Just poppin’ in to say I may not be around for a few days. Hubby’s taking me with him to Boston in a bit, he’ll be on business and I’m going along because I was invited and I couldn’t turn down his invitation. Being with him is where I always want to be when possible. I’ve already got something up my sleeve for tomorrow and looking forward to our little trip together. Hubby already has plans for a dinner date in Boston this evening, can’t wait.
Happy Monday!
Ah, it’s finally spring at last! That’s what I was thinking yesterday. Oh our skies were sunny painted with the prettiest blue and my eyes sparkled as I squinted to see if I could begin to see blossoms on the nearby trees. It’s okay to squint and hope for spring right? Well I was doing my share of hoping, it felt like a gorgeous spring day and I was looking for some sort of proof.
Proof, yes, we all want proof as we can’t just go by feeling alone. As we wrapped up our evening the feeling of spring warmed my heart and I dreamed of gardens with lush green grass and clusters of blossoms as far as the eye could see. I woke with a song in my heart and a spring in my step “it’s springtime – it’s springtime”!
As hubby headed for the door to leave for work this morning, he stopped by the little hall closet to throw on a lightweight jacket (this is the part we hug and kiss) and we said our goodbyes, have a good day honey, be careful and see you tonight…When he opened the door the cool morning air rushed in like a slap in the face and our eyes beheld snow! That was all it took for me to put my little spring baby to bed. No, she’s really not quite awake yet, just hold on a little longer.
A view of our backyard dusting
It’s snowing but hard to detect in the picture. I think we still have several more weeks of winter up here and I’m going to hold off on the squinting for a while. We won’t see blossoms until the end part of April at least that’s what I recall. But I hope wherever you are that you’re seeing signs of spring.
Bells and whistles go off whenever I hear about anything made with bananas. I stumbled on this recipe in a little leaflet by Bob Greene, Oprah’s trainer. It didn’t take me long to realize that I was rarin’ to bake! Mind you I haven’t baked in “AT LEAST 6 MONTHS” and the thought of finding something that was a bit healthier certainly had my full attention. So without further ado, let’s get started.
Ingredients:
1 cup Fiber One original bran cereal
1 egg
¾ cup fat free (skim) milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup dried cranberries
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray bottoms only of 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or use paper baking cups. Place cereal in resealable food storage plastic bag; seal bag and crush with rolling pin or meat mallet (or crush in food processor).
When all else fails in the kitchen…use a hammer! I’m sure by now some of you are sick of hearing about all my stuff being in storage but it’s the truth! I always manage to find something to get the job done. Of course that’s my “Tom Boy Tool” hammer – works like a charm. Just had my nails and toes done in the light pink with a touch of silver for spring – will it ever get here?
In medium bowl, beat egg milk and oil with fork or wire whisk until well mixed; beat in bananas. Stir in cereal; let stand 5 minutes.
I set my little timer for 5 minutes and while the wet mixture was doing its “thing” I mixed all my dry ingredients together.
I’m Getting there
Bananas pretty much all mashed
Ding – That’s the 5 minute timer going off. Now stir in remaining (dry) ingredients except cranberries until blended. Stir in cranberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
The batter is ready for the cranberries
Divided evenly as possible
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm.
I baked these guys for an even 20 minutes.
Played with the same picture in photoshop – Couldn’t help myself as they were so much fun!
And then got a little carried away. If you feel a little blurred, not to worry, go ahead and try them, you’ll be glad you did, you can trust me!
Believe me I followed the directions to the T and had one of these guys while he was still piping hot! Very nice and moist and I really loved the surprise punch of the cranberries. I will definitely be making these again!
High Altitude (3500 – 6500 FT): No change.
