Happy Easter 2015

Wishing everyone a Blessed Easter!

He is Risen Indeed!!

And of course, something knitted.

 

 

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -24 April 2014

 

Happy Easter Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real this week.

Can’t be in Toronto for Easter weekend and NOT get to church for the Solemn Mass –St. Mary Magdalene.  I love to be here for Easter, since it is to Mary Magdalene that our Lord first appears.  This is my church, the one I measure all others against.  Mom and Dad were married here.  So were Grandma and Grandpa Rees.  Grandpa sang in the ritual choir and my great Auntie Ella sang in the gallery choir.  Anyone into English church music will be interested to know that Healey Willan was actually the choir master at St. Mary’s for a long time.

Things have changed a lot since my Grandparents were here, but I think it’ beautiful.  This is the main altar area.  To the left is St. Joseph’s altar and to the right is the Marian one.

Ella is so much braver than I ever was as a child.  She doesn’t know anyone here but she still wanted to go to Sunday school.  Well I was in for a surprise:

The Sunday school kids returned during the offering and had their own procession!  The girls had these adorable floral wreaths and Ella was at the front carrying a floral cross too.  She was so beautiful and glowing.  I nearly cried.  I didn’t have my camera but luckily the church photographer was ready and they will be putting the pictures on FB soon (hopefully) and then I can share them here too.

The Easter garden.  I can’t believe we didn’t get ours made this year.  We have to get better at that!  Please excuse the faces in these last couple pictures.  She was tired and hungry and I forgot to bring a late morning snack (it’s 1 pm).

This is the baptismal font where I was Christened and probably where my Dad was Christened too.  Though if I remember correctly, Mom said it wasn’t in the back corner back then.  Ella thought it was really cool that I was Baptized here.

We had such a great weekend with Auntie Belinda and Uncle Stefan.

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Happy Easter

I hope every one is enjoying a blessed Easter with family and friends!

We got to go to Ottawa for Mass this morning.  We took our friends Terence and Teresa.  This was Terence’s first time in a high Anglican church.

Terence was even able to carry the cross when the Sunday school children came back into church, in time for Communion.

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Easter Weekend

As you may have noticed, Ella and I went to Scarborough to spend Easter weekend with Auntie Belinda and Uncle Stefan.  We had a wonderful time.

We stopped by Peterborough on the way to Scarborough.  Grandpa Jim and Grandma Linda took us out for lunch at East Side Mario’s.  It’s Ella’s current favourite restaurant.  We had a nice visit and I’m glad Linda had the day off.

Auntie Belinda decorated the house for our birthdays (Grandma and I).  And no, the walls aren’t quite so yellow in person.  It’s more of a pumpkin and looks quite nice (for her house).

Uncle Stefan and Ella had a great time playing all weekend.  Ella loves having someone who loves video games as much as she does.  Uncle Stefan won the favourite uncle award this weekend with his castle creation.  This castle has everything a good castle needs, including a working drawbridge and secret entrance (don’t tell).

Sunday we were able to go to church!!  Easter service at St. Mary Magdalene is always wonderful.  Ella and her new bunny spotted the Easter garden.  Ella did really well making it through the 2 hour service.  Our local church is only 1 hour, and even St. Barnabas in Ottawa is 1.5 hrs.  Grandma forgot snack, but Momma had a couple Easter eggs in her pocket that got Ella through the service.  I wanted to take some pictures of the inside of the church, but as usual, Grandma made a bee-line for the door and I had to hurry along.

It never fails, regardless of when Easter falls, Easter Sunday is nearly always unpleasant.  This year was no exception.  You can’t see our new dresses because we had to wear sweaters (or poncho in Ella’s case).   This is the park behind church.  It used to be the location of the convent and school.  My Grandma Rees was raised by the sisters at the school when her parents left her behind in Toronto when they went to Winnipeg.  One of my favourite pieces of jewelry is the crucifix given to Grandma by one of the sisters when she finished school.

Ella came home to find quite a change in our Easter garden.  The stone is gone from the tomb, the wheat is growing like crazy, the lilac branches are even trying to bloom!  Ella really loved the eggs hanging on the branches.

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