Carrie, you win! Thanks so much for entering the contest with your kitchen cabinets. Beautiful.
I’m re-posting the pictures that you get to choose from, so please a comment with your choice, and I’ll email you directly.
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the winner of my DIY give-a-way.
February 7th, 2010the brownie to have and to hold from this day forward.
January 29th, 2010
So I’d tried this brownie before, and by following the recipe exactly I ended up with something kind of like chocolate banana bread. Good, but not a brownie.
Today, out of pure necessity, I had to alter it quite a bit, but I LOVED what I ended up with. A sweet, chocolaty dense brownie-like cake with banana tones interwoven. If you’re not a fan of banana bread then this definitely isn’t for you…but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love banana bread. 
Okay, so here’s the deal. You use honey, or maple syrup, instead of sugar. You use one really brown, smooshy banana for moisture and more sweetness. You use whole wheat flour, and it detracts nothing from the goodness that is this treat. I would even like to try added a few tablespoons of ground flax seed sometime…my bet is you wouldn’t even know it’s there.
The original recipe is as follows:
“Beat well together 2/3 cup honey, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 beat eggs, 1 ripe mashed banana, and 3/4 cup water.
In separate bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 cup flour.
Combine them together slowly, making sure to really whip it so there aren’t big chunks of banana anywhere. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts at the very end. Pour into greased 8×8 (?) pan (I had to use two bread pans) and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Best fresh!” (I found it at MoreThanAlive.com)
Now, for the glorious “alterations”.
Today I had no honey and a lot of maple syrup, so I used that, though it’s much more expensive and I’m sure honey is just as good. Then, I replaced the eggs for about 1/3 cup applesauce, which gives you a lot more density. You will have to bake longer if you do this too. Also, I had no baking soda so I put in 3 teaspoons of baking powder (they are not equal in quantity replacement). Lastly, I added about 1/2 cup of peanut butter just because I love peanut butter + chocolate + banana. Oh actually very last of all, I replaced the nuts with dark chocolate chips. This does add some sugar but it’s so minimal and you get the added benefits of dark chocolate.
Okay, so since I had no brownie pan around I used two loaf pans and baked for more like 30-40 minutes at 350F. When I first took it out it seemed a little undercooked but I usually like things like this a little gooey anyway, so I let it cool and it was perfect. Very dense, and very moist. Mmmm. I put a little peanut butter on top and ate with a fork.
The original recipe also says that these brownies are best fresh but I put the leftovers in tupperwear and found that the trapped moisture only added to their texture and I think the flavor intensifies with time. Absolutely delicious! I was so happy to feed these to the kiddos today after last week’s “mommy’s pregnant so we’re eating junk food” streak.
starting again.
January 23rd, 2010Making a baby from scratch is hard work. It’s complicated. There are a lot of right ways to do it….like eating good food, exercising, and practicing the super-instinctive need to nest.
Of course, this usually depends on your budget. Or what you can rearrange within your budget to boost your ‘pregnancy’ budget a little. But thanks to the interwebs, there is no reason you can’t gather a little pregnancy ‘wish list’ together before you can purchase everything on it. And just the listing of these items can help you prioritize and prepare you to recognize the best stuff at those mega-kids-consignments you come across at the YMCA every now and again.
For some reason, it feels like being pregnant gives me this insatiable desire to spend money. Lots and lots of money. I want to buy organic crackers for the nausea, and that really cool glass-bottled ginger ale. I want to buy a copper tea pot for making my pregnancy tea, and probably some vintage coffee cups to drink from. And then a white couch with an old afghan to sip my tea on.
Next comes the clothes. I’ve had it with cheap maternity jeans. They suck. And they make your butt look misshapen at this time in your womanhood when you could most use a good-to-normal looking butt. So this time, I want to invest in some 7 for all mankind maternity jeans. And I know they’re $200.
Then yesterday I got on Amazon and racked up a few more books/dvds for my wish list. The National Geographic ‘In the Womb’ dvd is ahhhh-mazing. I think Isaiah could appreciate it now. And then there’s all the cute kids books about ‘we’re having a baby!’ and ‘I’m a big brother.’
See what I mean? And I love to do all this virtual “shopping” from the comfort of my own home, right here on my little mac. It feels extra “nesty” to stay in my nest while gathering all the little comforts around me that I need to make it better.
So maybe it’s not that I want to spend a lot of money, per say, it’s just that I want to gather. Rearrange. Put this stick here and that piece of straw there and another feather under my butt. Because I’m making a baby, and this ain’t easy. But it’s the best job I’ve ever had, the most responsibility, and the most rewarding. Okay and I do like to shop. And adding another person to the family makes for a pretty good reason to do so.
well now I know what the nausea has been for.
January 22nd, 2010
these two.
January 14th, 2010Here’s a little cuteness update. They make me happy when skies are grey.
Zoyenka is, at 16 months, practically a teenager. She likes what she likes and you will not convince her otherwise. This little face is one of her favorites in her large collection. She loves/loves/loves to give kisses, and especially likes to love on daddy. My heart gets so many smiles from watching her little ’self’ assert itself freely and abundantly. I feel challenged and blessed to be able to try and create a healthy environment to let her blossom in.
I was reminded today that you cannot “train” bad behavior out of a child, no matter how hard you try or how perfect you are….I do want to put healthy boundaries in place to keep her safe, but I’m not so pompous to believe I can make her holy by teaching her to obey me without question. I feel like I’m going on and on. I guess I’m just really, really inspired to find that fine line between the discipline that must take place (can’t let them eat ice-cream every day even though they would definitely choose to!) and the preservation of self-will that I’d like to see in my kiddos.
