"Spend the Day . .

You can't take it with you."  I never need to be reminded that life is short, but sometimes I need to be reminded not to fill it up with only things that need to get done.  This past month I have been busy as a bee between work (at the local Methodist church - I have renamed this past week "Holy Moly Week"), Spring cleaning, Putting the Garden in, and Preparing the house for company.  Oh yes, and there was that little jaunt down to Texas to help Mom unpack. And a Graduation Party to plan and organize. Such a busy and industrious time of year.  Easy to feel a bit overwhelmned at times.

So, did I really have time this week to make Easter candy?  I was grumbling and pondering such things as the week progressed towards my date with Aunt Betsy.  I'm so glad I had the discipline to stick with my committment.  We shared a wonderful afternoon, of course, and the candy making was fun.  But ultimately, it was a great excuse to get together and share the time and a lot of laughs.

Colorado Candy Girls

Which got me thinking, of course.  Why is it so hard to set time aside from our own to-do's?  And ultimately, why is it that those are the times that count the most?  I would have to guess that it has something to do with serving.  Funny thing is folks, for as much as we're serving something or someone outside of ourselves, we really end up serving ourselves the most.

Great Granny's Chocolate Covered Coconut Easter Eggs - Makes 6 Dozen Eggs
For filling:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 lb confectioners sugar
1/2 bag coconut (8 oz)

Combing the filling ingredients.  Form smallish (less than a teaspoon) egg shapes and roll in confectioners sugar before placing on cookie sheet.  Refrigerate overnight.

For coating:
 8 oz. of chocolate flavored candy coating (sometimes known as "Bark")
12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chips

Melt the chocolate either in Micro (we didn't have such good luck) or double boiler.  When melted, drop eggs one at a time in chocolate and cover.  Remove with fork (tap tap tap the excess off) and place on cookie sheet.  Refrigerate until cool and set.  Sorry the instructions are a bit vague, but that's how our family rolls.

By the way, for any family reading this, you might like to know that Pappy used to get a fresh coconut and make a big production of cracking it open with a hammer on the back porch and then grate it fresh.  All with great flair, of course.  I love that Great and Pappy would spend their holidays like this.  Sharing time, doing the little things together.  They could just have easily bought the ingredients ready to go, hell, they could have just bought the candy!  But they made this candy, together, year after year.  That's how they built a life together for over 70 years.  What a great example, lucky us.