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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 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!
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:
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.
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 . . .
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.
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. 
)
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) )
I always lie down at night with each of my kids before they go to bed. It takes a while to make the rounds, but the rewards are great. My two year old spends the time poking all over my face calling out eye, nose, mouth, etc. She is always bitterly disappointed when I leave. Then I head down the hall to where Jack and Jenna share bunk beds. Jack is at a stage where only sometimes does he want me to lie down with him. However, tonight I climbed up to the top bunk to have a few precious moments with my 4 year old boy wonder before kissing him goodnight.
We were talking about our upcoming trip to the beach. I told him next week we would be learning about sea turtles before we go to the beach. We have visit a sea turtle rescue center. So, Animal Boy aka: Jack rolls over on his belly, props his head up in his hands and begins to tell me in his “animal fact giving way” about sea turtles. Jack looked at me and said, “Did you know sea turtles are like rhinoceros? They both give birth to their young.” I replied, “Yes, but a rhinoceros is a mammal so they give birth to live young and they nurse their babies. (talk about dirty nipples! lol) A sea turtle is a reptile so they lay eggs and they don’t nurse their babies.” Jack chimes in with “and the sea turtles eat jellyfish, that is all they eat.” ”No, leatherbacks eat jellyfish, but some other sea turtles eat other things. The babies eat sea weed too.”, I commented.
Suddenly his face looked a little perplexed. When he really gets to talking about animals he uses his hands to talk. The hands enter the conversation . . . “Well, Fire Turtles use fire to shoot at their predators!” And they get fired all the time so we have to rescue them.” (imagine hands doing shooting motions here) The mental picture in my mind suddenly jumped to a really old king fu movie I had once watched with my brother about a turtle who was jet propelled by fire. I could not help myself! I was lying there in bed with him dying laughing. I was so anxious to get this written down, I almost skipped out on lying down with Jenna.
However, I suddenly heard, “Mom!!!, you forgot to lie down with me!.” Oh yeah, oh yeah, what have you got to tell me about tonight sweet girl? . . . .
I got this idea from my sister’s blog. You can check it out here http://amyindallas.wordpress.com/.
1. I am home schooling my kids.
2. I am not a natural red head.
3. I met my husband at Baylor.
4. We dated for 6 weeks before we decided to get married.
5. We had the church booked before his parents knew we were getting married.
6. We gave been married for 12 years now.
6. I am 5′2″.
7. My husband is 6′6″.
8. When my husband first met me he thought I was “a little weird.”
9. I told him he was wrong. I am not a “little weird.” I am a lot weird. )
10. I am a synesthete
11. I tried to dig a pool when I was about 5 with my neighbor/friend.
12. We were going to line it with contact paper.
13. We dug about a 2 foot hole in my neighbor’s backyard.
14. Her mom was not happy.
15. I used to lie awake at night and wonder how the contact paper was going to stick to the dirt.
16. I lived in Arkansas at the time.
17. I have lived in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
18. I have lived in Texas since I was 10.
19. In high school I won first prize in the science fair.
20. I lived in the town where Dow Chemical is.
21. Most of the other kids in the science fair were total science kids whose parents had big degrees in chemistry and engineering.
22. I once stepped in a huge cow patty when I was a kid.
23. I was wearing sandals.
24. It was gross
25. I lived in Arkansas at the time.
26. My grandparents used to live on a mountain in Arkansas.
27. We sent a cat to live up there that could not be house broken – or at least that is the story I was told
28. He lived a long time up on the mountain.
29. When he died, my granny scooped him up in shovel and pitched him down the side of the mountain.
30. She obviously had no sentimental attachments to the cat.
31. My dad was my principal all while I was growing up except for 3rd and 4th grade.
32. It really wasn’t that bad.
33. I was a pretty good kid.
34. In high school / college I dated the same guy for 3 years.
35. I regret it.
36. I changed as a person after and because of that relationship.
37. I became a stronger person and more outspoken when needed.
38. I hope my kids don’t waste their time dating the same person in high school.
39. I have three kids and the oldest one is 5.
40. I had three kids in three years.
41. I breastfed all of them for at least a year or more.
42. Complete strangers seem to feel the need to tell me I have my hands full.
43. As if I didn’t already know.
44. I like having my hands full.
45. They are now 5,4, and 2.
46. I take all three of them to the pool by myself.
47. We all have fun while we are there.
48. We went to the pool just tonight.
49. My 2 year old wore her swimsuit home.
50. She peed in her car seat.
51. Her car seat now stinks.
52. My 2 year old has wild, curly, blond hair
53. My mom calls it her “big Texas hair.”
54. All of my kid’s names begin with J
55. The youngest one is “spicey J.
56. I had a friend once tell me that God gives us hair to match our personality.
57. I think it is true for her.
58. I hope it isn’t true for me.
59. My natural color is dull, dark brown.
60. My hair got darker after I had kids
61. My feet are bigger after having kids too
62. I get enormously huge when I am pregnant.
63. At 6 months pregnant, I get comments from people about “any day now . . .”
64. I like being pregnant – despite my hugeness
65. My family thinks I am totally weird for it.
66. As stated before I am okay with being “a little out there.”
67. I was an art major in college.
68. I took weaving class in college.
69. I worked in the ceramics department at Baylor during college.
70. I made about 300 lbs of clay some days.
71. I also made all of the glaze used.
72. I had really big arm muscles at the time.
73. I loved that job.
74. When I would come back to my dorm, people would ask me if I had been mud wrestling or in a fight.
75. I would tell them I had been at work.
76. I worked at a camp in college too.
77. It was really hard work
78. I learned how to use a leaf blower, REALLY mop a floor, and wash A LOT of dishes.
79. I made some really good friends there.
80. That was 15 years ago.
81. The worst job I ever had was working at Casual Corner in Austin.
82. The employees had a quota of pantyhose they had to sell.
83. I hate pantyhose.
84. I couldn’t have cared less about selling panty hose and quit.
85. I was looking for another job at the time.
86. I finally got a job working at UT while my husband was in pharmacy school there.
87. I had a college degree and I had a job doing data entry and answering phones.
88. It was very humbling.
89. God taught me a lot about humility then and his provision.
90. I had the blessing of being able to spend a lot of time with my husband before we had kids at that time.
91. We lived in a one bedroom apartment.
92. Our neighbors were crazy on one side.
93. I think our neighbors on the other side were dealing drugs.
94. My dog Ginny was a great guard dog.
95. She died when she was 10 years old.
96. I still miss her some.
97. I am a big dog lover.
98. I have two dogs now – both big dogs
99. I am very random
100. As if you couldn’t tell from reading this! )
