Faith. Not Fear.

I have been thinking about the current pandemic. The seemingly sudden onset. How almost overnight, things in everyday lifestyles in our country took on a vastly different look and mentality. How people have reacted and continue to react.

What did that look like for us? Well, personally, it sure didn't look like what was featured in national news stories. There was a lot of fear in news stories .... understandable, since few people actually grasped what we were dealing with. There is still fear, even today as I write this. Just this morning on my national news program, the host talked about people who are afraid. I don't feel that kind of fear. Concern? Sure. Care? Yes. Worry? Not as much now. But fear?? ....... No.

Social Distance? Hello, fresh air!

(We didn't build them -- but we admired them!)

I've also thought that the virus would be a whole lot easier to deal with if it presented itself like the last plague in "The Ten Commandments". A weird, green, finger of fog that wends its way through the streets. Then at least, it could be identified.




No, there hasn't been fear in my house. Do we wash our hands more? Absolutely. Do I carry disinfectant wipes and face masks in my vehicles? You bet. Do I stay home a lot? Yes to that, too. Do I sometimes walk the "wrong" direction down an aisle at Wal-Mart? Yes. Yes, I do.

So, here is our timeline, how our lives changed this spring:

Starting around March 14, 2020 (I believe), we were encouraged in our state to start "social distancing".  I don't like that term. Stay away from people, don't talk to anybody ----- be afraid!! That irks me. It would be more accurate to call it "physical distancing". But the concept was bigger than that .... stay away from other people. I think that avoiding all human contact also has unhealthy aspects. But the unknown virus was out there -- could be anywhere. Right?

On March 15th, they closed our schools locally: effectively creating what looked like a 2-week Spring Break.

On March 25th, 2020, it became a stay-at-home mandate/order from the governor. The next day, it became clear that schools would be closed at least through April 20th. Monday, March 30th, they began distance learning/virtual classrooms. Today the newspaper tells us that virtual learning will extend through the end of this school year, and the "soft closure" remains in place. (And yes, we still read that archaic bit of history with actual printed words on thin, inexpensive paper. We especially like it for local information.)

(This was spelling practice -- before "distance learning"/virtual school started)

We did not close our store. It was a decision we mulled over, and eventually decided to remain open. We figured there were 2 reasons: 1 -- to provide service and repair for peoples' home heating units, and 2 -- to provide propane--a fuel--to those who needed it. And believe me, ... propane was really selling big, too. People wanted their tanks FULL. And, since business is typically slower for us in springtime, it's hard to gauge how much we have been affected by it. It has been a blessing that this all has happened during our slow season, and not our busy season. And it remains to be seen whether it will affect us this coming fall. Will people decide on a new stove/fireplace/insert this year, or was money too tight, and they have to wait? We're not sure. And may I say, that it's really hard to get people to actually pay attention to signage and other visual clues to get them to follow distancing rules? Yeah, that's a thing.

Well, when shortages began in stores in other locations around the country, we went shopping, and found no shortage. We picked up one more package of toilet paper, but really --- we keep it on hand for our family ANYWAY, and it would be a long time before we'd be getting desperate. It has not been a problem for us. The verse in D&C 38: "If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear" comes to mind. Later, our area experienced the same shortages and outages of toilet paper and other products, but we had/have adequate for our needs. That has truly been a blessing. (The toilet paper crisis is truly mind-boggling. Insanity. People are crazy.)

As I thought about the changes beginning to take place, I heard some (national news program) commentary about children's fears. I certainly didn't want our Emma feeling fearful. So I sat Emma down and we talked about it. Maybe kids reflect the feeling of their parents? I wasn't afraid. And she wasn't afraid. Still isn't.

We talked about ways we could make the most of the situation, especially since she would be out of school. We took 4 categories ... intellectual, social, spiritual and physical, and she chose some goals to work on. We need to revisit that. We've done some, and forgotten others.

I’m very grateful for the extra time at home with Emma. I’m glad and feel very blessed to be able to be at home with her. We’ve gone on a couple of hikes, and need to look at that again.

These pictures that might seem randomly tossed in .... are kind of a summary of things we did and adventures we had before and during the social distancing that has been part of our lives for the last 2 months. We wanted to make some memories, and we definitely did that!

