Easter, What I'm Reading and some Random

First, an Easter recap because I want to remember this Easter.  It just felt extra special to me.

Our church gives us an opportunity to share a white lily, azalea or an orchid in memory of family or friends. Our church is full of flowers and it's a blessing to remember the hope we have in Christ.

We sang Up From the Grave He Arose, In Christ Alone and other favorite Easter songs. At the end of the service our church invites anyone that knows the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah to sing in the choir. 

After Church we went to dinner at Jeff and Kathi's place at Birch Bay. And then it was time for the Easter Egg hunt.  Uncle Jeff laid out the rules.  Yes, those are some big kids hunting for eggs.

 The Grandmas watched from a great vantage point.

 Washington beaches are rocky!

It was sunny, which was an Easter miracle, and Mt. Baker was gorgeous.

This week I've been substitute teaching.  I'm still having fun.  I love the actual teaching and the kiddos. Yesterday I had a kindergarten class and at one point a para educator came in and told me she was putting me on a prayer chain. Not just any prayer chain but her mother-in-law's heavy duty Southern Baptist prayer chain!  I needed it.  It was a really cute, energetic group of kiddos!

Yesterday, Hubby had a day off and I came home to dinner. Yes, those are some delicious beef ribs, roasted asparagus and whipped cauliflower.  He's figuring out that if I have kindergarten I may be a little tired when I get home.

 I did a lot of reading in Maui and I've kept it up since I got home. Hubby had some shift work so I filled my evenings with some good books.  The Nearness of You is a quick and enjoyable read.

I am reading Eliza Waite and enjoying it. The author is local.

As Good as Gone is my next read.

Max is coming home this weekend.  He's a groomsman for his college roommate's wedding.

Won't Max be surprised?  There is food in our fridge!  His last two visits happened while we were in Las Vegas and Maui and the cupboards were bare.  Mama's in Maui, get your own groceries!

Bo is coming too so I am dog proofing the house today. And I'm starting to clean the patio because eventually Spring and even Summer are going to show up in Washington.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Easter Basket Cookies

I haven't made these cookies for Easter since the boys were little but I guess I was feeling nostalgic and I wanted to bring back this Easter tradition. They are a fun treat while you're waiting for the Easter Egg Hunt to begin.

Chocolate No Bake Cookies aka Easter Basket Cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup butter (some recipes call for 1/4 cup)

4 T. cocoa

1/3 cup milk

3 cups quick oats

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter

In a sauce pan, combine coca, butter, milk and sugar. Bring to a boil  and boil between 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Do not boil longer.

Remove from heat and add oats, peanut butter and vanilla.  Stir all together.  Drop by scoop or spoonful onto waxed paper.  I use the medium scoop and my mini muffin tin from Pampered Chef.  Or my small scoop for the dropped version.  I sprayed my tin with cooking oil and they popped right out of the muffin tin.

The muffin tin gives a basket shape and the spoonfuls give a nest shape.

Press three small jelly beans into each cookie for the eggs.

I think they turned out okay this time but honestly Rice Krispie Bars and Chocolate No Bake Cookies are my nemesis in the kitchen. The struggle is real and y'all know that I can bake.

Happy Easter!

*Reminder, no one pays me to write this drivel or recipes.  Pampered Chef or Rice Krispies pay me nada.

Happy Easter Friends

But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.

Matthew 28:5-6

Wishing you a Blessed Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

Easter 2016

We had a wonderful Easter weekend.  Saturday evening we had Coconut Kenny's pizza for dinner at Kulshan with Sam, Blake and Max.  Their girls couldn't make it.  Oh my, did we ever laugh.  Times like that I miss Braden and Danny.

Easter Day started with a walk with Max and Bo.  My guys don't generally walk with me unless they have a dog.  Then they do and that makes this mama happy.

There are some gorgeous flowering trees on my path in the Spring.

 Squirrel...I hadn't played with the watercolor app for a while and it is nice to turn your everyday photos into art.

Back to Easter.

 I baked cinnamon rolls for the weekend and Hubby said they were some of my best ever. I have no idea what caused that to happen but it did. I gave each of the guys a pan to take home.

We went to church and were part of a beautiful service.  So many great things going on including Lucy reciting Matthew 20:1-6.  Her sweet voice, reciting from her heart was a blessing.  She had notes in her boots just in case she forgot a line. 

