Our Sunday and Banana Cream Pie

Yesterday was a really fun day. After church, we had the Hoffmans over for lasagne and banana cream pie, lots of visiting, and even some snow play for the kids. Jackson followed his beloved Annie (for some reason he calls her Andy) and Ellia around all day, and was so exhausted after they left. I told Carole I would send her the recipe for the Banana Cream Pie, but thought it would just be easier to post it here. It seems to be a really popular pie, so maybe someone else will like the recipe too. So here goes:

Banana Cream Pie
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1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 28 squares)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 package (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
3 to 4 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 3/4 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant banana cream pudding mix
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In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Press remainng crumb mixture onto the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan or 9 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Cool. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 cups of whipped topping (gently). Spread this cream cheese mixture onto the cooled crust. Then lay in the banana slices. In a bowl, beat milk and pudding mix until smooth; fold in remaining whipped topping. Pour over the bananas. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Refrigerate 1-2 hours or until set.*
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*For our family or for a potluck I usually do 1 1/2 recipe and put in a 10 x 14 inch rectangular pan. So you would use the larger size pudding mix with 2 1/2 cups milk, the 12 ounce package whipped topping, 12 ounces cream cheese, about 6 bananas, etc.

**The kids and I thought it could easily be turned into chocolate cream pie by omitting the bananas and using chocolate pudding mix instead. Then the kids thought it would be really good if in place of bananas, you used some kind of chocolate candy or chocolate sauce or something.....but we haven't actually tried that so I can't say for sure how it would be.

9 Things About Samantha

1. If she has something to share, she's gonna share it. She might not even get any for herself, if she doesn't think there's enough for everyone else.

2. She's very dependable and trustworthy. I never have to push her to do her schoolwork; she just does it. Same with her chores.

3. She's the pickiest eater on the planet (or at least in this house).

4. She is one of Jackson's favorite people.

5. She loves to write stories.

6. She's very shy and quiet, most of the time, but sometimes she gets very giggly and silly.

7. She's very artistic, and loves to draw horses, and sometimes people. I love her horses the best.

8. She loves to wear skirts, most especially the cat skirt, and play dolls, dollhouse, have tea parties, and girly things.

9. But, she also loves outdoor sports, ripstiking, karate, camping, and fishing. (But when she fishes, she secretly hopes the fish get away. She doesn't really want to KILL them, just play with them.).

:-)

Happy Birthday, Ralph!

Yesterday was my sweet hubby's birthday. Not much to say about his day--we celebrated with a spaghetti linner (lunch and dinner combined, for those who don't know our lingo) and banana cream pie for dessert. Omi (Ralph's Mom) was here. When it was time to sing Happy Birthday, Jackson sat in his daddy's lap and sang his loudest. Then immediately after the song was done, Jackson quickly blew out the candle. It's kinda one of those things that you had to be here, but we all just laughed so hard at him. He was so quick on the draw to help his dad. (Actually, we're pretty sure he was so quick to make certain he was the one to get to do it, but anyway....)

After presents, we just left Ralph alone to watch football the rest of the day, which suited him just fine. :-)

9 Things About Nick

1. He is really good at memorizing scripture, making it look like a piece of cake, which sometimes annoys his siblings that have to work harder at it.

2. He's teaching himself how to wood carve, and made 2 really neat looking birds (plus a bunch of other things).

3. He hates practicing the piano, but Mom won't let him out of it. :-) Someday he will be glad.
Now he is looking into getting an electric violin.

4. He is really good at origami (Japanese paper folding), especially cool looking dragons.

5. He's a green belt in karate.

6. He is the most like his dad, so sometimes the kids and I call him Ralph Jr.

7. He most definitely does NOT like peas!!!!!

8. He's famous for his lemon bars.

9. One of his AWANA leaders, sweet little Mrs. Stone, told me "I just love Nick; he is just soooo good".

Go Kings!!

Last night my sweetie and I went to a Kings game, courtesy of our wonderful kiddos. The Kings started out good, and we were both just waiting to see if they would fall apart. Sure enough, by half time, they had blown their lead and were 6 points behind. We figured that was the end for the Kings. But lo and behold, they kept it together, kept it exciting, and won! Final score--102 to 95. The Kings are comin' BACK!!! They are 9 and 27 now! Hey, stop laughing....I can hear you........stop that.......OK, that's better. The only downside of the evening (and it was just a little thing, really), was that we were sitting behind "Mr. Too Much Cologne Wearer", and he was really smelling strong, but we survived that.

:-)

After the game, we went out to Carl's Jr. for one of their new steak sandwiches, which, by the way, I do NOT recommend. Kinda, well, yukky. But oh well, the fried zucchini was good. So was the company of my dear, sweet hubby.

When we got home, Danny and Cara had the kids in bed and the house in order. I love having built in babysitters!

Ta Ta For Now.......

