My Little Nephew has arrived...

Last night at 10 pm after a quick call from my s-i-l that she was in labor, I called a taxi and headed to the hospital. Did I mention it was a 2.5 hour drive through curvy jungle roads, in a vehicle that at times was going so slow I thought we might roll backward off the cliff, that ended into a 3 hour drive when the taxi couldn't find the hospital and thought it might be a good idea to park on the freeway while he called friends to try and get directions? I didn't...well that is a post for another time.

This post is about my sister in law who knocked out natural labor like nothing I've seen before. (I'm so proud of her!) Now my 5th nephew has arrived, baby Cash. I'm smitten to say the least.

Here is his debut...



Been up for over 30 hours...I'm headed to bed. :)

I'm So Excited......

and nervous! Rusti just called and her little baby is on the way!!!!! Did I say I'm EXCITED!!! She wants me to be there for the delivery...but I doubt I will get there before this little one arrives!!!

Wish me luck!

Have You Checked Out Spark People?

If you haven't...you might want to. It is the season for it.

You know, the "I ate too much these past 2 months...I need to do something about it...but money is tight right after Christmas" season.

I'm more sensitive to this situation because unlike most of you, heading into winter with sweaters and long pants...we are still and forever will be in "summer mode". Swimsuits, suntan oil and flip flops are the attire here. In fact a friend and I are headed to a resort swim club in the morning with all the kids. I've pushed home school to the afternoon so we can delay school just a little bit longer.

So let me tell you a little about www.sparkpeople.com . It was created by the original creator of google.com
It's FREE and has many tools to help "us" with keeping up with a healthy lifestyle. {Basically, it will give you the extra push to lose the weight you gained over the past few months.} Not that "I" gained any...yeah right!

So check it out... www.sparkpeople.com

I'm starting my excercise...tomorrow...I think. :)
Enjoy!!!

It's Been Rockin and Rollin Here...

but we are all o.k. An earthquake that measured 6.2 visited us a yesterday. The epicenter was 3 hours away from us but sure had our house rolling. 13 people died which is pretty sad. The homes just aren't built with the standards set in the states.

Thanks for all of your concern...we are healthy and happy.

All I Can Say is "Yummy!!!"

I'll call these "Shawna's Apple Banana Crumb Bakery Muffins" How's that?

I'm sorry that many of you {including me} are striving to lose weight right about now. So to keep the playing field level...I'm going to give you this AWESOME muffin recipe!! That way I won't be the only one struggling not to make them.

See how great I am? :)

These are just plain fantastic. I found them as basic banana muffin recipe and added my magic. So here goes. Your mouth and stomach will thank me for these; so will your kids and husband. However your thighs won't.

Did I mention they have a cinnamon-and-brown-sugar streusel topping?

Shawna's Apple Banana Crumb Bakery Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of apple, chopped small, leave peel on.
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 9 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers. {Keep this batter to 9 muffins, don't use all 12. Fill the muffin cups to the top, that way they create those wonderful bakery style muffins.}
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, slightly beat the egg. Then add sugar, egg and melted butter. Fold in banana and apple. Now stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.


Con mucho gusto! {You are welcome!}

So I tried to find a picture of a bakery muffin that looked as good as this one does...no luck! I guess I'm going to have to make them again tonight so I can take a picture for you all.

Shucks. What I do for my blogger friends. :)

Adios Elders...you will be missed.

We have had great elders serving in our branch since we first arrived here 8 months ago. Mothers of these fine young men, I have done my best to feed them and make sure that they don't loose too much weight on my watch.

Today is a sad day for us as we will be losing the Elders that we have spent the last 3 months here, Elder Silva and Elder Howell. Here they are decorating Christmas cookies a few weeks before Christmas. {What can I say, I've got little ones around the house and this is what we do} I was quite surprised that they seems excited to be making these creations, either that or they are great actors. Probably a little of both.

To the mothers of Elder Howell and Elder Silva I want to say to you:

Thank you for raising sons that have the great desire to serve the Lord. They have been a wonderful influence on my sons {and daughter} and our little branch. You would have been so proud today to see them as I did, bearing their testimonies in a foreign tongue. I thought of you and wished you could have seen what I saw today.

Thank you.

Happy New Year!!!

I am posting...just so you all know I'm still here. {The plethora of pictures I have to post will have to wait for another time, they aren't here with me and my internet connection}

We had a wonderful Christmas and great New Year. Today has been filled with resolutions, new chore charts, a stronger desire to pump up our Family Home Evening lessons and turn scripture reading into scripture study. I love "change" I always have.

To a New Year...may it be filled with learning opportunities we can handle...the wisdom to stop and see the beauty around us...tender mercies that go noticed...and PLEASE don't let it be WORSE than 2008. {Did I just write that?} I meant 2009, let it be fine.

Cheers!