Fully Occupied

Guess what?!  It's the weekend and I found myself in need of a blood pressure reducer.  I've been waiting impatiently, vowing nightly to crack open 1.2 oz of bliss...paper flowers in every shape, color and size; beautifully shaped.  I've heard their Siren call in the dark stillness of the night, beckoning me...willing me to glue them to one of the gorgeous papers I purchased on my craft spree last weekend.  Every night something else has pulled me away.  Today....as the children argued over time-shares of the family computer, hands shaking, I twisted open the clear plastic lid to Xanadu.  *Sigh*  I shook a few out onto my craft table....

My interest piqued...so I DUMPED them ALL out on the table!
 
 My fingers frolicked through the tulips petals.

Ahhhhhhhh......
I found this darling vintage Valentine's postcard somewhere online.  I searched and searched for it's point of origin to no avail.  Since the time I downloaded it, I've gotten smart...and started noting on the file where the image came from.    It's adorable!  I knew I had to do something with it.

Such a lovely couple seated on the rocky beach, fully occupied with each other's company.  It's (artfully) provocative, playful and, gosh darn it, I love me a big beautiful hat stuffed to overflowing with feathers and flowers.  Millinery to this magnitude is a lost art.  Add a feather and some of my delectable paper flowers with a pearl button...

Voila!

So, with my project completed, I started to put my supplies away.  I don't know HOW they crammed all these pretty paper flowers into this tiny plastic tube; but, there was NO way I was going to shove them all back in there and risk ruffling their feathers petals!  They have a new happy home in a large glass jar...elegantly seated on the shelf next to my retro fish bowl full of rusty hinges, pearl/rhinestone doodads and doll parts (haha).

Don't they look much happier in there?!

Healthful Chocolate Banana Muffins

After a menu like today:

Lunch: Pizza rolls (homemade potato soup for me), green salad and orange
Supper: Fish sticks, green salad, fettuccini alfredo ("white noodles" if you are 11 or under) and apple

we need something a little healthful. I hesitate to say "healthy" because everyone's idea of healthy is different and I have no caloric or fat values for these puppies. A couple of years ago (and still) trying to find ways to slip good stuff into my kids mouths without them knowing.

It's also a constant battle to find something good to start our days off with (especially since I'm a night owl and thus NEVER make it up to make a balanced breakfast) with something tasty and healthful. Usually I'm doing good to get down the driveway with both children, in the car, with everything they and I need for the day. I needed something portable. Muffins are portable right?! But not that healthy per se. So I found a couple recipes, started combining them, replacing this with that and voila! Chocolate Banana Muffins....

Got some of these sitting around the house?....

Then you can make these...

Healthful Chocolate Banana Muffins

Preheat your oven to 425

3 Bananas mashed
2/3 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
2 tbls canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour white or wheat flour (I like to use 1/2 cup each)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats (the big chunky oatmeal)
2 Tbls unsweetened cocoa (I like to use Special Dark...extra antioxidants, you know)
1 Tbls baking powder
2 Tbls milled flax seed (optional...it adds some omega 3)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir together the wet ingredients then add all the dry and stir to combine. Easy peasy, lemon squeezie!

Spritz your muffin tins (I like to use mini tins) with spray canola. If you've got a cookie scoop sitting around it makes loading up your muffin tins oh so much easier. These babies don't rise much so I fill mine to the top...one dollop with my medium cookie scoop.

You end up with this....

For mini muffins bake for 10 minutes; for regular size muffins bake for 15 minutes.
Let them cool in the tin until you can remove them with your fingers. Might take a slight twist to help them out since a lot of the oil has been replaced by yogurt.

You end up with this.....

And this.....

And if you get a phone call that detains you momentarily you get this....

Because of this....

Good thing I've got more of these sitting around....