Simple Banana Bread

does life get much sweeter than the smell of banana bread filling the house? i made this one today that i found on tasty kitchen. i omitted the nuts.

I’m Having Banana Nut Bread – Sweet
Added by mrswebbfisher on November 8, 2009 in Breads

5.00 Mitt(s) 2 Rating(s)
Moist banana bread. Great with some softened butter on a slice right before eating.
Prep Time 20 Minutes
Cook Time 55 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients
•2 cups Flour
•1 teaspoon Baking Soda
•½ teaspoons Salt
•½ cups Butter
•1 cup Sugar
•2 whole Eggs
•1 teaspoon Vanilla
•3 whole Large Bananas
•1 cup Pecans, Chopped

Preparation Instructions
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla; stir until mixed well. Stir in mashed bananas. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Place in a well-greased 9 x5 x 3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes.

Pioneer Woman Obsession

ok, now thanks to julie i am now so crazy about this woman & her website. i gave her apple dumplings a try...and i decided i can officially eat these for breakfast, lunch & dinner every day. you have to try them.

i am making a list...ok a rather long list...of recipes and things i must try. pioneer woman is just cool. get ready to spend some TIME going through her blogs, tips, stories, recipes.

here's my attempt at the yummy apple-licious-ness.

yes, you are welcome friends. i'm vowing to eat grilled chicken and salads a couple times a week, just to be able to try more PW recipes. i'm tackling her cinnamon rolls tomorrow so we can have them for new year's. (oh, that will be a fun post!)

sit back & enjoy!

A Little Give & A Little Go

my cayley & travis have been gone to SA with grandparents since the day after christmas. it's so strange here. i really thought adam would be upset for a day or two, but nope...he's more than fine being an only child for a week. gosh, he went with tim and i to see new moon, yep again, and was so good! he is the wolf kid ;)

christmas eve was nice & kids were asleep before 9pm.

presents and evidence of santa's visit inspected by 6:45am

egg nog pancakes and bacon by 9am

wrapping paper galore bagged up by 11am

ham, smoked turkey & sides all done and lunch served at 2pm
NAPS!

this week it's just been me & adam hanging out at home, cleaning rooms, running errands, watching ice age: dawn of the dinosaurs over & over. he's one happy dino boy. who by the way is turning 5 tomorrow. funny how us moms can recall so many details of the birth of our babies...adam was so easy, even though he was 3 1/2 weeks early....he's been an early riser ever since. he only likes the frosting off cake, so i'm making him a cookie cake. like the ones ya get at the mall. i even found green icing to decorate his dino cookie cake!

40 Loaves Winner

Kristi-


Congrats! Leave me your email or drop me a note at sarahlee28@yahoo.com and we'll get you your copy soon.
Merry Christmas!!!

Keep checking in for more book giveaways in 2010!

The Percentages Go Way Up!

Yes, the percentages of me missing fun things have waaaay up since becoming a mother of three. Just between me, Tim and the kids having illness & schedule conflicts, me not making it to an event like today's mommy cookie swap with friends of mine just plain makes me sad. But things happen and the chances of things happening again are high. Sadly, I'm not as dependable as I once was....I am depended upon by the four others that I live with and those needs always come first.I am surrounded by people who like me, even though this is my life...thank you!

Tomorrow I will be making a million cake balls for Tim's company Christmas lunch.rush.rush.rush. but it will all be fun while listening to Christmas music! Right now I am trying to be what the kids need and really make the holidays not about the gifts, but the entire experience. Honestly, when you think back to your childhood Christmas, do you really remember lots of specific gifts, or the enjoyment of doing things together? Toys and presents come in and out of style with each passing year, but the traditions we make and the memories we are making....well, they last a whole lot longer.

So, What are You Reading?

Ok, I finally saw "Julie/Julia" -loved the movie & the book as well. I love cooking and could find myself easily falling into a deadline of completing every recipe in a cookbook. Oh what joy that would be! The ideas are racing through my head and who knows what 2010 will bring. What was really sweet was the way the movie showed the relationships between the main 4 characters as husbands & wives .

So supportive and encouraging to each other....especially when things got tough.

The book was slow at first, but good. I now have a need to read Julia Child's biography, "My life in France". Makes me want to go out and buy butter by the pound.

And here's Julie Powell's latest book:

Here's the next big thing at my house: Percy Jackson! Percy Jackson and the Olympians, to be exact. My sweet 8 year old daughter needed another series to read, so here's 5. I'm only 1/2 way through the first and she's on the third. Hey, it's been really crazy busy around here! The movie based on the first book, "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lighting Thief" is out in theaters in February-no doubt we'll be there. I adore having this special connection with Cayley- books and stories unites us, even when we don't agree. What we share is extremely important to me...shows her I honestly have an interest in what she's doing and what she likes.

I pray this lasts the rest of my life.