 Our choir invites everyone that likes to sing the Hallelujah Chorus to come forward and join them at the end of the service.  It brings chills, every time.  Hubby is up there.  Max and I (non-singers)  are in the congregation.

We had dinner at Uncle Darryl and Aunt Judy's house.  They were so great about having a crowd.

There aren't many little kids but there are a lot of adult kids.  The Easter egg hunt goes on, there is a lot of candy and plastic eggs with treats and there is an egg for each kid with their name written on it.  It is the money egg.  It has kept the adult kids in the hunt.

Even roosters lay eggs on Easter!

 Dylan found his egg and he found Katelyn's egg.  Oblivious to having her egg, he watched all of us help Katelyn find her egg.  I knew I had hid it but couldn't remember specifically where it was.

Then I asked Dylan if he'd opened the egg with his name on it, no, well you should because there is a nice surprise in there.  Hummm, Dylan, do you have any other of the shiny special eggs? Yep, he did.  And so, the missing egg was handed over to Katelyn with the money.  

Well played, Dylan, until you were busted.  

Sam and Angela found their eggs.

 Max and Kassie found their eggs too.

 Our kids came over after dinner, the grand dogs ran around, Max packed up, everyone left, I dust mopped up all of the dog hair, Hubby went to bed because he had to work a double at midnight.  I plopped on the sofa, honestly, exhausted.   I chatted with Danny on the phone as he packed for his trip to India and reassured me of his plans and to stay in touch.  It's all great to go across the world but this Mama worries when he travels alone.

As Danny and I were chatting, my phone was beeping that another call was coming in...

It was Max, he had gotten to Marysville in spite of terrible traffic just to find out that Snoqualmie Pass was closed. A freak Spring snow storm with so many vehicles spun out off the road that they had to close it.  So, he turned around and came back to Lynden for the night.

Max is loving his new dog, Bo.  They are inseparable.  There are lessons constantly being taught and a lot of love.  It's fun to watch a boy and his dog.

Today I have to go to Brio Laundry.  No new washer for a few weeks.  I might meet my sis, Kathi there because she is having troubles too.  Won't that be fun?  I haven't walked yet this morning and usually on Monday mornings I walk twice, once with the girls and then again on my own.

It's a long and rambling post because I don't feel like going to do laundry and I don't feel like walking.  That said, I better get to it!

*Disclaimer and credits... not all pictures in the this post are mine, some are from our church and Danny.

Docent Dinner and Some Random

Danny's girlfriend, Jessica, gave us a ChaCult for Christmas one year.  We use it for loose tea brewing.  Lately though Hubby upped our game and has been brewing an evening drink for us.  It's fresh ginger (grated), a squeeze of lemon and a wedge and fresh mint leaves.  Let it seep and then drain into your mug.  We put about a 1/2 T. honey in our mugs.  

It has really helped my tummy issues.

Of course, Hubby thinks he's the great physician.  He kinda is.

 I was busy at the museum last week.  It was the annual Docent Dinner, a dinner to thank all of my volunteers at the museum.  I decided to use the luau theme this year.  After 19 years I am running out of ideas and the luau was always in the plans if I couldn't think of anything else.

It's a big room for a party with a tiny budget.

 I shopped my house, Party City and Oriental Trading.

 Since I just happen to have a tiki bar for Huaka'i Annie, our '57 Aloha trailer, I set it up.  With my cute bartender.

 I asked Bobby and Barbie to come and teach the hula dance.  Tehri helped too and our museum director Troy was a good sport too, wearing a grass skirt and coconut bra.

 I love Hawaiian music and it was great to have Bobby take care of it for me.

The punch was a hit with everyone and I can say that with rum it's pretty tasty.

Other Random Stuff or Prattling On

*It's Easter on Sunday.  We get to celebrate with dinner at Uncle Darryl and Aunt Judy's place after church on Sunday.  I love to get together with these peeps and we all love to go to their house for Easter.  Sam and Angela and Max and Kassie are coming too and that makes this mama sooo happy.

*Danny won't be here for Easter but he is taking a trip.  He is going to a friend's wedding.  They have been friends since they were at Calvin College.  The wedding is in India.  I don't want to misspell Roweeth's name but I think I just did...  Danny went home for Christmas with him their sophomore year of college to United Arab Emirates and Dubai.  This should be a wonderful trip.

