Restaurant Adventures with the Munchkins

A couple of weeks ago, the kids and I went out to dinner with friends to celebrate our friend, Cynthia's birthday. Cynthia, Ashley, Leslie, Linda, the kids and I went to eat at Hunan Japanese Steakhouse in Olathe. Typically, we celebrate birthdays at Gojo's...but we couldn't get a reservation. A birthday without yellow sauce is a sad thing...even if it's not MY birthday! This was the first time Libby and Roan had been to a restaurant where the meal is cooked in front of you... we were really hoping they would enjoy it. I was fairly confident they wouldn't eat that much, but figured we were in for a good time.

The chef took a special interest in Libby and Roan, and did a couple special tricks for them...he made an onion volcano, and bounced an egg on his spatula. It thrilled them to death! At first, Roan was all about catching a shrimp in his mouth...even though he refuses to eat shrimp... then backed out at the last minute. Mostly, he was in heaven because he got to sit by "Auntie Ashley"; he thinks she's beautiful and loves to flirt with her. Libby loved it, too. She thought the rice was awesome. That's all she ate. No kidding.

Roan and Auntie Ashley; what's up with the face, Ro?

After dinner, we went back to Cynthia's for cake. Now, my kids take bedtime pretty seriously. Even on Friday and Saturday nights, they're asleep by 9:30. Having a big night on the town really took it out of them. Libby was so worn out, she couldn't even eat cake. She sacked out on Cynthia's couch until we went home...

Snuggled up...ready to go home!

We had a great time! It was great spending time with friends and celebrating Cynthia's birthday. This time next year, we will both be graduated and will have gone our own ways... we need to enjoy it now!

Chik Fil A = Heaven!

Monday was a holiday and Libby and I got the day off of school. Roan's preschool was in session, but he desperately wanted to spend the day with his mom and sissy. I called my best friend, Suzie and enticed her to pack up her brood and meet us at Chik Fil A. Between us, we have 7 children, so we put together about 5 tables to make room for us all! JK. The O'Donnell children LOVE the Chik Fil A playland... it's different from McDonald's, it's clean, and best of all...they love the individual hand sanitizer wipes they offer. I know. We seem to like odd things. (Right Shannon? lol) So we got to eat the best chicken ever, the kids got to play, and Suzie and I had some time to visit.

We had an awesome afternoon with the Eads clan! Afterward, we went to Border's Books -- Libby's all-time favorite place to go. In fact, she's loved going to Border's since she was about a year old. One of the only tantrums she's ever had was as a little squirt when it was time to leave Border's. That's my gal. Anyway, it was a great day spent with great friends! Thanks for coming, Suzie, Rachel, Jacob, Allie, Carson and Quentin!!

Libby...my little worker.

I've written before about it being a priority for me that Libby and Roan learn to serve others. This tendency seems to come naturally to Libby; she's always looking for opportunities to help, and always reminds to follow up on what we've committed to. We save all our plastic (Wal-Mart-type) shopping bags, and soda tabs for HELP, our local no-kill shelter. She's got her Nana and Papa saving bags and tabs, and our friend, Cynthia, helps with this too. On Sunday, Libby and I went to HELP to drop off what we've collected.

Here's Libby pouring her baggie full of soda tabs into their collection jar. We also donated a huge bag full of plastic bags. The staff was so grateful!
After we gave our donations, we went through the shelter to share some kitty love. This was a new kitty we hadn't met before. Such a sweetheart! She loved Libby and her hair. The kitty would reach out with a paw to play with Libby's hair and make her give pets.

I couldn't resist this picture! She was so busy with the kittens, she neglected her pants... she'll kill me someday for posting this!

We attend LifeQuest Church in Belton. One of the reasons we like it is that it is committed to serving and impacting the community. The church has chosen to be involved with the MO Division of Family Services' Foster Care program. Back in the Fall, we took a special offering to help buy school uniforms for Foster Children in the area. Currently, members are volunteering to make fleece blankets for these kids. As soon as Libby heard about it, she volunteered. We went on Tuesday night to help.

