I'm not cut out for this but it's the best I've got.

As much as I love the Holidays my favorite thing since all of the Holiday hype is nice, relaxing, FREE weekends. This past weekend we spent a much-needed family weekend at HOME after Daddy's week long business trip. It was great, we played with the kiddos pretty much all weekend. Saturday morning, Jey decides to turn the living room into a giant Lego construction site. Daddy built a super cool lego airplane while Jeremiah worked hard looking for the various pieces needed for their structure. There is something so relaxing about building with Legos but I am certainly NOT a Lego builder champion. So as the boys worked diligently on their masterpiece, I worked on mine. When I revealed my creation after I had finished it, Matt laughed and Jeremiah said, "Is that a man?". Nice. For those of you who need a little help deciphering my work IT'S A BRIDE AND GROOM with a TREE! Sheesh, people.

Going Bananas with my Pancakes

One of my New Year's "goals" is to try one new recipe each week. So far I've done pretty good! I love cooking, experimenting, reading cookbooks, and creating new dishes. In fact, I spend a lot of time in a kitchen teaching other people how to cook. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time to cook at home so this year I am making it a point to spend some "me-time" in the kitchen!
This week's recipe idea comes from a friend of mine, Christy Atwell Burton. These Banana Pancakes are super easy and super yummy! All you need to do is whip up your favorite pancake batter either from scratch or a mix. Then slice up a few bananas in a long diagonal shape to make for bigger pieces. Dip the banana slices in the batter for a nice coating and throw them on the hot griddle/skillet. Cook them just like you would regular pancakes. Serve with maple syrup and ENJOY!

What's in these cookies!?!

For all you nursin' mommas out there (and for those of you who aren't) these cookies are super yummy! My sister sent me this recipe for "Milk Makin' Cookies". Yes, you read that right. You can find the recipe here:

http://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/major-milk-makin-lactation-cookies.html

The cookies contain brewer's yeast which is supposed to increase milk production. However, for those of you who AREN'T lactating and you want a high fiber cookie, rich in omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, minerals and are REALLY tasty then definitely give these a try!

Resolutions just isn't quite the right word...

I'm not huge on making New Year's Resolutions, I feel like I talk about them the first week of the year and then forget about it by February. However, there are definitely things I would like to accomplish in 2011. Real, tangible goals. So, I'm calling my list New Year's Goals. I've given them this title because they are mainly things I want to do not necessarily habits that are bad or things I need to resolute (is that even a proper usage of the word?). Although I'm sure my family wishes I made Resolutions to change some of my habits. :-)
As I started to make my list I took an idea that my sister had, which she describes in her blog at www.murdaughs.blogspot.com, about a list of 28 things to accomplish before her 28th birthday on November 28. So, I made a "30 for 30" list, one goal for each year of my life! Thanks for the idea, sis! I won't be sharing everything on the list with the world. Let's face it, some of the items aren't that interesting and quite frankly some of them no one needs to know about. :-). I will keep you posted on my progress and perhaps share some of my fun adventures throughout the year. Lastly, this may seem a little over the top, but to make sure I stay focused on my New Year's Goals, I wrote myself a friendly little reminder in my calendar in the first day of each month in 2011. Sounds a bit crazy but what's the point in making goals or resolutions if you don't keep track of them and work towards accomplishment?

Happy New Year's, everyone!

Out with the old and in with the new.

One of my favorite things about the new year is changing to a new calendar; flipping through last year's calendar to see what important dates need to go in this year's calendar. It also gives me the chance to reflect on my/our life over the past year. I remember all the huge celebrations our family had, fun activities and adventures we went on, CRAZY BUSY weeks/months we endured, ect. While every part of 2010 wasn't great and I think about some of the real "lows" I experienced, I also experienced some MAJOR blessings. Blessings I don't deserve. I don't love the tough spots over the course of the past year but am learning to appreciate them. Why, you ask? Because they shape me, they make me want to change, and sometimes that's a good thing. :-)

So here's to 2011! May we count our blessings and embrace the tough stuff! Happy New Year!