Picture, please!

Just taking a quick break from the "have to do today" list...

Wow! Just when I think I've found something uniquely interesting...so have hundreds of others! A while back I saw this blog where this guy was taking a picture a day for the entire year. I thought, "Self...this is an interesting concept! I think that I will try it and see what happens."

(It just so happens that Donna Downey also is doing this! She talks a bit about it in her January 2008 newsletter Creative Playground.)

So, I've been taking a(t least) picture a day. So far, so good. Now, if I had only said, "Self, a picture a day and then post it for the next 365 days..." I suppose that would have been something else entirely! Then you would have expected me to actually post, right?! Well, those of you that don't know me, anyway...

Not too much going on here out of the ordinary. Dance classes for all of the girls now, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, youth groups, school...of course it is the new year, so we are halfway to being finished with preschool, second grade, fifth grade and *gasp!* junior year! Where has the time gone? It definitely hasn't slowed down.

Jess gave me a new camera for Christmas - the Nikon D40x - love, love, love - him, I mean! ;) The picture definition is wonderful, working on the quality of the pics. Unfortunately, it does take longer to upload, so that will have to wait until later (today? Friday?...maybe this weekend...)

Banana Cupcakes

Mmmm! This is my most requested recipe to date by my kids – many times by my picky son for his classroom snack! The original recipe came from a recipe book that my mother used while I was young. I believe my grandmother gave the book, the Pennsylvania Grange Cookbook, to her when my parents were newlyweds! It's one of those cookbooks that clubs and groups put together with members contributing the recipes. This compiled cookbook was first published in 1972!

It is full of old fashioned goodness before the downfall of shortening and sugar. The original recipe is sinfully delicious! Sweet, buttery, fine crumb cake with a hint of banana. I don't ever remember my mother using frosting as called for in the recipe.

It's a great recipe. Over the years I have made hundreds of cupcakes and the recipe is very flexible - I have made the cupcakes with ½ the sugar; part wheat flour; applesauce for part of the fat; added citrus flavors; used plain yogurt instead of buttermilk; used flavored yogurt; soy milk instead of the buttermilk; added crushed flax seed… It will even take up to a cup of additions such as chocolate chips, nuts, raisens, oats… double it with no problems!

Here's my modified version of the original recipe that I use most often…

½ cup sugar
½ cup butter (1 stick, room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla (any flavored extract or oil)
2 medium eggs
2 cups of unbleached flour (or half wheat)
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
about 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 medium)
¼ cup yogurt (without gelatin)
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F (about 190°C) and place papers into muffin pan or grease muffin cups.
1. Sift baking soda, salt and baking powder into flour; set aside.
2. Cream the butter and sugar till smooth; add vanilla.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add dry ingredients and bananas and yogurt alternately, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate chips.
5. Fill muffin cups ½ full for flatter tops, ¾ for full tops.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden on top.

Makes about 21 cupcakes with additions.
Enjoy!


The original Banana Cupcakes recipe from the 1972 Pennsylvania State Grange sent in by Mrs. R. Paul Grim of the Virginville Grange No. 1832:

1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup short.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 cup mashed bananas
¼ cup buttermilk

Cream shortening and vanilla; add sugar gradually, creaming till light. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together dry ingredients and add alternately with mashed bananas and milk to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Fill greased or paper lined cup cake pans ½ full. Bake in moderate oven at 375° F for 20 min. or till done. Cool and frost.

Dare I say "New Year's Resolution?"

I know...been awhiiilllle since I've posted, but if you check out my track record, regular posting is not on the "to do" list. Holidays and all...I do have a lot of pics to share and the kids are on winter break, so I may find some time between the Cosmic Catch, trying to figure out where to put the Wii and taking care of those little details like dinner (Thanks, Jesse! I owe you...) I hope to get back on here with some life moments to share!

Hope you're having a great winter holiday!

Happy Anniversary Jesse & Angi!