I don't like confrontations.....

Yesterday was the Big Shopping Trip day. This occurs once every 2 weeks. It was Joey's turn to be my helper, so off we went. We did our shopping, Joey was a great helper, and then as we were unloading our grocery cart at Savemart, I looked up to see the Cosmopolitan magazine staring me in the face. I hate that magazine. It's always got really sleazy article titles pasted all over the front. (So do others, but Cosmo is generally always the worst). So, I did what I usually do, which is turn the top magazine around backwards. Only that didn't help, because on the back was a picture of an almost nude woman. So then I took a cooking magazine and covered Mrs. Naked up. Then I went back to unloading my groceries. Well, a store employee came up and proceded to remove my cooking magazine cover-up job. I told her, " You know, I find that magazine offensive and bordering on pornography and I don't think my 9 year old son should have to look at that." She bristled, "That magazine is on every checkout isle in every store. It's Cosmo." (As if I was somehow too stupid to read the title of the magazine). Then she walked off, and I immediately replaced the cooking magazine over the Cosmo and went about my business of paying for the groceries. During all this, Joey was in a place he frequents, a place we lovingly call "Joey's World". In other words, he was oblivious, which was a good thing. So then my willing little helper and I loaded the groceries into the suburban and I left Joey securely locked in the car and went back into the store and asked for a manager. I was pointed to a man whose name tag said Head Clerk, which isn't exactly a manager, but oh well. So I shakily told him (remember, I don't like confrontations!!!!!), "You know, I shop here a lot and I always have at least one of my children with me. I think that Cosmo magazine you have in the checkout isle is very offensive and I don't think my kids really need to read......."--I listed the article title to him, but I don't need to spell it out here. So, the man was really nice, and apologized and said he would talk to his manager about it, that he had no control over what magazines were there, would never want to offend a customer, and blah, blah. I told him some stores actually put Cosmo behind a metal cover thing, which is true. He was polite and I couldn't tell what he was really thinking. There were 2 other employees nearby with their ears plastered to listen to the whole conversation. That was a really hard thing for me to do. (Did I mention I hate confrontations?) But you know, I just think we Christians have been silent for far too long. We have somehow lost our voice, and now are, I believe, truly on the verge of losing our freedoms to speak out for the truth. But if we don't speak for what is right, then who will? I don't know, it was just a little thing, but I just thought they should know that someone found their magazine display offensive.

That's all. :-)

Here is a picture of Cara this morning:

Here is a picture of Cara this afternoon:

Notice anything?

Yep, she got her braces off--for the second time--today!

This week is back to the old grindstone....school, Awanas, karate, piano, the usual. As much as we enjoyed our Christmas break, it feels GOOD to be back on a routine. Kids (and Mama) are just happier when they have a schedule and productive work to do. Even if they don't know it, it's true.

~

Now, here is a story of a cat and a girl.......

When this girl was little, she sucked her thumb.

All. The. Time!!

Her parents tried everything in the world to get her to stop. They tried hot sauce and other unpleasant tasting things on the thumb; they tried punishments, rewards, etc. They even tried making her wear a glove all the time, but that didn't work because then people thought she was trying to look like Michael Jackson, and that was not the look her parents were going for! Anyway, this girl got to 9 1/2 and she still sucked that thumb like crazy. And her parents really wanted her to stop because she was ruining her teeth and they were trying to avoid braces down the road. Plus they just figured she was old enough to stop. But one day her mom figured out just the right incentive,because this girl was CRAZY about cats, and wanted one very badly. Now her parents weren't cat people and had no desire for a cat, but they really loved their little girl and really wanted her to stop, and so they decided to promise the girl that if she stopped sucking her thumb, they would get her a cat for her 10th birthday. Well, that little girl just stopped sucking cold turkey and never went back!! (Which didn't stop her need for braces down the road, but oh well). And the day after her 10th birthday, she got her cat, whom she named Buddy.

Now the girl is a beautiful young lady named Cara (who just got her braces off finally), and the cat, well, the cat is missing!!! So if anyone out there wants to say a prayer for Buddy, now would be a good time!!!

..............................

I know, what dumb story, but Buddy really is missing since about Sunday and although he likes to roam and carouse during the nights, he usually comes home for breakfast and a nice place to doze during the day.

Now, off to fix dinner and get these guys ready for Awanas tonight.

My Sister-in-Love, Lynn,.....

...is a really neat person to know. Her love for the Lord is contagious, she is really funny and fun, and I still haven't figured out how my brother, Scott, landed her. Well, not really, he's pretty cool too. Anyway, she sent me an email today that made me cry. With her permission, I thought I would post part of it (the part that made me cry, of course). So here goes:

"Yesterday I thought a lot about you guys and my favorite memories of the past year. Let's see.