Also, when classes for Darcie went to online only, she decided to kick-start a planned trip, and come home for a little while. I think it helped her focus on schoolwork, but we were the ones who truly benefited.... Darcie brings life and joy when she's around:

(A study break for both of the girls!)

And if we're blessed when Darcie comes home, then that blessing is doubled when Alyssa comes, too!! We absolutely LOVED having the girls back home again!!!

Of course some softball was definitely involved:

(Not only did she pitch a full game's worth of scrimmage practice for a local team, this girl also hit one out of the park during our family batting practice!)

(Darcie? That girl plays HARD. Two of us came away with bruises off her, and 1 of us had stitch marks from the ball. Love her zeal for the game!)

Back yard picnic. And we beat the rainstorm, too!

(We had to prep a spot for a new shed. Cameron got driving rights!)

"Are you not entertained?"

We have definitely been eating well......

Cinnamon Rolls! Emma was shocked, because it wasn't Christmas day!

French Bread

Pizza Calzones!

Mmm... bacon-wrapped asparagus!

Science Experiment.... a density column.

Totally drinkable!

I am not one who goes into a panic mode in times like these. I have faith.

Faith in God. An understanding the the big picture is a whole lot bigger. A confidence that comes from an inner peace. A faith that everything will come out ok in the end.

I hope I instill that faith in my kids. I hope they have faith, too.

French Toast. And amped-up French Toast.

So, there's this global pandemic going on right now. Have you heard?

Yeah, can't miss it. Or ...... you should try to miss it. Wear a mask, and wash your hands.

I don't know what your strategy is to get through it, but as for me and my house .... we've been doing a lot of cooking and baking! And, since one goal is to educate Miss Emma on how to cook, it naturally followed that she could learn the basics.

This last week, she learned about French Toast:

It was her idea -- she loves French Toast. I think she actually loves the idea of sifting powdered sugar over it, right before consuming. She also loves the idea of sprinkling a few drops of water onto the griddle to see if it's hot enough.  (If the griddle is hot, water drops will boil instantly, and "dance" on the surface before evaporating. If it's not hot yet, they sit and slowly sizzle.)

So, this is a basic recipe I keep in the back of my head, but it has its roots in the recipe from the old red-and-white-checkerboard Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. Here's a quick run-down:


For each person you're serving, you need 1 egg.
For each egg, you need 1/4 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar, about 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. More on that in a moment.


We always use the same bread we keep on hand all the time .... it's a cracked wheat bread. But you use whatever you've got.  If your bread is starting to go stale, all the better. Once, we had some friends come from the Tri-Cities and stay the weekend with us, their kids would play with our kids and we've been friends since college. So in the morning, we fixed them French Toast. I don't know what they were used to getting, but they proclaimed this stuff the best they'd ever had!

So -- mix all ingredients with a whisk or mixer, in a wide bowl. If you're doing a lot, mix the eggs first before adding the milk. (It helps make sure you really kid get all the yolks mixed in.) Dip each side of the bread into the egg mixture, and cook on a lightly greased, medium-high griddle until nicely browned, flipping once. Serve with your favorite maple pancake syrup, and don't forget to sift powdered sugar over the top, so it looks pretty.

Here's what I have learned over the years:

- Vanilla makes a big difference. Go figure!

- We used to use butter heavily on the griddle (or frying pan), and give it a very buttery flavor. (Maybe that's what our friends liked??) This is very good, but lately I just lightly oil the griddle with a paper towel and move on. If Todd is cooking, he uses the butter by ripping one end of the wrapper off a stick, and then rubbing the griddle down with the stick of butter, holding the stick by the part still wrapped in the wrapper.

- Cinnamon doesn't play well with others, and doesn't like to mix in evenly.  Sometimes you end up with cinnamon sticking to the bowl and not the bread. My trick to fix that is to forget straight cinnamon, and use cinnamon-sugar in place of regular sugar. Works like a charm! If you're making a lot, you might need to add more cinnamon after the first couple batches have picked up the cinnamon that was floating on the surface of the egg mixture.

- After the milk, I've stopped measuring. A couple splashes of vanilla, and tossing cinnamon-sugar over the top, and it all works fine.

