I just love bananas. I use them in a sandwich or in pudding. But best of all I help Mama make banana bread. Really delicous!

 Here's the recipe:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted margarine or corn oil
• grated peel of one orange (optional)
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder(1 tablespoon)
• 2-1/2 cups unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Use a whisk to mash the bananas in a big bowl. A fork would work too, but a whisk is my favorite. Try to get out most of the banana lumps. Add the sugar and margarine or oil. Mix every thing together until it is smooth and satiny.

 Next, shred the orange peel with a cheese grater. Try to get mostly the orange colored peel and not too much of the white or cream colored part. The orange part, or zest, is very tasty, but the white part, or pith, is bitter. Put the orange peel into the bowl with the banana mixture. Squeeze the orange into a measuring cup. Add additional juice or water or milk to make up 3/4-cup. Pour this in with the banana mixture. Beat the batter until it is good and smooth. Next add the salt and baking powder. Mix them in and then add the flour. You may need to use a big spoon to mix the flour in, because the batter may be kind of stiff by now. Add a little more water or milk if you think you need it. Trust your own eye. Finally stir in the nuts if you're using them.

Turn the batter into a well oiled 9" by 5" loaf pan, or two 8" by 4" loaf pans. Bake at 350° for a whole hour. If you are using the smaller loaf pans, check it after 45 minutes. It cooks a little faster in the smaller pans. The loaf should be brown, crusty and fragrant when it is done. If you aren't sure, then jab a clean margarine knife down into the center of it. If the knife comes out clean, it is done. Remove from the pan(s) and cool.

To store it, double wrap it, first in plastic wrap, and then in tin foil. It freezes very well and makes a nice gift for unexpected guests.

This recipe came from Hillbilly Housewife, our favorite recipe. Also jump on over to Hillbilly Housewife for more tips and recipes.

Last week I turned 16. I decided to do my party in something rather than July 4th celebration. So I did a garden party. We had it outside for a few minutes until we got rained out so we moved it inside. Mama said that my party was a lot of hard work because of the planning and cost of everything. But it was succesful.

I invited my family and my youth director, other youth workers from my church and my good friend Addy. For food we did pigs in a blanket, fruit/veggie trays, chips, kool-aid, tea, and lemonade. We bought a glass pitcher and sliced lemons, then put the sliced lemons and lemonade in the pitcher.

For my cake this year we did something a little different. Mama still made the cake but we put fondant on the cake. We made the flowers out of colored fondant, also. Ok. Maybe we did use a little icing for the cake but that was so that the fondant would stay on the cake. Everybody says that fondat doesn't really have a flavor to it. But I think it tastes great.

I opened my presents. I got:

A ton of cards, a few journals (guess I'll have to write a lot more), a new bike with gears (not used to the gears yet), flowery tote bags (one small one big), DDR (Dance, Dance, Revolution), an extra DDR dance mat, butterfly stickers, and other goodies. 

Woo. All that typing - my hands and fingers hurt.

Mama asked me what if I going to do college or be a stay-at-home mom. I told her I am not really sure. A part of me wants to go to college but the other half wants to be a stay-at-home mom. I might buy an herbalist college computer program for home. But I am going into 10th grade right now.

I follow the Lord's path to when I grow up.

Wow, this week has just flown by! I leave the house tomorrow at 5:30 a.m. My flight takes off at 6:45 I am so thankful that the air port we are able to go to is SMALL...Any ways I am going to need your prayers! I just want to be a good bright light for Christ. I want everything I do to be a positive reflection of his holy love. He is so great and I am so small yet he chooses me! I know this should be my look on the situation always! Pleas pray that I will be a good and faithful servant.

Some wonderful things that happened this week! Praise the Lord I finished my Spanish! I also went to the Dr. Yesterday for my back. They measured it and my scoliosis has stayed the same...They want to see me again in six months. Wow I have had more x-ray's this month than is probably good for me. I wonder if getting x-rays is bad for you~

I absolutely LOVE the church God has put us into! The people are SOOOO wonderful. Saying good buy to them tonight was really hard. Epically Nathan . They were all so wonderful and prayed for my trip. Paster said that I would be flying on wings of prayer. It is funny how it works we pray that God will guide our paths, yet at the same time we are secretly making our own paths!

I hope to blog while gone

But my favorite Bible verse is

Revelations 22:21

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen

It is the last verse in the bible and the most rewarding! For God's grace will be with us!!!! WOW who deserves such a blessing!

Little Woman

I am getting ready to go on my summer trip.

I am going to California in three days! From CA I fly to Navada. From there I am driving with my grandparents to Massachusetts. My parents will meet me there with my sisters and we will all drive home together.

I know God is in controll but I must admit that I don't really want to go. I am going to miss my dear family, but I know that I shall see them again.

