Favorite Banana Muffins

What's better than having banana bread for breakfast? =)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. sugar
1 c. mashed ripe banana
1/2 c. margarine, softened
2 eggs
6 T. milk
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. salt

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Add eggs and mix until smooth. Stir in milk and mashed banana and mix well. Fold in flour mixture into the liquid ingredients until combined. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 of the way full. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

***I think the baking time is way too long. I bake mine for about18-20 minutes.

Fish cakes

A new twist on the good ole' tuna patties...a staple at my house when I was growing up. =)

2 6 oz. cans of fish (ie: tuna, crabmeat, salmon, shrimp)
1 package of Stovetop stuffing mix
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Form into patties and cook in a large non-stick skillet for 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.

New love

Not that it takes the place of any of my old loves, but I've discovered a new hobby - Digital Scrapbooking. It's taken me a few days of frustration, annoyance and starting from scratch, but here is my first layout:



It's totally fun and so much cheaper than paper-scrapbooking. Kevin doubts the "cheap" part and just thinks I'll be hogging the computer even more now!

Add one more to the list...

Sport, that is. Kyle recently informed me that his new favorite sport is hockey. We've watched "The Mighty Ducks" in marathon-type fashion this past week. He's eager to share his new love and told both his grandma and our neighbor that, "Hockey is my favorite sport." Grandma made the mistake of countering that basketball was probably his favorite sport, to which Kyle replied, "No it isn't! I love HOCKEY!" Our neighbor also made the mistake of saying that, do I dare say, "Hockey's boring." He was rewarded with a glare that could've melted ice. Kyle still hasn't forgiven him.

So imagine the excitement that permeated that little body when he found out we were going to a hockey game for Kevin's birthday. He cheered, he clapped, and was a most enthusiastic spectator. When Kevin's made the mistake of not clapping for play, he too was rewarded with one of Kyle's glares. It's safe to say the game reaffirmed his love of hockey.

For the first two periods anyways. Like his mom, Kyle seems to believe that the third period of hockey should be eliminated (Who needs that last period, anyways?). The third period was filled with trips to the bathroom, snack bar, and the pro shop, where he tried on all of the official gear and tried to spend $200 of his parents' money. Finally, in desperation, he amused himself with this:



That's one big, bad hockey player.

Cuddles

• I hate it when my little boy is sick because he's miserable.

• I hate hearing him cough, sneeze and cry and not being able to do a thing about it.

• It breaks my heart to see his lifeless body and realize how sick he really must be.

• I hate the sleepless nights, the fights over medicine, and the miserable, "Mommy, I don't feel so good."

• But I love it when my little boy gets sick because I get all of the hugs and cuddles I can handle.

• I love that my independent little man becomes dependent and needs me.

• I love canceling all commitments and lounging in pajamas and watching movies.

• I love that my little boy becomes my baby again.

Open mouth, insert foot

I belong to a card exchange - a group of 15 ladies who make 15 homemade cards and meet once a month to exchange them, visit and eat food. The benefits are two-fold: I receive over a dozen adorable homemade cards each month, and I get out of the house for adult conversation. It's a win-win situation.

After I've arrived home each month, Kevin and I play a little game: he looks through the cards and guesses who made each one. He'll occasionally point out one that he thinks is especially cool, but that's about it.

Except for last month. I arrived home and he was looking through the cards, when he held one up and said with a tone of disgust, "Who made this one?" I looked at him and said, "Are you joking?" To which he replied, "Don't you think it's kind of weird? The ribbon doesn't match and the paper's weird...."

"Honey," I said. "I made that one."

Oops. Open mouth, insert foot.

I'd actually forgotten about the incident (yes, I really let it go) until a few days ago when our neighbor called.

"Dude, I just pulled a 'Kevin!'"

Apparently he'd accidentally told his wife that her attempt at creativity was ugly, too. What do these men know, anyways?

Show me your moves

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm about to admit to my newest obsession. I'm not ashamed of it, I just realize that I'm opening myself up to a massive amount of ridicule and mockery. But without further ado, I'd like to introduce the newest favorite activity at the Turner house.


Yes, we've discovered "Dance Dance Revolution." Our nieces and nephews introduced us to it over Christmas break and we hold them fully responsible. And because we're too cheap to buy a newer console, we had to find an antique version that's compatible with our Playstation. Nevertheless, I'm addicted. The way I see it, it's great exercise and my little boy can boogie along with me.

For all you that are laughing at me (like my 21-year-old brother, for instance. Or my 24-year-old brother...), I invite you to give it a try. You just might like it.

"Dance Dance Revolution" party, anyone? Anyone?

Sickness

We had a rough start to winter, with all three of us being sick several times within a two-month time period. And let's face it - when your baby's sick, you tend to coddle them a bit more. Well it appears that Kyle's become accustomed to this coddling.

He now plays the "sick card" to his advantage. For instance, this morning he wanted a juice box and in an attempt to get him out the door and into the car, I told him, "You can have some juice when we get in the car." His response?

"But mom, if I don't have my juice now, I will get sick! And I will be very, very sick!"

Or when he's told that he can't have a treat, he says, "But mom, my tummy doesn't feel good and I think that a treat will help it feel better."

Or when he's just sad, or lonely, or bored, and need some extra attention, he says in the saddest possible voice:

"Mommy, I think when you were sick you gave me your germs."

Translation: "Mommy, I need a hug and some extra love."

Jesus Wants Me For A SunBEAM!

Kyle had his first day of primary today. He's been looking forward to this for weeks, after just a brief taste of singing time a few weeks back. In fact, he was furious last week when he received the bad news that he would have to attend nursery just one more time. Imagine his disgust when we arrived at church today and he found out he would have to attend sacrament meeting before he could go to primary!

So here's our newest little Sunbeam proudly displaying his crown. We were told he was very well behaved and a great little singer. And we don't doubt that for second

Gettysburg

December 27th: We visited Gettysburg today. Ruth had previously been there, but this was Kevin's first visit and we enjoyed every minute of it. We bought an audio-tour on CD, so we were able to travel around the battlefield in the comfort of our own car. Kevin drove, Kyle amused himself with puzzles and fruit-by-the-foot, and Kristen amused herself by bothering Ruth. The only thing that could've made it better? Warmer weather. We've got to stop visiting during the winter...