Resurrection Eggs

I have a love - hate relationship with my Easter decorations.  I am always so happy to crawl into the attic and get down my box of bunnies and eggs.  But by the time Easter comes and goes I am ready to stomp on every plastic egg that has somehow been scattered all over my house; and really, bunnies are only cute for so long (for me it's somewhere between 2 and 3 weeks). 

I do have a favorite Easter "decoration" that I want to tell you about.  Yes it is an egg; a dozen to be specific.  But they are very special.  Some of you have the Resurrection Eggs that are usually available at Christian Bookstores right about now.  I always thought they were wonderful, but wouldn't spend the money to buy them.  One year I found instructions to make some on my own in one of my favorite books.  Emilie Barnes writes all about her ideas for celebrating holidays and taking care of home and family.  The book is called "Emilie Barnes' 15 Minute Home and Family Organizer."  This homemade set of Resurrection Eggs is over 10 years old and is something I cherish because I made them with some amazing women who are dear to me. 

In this book Emilie Barnes suggests making eggs that represent the Easter Story.  I got all my Bible Study girlfriends together and we made a set for each of our families.  This worked out great because we each signed up for one of the items - and brought enough for everyone. Then we shared and assembled them all together.  The Easter Eggs are numbered 1-12.  Each numbered egg has an item and a Scripture that tells part of the True Easter Story. 

I found that there are examples similar to the pattern I followed online if you google Homemade Resurrection Eggs.  I'm happy to share mine too.....

Here is number 11, it includes a small stone and the reference John 20:1.  The other eggs contain things like a small cross, a branch with thorns, a perfumed scrap of fabric.

We've used this in different ways in our family.  When our kids were little, we would just open them up and tell them the stories while they examined the contents.  As they've gotten older we have them look up the Scriptures and read the passage that goes with each item in order.  If you have a structured family time you can open one every day as you countdown to Easter.  We tend to just find an evening close to Easter to get them out and dive in, taking time to consider the real meaning of Easter. 

I wish I had pictures to share with you of my kids with open plastic eggs lying around them as they sit in the floor with their daddy looking at a dozen ordinary items like a dime and a piece of a sponge while hearing about the extraordinary love Jesus has for them.  These are precious snapshots in my memory.

Here's an Easter Brunch recipe from Emilie's book:  It's really yummy, and healthier than traditional sausage. Enjoy!

Turkey Sausage
Mix together thoroughly with a fork:
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Shape into 12 small patties.  Fry in ungreased skillet or bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes in shallow pan until done. Do not overcook or patties will become tough.  Oven baking produces juicier patties and is easier when feeding a crowd.