A Popcorn Ball That Would Smell So Sweet

Last night, in an effort to combat a Grace meltdown about the unfairness of Sophie having gotten Starbursts in a birthday gift from her teacher at church yesterday, I replicated a delicacy that Scott's grandma used to make that I especially remember having at Christmas time.  With leftover marshmallows from Sophie's birthday cake, and a giant container of popcorn kernels, I had all the makings for a treat!  I threw some butter in the mix and it was mmm mmm goooood.  Hahaha.  I don't know if this is Grandma Grandma's precise recipe, but it did the trick.  Think Rice Krispie Treats but with popcorn instead of the cereal. 

Grace liked the concoction so much, that she requested we make them into popcorn balls for Family Home Evening tonight.  And since it was so easy peasy lemon sneezy to make, I agreed on the spot.  Especially since it seemed to go along so well with our song for this month for Scripture Time.  :) 

 The Family

When the fam'ly gets together, after evening work is done,

Then we learn to know each other, popping corn and having fun.

Then our father tells a story, mother leads us in a song,

And it seems that nothing in this world could possibly go wrong.

The lyrics are so hilariously antiquated that it makes singing it that much more fun.  And fun is what we should be having during this month of February as we are focusing on "wholesome recreational activities."  For our scripture this month, I chose a quote from one of my favorite talks of all time -- Reflections on a Consecrated Life, by Elder D. Todd Christofferson -- and even though it's a little long, I was pleased to see this morning that Ethan is already a "marvelous memorizer" for the verse.  :)

February may be a short month, but we are still going to try our hardest to pack it with as many wholesome recreational activities as possible!  Because --

"Just as honest toil gives rest its sweetness, wholesome recreation is the friend and steadying companion of work. Music, literature, art, dance, drama, athletics—all can provide entertainment to enrich one’s life and further consecrate it."  {-- Elder D. Todd Christofferson}

 Five little monkeys sitting on a couch.  For what exact reason, I couldn't tell you.  Hahaha.  But they were all singing loudly together after dinner and I think it was a song from "The Lorax."

 Popcorn, butter, marshmallows.

 I melted half a stick of butter with a bag of miniature marshmallows and then mixed it with a bunch of popcorn.  Haha.  Clearly it's a very exact science.  :)

 After letting the mixture cool for a bit, it was surprisingly easy to shape them into balls.

 Of course, I couldn't leave out Allergy Girl, so the blue ones were Sophie-safe -- made with sunflower oil in place of the butter.  And a touch of food coloring so we wouldn't get them mixed up with the butter ones.  :)

And that's all folks!  I will try and blog about Sophie's 8th Birthday Party tomorrow.  Until then, adios! Hahaha.