Mommy Gossip

My "I Am Thankful for..." series wouldn't be complete without a post related to food. And, since Thanksgiving is only 2 days away, I figured now was the perfect time to share two of my favorite recipes. I don't have pictures to add, so you'll have to imagine the yumminess!

Mary Alice's Banana Cookies (family recipe)

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
11/2 tsp cinnamon
11/2 cups shortening
2 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
31/2 cups oats
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening. Add eggs and bananas. Mix well. Add oats and chocolate chips to taste (one or two cups). Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

These are great frozen! Try it and see.
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Confetti Spread (awesome, colorful appetizer)

2 pkg. croissant rolls (the kind you buy in the a package in the refrigerated section at the grocery store... Pillsbury, etc.)
2 8 ounce pkg. cream cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2-3 carrots (shredded)
3 celery stalks (diced)
1/2 yellow pepper (diced)
1 bunch radishes (shredded)
5-6 green onions (chopped)

Pat croissant dough onto a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan) and bake according to directions. Let cool completely. Beat softened cream cheese and mayonnaise and spread mixture evenly on baked croissant (will be flat). Sprinkle veggies evenly on top of the mixture. Cut into small pieces before cooling. Place in refrigerator and chill 3-4 hours before serving.

I know... weird title! But, right after GNO on Tuesday, I was sitting in front of my computer and the ceiling light came crashing down. As in... the entire fixture came right out of the ceiling. Glass shattered everywhere. The fixture was heavy. It could have caused some serious damage if it had landed on anyone. And, to think I was 1 INCH from where it fell. Nope, not even exaggerating. Felt the wind and everything :). Here are the pics to prove it!



Anyway, this near-death experience (OK, that WAS an exaggeration) got me thinking... My head has been through a lot! It has:

• Nearly been hit by a light fixture that escaped from its home in the ceiling.
  
• Had 42 staples and a huge horseshoe-shaped scar (fortunately hidden under my hair).
• Three screws in its jaw and a plate in its chin (fortunately hidden inside my mouth).
• Had a fractured skull.
  
• Experienced memory loss. What was I just saying? LOL!
• Had the typical stitches in its chin that every child gets.
• Had braces and retainers and the dreadful headgear. One reason to hate the 80s!
  
• Had its jaw wired shut.
• Had an epidural hematoma on its brain.
  
• Lots of fillings and crowns and now, six wonderful veneers after a scary fall and broken teeth.
• Epilepsy! (Not that it explains all of the above-listed points, but I knew you were going to ask for explanations!)
  

So, today's post is a simple bit of gratitude for having a head that has made it through the tough times—that has memory, function, and in spite of two pills a day for life and bad hair days, running make up, or anything else I may consider ugly, still is my head with my eyes, my freckles, my thin, but beautifully colored hair (thanks Meli).








In a very sincere, overwhelming, and humble way, I am thankful that the light is still on, if you know what I mean. Or, in other words, I am thankful for... my head!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

When I became a mother for the first time, one of the most important things on the long list of things to teach my child was to read. In this picture, I am sitting with the then 3-month-old Red Rover as we intently read his very first book. This is one of my favorite pics in spite of the fact that I am wearing overalls LOL.

Both my parents are avid readers. I remember one summer vacation where my mom had her nose in a James Michener book the entire time. I kept wondering why she was reading about Hawaii when we were in San Diego. Then, I think back on when my dad accepted a job in Europe. He would be working with more than 20 different countries. So, what was the first thing he did? Bought a stack of historical books on those places, so he would be prepared. I don't think I saw him without a book in his hand for the year leading up to the assignment and the two years he was there. Ask him any question on European history and politics and culture, etc. and he can answer it for you!

I fell in love with reading in my early teens when I discovered The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

The readers in my family don't stop with my parents. My in laws are avid readers. And, my grandma was in the middle of not one, not two, but three different books the day she died. On average. she read a book a day and was one of the most well-read women I know.


I wonder if Miss Havisham was well read!

I am grateful for having reading in my heritage. I appreciate good literature and consider it a blessing to be surrounded by good books. I am thankful to live in a country that encourages reading and holds the freedom of speech in all forms, especially the written form, near and dear to its heart.


