Happy Easter from Spotlight

ATTEND EASTER SERVICE AT CHURCH- Easter wouldn't be complete without attending a worship service at the church. Some churches host an early sunrise service and others hold a Saturday night Easter Vigil.

EGG TIME MACHINE- Have your kid write a letter to him or herself that can be placed inside a plastic egg to open next year on Easter. It's a fun way to read how they have grown in a year.

DECORATE AN EASTER EGG TREE- Buy some foam or plastic eggs and decorations and let the kids be creative.

GATHER ROUND THE TABLE- Invite extended family members to have a big Easter brunch or dinner.

BAKING, AND MORE BAKING- Bunny, chick or egg-shaped cookies are perfect shapes to bake and decorate for this holiday.

OBSERVE LENT- Lent is a season leading up to Easter where some may choose to "give up" something they treasure as a reminder of the 40 days of praying and fasting observed by Christ.

ATTEND AN EASTER PARADE- Have kids put on an Easter hat, hit the streets an watch the excitement.

EGG RELAY RACE- Divide participants up into teams. Give every team a hard-boiled egg and a spoon. Blow the whistle and the players balance an egg on the spoon while walking or running to a given point and back and then hand off to the next team member. The first team to finish wins the game.

SHELL CRACK GAME- Each person gets his own hard-boiled Easter egg and pairs up with one other participant. The contest is to have each pair smash the small ends of their eggs together. The person with the unbroken shell advances to the next round where they pair up and do it again. The one who has the last uncracked egg wins.

EASTER BASKET SCAVENGER HUNT- Instead of just placing Easter baskets out on Easter morning, add a fun twist with a scavenger hunt! For little ones, draw a map with pictures and clues. For older children, uses written clues. For active ones, let them hop to it by placing an Easter Bunny footprint trail on the floor that will lead them to their basket.

DECORATE EASTER EGGS- A tried and true tradition! Dipping eggs in a brightly colored dye and watching it take hold is a delightful experience for kids of all ages.

TREATS FOR THE EASTER BUNNY- This tradition is similar to leaving cookies and milk for Santa, but make it a rabbit-friendly treat. Put carrots and water out before bedtime.

PLANT A JELLY BEAN GARDEN- Plant a handful of jellybeans in the dirt outside the night before. Replace each one with a lollipop while little ones sleep. In the morning, eyes will grow wide as the see each jellybean has grown into a magical lollipop treat!

EGG THE NEIGHBORS- Spread Easter joy by egging the neighbors with an Easter basket filled with goodies. Leave the basket on their front porch and ring the doorbell before running back home. Make sure the basket contains a "You have been egged" sign to help them guess who left it. This is one kind of egging your neighbors won't mind.

source:signupgenius.com

Hop on over to Zoo Boise and meet the Easter Bunny and animal helpers as they pass out over 30,000 pieces of candy and eggs! There will be Easter Bunny photo-ops, face painting, special treats for the animals and much more!

Tickets can be purchased at the admission gate or online at 

https://www.simpletix.com/e/easter-eggstravaganza-2022-tickets-100216

Sat, Apr 09, 2022 at 10:00am MDT to Sun, Apr 10, 2022 at 5:00pm MDT

Zoo Boise

355 E. Julia Davis Dr, Boise, ID

Come downtown Saturday, April 16th from Noon to 3:00pm and go on a hide-and-seek adventure to find the hidden bunnies!

Come first to the Civitan Plaza (corner of B Street and Park Avenue) and they will give a map.

Once you have found all the bunnies go to 'Weebee Toys' (492 Shoup Ave.) where you will be able to pick out a prize and meet the Easter Bunny!

DOWNTOWN OF COURSE!

Sat, April 16, 2022

12:00pm-3:00pm

Civitan Plaza

500 Park Ave Idaho Falls, ID

Spring into action at downtown Caldwell's Spring EGGstravaganza!

Children will enjoy hunting for over 20,000 eggs, meeting the Easter bunny, 'cutest chick' contest and other children's activities. The whole family will enjoy the spring market with local crafts and yummy treats! Bistro Babe food truck will be on-site at the event.