Nutrition
1 Muffin: Calories 180 (Calories from Fat 40) Total Fat 4.5g (Saturated Fat 0g); Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 200mg; Total Carbohydrate 32g (Dietary Fiber 3g) Protein 3g
%Daily Value: Vitamin A 4%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 10%; Iron 10%
Exchanges: 1 Starch, 1 Other Carbohydrate, 1 Fat
Carbohydrate Choices: 2
Weight Watcher Points: 3
So the other day I was craving an omelet something fierce! Fierce would actually be an understatement. As soon as the craving hit I ran to the fridge to get right on it. I flung open the door with much enthusiasm only to discover I had absolutely nary an egg in the house. Who runs out of eggs and forgets? Apparently me and it was – might I add, a huge let down.
I immediately went from that letdown to my grocery shopping list and added my eggs at the tippy top! And they made their way to the kitchen yesterday afternoon. You have no idea how I planned my omelet all out and couldn’t wait ‘til this morning. I would have had it last night but we already had dinner plans thus the wait.
It was exciting, ever so exciting to go to the fridge and have all the necessary ingredients for my omelet this morning.
As I started prepping my pepper I noticed not one but two baby peppers growing inside. There’s numerous times I see babies inside the red and yellow peppers but this is the first time I’ve seen two. I put my finger behind the one as he blended in with the pepper.
Here they are side by side. I munched on these guys while I prepped my pepper and onion.
A slice of yummy life
Two eggs
Give ’em a good beatin’
A little concoction that’s seasoned really well with pepper and just a pinch of salt.
I love my little pan as it’s just the right size for my 2 egg omelet.
After they set I added lots of cheese and here’s a little sneak peak of how she looked after I transferred her to my plate.
Let’s just say I’m already planning my breakfast tomorrow and this is a tiny clue of what’s goin’ down.
Top of the morning! Okay, I realize it’s late morning but still morning no less and a Monday morning, a beautiful Monday morning with a bright week ahead.
I’m beginning to plan my meals and today I’ve kicked it off with one of my favorite yogurt flavors mixed with ½ cup Fiber One cereal toped with a sliced banana.
The sourdough pretzels I squeezed in will be my my mid morning snack in just a bit. Those provide the best bang for your buck when looking for something good to crunch on.
I’m getting ready to put those black beans on to cook and I’ll be adding some onion, carrots and a few other things as I like to add a little of this and that so who knows how it’s going to turn out. I’ll also heat up some jasmine rice cooked in chicken broth to go along with my beans.
Hubby took me to the movies this weekend and we saw Confessions of a Shopaholic. I don’t want to spoil it if you plan to see it…but it was painful for both of us. Sure there were some funny parts but in my opinion they didn’t make up the difference. I’m quite sure many loved this movie though, perhaps you enjoyed it. Hubby was such a great sport as this is a movie I wanted to see. We didn’t splurge on any treats at the movies but he did take me out for a wonderful “healthy” dinner afterwards.
As we look forward to the new week ahead, (speaking of that, it’s MARCH) we anticipate some warmer weather in the coming days. There’s so much to look forward to come spring/summer!
Yesterday as I was relaxing at the end of the day (waiting for Hubby to come home from work) I was thinking about the little things I’m thankful for. So I snapped these pictures from where I was reclining. True, simple pictures of home.
It was late afternoon and the light was dancing on the walls and I was thankful for a clean apartment, the clothes were all clean, sheets were changed and I felt so ready for Hubby to get home as I was ready to begin this weekend with him. But at the end of the day, when I stop and think about it, it’s not home and everything in it that’s such a big deal, it’s whose in this house that makes it home. Family no matter how big or small is truly what makes a house a home. And no matter where our path may lead, home is wherever we are.
I’m a huge fan of my veggies, any and all I positively love for the exception of brussel sprouts. I’ve tried them every way possible and they just don’t agree with me. But one of my absolute favorite veggies of the week has been the red bell pepper. I love the sweetness about that vegetable and I think he’s great both raw and cooked.
I found a new love of taking pictures of food. Perhaps it’s because the newness of my camera has not worn off and I really think food is such a beautiful thing.
A beautiful red pepper
True beauty inside out
I tossed him in a pot with a chopped red onion
I love the aroma these create and the flavor from these guys, wow I could go for round two tonight!
I seasoned them up and piled the whole thing on a plate with a nice turkey burger. That was one healthy, huge and satisfying lunch.
