Sun-Wherefor Art Thou?

Yes, we needed the rain. And we got rain all day Wednesday, all day Thursday and now today is Friday. And it's still raining.
Be gone ye clouds of darkness that pour forth rivers of wetness that imprison me inside. It maketh my brain moldy and unable to thinketh clearly. It maketh me spew forth nonsensical drivel in the form of bad Shakespearean prose.
I need to see the sun and I need to go outside. After three days of rain, make that cold haven't gotten out of the 40s rain, I can't motivate myself to do anything. Dom walked into the kitchen this morning to find me staring blankly at the coffee maker. Luckily he gave me clue and told me I needed a cup. Thank goodness he rescued me or I still might be standing there!
So if you see the sun please tell him I am in need of his warm healing rays to lead me out of the darkness and into the light.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I tried this recipe from the show Cook Yourself Thin and it was pretty good. The recipes are supposed to be healthier than regular recipes, but you can still only have one!

The girls both liked them which speaks volumes and makes it a hit in my book. I didn't put walnuts in mine because I knew the kids wouldn't eat them if I did. I also used egg whites instead of the two whole eggs. It was the prepackaged kind so it equaled a 1/3 of a cup.

I think next time I might try adding a little more cinnamon and maybe even a little more vanilla for a little added flavor. The chocolate chips are sprinkled on top and I put Kenzie in charge of that so there are a few more than reccomended but who's counting?



Here is the recipe if anyone wants to give it a try:



Serves 12

Calories per serving: 200


1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups reduced-fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 tablespoons chocolate chips



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-muffin tray with paper liners. Set aside.


In a standing mixer, combine the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, rolled oats, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mashed banana, and blend on low speed for 2 minutes. Add the walnuts, brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs and reduced-fat buttermilk, and blend for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.

Using an ice cream scoop, portion the batter evenly into the muffin tin, and top each muffin with 3 to 4 chocolate chips. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Once muffins are baked through, remove them from the oven and let cool. Serve.

Camp Fire

There is just something about having a campfire even if it is just in your own backyard. Though technically if your not camping I guess it's not a campfire or is it??

Anyway, our fire pit is in the back corner of the backyard near the woods so if you sit with your back to the house it's like being at a campground with all the comforts of home nearby, like bathrooms.

The girls like to run around the yard and into the woods on an adventure and Dom and I just like to hang out and have a few drinks while we take turns tending the fire.

My dad gave us a grate so now we can even cook on the fire. There is nothing like food cooked over a wood fire...mmmmm. This particular night we had steak strips on barbecue skewers, they had kinda of a teriyaki flavor and the meat was so tender. I am drooling just thinking about it.

Boomer helped keep an eye on the meat to make sure Dom was cooking it just right.

And of course no campfire would be complete without s'mores. Instead of graham crackers we

used chocolate chip cookies. Yum.

"You gonna finish that?" Boomer seems to be asking.


And there is something mesmerizing about just staring into the flames, especially when you've got a nice comfy pillow.

What is it about men and their abundance of testosterone that makes them want to light things on fire and blow them up. My husband is no exception. Plus we live in a state where it is legal to buy fireworks and the town doesn't care as long as the neighbors don't complain so why not??

The girls enjoyed some sparklers. Actually that is putting it mildly. We bought a package of 96, thinking it would last awhile. They used every last sparkler in one evening!!

This picture is totally psychedelic but I love it!

Climbing trees

On Saturday we went to Mom and Dad's house to celebrate dad's birthday and Mother's day.
The girls enjoyed climbing the apple trees in the backyard. Even though we have lots of trees at home they aren't very many that are good for climbing. Neither of the girls wanted to go very high and Becca actually enjoyed just swinging from a limb. Kenzie found herself a nice little spot to just sit but then needed help to get down!

How to Remove Silly Putty from the Carpet

I found silly putty in the carpet in Becca's room. Not just this one spot either but several. Damn that Easter Bunny for bringing them Silly Putty! I went online hoping for some magical way to get it out and I found one!

So here is one of the dreaded spots, and yes, it bears a striking resemblance to cat vomit:



Now you simply take some hand sanitizer and rub it into the spot and it magically dissolves the silly putty and leaves no stain! Now I imagine it was the alcohol in the hand sanitizer that removed it, so I think that straight alcohol would work too, though I do not know if it would damage the coloring of the rug so test a spot first. I guess I should have even done a test spot with the hand sanitizer but I was thinking, what the hell, it really couldn't look worse.


It's disappearing.....



And gone!



SSSHHH... Don't tell the kids but this was actually kinda fun and I didn't mind that there were three spots to clean up!

Serenity Now

Unless you've been living under a rock I am sure you are aware of the swine flu, which by the way couldn't they come up with a better name? In NH they are referring to it as H1N1 which sounds like a Star Wars droid.
I have received several handouts from the school as well as recorded messages and it is comforting to know that they are on top of things. I personally go from being totally cynical about the media hype, I mean shouldn't we have all died off from sars, bird flu, cancer, aids, salmonella as well as all the hundreds of other diseases lurking on the planet???? Then I have little panic attacks where I just want to place a bubble around the whole house and never let my children out into public again, because what if.....
But that is not the sane and logical thing to do, though I never claimed to be either. I guess I will be informed, but not remain glued to the news or the computer waiting for updates on the next victim, And continue to go on with life as normal.
As I am typing this out Rebecca has informed me that she has a sore throat and a runny nose. I am sure that it is just a spring cold as, we had a major temperature swing earlier in the week. It went from 95 to 65 in a matter of hours, sooo that's what it must be, right???

Serenity Now.