ripe for the picking

I couldn't wait another day. The bananas I had been saving had reached a stage of blackness that could be ignored no longer, and I was yearning to use the cute Halloween mixing bowl Susan brought me on her last visit. It was time to make Banana Chocolate Chip Bars.

An after-school staple in our home for years, I admit I get some odd measure of comfort in making these--perhaps because I look forward to the kids' expressions of delight, or maybe it's the happy smell their baking leaves in my kitchen, or quite possibly it's just because I like to eat the edges.

Of course, licking the bowl could be another reason I like to make them.

Here's the recipe, should you have some black bananas that need a good home, or if you just want good batter to eat:

Denise's Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

• 3/4 cup Land o' Lakes margarine (it really is the best, I promise)
• 2/3 c. brown sugar
• 2/3 c. granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 medium bananas, mashed
• 2 c. flour
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• mini chocolate chips, to taste

Cream margarine, sugars, and vanilla; add egg and bananas. Mix well. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into greased 9 x 13 pan and bake for 20 - 25 minute at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

family cheer!

A few years ago we started the tradition of having a family cheer upon completion of family prayer. It's a long story as to how this all came about, but we pile up our hands football huddle style and join in a pre-determined cheer, such as "Wood Family, Wood Family: go the length! Wood Family, Wood Family: be the strength!" or "Wood Family, Wood Family: choose the right! Wood Family, Wood Family: be the light!"

Sometimes we get more creative, however, and devise a cheer for a specific need or person. Tonight we decided to cheer for Charlotte and Emily:

"Charlotte and Emily at BYU! Charlotte and Emily we love you!" Not so creative, but sincere none-the-less.

Feel the power.

girls just wanna have fun

About a year and a half ago, I decided to reclaim my passion for scrapbooking and start a "club" of sorts with some of my friends. My original idea was to have it be sort of like a book club, only instead of assigned reading, we would have assigned projects we would work on and share throughout the year.


Well, the assigned project part never really took off, but I have been getting together with my friends on a regular basis--every four to six weeks--at our favorite local Crop Shop. I look forward to these nights, as some of the friends in the group don't live close by, and this is one of the few times I get to see and spend time with them. We usually get dinner at the nearby Chipotle, and have a typical scrapper's stash of plentiful diet drinks and M&Ms.


This is me with my friend Barbie, who teaches classes at the Crop Shop and is our "in" to scheduling private crop nights! She is one of the most cheerful people I know and always has that pretty sparkle in her eyes.

This is me with my dear friend Linda, who I have known for more than eighteen years. She was a newcomer to our gathering, and had to be convinced of the intrinsic value of self-portraiture. She was a good sport, however, and favored me with this one. I hope we can convince her to be a regular.

Melissa, a long-timer, was not feeling photogenic, but humored me as I tried to snap a group shot. I still need practice with larger self-portrait groups, as evidenced by the missing part of her head below:We didn't stay as late as we sometimes do (we have been known to stay as late as 2 or 3 a.m.), and I didn't really accomplish as much as I had hoped to this time, but I realized that a large part of the enjoyment of this monthly get-together is the friend therapy. I also realized, with much gratitude, that I have incredible friends. The three who attended with me last night (as well as Janice, the one who wasn't able to make it) are all women I could count on for anything--the kind you know in your heart would do anything for you. How many of those kind of friends should one person be allowed to have?

I'm a pretty lucky girl.

just like the good old days!

There is an upside to working fewer hours at my part-time job: I actually find myself with an occasional hour or two at home, alone, during the day! Today was a first in a long time--I stayed home the entire day--no errands, nothing. It was heaven.

Even though I was a stay-at-home mom for nearly twenty years, it's sometimes hard for me to remember what it was like; it feels like such a long time ago--in a different lifetime. Sometimes I actually get a little panicky now, when I have a block of "free time" at home. It's as if there are so many things I want/need/should/could do that I don't know which to tackle first. I have to be careful that, in trying to make the most of my time, I don't squander it away.

Today, however, I had a plan. Part of Sarah's birthday present this year is to give her bedroom a facelift, starting with paint. I've been a little overwhelmed by the project, as her tiny room (only about 10' x 10') is so cluttered that it's daunting to think of clearing it out sufficiently to paint. I decided that today was the day I would tackle her closet, and from there moved to her dresser and *gasp!* under the bed. I figure it is always best to do this sort of cleaning when the child is away from home, as I am at greater liberty to sort things into Keep, Give Away, and Throw Away piles.