- If you're making a big batch, keep 'em warm in the oven to serve at once

- Emma is learning not to leave the bread soaking too long ..... hello, mush!



So, a couple years ago, I went to church Girls' Camp and learned a thing or two.

First, a-p-p-a-r-e-n-t-l-y other people don't use cinnamon. What???  Well, our head cook wasn't expecting it. After a short discussion, he decided (and I agreed) to do 2 different batches of French Toast that morning: one WITH and one WITHOUT cinnamon. Then see what the mob preferred.

Turns out, they prefer cinnamon. I tried really hard not to wear a smug smile on my face after that.

Second, ....also from that same head cook, I came away with an amazing idea to amp up my French Toast game. Instead of using regular, run-of-the-mill bread (see what I did there? Ha!), ..... go to the store and buy French Bread, un-sliced.  Not just because it's also French, either ... there's a real reason here.

So this is Stuffed French Toast. You slice the bread yourself, but make each slice double thick. Like about an inch-and-a-half or so thick. It should be like two regular bread slices thick. Then you slice a slit in it, through the side of the crust, to make a pocket.

In a bowl, mix together equal parts raspberry jam, cream cheese, and powdered sugar. Schmear that gorgeous pink mixture into the pocket which you cut into each slice of bread. Continue as usual to make the French Toast, but since you have super-thick bread, you need to dip it longer, so it can absorb more egg. (This will probably throw off my rule-of-thumb of eggs vs. number of eaters. Plan on more eggs.) Cook it as usual.

That, my friends, is a breakfast that dreams are made of!!

Also -- since it was at Camp, there are always do-ahead shortcuts: Like slicing the bread the night before. And even stuffing it the night before, too. Ok, but if you stuff it the night before, you have to refrigerate it. So just slice and slit the bread, make the raspberry mixture, (put it in the fridge) and stuff them in the morning. Stack the bread on humongous Camp-size baking sheets (or just your regular ones), and cover with plastic wrap until morning.

I haven't tried Stuffed French Toast at home .... mostly because that would involve actually planning a breakfast farther in advance than just the night before, and buying French bread specifically for that purpose. And I'm just usually not that organized.

Although -- it sounds like a great idea for taking on our family camping trip next month!!

hmmmm........

Mother's Day. 2020

Today is Mother's Day.

It's always a day that I reflect on my life, my kids, (and grandkids now!), my sweet husband, and all the life experiences that we have been through together. The words, 'I am so richly blessed' come to my mind every time. Every. Single. Time.

And then I also think of those women who have influenced me by how they live or lived.

My mom.

My sweet mother-in-law.

My sisters, the originals plus the ones I've gained through marriages. My friends in their mother roles.

My daughters!

Then that circle expands again -- women who have taught me how to be better, and women who have shown by their examples how to be better, and women who inspire me to want to be like them. Some of those women are older than I am ... but some are younger. New inspiration from fresh, young hearts.

I'm not there yet. But I hope to be getting closer each day.

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This afternoon, I will Skype video call with all of my girls. It's Sunday. We will chat, and share, and re-connect. It's a good feeling. We are brought together through technology and will study scripture together. That's a good feeling, too.

This evening, we will load up and drive over to Todd's parents' home. We will eat in abundance, we will sit on the shaded patio and talk, swap stories, and visit with family. We'll watch the young and young-at-heart play games in the grass. We may even join them. When the evening cools off, we'll make our way home again. And there will be a feeling of peace in my heart.

That's how I see it, because that's how we do it.

This is us. And that overwhelming feeling of gratitude will hit again.

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This is not to say that there are not hard moments. Moments with tears. Moments with frustration. Moments with anger. Moments of deep sadness. Messy moments. Yelling moments. Painful moments. Dying moments. Those are all there, too.

But the joys are also there. And they outweigh the hard moments.

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I guess with age comes some perspective. With a global pandemic comes serious gray roots growing out in an overgrown hairstyle, too.

As we navigate through life, clinging to those wonderful moments help make the hard moments bearable. Clinging to our deep beliefs in God, repentance, redemption, and eternal life puts everything in perspective. Watching my children carry those beliefs in their lives brings a quiet peace in mine.

And it is good.

It is so very good.