Here's Libby, hard at work on the first blanket. She has the attention span of an adult and is very good with her hands! She would have stayed there for hours working on these blankets!

Despite my best efforts, the drive to serve seems to have escaped Roan. So, while Libby and I worked on the blankets, Roan played foosball...and complained that he was ready to go home. We need to make about 150 blankets total, and Libby is stoked! She is ready to go back and help, asap! Next week, we may let Roan stay home!

Banana Bread Bliss...

My very good friend, Shannon, loves my banana bread. He loves it so much, I usually end up making a loaf for him every week or so. Roan loves banana bread too. When I make a loaf for Shannon, I usually end up making one for him, too! Here's how I do it...

A good, moist banana bread requires the ugliest, ripest bananas you can find. The darker, the better. I buy extra bananas and let them sit for days until they get just right.

When bananas are that ripe, they're easy to mash. I peel them, toss them in the bowl and mash them with the mixer. Here's what 4 mashed bananas look like...

The second secret to a dense, delicious bread is buttermilk. It really does make a difference. I bought the larger carton because I had "Creamy Buttermilk Chicken" on this week's menu.

After mixing all the ingredients, I do something kind of unusual...and it's Shannon's favorite part. After pouring the batter into my stone loaf pan, I sprinkle the top liberally with sugar. When the bread bakes, the sugar creates the tastiest, crunchy topping.

Here's the final product right out of the oven...this is a very heavy, dense and moist banana bread with the crunchy sugar topping.

This is a technique I learned from my Grandma Clara. Every time I take something I baked out of the oven, I cover it with a clean dish towel to cool. It may not make a difference, but that's just what I do...

Here's my recipe...Enjoy!

3/4 c butter

1 1/2 c sugar (+about 1/4 c to sprinkle over the top)

1 1/2 c (about 3-4 medium) over ripe bananas

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp vanilla

2 c sifted flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 c buttermilk OR 1/2 c milk plus 2 tsp lemon juice

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in bananas, eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add to banana mixture. Mix in buttermilk. Pour into greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top evenly with about 1/4c of sugar. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Check half way through baking and if top is getting too brown, loosely place a bit of tin foil on top to keep from over browning.

Happy Eating!!

Who Would I Be Without Her?

This is my best friend, Suzie, and I love her. We have been pretty much inseparable since we were but girls. I can't tell you what all we've been through together...thank God it was together. So much of who I am is because of my friendship with her. We are VERY different people...but that makes us like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. So, Suzie, here is my top 10 list of things I love and appreciate about you:

1. So much of what we communicate is unspoken. One look says it all. Most recently? Walking into PF Chang's on New Year's Eve :-)
2. We have such a long history...there is very little I ever need to explain.
3. You can make me laugh more and better than anyone else I know.
4. You make me loosen up...I'm not wound so tight when we're together.
5. You give better advice than anybody. I value your opinion more than you know.
6. You're a foxy dancer. The best dance partner I've ever had. ;)
7. You are fiercely loyal. I know you've got my back, no matter what. And I've got yours...
8. You are raising awesome children who I love like they're my own.
9. We're so much better together than when we're apart. Oh, and somehow, we make chubby look good. lol
10. A lifetime of happy memories...who would I be without you?

New Year's Eve 2010

I have a feeling that 2010 will be a fabulous year. It sure started out that way! I got to spend New Year's Eve with three of my favorite people in the whole world. Suzie has been my best friend since... well, let's just say forever. She is married to Chris, AKA "The Man" and they live on 40 acres in the middle of nowhere. Shannon and I took Libby and Roan to their house, where they hung out with their favorite playmates while Chris, Suzie, Shannon and I went to dinner.

A quick picture before heading to the Plaza...

We ate dinner at PF Chang's, where Suzie and I laughed until we were nearly sick...while the men looked at us like we were nuts. We got cheesecake to go from Cheesecake Factory and headed back to the 40 acres. We played 80's Trivial Pursuit...Shannon and I made a very good team. I'll just leave it at that :-)

What a terrific New Year's Eve!!