For the Love of Muffins!

These are so yummy.  I just thought I would share the muffin love.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c melted butter

1 c sugar

2 large eggs – or you can substitute one snack size container of applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

3 medium bananas mashed or pureed.

1/2 c vanilla or plain yoguart

1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.  MIx  flour, baking powder, soda, and salt together. Add in butter, sugar, eggs (or applesauce) vanilla, pureed banana, and yogurt.  Mix well.  Add in chocolate chips.  Lightly grease muffins pans or mini loaf pans.  Bake for 30 minutes or until tops are golden.

Share with a friend!

The sisterhood of motherhood

Motherhood certainly has its rewards.  There are the fun times with kids, the funny things they say, looking at your kids after they are asleep and remembering how much you really do love them even after a long hard day.  But no one will argue that motherhood is full of many hurdles and challenges.  I tend to be a glass-half-full kind of girl.  One of the ways that us moms not only survive but thrive is to band together and share the secrets of motherhood success.  Even if that success is only short lived until the next hurdle, we still have to look at our  successes and line them up and see the blessings in life.  So, I am telling on my favorite little “secrets.”  This is a recipe that is yummy, and can doubled or even tripled.  I made it for one meal and froze the rest.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

1/2 C oats

1/2 C apple juice

1  1/2 C  flour

1/2 C brown sugar

1  1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/ 4 tsp baking soda

1/2 C oil

1 snack size container of apple sauce or about 1/3 C apple sauce

1/2 c chopped up apple

In a small bowl mix the oats and apple juice.  Set aside and let soak.  In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, baking powder.  Add in the oil and applesauce and mix thoroughly.  Add in the chopped up apple.  Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes.

*There is no egg in the recipe.  The original recipe had egg, but I began to substitute the apple sauce for egg.  My oldest daughter was allergic to eggs for a while.  So, if you do not have apple sauce, you can substitute one egg for the applesauce.

Rainy Days

For those of you who also live in the North Texas area, you know that we have had rain and more rain the last few days.  For some crazy reason, I went to Wal-mart not once but TWICE in the rain.  Each time I had a kid with me – just one.  Now don’t take offense at this moms of one kid, but for me to take one kid – just one kid – is almost like a treat.  I would have never said that when I had just one kid.  But now that I have a brood of 4, taking all of them to the store is pure insanity.  I was in need of both grocery and crafty things.  So, as much as I heart Target, Wal-mart was where I headed.  I took Justin with me – who by the way is 3 months old today.  He was all cozy in his sling and slept the entire time I was shopping.  I spent less than $5 on something for my kids that kept my kids busy and happy (most of the time) for no less than 2 hours today.  Is was not some fancy new video game, or anything you would even find on the toy isle.  Listen up moms, get out your shopping list so you can jot this down.  Are you ready?  5 bags of  dry split green peas

I have several plastic tubs of all sizes.  I really don’t know why I accumulate plastic tubs of all sizes, but I do.  I think it is my desire to get organized gone awry.  So, if you don’t have wealth of plastic tubs, a low tub about 2.5 feet long is best.  I opened up the bags of peas and poured them in the tub.  I took a few plastic measuring cups for scooping and put the tub down on the floor.

Three sets of little hands were immediately digging through the peas, exclaiming how good it felt.  They needed no further instructions.  After about an hour of simply scooping and pouring, plastic animals and little cars found their way into the tub.  When they were done – 2 hours later – I simply put the lid on the tub and vacuumed up the peas that were on the floor.  There really weren’t that many.  And when whenever I need to add a few more peas back in, I can just pick up a bag or two at the store.  After all, where else can one  buy such happiness for only 79¢ a bag?

Whoa Nellie!

The other day I was with a friend who was introducing me to someone.  I was holding Justin, who is now 2.5 months old.  The conversation made its way to the topic of pregnancy, as it sometimes has a way of doing when babies are present.  I was telling the women that I was huge when I was pregnant with Justin.  My friend chimed in saying, “Anna had the most round belly when she was pregnant.”  I laughed and said, “what she means is I was E-nor-mous!”  I delivered at 36 weeks via emergency c-section.  At that time I measure 48 cm.  I had several people – perfect strangers – ask if I was having twins.  Really, I felt like a circus event.  Check out this belly!

So what’s up or out should I say?

