Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

First up–happy birthday to my hubby yesterday, and I’m sorry I still haven’t managed your cake!

Next, General Conference. I made some unwise bedtime decisions this weekend due to an insidiously addictive game I tried out on my phone this week, and so I have to be honest–what I was awake for was wonderful AND I’m grateful for how quickly I will be able to listen to the talks on my phone.

Lastly, I finished listening to Call the Nurse: True Stories of a Country Nurse on a Scottish Isle last night, and I quite enjoyed it. The narrator did a lovely Scottish accent, and the phrasing faults appeared to originate in the text. (Specifically, there were phrases that should have been parenthetical that weren’t read as parenthetical, but as I’ve looked through the print copy, that appears to be a faithful rendering of the text. MacLeod isn’t at all a bad storyteller, but you can tell she’s a nurse first and a writer second by her overuse of exclamation points and, again, lack of parentheses where parentheses ought to be.) I did notice that the first half or so appeared to be more cohesive than the second–it started to feel like a more random string of anecdotes as time went on–but I enjoyed the stories, and so it didn’t not work, if you know what I mean. At the end of the day, this book is exactly what the title says it is; if it sounds appealing to you, read it and you’ll likely enjoy it. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not your thing.

There was sobbing at my house today, folks–the 13YO before lunch, the 10YO after dinner. I am SO DONE with distance learning!

Anyway. We’re all just trying our best, right? And sometimes, our best looks not so good as other times, right? And THAT’S when we need chocolate, RIGHT? My son has gotten bingo two ways on his Quarantine card, which means making a treat with a parent; accordingly, on Wednesday, these Triple Chocolate Brownies happened at my house. And SERIOUSLY. They’re so rich that you can cut them into quite small pieces, and incredibly chocolaty even if you DON’T add all of the chopped chocolate at the end. (My only caution is that your toothpick is just not going to come out with “moist crumbs”, whatever the blogger says. I’d bake it for 35-37 minutes–unless your oven runs hot–and just take them out.) If you need some rich, gooey, extra-chocolaty goodness to shore up your soul for the upcoming week of staying safe and staying home, look no further than this recipe.

Okay, folks. I have at least two books I ought to be reviewing, and yet finding the mental energy to do that at the end of the day–well. I’ve been noting people talking about all of the family time they have together, and I have to say that I’m feeling kind of jealous. Distance learning and added work stress for my hubby are conspiring to give us less time together as a family, not more. I know we have so little to complain about compared to many right now, so I’m not going to go on about it. (Too late? Because I’m suddenly remembering that I talked about this yesterday…)

What I can talk about with truly joyful anticipation is our church’s General Conference this weekend. I know our prophet to be a man of God, and I feel a little like a kid on Christmas morning as I wait to hear his and our other leaders’ counsel and comfort amidst all of the craziness. Please tune in with us from your homes; I promise you that it will bring a much needed measure of peace.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints’ Worldwide Conference