Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

My "Embrace the Camera"  picture for this week was a picture of Smiley helping me mix up some cookie dough.  Sure I received some very nice comments regarding the actual picture, but so many of you wanted the recipe so..... here it is, in a mostly picture-less recipe post (see what happens when I don't plan these things out ☺).

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies 

(I think I got this recipe from my Mom and where she got it, who knows)

2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 stick margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 ripe bananas)
1 tsp vinegar
1 ½ cups chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts (we like walnuts around here)

Preheat your oven to 350°

Mix all of the dry ingredients together.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, margarine (or butter) egg and vinegar.  Then add in banana.

Once mixed slowly add in dry ingredients.

Once thoroughly combined, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Bake around 10 minutes.

AND, whatever you do, don't forget to add the baking soda :)

OOPS!

But do make sure you lick the beaters 

(I know, I know salmonella.....

and if you do lick the beaters and you end up with salmonella, 

don't blame me, you've been warned!)

FYI...

These cookies are so yummy, that you may just strap your booster seat to your bottom so that when they finally come out of the oven all you have to do is sit down!

Find some more yummy recipes at the Mangia Monday's party!

Embrace the Camera

Unplanned baking with Smiley (mmmm.....chocolate chip banana cookies)

AND...

Just so you know, If you make cookies and they call for baking soda, don't forget to put it in.  Or your cookies will look like the one on the left when they should look like the ones on the right (luckily I realized after baking only 1 batch)

(sorry for the bad night, kitchen lighting shots)

AND enjoy every moment!

Forgetful

I couldn't believe it.

I reached in to my huge bottomless pit of a purse.  I reached straight down to the very bottom and slowly pulled my arm back up feeling for it all the way to the top.  Nothing.  I reached down to the right corner.  Nope.  Down to the left corner.  Not there either.  I started to sweat.

My camera.
Not in my purse.

It is always within reach whether in my purse, in my hand, or on top of our refrigerator at home.

And that's where it was today.  I had left it sitting upon the top of the fridge, at home.... in another state.

We had just arrived at my parents home 4 hours away from ours.   I ran to my purse to get my camera to snap a picture and it wasn't there.  How could I have forgotten it on a weekend away.  And not just any weekend, Easter weekend.   You know the weekend of colorful eggs, candies, baskets, excited children and dressed up families.

We colored eggs at my parent's house and I borrowed his camera from on top of the fridge (hmm.... wonder where I get it )

But then our trip continued on.

We went to my hubby's parent's house.

Once again, no camera.  Bummer there was golfing, hot tub time, dressing up, Easter eggs and basket hunting, kite flying and lots of family.

Sure I forgot.  And the moments will be memories captured in our minds instead of on my blog, on paper and potentially in frames.  And as annoyed as I was (and honestly still am ~ although I know I shouldn't be) those "things" do not even begin to compare with what the true meaning of Easter is for my family.  The death and resurrection of our Lord.  And while there are no actual photographs of this blessed event, we remember in our hearts and minds, and we celebrate.  We celebrated with prayer, singing, praise and family.  

I am not perfect.  I forget things.  Not just my camera, but a shirt that my daughter wanted washed so she could wear it to school, a lunch my son wanted to take to school, rolls that needed to be taken out of the freezer for breakfast in the morning and so the list continues.......

But in the end, even though it can be frustrating and feelings can be momentarily hurt, it isn't the "things" that really matter.  And I hope that is something I can teach my children.  For there is SO MUCH MORE.

source

  

76.  The excitement of a little competition
77.  Carnival games
78.  Laughing with my sister
79.  A lazy rainy day
80.  A tip

Embrace the Camera

What started off as looking up song lyrics and singing a new favorite song,

(I know, we're rock stars ☺)

Soon turned into Photo Booth fun

And pretty soon, we were laughing so hard we were crying

Enjoying every minute!

Yarn Eggs ~ take 2

The kids and I made Yarn Eggs last year before Easter.

You can check that post out here.

I hadn't planned on making them again this year, but Sassy was concerned that we didn't have any Easter decorations up.  So, one day while Sassy and Action were at school and Smiley was down for a nap, I set out to make some small yarn eggs.

I used:

Water Balloons (I wanted smaller eggs than last year)

Bright colored Embroidery Floss (that I took out of a friendship bracelet making kit)

Glue 

and

Water

First I watered down my glue and blew up my balloons.

Then I took my embroidery floss, dipped it into the watered down glue and wrapped, wrapped and wrapped it around my balloons.

 I laid them out to dry.

When they were dry, using my finger, I loosened the floss from the balloon.  

Then I popped the balloon and pulled it out

Voila, cute little Easter Eggs.

And Sassy feels so much better now that we have some Easter decorations up.

Oh, and that fabulous framed Easter Subway Art you see, 

you can get that here courtesy of Chessa from Antsi-Pants

Spring Wreath ~ AKA, my front door is no longer naked!

I have to admit, my front door was naked!

You see, I took down our Christmas wreath and never put another one up.

Every time I looked at our poor naked door I thought to myself, "That door needs a new outfit, a brighter one"

So my spring wreath was created.

Now, I know that what I created was/is not earth shattering, or even a new idea, but I love it none the less, and perhaps you too will be inspired :)

Here's what I used:

A large grapevine wreath
Fabric
Buttons
Coordinating thread
and some Hot Glue

I took a long strip of fabric

(it was about 3 ½ inches wide and unfortunately, I forgot to measure the length, 

but the longer and wider the strip, the larger the flower)

Folded it in half and sewed a running stitch from the beginning to the end of the fabric strip.

Gathering the fabric as I went

Until I had sewn and gathered the entire strip

Next I manipulated the fabric strip into a flower shape,  

sewed a coordinating button on and moved on to the next flower.

All together I made 6 flowers, and using hot glue, I glued them onto my wreath and tied that baby onto my naked front door with some pretty blue ribbon.

Ahhh, I feel so much better, now that my door is dressed!

I also embraced my wishful thinking and added a new message to my front porch chalkboard

And I'll pay no attention to the fact that I woke up last Saturday morning to more snow on the ground and this week the temps are suppose to stay in the 40's.

Here's to Wishful Thinking!