Yes, a crock pot cake!

CROCK POT CAKE

THE SMELL OF THIS CAKE WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY !!!
Cook time:        4 Hr                 Difficulty:          EASY
Prep time:         5 Min               Serves: 12

INGREDIENTS
- 1 bx cake mix, chocolate
- 4 lg eggs
- 3/4 c oil
- 1 c water
- 1 pt sour cream
- 1 sm instant chocolate pudding
- 12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
1.   Mix first 6 items till almost mix well (I like mixer set to low).
2.   then add choclate chip mix in by hand.
3.   Spray a large crock pot with non-stick spray.
4.   Cook on low 4 to 5 hours. (DON'T OPEN THE LID !!!)
5.   Serve with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with chocolate syrup.

Kimberly wrote: Can I serve this for dinner?


Myrna wrote: Why not? It has eggs (protein), flour (grain), sour cream (dairy) and a fruit (coco beans). What more do you want? ;)

A cocoa bean is not a whole fruit itself; it's part of a fruit. The bean is the seed of a cocoa pod, which is the fruit that grows on a cocoa tree. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, it takes a cocoa tree 10 years to produce its first pod.

It Was a Nice Funeral

I am certainly happy that we ordered the $90 flower tribute. (I thought it should be $100 but Dad thought that I should make my from-scratch coconut cake from me. I had been asked to do so.) There were only six bouquets besides the casket piece and tribute from the family. Ours was a great size and was made up of red roses and white carnations. It looked very fresh and beautiful and added to the setting. Dad, of course, thought it was the prettiest one there. (He ordered it.) Don't worry, it was as large as the grandchildren and great grandchildren bouquets. So none of you need be ashamed. Thank you all.

One morning, not long before she died, Merlene woke up and smiled at her kids. "I can't believe that I didn't die," she joked. "Can you believe it?" At various times, she would say, "Are we on our way to the mortuary yet?" Even in great pain, she kept a sense of humor. That was one of the things that was brought out over and over during her funeral. Marsha, Kathleen and Ina, daughters, all spoke. (Nancy died a few years ago from cancer.) Her son did not speak. Josh, her great grandson, offered the family prayer, and Marty, his brother, dedicated the grave. Josh also spoke and so did Norm Wood, her home teacher, along with Bert Thacker, for the past 15 or 16 years. Dave Johnson, a son-in-law and Tonya Goddard, a granddaughter, offered the opening and closing prayers, in that order.

About seven months ago, Marsha, gave up her job and came to stay with her mom. The whole family was happy about that and were glad that she could stay at home where she wanted to be. She had asked that the family not move her in with one of them because Nephi was where her friends, neighbors and church family lived. She pre-arranged her funeral since she knew that her time would not be long. So it was as she wished.

The Bishop wore her favorite tie and Dad wore one that she gave him in thanks for all his work for her.

Josh said that when he asked her what the happiest day of her life was she said: "The day I left Mills." (I don't blame her. That would have been a happy day for anyone who knows Mills.) He also told about the times that his mother would have to work late and Merlene would come screeching up to their house and honk on the horn. There was supper and fresh bread. Her fresh bread, cinnamon rolls and homemade hand-dipped chocolates were high on the list of memories of all who spoke.

Apparently, Norm and Bert, received homemade loaves of bread from her on one of their home teaching visits. They got out a tape one of them had and measured the loaves to see who Merlene loved the most. They all had a good laugh but after that she always told them not to compare their gifts because she had done her very best to make them exactly equal. "I don't want you boys going to the car and fighting," she would say.

She was the second youngest in a family of 16 children. When her mom died, she became the person who cared for the family still at home and for her father. Her parents were immigrants from Denmark and her father was a shoemaker. She outlived all of her siblings. Her family was always kept close by her and her own children were taught to always remain close to each other. They said they would continue to do as she wished.

By the way, Melanie, Marty said that he forgave you for being mean to him and making him eat dirt when he was little (and so were you--little). He may not be young anymore but he is certainly not "little." He and Josh are huge.

I feel like Mormon trying to condense so much into so little space.

I am off to renew my temple recommend so that I can work at the temple for the next two days. 

Being an assistant coordinator is certainly a lot of work. This month I am over the special dressing room. That means that I often do not leave the temple until 10 p.m. The security guard shows me out after I am done and Dad is waiting in front listening to the radio. I is nice when he turns my "seater" (seat heater) on so that it is nice and warm when I get there. Next month, I am back over the initiatory desk and the coordinating work that is done there. No one is ever refused if they want to do initiatory work so it keeps us hopping to keep the place staffed. Last week we had 15 women in one section and 16 in another. We have four booths. WOW! 

Melanie Comments on "It was a nice funeral."

This was very nice, Mom. I didn't realize that Merlene Collard had so much in common with our Danish heritage. I agree, the best thing for her was to leave Mills. I remember going there to drop of school students when Dad drove the bus.

As for Marty, he would tease Todd and me incessantly. One day, we had Maria hold him down while we fed him mud pies with choke cherries in them. He didn't bother us after that. (He doesn't seem to remember that I was the one making the "pies," not the one actually doing the feeding...just guilty by association with the Harmons.) It seemed to work though. He played nicely after...then he moved away for a long time.

Love you all.
Mel