busy bees, giles and me!

i am finally getting a little bit of a handle on the blogging... yay! i am learning that persistence pays off in all kinds of ways in my life these days. i am currently reading "the greatest secret in the world" and with that comes a 45 week commitment. i am eager to see persistence pay off in this respect of my life. it's a book to inspire that is for sure, and it quickly took hold of me.
i am also trying to persist in making giles' life entertaining. not that i am his entertainer, that is not how i want him to see me. but i am really great with it if he sees every day life as entertaining, that is what i want for myself AND for giles.... so, with that i am trying to include him in on some things that, if i were still a toddler, i think i would find pretty entertaining. a blogger, who by blog title alone, seems to embrace her life the way i like think i embrace mine, had a little project she did with her little ones... i thought it would be a fun intro into play doh for giles.... and so we got busy....

here we are with all of the ingredients
and donning the apron---- it's part of kitchen help time now... like, required... he loves it!

yes, play doh can be riced... or spatula'd... or squished into a snack cup...

so, my experience with the recipe i found was that it was not thick enough... it could be we were just too impatient (the TWO year old, people, not ME!) and so we thickened it up with equal parts salt and flour a couple of times....that worked for us. and it was fun! although when it was time to clean up, there was only 1/2 the amount giles started with..... we still haven't found the other part. yay.

play dough recipe... original version... but remember, i tweaked mine a bit

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

2 T oil

my mom's mom (grandma) had a banana nut bread recipe she made for us when we were little. my mom got the recipe from grandma and i got it from her. i luuuuuuuuuv it. i like to add an extra banana or two than the recipe calls for... it just adds a little yum. and i also have decided i like to cut the slices after the bread is chilled in the fridge for several hours. i think it cuts better that way and holds up better too.

here's helper extraordinnaire...holding the potato masher that belonged to grandma

again, real proud of that apron...

working that spatula as hard as he can... the batter is thick!!!

mixin' in the flour... he is okay with the mixer, but there's no love

but here...here is the love. "nan-uhbread, mamuh...nan-uhbread...."

over and over and over again...until the little bird gets some

Grandma (Helen)'s Banana Nut Bread

1 stick butter

1 tspn baking soda

2 eggs

1.5 cups flour

1 cup sugar

4-5 bananas (i definitely use 5, if not 6)

1/2-3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, or both!!!)

preheat oven, i use 325, but you can use 350 (for 50-60 minutes- use the toothpick test). mix butter and sugar...add eggs...then flour and baking soda...add mashed bananas and nuts...pour into greased loaf pans

ENJOY!!!

giles is off to school tomorrow and mike has a few days of work taking him here, there and everywhere... so hopefully my next few days will be productive ones of working out, working hard and working on persistence... persistently.

Love!