Brad's Favorite...

This treat is Brad's favorite thing to snack on.  It's just simple Banana Bread.  I've been making it a lot lately. (Probably cuz I was trying to be health conscious, bought too many bananas, and they all went brown before we could eat them...)

I was surprised at how easy this recipe is, and figured some of you might want to try it out... so, I'm sharing.  It's Brad's mom's recipe, so that's probably why he likes it so much.  Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bread

1 C. sugar

1/2 C. butter

2 bananas, mashed

2 C. flour

2 eggs

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 C. nuts (optional)  

I substitute the nuts with chocolate chips.

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, beating well.  Add bananas and nuts (or chips).  Add dry ingredients, mixing well.  Bake in greased bread pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees with a pan of water on bottom rack of oven.  When bread is browned, turn oven to 325 degrees until done.

I put this recipe into 2 different bread pans, and it makes the perfect size loaf.

Happy 4th of July!

I hope your day is fantastic as you remember who gave their lives for us and for the freedoms we so thoroughly enjoy!

May your picnics be plentiful, your parades wonderful, and your fireworks spectacular!

Please Mom?

This is often the face that will greet me when I ask Olivia different questions....  You know, questions like...  "Are you ready for bed?"  or "Can you pick up your mess?" or "It's time to take a nap" or "It's time to leave the park now... Are you ready?"  I LOVE THIS FACE!!  (Thanks Amie for capturing it so perfectly!)

When I look at this photo, I can't help but wonder how many more times I'll see this face show up in the future...  Only I'm sure it'll be over things said like, "No, you're too young to date."  Or "You. Are. Not. Wearing. That!"  Or "I'm sorry, You can't have a dog because I'm deathly allergic to them."  Or "Yes, you really do have to get a job if you want a car."  Or "No, we are NOT buying you a car."  I'm sure there will plenty of opportunities for Olivia to use this face and many others to try to get her parents to sway in her direction.  I hope that it won't melt my heart as much as it does now, or if it does, that I'll still be able to stand my ground, and help her become a better person, in spite of my weakness.

But, I think that's what this 'parenting job' is all about.  Helping our kids become better people IN SPITE of our weaknesses.  Helping them learn how to do things better than we did them.  At least, that's what I'm trying to do.  I know parenting isn't easy.  I know it's a never ending battle... not necessarily with your kids, but with the influences of the world.  I'll fight those influences with all I've got to make sure Olivia turns out better than I have.  That's my mission. My lifetime mission.  What's yours?

We've returned!

Our glorious camping trip was so much fun.  

As you can see, we had a lot of fun eating chocolate cake...

we enjoyed singing around the campfire... (this is "Popcorn Popping 

on the Apricot Tree") as Olivia "looked out the window..."

Taking lots of 4-wheeler rides... motorized and non-motorized...

many adventurous hikes with our cute cousins...

loads of laughing with the family...

a trip to Bear Lake to play in the water...

(Bear Lake = a very very red and uncomfortable sunburn for me)

Burying ourselves in the sand and wanting to stay FOREVER...

AND... getting Aunt Jenn to read many good books to the kids in camp.

We really had a fantastic time.  The vacation was MUCH NEEDED, MUCH DESERVED, and VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!  We had so much fun spending time with my family. However, I will say that the SHOWER felt fabulous, and I can't wait to go jump into my bed!

Vacation at last...

This weekend, I get to go on a little vacation with my family. We're heading to the great outdoors to go camping.  I can't wait. We're having a family reunion with my family for the weekend.  I'm excited to see everyone and to catch up again. Mostly I'm excited to just get away from home and all the stress of life and enjoy sometime in the splendor of the mountains.  Eat some good dutch oven cooking, roast some yummy marshmallows, go on plenty of hikes, read many good books, listen to the coyotes howling at night, and see all the glorious stars in the heavens again.  I hope you all have a fantastic weekend too!         

         

O.C.D.

So, I'm sure I've told some of you about my daughter's O.C.D. issues.  She is a CLEAN FREAK. This is the child who will take a wet wipe and clean my walls, floors and anything in between.  She is also the one that will 'change' her doggie's diapers a couple times a day.  So, this morning I wasn't at all surprised to see this...

Yup, this is all of her diapers out a brand new package surrounding her on the floor.  Is this the epitomy of 'surround yourself with cleanliness?' Should I be worried?  She spent at least 5 minutes arranging these diapers in this particular order.  No lie.  She then proceeded to turn then over to make sure that Elmo was facing up on all the diapers.  She's one funny kid.

My New Motto!

"Finish each day and be done with it.  You have done what you could. 

 Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.

Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with 

too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Isn't that fantastic!?  I love it!