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Because Malia is the youngest of my children by a decent sized gap, there are things I did with my boys that I’ve never done with her. Most of those things were little kid things because by the time Malia was the appropriate age, the boys had outgrown some of it. So, she missed out on some stuff. Today I opted to rectify one of those things by making resurrection rolls, aka. empty tomb rolls, as part of our Easter celebrations. I chose a made from scratch recipe which is something I didn’t do when the boys were little. Because let’s face it. With three rambunctious boys giving me a run for my money from the time the sun came up until they all dropped exhausted into their beds at the end of the day, simpler was usually better. 

The standard super easy version uses purchased crescent roll dough. But the crescent rolls baked up fairly flat, especially if the marshmallow leaked out. And often the marshmallow didn’t completely melt in the oven, so we ended up with an interesting mix of flat tombs and semi-resurrected marshmallows. It didn’t matter to the boys and the lesson was learned anyway, but in my opinion, the recipe was not a complete success. So, as I thought about repeating the experience with Malia, I knew I wanted to try something different. 

Today’s from scratch rolls worked about five million times better than the super easy crescent-rolls-from-a-tube version! About half of our tombs leaked, but even when they did, the rolls baked up nice and tall and the hollow interior was perfect. I was enormously pleased! And when I shared our success with my boys, Daniel asked if there was going to be a repeat of the recipe on Easter as my college boys will be home for dinner that evening. Our Easter menu always includes hot cross buns and that won’t change, but I’m so pleased with how our resurrection rolls turned out that I’m seriously considering making another batch so Daniel and Nathan can try them as well. That’s how jazzed I am that they worked so well this time!

So, here’s the lesson: sometimes we all need a chance to repeat small and simple things, because there is always the opportunity to improve and even as adults, sometimes the simple things are exactly what we need. And sometimes the basic lessons are still the most important ones. The marshmallow is white because Jesus was perfect. The people who loved Him cared for Him even after he died by anointing Him with oil and spices. And because He was resurrected, the tomb was empty. Doesn’t that just kind of cover it all?

I Needed a Little Whimsy in my Life

Do you ever have those days when you really need to lay down the cares of the world for a bit and just find a little joy? Or possibly do just a little bit of emotional eating knowing full well that it is exactly what you are doing? And maybe even blow off a little steam at the same time? Today was one of those days. And since it is spring, and nearly Easter, my little bit of joy came in the form of some adorable chick cookies.

Whimsy? Check.

Delicious lemon crinkle cookies? Check.

Decapitating some chicks? Check, check.

Mission accomplished. 😂

At Home and At Play for Spring Break

Yesterday there was a big air show at Nellis Airforce Base in Las Vegas. There were some planes flying that Kevin and Matthew really wanted to see and the show coincided with spring break, so months ago they planned a short trip south in order to go to the airshow. They had a great time, and Matthew took some amazing pictures that he is super excited about. I’m glad they were able to take this short boys’ trip before Matthew leaves on his mission. I think we have all been trying to fit in all kinds of things like this before he leaves in three months. 

Malia and I, knowing that we just don’t care about the planes and that we just don’t do well in the heat, opted to stay home and just have a slow, relaxing weekend. We watch chick flicks and made homemade mac and cheese which has kind of become a tradition for us when Matthew and Kevin are off for tours and other travels. We also listened to conference and ate far more muffins than was good for us.

I think that both Matthew and Malia enjoyed their spring break. They were both in need of a break from school and hopefully they will be able to dig back in and focus through the end now that they have had some down time.

Spiritual Enlightenment and the Traditional Breakfast

It is perfectly normal for families to have traditions associated with holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. We certainly have our fair share of traditions on each of those holidays. In church culture, it is also very common for families to have traditions associated with General Conference. And we have some of those as well. In particular, having sausage and muffins for breakfast is one of those unalterable traditions for us. When I was growing up, my mom always made muffins on the Sunday of General Conference. I continued to that trend with my own children, adding sausage to add some protein and balance our meal a bit. And my kids have continued that tradition as they have moved out and into their own abodes. 

Kevin and Matthew were on the road this morning driving home from St. George so they had their muffins for lunch, but the rest of us were well fed by the time conference started today. 😀

It’s Recital Time Again!

When Nathan started taking organ lessons, his teacher was one of the two organ professors at USU. But Nathan learned so quickly that at the end of that semester, she handed Nathan off to the other organ professor whose skill level is higher. This professor also teaches at BYU and UVU and drives up to Logan on Thursdays to teach. In the past, the music department scheduled the organ recitals for Monday evenings, and they were not flexible despite the second organ teacher’s unavailability on Mondays. That meant he always missed the organ recitals. But this semester they finally got some cooperation which meant the organ recitals were today, a Thursday, and both organ professors were able to attend! That meant we got to meet the professor who has been teaching Nathan for a couple of years now. It also means that they actually took a minute to have all the organ students pose for a picture. As always, it was a fun recital.

Despite having a heavy course load this semester, Nathan is still loving his organ lessons. He selected a simpler recital piece this time around knowing that he had a busy semester, but honestly, it didn’t sound all that simple to me! I am always impressed by his ability and how easy he makes it look. 😂 Tawni is also still taking organ lessons, so we were able to hear her play as well. After the recital we visited with the kids a bit before heading home. We didn’t stay long and we kind of had to drag Matthew and Malia away, but it is always good to see that our kids enjoy each other’s company!