For Danny- I loved the way he came down here and painted with Uncle Sock. He is such a godly young man. I am praying for what God has for him this coming year. I like the way he patiently explains things to me that are no brainers to him and completely over my head. Like nuclear power.

Cara- I had nice memories of her visit here. Standing in front of the Columns in front of Joannes, just laughing about the stature of it. Going to Carl's Junior, and to Home Goods, thinking someday Cara will be setting up her own home. I love the way she stands firm in Christ and is undeterred by what the world is always telling us. I just like hanging out with her.

Nick- Bless his heart to put up with Uncle Sock. I know first hand how hard Uncle Sock can work you. His poor feet were so beat up! As a reward I served the poor guy bread with no butter. Olive oil was all I had and he still said he liked it! I thought about all the things he is interested in. I like his carving and think that is really cool and I am hoping he will keep it up.

Samantha- O.K. It's gotta be the cat skirt. I love that she loves it, and that she loves animals! Then I saw the photos on your blog that showed them on baking day.....Wait???? Was that her cat skirt she had around her neck like an apron?!!! I also like the way she draws. I have been super blessed by her artwork. She has such an attention to detail.

Joey- I remembered the faces he makes. I have a few photos of those where his eyes are almost popping out of his head! I also like the way he is always reading. I think he would make a good preacher to. He tells a good story and is not afraid to laugh at himself. He cracked me up when he told me the story about stuffing his face when you went camping and just how lousy that made him feel. Trust me I have been there. All you can eat places can do that to a person.

Becca- She always makes me laugh. After we had eaten our share of stuff at Grandma's house [she] told me one day "the tank is full." I had never heard it before and it was really funny the way she said it. She is so sweet to me. I was really blessed by the fact that she bought me that angel at Awanas. I also loved the video of her singing at church. I played it over and over and over again. Oh and catching her first fish!!!! That was a good one too.

Jackson- I thought about how much he has grown over the year and remembered his 3rd birthday and trying to figure out which way he should play his new guitar. He amazes me how he jams around doing his own thing seemingly oblivious to the rest of us and then there he is calling out all of our names!!!!! He is really putting sentences together, and is a little love bug.

Ralphie and Megan-
My favorite couple in the whole world! Ralphie with his sense of humor always cracks me up. And this year's favorite memory is him actually smiling in a photo, so now I have a good picture of my favorite couple. Megan....the sister I never had. She is so patient and so giving and such a fantastic mother and wonderful friend all rolled into one. My favorite memory is her staying up late after the kids are in bed and having already put in a FULL day, working on the doll house for her girls. A true labor of love!!!!

Well that's my story and I am sticking to it........

Love you all!!!!
Lynn"

Happy New Year!

We had a quiet New Years Eve at home (as quiet as a family of 9 gets), watching a movie, playing games, and eating a little junk food, as usual. We always have sparkling cider and poppers (for the uninformed, those are things that you pull the string and it loudly shoots out confetti into the air) just before bed, which is usually before midnight, party animals that we are. Last night we were all in bed before 11. We figured it was already after midnight on the East Coast, so we were ok. :-)

Today we are just hanging around the house, resting and playing. And more eating.......this HAS to stop!

A new year has begun. I hope and pray this will be the year that America turns back to God. I know God can make it happen. But hearts are so hard and I try not to fear what we as a nation are becoming.

God gave me a verse this morning:

Joshua 1:9

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee whithersoever thou goest.

So anyway, I told the kids this morning, that we will just keep following the Lord and trying to do what He wants, and we won't worry about the rest. We'll leave it all to God, who loves us so much.

The other day I and 5 of the kids went to Walmart for them to spend their Christmas giftcards they got from Ralph's sister's family. It's always an adventure when they have some money to spend. It takes them forever to chose just the right thing. Cara spent some of her money buying a set with 2 mugs, some tea, and a tea infuser for me (an after-Christmas 50% off bargain). I told her not to, but she insisted I had to have it. Sweet girl. :-)

Oh, and guess what the kids got us for Christmas? Well, first off, they got me this really cool alarm clock--mp3 player--digital picture frame thing. Way cool, and Danny already loaded some pictures and music on it for me beforehand, knowing my ablities (or lack thereof) in that area. :-) The other thing, which they got Ralph, but benefits me too, is 2 tickets to a Kings game!! Cool, huh? I know they (the Kings) stink really bad right now, but getting to go to the game together will be fun anyways. :-) The kids really shouldn't have spent the money they did, but I am so proud of them and thankful for them!

In other news, our washing machine broke last Saturday. The repairman came but had to order a part so we are still waiting. (Praise the Lord, I bought an extended warranty so it's covered!) So this is day 6 with no washing machine. 9 people with no washing machine is no laughing matter. :-) How did my great grandmothers do it? I didn't really know them much, but they were amazing women, both raising 12 children, I think? I will have to check with my mom on the numbers, but I know they both had lots!

That's about all the rambling for now.

Happy New Year!