Jesse and I have been married for 16 years. Hard to believe - the time has flown by so fast! We are celebrating in our usual fashion...separated by an ocean (or desert...), emails and text messages. Here's the (very) abridged version of our story.

It all began in middle school - Jesse was in my 7th grade science class (Hi, Mrs. Allen!) He was seated at a table in the back and usually attracting the attention of the teacher... : ) At the time he was just someone in my class. It wasn't until a friend of mine had a thing for him in high school that I really noticed him. I thought he was cute, but my friend liked him, so I didn't give him a second thought then.

We hung out with the same circle of friends, but not together. One day, my girlfriend and I went to BK and grabbed something to eat. While in the drive-thru line, she decided that she wanted to go to her boyfriend's house. No problem! I changed clothes in my car while we were waiting for our food and then off we went. Jesse was at the boyfriend's house hanging out. He was playing Nintendo, so I joined him.

We played and the rest, well, (ahem) is history (remember - history is as someone perceives it - Jesse could have a slightly different version...he beat me at Tetris sometimes...) we dated through highschool, had a baby, got married and have been busy ever since between kids and the military!

We've come a long way, Baby! In honor of our anniversary...spark some love, play Tetris! (The up arrow key turns the pieces.)

Dude - where's my kid?!

Sometime last week, I was doing the usual. Running errands with E. G. was on a field trip with her class and K. and J. were in school. Normally, on piano days, I pick up G. and JT (E. is already with me), we eat a snack and then G. goes to piano near the school. While she is at her lesson, we drive to pick up K. from her bus drop off point. She eats a snack and then it's usually time for G. to come out and K. to go in.

This day I get to the school a few minutes behind the norm, but still before the kids usually get out. I don't have to pick up G. until almost 6 from the local bahnhof (train station), so I'm looking for JT. I park the car and wait. 10 minutes pass and no JT. In another 5, the buses will leave, so I run up to our bus and ask the bus driver (who speaks very little English - have I mentioned how much German I don't know?) if she has seen JT. She shakes her head. At this point, I'm not too worried, maybe he stopped to talk to a friend along the way, so I make my way down the long line of buses.

No JT. And no piano teacher. I look at my watch and start to panic - just a little. I call the after school program, SAS, but they haven't seen him. I call the school's front office, but no answer. It's almost time to pick up K. I call a friend and ask her to keep an eye out at home and to call if he shows up. I get in the car and start driving towards the drop off for K., totally forgetting that there is construction that makes what is usually a 5 minute drive, 10.

I call K. to explain the situation and find out her ETA. She agrees to meet me en route. She calls the piano teacher and lets him know we are on our way. I have her call a friend to verify the time for G.'s pick up. The friend says she thinks it's 10 till 6, but she'll check to make sure. Murphy must be my best friend...pick up time is 10 till 4! That was in 10 minutes!

Still no JT. My friend at home calls to tell me that he didn't show up. I'm driving like a mad woman to the bahnhof, knowing that I'm going to be late. It's almost 15 after 4 by the time I find a parking spot. Whew! I am not the only bad parent today - there were still 6-7 kids waiting with the teachers. I apologized profusely while running back to the car.

My phone rings. It's SAS. They found JT! We make it back to the piano place and walk in. It's actually the teen center. He is sitting on the plump couch, laughing with some boys, watching cartoons. He is not only safe, but having a great time!

For the tiniest part of one second I wanted to scream! The whole time I am running around, totally panicked (did I mention that security on the installation was beefed up? Armed soldiers, in combat gear, patrolling?!) imagining the worst...he was fine.

When he noticed me standing there, he said, "Hi, Mom! Do I have to go now?!"

(After calming down and talking to the staff at the teen center, apparently JT showed up, literally on the doorstep. One of the staff asked what he was doing. He told her that "every Thursday was piano day and I meet my mom and sisters here." Someone recognized him and let him in...my cell phone wasn't listed in the main system (I only wrote it down on every form I filled out for SAS, the teen center and piano lessons...)

I'm thinking about buying those GPS shoes for kids...