7 Quick Takes with Muffins

1

Goodbye Pope Benedict VIX. Thank you so much for everything. We will miss your guidance and pray for you as you pray for us.

2

A clap of thunder Monday morning announced the arrival of a blizzard that dumped 19 inches of snow for an equivalent of 1.48 inches of rain. It’s not a drought buster but it’s nothing to sneeze at. In fact, it just may be enough to save a whole lot of the winter wheat crop. In addition to that much needed moisture the storm kept my husband safe at home for an unexpected three day weekend. He took advantage of the day by finishing some painting.

3

We have whitewashed horizontal planks with a green wainscot.
The wood countertop is my husband's handiwork.
The whole thing looks like it was original to the farmhouse!

No news on the goat front (she's still pregnant) but the renovation is complete on the bathroom. Due to mold issues we had to take it down to studs and sub floor, so we practically had to rebuild the entire room. We kept the tub, the sink bowl, and the cabinet. Fixtures, flooring, wall material, plumbing, and toilet were all replaced. The total came to $1,000. Not too shabby. My husband does great work, don’t you think?

4

My oldest now has braces. He’s young for it, but two orthodontists recommended it now before the bad bite had a chance to damage two adult teeth. Even with the snow we managed to make it out of the driveway Wednesday to make the appointment. The roads were icy but passable. Afterwards I called for my neighbor’s and my parents’ shopping list and got into the stores to restock the larder a day ahead of the rest of Amarillo. That same neighbor went the next day for an item she’d forgotten to mention for my town run and she waited in line forever. "That was a dumb idea!" she announced in annoyance afterwards.

5

My younger son loves to help with the laundry. He also likes to have everything picked up. Did I mention the Autism? Because that factors in to what happened to my phone the day before yesterday. I’d left my phone lying around after having just filled the washer and was off on another mommy mission (mud containment) when I heard a kerploop from the laundry room. My mom instincts blared an immediate RED ALERT. I rushed to the washer to discover a dolly, some gloves, a hat, and the dog’s ball floating in with the laundry. None of those buoyant items would kerploop, so I dug through the clothes to the bottom and discovered my phone. I tore out the battery and shoved the separate pieces into rice. After drying out in the rice it was a bit quirky yesterday but today it is absolutely fine. In other news, Simon made his way out of Time-Out just fine, too.

6

Speaking of skirting disasters I am going to begin encasing my couch cushions in a durable fabric. I’m basically making fitted pillow cases for everything to try to keep the couches stain free and looking nice-ish with as little effort as possible. Slip covers and five children do not mix. “Slip” being a verb, my slipcovers continually slip off and slip around as I continually reposition them. I’m planning on a way to replace them permanently and that plan involves sewing. The plan also involves a lot of praying and resisting the urge to teach the children new and unique combinations of swear words. Sewing is not one of my talents. I'm actually better at the cursing.

What a misspent youth!

7

Strawberry Banana Muffins
(makes 4 dozen)

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs beaten
1 cup strawberries mashed (thaw if frozen)
1 1/2 cup mashed bananas
1 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 4 muffin tins. In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients, including spices. In mixer mix eggs, fruit, and oil for two minutes on medium speed. Add dry mixture and stir until moistened. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick from the center muffins tests clean.