These Three Girlies

A Little Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 21:40:00 +0000

Miss me?

Well, I have sure missed my blog. I am happy to have a moment to post about nothing special.

Christmas came and went. It was much needed quiet, restful, family time.

I ~~made out like a teenager with~~ stood next to Trace Adkins. I’m tall. He’s taller.

I am now a bowler.

We went on a fabulous ski trip near Nagano, Japan.

The girlies are getting bigger…..and funnier.

My husband is still insane.

I am totally normal.

Halloween Recap....2012

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 19:58:00 +0000

We survived. No, not a zombie apocalypse…..we survived Halloween!

We estimate about 1000 trick-or-treaters came to our front porch. Good thing Super Chicken was there with his bowl of candy to save the day!

The girls came in with LOADS of candy and had TONS of fun. Allie was a princess with her best friend Kaylie. Those two are inseparable. The only way they could have matched even more is if Kaylie broke her arm and got a pink cast like Allie's blue one!

Amber was Red Riding Hood….vampire style!

Abbey was off with her friends right after school and for the first year ever, I don’t have any Halloween pics of her. Sigh. I stole this from her Facebook page though. This is totally what I do......

Hope you all had fun this Halloween! We love you!

Three Girlies Take on the Triathlon!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 23:23:00 +0000

Yesterday, the Three Girlies added bikes and running shoes to their awesome swimming talents, and did a triathlon!

They all wore their new team warm-ups so the Yokota Stingrays could represent!

Unfortunately, Allie (the middle girlie) attempted parkour over our living room couch the night before and sprained her wrist….so she became the official “transition assistant” for Amber.

My pictures of this event are lacking. I watched the girls at the pool and then shot them out to Brian at the bikes. He rode with Abbey and I ran with Amber. Kinda hard to catch those photos with all the excitement! Here’s Abbey before her 300 meter swim…..

During the swim…..

Amber about to start her 100 meter swim…..

Amber getting started on her bike….

Needless to say, it was once again amazing to be able to watch the girls achieve their goals. Amber swam 100 meters, biked 3 miles, and then ran a mile with me!

Abbey swam 300 meters, and then was supposed to bike 10 miles….but by accident, did the course twice. Ooops! We think she biked 15 to 20 miles. It didn’t matter though, because once she received her finisher’s medal, she was all smiles!

Great job to all three of my Girlies….daddy and I are so proud of the strong and healthy young women you are becoming!

We love you!

Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:34:00 +0000

This blog post is going to be about a dessert….one of my favs, in fact. But first I have to mention something about hair….my hair, in fact. ( Am I allowed to use “in fact” like that in a sentence?)

I have fairly curly hair. Back in the day when I was a cosmetologist, people used to want a perm just like mine….but mine wasn’t a perm. It was totally cool in the 90’s to have big curly hair like mine. But now it’s just a mess. Here’s a picture of me and my hair in Hawaii.

Sometimes I try and straighten my hair. It’s pretty cool when I do that, but it takes me about an hour and that makes me crazy.

Mostly I just throw it up in a messy pony. Like this morning, when my husband and I took the dog for a walk and I was thinking it looked pretty good…..ponytail with loose curly tendrils gently blowing in the breeze. My husband even commented, “Nice hair.” Evidently, I missed the sarcasm in his voice because when I looked in the mirror when I got home, this is what I witnessed……

Looks like I need a cup of coffee and some of the Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake that I made last night, for breakfast.

Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake

TGFPD (That’s Thank Goodness for PaulaDeen)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Pat the mixture into a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Prepare filling:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Making a bad hair day better.....one blog post at a time. Enjoy!

Linking up with:

Autumn Risotto with Chicken and Cranberries

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 23:08:00 +0000

The air is beginning to get a little bit cooler here in Japan……less humid. I can’t wait to take the girlies down to the Tama River and get another great photo like this one…..

Or this one....

What is wrong with my family?