Because I’ve been embracing healthy eating (for the most part) I’m celebrating a 40 pound weight loss as of this morning! I hold fast to my outlook that life goes on, parties, holidays and birthdays happen and when they do I don’t hold back one bit for those special times. There’s a time and place for all things good and I find that balance makes for a very happy and healthy me.
We went to a surprise birthday party Saturday evening and the birthday boy was quite surprised his wife pulled it off without him knowing anything about it.
A little snippet from the party
The birthday boy and his sweet wife are in the top left corner. Since I take most of the pictures, I forget so many times to have someone take our picture. I’ve got to remember to start doing that. I did get hubby and the only one of me is in the long black jumpsuit over at the fridge.
We all enjoyed the evening filled with music complements of Guitar Hero. Hubby and I were so amazed at how good these guys were that we just sat back and let them have at it! The last time I played the thing, it booed me off the stage, but I’ll be back! Hubby has plans to get this game for us and we can’t wait to play and sing with everyone.
Q (that’s what we call him) he’s the guy on the drums. He’s the kind of guy that’s always laid back, calm cool and collected. Not so when he’s behind those drumsticks. He was quite the highlight watching him get so into it. Q broke his original drumsticks and had to purchase a very heavy duty set. Now he’s good to go! Go Q!
It’s back to snowing this morning and I’m praying for spring more than ever. It’s so hard to enjoy the beauty of the falling snow when I know the builder is putting our home on hold because of the weather. I guess the only thing I can do at this point is embrace the weather and leave our home in God’s hands.
This is the little salad I made to take to the party this evening. It’s one of those very easy recipes to whip up on a Saturday morning and pop in the refrigerator and it’s ready to go when we head out this evening.
I thought it would be fun to snap some pictures as I went.
The Ingredients:
6 clean apples
All cut up and rarin’ to go
Cool Whip – Crushed Pineapple – Butterscotch Pudding (instant) – Nuts
I’ve already dumped the Cool Whip and now pouring the can of crushed pineapple, juice and all.
Pour in the Butterscotch Pudding mix – This is my favorite part in this salad – I use 2 packs for more Butterscotch goodness. To me it adds what seems to be a caramel flavor.
Add the nuts. I’m not stingy, I don’t measure, I just dump in a lot!
Give that mixture a good mix with a spoon.
Then pour the goodness over the apples and mix well to coat all the apples.
Note to self: Mix the Cool Whip blend before chopping the apples. My apples turned a little brown but hopefully no one will notice now that they are all hunkered in.
Unfortunately all my large pretty bowls are in storage so I’ll just have to use the same large mixing bowl. I wiped the sides down and here we have an apple salad.
Cover and refrigerate
Now I too can chill now that my dish is ready.
It’s Hooked On Friday’s. Julia is hosting another Hooked on Friday’s event and she’s hooked on Dutch Doors. So hop on over to Julia’s to have a look at what many other’s are hooked on!
I’m hooked on the ever changing weather the last few days. At one point it felt like spring was in the air, the bright sun and warmer weather melted the snow and I could almost feel the blossoms beginning to burst. However, this week took a turn for winter. Who am I kidding, it’s still winter!
Here’s a few pictures from the backyard this past week.
A look up into the sky Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday evening was cold and dark and the snow was coming down in silver dollar size hunks. Those were the largest snowflakes I’ve seen!
The little poinsettia is propped in the windowsill – It looks like she’s begging to go outside.
Thursday afternoon I couldn’t help but notice the gorgeous blue sky with the contrast of orange shadows from the setting sun splashed upon the hill.
Don’t forget to check out Hooked On Friday’s for more wonderful things we’re “Hooked On”!
Today my friend Tanya
from Sunday Baker is remembering her son Colin. Today would’ve been his 14th birthday. To read her heartfelt post click on her name (above) to read her birthday wish. To help commemorate Colin and honor his memory, my candle is lit and will remain lit throughout the day and evening.
The warm soft glow is a gentle reminder of Colin
and a mother’s (Tanya’s) loving words.
