Best Banana Bread Ever...

I have to admit this recipe is an oldie but always a goodie...One of my dear friends, Patti, gave me her recipe for the best banana bread ever...It truly is...We've been making it for probably 15 years now or more and the recipe never fails...




I always half the original recipe because I make one loaf at a time...Here's how I make it...Using 3 different bowls, banana mixture in one and dry ingredients in the other...

3 bananas, very ripe - Mash them and mix them with mixer...Then add...
2 eggs and mix with bananas...Set aside...

In another large bowl, cream together...

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

Then add the mashed bananas & egg mixture to the sugar and butter and blend them all together...

In another bowl mix...

1 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

dash of salt...

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix all together with a mixer...I use a hand mixer...

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes in a loaf pan...I use a Pampered Chef stone loaf pan...

Truly the BEST Banana Bread you'll ever eat...

Etsybloggers is having a VIRTUAL TRUNK SHOW!...

Come and join the fun...and...Lots of great deals...

When: Friday, January 29
Time: 9:00 pm
Where: Etsy Virtual Lab - Gallery Room

Lots of great shops...Check out the Etsy Thread for a list of all the shops participating...You're gonna find some awesome handmade artisan items...Here is a sampling of what you will find...

See you there!

SNOW - ICE - The word of the day...

Another day of snow and ice...Schools are closed again, that's 3 days in a row...What to do, what to do...I have to say I love the snow but the ICE, well that's another story...Time to go play video games, board games and hopefully some fun crafty activities...
What do you do on SNOW DAYS?

One World One Heart Giveaway - My First Giveaway

Well, this is my first ever blog Giveaway and I am really excited...I've decided to jump on the One World One Heart 2009 Gypsy Caravan...This is so exciting...So many many bloggers connected to this huge giveaway...An amazing opportunity to meet and connect with bloggers from around the world...Here's a quote from Lisa, of A Whimsical Bohemian the heart and host behind One World One Heart 2009...

"The original idea behind this giveaway event was to bring bloggers together from around the world who may never ordinarily meet. It closes the gap of the blog community and enables us to interact, discover new and wonderful people, and in the process possibly win a prize or many prizes along the way...This is more than wanting to win something.......that is only the means.......in the end it's about finding kindred spirits. Someone who may be fairly new to blogging, not sure how to navigate, find others and have others find them....Some are long time bloggers and in some cases well known in the art community. Whatever the case it brings all of them together...We are not solving the worlds problems nor are we curing anything nor are we changing the world. We are merely generating a closer community between humans through blogging."

OK...So what I get to do now is tell you all about what I am offering as my Giveaway!...All you have to do is comment on this post from now until February 11, midnight...I will then have my son randomly pick a number from all of the comments left on this post...Remember to leave me some way to get in touch with you if you are not a blogger, either an e-mail or web address where I can contact you if you are the winner...It's that simple...So remember, COMMENT on this post for your chance to win this awesome handmade lampwork pendant...

Blog Carnival - A Valentine Memory...

After reading the selection of Blog Carnival topics for the Etsy Bloggers Street Team I got to thinking about past Valentine Days...At first I didn't think I could think of a "special" Valentine's Day, they have all been special, fun, lighthearded and well maybe a few (less than a handful) not so wonderful...So enough of that...Here's one I'll share that's very special to me...

I remember when I first met my husband at an intimate Superbowl party...Was it a fix up, yes, it was, I think...So, you can probably guess it was sometime around the end of January 1986...How sweet it was that this guy I had just started dating gave me a mug with two hearts as the handle and LOVE sayings written on the outside in hearts...It was the first gift he ever gave me and don't you know I still have that mug today, and we are still happily married...Man, I love that guy so much...Awww...

And I didn't think I could think of a Valentine memory that would tickle your heart...

It is COLD COLD COLD...

For those of us getting this frigid cold, let me remind you -
IT'S FREEKIN' COLD OUTSIDE...

Ideas for keeping warm...

Fire in the fire place...

Hot coffee, tea or cocoa...

Layers, layers, layers...

Cozy warm slippers...

A knitted hat and scarf...

STAY INSIDE!...

Comment your ideas for staying warm this winter...

Rose Works Jewelry - EtsyBloggers January Featured Artist

Ruthie Ruthie Ruthie of Rose Works Jewelry is one of the many wonderful people I have meet through my Etsy and online journey...Not only does she have awesome beading talents, she has a great personality, promotes her teammates and friends and has an amazing BLOG featuring lots and lots of talented artists...

Take a look at some of Ruthie's talent...

Thank you Ruthie for being such a terrific online friend... ♥♥♥

Going With The Flow...

LEST January Challenge - It's all about POSITIVITY...

Members of the awesome Etsy Street Team - LEST are breaking out the positive energy and bringing to you some awesome beads to share that reflect some type of positive message...Check out all of the entries, make a comment and then cast your vote on January 22-27...A special prize goes to the winner...

Here's my entry - Going With The Flow..

"It's good to go with the flow...But it's better to go with what you know...what you know to be true for you...Trusting yourself is the ultimate lesson of the universe..."

Keeper of the Garden...

As some of you may know, I had a big groundhog problem last spring and summer...They were invading my garden and pool...My gardening partner and I were trapping them left and right and putting them back out into the wild far from my home...

The other day I saw this beautiful hawk perched on my garden posts...He is looking for birds, mice or anything he can eat...I sure hope he stays around to keep the garden free from groundhogs this year...

I'm thinking of offering him a nice commission...What do you think?...