Baking Up a Storm

While Ryder took his nap today (which he is still taking right now), I got into a Suzie Homemaker mood and decided to bake.
I started dinner in the crock pot-a roast with lots of onions, carrots, potatoes, and RED MEAT-I put different spices in it as well as some Tony Roma's barbeque sauce-it's an experiment so we will see how it turns out.

I also made some from scratch banana bread. I got the recipe from a book my sister in law gave me called "Any Blonde Can Cook" (You can follow Katie's website by clicking here to Catch Up with the Cullens ). It was a big hit. The recipe is as follows:
Banana Bread
1/2 c oil
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c all-purpose flour
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking SODA
1/2 t. salt
3-4 bananas, mashed

1) Cream oil and sugar until light and fluffy
2) Add eggs one at a time-beating completely
3) Sift flour, baking soda and salt
4) Mix into creamed mixture
5) Fold in the bananas and vanilla
6) Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

**You can had chopped pecans if you like the extra crunch-just fold it in with the bananas and vanilla**

*A side note-I use splenda instead of sugar so it's sugar free and there aren't the extra calories from the sugar.*

I'll post the recipe to the blueberry muffins and sugar cookies, later.

My Grass is Green...is yours?

I guess its easy to forget, sometimes, what is most important to you. What you value most. What your priorities are. You remind yourself about what you love, but when things become mundane and predictable, it's easy to wonder what color the grass is in your neighbor's yard. Sitting here, watching Ryder sleep, my world is complete and wonderful and whole. I never want to forget this feeling, the way my sweet Widdle makes me feel.
I pray you don't forget what is important to you and what makes you smile. Your grass is just as green as mine, and mine as green as yours...sometimes it might be a different shade of green or kind of grass-but it's green:)

Baby Bowen

Recently, I learned that one of the women I have looked up to since I was a teenager was pregnant. (That makes her sound "old". but she isn't-she's only a few years older than me.) I just found out that she went into early labor at the end of January and had sweet baby Bowen 12 weeks early.
She and her husband have created a CaringBridge page to stay updated but she has been so busy (as any mom who has had a baby in the NICU can relate to) and has only been able to update a few times. Sweet baby boy has had his good days and his not so good days. He has grown some but is still struggling and needs some prayers. If you could please take a moment and lift up Baby B and his mommy and daddy right now, I know it would be greatly appreciated. I know that his blood gas levels are a prayer request as well as gas in his belly from his C PAP and also his PDA.
Baby Bowen, though I haven't met him yet, is a precious new life that I am absolutely in love with already and hope that you will take a minute to lift him up to God in your thoughts and prayers today.