Easter & April happenings.

  

  

                   

 

Easter was all but traditional for us this year. I did make the traditional outfits, but I think that was the only "norm" we experienced. We found ourselves in the ER with our little Mr. from 2:00-5:00 am. His little body was no longer handling the diarrhea and nausea well, and he became too lethargic for our comfort. Sister went to the neighbor's (thank heavens for such generous neighbors) and slept on their couch until we picked her up at 5:30 am.

Lizzy wore her Easter dress and Charlie wore his outfit long enough for us to take the sacrament, then we came home. (without Mr. W who was being sustained and set apart for a new calling) It felt wonderful to participate in this sacred ordinance on a beautiful Easter morning. I couldn't stand the thought of missing it, even in my exhausted state. How thankful I am to have a testimony of the resurrection of my Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Grandma and Grandpa, and our dear friends joined us in the afternoon for a Easter dinner. I always miss being home with my family on holidays, but I feel blessed to have loving people around me to share them with.

 I'm thankful to report that little Mr. is doing much better now. The ER doctor called us Easter afternoon to report that he has c diff. Mr. W knew what it was and how to treat it, so that kept me from panicking. No wonder this "7 day flu" kept getting worse as each day passed. With antibiotic treatment, and lots of love and affection, he is running around like he was never sick. Blessed modern medicine!

Mr. W worked the entire conference weekend. Sad. We missed him like crazy. We proceeded with doughnut making and everything else like we always do, but it just wasn't the same. Once again, sister was the entertainment of choice for all four sessions. The train set helped him, but may or may not have been frustrating for her... :) She rose to the occasion, letting the mama relax as much as possible. I needed it and love her for it!

Now, let's hope the remainder of April is slightly less eventful...

the monster and the boot.

our girl was in the annual monster concert at usu on saturday! i'm so proud of her, and so is her daddy. many moons ago it was him on this very stage, performing in this very concert. awesome!

... and now on to the boot. this is fun. my foot started hurting saturday, and by sunday i couldn't walk. the dr. thinks it's a stress fracture. i do have a bone out of place, but he is not certain if that is a old or new injury.  he will check again after a week in the boot. lovely. doesn't he know what a routine oriented person i am? running with this thing on is, needless to say, impossible. but i did manage the elliptical this morning. i do not have a good relationship with that thing. i hate it in fact. but it will have to do.

so, luckily, i had plenty of projects going to keep me sane. i started sourdough starter a week ago, and have been experimenting with it's possibilities. so far the sourdough pancakes are a hit. the bread was a rock, but i'll keep trying.

 i finished this "bonnet" for charlie. it's amazing how quickly you can knit something up when all you can do is sit. i enjoyed it really. i don't let myself do that very often, but i think that needs to change.

 i borrowed my mother-in-law's dehydrator and have been drying apples and banana chips. YUM! *need to get my own asap*
now i will finish designing lizzy's valentine's. i promised her i would have everything printed and ready to assemble when she gets home... i know what she'll be doing all night long!

move over cake pop!

Hello rice crispy treat pop!

 I wanted to make a treat for the children I teach on Sundays, but it was a little tricky since one little guy has a lot of allergies. He can have rice crispy treats, but I thought that was a bit boring for a 7 year old. So, the rice crispy treat pop was born! His treat was delivered without the chocolate and sprinkles of course, but he didn't mind. 

And this little girl had fun helping make, dip, and sprinkling these fun little treats. I taught her how yummy the marshmallows are when they melting and covered with melted butter, which may have been her favorite part of the entire process!  I think we'll be making these for years to come!

it's chocolate dipping time!

I had help from a little elf today!

toffee- done.

truffle center- done.

Tomorrow- make caramel center,

Or dip truffles?

We'll have to see what mood I'm in.

Love you!

my gift to you!

Good evening my love.

Today, my first gift to you is this post...

these pictures of our beautiful children.

Aren't we so blessed?

...and thank you for helping me with the tree skirt this morning.

Doesn't it look much better?!

My second gift to you is this batch of

perfect fudge

that I made for you today!

My third gift to you is my daily exercise.

I sacrificed my routine to make you this treat.

Because I knew how happy it would make you.

And how much you would look forward

to eating it after your long day away.

I. Love. You.

happy valentine's.

Valentine's Day was so fun this year. We set a $20 limit on gifts, which I have to admit was a lot of fun for me! L was home sick on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we made shirts and chocolate caramels for Mr. W. The shirts were the best. When L and I walked downstairs sporting them, Mr. W burst into laughter.. we all did! It was so unexpected and hilarious!!

I love that we love each other. Our gifts are simple and fun, but true love and laughter are the priceless gifts I treasure!

traditions.

This time of year is all about tradition for me. When I made the decision to move across the country without my family, tradition took on a whole new meaning. It is vital to me for L to carry on those rituals that are so ingrained into my soul. Like the sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, baked mac and cheese, orange slice cake, pumpkin cake roll, pecan pie, window clings, and Christmas music. (which is completely acceptable all year round) And FAMILY, oh family. There is nothing like it. The laughs + the memories. (even if Sarah is the only one that can remember some of them) I can't tell you how wonderful it is to sit around with my family and talk about our childhood. I can't believe how much I miss that. It's strange really, not having anyone to reminisce with about your childhood.

I completely look forward to our celebrations this year. I can't wait to go home. I can't wait to see Santa at Grandma W's. I love reading "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" to L time and time again. A few years ago, I could actually recite the entire book from memory we read it so many times!

So with a few window clings from Grandma C, and the chocolate dipping underway, we welcome the holidays and all of the goodness they bring!

my favorite place in the world...at 5 pm

day #1...butter

I have been giddy with excitement all day long! I L-O-V-E summer with my girl. And my man. (he's out of school too!)  And the Sugar City quarterly is available here.

Day #1 so far:

exercised together as a family (L did her yoga stretches)

fruit and spinach smoothies together

cleaned together

(there seems to be a "together" theme)

L watched her birth video for the first time. It was all about seeing the medical equipment and instruments.  (nothing inappropriate to be seen)

we made BUTTER!

I am so glad I kept all of my Martha Stewart Kids magazines. They are a treasure trove of summer activities. Today she chose to make butter.  Easy and delicious!

Pour into a jar:

half pint of heavy cream

pinch of salt

1 marble

Screw lid on and pull out those muscles. Shake and shake and keep shaking for about 15 minutes. After cream separates, pour off the buttermilk and you have BUTTER! L was amazed it was so simple to make, and it is really yummy.