Snack Time - Banana treats

For an afternoon snack one day I served this to the kids:

It was based on this pin I saw on Pinterest. Of course, mine doesn't look as good as the original, but the kids still enjoyed it (and so did I!).

I didn't have mandarin oranges for the sand, so instead I used more slices of bananas. Then, a yummy idea hit me. I sprinkled the bottom bananas with graham cracker crumbs!

Bananas will never be the same again! Its now a sweet indulgence at our house. Just this morning I brought bananas and graham cracker crumbs to a Bible study. (I totally forgot I was supposed to bring fruit, so I'm glad I had this on hand).

A few last thoughts:

• This treat does not travel well. Its better to cut the banana on premises and sprinkle the crumbs afterwards.
• I have lots of post ideas running through my head, I simply haven't had the time to type them up.
• Don't forget to tell your loved ones that you love them!

Snack Time - Halved eggs with mayo

I love this simple and delicious snack.  I hear egg yolks have some vitamin D in them. Since I've been lacking that vitamin, I have been trying to get it in any way I can (besides the sun, which has been hiding!).

Here's the "recipe" if you will... Cut a hard boiled egg in half lengthwise. Slather that baby with mayo. Top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and some optional dill. (The tomatoes are also optional if you're kiddos don't care for them.)

It looks elegant and tastes fantastic. A hearty little snack or a nice addition to a main meal.

Bon apetit.

Sunday Italian Dinner

Today we had a family over for lunch/dinner. Its been a long time since we've hosted a family. It really was nice to have the chance to do so again.

One thing that made me nervous was the dietary needs of everyone. Seth and I are gluten free, I'm also dairy/lactose free and one of our guests is a vegetarian. 

I really didn't want a rice dish, but I couldn't think of anything else. Then while I was reading, "Back to School with Healthy Food", the author spoke about all the courses in an Italian meal. I started researching and picking recipes. Here's what I served...

Antipasto Platter

We started off with lots of choices for everyone.

• Olives
• Pickled peppers - so yummy (those are the orange/red cherry tomato looking things to the right of the cheese)
• 2 salami tube thingies
• provolone and mozzarella chunks
• mini bella mushrooms
• black grapes
• pickles
• artichoke hearts
• avocado slices topped with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper

First Course (Primo)

Next up was an Escarole and Bean soup.

I couldn't find escarole, so I used collard greens. Also instead of the bullion cubes I used vegetable broth.

This is the one thing that everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy.


Second Course (Secondo)

For the main dish I went with a pasta primavera and a caesar salad.

By now the kids were all getting full, so they had a hard time getting this down the chute. I'm pretty sure they don't like squash or zucchini, so that didn't help either.

I loved the taste of the roasted veggies in this dish.


Dessert Round (Dolce)

Is there any choice when doing an Italian dessert? My kids love Tiramisu, so tiramisu it was.

I used gluten free lady fingers. As a liquid I used coffee only (no rum).

I really wish I could've had some, but I can't imagine this tasting good if it was dairy free. 

Thankfully, I was still able to eat....

the football strawberries! I am NOT good at food presentation, but I did want to have something there to represent the Superbowl.

I used Enjoy Life chocolate chips, just so that I could enjoy life. :)

Snowman Letters

Last year Patricia was having some trouble with her letters. After doing some research I found some cute snowmen that I could print off and create a matching game.

The only problem is, we don't have a printer (yet we still survive!). So, instead, I made snowman and hat templates... not the best ones, but sufficient. Then I set to cutting and writing and drawing cute faces. :)

This game isn't used very often any more, but every once in a while it gives someone something to do.

The body of the snowman has CAPITAL letters and the hats have lowercase.  For the hats, I put the letters on both sides of the hat to make things a little easier during the searching phase.

Patricia loved that I made this just for her. I had her say the letters she was matching up to make sure she remembered them. A few times of playing and they get really good at them.

Funny Faces

Yesterday the kids and I were playing with the Mac camera. We couldn't stop laughing, which was good for me! I've been working on laughing more and this was super helpful. Maybe these pictures will bring a smile to your face. :)

 Ian as Frankenstein

 Seth Megamind

 Patricia as Leno???

 Tunneled Tabitha

The kids got the biggest kick out of my pictures.

And, lest you go away thinking this is how we really look, here is a "normal" picture:

Roe Vs Wade/Abortion

Forty years.

That's how long its been since the famous court case of Roe vs Wade.

Since then over 50 million babies have been killed. That's more than one million a year. (It takes 12 days to have one million seconds.... that's a large number).

I have a little message for varying groups of people out there:

Those who think abortion is wrong:

When they were deciding whether to make abortion legal, the argument that was used, was women's health. Not their rights, but their health. What if the mother's life was in jeopardy?





That is a legitimate argument. However, we know that health issues are not the reason for most abortions. So, as enticing as some moral arguments are, don't fall for them. Think it through and make the right choice about future decisions.

Those who have had an abortion: 

The guilt you feel (or the guilt you have denied) is normal. You cannot bring your baby back, but you can receive peace and forgiveness.

God formed you when you were in your mother's womb and He loves you.

He loves you so much that He was willing to take the punishment for your sins (you're not the only sinner, everyone has sinned). The Lord Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead for you. So that you may live eternally.

All you have to do is believe in faith that God did this for you. Receive His free gift of eternal life.

Those who are thinking about having an abortion:

Don't do it.

Maybe you're scared or lonely. Maybe you've been raped. Maybe you're afraid of being abused.

If you really cannot take care of the baby, give her up for adoption. There are plenty of people who would love to care for your child.

If you are in an abusive relationship and fear your safety due to pregnancy, please get help. Here's a phone number: 1-800-799-7233. There is no need to lose a child because of an abuser.

Eye trauma and Goodwill

What do you think of Ian's eye injury?

I'll tell you he wasn't smiling when it happened... neither was I nor my mom nor Enoch. No, we were all holding our hearts in the pits of our stomachs.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Thankfully he got the answer right!

So, what happened?

GoodWill.

I've been visiting the second hand store since my pregnancy with Zachary. I couldn't bear to buy new clothes that would only be used for a couple of months. It took 5 kids for me to break down and start going there!

So, Tuesday night I was wandering around, after finding a few outfits for Zachary, when I spotted these toys brand new in packaging:

This is a popping up toy. The "great" thing about it is the hard center which helps it pop up really high. What a deal and all for $.71! Not only one, but TWO comes in the package!

You live and learn.

I brought this fantastic toy home. We couldn't really get them to work (imagine that!). By the end of 20 minutes, Ian successfully inverted the toy himself. He dropped it on the floor and WHAM, it popped up and smacked his eye!

He screamed, I panicked, but held it together enough to assess the situation.

He took a trip to the ER and a follow-up today with an opthamologist. Thankfully his eye is still good and life can carry on as normal.

Lesson learned: there may be a good reason that packaged toys are in GoodWill... think safety.

I love the card Tabitha made for Ian, though Ian barely looked at it. (Party pooper)