Heads Up I'm Moving On

Grandpa Gooch swan with field flowers

Hello subscribers and occasional readers! I really appreciate you sticking with my haphazard posting throughout the years.

In an effort to do better I've joined the troops over at WordPress and invite you to follow me over there.

BlogSpot has been really good to me but I need a change (and I can have my own url) so come on over the readings fine!

Healthy Banana Oat Bars

Back to the saga of the MOF Club but first this simple, simple, simple recipe. Oh yeah, and it's healthy too.

What to do with a dozen organic ripe bananas left over from holiday snack procurement that gazed at me looking riper and riper every time I opened the refrigerator. Don't forget us they begged. But I don't want to make banana bread or chips I returned. Google ideas they pressed. I did.

Immediately I found a recipe that was suspiciously easy. And healthy. No sugar. None. Of any kind. Can it be that good, I wondered. The mom that posted it was convinced. I took the bait. Only two ingredients. I was hooked.

Two bananas, one cup of quick or regular uncooked oats. Mix together (I used an immersion blender but any method to get the ingredients together works.)

That's it. Literally. If you want to add some more protein, different vitamins, minerals, create a more visually fun looking bar add a dash or two of cinnamon, a small handful of raisins, any type of nuts you like, you get the idea but not too much of any one thing.

Drop by the spoonful onto a well greased baking sheet, or like me, just use your silicon baking sheets. Parchment works too. I shaped my blobs into a sort of bar shape but that's optional too. They can be round like a cookie. Or letter shaped, or heart shaped, or geometric shaped.

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes for chewy. Longer for crunchy. I cannot say how much longer precisely because we like chewy and that's where my bars got off the train.

I doubled the recipe and found that it makes about sixteen bars give or take. So that comes out to about four bars per one banana and 1/2 cup of oats. Great way to get your daily dose of potassium and fiber.

Maybe I should call them Banana Boat Bars. Mine do kind of look like paddle boards or kayaks or canoes. Or just Boat Bars. Get it. Banana and oats.

How I Got To Be In The MOF Club Part One

The Mother of Five Club was actually never a goal but never not a goal.

Donny & I laughed about numbers, he said four, I said six. We compromised on five. But not by design, by life and living.

Enter child one.

We were married a year. Be a couple for a year before starting a family sounded like good advice and we found that it passed fast and we were still happy with each other and our life.

So let's take the kid plunge we reasoned. Don't worry if it takes months or even a year said the doctor when I quite the pill. And use some protection until your body has time to readjust.

Barely weeks in to commando there was just that one time when protection was too much trouble. And we found out how fertile we were.

I'm just tired and sick. You're pregnant. No over the counter tests in those days. Finally official confirmation. I got sicker. My days went like this. I woke up, threw up, went to work, came home threw up, went to bed.

I was teaching. My usual lively classroom became a tomb. I dared anyone to talk, to move from their seat, to move in their seat, to look at their neighbor. They created some great art because they had nothing else to do.

I got sicker. I lost weight. A lot. I'll put you in the hospital if you cannot keep something down warned the doctor. No hospital for me. I had a job that brought in a needed paycheck. Mashed potatoes and I became tenuous friends. Only three months I was told. Only mornings.

What fantasy were they talking about? Try day and night for six, seven months.

This child will be an only I decided. That will be just fine. Get it here safely and let it be healthy and that's it. I will not do this again. Never.

Thanks Stephen Colbert

The best show ending of all times.

Even if you never watched a single episode of the Colbert Report the ending is an immensely entertaining classic.

Then entire last show was spot on. I'm posting the last three segments here. (No way to avoid the commercial lead-ins. But in the fullness of time they will be iconic too).

If you only have time for one segment make it We'll Meet Again which you can easily watch several times to be sure and catch every little thing.

Grimmy's Goodbye

After he becomes immortal Stephen sings a sunny farewell with a LOT of former guests.

We'll Meet Again

And then a final wrap-up with Santa and others.

Sign Off - From Eternity

And so Until We Meet Again (already on a favorite playlist as only Johnny Cash can cover it) enjoy!