Palm Sunday and Easter Crunch time

Palm Sunday. There is nothing like Good Friday in a Catholic Church. Nothing like it. The despair. The sacrifice. Everything draped in black, crucifix down off the wall...It all makes one realize the glory of Easter Sunday so much more.

Then theres Palm Sunday:  The day that Jesus was treated like a King and worshiped. Riding a donkey. Humbly condescending down to us and coming into OUR fallen world. the King of Kings. HERE. And worhsiped, in our way and just for that day. Must have been a sigh, a breath in preparation for the act that would change our lives forever. For eternity. The sacrifice that we couldn't give. The gift that we couldn't give ourselves that made life in eternity possible. For people like me and you.

All I can think about is how Easter got here so quickly.

Are you ready for Easter?  It has really snuck up on me this year!! Not only is it coming earlier than Id like, but a nasty stomach flu went through our family for a few weeks.

I like to have our family devotionals underway by now. We have been using the Resurrection Eggs and devotional since our oldest were little (around 14 years.) Except that last year, when they were supposed to be tucked away safely, they were discovered by a little one and emptied. To where I do not know.

I started to decorate our mantle:

Still really really lovin' this banner two years later. I leave it up through the Summer:)

I have been pinning and planning on my Pinterest"Easter"  Board

I have been *thinking* about eggs. I wrote HERE a few years ago about how we color our eggs naturally..

And found a great printable to frame around the house:.....

Another hang up for me, and I hate this is that I haven't filed our taxes yet. That is new for me and I usually have a little extra money to work with by now, for:  a small gift in Easter baskets, a new tie or dress from Goodwill, some fun food on Easter Sunday....This year I'm going to need to be EXTRA creative.

I'm reminded of a few years back. Our daughter was at that weird cusp between little little kid and big kid and having a really hard time with sugar. Money was tight and I hadn't even thought about Easter baskets. The only thing seasonal we had done was decorate paper Easter eggs for the wall at Trader Joes. My daughter came to me and really really sweetly asked if she would get an Easter basket that year. Uh...no...I hadn't planned on it and it was Good Friday and it would take some maneuvering to get her things that weren't high sugar and there was nowhere in town. I just stared at her. Then I got a phone call from Trader Joes. Turns out that those eggs we decorated were an entry into a contest to win an Easter basket filled with fun foods. Guess who won? My daughter! My husband was working that day out of town, same town as Trader Joes and was able to pickup her basket. God is so good. He knew that was important to her before I did and did better than I would have been able to.

So....what to put in baskets (or piles) this year....
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UVQZNI/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=havahalgootim-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B002UVQZNI&adid=0807YGFY6AP7JKER
HKCR&  

HERE are some great ideas of what to put in plastic eggs besides candy and plan scavenger hunts etc...good stuff.

One of my biggest hangups is spending money that we don't have to buy things we don't need because it is a Holiday. Yet one of my biggest desires it to create memories and celebrate life with my children. See the turmoil in my thinking? ;) 

****edit, and for my "Easter basket" this little gift: