A Different Easter

It has been more than a month now since the state of Baden-Württemberg implemented the protective measures to stem the spread of the Corona virus. Schools have closed since then and school children find themselves home schooling. Workers who are not in the critical infrastructure are urged to work from home. Car industries have opted to shut down their production lines. Restaurants, pubs, cinemas, museums, churches, public playgrounds are closed to prevent the gathering of people. All these measures are in place to help stem the spread of the COVID-19, to give the health system the time to accommodate the critical cases. 

Just yesterday, Chancellor Merkel and the state ministers have come to an agreement to relax the protective measures a bit - but by relax, it meant opening some of the shopping stores that have less than 800 sqm. store area whilst still implementing proper distance of 1,5-2 meters. Schools will slowly open beginning May 4th but initially for those who are in their final years and will be undergoing their examinations. Public gatherings and sports events are still not allowed though. Visiting friends and relatives are still restricted, even travel plans. 

It is usually around the Easter holidays when we have travel plans with the family, to enjoy Spring and celebrate Easter somewhere else.  This year is a very different story. We were not able to celebrate Easter somewhere else but celebrated it with the family at home. There was no church gathering and the usual Filipino traditions that I have been accustomed to while growing up like Palm Sunday, the Pabasa beginning on Holy Thursday until Good Friday, going on the Stations of the Cross and then celebrating Eater Sunday at Church with the Filipino community. 

But what I find beautiful in this crisis is the communion with God and friends online. I find it beautiful that I get to pray the rosary and novena for the dead with my high school friends. To attend the holy mass at the comforts of your home through a live broadcast on social media. Even though the churches are closed, communities are still able to gather online, praying at the comforts of home. We get to spend more time with the family. It could get challenging at times, when boredome strikes, but it is still a nice feeling.

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Spring and Easter Home Decorating

We often hear the song "it's the most wonderful time of the year" whenever it is the winter and Christmas season, but SPRING can be considered the most wonderful time of the year too! 

Whenever I think of spring, I think of HOPE, and LIFE, and yes, EASTER! It is that time of the year when everything sprouts and springs back to life - birds singing, trees budding, flowers beginning to bloom. It is also that time of the year when everything seems painted in the soft hues of pastel colors and one is just in the mood to clean every corner and redecorate the house in all the glory of spring and easter!

Decorative pieces like vase, candle holders and candles, 
that when mixed and matched,
create a beautiful and romantic atmosphere.

When it comes to decors, one of my favorite go to stores is DEPOT. I just love their fresh ideas and trendy designs, and the endless possibilities of creative decorating that one can do by mixing and matching items. Plus, you can get lots of advice and decorating ideas in their blog "Schön bei Dir". Be it the living room, kitchen, dining table, bedroom, outdoor garden - you can find a lot of stuff to be inspired when you enter this store. They offer free brochures in-store that customers can take home, too so you can pre-select and organize your shopping list for when you drop by the next time. Their online shop allows you to shop 24/7 at the comfort of home.

DIY Idea: "A string of home-made bunting for festive occasions and everyday 'hygge'."
Photo from Sostrene Grene website. 

Another store that me and my daughter recently discovered is SOSTRENE GRENE. It is a Scandinavian chain of stores with headquarters in Denmark that provides its customers with a refined and innovative product range but still with a Nordic feeling to it. They always have something new every week, with some products available only at a limited period, so you will always be surprised each time you visit. The "DIY Corner" section of their website is something every craft-person must visit for those do-it-yourself ideas ranging from the simplest and easiest as making cardboard bugs with kids to more complicated projects like making a stunning lampshade. They don't have an online shop but the catalogues published monthly online are very helpful to plan ahead what you would like to purchase. If you love the feminine and Scandinavian touch like I do, then this store is a must visit. A visit at one of their stores is guaranteed to be a happy experience. :)

So if you want to liven up and redo your home decor for spring and easter, have a look at the assortment at these two stores mentioned. Wonderful surprises await you.

