More Easter Decor Ideas!

Here are some of the fun ideas I promised. To make this post not too long, please click through the slide show on the right! If you click on the image, it will enlarge!

Easter Traditions and Decor

They are really serious about Easter in this quaint German Town!

Notice the hundreds of eggs in the tree!

Fountain all decked out!

Ok, I am the first to admit: I had it with the snow, no more, please!!!!! I want spring and bunnies bouncing around my yard, and cheerful children hunting for eggs. Ok, it is not that idyllic around here but hey, one can dream. What I most long for is some flowers and some sun and some color.
I grew up in Germany where Easter is the second biggest holiday of the year. So naturally, Easter is still big in the Osman house. More correctly, Easter has become big in the Osman house! I remember my complete shock when I woke up my first married Easter morning and my husband did not have any presents for me. It is not so much that I am hugely into "stuff," I just had never heard of such a thing. Of course, you give Easter presents! My poor husband was kind of befuddled, he had messed up without even knowing :)

I have two favorite Easter traditions:

1. Blowing out eggs and then decorating them. I remember as a little kid trying to blow them out, being entirely unsuccessful AND getting a headache from my efforts. So my mom had the pleasant task of doing it each year. One year, I tried it again. I had not only grown in stature but also in "Easter egg blowing out" ability. All of a sudden it was so easy and I couldn't imagine ever having a hard time with it.
I wish I still had some of those early eggs, but they are all gone. Two Easters ago though, I got a pleasant surprise and a most cherished possession. My husband's mother Pauline, who is now in her 89 year and has been a great artist her entire life, kept many of the Easter eggs that she had done in the past. My husband's sister, knowing how much I love genuine hand crafted items with meaning, sent them to me. I still cannot believe my luck of getting them; after all, Andy's mother has 7 children, and I am a daughter in-law. No complaints here, though! So what do you do with those eggs? Germans have Easter trees. They find branches with buds that are just about to bloom, usually forsythias, flowering cherries or oftentimes pussy willows. The branches are put into large vases with water, the resulting "Easter Tree" is decorated with the eggs and sometimes Easter bunnies etc. kind of like a Christmas tree. Then as the days go by, the flowers start to bloom and the eggs are nestled amidst the first signs of spring.


I love how they even manage to make a gray house cheerful and inviting!Easter Trees!

2. My other favorite Easter tradition is the Easter fire. It is a huge bonfire that each city puts on. Literally, thousands of people come to attend this event. Traditionally, it was the time when the Christmas trees were burned to celebrate the coming of Spring and the resurrection of Christ. Not sure how many xmas trees are burned these days (although Germans still use mostly fresh ones) but who wants to have a dead tree hanging around for months? However, the fires are still as impressive as those of old, maybe more. They are large, very large. Several stories is not exaggeration and I have fond memories of watching the Easter fire during a chilly evening at the outskirts of town and meeting up with all my friends. In my town, there are two days when everyone is out and about: during the Easter fire and at midnight on Christmas eve. Coincidence? These are also the only two days a year when the people of Happy Town attend church. BTW, I promise, I did not make up that name :)


Of course, all the dashing volunteer firefighters are present as well! Big draw when you are young and live in a small town :)

Be sure to check out the slide show on the left, click on it and the pictures will enlarge. Froehliche Ostern!

When in the heck is Easter?

Christmas? Easy! Always on the 25th of December in the States, 24th in Europe. But when in the heck is Easter?

When is Easter? (Short answer)
Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox.

When is Easter? (Long answer)
The calculation of Easter is complicated because it is linked to (an inaccurate version of) the Hebrew calendar. Jesus was crucified immediately before the Jewish Passover, which is a celebration of the Exodus from Egypt under Moses. Celebration of Passover started on the 15th day of the (spring) month of Nisan. Jewish months start when the moon is new, therefore the 15th day of the month must be immediately after a full moon. It was therefore decided to make Easter Sunday the first Sunday after the first full moon after vernal equinox. Or more precisely: Easter Sunday is the first Sunday after the "official" full moon on or after the "official" vernal equinox. The official vernal equinox is always 21 March. The official full moon may differ from the real full moon by one or two days. (Note, however, that historically, some countries have used the real (astronomical) full moon instead of the official one when calculating Easter. This was the case, for example, of the German Protestant states, which used the astronomical full moon in the years 1700-1776. A similar practice was used in Sweden in the years 1740-1844 and in Denmark in the 1700s.) The full moon that precedes Easter is called the Paschal full moon.
Two concepts play an important role when calculating the Paschal full moon: The Golden Number and the Epact. They are described in the following sections. The following sections give details about how to calculate the date for Easter. Note, however, that while the Julian calendar was in use, it was customary to use tables rather than calculations to determine Easter. The following sections do mention how to calculate Easter under the Julian calendar, but the reader should be aware that this is an attempt to express in formulas what was originally expressed in tables. The formulas can be taken as a good indication of when Easter was celebrated in the Western Church from approximately the 6th century.

There you have it!

This week: Holy Cow Boutique in Pleasant Grove!

Come and check us out at the famous Holy Cow Boutique in Pleasant Grove! You will love our items and the other vendors as well! Be sure to pick up a 20% off coupon to be used at the store while you are there. Then, stop by at the store for a chat!

Sweet Tweets Boutique in Lehi

Hello girls (and guys)!

This week we will be at the Sweet Tweets Boutique in Lehi. Come check us out! It will be in a model home with over 60 vendors and promises to be fantastic. Don't let this opportunity pass by to get in some girl time and bring home some great finds!

Spring Home and Garden Show -- A Success!

Thank you, thank you for your support! The success of the show exceeded our most hopeful expectations! It was a lot of fun but also very busy. We would love to sleep for the next week BUT we already have a new project. Read above: Project: Home Vignettes! We can't wait to see your ideas!

New Website

Hello everyone!

Our website is finally done, well almost :). We are still adding products. Come check us out annaandrose.com.

For other exciting news? We will be in the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy, UT this weekend. We are displaying at the Spring & Garden Show. Last time we went the show was a huge success. Come and join us, we'd love to see you!

In other musings... Where is this economy going to end up? The DOW down another 300 today to the lowest levels since 97? Does anyone even remember that? I am worried that we as a country will make smart choices and not spend money like crazy. My son, who is 11, said a couple things to me in the car today. I am thinking, "he is getting it, how come the politicians can't get it?" Not that hard!

Have a great night you guys!