I put a new game on my Blog!!! What do you think of it? I hope to do a real entry soon. (before I leave)

Little Woman

My darling sister has found something she just loves! A band called PureNRG. If you have gone to her site you will see that her last 4 entries were about this band.  When I tagged her she said if she had a billon dollars she would give to the poor and go to a PureNRG concert. At least this band is not bad. If it was another High School Musical thing I am sure I would die!

Any way if you have already read my sister's blog, and if she has put this on there already then don't watch it. I like this song, it is pretty cute.

They really do have a lot of energy!
Little Woman

this is the first time i've ever gotten tagged!!  i actually got tagged with this twice in the same week!!

1.) Where were you ten years ago?

i was most likely playing with a friend after a day of schoolwork, or curled up with a good book with my mind off somewhere in a distant land.

2.) What are five things on my to-do list?

a) make rhubarb strawberry muffins - done

b) go to institute (I'm taking a class called "The Gospel and the Productive Life"  It's VERY good and teaching me so much in the area of balancing my life!!) - done

c) work at my grandma's - done

d) have a cheerful spirit, while trying to love everyone - trying :)

e) go to bed on time! - we'll see if I can do that!

3.) Snack's I enjoy

pretty much anything healthy and delicious!!  I love fruit, both fresh and dehydrated, muffins of all kinds, cookies (made with honey of course ;), and for a extra sweet treat - breyers ice cream with newman o's (organic oreos).

4.) What would I do if I was a billonaire?

pay 10% to tithing, travel the world and study history in depth while in the places where things happened, buy a huge farm, fix it up, and put what's left in savings while generously giving to all in need!  oh, i'd also go around the world and do service projects in third world countries.

5.) Places I have lived?

ut, ut and ut!!  i've lived in the same place since i was a week old!!

Others I plan to tag:

anyone who wants to be tagged is tagged!! 

This is one of my very favorite verses:

                                                                 1 Peter 4:8:
           Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Yesterday was my eighteenth birthday. I am so thankful to my King for this year that has flown by. This year I want to do what 1 Peter says. Love everyone so deeply that forgiveness is so done before the crime. I am always needing to be forgiven! I am also always given the forgiveness I need. Lord help me forgive as you have forgiven me!

Throughout this year I only want to grow closer to Christ, I want to become more like Jesus every day, and I want people to see his light through me. He has given me more than I could ever ask for, yet some how I find a way to keep asking! Now I want to be content with what he does in my life, and to be thankful even when I don't understand.

I am really excited, because my parents got me a new Bible for my birthday!!! I will poste a picture when it gets here

Little Woman

Our own dear Mary-Ann has tagged me! I guess I get to tag five people now (muhaha) Once I tag you and you have posted please come leave me a commet so I can come check it out.

1.) Where were you ten years ago?

I was finnishing up third grade! I lived in Orgen with my birth mom.

2.) What are five things on my to-do list?

a) Finnish up 11th grade (writting and spanish)

b) Take state tests (next week)

c) Study S.A.T's and G.E.D's

d) Frost 70 Cup cakes for tomorrows big birthday celebration!

e) LAUNDRY

3.) Snack's I enjoy.

I love fruit! If I could have any snack I would want strawberries, or watermellon.

4.) What would I do if I was a billonaire?

First more than 10% would go off to the church! Then I would buy my mother and father  the house/land of their dreams. I would get Nathan his Mustang! Then I would set money asside for when I get married ( so I can buy a house etc)

5.) Places I have lived?

CA. , OR. , FL. , LA. , OH. , CO. , GA.

Others I plan to tag:

My mother , My sister , Alex , motherofblessings , and brittandkay

I am very angry right now! I am not angry at anyone but at my driving situation. I know God must be trying to teach me something so I am trying to open my mind. I want his will to be my own will, yet it is rather hard for me.

My darling Father took time off of work today so I could go back into the DMV and get my permit. Three months ago we had gone and were sent away because I did not have a form from Colorado giving my driving record. The first time I sent it in they sent it back because we wrote a check for $2.20 not $2.70 (they said on the phone it was $2.20 for what I needed.) So we sent them another check for the right amount. This ended up spending more in postage than it was to get this silly piece of paper any way.

Today we went in and everything went perfectly. (That was the problem I took both my tests and past!!! Yeah!!! Then when they called me up to the counter to get my picture the woman looked at my certificate of attendance and said it was expired. IT IS SUMMER!!! AND I AM HOMESCHOOLED!!! But they do not take that for an answer. You still have to go through the school system, and they don't much like homeschoolers. They said I can come in next week because I turn 18 in three days. So I could have gotten my picture and left, but now I have to wait three days. 

I guess I just need to be a little  lot more patient and everything will work out to bring glory to God in the end.

Little Woman