Final week of March, folks. What does this mean? Well, for one thing, be careful on Wednesday, it’s April Fool’s you know. You might be interested to learn that many who speculate about such things believe that April Fool’s Day originated in France in the 1500’s, while others of the same ilk think it originated from the Hindu festival “Holi.” I’ve no idea, but either seems just as plausible as running around pinching anyone who isn’t wearing green in honor of a massive snake drive!

Also coming this week: my five-year-old has Spring Break and my triplets turn three. We’ve got no idea how to celebrate this yet, but it certainly is a milestone. Coming in the next month: Easter and General Conference. Right at this very moment Larry (My husband, for those of you just tuning in) is practicing for Godhood by developing patience. If you recall from the last newsletter, Larry was on leave this past week and we spent it rearranging everyone’s room. Well, now it seems our five children are unwilling to return to the custom of sleeping in beds, having discovered the loveliness of a nightly slumber party on the living room floor. So as I am typing away the toddlers are crying and Daddy keeps reminding them (in ever-louder tones) that “Mommy is working!” So how about I get on with it Already?


New Content:
This week we’ve got two articles dealing with the Atonement. One focuses on the cross as a symbol and our (LDS people’s) perspective on it, and the other focuses on the Atonement and the saving principle of Grace, which is in effect because of the Atonement. These may be found here:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17366.asp

and

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4196.asp

Please check back in a couple of days; there is so much more I wanted to do for Easter! At the very least I will try to put together a plan for a meaningful FHE on the topic; I’ve been trying to come up with something for my own family that will do the subject matter justice. I hope to have my humble offering up and live by early next week.


This Week’s Product Review:
Well, again I’ve covered a couple of books, but not aimed at children this week (or at least not only children!) I wanted to suggest a couple of things that might be helpful to Easter observance. The first is a book of religious etiquette. It offers an essential guide to the customs and basic worship practices of he major religions of North America. This is good for those who visit the services of other faiths, but also just for general understanding and respect among all faiths. The second is a holiday cookbook for kids. It is not so simple that young children can prepare the recipes without supervision, but it is simple enough that they can help. And yet, the dishes are tasty enough to grace a holiday table that grown-ups are eating at too. This article may be found here:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8856.asp



Quote of the week:
I am sorry, I don’t know if I had cauliflower in my ears, or if no one within my earshot said anything memorable this week, but I have no choice but to delve deep into my past. Waaayyy back when my sister was in Kindergarten (or maybe it was preschool), my mother was feeling a bit down, and little sister said, “Don’t worry Mommy; you’re greater than yourself!” Depending on how little sleep you’ve gotten it could be very deep.

“Beat the Kitchen” tip this week:

If your kids refuse to eat heir crusts, save them for bread pudding. It was not so long ago that Larry and I regularly had to scrimp and stretch what we had to feed our family. This is one thing I did that came easy as I was one of those raised with the insane compulsion to save every scrap, drop, and crumb of anything edible. This works quite well if you are also eligible for WIC, since you probably have a surplus of milk and eggs.

Bread pudding recipes vary, and the preferred method of cooking is in a gentle water-bath, but I just don’t have it in me to get that precious most of the time; here’s how I generally do it:

1) First, you can save the bread for weeks if you want to. Don’t worry about it molding as long as the moisture is gone—think of bread crumbs, croutons, or crackers—they don’t mold.

2) I typically use equal number off lightly beaten eggs and cups of milk. Let’s say four each. Mix this together with, I don’t know, ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla, dash nutmeg and a dash salt.

3) Pour this over your crusts. I like to use a lot of bread, at least enough to fill a 9x13 pan. (Butter it first). Let this sit in the refrigerator for a good hour so the bread becomes thoroughly soggy. You may find you need to mix up a bit more egg/milk mixture before cooking.

4) Stick this in a 350 oven for a hour-ish. You’ll know it’s ready because the bread will poof up over the top of the pan just beautifully. (It will sink back down a few minutes after you pull it out of the oven, but it sure looks pretty there for a while!)

5) You can vary this recipe and add all sorts of ingenious things. If you want to be fancy, top it with a warm caramel sauce. Larry’s favorite was when I pureed canned apricots (the last fruit we had in the house) and added around ½ tsp of cardamom to the above list of seasonings. Nuts are good. You can even cut the sugar, omit the cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg and do a savory version with onions, garlic, and herbs. Really, it’s cheap, versatile, and filling.

Until next week, friends. Happy Spring, and remember, You’re greater than yourself!


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