‘Tis the season

Lucky helped me wrap some gifts today and her cavalier conduct while holding a pair of scissors has me worried, but luckily she is only three and I have some time to work with her.

Today, we wrapped her dad’s gifts, a few humble items, including a pair of suspenders, which I have mixed feelings about. If he likes the suspenders, am I prematurely aging him? Can middle aged men get away with suspenders?

Later, the girl went downstairs to hang out with her dad in the garage and I wrapped the last of her presents. Christmas morning is going to blow this child’s mind. I bought her two pink bath towels, which is something she’s asked for, an Abbie Cadabby doll and a little pink suitcase with wheels and a handle.

The weather here has been brutal, usually about 25 below zero, and it’s not supposed to let up anytime soon. It’s killing my morale because I don’t get outside during the four whole hours of sunlight per day. And I don’t get exercise, which is my fault but there is only so much a girl with a job and a growing family can do.

Anyway, I get winded cleaning the house these days. I dare not peek at the scale when I go see the midwife, which is weekly. I already permit myself too many gnawing concerns to add pregnancy weight gain to the list. Besides, the midwife seems to think my weight is just fine. Even so, I saw a picture of myself from earlier this month and I was horrified. I am currently banning photos below the neck.

I tried a new recipe today. It’s mocha banana bread or banana mocha bread. I found it in my recipe file. I’m afraid I don’t know the original source. It’s not too sweet, which means it goes good with eggnog.

You should try it. Here’s the ingredients:

2 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
2 large eggs
3 mashed bananas
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3 tablespoons of coffee

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter and sugar and then add eggs, banana, vanilla, and coffee. Slowly add the flour mixture. Bake in one or two greased loaf pans for 45 minutes to an hour at 350 degrees.