By the time I was finished I had two large Give Away bags and two large Throw Away bags (which I quickly took out the garbage before Sarah returned from school). One benefit of having Charlotte and Emily away at school is that I can use their room as an overflow area. I moved much of Sarah's stuff into their room to give me a more clutter-free work zone. Also, once I start painting, Sarah can sleep in their bed for the duration of the project.

Here's how her room looked when I left at 2:45 to pick her up from school: (yes, Jessie, that is Moosey's Nylabone on the floor).

And here's what her closet looked like after my cleaning spree:

Whew! I feel like I've really accomplished something, and now the thought of painting isn't so overwhelming. Of course, there is still the carpet to pull up (hardwood underneath), the curtains to make, the dresser to paint. . . . one thing at a time.

blogging fears realized

I used to always think it was funny when a blog post would begin, "Sorry I haven't posted much lately. . . ." I mean, isn't your blog mainly written for you, so why apologize to an invisible group of would-be readers? I now understand that underlying apologetic feeling. "Sorry my life is pretty mundane and my brain so tired that I can think of nothing of interest or great worth to share today. Sorry I don't have a million fun links, or a constantly evolving banner, or some fresh idea to light the world on fire. Not today."

A few major stumbling blocks that kept me from starting a blog in the first place are that I was afraid I:

• wouldn't always have the time to post frequently.
• wouldn't have sufficient items of interest about which to post.
• would fret too much about my writing, trying to craft the perfectly-written piece.
• would get bored with the layout, but frustrated in trying to change it.

Well, I'm there. Bear with me, and I'm sure I'll eventually stumble onto something sufficiently motivating.

going whole hog: blackberry style

After a shameful week of no photo documentation and an embarrassingly obvious suggestion to use my cell phone, it still took me until Mark returned home to figure out how to transfer the photo from my Blackberry to my computer (my cell phone plan doesn't allow me to email pictures--I already thought of that). Anyway--here's the lone photo from my week: my friend Pat (a man in my ward with a catering business) serving up a whole, smoked pig at the invitation-only event he hired me to help with.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the evening came when one party go-er stood looking--awestruck--at the whole pig and asked where we ever found an eggplant that large. Now, I've never seen an eggplant of this magnitude, let alone one with ears and a snout, but then again there was an open bar, so maybe that had something to do with his skewed assessment of the serving presentation.

The best news of the weekend was that, not only did I bring home a nice wad of cash at the end of Friday's event, but also Mark received a merit-based (and completely unanticipated) large bonus during his business trip/conference! Woo hoo! Additionally, Emily sent me a text message informing me that she received a 75 cent raise that day.

All-in-all a good day on the economic home front.

day off

Work has been so slow of late that I didn't go in to the office today. I can't remember the last time I had morning time alone at home after the kids went to school. It was quite fabulous. I ironed while watching Rachel Ray--heavenly!

Later in the morning I had an appointment with the counselor/therapist Mark and I have been seeing off and on for the past couple of years. His name is Wayne Brown and I look forward to the time we spend with him--it feels like such a "safe" place to lay down my burdens and discuss them with an objective, insightful, and non-judgemental third party. (And thankfully, our insurance covers a good part of the cost).

Today I went alone for the first time and Wayne helped me sort through some of the emotions I've been experiencing since the change in our family dynamic (a.k.a. Charlotte and Emily both leaving home). He reassured me that the feelings I'm having are almost "textbook" in nature, but in saying so he didn't diminish them. Rather, he made me feel like at least I'm not a freak. He also said that many times, when there is a shift such as this in family dynamic, something that has been hovering the background will "bubble up"--a new problem or situation to deal with comes to fill the space that used to be taken. I'm not sure if that makes sense the way I put it, but it made sense to me when Wayne and I talked today. Interesting things to think about.

The not-so-good part of my day came later, when I found out that my Explorer needs new brakes and rotors. I hate spending money on boring things like rotors for a car that is fifteen years old. Unfortunately, the metal-on-metal grinding noise my car started making yesterday every time I brake is not something I can ignore.

Mark took my camera with him on his business trip to D.C., so I have no photo documentation this time. It's probably just as well, as Wayne may have thought me a little odd if I started snapping photos during our session.