Do This in Remembrance

I just finished reading an excellent post about homeschooling and community. It was lovely; I hope our local homeschooling co-op can live up to it.  There are signs that it does and can.

The ensuing comments are exactly what you expect and mostly good, but they trouble me.  In the same way that I trouble myself.

I really like to hear myself talk.

You can listen to me talk about good food, gardening at home, breastfeeding, spanking, reading, sex, martinis, smoking.  And homeschooling. And community.  And if I can show off my kids, even better.

Tonight in church though, I remembered that it's Christ first, everything else a distant second.  You can eat McDonald's every day, reject fresh veggies, give your kid a bottle, sit your naughty boy in a chair for "time out," abstain from sex, martinis and cigars. You can even send your kid to the ugliest, most institutional elementary school in a ghetto.  And Christ can still find you, save you, heal you.  He can create community among failed parents, troubled teenagers, weirdos, the very rich.

So if I focus on any of those things before I let you listen to me talk about Christ, I fail. Or if I get to talk to you about them and you don't hear Christ at all, I fail.  Or worse (and most likely), I talk about Christ but hold you in contempt because you don't share my extra-biblical values. Fail.

Don't do life in remembrance of shared values, opinions or options. Do life in memory of Christ. Share Christ.   And if you get the rest thrown in, thanks be to God.

Cake-Making Envy

The list of things I am not-willing-to-learn-or-generate-the-desire-for-and-instead-say-I-cannot-do is long and includes running a marathon, being on time, and baking a cake that will be the envy of your neighborhood.

Three people I love can do at least one of these things.

Guess which of them Christy can do.

{Not} Talking Behind My Back or Even to My Face

Our own "elphaba," sometime in the last decade, has started her own blog. She neglected to tell me and maybe you too.

Our loss.

 She is really, really funny.  If you are alive, a woman and live in a house, it's not possible that you won't laugh at her latest post.  Go there now.  It will do wonders for your otherwise crappy day.

Talking Behind My Own Back

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread that I didn't screw up

When my daughter was born, the amazing woman who took my son in a pinch (contractions were about a minute apart when I left the house) made some banana chocolate chip bread that I devoured after delivery.

The memory of that bread has haunted me.

I finally got around to attempting it myself. I couldn't get a hold of her to compare recipes, so I went with Rachael Ray's version and modified it. On other sites, users mentioned adding milk, lemon juice and vanilla. And I added a little baking powder for good measure. And I cut down on the sugar and chocolate chips.

So I modified it a lot.

No baker, I'm always surprised when something I have to put in the oven actually turns out. It's excellent.

Here's the recipe and here's the link.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 bananas, mashed (1 cup mashed banana)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F .

Grease and flour a 8 1/2-inch x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan (or use baking spray, such as Baker's Joy brand).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix in the oil, bananas and eggs. Stir in the chocolate chips (do not overmix!) and pour into the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70-80 minutes.

Cool the loaf in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely, right side up.

Sense and Sensibility

If any of you have any clue how to manage (balance, juggle, restrain) these two quarreling beasts, I am listening.

Why not?

Consumed by the Hunger Games

It happened.

I read it.

I'm captivated.

The best part? Both of my sisters and my husband have blazed through the first book within a couple weeks of each other. Yes, my sisters and my husband are reading the same books at the same time.

This has never happened, and I think I can say with confidence that it will never happen again.