{"id":1905876,"date":"2023-03-28T08:41:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T12:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/14-beautiful-items-to-put-in-your-easter-baskets-that-arent-candy\/"},"modified":"2023-03-28T08:42:25","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T12:42:25","slug":"14-beautiful-items-to-put-in-your-easter-baskets-that-arent-candy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/14-beautiful-items-to-put-in-your-easter-baskets-that-arent-candy\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Beautiful Items To Put In Your Easter Baskets That Aren\u2019t Candy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F14-beautiful-items-to-put-in-your-easter-baskets-that-arent-candy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1905876&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>Every year, I tell myself to never, ever, use that plastic Easter basket grass again. I have clear memories of doing so last year after picking it out of every crevice somehow for months on end. Yet I just opened up my Easter holiday decorations box to prep, and what\u2019s in there? Two fresh large packs of plastic grass. This year, I am throwing them away and using tissue paper instead.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re less than two weeks out from Easter, a holiday I am slowly trying to up the ante in celebrating for theological reasons. I\u2019ve also been on a slow revision of the Easter baskets away from garbage candy and towards more meaningful and wholesome gifts. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-425572144\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9879d4330bd24f748e9ec8e06faed7d4 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9879d4330bd24f748e9ec8e06faed7d4\"><\/div>\n<p>It has helped in this transformation to see that giant corporate conglomerates like Hershey\u2019s not only sell candies that are horrible for our family\u2019s health, but also <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/08\/here-are-5-brands-celebrating-men-in-costumes-this-womens-history-month\/\">morally abominable<\/a>. Of course, with six kids I also need to stay on some kind of reasonable spending level. <\/p>\n<p>So here are some items I\u2019ve found to fill Easter baskets with higher-quality treats and more gift-quality items to mark our celebration of Easter as the pinnacle of our religious observance. No shade to Christmas, of course, which we also thoroughly enjoy.<\/p>\n<h2>Herb-Flavored Lentil Snack Packs<\/h2>\n<p>Farver Farms is a family-owned farm in Montana that my in-laws introduced us to at Christmas. They sell <a href=\"https:\/\/farverfarms.com\/collections\/lentil-crunchers-snacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">delicious \u201clentil crunchers<\/a>,\u201d which are flavored roasted lentils. The seasonings are truly amazing and the lentils an excellent protein source. I keep a packet in my office for when I need a quick blood sugar boost midafternoon. <\/p>\n<p>I can\u2019t decide if my favorite flavor is chipotle or dill pickle. My husband\u2019s is hickory BBQ, which has a wonderful gourmet sweet-smoky flavor. I bought my kids <a href=\"https:\/\/farverfarms.com\/products\/lentil-crunchers-signature-salty-flavor-32oz-package\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the giant bag<\/a> of simply salted lentils for their afternoon snacks, and they devoured it. It\u2019s great for road trips, too.<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bd8606d9140a068b8b91a9c96aa95660 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-bd8606d9140a068b8b91a9c96aa95660\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>For Easter baskets, they sell <a href=\"https:\/\/farverfarms.com\/products\/lentil-crunchers-snacks-2oz-sampler-pack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a six-pack<\/a> of conveniently snack-sized packets, which happens to work out perfectly for my six kids.<\/p>\n<h2>Easter Books<\/h2>\n<p>My favorite children\u2019s picture books are from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kloria.com\/books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kloria Press<\/a>. Because family members read little people the same books repeatedly, these books teach us all the words of classic hymns. <\/p>\n<p>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kloria.com\/books\/board\/god-loves-me-dearly\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">God Loves Me Dearly<\/a>\u201d is an especially good thematic match for Easter. Its book trailer is below.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"QxeEdT9g\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"God Loves Me Dearly\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PFgMrv3K0hY?start=20&#038;feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>One of the best Easter picture books we own is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cph.org\/the-very-first-easter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Very First Easter,\u201d by Paul Maier<\/a>. It is beautifully illustrated, not trite or saccharine (which I think makes children think \u201cGod stuff\u201d is unserious), and Bible-focused. I\u2019m not a big fan of the frame narrative storytelling format generally, but I don\u2019t find it obtrusive here.<\/p>\n<div  class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-41892fbf4f0d865232232da781c80f1e fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-41892fbf4f0d865232232da781c80f1e\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>I also love <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cph.org\/the-easter-story-drawn-directly-from-the-bible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this Easter picture book<\/a>, \u201cThe Easter Story,\u201d because it is essentially straight Biblical text, paraphrased a little for small children\u2019s understanding. It is another beautifully illustrated one. I only wish there were a hardback edition. I always buy hardback books when I can because they stand up to kid abuse way better. This is one of the picture books I added to our Easter collection this year and can\u2019t wait to read with our kids in the 50 days of Easter.