Remembering the REAL meaning of Easter

So much is going on, much change but Praise the Lord for change ;) Will share more on this later. Anyhoo, I've been putting the finishing touches on our homes Easter decor and I thought I would share. In decorating our home for Easter I wanted to be very mindful to incorporate decor/touches that convey the true meaning of Easter, Christ death and resurrection on the cross. Don't get me wrong, we still have bunnies, eggs, chicks, jellybeans, and other decor of the sort but as a whole I've been purposeful in adding meaningful decor. For example, our family room:
Has scripture mounted in frames
And a new tradition to our family this year- a 'Happy Easter' resurrection banner (this is our take on the resurrection eggs). It has been quite a delight to have Makayla open up a letter/bag each evening that shares scripture that tell the story of Easter. As the resurrection eggs, each bag/letter has a small token that coincides with the verse. I'll do a more detailed post of what scriptures we are using/etc. soon. We also have a basket full of Easter books that tell the story of Easter placed by Makayla's rocker that is next to the mantle...the perfect lil' cozy spot to cuddle up with my sweets and read her books that tell the story of this beloved holiday.

Another change that I have decided to incorporate this year is no bunny visit on Easter but instead to focus our minds and hearts completely on Christ on Easter Sunday. The Easter bunny will make a visit to our home but he is going to visit on Sat. so that on Easter we can have no distractions by bunnies or eggs but devote that day to remembrance of what our gracious Lord and Savior has done on our behalf on the wondrous cross at Calvary. We plan on having a nice Easter brunch so I added some decor to the dining room area where we will be eating:
I made the moss covered cross on the table this year and then added more frames with scriptures and remembrances of Easter.

One of my favorites additions to our Easter table this year is the simple place settings; each place setting consist of a crown of thorns wrapped around the napkin, a wooden cross that I created out of twigs from our yard, and then finished off with scripture scrolls I created. I plan on having each of us read the scripture that is left on our plate before we eat- the scriptures will tell the story of Easter {Matthew 28:1-6}
Another tradition we are choosing to incorporate this year is to take of the bread and cup together prior to partaking in our Easter brunch
I've arranged our buffet to hold the 'elements'; the bread will go in the box and the new wine glasses I created will be used to take of the cup.
I'm so thrilled to start these traditions with my family- my greatest hope is that Makayla will grow to learn that Christmas and Easter is more then Santa, stockings, bunnies, and baskets...its a time to honor all that the Lord has graciously given to us- Thanks be to God!