April

I guess time flies when your having fun. Here is a little overview of the month of April with the Mohler family

Valley of Fire

This past month our family did an overnighter at Valley of Fire with some of the other Mohler's a few Barlow’s and other family and friends. We love visiting Valley of Fire mostly because it is one of our kids’ favorite places. The rocks out there have like a sandpaper texture, which makes is very easy for them to climb and have their feet stick well. The kids really just climb rocks the.whole.time.. We had what turned into a big potluck for dinner and of course roasted marshmallows and sang around the campfire at night. It was a fun trip. I am glad we went again before the summer heat arrives.

Kool-Aid Playdough

I am not a big fan of play-dough probably because I have had to scrub it out of carpet one to many times. The idea of it is neat but I really do not like the mess it creates, at least not the mess that my kids seem to create with it. My little guys Troy just melts my heart and so when he asked and asked and asked me to please make him some play-dough and promised it would stay on the table I couldn’t say No!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

2 cups flour
2 cups boiling water
½ cup salt
2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid
2 T. vegetable oil

Mix boiling water and Kool-Aid, then add the rest and knead for about 5 minutes.

Hot Dog on a Stick

Through most of my high school years I worked at Hot Dog on a Stick and I loved working there. It is such a bright, happy, upbeat place to work. I would very highly recommend it to any teenager. Anyhow on Tuesdays their hot dogs on a stick (they never refer to them as corndogs) are only a dollar. Every once in a while I like to go for old memories. The smell when I stand at the counter rushes my memory back to a lot of fun times. Just thought I would share their Tuesday special!

Bryan Family Egg Hunt

Every spring my mom and step-dad host an egg hunt for their grandkids and they go all out. I am sure they hide a few hundred eggs My kids really look forward to it and always have a great time. Mom always makes sugar cookies for the kids to decorate and we have a potlock dinner. It is such a fun Spring tradition!

The Grand Canyon

A couple weekends ago we went on a very spur of the moment family "day-cation" to the Grand Canyon. We have flown over the Grand Canyon but have never landed there. Jason called me one Saturday morning that he was working for a friend and suggested that we come since the weather was gorgeous and the kids were not at school. (Part of the reason we have never gone before is because Jason doesn't usually work on Saturdays and so the days he does work the kids are at school, and in the summer it is just too hot). We were given the Grand Tour. We first flew in an Airplane to the Grand Canyon, then we got in a Helicopter and went to the base of the canyon and got the view from below, then we got on a Boat and went down the Colorado River. After the boat ride we got back in the helicopter and went back up top and rode in a Bus over to the Sky Walk. I do not have a fear of heights at all but the Sky Walk made my stomach drop and really had Cloey scared at first. We ate lunch overlooking the canyon and then headed back to the airport for our flight home. I really was a fun day. I am so glad we got to have this experience together as a family. It was neat to let the kids see where Jason works and see what he does while he is away.

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Beef Jerky

One of the things that Jason enjoys making is Beef Jerky. He gets the itch every year around the time of our Family Coral Pink trip. He has tried lots of different styles and techniques but this year he finally found his favorite. For Christmas one of the gifts he bought himself was a Jerky Baster and now each piece of jerky is exactly the same as the next. If you know Jason at all you will know how happy that kind of thing makes him. He went to work doing his thing and made 13 pounds of Jerky. (If you want his recipe you will have to talk to him. I am not sure exactly what he does. I do know that he likes to use London broil and has the butcher grind it up for him. The whole process grosses me out but it does end up tasting really yummy!)

Coral Pink

Another year has come and gone. I have lost track of the years that the Mohler family had been going to Coral Pink. I think it is getting pretty close to 30 years. It is another one of our families spring traditions. We have a lot of those!!! This year the weather was not very cooperative the first few days it rained, it hailed, it snowed and the wind blew hard. It was cold! But the kids sure didn’t skip a beat. They played like the sun was shining. That is what I love about this trip. It is a lot of work to pack and prepare for and an even bigger job to clean up after. I find red sand in my car and laundry room for many months after. But it is a chance for my kids to be kids for a whole week. They play till the sun goes down every day with their cousins and love every minute of it. They dig in the sand, ride bikes, make forts, explore, catch bugs, climb trees and eat sticky gooey candy that only grandma would buy them. And they learn a little too. This year our boys slept in a tent by themselves and Jason taught them how to set up their tent. This year Jaden also learned how to ride my 4-wheeler. It is one with a clutch to shift gears that was (still is) difficult for me to ride. Jason was so excited that he caught on so well and that he has more of his riding skills than mine. It was a cold trip but a great one!

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Jaden's Piano Recital

Jaden started learning how to play the piano from his wonderful piano teacher Mrs. Barlow about 8 months ago. I have been very impressed with how quickly he has caught on. Jason and I have no musical talent and so we have been thrilled to have to sound of piano music being played in our home. Recently Jaden had his very first piano recital and he did an amazing job.

We are so proud of you Jaden!!!

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Lemon CupCakes

and just a little spring recipe that I will end with...

Lemon Cake/Cupcakes

1 lemon cake mix
1 pkg. lemon pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oil
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients on low speed for 30 seconds, then beat on higher speed for 2 minutes. Spray a bunt pan with cooking spray, then coat with granulated sugar. Pour cake batter into pan and bake at 375 50-55 minutes. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes before flipping onto plate. Drizzle with lemon butter cream frosting that you have microwave for about 30 seconds.

Serve with fresh raspberries.
If making cup cakes bake for 15-17 minutes.
I don’t melt the frosting when I make cupcakes.

Lemon Butter cream Frosting

1 cube butter, at room temperature
1/8 tsp. salt
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter. Add salt, lemon juice and extract. Add in powdered sugar, half a cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.