Quote of the Day

How cute is this sign from Laurie Anna's Vintage Home?  

That's all I've got for today - but I'll have some house updates coming soon!

Two posts in one day?!

And maybe more – I’ve got a lot to catch up on!  I wanted to write a quick post in support of my cousin, Hannah, who was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis late last summer.  You might remember my post last August asking for prayer for her… well I have one more favor to ask. 

She is participating in a walk to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation this weekend.  I know she would love your support in any way – even if that just means praying for her and others who suffer from CF.  If you feel compelled, you can help support her by donating here - www.cff.org/Great_Strides/HannahStaloch 

That’s all I’ve got for now.  I’ll be back soon with more updates though!

It’s been awhile

Yet again, I have fallen behind on blogging.  Apparently student teaching and blogging don’t mix well in my world.  Now that my student teaching is done, I plan to keep up (at least through the summer) and blog more! 

To start – I wanted to recap Easter since that’s where I left off.  Matt and I hosted our first holiday meal at our home and both our families were able to be here to celebrate together! 

Here’s what was on the menu for the celebration:

• Honey Baked Ham with a brown sugar glaze (my first time to cook a ham!)
• Cheesy Potato Casserole (my mom’s recipe – SO delicious!)
• Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles
• Green Bean Casserole
• Orange-Pear Salad (my mother-in-law’s recipe and Matt’s favorite)
• Dinner Rolls
• and for dessert…
• Buttermilk Pie from Tootie Pie Co. 
• Homemade Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

It was all delicious and I have a little more confidence in my ability to cook – even though half of the items above were prepared by my mom, mother-in-law or sister. :)

Matt and I posed in front of the spread – in my “Easter Apron” that my grandma sent me (it was a part of a big Easter/birthday care package she sent to help with my first holiday meal) – thanks Grandma! 

Here’s a shot of the table and “place settings” – although I took these pictures a little early and there are no glasses or silverware down yet.

I found the little turquoise eggs at HomeGoods – they are actually little candles, but I didn’t light them so I can use them again.  Then I went to Hobby Lobby and bought little vine-wreaths to use a nests for the eggs.  I think it turned out pretty cute!  

Here’s a group shot after we were all stuffed from the big meal!

He Is Risen

After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.

The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.

"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."

The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him.

After three days…

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. "Sir," they said, "we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise again.' So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first."

"Take a guard," Pilate answered. "Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how." So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.

Darkness Came Over All the Land

Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

"It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"