Oh wait - it's not Easter. It's just a normal Sunday in April. Sorry if you just jetted to Target to buy Easter baskets. You still have two weeks. You can thank me for all the time you now have to plan later.
I loved Easter when I was a kid. Holidays fall into a few categories when you're a kid. There are the present holidays - Christmas and Birthdays. The EATING holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, and then the beloved candy holidays. All of these overlap with dress-up holidays as well. You don't get into the beer holidays like St. Patrick's Day and New Year's until later in life.
Easter is one of the - deeper meanings aside, of course - don't get all overly serious on me - rare trifecta holidays that is a dress-up holiday, a candy holiday, an eating holiday. Halloween only matches two - dress-up and candy. I loved it. I looked forward to my dress every year, and even though I don't really have a sweet tooth, there were some candies unique to Easter that were some of my favorites, like Robin's Eggs and those beautiful, pastel wrapped Reese's peanut butter cups. MMM. Thankfully - my mother likes black jelly beans, or there would be a landfill of those near Bryan, TX. I loved the surprise factor too - hunting for our baskets, going on Easter Egg hunts (even though 100 degrees and boiled eggs don't mix that well - throw in rattlesnakes and fire ants for the real Texas twist! :)
I decided to show some love to one of my cutest little bundles - Basket Bunch - today for a very special cause (below). I love that there's a die that cuts out little egg shapes, so I cut a bunch out of watercolor paper and watercolored them, and then perched my little bunny on top :). I used two separate stamp sets (below) for the sentiment.
I have several close friends with autistic children, and I've learned about the struggles these parents and children face every minute of their lives. It's overwhelming, and I can't imagine the courage it takes. I didn't know that autism was added as a special education in 1991 and now is the sixth most common classified disability in the U.S. If I look out across my friends groups, I can see the percentages in real life. I've learned a ton from these people and their challenges, not the least of which is sensitivity to the fact that sometimes a parent or friend may be dealing with a lot more than you think.
The purpose of the blog hop is to raise awareness, as you will see many people doing this month, and to raise money for Autism Speaks - an organization that funds research, provides resources and advocacy for families. You can make a tax-deductible donation of any amount at my page here. My goal was to raise $150, so if you can help in any way - please do! Even a dollar would be wonderful.
Here are a list of my friends participating today - please check out what they've created - I can't wait to see it all myself!
- Brian King
- Julie DiMatteo
- Sandi MacIver
- Mary Deatherage
- Lydia Fielder
- Kim Vogel
- Amy Koenders
- Linda Geiger
- Lisa Curcio
- Candy Ford
- Lisa Pretto
- Jari Francis
- Jaimie Babarczy
- Beth Hooper
- Sue Prather
your little bunny is totally adorable Lydia
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet little Easter Bunny on top of his pile of eggs! Thanks for joining us for the hop! :)
ReplyDeleteCutest little bunny ever! Thanks for being part of the autism Hop Lydia. Means a lot to so many.
ReplyDeleteSuch an adorable card for a wonderful cause. Those Easter eggs = Love.
ReplyDeleteThe cutest bunny, atop the cutest pile of Easter eggs! Love it!
ReplyDeleteCute, Cute, Cute I tell ya... Card... and a Wonderful Charity... Bless you all for taking this on.... Faith
ReplyDeleteI, too, have a couple of close friends with autistic children. They are raising funds this month to help with awareness--which is greatly needed. It's definitely a misunderstood condition with a large spectrum of diagnoses. Thanks for helping to raise funds and awareness. Your card is sweet, too.
ReplyDeleteI have been a follower of your blog for a couple of years or more. I love your sense of humor and greatly enjoy reading your blog. This particular post touches my heart, because my son is on the Autism spectrum. I can't afford to donate today, but I wanted to thank you and the others on the blog hop for supporting Autism Speaks and helping to spread knowledge of the disorder with others. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteYour bunny is adorable!!! I love him sitting atop the pretty water color egg pile!! Such a great cause!!!
ReplyDeleteI love your use of two different fonts for your sentiment. I enjoyed reading your post as it not only had card making but also shared about autism. Thanks for sharing!
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