*Our washer died.  The new one doesn't arrive until mid April.  Our washer and dryer are under a counter.  There is only one set that fits under the counter and it is crap.  So, we either tear out the counter or order a new washer every four years.  It has to be ordered because no one carries it in their store cuz, it's crap.  Hubby and I are hopeful that this next piece of junk will last maybe 6-7 years because we are empty nesters and I do a lot less laundry than when three guys lived with us.

*We have made a lot of camping reservations this summer.  Last summer we were slaves to the trailer project and this year we plan to camp and have fun!  I am going to begin my driving lessons soon as Spring has sprung and June is coming.  I am going to a Sisters on the Fly camp in Cle Elum in June.

That is IF I pass Hubby's driving test.  This all means I need to get that blasted awning out and try to finish sewing it.  Oh, the angst!  On a brighter note, Hubby is almost finished with the screen door.

Our punch list is shrinking.  Good thing we are getting another trailer!  Details coming next month...

Easter 2014

 Sam was home from JBLM (Joint Base Lewis McCord) and Max was home from Walla Walla for Easter.  It was so great to have them in church with us for Easter morning services.  Hubby was working midnights so instead of sleeping he went to church and dinner.  Mark and Karen came for coffee and scones after church.  We had dinner at Uncle Darryl and Aunt Judy's house.  They have moved off the farm to a beautiful setting in town.  We had a delicious dinner.

Since there aren't many little kids left Aunt Judy decided to include the teens and twenty somethings in the Easter egg hunt.  They were a little ho hum about it until they heard that they each had an egg with their name on it.  A rumor of cash and the excitement started building.  So then, since we had their interest, they were required to have a group shot prior to the hunt.

Sam got sidetracked by the unmarked eggs since they were filled with candy.

 Sam and Angela had a short discussion on "what is yours is mine".  Not until July 5!

I cracked up when I downloaded the pictures.  

Angela was having a little fun and our photographer took a selfie.

We had a great weekend.  Max brought home tamales from Country Mercantile, so I didn't really cook.  We played some cards, we visited and I did guy laundry.  As we left to go to Easter dinner I put a ham in the oven so Max could take some back to school and we could have leftover ham this week.  

Because you all know how my guys love a BAH (big a** ham).

He is Risen, Indeed

Last week I was a tad busy.

The museum hosted its annual Docent and Volunteer Dinner on Thursday evening.   Since it was close to Easter I chose a flowery purple theme for the tables.  I took no pictures as the whole thing felt frantic for me.

After we were home from the dinner and the car was unloaded Max arrived home for Easter.

It was so good to see him.  He plopped on the sofa and I plopped right next to him.

Hubby had a four day weekend, Max came home and the sun was shining.  It was a perfect storm.

We painted.  And then we painted some more.  The landing, hall and kitchen are painted.  The doors and trim are painted.  The banister is not.  The walls are a pale cream color and the trim is grey.  The paint cans are out of the kitchen.  The cars got washed, the lawn mowed, weeds got pulled, paint was applied, and the floors got mopped.  

I wanted to have a dozen more Fridays and Saturdays but Saturday rolled into Sunday and Sunday was Easter and it is the best!  I attended a funeral for Janet, my Mom's cousin and dear lifelong friend, on Tuesday.  I thought about Janet during the service and what a special Easter she was having in heaven this year.   Her funeral made Passion Week very meaningful for me.

 After our church service on Easter morning we went to my parents home for Sunday dinner.

 So many Easter egg hunts have involved pretty Easter dresses, parkas and rubber boots in the Pacific Northwest that it felt like a modern day miracle to enjoy sunshine and  warm temperatures on Easter Day.

 Everyone should be lucky enough to have a cute little girl running around wearing a pretty pink skirt and cowboy boots.

 Max and Levi helped hide the eggs and then set themselves up for some action on the bench by the pond.  They each had an egg in their hot little hands.  They spread rumors that they had the  money  eggs.   The kids tried to grab the eggs but of course, Max and Levi were faster and closed their hand over the egg.

Not nice, Lucy! 

 No one tried harder than Clayton.  Clayton makes me pine for the days when my guys were little.  He is just adorable and would be mortified to be called adorable but he is adorable.  I don't want to be known as the crazy old auntie that pinches cheeks but ohhh my, it is tempting with that cutie patootie!

 There were confetti eggs after the hunt.

 It felt so good to be in the sunshine with family.  It was a wonderful day.

Later, I'll post about our field trip that we took Monday.  It was a good thing.  Very good, indeed.