And this candle that stands so tall is a reminder of Colin’s Journey
I feel much brighter today, hey that’s just exactly what I did with myself in photoshop and I’m brighter because of it.
As much as I’m feeling bright, the day is very dark and gloomy. I took this photo at 2:30 this afternoon and it was already dark enough for this little light to be on.
I headed over to my favorite grocery store to pick up a few things. As I shopped, I found a few things that brightened my day.
I thought these little cupcake boxes were too cute.
Here’s how they function
The bright flowers were so cheery as if they were passing out free hugs to anyone who admired them. I received lots of hugs.
This row of dishes seems to echo “spring is just around the corner”. I just need to remind myself of that even though the snow is falling.
And last but not least, these bright M&M’s truly made me smile – I’m in love with all those colors.
These are just a few things that made me smile. I trust your day is bright on the inside even if it’s gloomy on the outside.
I’ve taken so much time away from blogging! It’s a sign that I’ve been very busy and that I need to get back here to let everyone know I’m still here. After being away for so long, it’s hard to get back into the motion of things but I’m ready to poke my head out.
Our little corner of the world has been a beautiful mass of snow since Christmas and I’ve so enjoyed this winter more than ever. But I’m ready for a break in the weather. For one, the builder has not touched our home since the end of December. It was too cold to pour the footer and everything came to a screeching halt. The builder says they will resume the project the first of March. And number two, I’m ready to move into our home like yesterday…Is it done yet? So as much as I’ve enjoyed the winter and the pretty snow, it’s okay if it goes away for now. It’s a sign that construction will recommence!
Here’s my little desk aka the end table right next to my recliner. I enjoy keeping inspiration in front of me, this is the source of what I’m currently drawing as my background for now. It’s a sign that I like to constantly study my subject even when I’m not drawing.
I just love the way advertising has a way of reeling me in. The thing is – this page is just where I stop. I know exactly what I would do if I had a box of those in the house. Let me be very clear that I could not just eat one! That’s my sign to leave the box on the shelf.
New growth amazes me. The little poinsettia my neighbor gave me after the holidays is still flourishing. I love that word flourishing – flourishing with new little leaves, isn’t she so cute? I think it’s a sign that she likes me.
I wrapped up my little pansy project a few weeks ago and this little thing is currently on her little voyage to India. It’s a sign that I keep my word but a very poor way of executing this on time. I still remember Hubby telling me that I was biting off more than I could chew at the time.
Our days have gotten just a bit busier as we’ve been meeting with our builder more often. We had a meeting with her last week and we have another little meeting this evening. We’re delighted with the progress and we are right on schedule with deadlines and where we need to be at the moment. It’s a sign that we’re moving in the right direction.
Valentines day is a fun day but no different than any other day of the year. I’m blessed with a man that truly treats me like his valentine daily. When asked by a friend if I got anything for valentines, I replied, yes, I have him and hubby replied we celebrate valentines every day in our house. We did enjoy a nice dinner and I had my chocolate for the first time this year! I selected a huge chocolate chip cookie with warm fudge in the center with a dollop of ice cream drizzled with fudge and Hubby had the key lime pie. It’s a sign to eat like that occasionally as I was up a ½ pound the next day. However, I’m celebrating nearly a 40 pound weight loss and I wouldn’t trade those little up’s on the scale for all the tea in China.
I’ll try to remember the signs out there as some of them can be very deceiving and others pointing the way ever so clearly. Sometimes it’s necessary to stop and adjust for the moment but most importantly see the good and enjoy the path with a thankful heart.
The last couple days proved to be just what the Dr ordered. I went shopping with a girlfriend yesterday had a wonderful lunch together and I found a few wonderful sales on some things I needed.
Today is another beautiful snow day, I have the easy listening music drifting through the air at a very low volume, and I picked up my pencils for a couple hours. Now I need to concentrate on getting the place all ready for the weekend.
This is where I stopped today.
I’ve concentrated a bit more on the background and have also started to establish some color on the bottle.
This week has ended on a very good note and now I’m looking forward to the weekend with Hubby.
