Easter Cookie Recipe

Easter Story Cookies
Here is the recipe as promised! :)
To be made the evening before Easter or anytime you want to teach about the death and resurrection of Jesus:
You need:
1 cup whole pecans Zipper baggie
1 tsp. Vinegar Wooden spoon
3 egg whites Tape
Pinch salt Bible
1 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 300 degrees (this is important-don't wait until you're half done with the recipe)!


Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested. He was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

Read John 19:1-3.

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1 tsp. Vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.

Read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.

Read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin.

Read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 cup sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because
He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.

Read Ps. 34:8 and
John 3:16.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white Represents --in God's eyes -- the purity of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

Read Isa. 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper-covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matt. 27:57-60.

Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF.
Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that
Jesus' tomb was sealed.

Read Matt. 27:65-66.

GO TO BED!

Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven
overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie.
Notice the cracked surface and take a Bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open
and empty.

(If for some reasons – your cookies don’t turn out hollow – you can still break them up and talk about how Jesus was broken so that he can fix our broken lives OR break them up and say that they are like the "rock" that was put over the tomb.)

Read Matt. 28:1-9
Share The Easter Cookie Story With Friends and Family

BEST EASTER STORY EVER!

OK. How amazing to have these awesome moments with your kids. I had reserved Saturday night to make "Easter Cookies" with Macy ( while Mia was napping). We were making a BIG batch to take to FBI Kids Church for Sunday because I was teaching and thought it would be a great Easter lesson. I got the recipe in an email from my friend Delane this week. I will try and post it on the blog later this week.

To sum it up....First you have to put whole pecan halves into a ziplock bag and beat them with a wooden spoon until they are all broken up. Then you read the verses in the Bible that talk about how they beat Jesus. Then you add vinegar. Have them smell and taste it. Read the verses where they put vinegar on a sponge and gave it to Jesus when he said "I thirst". more ingredients...more verses.... (really neat)....

So I decided to get one of Macy's dolls to talk about the whole "concept" of Easter and what it means. So I cut out 2 hearts on white scrap paper. I had her color one black. Then we taped it onto her doll's chest. We talked about how all of us sin. We have ALL made bad decisions....disobeyed. Bad attitude...etc. Those things keep us from God. Sin makes our heart black. But because Jesus died for us - we can ask Him to forgive us and to come into our hearts. And when we do this - we can have a clean, white heart! I asked Macy if she wanted a black heart - and she said NO! I asked her if she wanted a white heart - and she said "YES!" I asked her doll if she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart and to forgive her. She said YES (with a little help from mom). Her doll prayed and then we took off the black heart and taped the white heart on.

THEN HERE IT IS - I ASKED MACY IF SHE WANTED TO PRAY - AND SHE DID - AND SO WE PRAYED FOR JESUS TO COME INTO HER HEART. AND WHEN I ASKED HER IF SHE WANTED TO TAPE A WHITE HEART ONTO HER SHIRT......SHE SAID NO!!! AND LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS SILLY. THEN SHE SAID "I ALREADY HAVE A WHITE HEART". I ASKED HER WHERE IT WAS...AND SHE POINTED AT HER CHEST AND SAID "IN HERE" ... all the while having a huge beautiful smile on her face.

What a deep moment. Wow. She really gets it. I was really going to tape a white paper heart on her chest as a symbol. But she didn't need it!

First Easter Eggs

Mia's first Easter was sunny but the wind was stinking cold!!!!! These pictures were taken at Mamaw and Pa's house after church.














Always the adventure girl... "how can I get out of this fence?"












Both girls were SLEEPY - but finally decided to enjoy the day! I had to have a big talk with Macy. She wanted to HIDE the eggs - but when it was time to hunt them - she would run ahead of Mia and get them all in her basket. NOT FUN for Mia! So she finally decided to run past some of them (even though SHE hid them) to leave some for Mia to find!











Awwww.

FINALLY SHARING! :)

Forgiveness

Brad took these pictures on a recent Sunday morning to illustrate his sermon. Just that morning Macy was slinging a necklace around and hit Mia in the eye. Mia of course started screaming and crying - but Brad had Macy hug her little sister and say she was sorry - and they instantly hugged and all was OK again at the McMath household. Kids are so great about forgiveness!

As you can tell though - by the third picture - Mia was tired of the whole forgiveness theme and ready to quit hugging!

10 Month Update

Earlier this month, on March 5th, we celebrated the one year anniversary of our "Referral". In adoption circles - this is KNOWN as a very big deal. This is "THE DAY" that you receive your packet that you have been matched with a specific child - and you see a picture of them for the very first time. My life changed forever on March 5, 2007. THE DAY had come. God had put together in His perfect timing - that we were now ready to become the parents of this wonderful little girl that He had created.

Even as I look back now at Mia's "referral" pictures - it almost doesn't seem like the same baby. Even though I "bonded" with those pictures - my only link to this child until I could meet her - she has literally TRANSFORMED before our eyes into such a personality. I think that was the thing most lacking. All she knew up until her life with us was so limited. Her personality had never had the opportunity to develop. The transformation has been almost magical. From blank eyes - to dancing eyes...from no expression - to hilarious interaction...from being an observer of objects around her - to being the object of love, adoration, hugs, kisses, and laughter.
Just watching Macy and Mia giggle and hug and play together tonight has been....ahhhhh....such a sweet aroma to this Mommy's soul. And I love the way Mia's eyes light up when her Daddy is chasing her and then the belly laugh that bursts forth when he catches her!

My life has been so incredible since I finally surrendered running from God 18 years ago. I was so empty, but embracing who Jesus is and what he has done for me, for all of us, has changed me. REALLY. I am a different person. I didn't deserve God's grace. Thankfully He loved me more than I could love myself. And now my mind, my soul, my emotions- feel like they have walked from the desert and taken a long drink of refreshing water. How did I get off on this????....

Oh yeah - My life has been incredible since I finally surrendered my life to God - but I must say - that I honestly think that the last 10 months of my life - have been the BEST days yet! Mia seems to complete the puzzle in my heart that is already full of incredible people....God first of all, my wonderful husband, Brad...our incredible firstborn, delightful daughter, Macy...my family...his family...and finally this missing piece of our puzzle is HERE! Wooooooooo Hoooooooo!

Forgotten sledding pictures

Forgot about these pictures from our one snow we've had this year. The girls had so much fun together. It was such a sweet day!! The news is "saying" we might get 4 inches of snow tomorrow - but HA! I will believe it when I see it. It was over 70 degrees today and I don't think the ground is cold enough for anything to stick! I am thinking these are the only snow pictures we are getting this year! We shall see! :)