Yum is an Understatement!

Ok, so it hasn't been very long since I posted this blog about a banana bread recipe that I like.  Well, I have probably made the recipe about 4 or 5 times since then.  Probably a little excessive for banana bread, I know.  But I freakin love it!  I might be addicted to it and need an intervention.  And a major increase in fiber in my diet to counteract the banana overload.  Anyway. 
I thought I would do just a short blog to add my comments on things I have noticed about this recipe or things I have tried (or plan to try) that work well with or do not work so well with this recipe. 
First of all, four bananas is definitely better than three.  I have tried three, but in that batch I added some chocolate chips.  I was not as much of a fan with the added chocolate chips, but Michael said that he did like the chocolate with the bananas.  I thought it would taste better, and you might like it as much as my husband did, but I like my bananas alone.  Also, I only had normal sized chocolate chips on hand...mini chocolate chips might be better?  I used 3/4 a cup, just so you know. 
While I do just like the banana on its own, I would like to try some cinnamon mixed into a batch of batter as well.  Maybe just a teaspoon?  Will have to experiment with that. 
Also a couple of cooking notes.  I always just use 3/4 cup of sugar...no need to use a full cup, the bananas themselves have sugar in them so it's sweet enough (even though the recipe says you can use a full cup).  The first time I used Pam to coat the pan....it was okay but the second time I heavily margarined a paper towel and buttered the pan up and the loaf came off so clean and the edges didn't burn or brown too darkly at all, they were just perfect so that is what I do now with each batch.  And I wasn't sure about the hour baking time so I kept checking (at like 50 minutes and then 55 minutes, etc) the first time around and sure enough, it took a complete hour.  Now I just set the timer for an hour and then take it out only after the timer goes off.  And it comes out perfect. 
Why am I so obsessed with this recipe?  I couldn't tell ya.  I can say that it does give me something better to eat in the morning than a poptart (yeah, I know that is a crappy breakfast but Sophia would rather I play with her after she is done eating instead of me eating and a poptart is something quick I can shove in my mouth) and I may or may not consider a banana a meal (yes, I have had a banana for lunch and that is better than having nothing for lunch, right?).  Also, it is literally the easiest thing in the world to make.  It has very few ingredients, doesn't take up every bowl/utensil in your kitchen, takes like 5 minutes to prepare, and then you stick it in the oven and forget about it for an hour, then it is done.  Oh, and, if you happen to like bananas, tastes awesome. 
The one thing I need to figure out is how to get the bananas to over ripen quicker.  Our Publix sells the greenest looking bananas you've ever seen.  You can't even eat them for days after you buy them.  So I make Michael buy like 8-10 bananas, of which we will only eat half of so I can have the other half to make the bread with....but we still have to wait a couple weeks till the bananas are ready to use in the bread.  There might or might not have been a time when I have told Sophia that she can't have a banana simply because I have to save it to over ripen so I can use it in the bread.  She's mistreated, I know! :-)  She loves the bread though too so all three of us get to enjoy it when I make a loaf.  I'd love to figure out how to just buy overripe bananas so I could make a loaf whenever I wanted to...then I could give loaves for gifts or give them with gifts or bring them with me when I went to visit with friends (ok, this isn't something I get to do often, but something I'd love to do more...and I'd bring banana bread!!) or to bake sales or whatever.  Oh well.  I guess I'll just try to deal with my banana bread obsession the best way I can for now....just making as many loaves as I can! :-) 