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Spring Brings New Life

Spring is here... And I love how everything comes back to life again... The flowers begin to bloom, the trees begin to grow their leaves again, the birds begin to sing in the crisp, morning breeze, squirrels begin to scuttle from tree to tree again. Yes, everything is coming back to life. Perhaps that is why they call it SPRING... to spring back to life.

But Spring has another significant meaning. In the Christian tradition, it is also during Springtime when we celebrate Easter, the day of Jesus' resurrection from the death. He was crucified and died on the cross and on the third day He rose again. Such LOVE is so great so that all of us may be saved.

This Holy Week, may we reflect on how great God's love is for us. And may we find ourselves celebrating Easter in a meaningful way. Indeed, Spring and Easter is something to be very happy about. Because from it,  HOPE comes. As a certain Bern Williams puts it,

"The day the Lord created HOPE was probably the same day he created SPRING."

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Easter Memories...

Easter is a much celebrated event here in my part of the planet. Not just in churches... I even got into the Easter spirit and decorated the house with spring and Easter decoration this year and I haven't found the time to put them away yet...

The Easter season is one of the most poopular events among children here, along with St. Martin's Day, Fasching or Carnival, and Christmas. I remeber my girl telling me excitedly what she did at the Kindergarten for their Easter celebration. That they went egg hunting and each child was allowed to choose among the many kids Easter baskets and fill it with the easter eggs that they find. That after collecting and finding all the eggs, they ate the eggs and that she ate all of her share. And she giggled. A few days after that, she wouldn't stop asking me to boil eggs so she could shell them herself.

Easter for me is like starting anew, starting fresh and I guess my little girl will come to understand it and appreciate it more as she grows bigger. Beyond the decorations that beautify are the symbols of new life and new beginning, which is what Easter really represents. And isn't it very good timing that Easter morning comes in Spring time,  when everything comes back to life again? An amazing fact....

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The Netherlands Was Beautiful

I know this post is kind of late... but lots of things have kept me away from the blogging. I barely made it to my memes this week but I was able to post some. As they always say, better late than never. My two loves are now better, thank God! Thank you to all those sent well-wishes and gave their concern.

Hubby and Sam in our hotel room, all dressed up for an afternoon in Amsterdam.

As you may all know, we spent the Easter holidays in The Netherlands. It was a beautiful experience for the family, what with the old architecture, the windmills, the tulips, the fresh air and a whole new place to explore. Although the weather was not so good when we got there on a Saturday afternoon because it rained and it hailed, our accommodations made up for it. We chose to stay in Hotel Casino Sassenheim and the room was big, big enough to fit four people without cramming and there were two beds, one queen sized, the other single.

The family in Amsterdam. Amsterdam was an inspiring place...
everywhere you look is beautiful so that you'd want to capture it on canvas.
(That's the painter in me writing down her thoughts...)

Sunday morning, it rained too but weather forecasts promised better conditions so we opted to visit Amsterdam, which is about 30 minutes from our hotel. We didn't bring the car with us though because we were told firsthand that driving around Amsterdam is difficult and impractical. The tram, bicycles, cars and pedestrian all use the same street. The roads are narrow and the parking rates are way too expensive, at €5.00 (Php 300) per hour.

Monday, the weather was better and we visited the windmills in Zaanse Schans and the beautiful spring garden of Keukenhof. It was in Keukenhof where I was very much delighted, with all the tulips and other bulb flowers that I got to photograph. Sadly, I lost the SD card with all my flower photos. So much for all my effort. =( Oh well, we can always return. Will post photos later... Firefox is acting up again!

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Holy Week... Holidays

This blogger is on blogging break beginning Friday, April 2, 2010 until April 4, 2010 in observance of the Holy Week. Will be back to regular posting on Ostermontag (Easter Monday) April 5, 2010. Thank you so much for your visit and for leaving your valuable comments. Please know that they are read and very much appreciated. Will get back to you as soon as I can...

We are also off to The Netherlands (Holland) over the weekend in celebration of Easter. Will try to bring home as much tulips as I can, enough to last me a year! Of course, will be sharing it with you all! :D

With that, I wish everyone a blessed and meaningful Holy Week and a beautiful beginning on Easter morn.

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