A few days ago I was talking on my September 98 Moms list that I would likely mix up a batch of banana bread since we had some ripening bananas that no one wanted. Fellow list member, and friend, Lisa, passed on this recipe to try instead.

I whipped these up quickly (literally, under 10 minutes!) and they were fresh out of the oven when the kids got off the bus this afternoon. My four, and two neighborhood friends all gave them a big thumbs up!

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2 extra ripe, medium bananas, peeled
2 eggs
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1 cup chocolate chips*
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Puree bananas in blender. (Note: I just mash mine with a fork.) In
medium bowl, combine bananas, eggs, sugar and margarine until well
blended. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. In large bowl, combine
flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir banana mixture into
flour mixture until evenly moistened. Spoon batter into well greased
muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees 25 - 30 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

*original recipe called for blueberries

The only thing I may change the next time I make these, is to use slightly less chocolate chips, or maybe add some nuts to the batter. Additionally, I used butter instead of margarine, and I don't think it made a difference.

Also, Lisa reports that the original recipe can be credited to Great American Favorite Brand Name Cookbook

Remember this?

Now that Beth has picked up her package from Christina.. and called me.. and gushed (blush)...

If you've forgotten, this started out as 4oz of alpaca/merino blend roving, spun into a lace single, and I used Evelyn Clark's book, "Knitting Lace Triangles". I didn't like the book at first since it seemed confusing and limiting. But as I worked through the shawl and figured out that there were endless variations when you apply the different lace repeats with their transitions, especially when you think about the visual difference of garter and stockinette. So you can now call me a fan of this book. I was going to sell it off once I was done with this project, but now it will be a staple in my library.

And lastly, let me share a picture of all of the items that were gifted at the holiday guild party..

Our snow fall as of 2:30 PM, and its still snowing. New forecast predicts an additional 7-10" by tomorrow afternoon. The streets are pretty clear right now, but that will likely change as the temperature dips at sundown. Richard has to teach again tonight (ugh!) And please, oh please, not another snow day tomorrow.

Loren says "enough complaining" but ugh.. I just hate this weather. I'm soooo over the "thats so pretty" stage, and have moved quickly into "Florida doesn't sound so bad" territory.

Nancy commented:

I trust Richard got home ok.

Indeed he did. And early too (I called him to let him know the roads were horrid and perhaps he should send his students, many who commute quite a distance, safely HOME.) Tonight however, I'll be in the same boat as last night.. worrying.

No matter how you spend your Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Eat lots of great food, spend time with friends and family, and make sure you get your annual listen of Alice's Restaurant.

Things I'm thankful for..

My amazing husband

My beautiful bright children

A caring family, spread out in states near and far, but always "right there".

Great friends, real and virtual

Food in our bellies

A roof over our heads

Continued good health

My spinning wheel, knitting needles and always growing stash

Now I expected y'all to talk me out of the shoes, so I wasn't expecting every comment (except for my sister who is usually my enabler,)  to urge me to get them. And as of this afternoon, I was going to pass. Actually,.. I was going to go back over on Sunday when we return from our holiday traveling, fully expecting my size to be long gone. If they were.. then it was a sign.

So, Richard had the afternoon off today before having to go give that damn final. This allowed me some time to go do my last minute errands without toting four kids along, like gassing up the van, picking up the vacation feeder thingie for the fish, and some "today only" sale candles at ACMoore for holiday baskets... clear on the opposite side of town from Fairmount. But whatta ya know.. I forgot about the Marshalls on Erie Blvd! I looked fruitlessly... lots of Eccos, but not my Eccos. Oh well, indeed, this was a sign.

Upon returning home, a conversation in the kitchen went a little like this..

Me: I stopped in the Marshalls on Erie {frown} They didn't have my shoes.

Richard: {smile} You have another hour before I have to leave.

Me: Naaah. Its ok. I'll check on Sunday  (see.. I gave him that "out")

Richard: No, really, you have another hour.

Anyone care to guess how many minutes it took me to get out the door?

But I did encounter a problem. See, there was this awesome pair of Clark Privo Belfrys right next to my Eccos, which weren't there on Sunday. And oh... my... goodness, are they comfortable. More comfy than my Danskos. It was like walking on air. (Jumping on Zappos.com is dangerous, because look what I found when I was looking for those Belfrys!)

And all Richard can do is laugh at me. When I tried to explain to him how I don't understand my new obsession with shoes, and that perhaps its because in my younger years, I just, wasn't. His response... "Corvette".

Well, at least my mid-life crisis is cheaper than a sports car.

*I didn't buy the Privos. I stuck to my plan. If the Privos are meant to be.. well.. they'll be there the next time I go to Marshalls in Fairmount. 

In a few days, on Sunday to be exact, I will celebrate my first annual 39th birthday. This is a big milestone, no? Well, maybe it isn't since I plan to celebrate the same birthday every year from here on out.

So I'd like to entertain a little reversal here, and have a little contest. No answering questions, no donations to charities, just leave a comment telling me about a favorite birthday present you've received. I'll pick one at random on Sunday, November 4th and put together a little surprise package for the winner. See, as much as I love receiving surprises.. I adore putting together surprises for others. If the winner is a knitter or spinner, perhaps you'll get a nice fibery surprise in the mail. If you're not, maybe an Amazon or iTunes gift certificate... I have lots of ideas!

And here, I'll get you started. What is my favorite birthday present? Cassidy! She was born just a few months shy of my 30th birthday, and I had always wanted a baby before I turned 30 (weird.. I know!) But besides all of that, Richard and I were both surprised, since we had always thought our path to parenthood would be a difficult one. We were looking at facing lengthy and heartbreaking fertility cycles.. then there it was.. a positive pregnancy test, all on our own. And after a rocky first trimester, when we were expecting the worst to happen every day, despite bed rest and progesterone supplements, we were truly blessed... just in time to fulfill my 30th birthday wish.

