It is rainy and cold today, and I am trying to take advantage of my last few “free” minutes before next week’s Passion Play (click here for your personal invitation) to create an Easter table in the dining room.  I began planning this table with two things in mind: Old Country Roses and rabbits.

I purchased these plates a few weeks ago and have not used them yet. I started with white damask placemats and gold chargers. You have seen both of these in former tablescapes. Since Old Country Roses has a gold rim, I used the gold chargers and some other gold elements which I will point out below. Then I layered on the dinner plate. Isn’t it beautiful? I just love this pattern.

I topped the dinner plate with the salad/dessert plate. I really like the way these two flowered plate edges look together.

To bring out the green leaves in the roses, I used these napkins from The Napkin Lady. Folded into a fan shape, they fit perfectly into these golden napkin rings.

The green Dollar Tree goblets made an appearance again. They also help set off the green in the plates.

Looking over my many rabbits, I suddenly had the idea that it might look cute to put one on each plate.

Putting the rabbits on each plate enabled me to use more of the rabbits without cluttering the center of the table with too many of them.

I think it’s a fun and slightly different way to make the place settings stand out.

I also used my Grosvenor silverplate. I know you see it all the time, but I love it and never get tired of it.

For the center of the table, I chose one of my Gail Pittman rabbits in pink and one of my Vicki Carroll rabbits in white with pink and blue accent colors.

I chose three of my brass candlesticks for their golden color. I like the way they bring out the golden colors used in the place settings.

Because I am trying not to spend any money on tables, I chose gold tapers. (Although I did fall off the wagon at Family Dollar for $1 earlier this week.) I would have preferred light green or pink, but I was determined not to buy anything!

My dining room is normally dark, and I always raise the blinds and try to let in as much light as possible when I take tablescape pictures. However, it is quite dark outside due to the rain, so all of my photos are even darker than usual. Hope you are able to make out the details!

As for the continued set up for the Passion Play and metamorphosis of a modern church into Biblical times, this is a photo of the Upper Room which I told you about in my last post. The windows that you see here need to be covered so that no light will filter through, not to mention that they wouldn’t look right in the Upper Room.

David and I went up a few nights ago so that he could work on covering the windows. I’ve mentioned before that we have done this play so many times that we are very organized and know exactly what we need for the most part. These window coverings were made to fit these windows exactly many years ago.

All we had to do was slide the ladder up into the Upper Room (I described this in the previous post), slide the window coverings up, and carry the drill up the narrow spiral staircase. The platform is not quite 8 feet up, if you’re wondering.

Then we had to move the benches over so that we could maneuver the ladder through.

My work was really hard; I received the ladder and coverings as he slid them up to me, then handed him the window coverings after he climbed the ladder, and took a few snapshots. The most treacherous part of this process was taking the photos.

The platform is about 5 feet wide, and backing up to take a good picture could cripple me for life.

Ok, that is a slight exaggeration. There are actually very large holly bushes lining the wall below the Upper Room that would break my fall. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Then on Wednesday night David and Matt (Jesus) took the youth outside to help with the continued set up. First, some of the angels had to try out the platform from where they will deliver the final lines of the play after the ascension. Kelsey had just come from softball practice, as you can probably tell. By the way, Kelsey’s late grandfather wrote the play and her dad is the one you see in a lot of the set up photos because he is in charge of all the building.

We also have an angel at the tomb (“Why seek you the living among the dead?” Luke 24:5), so the girls who are a little nervous about heights can be that angel if they prefer. Or they can wear the deer stand harness under the costumes, as some did last year.

I am normally not around for this part of the set up, but I am trying to document with photos this year. One of the things that I had not realized before is that it is really nerve-wracking to see Bubba on this 24- foot ladder hanging the pulley system.

The guys pretty much scoffed at me and said stuff like, “Oh, he does that every year.” And your point? It is still scary, people!

The pulley system will hold our backdrop that covers the brick walls of the church. You won’t see that until the night of the performance. Meanwhile, construction of the tomb continued on the ground.

In the pic above, they are placing the platform at the tomb entrance. The “stone” covering the tomb entrance is leaning against the church wall in the background.

The slit in the platform (John has his finger in it) is designed for the “stone” to roll into after Jesus is placed in the tomb.

After the platform is placed, ramps have to be installed on both sides. The employees still have to go to work this week and next, so they don’t need to have to climb over the platform to enter and exit the church each day. Of course, the ramps are needed for the actors during the play as well. In the photo above, they are getting ready to move the ramp pieces down in order to install them.

David had all the kids help him move the “hedges” into place at the ascension.

These set pieces disguise wires leading to the lift used for the ascension. Yes, Jayme is wrapped in an old dropcloth that David found in his truck. She had on shorts, and it was cold. So she certainly couldn’t let go to lift anything. Jenna was wrapped in her boyfriend’s letter jacket so she couldn’t let go either. Madeline was apparently not cold.

 It was a lot easier for David with all of them grabbing hold of this long piece and placing it. Later he and Cody went back and hammered stakes in to hold it in place.

In the meantime, Joe tried out the cross and said he wants to be a thief next year. Then later, he complained of the cold. I reminded him that we often have early Easters and the thieves are on the crosses for a good portion of this scene wearing nothing but a loincloth. Guess he’ll let me know next year if he will really do it or not! I’ve seen many a thief covered in chill bumps and quivering in the cold during the past 20+ years!

It may not look like it, but Connor, Kelsey, and Cody were a lot of help bracing the tomb from the back.  

It is also important for teenagers to stand around and pose for pictures. Kylie, Jenna, Madeline, Joe, and Jayme make time for a photo op here.

The guys carrying the platform into place. Two of the youth, Madeline and Cody, are helping with this part.

I know I’ve been tongue-in-cheek about how much the youth helped, but, in all honesty, they really did. Before the youth came down to help out, there were only 3 guys out there. Above is the completed tomb, which would never have been finished without the help of the youth. I won’t post the pic of this church entrance again, but go back and compare it to the above photo plus the next one.

I told you that you would not recognize the entrance once the tomb was completed. I hope that you agree!

Jenna tries out the angel platform above. We are supposed to put up scaffolding tomorrow, but the rain may get us. If you take anything away from this post, know that your youth want to help and need to be a part of your church life. They had a great time, and David and John were thrilled with how much help they gave.

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/21831061/walts-look-around-his-last-days

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)