We are having Easter dinner with the non-Mormons in our family. We're having Honeybaked ham, fresh pineapple, potatoes au gratin, grapefruit and avacado salad, Monterey artichokes, homemade French bread, veggies and humus, cherries jubilee (in flaming brandy) and See's candy.

My ex-Mo kids still want the traditional ham and cheesy potatoes, but everything else is recent tradition. I went to Dan's grocery here in Salt Lake, and they have a special on Mormon "salads" --giant plastic tubs of fish-eye tapioca salad, pistachio jello salad, ambrosia with more marshmallows than fruit, etc. It has been fun to change our eating habits along with other Mormon habits!

My Mormon daughter and TBM husband are away on a trip with his TBM family, and they will not attend church at all on Easter. My TBM neighbors across the street will be opening up their cabin, which is nowhere near any church. My other TBM neighbors allow their children to sleep in and enjoy their Easter baskets and skip church every Easter. My single TBM friend is having some singles over for brunch, and a welcome break from their singles ward. My empty-nester TBM friends are having pizza. Some of my musical TBM friends don't like the music restrictions, and they are going to the Catholic Easter service, just for the music.

One of the reasons I think Mormon church attendance is dwindling, is that they are offering less and less spirituality to the members, while demanding more and more busywork of them. It is fear, coercion, family and peer pressure that force them to attend. The cult is so negative. My TBM friend hadn't gone to church in months, and when she went last week, someone who never said 'hello' ran up to her to find out if she had a generator, and if she knows CPR. She said, "There isn't any worship anymore."

What's the POSITIVE draw? There are no truly uplifting, spiritual, traditional Easter or christmas services. There are no well-thought-out, intellectual, professional sermons. Not to mention, there is no more great music to inspire the soul.

I did a personal survey, and every one of my Christian friends say their family is going to church. The atheists are not, and most ex-Mormons are not. Are you?

I wish you sunshine!

HAPPY EASTER! >^..^<

At 4:30AM Central (5:30 Eastern; 2:30 Pacific), I'll be up and attem' (Atom Ant!) heading the the airport on our way to Napa Valley for a week of gastronomic delight and bacchanalian revelry!

Ron

We will be going to early services at our Lutheran church. After service we will have a great breakfast prepared by about half dozen men of the congregation. Since I sing in the choir, I will go to the first few minutes of the second service so that I can sing and then I will sneak out the side door after our anthem. Then home to enjoy the sunshine by relaxing on the deck with the Sunday paper. Steaks to be grilled later in the afternoon. We will miss not having any family here with us but we will enjoy the day together.

After he drops off the goods, I will eat him.

I will write and self-medicate this weekend because as a wise man once said, "If you don't medicate yourself, who's going to?"

Probably also go for a bike ride and enjoy time with my doggies.

Bow-wow!

I asked the kids what they wanted for Easter dinner and that's what they wanted. I may have steered them in that direction because it's what I wanted to fix. I love a nice ham.

I won't be going to church but I'm pretty sure everybody else will go. If the weather's nice I may spend some time on a walk. Otherwise I hope to work on a few projects in my shop.

Stunted

I always thought Funeral Potatoes = Scalloped Potatoes. Do "oven creamed" potatoes qualify? What if they're made with frozen hash browns and canned soup? I'm so confused.

Oh, as long as I have your attention Mikey, I wanted to comment on your recent knife like pain. My wife recently had surgery for similar pain. They found some bowel adhesion or something like that. 8 weeks pain free and life is good for her. Just saying there may be something that can be fixed and I hope they find it soon.

Also, give your hubby my best. I lost my father several years ago and sometimes I still have a hard time with it. I've been thinking about his loss and just wanted to say something.

Stunted.

I'll definitely ask the gastro doc about the bowel adhesion thing. The pain has subsided a little today, which is nice.

If I can find one a decent price, I'm going to prepare a leg of lamb on the spit. If not, then lamb chops, colourful potatoes, carrots, and a salad all with a Greek/Middle Eastern flavour.

BF and I celebrate holidays with good food and drinks since it's usually just us and the kitty.

Homework!! WOOT!!

The kids (my cousins) come over and we have lots of Easter egg hunts. We have to have them seperately for the two youngest and the two oldest anymore, because otherwise, Kaitlyn and Casey will run Kiera and Connor over in their quest for candy and spare change. Later, we will have ham, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, corn, rolls, and bunny cake for dessert. We've made bunny cake every year since before I was born-it's HUGE! Oh, we also have deviled eggs, made from the eggs the kids dye earlier in the week.

