Getting outside and enjoying Spring

The last few weeks have presented us with many opportunities to go outside.  Dinners/lunches on the deck, many walks around the neighborhood to the neighborhood playground, as well as trips to our local playground. We also planted a few of the bushes for our front flower beds and we've been outside watering the grass in the mornings while we read our stories. Nature always excites and amazes. On one of our walks in the afternoon we saw a bald eagle soaring through the neighborhood. Amazing! We've also sighted many cardinals, robins, and the neighborhood groundhog. The daffodils we purchased will have flowers any minute and our tiny seedlings are beginning to look stronger. The children enjoy watching nature grow and change.
We are also getting excited about Easter. I wanted to focus on the Easter Story this whole week in our morning Bible time. Anastasia and I put together a carton of Resurrection eggs last evening. They are relatively simple and cheap to make and I'm excited to use them.
We also made sugar sandwich cookies shaped like bunnies and flowers and we dyed eggs.

Sugar Sandwich Cookies Recipe (courtesy of Jill Pickering)
1 C. soft butter
1/3 C. cream
2 C. flour
mix cream, butter and flour then chill.
preheat over 350*F
roll 1/3 dough out on floured board keeping the rest of dough chilled. cut 1" circles (or small shapes) transfer cut cookies to granulated sugar and cover both sides. place on cookie sheet and prick 4-5 times with fork. bake 7-9 minutes

Filling:
1/4 C. soft butter
3/4 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
cream for proper consistency.
Cream ingredients together and add food color.

The sweetness for these cookies comes from the filling. They are very nice with coffee/tea but the children enjoy them with milk!