My belly and the baby inside is getting HUGE.  I am now 33 weeks and measuring at full term.  Here I am at 29 weeks.  Don’t judge me too harshly by my photography here. I am just using a little point and shoot.  My real camera has an 85 lens on it right now.  I don’t think I could get it the way I wanted – taking my own picture.

 

and here I am at 31 weeks:

A new animal discovery

This morning Jack is on some sort of energy I-don’t-know-what.  He is in animal mode.  Meaning he is talking about animals – his favorite subject.  He loves to talk on an on about real animals and tell me all about them.  Sometimes he switches to imaginary animals though.  However, what makes it funny is that he is very “factual” about his imaginary animal.  This morning he said, “We found a new animal!  It looks like Wyatt (our 70 lb labradoodle).  It burrows and has very good eye sight.  It  is related to the wart hog and it is called a Gunk-gunk.  Julia should be able to say that very well.”

So, if you see a large burrowing dog-like animal, despite what you may think you are seeing, you can be sure it is in fact the very rare species of a Gunk-gunk.

Potty Training Days

I am potty training my youngest – Julia.  And let me just say it now – I HATE potty training!  She is not the most verbal kid, but what she says, she means. So, I am trying to take the easy way out. I put a pull up on her. I know, I know, pull ups are just glorified diapers. I really need to just pull out the panties. So, anyway, I told her that she can’t pee pee in the pull up or the flowers on the front will go away. She is so excited about the pull up b/c it has a princess on it. She is not the most willing participant in the whole potty training idea. Yet, she wants nothing to do with a diaper. So, after a few attempts to get her to sit on the potty, I sit her down for lunch. As she is eating lunch, she looks at me and says, “flowers gone!” I said, “Did you just tee tee in your pull up?” She looked at me with a serious little look and said, “yes.” Time for the panties . . .

It’s me again . . .

I have not posted on here in quite some time.  Things have been busy.  Old floors in our house have come out, new ones have gone in, cabinets have been painted, and I have begun my first year of home schooling.  What a ride!  Because we are home schooling, we have the luxury of being able to vacation whenever we darn well please.  And so, this time happens to be just when we darn well please.

We have been on the road for 2 days now.  We made our final arrival in Florida tonight.  Traveling with three young kids (2, 4, and 6) always promises to hold some adventure.  Thankfully our adventure has been kept to a minimum so far.

For some unknown reason, Kevin and I agreed among each other to eat at a Mexican food restaurant last night.  ”So, what’s the big deal?”  you say?  Well, for starters, we were in Mississippi when we made this decision.  Now, MIssissippi is a great place, but what in the HECK were we thinking eating Mexican food outside of Texas??  On our way back through Ole Miss we will not be repeating that experience. 

Today we were on our last leg of the trip to Florida when I hear the all too common cry of “I have to go the bathroom.” coming from the oldest J in the back seat.  And, of course, we were no where near any place that might have a bathroom.  So, we traveled on, praying fervently that a bathroom might magically appear.  Lo and behold, as we came up over the next little hill, there stood a lone gas station.  Kevin looks and me says, “Do you think we should stop there?”  Looking around I am thinking, ” where ELSE would we stop?”

 I get out of the car and take Jack and Jenna with me.  Julia is heartbroken and not so mildly ticked off that she has been passed over for this trip out of the car.  Upon entering the gas station, the smell of something terrible hits me.  Old feet, old pizza, a pretzel or two . . . I am going to have to hold my breath and try very hard to coax two kids to HURRY out of this stinky place.  We enter the bathroom and Jack suddenly has an attack of privacy.  He needs to be in the bathroom all by himself.  He never seems to need privacy at home when I repeatedly remind him that he is NOT allowed downstairs without clothes on.   Yeah, yeah, privacy, whatever. . . . I close the door and give him strict instructions to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING!!  Next up Jenna does not want to be in the bathroom by herself, so we all have to go in.  

This is where the conversation takes a very different turn.  Jenna says “Hey, mom do you have any quarters?”  I answer, with “No, why?”  ”Well, I want to get something out of that machine.  It says you need quarters.”  I turn around to check out “the machine.”  Thank goodness she can only read a little.  It was one of those machines in a truck stop bathroom place.  Lovely, huh?  

When we are finally done with our bathroom/hell hole adventure Kevin and I are back in the car discussing the level of grossness in the bathroom.  He says “that bathroom was SO GROSS!”  At that point he starts laughing and says there was this really gross thing in one of those machines . . . more laughter continues . . . it said . . .  At this point I finish his sentence with “horny goat weed!?”  I am dying laughing at this point.  Seriously!  Could they not have thought up a worse name?  It is supposed to increase male stamina.  Yes, I am sure that anyone who is crazy enough to put their precious three quarters into that little vending machine of sorts will get every cent worth that they paid for that “horny goat weed.”