Now, go, and tell me all about your favorite birthday present! As you can tell, it doesn't have to be a "thing", it can be "the perfect day", a great meal... anything.

P.S. Scorpios Rule!

What the hell is it? The cloud of germs hovering over Chez Martin, just.won't.go.away.

I swear its one virus after another. Back to back. No break. So bad that we had to cancel our trip south to spend the weekend with Kris, Roger and Owen (to celebrate O's birthday!) Poor Connor has fared the worst of everyone in the family, but the older three have missed 9 days of school combined in the last 2 weeks. To say nothing of the list of make up therapy sessions Connor has racked up.

Bleh!

So just in case you haven't figured it out yet.. this is the reasoning behind my blogging absence. Well, a majority of it anyway. I haven't been feeling great either.. but you get the idea, right?

Anyway.. I finished up the "Shimmer" Merino/Bombyx roving that I purchased from Jessie at A Piece Of Vermont. A delightful experience, though by the time I got to plying I swore my left index finger was frozen in the spinning position. This stuff was slick! That and I was experiencing some tension difficulties with my wheel. Not enough pull and take up, or waaay too much. But some advice from the Spin Tech forum on Ravelry resulted in a very surprising (to me) and well working fix. I swapped out my scotch tension spring, and replaced it with a rubber band. Instantaneous, and perfect tension. Wee!

Anyway, on to the braggy pictures..

With the flash, just so you can see the shine of the bombyx silk.

And here, without flash, so you can see the softness. I'm not sure of yardage, but there is more than enough here for a nice drapey scarf. You can be sure this skein won't sit and fester in the stash.. I really can't wait to cast it on.

Also worth noting, although it is typical of my skill level in spinning, meaning it has numerous slubby sections, this yarn is perfectly balanced. So balanced I nearly cried with joy.

Color me happy. Sick. But happy.

It was a rough drive down on Friday night in the pouring rain. But we soldiered on.. Diana, Becky, Liz and myself.. trying to get to the hotel in Saugerties to settle in for the night, knit, drink wine, and pray for a dry Saturday.

And dry it was. Look at that sky! This picture is from Saturday morning after our first sweep through building 29 (right next to the gate where we parked and entered.) See, no real crowds.. yet.

Diana and I sat for lunch at this spot while people watching until it was time to venture over to the spot between the food building and building A for the massive knitter meet.

I loved the striped sheep. S/he (?) even had a sign on the gate of the stall stating "this is a naturally colored sheep". And the baby doll sheep were interesting . They reminded me of Shetland ponies.

The meet outside the food building was overwhelming. So many people. If not for the Ravelry buttons, I might not have recognized some folks. I did recognize Susan immediately. And saw Carole from a distance, but never made it over to say "hi". Talked with Knitspot Anne briefly, but mostly stood and talked with Paul (who can be seen here in the last two pictures next to Diana.) Funny thing about me and Paul.. we went to high school together.. well sort of actually. He was a senior when I was in seventh grade. Anyway, Paul kept us laughing (oh my gaaawd did he make us laugh!)
I also talked with Vicki very briefly at the Seaport Yarn booth early that morning while watching the massive crowd fight over Socks That Rock at the Fold booth. I was hoping to run into Vicki again at the meet, but never did. I also met Kathy a little later while picking out lincoln cross batts.

Also at the meet.. I don't know her. But I was watching her spin with a drop spindle. Something I can't do very well, much less on the move.

This is Anne. She was my downstream pal for Sockapalooza 3. I was excited to hear that she had worn the socks I knit for her on her way to NY.. and they were even commented on by the TSA official during the security check. Cool.

Really awesome was meeting Nancy. Not only is Nance a frequent commenter here, but a person whom I consider a friend. The bonus was meeting Maribel and Nancy's son Avery as well. The bummer, not being able to spend more time with them.. or meet Rinaldo and Ian who were off having fun in the children's area.

Um, no. I didn't buy this. I wish. If I can ever afford a Golding wheel.. it will have hand carved dancing bears.

And lastly from Rhinebeck.. my modest haul. I'm still shocked at how little I came home with considering I planned on spending twice as much. The three solid colored batts are lincoln cross and oh my goodness, fluffy soft. They were purchased with the Fiber Trends felting starter kit at the Barneswallow Farm booth. A Grafton Fibers batt there in the middle. Eight ounces of Blue Faced Leicester roving in a deep shade of green (this was my steal of the day. SEVEN dollars for EIGHT ounces. It was tucked at the bottom of a bargain basket and I'm not sure WHY!) One skein of Aussi sock yarn in Faded Valentine from Seaport (who can't resist those colors for 13.00?) A beaded orifice hook, snagged for $3.50, but unfortunately too short for my Baynes (no worries, it will work on my next wheel!) And a pattern, Moon Garden Wrap from NatureSpeak Knits. I didn't realize until on the way home in the van that this pattern is written only, and not charted. Drat! I'll have to chart it out myself before starting.

We got home around 7ish on Saturday evening, exhausted. I even woke up on Sunday morning, feeling hungover, which Richard insists is the sign of a great weekend! I trudged through the morning however, sucking down coffee, so that the family could make its way to the state fairgrounds for the Alpaca Extravaganza.

And after looking at all the adorable fluffy sweet alpaca, we finished Halloween shopping..

Dylan and Connor in their chosen costumes. I'll rant some other time about how Spirit Of Halloween's prices are seriously marked up. Its Monday. Its over 80 degrees. And I'm still exhausted. Whew!