You Pick

After such a long break from blogging I'm curious. Which photo is it you most want to see?

This one?

Or maybe this one?
How 'bout this beauty?
Or this one?
Maybe you like this?
Or maybe it's a non-existent food photo you want?

Besides bringing back priceless, awesome, invaluable memories and lessons from Africa, our family has brought back a stowaway. A stowaway of the illness sort whose very unpleasant symptoms I'll spare you. Suffice it to say that I'm in no form to provide you with food photos. My body can't stomach food at the moment so bear with me.

Beautiful food photos will adorn this blog before long but until then I'll have to beg you to accept the above photos. Thanks so very much my faithful blog followers!

Age is Irrelevant

There's nothing like turning 26-years-old. Young and carefree, the world is before you and the regrets are behind. That's right, I said I turned *ahem* 26-years-old. Happy belated birthday to me! For those of you who are old cronies, well beyond 26-years-old, here's how 26-years-old looks:

Upon closer inspection you'll notice that 26-years-old embraces weird mouth appliances. Can't see it? Take a closer look at 26-years-old:
Still can't see it? Okay, here's an even closer look at the 26-year-old Mago Bite Adjuster that's a result of years of grinding and clenching:
Nothing like a lisp and protruding lips to make you feel all of 31-years-old. Oops, did I slip and say 31-years-old? Silly me, just look at the top picture and tell me I'm not 26-years-old. Please!?!?!?

What a Way to Start a Day

Mmm, come to mama.

If you're anything like me, mornings are not the most smooth running of times. With summer and summer activities just around the corner, eating breakfast may become a matter of convenience. Not only are these little morsels convenient but they're also nutritionally dense. You'll be left satisfied in yo' tummy and satisfied with yo' good food choice. Add a piece of fresh fruit and you've got breakfast on the go!

Bran Muffins With a Twist

1 C. Whole wheat pastry flour (whole wheat or all purpose should work fine)
1/2 C. White bread Flour (all purpose should work fine)
3/4 C. Ground flax seed (I use my coffee grinder of mini food processor)
1 C. Packed brown sugar
2 t. Baking soda
1 t. Baking powder
1 t. Salt
2 t. Cinnamon
3/4 C. Soy milk (cows milk will work)
1 t. Vanilla
1/3 C. + 1 T. egg white (2 eggs, beaten, will work fine)
2 C. shredded carrots
1 1/2 C. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 - 3/4 C. raisins
A handful of chopped walnuts

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees, spray two standard muffins pans with cooking spray.

2) In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (flour - cinnamon).
3) In a medium mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients.
4) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix only till combined.
5) Fill muffins tins 2/3 full w/ mixture.
6) Bake for 25 muffins or till tops or nicely browned at spring back when touched.

Yields 15-18 muffins.

Healthy? Yes! Delicious? You betcha! Packed with nothin' but good for you stuff? Sure!

Enjoy my friends, enjoy!

One of My Prayers

Our recent trip to visit Zack's family in Colorado has left me with the following prayers on my heart:

Lord, may
1) I please enjoy longevity similar to that of Grandma Marie?
2) 93-years-young look as good on me as it does her?
3) I be blessed with a handful of great grandchildren?
4) My heart and soul be as beautiful and full of joy as her's?

Grandma with her 12 great grandchildren

Here's to you, Grandma! AMEN

Blast From the Past

It was a dark and stormy night. Okay, well maybe it wasn't stormy but it was dark and it was night. Zack and I were sound asleep in our double bed, foregoing any snuggling because I was something like 56 weeks pregnant with Garrett. A belly that looked similar to this...


and a double bed simply didn't lend themselves to snuggling. Anyway, I digress.

At some point, probably right in the midst of precious REM sleep, a jolting sensation rapidly awoke the both of us. Zack, in his grogginess (have I mentioned it takes him a good long while to wake up?) reached over, patted the bed and finding me still there said, "Oh, I thought you'd fallen out of the bed." Niiiicccceeee! It's always wonderful to learn that a literal shaking of the foundation of your home is thought by your husband to be the result of your pregnant girth hitting the floor. No, it wasn't me falling out of the bed; turns out it was a Southern California earthquake!

I think I'll choose to forget this story from here on out. It can't be good for me to dwell on the fact that at 36+ weeks of pregnancy Zack thought my weight great enough to shake our entire house, right? Yes, this I will forget. Hmm, if only I can also forget the following comment by the same dear man during the same pregnancy, "Wow, you're like two feet wide!"

The damage runs deep, I tell ya!

Oh Where, Oh Where...

Have my babies gone?


Be still...


My yearning..

uterus.

Amen!

Interim

While you patiently wait for me to be back up and running with a new, virus free computer I have a public service announcement for you.

I'll call this "Sage wisdom from Jennie".

Believe me, you'll thank me for this.

Really, this is kind of how I'm feeling about the whole technology thing at this point.

Are you sure you want to see this?

Wait for it, just hold yer horses...

Here it comes:
You can pick your friends and
You can pick your nose but
You can't pick your friends' noses.



Thank you, thank you very much! And I can just feel the pride beaming from my mother-in-law right at this moment (hi Susan)!