Blog - Shannon Von Eschen Photography

Eggs, Easter, + my Teenage E

† Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! -Luke 24:5-6 †

† HALLELUJAH! He is Risen Indeed! †

Winter escaped us entirely this year. Truly. It just never came after the leaves fell in October and on most days over the last few weeks, we’ve found ourselves still waiting for it. But Spring is here either way. Without apology. And, sometimes, I think that’s exactly how life is. The fullness or absence of seasons, that is. While there are times we wait and wait and wait, there are other times when we’re not ready just yet…but it’s here. Ready or not. Those words so familiar to you and I who have spent your entire life playing some version of hide-n-seek. When you were so very little it was mostly me saying those words…and your tiny voice from behind the trees of our field saying “Reyydy Mama” as you’d try to run with your too-big-for-you basket trying to spot those eggs.

It’s hard to believe you and I have done this for fourteen years together. So hard. On the way to church this morning, Dad asked if you were going to drive us there yourself next year…and I blinked back the visceral response I felt when he said that. But it’s incredibly likely you will. I’m purposefully not going to do the math or look up to see which date Easter falls next year, but…wow. Wow, time.

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DIY Easter Egg Shell Planters

🌿 Bloom where you are planted. 🌿

Materials (Makes 6):

Six Napkin Rings
Six Raw Eggs
Egg Holder (or Egg Carton)
Dish Soap
Decorative Moss
Flower or Greenery cuttings
1 Cup of Water

Instructions:

1. Make your Egg Planters: Gently crack the top 1/3 of the egg and peel away slowly. Pour the yolk and egg white into a small bowl (for either scrambling or cooking later, yum!). Once your shell is emptied, rinse it under warm water and use dish soap to gently clean the egg inside and out. Though the risk is low, this decontaminates your Egg Planters from any possible Salmonella bacteria. After rinsing your egg, prop it up in your Egg Holder or Egg Carton to dry. Repeat on the rest of the eggs.

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<3 Fatherhood in Frames <3

“The heart of man is very much like the sea,

it has its storms, it has its tides

and in its depths it has its pearls too”

– Vincent van Gogh

I’ve never much loved pearls, but I wholly get the significance and depth of their meaning. And thus you are mine. You and E.

It’s not lost on me how much you have earned the immensely important title of “Best Dad Ever.” But it’s true. Though I could easily start listing all the ways in which you’ve both earned and proved this, you have finally fit the mold of the card aisle, which in and of itself is an achievement for you–even though it’s hilariously “common.” Just this month, Eli and I finally understood why so often Father’s Day cards have grills on them…Ha! I mean, I get it when I think of so many Fathers and Father-figures I know, but it never really fit /you/. Until now. For the last two months, you have grilled anything and everything that’ll fit onto your Blackstone and you have loved every second. Making the whole of our acreage smell like the best meal in town, even the deer and fox come out to watch you. It wasn’t until lockdown (how crazy life can be sometimes!) that you decided you wanted to also hold the title of chef in our family and neither E or I have complaints. You are genuinely so good at cooking and creating. But it’s not all that surprising. You are good at everything. And your profound knowledge of all.things is something I’ve marveled at since I met you. And still your wisdom is growing; and still I marvel.

See what I see…

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