Spring Blossoms

I LOVE how Angela's pink coat matches the pink blossoms - I know, I am so weird.

The weather this spring has been so weird. It was really nice and everything started blossoming and then it got really cold and yucky. So there really wasn't a very long time to enjoy the spring blossoms before all the wind and rain knocked them off the trees. I didn't get a single picture of the pear and apple tree blossoms in our backyard this year. )o: But here are a few I took when Angela and I met some friends at a park. This day also happened to be my mom's birthday. Happy birthday mom!
Not bad for my little point and shoot camera. (o:

Banana Muffins

Has this ever happened to your bananas?

Well, it happens to ours all the time and we have the perfect solution - banana muffins!!
These are a staple at our house and the kids always cheer when it's a banana muffin day.
My recipe comes from an old Martha Stewart Kids magazine that I got years ago. It never fails and it calls for half white/half wheat flour, so it's a little healthier. Well, adding the sour cream probably nixes that, but what the heck - the wheat flour makes me feel better about myself!


You will need:

4 overripe bananas (one extra for garnish if you like - you can cut thin slices of banana and place a slice on top of batter just before placing in oven. I think it looks cool, but my kids don't ever eat that part, so the pics won't show this snazzy garnish idea.)

1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbl. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

First peel the bananas - great job for "helpers".

Place in large bowl and use a mixer to mash the bananas.

Add brown sugar, oil, and egg. Beat until smooth.

Reduce speed to low (If you are lucky enough to own a Kitchenaid - not me yet, I just use Natalie.) Or just set down the beater and add flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until smooth.

Oops - this picture is out of order! Line muffin tin with paper liners (Angela's favorite job!)

Add sour cream (we're partial to anything Tillamook brand!) and vanilla (Kirkland brand is our favorite) and beat until combined.

Did I say Angela's favorite job was putting in the paper liners - I forgot about THIS important job! Licking the beaters!!

I like to use my cookie scoop to pour in the batter.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes (20 for mini muffins)

This recipe makes 18 muffins.

MMMMM - so good! These never last long at our house.

More on the Fun Girly Hair Adornments

Here are some fun pics of the girls with their new hair decorations from Oh So Girly - this post has a link to the site as well.
Could these bows match any better??

Sarah got lots of compliments on this flower today.

Easter Sunday with grandma and grandpa!

A picture of the girls just before heading to church holding their cute bunnies from grandma and grandpa.
Neil's* famous ribs were the main course at our Easter feast! YUM YUM YUM!

Playing Operation on SpongeBob with grandma. Angela was a little freaked out at first.

Very delicate surgery performed by Natalie.

These two pictures aren't very good, but they show pretty well the scene at our house when it was time for grandma and grandpa to go. Lot's of hugs and trying to get grandma and grandpa to stay.

We had such a wonderful visit and made the most of every minute while grandma and grandpa were here. We love them so much. The girls just thrive with all the extra attention and Neil* and I LOVE getting to visit and laugh and enjoy their company. After grandma and grandpa leave we are always sad, but this time was particularly hard on Natalie. She was sobbing after they drove away, which made Sarah sad and then Angela too. It was a very sad night and Monday at our house. We are so sad when family leaves, so we just have to look forward to the next visit. )o:

Easter Fun

The Easter bunny made it to our house! It looked like he enjoyed the carrots we left for him, which Natale was excited about.
Besides the Easter bunny, the girls also got gifts from grandmas and grandpas. Angela loved her shirt from grandma T. (see cute photo of her wearing it with her new socks from the Easter bunny.)

What a fun morning. The girls also got to go on a little scavenger hunt for one family gift from the Easter bunny. A SpongeBob Operation game.

And, of course, we made time to focus on the most important aspect of Easter by attending church with grandma and grandpa. We also had our traditional family home evening lesson with the Resurrection Easter egg hunt. It was nice to talk with the girls about the story of the resurrection and what that means to us - I love that they are old enough that we can have some really good discussions during our family home evenings.