Saturday, April 16, 2022 

11:00am-3:00pm

Indian Creek Plaza

Corner of Kimball Ave, Caldwell, ID

1. MAKE A SPRING CLEANING PLAN- Having a plan will keep you focused on the task at hand. Just go room by room
2. DE-CLUTTER- Since we're all spending more time at home and in our home offices specifically, keeping a neat work space is more important than ever.
3. USE A HEPA VACUUM- A high-quality HEPA vacuum is one of the best spring cleaning supplies to arm yourself with. They catch tiny airborne particles you can't see but can stir up allergens and other household particles.
4. THINK GREEN WHEN YOU SPRING CLEAN- Don't expose yourself to chemicals and toxins. A steam cleaner is one of the best green products for spring cleaning.
5. ALWAYS WORK FROM TOP TO BOTTOM- This will force debris downward and keep you from having to re-dust or re-clean your space. 
6. WALLS AND WINDOWS NEED LOVE TOO- People almost always clean their floors, but they typically forget about walls and windows.
7. DON'T BE SCARED OF THE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM- Replacing an existing fan or adding a new one can help to ensure your bathroom remains in top notch condition. They are great for ventilating moisture during showers and removing odors/vapors. Depending on the unit you select, it may even come with built-in lighting, automatic operation and other user-friendly features.
8. DON'T FORGET ABOUT YOUR AIR- Replacing furnace and HVAC filters is one of the most important and overlooked parts of spring cleaning. In face, replacing a standard filter with a more robust one with a high MERV rating will help keep you healthier as you enter spring. If anyone in your home suffers from allergies or wakes up stuffy during allergy season, adding an air purifier to his/her bedroom will help.
9. HAVE SEVERE ALLERGIES? PROTECT YOURSELF- For safe spring cleaning, wear rubber gloves, masks, scarves and even hairnets. Protective clothing will help guard against skin irritations and allergic reactions.
10. LET SPRING CLEANING SET A NEW TONE- If your space feels dark and heavy, you can make small changes to help make it light and fresh for spring. Adding new colorful pillows or art are great ways to change up your space. Replacing items like bedding, towels, table linens and even window treatments are other ways to transform your rooms for spring and warm weather ahead.

How to make the egg crafts:
1. Cut out eggs
First, make an egg pattern and cut the eggs out.
2. Paint or draw on the eggs
Once you have your eggs, let the kiddos go crazy with
painting or drawing on them! Put some painter's tape to
paint around. This would also be a cool activity to make some
marbled shaving cream to color the eggs with!
3. Add any extra decorative touches
After the paint or markers have dried, add any other
decorative touches if desired. You can add some gems to
them. Once everything is dried– the egg part of your craft is
just about complete!
4. Zigzag cut egg in half
To add pop bible verses, first, draw a zigzag across the back
of the eggs and cut across it so that the egg was in two
pieces. Then measure the width and length that worked best
between the halves!
5. Measure and glue down white paper
For the length, make it 6 inches between the egg pieces to
have room for a verse, and then added about an inch. That
gave a half-inch on either side to fold outward and glue
down to keep it securely attached to the eggs.
6. Bring eggs together and fold paper
Once the glue is dry, face the decorated egg side down with
the white paper on top. Bring the eggs together to make a
whole one again.
7. Press folded paper to lay flat
Make sure the folds are pressed very well to help the eggs lay
as flat as possible. They probably won’t lay totally flat, but
that’s ok! If you’re really motivated you could even put them
under a book for a little while to flatten out more.
8. Write or glue in bible verses
Best part for last on this one! Flip the eggs over and open
them up. In the space available on the white paper, write in
whichever bible verse you’re using.

By: Erika Dugan

Ingredients

• 1lb. mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, beech or shiitake), roughly chopped.
• 4 slices bacon, sliced
• 3 large eggs
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 3/4 c. whole milk
• 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, divided
• 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch 
• Kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
• 2 oz. fontina or cheddar cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Set oven racks in middle and upper positions. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix mushrooms and bacon together. Place mushrooms and bacon on a rimmed baking sheet. Place on top rack in the oven while preheating, and roast, stirring once until mushrooms are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on the middle rack and heat for 15 minutes.
2. Place eggs and garlic in a blender. Process on high until frothy for about 45 seconds. With blender running, gradually add milk and 2 tbsp butter; stop the blender. Add flour, cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; process 1 minute. Fold in thyme.
3. Carefully add the remaining tbsp of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat. Immediately add batter. Bake until golden brown and puffed, 14 to 16 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Top with mushroom mixture, scallions and parsley.

RICE KRISPIES TREATS RECIPE

By: Insidebrucrewlife.com

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows, divided
• 4 Tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
• 5 cups Rice Krispies cereal 
• 1/4 cup pastel sprinkles
• 1 cup pastel M&M's + extra

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grease a 9x13 pan with butter or line it with parchment paper.
2. Place 4 cups of mini marshmallows and butter in a large pan over low heat. Stir until melted and creamy.
3. Add the cereal and stir until completely coated. Let cool for 3-4 minutes.
4. Stir in 1 cup mini marshmallows, sprinkles and M&M's quickly. 
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Coat your hands with butter or nonstick baking spray and press the mixture down gently. 
6. Press a few extra M&Ms into the top of the treats before they cool.
7. Let the rice krispies treats cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Store in a tightly sealed container.