Happy Mother's Day! Wonderful Days are Ahead!

Happy Mother's Day to the wonderful mothers and women who have touched our lives.  From my sweet memories as a small child to my life today, I have been blessed with wonderful examples of motherhood and womanhood.

Here's a short and simple verse that I'd like to share:

Mothers - A Child’s View

Kary S. Lewis

May 2020

God sent me here to be on earth,

To learn of my eternal worth.

He knew I’d need a loving hand,

To help me navigate this earthly land.

Partners He called, whom He could trust;

Moms were created, just for us.

Daily they nurture, guide, and plead;

For all the world to truly see,

That Mothers are sent from heaven above,

To help us remember God's pure love.

A special shout out to our children and their wonderful families for the Mother's Day video.  What a treasure to see and feel of their love!

A few months after Elder Lewis and I were settled in our apartment, we found a small garden shop and purchased 2 starter plants that were about the size of my fist.  It's impressive to see how much they've grown in this Quito climate.  As I watched our family's Mother's Day video,  I couldn't help but notice how much our 28 grandchildren have grown and how they are thriving in their home climates.   Climates that are established and maintain by wonderful mothers!

This past week, we enjoyed a productive week in the office and here in our apartment.  We are prepping for new missionaries who will begin arriving on Monday.  We expect 8 missionaries on Monday from Honduras, followed by 28 missionaries on Wednesday from Guatamala.  All are Ecuadorian missionaries who have returned to the country and have completed their 2 week quarantine.  In two more weeks, we will welcome  40 more missionaries from Mexico.  It's exciting to think that normalcy may be returning!  As President Russell M. Nelson said in his latest message - "Wonderful days are ahead!"

When there are a few extra minutes during our work hours at the mission office, I enjoy going up to the 6th floor of the office building and playing the piano.  For the past few weeks, Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat major, Op. 9, No. 2  has captured my interest.  This is Chopin's best-known Nocturne, composed when he was around twenty years old.  It's beautiful to listen to and challenging to play.

Quarantine has definitely changed our eating habits.  We use to go out to lunch every day.  Now, I'm cooking and experimenting with new recipes.  Here's a Chocolate Cookie recipe that I will take credit for.  If you try it, let me know how it works for you.  Slightly different ingredients and a higher elevation can make a difference.

Chocolate Cookies w/White Chocolate Chips

CREAM TOGETHER:

3/4 cup butter softened

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cups cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

ADD & MIX:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

ADD:

2 cups white chocolate chips or a mix of white & chocolate chips

Roll into 1.5 inch balls and chill for 20 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 15 minutes.  Cool.  Serve.  Makes approx. 32 cookies.

Kary's Chocolate Cookies!

Friday evening has become our pizza and movie night.  I have been using a pizza crust recipe that I received from our son-in-law Kraig.  The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of olive oil on the pizza pan before spreading the dough out.  I misread the recipe last time, and I put the 1/2 cup of oil in the dough.  The dough was soft, but still made a great pizza.  This time I corrected my mistake and put the oil in the pan as directed.  When I baked the pizza, the oil was dripping over the sides of the pan, burning on the bottom of the oven, and sending billowing clouds of smoke throughout our apartment.  Of course the smoke alarm went off in our apartment before we could get the windows opened.  When the smoke began to clear I opened the door of the apartment to increase the air flow and set off the apartment complex's 3 floor smoke alarm.  It was crazy for a few minutes before we got everything under control, but the pizza was delicious!

Yesterday, we discovered that Supermaxi has added another layer of COVID security - a temperature test.  In the past, you would get sprayed down with disinfectant before entering the store.  Now, you first get your temperature taken, and if you past that test, you are sprayed down with disinfectant and allowed to enter the store.  

Elder Lewis getting his temperature taken to enter Supermaxi.

Here'a a colorful make-shift hazmat suit that was worn to enter Supermaxi.
I asked this man if I could take his photo for my blog and he was happy
to pull his goggles over his face and straighten his belt.

We send our love and blessings to everyone.  Have a wonderful week.  Stay safe and healthy.  Remember........wonderful days are ahead!

Elder & Sister Lewis