Weekend in Maggie Valley

For Presidents Day weekend my brother had both Friday and Monday off so Michael decided to take a half day on Friday and we rented a cabin in Maggie Valley so we could head up to have a nice long weekend in the snow.  Well, it really didn't snow!  The boys had fun snowboarding most of the day on Saturday while Sophia and I just relaxed and played at the cute cabin.  It actually wasn't even super cold on Saturday so we got to enjoy the porch a little bit too before Sophia's nap time.  The cabin was on a steep hill so we didn't explore too much but Sophia liked being outside and looking for 'birdies'.  Once the snowboarders got home, we ate some dinner and watched a movie....there was snow in the forecast for the next day and we had plans to go snow tubing.  Well, when we woke up on Sunday it was definitely much colder....but raining, not snowing.  We got all geared up and went to snow tube anyway.  The rain let up and Dillon and I had a fun time snow tubing....I guess because of the rain people stayed away so we were able to make a lot of trips down the hills.  The session was for two hours but after a little over an hour we were exhausted!  We had a good time though and felt like we got our money's worth.  It was pretty muddy from the rain so we were wet and dirty and our feet were cold...two hours would've been a bit much.  And maybe white wasn't the best choice for color of my jacket.  Oh well, at least it can be cleaned.  Sophia and Michael watched us from the side (and sometimes the car when it rained a bit) and took some pictures of Dillon and I while we were tubing.  Then we went back to the cabin.  Sophia took a nap while we watched a movie and snacked and mostly we just chilled the rest of the day.  It was supposed to snow but never got cold enough.  And I got a migraine that ended up making me sick so Dillon and Michael played with Sophia for the rest of the night till bedtime.  We got up Monday and packed stuff up and ate breakfast and then headed home.  It was a short trip but I am glad we got to go and spend some time with my brother and that he got to spend some time with Sophia....she pretty much worships her uncle.  :-)  In fact, the first night we were there, she didn't want to go to sleep and was crying in her pack and play.  After she figured out that crying for mommy and daddy wasn't going to get her anywhere she started crying for Uncle Dill, haha.  (That didn't get her anywhere either though, so she gave up and went to sleep)  I only really had a couple complaints about the trip.  The main one was that it didn't snow!!!  How could the Weather Channel be SO wrong??  I was sick of seeing those little snow flakes on my weather channel app but not seeing anything but rain out the window.  Disappointing, but didn't ruin the trip.  The other thing was the lack of hot water for showers.  I can definitely take a quick shower when I need to but on Saturday it was just me and Soph at the house while the boys were gone so I figured once she went in a nap I'd have a nice hot shower and then relax for the afternoon.  Um, no, it didn't quite go that way.  I'm super thankful I didn't have to shave my legs and I don't know what possessed me to think I could condition my hair that day!!  I literally was in the shower for 7 minutes (I had looked at my cell phone right before I got in to see about what time Soph fell asleep) and the hot water didn't last that long.  I had to rinse out my conditioner with cold water...and I'm pretty sure it didn't all come out, since my hair has gotten pretty long and has always been fairly thick.  It's not even like there had been any showers before me at all that day!  And I was sort of going fast anyway, just because Michael had read that they had a small tank or something so I knew I couldn't really take a long shower...but is 10 minutes too much to ask??  I guess so.  The next days I eliminated the conditioner and was a little more successful with not running out but there is really only so fast one can take a shower and actually get all the soap off your body/out of your hair.  Whatever.  Again, it wasn't really something that ruined the trip.  It did make me glad that we didn't have a ton of people staying with us though and that we all staggered our showers throughout the stay!  Overall the weekend was short but a lot of fun.  I am super annoyed that a migraine interrupted the fun and that the medicine I have didn't do its job and I got sick but that is another post altogether.  I really enjoy getting to spend time with my husband and daughter and my brother...he'll be going to college soon and who knows how many more of these little trips he'll want to take with us?! 

Valentine's Day 2012

We had a very nice Valentine's Day in the Santoro house.  We had discussed before hand that we would stay pretty low key this year, wouldn't spend too much (our budget for each other was around $10 and we would not go much over on Sophia since she really doesn't understand the day anyway and has plenty already), no plans to eat out or anything like that, would just be together and enjoy each others company.  I had decided that I would cook a special meal while Michael was at work and also make something for us to have for dessert as well.  Thankfully, Sophia took a great nap so I could get everything done (although she really naps pretty great everyday so I was counting on the time to prepare).  When Michael got home we had an early dinner and then opened up some presents...mostly candy for each of us and both of us had picked a movie the other liked (without the other knowing we chose the very same gift!).....and we had a few cute things for Sophia...some bath toys, a Sesame St movie, a Minnie Mouse book and a small Belle doll., which she loved. Sounds like a lot, but most of the stuff was on clearance. Then we tried to take a few family pictures (Sophia didn't seem in the mood for that for some reason, oh well!) and after that had a yummy dessert and just relaxed and hung out together until bedtime.  It seems like we don't get to do that often enough (always something to do or rushing on to something else) and I hope we can take more time to just enjoy each other because I love my two valentines so very much.  I am lucky to have both my wonderful husband and my precious daughter to share Valentine's Day with me each year.  Hope everyone else had as wonderful a Valentine's Day as I did! 

