherings

General, Remembering

FOLLOW-UP PICTURE‚Ä¶and a bonus!

April 4, 2010 by tonja 6 Comments

I promised to get a picture of the cousins to compare with the one I showed you yesterday. They didn’t fight me too bad today…even though they would have been just as happy if I had not even said the word ‘picture’! So here they are…in the same order they were in the first pic.
L to R…Ian…Lori…Alex…Tara…Adam.

2010

1988

And, since my name is “MUD” for showing you the cute Easter picture from their childhood….I’ll just show you another picture where their names were “MUD”!

This is one of my most favorite pictures of them. We had travelled to NC to visit our family. They were sort of bored…what with them being ‘city kids’ and all. So, someone had the bright idea to turn the waterhose on in Aunt Marie’s driveway. Well, it didn’t take long until they were covered in mud…every one of them…and every inch of them. They had the time of their lives! And, none of them had ever been that dirty before. Probably not since, either! I remember my Granny Merritt kept telling us that they were going to get ‘ground itch’. I don’t know if they did or not…but they wanted a repeat mud hole the next day. They didn’t get it though! I remember how we sprayed them off with the hose while they were still outside. And, after the girls had gone inside to the tub, the boys got soaped down, shampooed, and sprayed off outside. They didn’t think it was possible to get a bath outside. That was another thing they learned that day!

I’m sure my family in NC knows just where this photo was taken…and may even remember this day! A big Easter (((HUG))) goes out to them!

A better report on our Easter day to follow.

Reading time: 1 min

Family, General

EASTER FAMILY ALBUM

April 3, 2010 by tonja 7 Comments

At the risk of having you laugh at my atrocious taste in glasses…here are some old pics of Easters past…

A studio in Dothan was making pictures in the park on Easter Sunday, so off we went, and smiled for the camera!

A few years later…Adam was so happy to be called upon to pose with his Mother and his brothers…can’t you see the joy in his face?

With Granny, after Easter lunch…

Acting silly with Grandma, after another Easter lunch…

And, here’s the cousins…Uh! Oh! Looks like Adam’s attitude has affected Alex…

All the cousins will be eating with me tomorrow…I’m gonna give them another chance to make a good picture! We’ll see…

Here’s hoping your Easter pictures show the love you have for one another!

Reading time: 1 min

Decor, General

EASTER TIME‚Ä¶‚Ä¶‚Ä¶.BEAUTIFUL EGGS

April 1, 2010 by tonja 7 Comments

To be perfectly honest, it has been several years since I have dyed Easter Eggs. My boys grew out of them, and not being sentimental like girls, they never really cared if I had any or not when they came home. So, I didn’t. I suppose that WHEN the good Lord sends me some grandchildren, I will do them again. Until then, pictures will do just fine.

None of that means that I do not think they are beautiful. They are, and there are so many different ways of dyeing them…it can get quite creative. Here are a few that I think are beautiful.

These are Ukranian Pysanky eggs. They are done with a batik method using wax and layer upon layer upon layer of dyes. Much time is required for this process…not to mention patience! These are done on blown eggs…so they are very fragile.

Here are some ordinary Easter Eggs, done as I always did with food coloring and vinegar. I love all the pastels. To make polka dots and stripes, add stickers from the office supply store and rubber bands. They stick very well, and do not come off in the dye.

Now, these are works of art! If I had these I would put them in a glass box to keep them protected. Oh, the steady hand it must take to do these…along with good eyesight! These are goose eggs, by the way. They are stronger than chicken eggs.

Do you see the tiny drill the artist uses? Many times they work with dental tools!

These are Bulgarian Easter Eggs. These are all done with natural dyes. See the ones with the leaves on them? The leaves are applied and then the eggs are wrapped in strips of pantyhose tied at each end to hole the leaves in place. Some of the dyes are turmeric, onion skins, cabbage, and beets.

This is an Emu egg. This egg has many layers, each layer being lighter in color than the previous one. So, it requires many hours to complete.

And, last, these are Chinese Tea Eggs. The eggs are hard boiled, then cracked gently with a spoon and then dyed in strong brewed tea. Sometimes soy sauce is also used. Actually, I think the shell is prettier than the eggs!

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In ancient Egypt and Persia people exchanged decorated eggs at the spring equinox, the beginning of the new year. The eggs were seen as a symbol of fertility for them because the coming forth of a live creature from an egg was so surprising to people of ancient times.
Christians adopted this tradition, and the Easter egg became a religious symbol. It represented the tomb from which Jesus broke forth. In medieval times eggs were traditionally given at Easter to all servants, and to the children, along with other gifts. It seems that the custom of hiding the eggs is a universal one.
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Once, when Adam was very young…perhaps his first Easter Egg Hunt, he did not quite understand the concept. I told him to get ready and wait by the door for me. I gathered my things and met him at the back door. There he stood in his camoflage jacket and hat, boots to his knees, and gun in hand. “Why are you dressed like that?” I asked, “I had your clothes laid out on your bed!” He looked at me like I was from another planet. “Mama,” he said,”you can’t wear church clothes to go hunting…this is what you ‘spose to wear!” And, that day, that was exactly what you wore to go Easter Egg HUNTING!!!!!

Reading time: 3 min

Faith, General

EASTER TIME‚Ä¶‚Ä¶‚Ä¶.LAMBS

March 31, 2010 by tonja 8 Comments

The image of a lamb is not what you would expect for the Creator of the Universe, but that’s the title Jesus takes upon himself. He came to earth not as a conquering warlord or a political leader, but as a humble sacrifice for our sins.

The description of a person who sits on the throne of God in Heaven is not, perhaps, what we might expect of the mighty ruler of the Universe-a humble lamb! But Jesus submitted himself to death on our behalf like a humble lamb to the slaughter, and now reigns in Heaven!