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Peanut Butter Muffins!

So my friend Alyssa, a triathlete mind you, used to make the best peanut butter muffins, ever! The best part was... they're healthy. So I've decided in my quest to eat healthier, especially with the summer months fast approaching, it's the perfect answer to my "i love sweets but I want to stay in shape" dilemma. And since it seems as though some of you are having the same dilemmas, i thought i'd include the recipe:

3 bananas mashed
1/2 c peanut butter (softened in microwave)
1/2 c sugar (or 1/4 c is ok if you dont want them too sweet)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour (whole wheat is preferred)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/4 t of cinnamon

preheat the oven to 350

mix ingredients together well, folding the wet into the dry until moistened.
fold in 1/2 to 3/4 c chocolate chips

spray muffin tin with pam or use muffin cups
bake 45-55 minutes if just making bread, or 25-35 if you're making muffins
(can be less if done in a convection oven)
should spring back when pushed in the middle


ENJOY your "cupcakes" and you'll be glad when it's the 4th of July and you get invited to a pool party. Thanks Alyssa!

Nostalgia

Tonight I went to my first graduation for one of my students in youth group. It was fun. Interesting to see how close they felt (only 40 kids in this graduating class, it's a charter school). But it triggered memories of our graduation from High School, and naturally I came home and watched our senior video.

It opened with me in 4th grade with my class. terrible bangs (curly), white long rolled jean shorts, and terrible teeth. Fortunately I was among other awkward prepubescents.

then it skipped over to a scene of Mr. Tanis in a toga. startling.

followed by a short clip of Mr. Burton reviewing a test

there were a few more random clips from 4th grade (I think Miss Clark was making a video for her parents that Thad happened to get a hold of), one of which showed liz making a tower of snapple lids.

then it showed pictures of everyone from elementary school until graduation.


anyway... all of this brought me to a couple conclusions:

1. all senior classes think they're super close and will stay friends forever. Sadly it's not as true as you would hope.
2. I loved school. And still love my class. And this next comment is meant in every cheesy capacity it sounds like it is: watching that video made me miss high school, and made it feel like it was just yesterday.

the end.

is this the new sparkle hairspray?

...just wondering...

Meet Stetson.

news!

Did you guys ever see this movie? a childhood classic right? well...remember the scene where Rice and the other kids (Rice is the name i remember because i remember thinking it was weird) found the puppies? that was my life about 2 weeks ago. Adam has been asking and asking for a dog. But not just any dog, a st. bernard. I took some breaking down to even get to the dog part, and was ok with like a lab or golden retriever sized dog. but he kept asking and asking for a st. bernard, that's what he wanted. So i took my husband, and his child-like passion for a puppy, to go see st. bernard puppies, the day before his birthday no less. yep... didnt stand a chance.

And while I realize that i just blew any chance of my cousin Bethany EVER coming to visit me (unless she's coming this next week), we "took the plunge". Sorry Beth.

ps. he's the biggest one in the litter. I'm hoping that he's just going through a fat stage like i did. My dad says this makes him more of a palmer than a ludwig, for the chubby part he means.
But dont be surprised if you see me riding down the street like this any time in the next few years:

Amazing Race 2010

Our youth group has done our own version of the Amazing Race these last two years. Each small group is a team and you have to do weird things like lay down head to head and feed each other pudding, or hit a pinata until it breaks, and use the gum inside to blow bubbles at the same time as the rest of your group members, etc. It's tons of fun, I think.

Well i just wanted to post this picture of my small group this year, and just one of us at the Amazing Race. They wanted to be the "senior-itas" and have our graduating year on the bottom corner of our matching shirts (since i graduated 6 years ago, and another girl was only a junior). Anyway, we came in second among the girls team, and top 3 in best dressed. But they're super cute and I cant even tell you how much I'm going to miss them next year. A. LOT.