Some Random Sophia Pics

Not too much to say for this post, the title says it all.  Maybe just a few captions to go along with some random cute pictures.  :-)

Sophia picked this shirt out herself.  Notice her hand on Elmo, she wanted to make sure he was the focal point of the photo!

She is looking like such a big girl these days!

Playing chase over at my parents' house.  Love this smile. 



Gamma (as she calls my mom) got her!  Or did she get Gamma??!!  Either way, she was loving it!

And she loves pushing around this stroller...even with no baby in it!!

Snow Suit/Boot Solution

I am so boring that I am actually updating a previous boring blog.  But I am excited that less than a week before our trip to snowy areas I was able to find snow boots for Sophia that not only match her snow suit, they were on sale and they will be here in just a couple days, and will ship for free (thanks, Zappos, you are awesome!).  I actually had given up the search.  But realized that she really truly didn't have anything that would hold up in the snow and keep her feet warm.  I had considered just using some of her ponytail holders to close the footed ends of her snow suit...but that is obviously stupid, haha.  So glad I got on Zappos today (actually Michael got on there and started the search for me) and found the perfect thing.  I have attached first a picture of Sophia in her actual snow suit (taken with my cell phone so it's a little blurry)....she is, as you can tell, very excited to be wearing it over her pj's.  She was probably sweating off a few pounds as I was taking it.  We made it quick, don't worry!  And then the picture of the snow boots...love them!  They are a size bigger than she wears now so I am hoping that they will work for next winter too....if not that is ok, they will look great with her snow suit and since she has started liking shoes so much I am sure she'll wear them around the house a bit too! :-)  Also, I love Zappos VIP....free one business day shipping?  Yes, please, perfect for any and all last minute snow boot shopping!!  



My Little Cutie Pie

It has been quite a few posts since I have posted pictures of my cutie pie so I am going to try to make the next several posts contain at least a few pictures.  We haven't been doing anything super exciting but I have snapped some good pictures of her lately in our day to day life that I am looking forward to sharing. I thought about doing a 'cell phone dump', like I have seen people do before on various blogs, but when I uploaded pics from my iphone last night there were over 600 (including videos)....so I'll have to do a little weeding out before that happens, haha. Anyway, here is the first of a few picture posts! 
Friday of last week I realized that Sophia and I hadn't been out of the house all week long (well I went out once for my MRI....that didn't really count as a fun outing) so we decided that as soon as Daddy got home from work we would go to the mall for a bit.  While we were waiting for him to come home I got out my camera and we had a little photo shoot.  Sophia decided to be a little ham and we had fun.  :-) 

Cheeese....with Mommy!



Silly face!

No more pictures, Mommy!  Pretty much trying to pull the camera out of my hand!

Ok...I guess we can do some more....

Hey!  I got my bow out!  Nothing new there!! :-) 

Of course I took more than this, she was just being so cute and cooperative while the camera was out (not always the case) but just wanted to post some of the cutest.  Usually we have to take like 20 pics to get 2 or 3 good ones but this time almost all of them were good!  And she is actually getting better about picture taking too.  She will even say cheese when we want her to...most of the time.  :-)  More cutie pie pics to come!!

