Easter Story Cookies

I thought Easter Story Cookies would be a great idea for a Chef Charlie "episode". Anything with meaning and a life lesson behind it is my favorite way to teach. So, here is the story of Easter...Resurrection Day...told through a cookie...

 

Here's the book we got the recipe from. This book has all kinds of recipes from Jeff's family members and from people who attended the Mintonville United Methodist Church! 

This recipe came from Barbara Moore.

First we preheated the oven to 300*.

While the oven was preheating, we put pecans in a Ziploc bag and beat them into little pieces. I explained how after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers!  

 "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, 3 And said , Hail , King of the Jews! and they  smote him with their hands." John 19:1-4

Then I let Charlie smell and taste the vinegar. This was to illustrate that when Jesus was hanging on the cross and he said, " I thirst" they gave him vinegar to drink.

Vinegar is bitter!

^"After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" John 19:28-30 

 

The egg whites represented life. I told Charlie that Jesus gave His life so that we could have abundant and eternal life through Him if we accepted His gift of salvation!

"...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." John 10:10,11

Next I sprinkled salt in Charlie's hands. I let him taste this, too. He noted it's saltiness. I told him that this is like the salty tears that the people who loved and followed Jesus shed for Him when He was on the cross. And it also represents the bitterness of our own sin. 

Now, sin is a thing that is over Charlie's head- in fact, all of this probably is- but one thing I'm sure of, and that is that by teaching Charlie about Jesus and what He means to us and what He did for us at an early age and throughout his life, he will know the Lord and hopefully follow in our footsteps and serve Him. I pray everyday for the day Charlie becomes a believer. Right now, he goes to church because I take him. But one day, he'll walk through those doors on his own!

"And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.

But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children." Luke 23:27,28

So far the ingredients haven't been very tasty. But that's about to change!!

 We added 1 C of Sugar. I told Charlie that the sweetest part of this story was that Jesus died in our place, on the cross, because He loves us! And we love Him!

"O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8 and we all know John 3:16- "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

I beat these ingredients for 15 minutes! Finally, a beautiful soft white "batter" came out of those ingredients. I told Charlie it was white as snow- because when Jesus died He washed all our sins away- our sins became "white as snow" as we are born again! 

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isaiah 1:18

 Next we folded in the broken pecan pieces...dropped by tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet. I said to Charlie that they were like the tomb made by Joseph that Jesus was put in. Matthew 27:57-60

I put the cookie sheet in the oven, turned it off and handed Charlie a piece of tape. 

 

We sealed the oven door, just as Jesus' tomb was sealed...

*I gave Charlie a bath and put him to bed.*

This morning, we found the oven opened and look inside the cookies!!! They're empty, just like the grave!! Jesus is no longer dead- He is yet ALIVE!! 

Matthew 28

¹In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

 ²And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

 ³His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

 ⁴And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

 ⁵And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 ⁶He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

 ⁷And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

 ⁸And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.

 ⁹And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him.

 Here are the tombs this morning!

I don't know if you can tell it, but they're EMPTY!

Charlie thought they were great!! 

Now we're eating breakfast, getting dressed and ready to go to church!!

 HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY EVERYONE!!! :o)

Your Heart is for Storing Your Most Precious Memories...

Open up another browser and listen to this song  as you read this blog...it makes me cry every time I hear it! It's my love song to my children!

As Charlie's 2nd birthday nears I have a list in hand of all the little things I have to do and buy in the next few days to prepare for his little shin-dig we'll call a party. But I can't help but go back to the morning he was born....

Here's what it looked like in case you forgot.

Every thing I write down on my list, from "pick up Gerber Training Pants, wrapping paper and order balloons" to cake ideas and making homemade frosting brings another moment from the event forever recorded in my heart. 

I write "birthday plates, cups and napkins" and see us checking into the hospital and seeing the time on the clock, it's 6:40pm on a Thursday night- and then I write "train whistles and conductor hat" and remember the nurses gathering around me because it's now time to meet my little boy and then I picture Charlie's day and opening presents and seeing him smile and my mind goes back to "push Kelly- you can do it!! Just one-more-time!" and now it's 6:19am and he's in my arms- and I see him look at me- and immediately I've fallen in love.