I'm working Saturday, but on Sunday, I'll probably go to an Episcpoal church, as I'm one of those who only goes during Christmas and Easter or for some family obligation such as a wedding, baptism, or funeral.

Dinner will be ham, asparagus, potatoes au gratin, and some type of roll. Dessert will be chocolate tiramisu which is from the recent Bon Appetit magazine, and See's candy. One thing's for sure, the potatoes won't have any condensed cream of whatever soup as an ingredient. There won't be any TBM's at this dinner, so there won't be any complaints about the espresso in the dessert.

Going to church on Easter Sun. with my one daughter. There will be four services- usually three. 450 will be at the one I will go to but it is the best time for me. Then I will cook. Mormon daughter and hubby and grandson will come over. We will have an Easter Egg hunt in my big backyard and then eat an eve. meal here. Having ham, scalloped potatoes and steamed veggies. Should be a good day, but the end of my time off from teaching so that is a reason too that I won't want the day to end. Weather is lovely here- 80 or so.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/21/2011 02:57PM by honestone.

Driving 470 miles for a divorce hearing on Monday.

Hope it goes well for you. Wow...that is quite a drive!

DH agreed to go to the Lutheran church with me to see our friends perform in the service (musical number). This will officially be the first time he's gone to a non-LDS church with me. It'll be nice to go to a church that mentions Jesus at Easter for a change.

Then we are going to my sister's house to protect her from her crazy in-laws who are in town visiting and driving her crazy. She wants us to come be a buffer. Should be fun, although my BIL is such an outstanding cook, and my sister is a close second, so I'd put up with pretty much anyone for dinner at her house.

Hoping the Easter stuff the "Easter Bunny" ordered will be here by Saturday. If not I'll be making a scramble to the store for something that my kids can find Sunday morning. I am such a procrastinator!

OK. Get this. I am spending time with my TBM family on SATURDAY evening because my TBM brother is so tied down with MEETINGS on Sunday due to his stupid cult calling (of which he is so proud).

The Mormons sure know how to ruin Easter.

Gonna hand with my boys. Go fishing and or hiking. Finishing the Lost series on netflix and of course have a drink or two!

Champagne brunch in Laguna Beach.

know i'll see my parents, b/c they aren't far from myself. Don't know if I'll see anyone else as far as family, but will see them.

I'm just working this weekend. :-(

DEh will be back from military school on Easter night and we'll have our dinner next monday. :-)

I hope that I'm able to sleep in, not have to boil and filter brown water anymore, and I hope to catch up on some reading of the physical book kind.

Send me some ham!

Easter is a pagan holiday ushering in the spring. Eggs and bunnies symbolize fertility and boinking. Spend this sunday in bed getting some! That's the best way to properly respect this holiday. I, sadly, will not have that as an option because even though I'm a godless heathen and should have no moral compass to guide me, I'm still strictly monogamous when I'm dating someone, and the girl I'm dating will be running errands for the Morg all day. **sigh**

It's finally warming up here to the point that I'm not concerned about freezing water lines, so I'll probably spend my sunday sleeping in, and then getting my irrigation/sprinkler system going. Maybe I'll run to Home Depot and pick out some new stuff to plant. Our front yard is badly in need of some big bright colorful plant life.

This morning took my older granddaughter to one of the two Maundy Thursday services in our Lutheran church. Tomorrow evening (Good Friday)entire family will go to the church to watch both grandkids perform in the passion play in mime form. Sunday morning is festival service with much joy and great hymns and music. Then a nice dinner at grandma's (me) and just relax and enjoy. We don't usually do all three days at church but the oldest girl is in confirmation classes this year and we are all supporting her.

Going to a spa to do yoga and get healthy. No turkey or ham, its vegetarian.

DH and DS are leaving on Saturday to go camping for the week.

We did the egg hunt and brunch with friends last weekend.

So, on Saturday night, I will be going to my sister's house for the annual opening of The Other Bar (their tricked out detached garage bar). While at The Other Bar, I will enjoy ribs of the porcine variety. Hopefully, there will be cheesy garlic grits on the side (okay, so I have to make those myself, but still).

I will likely over indulge.

On Easter Morning, I plan to sleep like the dead and hope not to be resurrected before a decent hour of the morning, say like 9 or perhaps even 10ish.