Round 2 and A Doc Who is Not So On Top Of Things

It has been one week and one day since my second MRI.  I haven't really blogged all the details of it yet...because well...it was sort of similar to the first.  I guess it should've been better, I knew what I was getting into.  And I guess in some ways that made it a little better.  But in some ways that made me even more apprehensive.  Oh, that and the fact that the doc didn't call in my prescription for the so-called 'relaxation' drug until ten minutes until six on the Friday after noon before (I had been calling all day because I knew that I wouldn't be able to get anything the morning of...it was scheduled for 7:45 on Monday morning)...I was pretty close to actually cancelling the whole thing.  I barely made it through the first one with the help of the prescription, I knew there was no chance that I would make it through without. 
Anyway.  Michael and I decided that bringing donuts and bagels would be a nice thank-you to the people there who had already helped me get through the first one and perhaps an I'm sorry to those that still had to deal with me for the second.  It was a lot more crowded, even though it was so early, and we had to wait longer to go back.  This did nothing for my nerves.  Oh and I had taken both pills at the same time, a good couple of hours ahead of time this go round (instead of on the pharmacists suggestion of just 45 min in advance)....I'm not sure exactly what sort of relaxation level I was supposed to get to but all in all I only got a little drowsy. 
I had to have an IV in my arm this time around.  No biggie.  We were in a different room than the MRI machine (thankfully) so I had a relatively low heart rate at the time and I probably didn't even blink as my new tech (poor guy, he seemed really nice, had no idea what he was getting into, haha) put in my IV and capped it off.  Then we had to head into the room of terror, I mean, the room with the MRI machine. 
As soon as we stepped foot in there, I swear, my heart rate went up.  Same as before.  Lay on table.  This time, no blanket, which I think was a little better, not that it helped much but that was one less thing holding me down, so to speak.  Michael was right at my side and the tech at the other, putting the dye in my IV.  One thing I was nervous about (and had asked about a thousand times) was if anyone had ever had any kind of reaction to the dye.  The tech said no.  I just pictured myself getting nauseous and throwing up in the tube and then not being able to sit up or turn my head to the side (remember, cage and something keeping my head straight) and then choking to death on my own vomit before they could get me out.  Sure, it was trendy for Jimi Hendrix to go out that way but he wasn't doing something as commonplace as having an MRI and he was way cooler than me to start with anyway. They let me lay there a minute to try and 'relax', which didn't ever happen, but I never felt sick or anything so I figured my worse case scenario (with the dye, not necessarily the machine itself) wasn't going to happen. 
It wasn't as long as the first time around, I will give them that.  But just as loud and dark and closed in.  I needed one break, after a particularly long set.  Michael did good, talked the whole time and held my hand.  I may not have felt quite as panicked as the first time, but still just very very scared and I really don't think that there is anything I could say or do or think or take to make that different.  As we left, the tech said that maybe if I had to have another MRI I could get it done at Northside and they could put me under, like they do for babies and small children.  I am not at all insulted, that sounds like a wonderful suggestion, one that you'd think my doctor would've suggested after hearing about the debacle of my first MRI. 
And that is another story, really the main topic of this post.  Michael had asked every day when he has gotten home from work if I have heard from the doctor yet on the results of the second MRI.  Nope.  Apparently, he is being asked a lot, haha.  I have even been asked what is the status.  But I just figured that no news is probably good news.  And also I have figured that if they didn't call to say I have to go back and do more tests, that this is good news for me.  Although not necessarily results.  Anyway, I finally called yesterday, in the morning, and left a message for the assistant to my doctor.  She called me back, close to 5 and said that the doctor hasn't even looked at my scans yet.  Um, what?  She said he wouldn't be in that office today and she would have him take a look at them on Wednesday and then she would call me and let me know what he sees.  Uh, ok.  I guess.  That is surely not the same as 'no news is good news'.  That is more like 'no news is the lazy doctor hasn't even looked to see if there is any news' news.  So now I guess you could say I am a tiny bit more apprehensive than I was before.  I could still hear that I need to do more testing.  Or that he found something on the scans?  A possibility that I haven't really thought too hard about....one that I will just wait to see what he says before I start googling like crazy or worrying like crazy or anything like that.  But I am still pretty annoyed that it took him over a week and a half to just look at the scans.  The last time he sure jumped on them and ordered another more testing before I could even recover from the torture of the first test....just saying!