I love East of Eden. Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors and this book features my favorite chapter in all of literature.

Today I belong to two book clubs that meet monthly. I am constantly discovering new authors, genres, and favorite friends in the characters I read. My recent love? All things Kingsolver. Haven't read anything by her. Run. Skip. Hop. Fast. But, get yourself to a bookstore and start with The Poisonwood Bible. Then, buy everything else you can get your hands on. She's worth it!

Wanna know a bit more before you put aside your blogging for this baby? Read my summary of this book here: The Poinsonwood Bible.

Red Rover and Chatter Box are two of my heroes that I am super grateful for!



Let me tell you a little bit about each of them.

Red Rover

red adj. The color of his hair. This 7-year-old tender-hearted child has red hair the color of his maternal grandmother's.

rover noun A boy who roams and wanders. Without permission or fear, the young rover takes his sidekick the bike and roams the neighborhood, freaking out his parents on a weekly basis.



This is my favorite story of our very literal Red Rover:

Red Rover was dying for a treat from the vending machine. Must have sugar now! T-Daddy acquiesces, hands him a crisp $1 bill, and sends him off down the hall. When our oldest boy wonder doesn't return, T-Daddy begins his search and rescue operation. He quickly locates his firstborn son, standing smack dab in front of the vending machine, holding the dollar bill out, with his head back, chin lifted, and eyes fixed on the ceiling tiles.

"What's wrong, buddy? Asbestos?" T-Daddy questions, teasing.

"Nothing, dad. Just following the rules. It said 'face up'."

Chatter Box

chatter adj. The movement his mouth makes nearly 100% of the time. This 5-year-old creative, funny child loves to chatter on about anything and everything.

box noun A square container. This clever kid thinks outside the box, coming up with clever ways to make paper airplanes, rocket ships, and other gadgets.



This is my favorite story of our enthusiastic Chatter Box:

Sometime in the summer of 2007, Chatter Box determined he was no longer a boy. Green power flowed through his veins—or shell, or whatever turtles have—and he was transformed into a Ninja Turtle. Not only that, but his entire family—dog included, according to him—are now all powerful and committed in the fight against Shredder.

T-Daddy is worried that Leo—our son formerly known as Chatter Box—has taken his new identity one step too far. One day when I was putting on makeup, Leo asked me if he could put some on too. I told him boys don't normally wear makeup to which he replied: "Well, you are Donny (Donatello the Ninja Turtle) and you are a boy and you wear makeup, so why can't I?" How do you refuse that? But now, he has taken it to a new extreme. When we ask him to put on his pajamas and get ready for bed, his immediate reply is: "Ninja Turtles don't wear pajamas." Apparently, they don't have hair that needs cutting or rooms that need cleaning or a lot of other things that normal boys wouldn't really find fun.



Red Rover—who now goes by Raph (Raphael)—is totally on board and has even started correcting us when we slip up and call Leo by his given name. And, now that we have moved, people look at me weird if I say anything about Chatter Box. I actually had a neighbor who replied by asking, "Do you mean Leo?" I cracked up:).

Soooo... if you have any adversary in your life, please feel free to come to the source that will be your true protection—the Utah Ninja Turtles!

November is my favorite month. Why? The superficial reasons include: it is an odd-numbered month, it has a long name, and it starts with an "N," which, if you know me, is how I typically choose the sports teams I follow and the books I buy. Yep! I do judge a book by its cover! But, I also have more meaningful reasons for loving November. I love this month because it is:

• The month when fall turns to winter—my two favorite seasons.
• My grandma's birth month.
• In the middle of three of my favorite holidays—Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
• About giving to loved ones and those less fortunate.
• A reminder to me to appreciate how much I have to be grateful for.
• A nudge to seek for ways in which to be grateful and to appreciate the small and simple things.
• About great food!
  
• A time for family and loved ones to enjoy traditions.
  

So, in a spirit of Thanksgiving, I am dedicating one post a day for each of the 30 days in November to things for which I am grateful. These things, whether as small as a drop of rain or as established as an eternal relationship, make me want to shout from the rooftops in appreciation!