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>\u2018Golden\u2019 Dollars<\/h2>\n<p>When I was a little girl, like many other grandmas, mine hosted an Easter egg hunt at her house after church on Easter Sunday. In her plastic Easter eggs, though, grandma put dollar bills. I like that today as yet another thing to put into a plastic egg that isn\u2019t endocrine-disrupting candy.<\/p>\n<p>To make it a little more sparkly, however, I\u2019m going to put \u201cgold\u201d Sacajawea dollars into the eggs instead of dollar bills. We also use the \u201cgold\u201d dollars for Saint Nicholas\u2019 day during Advent.<\/p>\n<p>Our local bank now mixes the Sacajawea \u201cgold\u201d coins with the newer presidential $1 \u201cgold\u201d coins.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Mini Sticker Books<\/h2>\n<p>Dover Publications publishes tons of sticker and coloring books, and I like to buy their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianbook.com\/Christian\/Books\/easy_find?Ntt=dover+sticker+books&#038;N=0&#038;Ntk=keywords&#038;action=Search&#038;Ne=0&#038;event=ESRCG&#038;nav_search=1&#038;cms=1&#038;ps_exit=RETURN%7Clegacy&#038;ps_domain=www\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inexpensive mini sticker books<\/a> through ChristianBook.com (the latter sells at a discount). I buy a bunch at a time and put them in everything \u2014 birthday gifts, Christmas stockings, cards. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>A New Bible (Or First Bible)<\/h2>\n<p>I recently bought a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianbook.com\/nkjv-comfort-column-reference-imitation-leather\/9780785218128\/pd\/218128?product_redirect=1&#038;search_term=single-column%20bible%20nkjv&#038;Ntt=218128&#038;item_code=&#038;ps_exit=PRODUCT|legacy&#038;Ntk=keywords&#038;event=ESRCP\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">single-column New King James Bible<\/a> for myself, and I love it. The single column seems more readable and intimate. It\u2019s a fresh, new way to pursue a lifetime read.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>This is a great <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianbook.com\/nkjv-comfort-single-column-reference-board\/9780785218142\/pd\/218140?event=AAI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">young person\u2019s version<\/a> of the single-column Bible, and surprisingly inexpensive. A hardcover may be less sensuous but it is far more durable, making it more portable for kids who might like to slip it into a backpack for school, camping, or road trips. It\u2019s also NKJV.<\/p>\n<p>I especially like both the NKJV and the English Standard Version. I went with the former for my personal Bible because I\u2019m using it to memorize scripture as well as read daily, and I want to memorize a readable classic text, which makes the smoothed-out child of the King James Version best for me. But for regular personal reading, I also recommend the ESV and KJV.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>My all-time favorite story Bible is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cph.org\/the-story-bible\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">this one<\/a>, from Concordia Publishing House. I love it because it stays close to the Bible\u2019s text and is beautifully illustrated. It holds the entire family\u2019s attention. This Bible is the one from which the \u201cEaster Story\u201d picture book mentioned above is drawn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Fresh Art Supplies<\/h2>\n<p>I buy my kids\u2019 art supplies on sale and stash them in a cabinet until they wear out their previous ones. I only give them one set of things at a time and don\u2019t replace it until they\u2019re almost all trash. Easter is the perfect time for a refresh because the art supplies from school prep in September are usually worn to nubs by now.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve stopped buying our basic art supplies from Michael\u2019s because last year I was shopping one day in June and my six-year-old son asked me what \u201cPride Month\u201d was after seeing it plastered on every marketing surface in the store. (I told him it was people celebrating that they hate God and his Ten Commandments.) So now I buy my art supplies from Hobby Lobby. <\/p>\n<p>Hobby Lobby regularly posts 30-40 percent off sales on basic supplies like markers, colored pencils, brushes, and paint. I\u2019ve found their store brands to be great for kids because they aren\u2019t expensive but also aren\u2019t junk. We also like to shop there for art and craft kits as presents for Christmas and birthday parties.<\/p>\n<p>Other inexpensive but much-beloved kid items from Hobby Lobby I\u2019d recommend for Easter baskets include scratch pads and those silly food and animal eraser sets. Those erasers are almost currency at my kids\u2019 school. And scratch art keeps kids of many ages busy for hours.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From Melissa and Doug\u2019s website, but you can get these at Hobby Lobby.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, I tell myself to never, ever, use that plastic Easter basket grass again. I have clear memories of doing so last year after picking it out of every crevice somehow for months on end. Yet I just opened up my Easter holiday decorations box to prep, and what\u2019s in there? Two fresh large<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":519,"featured_media":1905877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[10496,22922,16511,17529,22136,11522],"class_list":["post-1905876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-arent","tag-baskets","tag-beautiful","tag-candy","tag-easter","tag-items"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/519"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1905876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1905877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1905876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1905876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1905876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}