The Classics

 Actual comment spoken at the table during dinner this evening:

Malia: “To be or not to be. Is that Shakespeare…or Yoda?”

[Insert laughter here]

Also, Malia’s science homework is four million times cuter than my science homework ever was.

They Needed a (Spring) Break!

Daniel and Nathan both have pretty heavy semesters course work wise right now, and trying to balance school with work and church responsibilities has been a bit of a challenge this semester, especially for Nathan. So, they were both good and ready for a break. This past week was spring break and like so many other college students, Nathan and Daniel hit the road. They did not hit the road together though. 

Nathan joined some friends for a stay in the St. George/Zion’s National Park area. They stopped to attend two different temples along their path which is one of the fun things about Utah. They stopped at the Cedar City temple and the Manti Temple. We have so many different temples that are relatively close together that temple road trips are a thing. And I love that they made it a priority and scheduled it into their trip. 

They also did some hiking, and Nathan spent some time relaxing during some of the more intense hikes. Like me, the migraines limit him somewhat and while he doesn’t like it, having a raging migraine is worse. So, pros and cons. He did suggest the dinosaur footprints museum that Kevin, Malia and I visited in November, and it appears that they had a good time there. But honestly, I remember socializing in college and even if the locale was boring, being with friends meant fun anyway. So maybe they were bored, but at least they looked like they were having fun in the pictures Nathan shared. 😂

Nathan and his friends all pitched in and rented a vacation house which meant that there was cooking to be done. One evening Nathan taught one of his friends to make the baked mac and cheese that we like so much around here, the one that Nathan makes quite frequently for cousins and friends. His friend then proceeded to make five recipes of mac and cheese. So, here’s some context. One recipe will feed Malia and I for 2-3 meals depending on how much we eat. If we average that, it’s about five servings per recipe. Times five. That’s a lot of mac and cheese! But they are college kids, so I suspect it all got eaten. And they added bacon which probably made it even more delicious!

Daniel and Tawni headed to the Grand Canyon. Unlike Nathan, they did not go in a large group. This was a litmus test kind of a trip for them, the one where they spend a week together to see if they still like each other afterwards. So, it was just the two of them. Daniel has never been to the Grand Canyon and Tawni was only ten when she visited, so they were both excited to go.

Daniel’s first impression of the Grand Canyon was that pictures don’t do it justice. And he’s right. There is no way that a photo can convey exactly how large the canyon is. Even when seeing it with your own eyes, it is a bit hard to comprehend. One day they did an all-day 15-mile hike around the rim of the canyon, and he described the scenery as “superb.” Another of his observations is that the canyon just appears. It isn’t visible until you get to the rim. For those of us who live so close to a large mountain range, our concept of a canyon is in relation to those mountains. But the Grand Canyon is a whole different beast, and it was surprising to him.

On Thursday, they got some snow. The storm was large enough that their drive back to the hotel from the canyon was long and slow. On Friday, they did some exploring in Williams, Arizona and accidentally found A coprolite museum. For those that don’t know, coprolites are fossilized dinosaur poop. Daniel actually got coprolites in his stocking for Christmas one year. And it wasn’t because he was naughty. It was because that is what he really wanted! So, when they came across an entire museum dedicated to dino poop, they knew they had to stop. And they discovered that the museum is in the Guiness Book of World Records twice-once for being the world’s largest collection of coprolites and once for having the largest coprolite in the world. I guess that you can say that the #2 is actually #1. WACKY SMILEY FACE

Around here, when we talk about enough snow to close roads, that means a lot of snow. But in the Arizona desert, just a bit is enough to make a big difference. There was enough snow that the road on the north rim of the canyon was closed. That meant Daniel and Tawni had to drive south to hit the highway that would allow them to turn back north to come home through Page, Arizona. It added a good two hours to an already long drive, so they arrived back here (their pitstop on the way back to Logan) later than anticipated. Despite the detour, they really enjoyed their trip.

I’m so glad my boys are taking advantage of these opportunities to explore the world. I wasn’t ever a travel on spring break kind of a girl, but Daniel and Nathan are both more adventurous than I was at their age. And knowing what I know now about all the responsibilities that accompany adult life, I’m grateful that they are taking time to be fully engaged in their college lives and taking advantage of the opportunities they have to be young and free. These times will never come again, and I’m glad they are finding as much joy as they can!

Life Can Be a Rainbow

St. Patrick’s Day is only a few days away, so this morning’s pancakes were a rainbow-colored ode to the Irish. Matthew and Malia didn’t have school today, so we actually had enough time to do something fun. I can sometimes squeak in fun pancakes for Malia on a Friday morning, but even with late start factored in, Matthew doesn’t usually have time for frivolity on Fridays. So, it was nice to be able to take a little time to play with our food!

Lesson learned-fresh Airheads candy, which is what I used for the rainbows, is much too soft to make an arc. Even when I anchored in the pancakes, and not just the whipped cream. I ended up putting it in the freezer so that it was firm enough to snag a picture before the rainbows wilted. That meant we had to work fast! If I did this again, I would unwrap the candy in advance to let it dry out and harden a bit.

But uncooperative candy aside, it was still a cute breakfast!