Lovely Links: Easter Edition

I love Easter.  It's such a beautiful holiday, so full of meaning.  I love the way Easter makes me pause and reflect on how grateful I am for my Savior. I also love the time of year - it seems so appropriate to celebrate the resurrection of Christ in the spring, a time when when the whole world is reborn.  As Martin Luther once said, "Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime." 

While I think Easter is a more solemn kind of celebration (is solemn the right word? Maybe pensive? Quiet?) than Christmas, I think one can still have fun with it, too. So, I've collected an assortment of links for this weekend's edition of Lovely Links. A couple of them are spiritually focused, while the others are more about the playful celebration of spring. In any case, enjoy!

Hot Cross Buns -- The Pioneer Woman
It's no secret that I just love P.W.  I've mentioned her numerous times on my blogs.  Anyway, here's her recipe for this traditional pastry.  I had a recipe for these, but mine never turned out that well; I'm positive that P.W.'s (like all the other recipes of hers that I've tried) will be awesome. I may just keep with the Good Friday tradition and make a batch of these today, but with dried cranberries instead of raisins. Few things ruin baked goods like hot raisins. Ick.  Just sayin'.

Simple Ways to Celebrate Easter -- Simple Mom
Again, I make no secret of my love for Simple Mom (or any of Simple Living Media blogs).  This link is particularly awesome - it's a link to a bunch of links! Plus, she mentioned a few that I was going to mention anyway (like the egg carton crafts and the Easter egg bread). This is all sounding a little repetitive. Just go there. It's a treasure trove of ideas.

Easter Weekend at My House -- Me!
I feel a little weird putting my personal blog as a link. I mean, you guys hear from me all the time already - my weekend links about exposing you to people often more creative and talented than myself. But, I have this really cool recipe my mom gave me a couple years ago.  Each ingredient is accompanied by a scripture in the Bible that tells the story of Easter.  Plus, there's a neat little twist to the end result. The rest of the post is just some of my musings about the holiday and some random thoughts.  Check it out - if just for the recipe.

 -- One of my very favorite religious paintings: He is Not Here by Walter Rane

'None Were with Him' by Jeffrey R. Holland
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a prominent leader of my church (we call him an Apostle), is truly an inspired man. When he speaks, I listen.  He has a way of telling a story that I've heard hundreds of times (in this case, the Easter story) and he makes me feel like I'm hearing it for the first time. I don't know if that makes sense, but I love him for it. This video captures just a few minutes of one of my favorite talks he's ever given. I think it's the perfect message for weekend, especially this Good Friday (for the full text of this talk, check out this link).


Happy Easter!