So, this year, and every year I guess, as I plan his little BIRTHday celebration, I'll remember the days, the weeks, the months that I carried him beneath my heart and the seconds, minutes and hours that it took to have him in my arms... and he's moved from beneath my heart to inside my heart...and there is no greater blessing than knowing that a piece of your very being is living and breathing and walking around...because you gave it LIFE.

I know some people think birthday's are no big deal. No special thing to get worked up over and throw a party. But I disagree. Life is a gift. Life is so, so precious that you cannot ever take it for granted. Not one single day. Life was meant to be spent for greatness...loving people around you, and more importantly, the people God has given you. Sure, he won't remember it when he's this little. But I will. 

Sometimes the greatest part of being a parent is looking back on the crazy birthday party you've just had with a hundred people at your house, cake in your hair, wrapping paper too big to fit the garbage can, and a years worth of toys you don't need- just to lay in bed with your spouse holding hands, and smile in the dark and say- "What a beautiful boy the Lord has given to us. How lucky to be called his Dada and Mimi."


We're not promised tomorrow. And the heartbreaking thing is, neither are our children. And as frightening of a thought as losing a child is- it is real. It does happen. And I never want to look back and say "if only I'd had that birthday party and a video of him opening gifts...to see him smile and play one more time.........I didn't know it'd be his last..." I can't swallow that pill.


I pray every day that God keeps His hand on my babies, my husband and me as well. I need to be there for my family and I need each one of them to be there for me.


Birthday's to me have always been important. You could ask my husband what my favorite day of the year is and he would have told you "her birthday" until we had Charlie and Wesley. Now the correct answer is, "April 9th and October 22nd- followed by May 25th (our anniversary), Mother's Day and then May 13th (my birthday) and March 4th (Jeff's birthday)." I LOVE birthday's! They're so much fun! You get to celebrate the day that your children were born!  Even Christmas, the most beloved day of all, is a birthday! 


So anyway, while it's nearing Easter, another one of my favorite times of year, and Charlie's 2nd birthday, my mind is FULL of all the little special things I get to do for Charlie! He's going to love his birthday gifts- and everyone singing to him, the balloons, the train whistles and all things CHARLIE! I can't wait to get him dressed up to look like a little train conductor and have him greet our family at the door and show off his train cake! (Crossing my fingers that it turns out ok!) 


I really hope Jeff gets to help me decorate Charlie's cake and set up for his birthday. I'd love to have that memory stored in my heart for when our kids are gone and it's just me and him again...and wiping tears from our old eyes, we'll remember when...

Last year: Charlie's 1 year picture.

Don't grow up too fast, Charlie. Mommy's not ready yet...

One of My Rewards...

Today was Baby Dedication! 

Here are some photos of our special day!

 Getting emotional now as Brandi sings a song called "A Mother's Prayer". Tears were flowing from this girl's eyes as I imagined my little boy growing into a wonderful young man.

 

As I looked  on the large screens at all of the children being dedicated, their little innocent faces all round and sweet...it made me so humbled to be once again reminded that we are the ones God gave them to! 

We are responsible for their lives and we were given them as a reward from our Father! 

Oh the love that God has towards us!

As Easter, or Resurrection Day as I like to call it, nears us- I can't help but be overwhelmed, joyfully so, to know that because of that enormous love, God sent Jesus to die for us. Becuase of that love He GAVE his only SON to be our sacrifice so that we would have a way to heaven. Could you give your child up to die for people who hate him? Neither could I. But God did. 

THAT'S how much He loves you.

And as I thought of this love I realized that Wesley can grow up and do so many wonderful things for God. Things that I have only dreamed of doing. But because I raised him to serve the Lord I do get to do the things he'll one day do. Because I had a hand in that. All the greatest missionaries and preachers around the world had/have a mother. 

One that prayed next to their bed as they silently slept. 

As I do.