Yes, there are some things that you just do NOT want to explain to your children.  Us mothers have very good reasons for rushing kids out of nasty, stinky bathrooms.  It isn’t just germs in there, although I am sure there are PLENTY.  But the stench, the dirty floors, and the horny goat weed. I am still laughing about that one, and still REALLY glad Jenna could not read that one.

A bedtime story

Today I told the kids they could spend their money at Michael’s.  Jack had $6 dollars to spend.  He came home with a tube of animals – because he could not possibly pick just one.  I bought a plastic sea turtle for Julia too.  It was about the size of a real baby sea turtle.  We know this well.  We recently visited the Sea Turtle Research Center in Galveston and saw baby sea turtles close up.  So, our home welcomed a few more plastic animals to add the the large inventory of  existing plastic animals.  

Upon arrival, an aquarium was formed by none other than our own Animal Jack.  The plastic containers were rounded up.  Each had its own level of water and own animal in the container.  The kitchen soon became the exhibit hall needed for all the aquatic life that had just entered our home.

By this evening most of the animals had moved upstairs.  The sea turtle was placed in the bathroom sink upstairs.  Of course, the sink had to be filled with water to accommodate the turtle.  By the way, this is a Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle – the smallest of all the sea turtle species.  So, he won’t outgrow the sink too soon.  Being plastic also helps out with that too. 

I got everyone in their beds and was about to lie down with Jenna.  Jack told me that he needed to read Corduroy to the sea turtle.  I have grown accustom to the animal’s needs in our house.  So, I said, “alright, I will get the sea turtle, and you can read to him in your bed.”  Jack gave me a look, and I knew he wasn’t buying my suggestion.  I replied back, “It will be okay to be out of the water for the night time.”  Jack answered back, “No, he has to stay in water.  I will just go in the bathroom and read to him.”  I knew to argue would be pointless.  So, I said alright.  

I could hear him in there retelling the story to the turtle.  So, I took a peak.  My little guy was sitting on the floor of the bathroom with only the light from the hallway shining in, telling the turtle his bedtime story.  Moments later, he reenters his room, and says,”well, it was a long story, but I read it to him.  He should be fine now.”

Disaster averted. )

Thankful

My older two kids have been at VBS this week at Prestonwood.  It is funny how when I pick them up, I ask them what they did, did they have fun, etc.  Jack always says he did nothing.  Jenna’s answer is “I don’t know.”  However, as the day progresses, they have all sorts of things that they want to tell me about from VBS.  Today Jenna said they were talking about what they were thankful for in her class.  She said she was thankful for our dogs.  Jack chimes in with, “Well, I am thankful for our dogs, and our fish.  I am thankful for our sea monkeys – even though they died.  I am still thankful for them.”  It was a funny little comment, but it got me thinking.  

I am thankful for something that very recently came to fruition.  Forgiveness.  I am thankful that Christ forgave me even before I was even me.  Because he is so powerful at redeeming what was once broken,  I am able to forgive too.  Many years ago I was very broken.  Not only was my heart broken, but my spirit was broken, and my trust in something so dear to me was gone.  I walked around angry for a while.  I wrestled with God over the “why” and “how could I have been so stupid” questions for many years.  

Recently however, God has been teaching me so much about redemption.  God has reminded me over and over that he redeems things.  Not just people.  He redeems us, but he also redeems our losses.  Maybe a vision we once had.  I am not talking about a supernatural vision per se.  Just a direction you might have felt God was leading you in, and then it suddenly fell apart.  Relationships that seem beyond repair, He redeems those too.  

And so, in that vein of thinking, God has redeemed me.  My anger was able to be turned around into forgiveness.  I don’t say that light-heartedly.  It isn’t like God waved his “magic wand” over me and suddenly I became a doormat once again and said, “no big deal, I forgive you.”  It was a hard fight.  It was a get down on your knees and ask the Lord for HELP kind of fight. I won’t even claim that there isn’t still a bit of anger there.  However, I know I am being refined.  I know God is continuing to carry out the work he started in me so long ago.   The battle is the Lord’s.  

Psalm 34:22 The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Can I hear an Amen? (even though the sea monkeys died) )