One last try this Monday to get to summoning The Wither again and then building the beacon but it didn't happen. I got as far as enchantment of two diamond swords, neither of which produced a Loot boost. This last playthrough handed Mark and I some lucky finds, but it still took too long. We found the Stronghold really quickly and we got enough diamond to do what we needed in short order. We even got lucky in that the Nether Portal dropped us right inside the Fortress. But by the time I grinded for levels enough to get the highest enchantment and apply it to the swords, it was time to stop. I am finally exhausted by this game and will be taking a long break from it. 

I played just a little bit of Peggle at the very end of the night. What a fun casual puzzle game! It was such a relief from the endless grind of Minecraft. I want to play more Peggle until I get my gaming legs under me again.