Easter Frills and Thrills

Easter is my favorite time of year. Yes, I really do enjoy the holiday even more than I do Christmas.

It's not because of the chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, and peanut butter eggs.

It is not because of pretty dresses and matching hats and bonnets.

It is not because of eggs that are decorated and hidden for children to find.

It is not because of the delicious ham dinner.

All of the above are fun and precious, but they all could be taken away and Easter would still be my favorite time of the year. Because they are extra frills. But Easter, the true meaning of Easter is a thrilling true story.

Easter is my reason for hope.

Easter is my reason to keep living a life in a twisted world.

Easter is the reason I can still feel joy in times of heartache.

Easter is the reason I know without an ounce of doubt that I am loved passionately, unabashedly, and unconditionally.

Because it was on the first Easter morning more than 2,000 years ago when Christ, who was beaten beyond recognition and tortured on a cross until he drew His last breath, rolled a boulder away from His tomb and walked out whole...alive.

Easter is a day to celebrate victory of good over evil...of light over darkness...of truth over deception. And yes, this beautiful truth should be esteemed every day, but Easter is special, because Easter marks the anniversary of the greatest victory that will ever been known on this earth.

So in order to fuel anticipation and prepare my heart for Easter Sunday, I am going to host an Easter Frills and Thrills Blog Carnival on Becoming Me. The date of the carnival is March 9-11th, which is a month before Easter Sunday.

And because all good blog carnivals need a prize...I have a great one. My real life friend, Karen, has donated a $50 gift certificate for her on-line children's store, Fashions For Your Little Ones. Karen's E-bay based boutique has gorgeous clothing for girls and boys...perfect attire for Easter, Baptisms, Weddings, and Infant Dedications. So, if you have not yet purchased an Easter outfit for your kids...hold off on that just a tad longer, because you could win one here.

Here's what you'll need to know to participate. I think you'll be surprised at how few rules there are.

1) Write a post about Easter and post it on your blog on either March 9, 10, or 11. There are no rules for the post other than it be about Easter.

You could:

• Share a favorite Easter recipe or craft idea.
  
• Share a decorating tip.
  
• Write a devotional type of post about the the first Easter or a lesson learned from Easter.
  
• Write about how your life has changed since you accepted Christ's gift to you.
• Tell us about your favorite Easter memory.
• Write about your favorite reflection on Easter based on a character from the Easter story, like Mary, or Peter.

Perhaps you won't have a lot of time to write next week. That's OK too!

You could:

• Share a photo from a past Easter
• Share a photo of an Easter dress you like or a pretty spring table scape
  
• Share a video about the Easter message, or perhaps a song
• Share share a scripture from the Easter story.
  
• Write your post in a bullet point list format.
  

Seriously, I want to keep this simple if simple works best for you.

2) Please include the above button in your post about Easter (I'm sorry it's not the most attractive button...my graphic skills are limited) and Link to Becoming Me.

3) After your post is written, come back here anytime during the carnival and sign up on Mr. Linky so others can read what you write. More information will be posted at that time regarding the drawing for the $50 gift certificate...but I will say that checking out Karen's site before you come to link will be an advantage to you (more details about the prize will come later).

Currently, I am unable to post the code for the button---everytime I try it...well, it turns into the button. If you happen to be some kind of code genius, please e-mail me with the solution. But until then, here is how you can post the button. Also, I will be so very, very happy if you posted the button on your side bar linking to this post. Here's how you can do just that:

Right click on the image above and save it to your hard drive.
Then, go to your blog and post it to your side bar just like you would post a picture, but be sure to link it to this post. Having lots of people participate in the carnival will increase blog traffic for the participants...and it will give those who post the button on their side bars an extra shot at winning the $50 gift card...more details abot that to come.

I do hope you will join me for this special Easter blogging event.