Weekend Warriors

We kicked off the weekend with our local YMCA's Easter Egg hunt in the POOL....yes, in the pool.  The kids jumped in, with dad, hunted for eggs and Ethan even found a "Prize Egg" and won a bottle of bubbles.  After the pool hunt they did games and crafts at the Y as part of the festivities, which thrilled them to death.  They even got candy bags and candy prizes for participating ..that mommy quickly tucked away for our own egg hunt at home next weekend...they don't need more candy on top of what they got so I just took the candy and stashed it away, and no one has even asked where it went :)  We then rushed home for a visit from Pappy and Gma Kathy.  They brought the kids fishing poles so we had endless "fishing" in our living room.  They even brought the kids a few Cubs outfits and Ethan a Cubs hat, that mommy LOVES but Daddy wishes said Brewers.  Ah well, I let him put the kids in IU stuff so he'll have to suck up the Cubbies gear.  My dad even had "Sandberg" put on the back of Ethan's Cubs shirt since Ryne Sandberg was my absolute favorite when I was a kid.  Pretty sure I still have a couple of his baseball cards tucked away somewhere.  Pappy and Gma Kathy even brought some old pics of the Bradbury clan...grandparents, great grandparents, and even great-great grandparents along with some genealogy work and great stories you can't get from paper...I guess you could say that was Mommy's gift since I love doing our family history.  After all going out to dinner, we even managed to sneak in a game of Candyland.  Ethan is still talking about how he played Candyland with his Pappy and Gma Kathy.  Finally Sunday rolled around, along with the springtime SNOW, and more snow, and more snow.  So Ethan and Daddy headed outside for some fort building and snowball fighting while mommy and Claire made mini chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting to eat after our FHE.  FHE that night included a quick 2 minute kid-friendly video on the resurrection and then we made paperplate tombs and had fun rolling our "stone" away.  I'm pretty sure we couldn't have packed anymore into our crazy weekend, but it sure was fun!  Enjoying every moment we can as an entire family.    

Our Fearless Weekend Warriors

Kicking off the weekend with some fresh breath

Easter Egg Hunt in the Pool

Obstacle course he had to race through holding his jellybean-filled egg on a spoon

Easter Egg Hockey with a Carrot as the Hockey stick

A visit from Pappy and Gma Kathy

Snow forts and snowball fights

Claire helping me in the kitchen :)  She kept clapping her "oven-mitt arms".  It was hilarious.

The picture we used to make our paperplate tomb crafts for FHE.

Friday Family Faves...HEALTHIER chocolate pie

I've held on to this chocolate pie recipe as a secret for so long; I'm finally ready to stop being stingy and share :)

 I usually make this pie for pitch-ins and family events, and people LOVE it!  Then when I call it "Healthy chocolate pie" they want to know how...so I tell them tofu.  Sometimes I get the response "EWE" and then I have to remind them that they ate 2 pieces so it couldn't have been that bad :) 

Okay, so whenever I hear people talk about tofu they say 2 things...1. they don't like the taste and 2. they don't like the texture.  Well, tofu really has no flavor so you have to flavor it the way you like it...so I opt to flavor mine with CHOCOLATE!  And with this chocolate pie, you blend the tofu so it eliminates the normal texture that so many people can't stand.

JUST TRY IT!

CRUST:
You want to use a 9 inch graham cracker crust.  You can make this from scratch or I like to take the easy way out and buy a 9 in reduced fat graham cracker crust.

FILLING:
1/2 c. milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (if you prefer a darker chocolate taste, you can use even less milk chocolate chips as long as the combo of chips is a total of 2 c.)
3 tbsp honey
2 packages Firm tofu (drained)
2 oz sliced almonds (optional)


In a double boiler or microwave, melt your chocolate chips.  Meanwhile make a cut in film covering tofu packages and drain water into sink.  Cut tofu loosely into cubes while still in package.

Add one package of cut tofu to blender then add honey and melted chips.  Begin blending, pausing occasionally to push tofu chunks down toward blender blade (I use a long handle wooden spoon).  When first package is blended add second package of drained and cut tofu.  Keep blending until smooth.  If you have a hand blender you may prefer to use it.  Pour smooth filling into 9 inch graham cracker crust.  Top with as many almonds as you like.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until tofu has firmed up enough to stand on it's own.

HEALTHIER CHOCOLATE PIE

Kiss Me, I'm Irish!

Happy St Patty's Day!

This is a copy of the 1920 census.  At the bottom is the surname Dale.  Cecil Dale is my great grandpa.  Listed under him is Thelma, my grandma Bradbury, and Thomas A, my Great Great grandpa.  I found this census doing my genealogy about 6 years ago and was shocked to find that my great grandpa Thomas had listed Ireland as the birth place of his mother and father.  I was also shocked to find that he had listed their primary language as Irish....hahaha!  Of course that instantly meant St Patty's Day was taken to a whole new level.    

After church on St Patty's Day we threw off our church clothes and put on the green.  Then we started cooking our Irish feast of Irish Stew, Colcannon (basically cheesy mashed potatoes and cabbage), and apple barley pudding.  Of course we have to have some O'douls as well...oh don't judge, I know you're drinking your Martinellis.  We invited some friends over to enjoy this Irish feast and celebrate our legacy and the joy of genealogy.

Playtime in green

Playtime with dad

O'Douls, Apple-barley pudding with homemade whipped cream,  colcannon and Irish stew

Yep, we had to add a "kids' table" :)

Peterson Obstacle Course Races

We declared our Saturday a family fun day.  Blowing off everything on our "To-do" lists, we spent the entire day enjoying life as a family...with simple, inexpensive things.  We ended our day with an after dinner obstacle course race that the kids LOVED....okay mom and dad loved it too.  First the kids had to race their "racers" to our piano then climb through the "tunnel", over the boxes, and jump along the cushions before racing to the finish line.  We did this over and over and over, until finally Ethan said ,huffing and puffing, he needed to take a break.  That was our cue for bedtime.  It was a great way to get our kids to burn off some of that energy, especially Claire, right before bedtime, and made for some fun pics :)

Ethan on his "racer", heading to the piano

Claire on her "racer"

Daddy through the tunnel...and no, no adults got stuck in the process :)

Ethan through the tunnel

Over the boxes

jumping down the cushions

Through the finish line.  Ethan modelling the broken through finish line ...our wonderful streamer we'd taped and re-taped across the doorway 

Gold trophy stickers for everyone