Book Review & Giveaway: 40 loaves

"40 loaves: Breaking Bread with Our Father Each Day"

Here’s a summary:

“Why don’t I have more faith?”
“Why am I so bored with Jesus?”
“Why are Christians so hard for me to like?”
There are many questions we’re not supposed to ask when playing by the religious rules. It makes people uncomfortable. So why is it that Jesus invited questions and even asked some of them himself? What is it that you’re afraid to ask God? It’s a risky prospect to begin asking–but far riskier to continue simply trying to get by without knowing. Author C. D. Baker asked himself 40 soul-searching questions which started a conversation in his heart and ultimately showed him more about God than He ever expected.
Can we become more honest with who we really are and find who God says He really is at the same time? Come indulge yourself in daily readings with an honest exploration of your secret fears and thoughts, and know that you will always be welcomed in God’s unconditional love.
Search me, O God … and know my anxious thoughts.
–Psalm 139:23 NIV

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

I read this book over Thanksgiving break and it brought up a lot of questions and situations that I could relate to. There were several days that really struck me. Fear of death...yes, I have it. That's one of my confessions, but as it says in the book: confession of fears, replaces them. I can say that I am confident in where I will go when i die, but that still doesn't take away the fear of unknown, fear of ending, fear of what will go on without me. BUT, I know that everything will be according to His will and His perfect plan. Sad that it takes being called back to heaven to see his plan, but I have faith that He knows way more that I do :)

Another day that spoke to me in a way was: Why does God seem silent in my life? Well, I felt some comfort that this author see it the same way I do. He writes about how "God is love. We listen for God by listening for love. When we experience love, we have heard the voice of God." God is speaking to me loud and clear everyday. I am so very loved and I love so many...

So now here's the big giveaway: To get your copy of 40 loaves, all you have to do is leave a comment. You get 2 entries if you share this on your blog as well :)

Contest ends 12/23 at 3pm central.

Just Plain Yum-

Egg Nog pancakes....my heaven! The family went out to Ihop this weekend- this is rare- and my sweet little guy Adam and I shared a huge breakfast. The egg nog pancakes were just too perfect and the thought of not having them for a while made me a tiny bit sad. Being the home cook that I am, I have reinvented the to the best of my ability.

Now, the ingredients:

pancake mix like Bisquick, I used Pioneer because I love everything they make :)

eggs as needed on boxed recipe

now instead of milk...use egg nog!

a tablespoon of veg oil

Now, cook them up!!!

In the mean time, make a yummy egg nog filling to go between layers of pancake goodness.

Just a large box of instant vanilla pudding... I used 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of nog. I wasn't sure if it would have been too think if I had just used the egg nog...so I split it.

So, just butter and layer pancakes with filling and syrup it up. Enjoy!

Dear December,

well, december you are well on your way. you keep us busy and it takes real focus to make sure our priorities are in order. i love our family outings and activities, but sometimes i need the company of "just the girls". do you understand? this weekend will get me my fix, so to speak. hanging out with lindsey and then my ome sisters will do me wonders i think. things just get rolling so fast, that i really do feel stuck in one role of my life....and i have to recognize when that's happening so i can regroup.

tim's birthday is next week, and he doesn't want a cake! what's wrong with him? lol everyone wants a cake, but i do know what he wants for his birthday dinner. little mike's queso chicken- like from our dates at jail house cafe! so it will be a special meal :) i don't even remember what we did last year for his birthday...is that sad that they all kinda run together after so many years?

christmas cards are just about addressed and finished. i have a list of baking to do, new recipes to try, gifts to buy, class parties to attend, ornaments to finish, holiday movies to watch with the kids, songs to sing, cups of hot chocolate to sip, books to read, thanks to give and hugs to share.

hope you are have a wonderful wednesday friend. enjoy it- there are only 3 left till 2010.

Dear December,

today, i'm staying home and cleaning. the boys' rooms look like tornadoes hit and everywhere else could use some help too. what would i rather be doing??? sitting in starbucks with a cheesey twilight magazine sipping an eggnog latte, but that's not on the agenda today. i'll really work it this morning, so i can have the time when adam's in school to work on some ornament orders. they'll be so cool when i'm done. this time last year, i had just finished the twilight series, but no one i knew around here had read them. what a difference a year makes! it's nice to have something to feel silly & excited about. today i'm praying for very special people- that god would make his plan known and give direction. i feel so helpless sometimes to help others-praying for god to give me some insight to what i can do.

Dear December,

you are back again. what a difference 12 months can make. last year, we were preparing for a christmas week away vising family in florida. this year, we are looking forward to a cozy holiday at home. lots of parties, birthdays and gatherings to keep us all busy! december, right now i'm focused on prayer and the hard fact that i can't be everywhere at once. let's just get through day one and see how we go from here.

btw, happy 21st birthday to my little brother aj. love you!!!

sarah