Isaiah, my treasure. My three year old. He is growing into a little man so super, duper fast. He’s also starting to hear and see things we didn’t use to have to worry about. So that’s challenging. Today I was watching a TV show where one scene had a little girl being told by a nurse that her mommy had died in a car accident. I didn’t realize Isaiah was paying any attention until a couple minutes later when he said, “That girl sad, her mommy die.”
Oh my heart! “Yeah Zay, she is sad…” And then I tried to talk to him a little about how that made him feel. He’s totally open about his feelings and it’s so sweet to watch a perfectly little transparent soul in process.
When he has to do something he doesn’t want to he often says, “I’m MAD!” and then, “It’s okay to be mad.” Because we’ve told him that it is. Usually we then have to remind him that it’s okay to be mad, but you can’t throw a fit or hurt people. It’s been a really interesting process for me to go through Isaiah’s emotions with him and really have to re-think the way I think in light of those questioning little three-year-old eyes. We don’t want to tell him that he can’t have strong emotion, at the same time, we don’t endorse “NO I WON’T PUT ON MY COAT” fits, you know?
But is there hope for moderation in such a young child’s life? I think so. We’ve seen glimmers. And I really do get a kick out of those “It’s okay to be angry!” moments. It’s always, always a reminder back at myself that yes, Heather, you can get angry and frustrated, but how you channel that emotion is the part you can do right or wrong.
a real breakfast is not an indulgence.
January 12th, 2010
Eggs/toast/tea with fresh cream!
And yes, we eat butter by the spoonful.
{Please take time to read my January blog giveaway post below!}
it’s one thing to get inspired to do something creative and it’s another thing entirely to get up off your butt and make it happen.
January 11th, 2010It’s all in the title. You know the feeling. You see something amazing on one of those fixer-upper TV shows or at a friend’s house or, my favorite, Apartment Therapy…and you get SO super excited about how ‘do-able’ it looks and you’re pretty sure you have at least half the supplies you’d need at home already…
And then you don’t do it. And your wall stays bare, or your couch stays ugly, or your window remains in his/her underwear (blinds only). You know.
A couple more months go by and in the place of that big-giant case of DIY is only discouragement and sad spaces in your home…
But friend, there is hope. For it is January, the month of change and fresh starts! I have this idea:
{this is an example of Apartment Therapy’s personal inspiration to me}
How about, I will finish decorating my bedroom (which looks nothing like the above picture) and post pictures– a sort of step-by-step walk through. And then, you will do ONE project– even just a pair of curtains or hanging a couple pictures or maybe something huge like refinishing a table (okay, that’s huge to me anyway) and you will post about it in the comments.
Better yet post your own little ‘tutorial’ on your blog (with pictures!).
And then I’ll pick my favorite…and my favorite wins a prize!
Here’s the prize. You pick one of these 5 pictures and I’ll send you an 8×10 copy.
Sweet! My first blog give-away!
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{More detailed instructions: Whether you do your own blog post or just leave a comment, always leave a comment with a link to any pictures/blogs. Post multiple times if you have multiple projects. Include in your comment which picture you would like- according to their respective number. Contest ends Monday, January 25. I may post other unrelated blog entries before then but I will pick a winner by midnight of January 25. I will post the winner within a couple of days. ADDITION: Your copy will be signed by the artist– my husband. You can view all of these pictures in larger sizes as well as others available for order & e-cards at blog.LeviBethune.com}
oh tea.
January 10th, 2010Oh sweet, hot warmth for my skinny little hands.
{’morning polka’ from beautifuldarklight}
Right now I’m drinking some Pukka ‘Relax’ tea from a box given to me….probably about a year ago. By a friend. When I needed to relax.
“A sweet mellow blend of chamomile, fennel & marshmallow root to help you feel perfectly relaxed.”
It really is the sweetest tea I’ve ever had plain. I never add honey and rarely milk. It’s just good straight up. And when you’re going for relaxation, simple is kind of key.
{’tea party’ from claudiakayphoto}
I’m rambling.
Because, honestly, I blog best when I’m really jazzed up about something and frankly I’m pretty tired right now. Is it the winter? Is it the post-holiday ‘blahs’?
I would love to get some feedback on topics of interest that you’d be interested in hearing from me on. Or anything in the past I’ve touched on that I should re-blog? I crave your comment.
PS:
Came across this while researching good tea cup pictures.
droolicious: modern design for modern parents
Genius!
how to hold.
January 1st, 2010
A little taste of my sister, Melody’s, wedding day.
It was super emotional for me, and then I realized, this is my first sibling to get married! All my other siblings experienced all of this with me, but this is my first time… So it was incredibly good, and lovely, and just full of depth for me. To have known Melody her whole entire life, see her ups and downs, her questions, her victories– to know her heart. To watch her love towards Michael grow, to watch her grow into his love for her… And then stand up with them both as they make their forever vows. It’s a lot, you know?
You bet I cried. Shamelessly.
-me-
-Melody Grace-
-the “I will” before the “I do”-
-down the aisle-
-parents blessing-
-kissed!-
-mr. and mrs.-
After this we took some family pictures in another building while the sanctuary was converted into the reception hall. The lovely and talented Kelsey made all this happen! And then on to the dancing…
-Melody has the most peaceful ‘in love’ face, ever-
-isn’t this awesome?-
-cake face-
-we did a bridesmaids+bride dance-
-I think the only reason everyone wasn’t on the floor was because it was always full!-
-the toss-
-leaving-
-off to bliss!-