This weekend though, we have a swim meet (GO STINGRAYS!) and another typhoon headed straight towards us. So, no autumn walks along the river for us. I think I am just going to have to hunker down and bake….or cook…..or bake.

This recipe is simply perfect for fall. Savory with a hint of sweet…..rich and creamy with a nutty crunch.

Autumn Risotto with Chicken and Cranberries

(via my friend Anna and Pampered Chef)

For this recipe you may very well need a Pampered Chef Deep Covered baker. You can order one HERE. It is made entirely within the Baker in the microwave. I suppose you could finagle a way to do it in the oven, but why? Just get one! You will love it, I promise!

Printable Recipe Here

Ingredients:

1 cup dried cranberries

2 cups hot water

1 med. Onion

1 cup uncooked Arborio rice

1 tbsp olive oil

2 ¾ cups chicken stock

¾ cups dry white wine

½ tsp each salt and pepper

½ cup blanched slivered almonds

2 stalks celery

2 oz cream cheese

2 cups cooked chicken or turkey breasts (I use a pre-cooked deli chicken)

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine cranberries and hot water in a small bowl; set aside. Coarsely chop onion and combine with rice and oil in the Deep Covered Baker. Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 2 to 4 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add stock, wine, salt and black pepper; microwave covered, on HIGH for 13 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Meanwhile, toast almonds in a pan, stirring frequently until golden brown. Slice celery into small crescents. Cut cream cheese into cubes. Drain cranberries in a strainer. Carefully remove baker from microwave and add chicken and celery; stir. Microwave covered on high for 3 to 8 minutes or until rice is and risotto appears creamy.

Carefully remove baker from microwave. Add cream cheese and almonds; stir until cheese is fully incorporated. Fold in cranberries. Garnish with parsley if desired.

How'd I Do That????

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:28:00 +0000

So I was riding in the van with the hubs and I saw a VERY cool cloud. And sometimes you see people take super awesome cloud pics, right? So, while we were moving I attempted the shot, right through the window. This is what I got…..

A Wizard of Oz type shot with the cloud, the side of the road, and the reflection of a building, a car driving by, and the clouds, on the OTHER side of the street.

I know. I am pretty awesome.

Except then we went to the bowling alley and I bowled a 69.

How does a person even do that?

Back to School 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 00:17:00 +0000

The girls just headed off to the first day of school this morning. Curly hair, the perfect outfits, and heavy backpacks.

My baby Amber isn’t really this old…is she?

Since when did my sweet Allie girls start caring about what her hair looks like?

Is Abbey wearing my black tank top?

Usually I am ready for school to start, but this year the summer went too fast. Or could it be that my girls are just growing up Waaay too quickly?

As I MADE them turn around for one last picture I couldn’t help but think, I can’t wait till they come home.

Dead Crabs and What Not

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:12:00 +0000

It’s a busy busy life at our house these days. We have been babysitting a guinea pig, eating donuts, and cooking with wine.

And don’t forget the golfing, complete with new golf shoes and a new golf skirt for myself.

Golfing is all about fashion. Just ask my husband and his Gorton’s fisherman hat.

Abbey got her braces this week.

Allie is growing out her hair.

Amber made a dinosaur out of clay, tape, and tinfoil.

Actually, Amber had a rough week. Moo Moo the hermit crab passed out of this world and she had a little funeral.

As for me, I had a girls night out with my culture club and took pictures of sake, beer, and the sink in the bathroom. Don’t ask me why.

In just two days it is off to America I fly without the kiddos and the husband. It’s been two years since I have stepped into a Target. I am peeing my pants with excitement!

What have you been up to this week?

4th of July and Cooler Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 23:46:00 +0000

I am love, love, LOVIN’, my camera phone. Just having it with me all the time and being able to take pictures of whatever is soooo fun! My girls tell me, “Mom, that’s so random.” It doesn’t matter. I totally fascinate myself. For instance, I found a butt chair at a thrift shop. Who could resist a picture like this?

Then I found some aliens outside of a gift shop. I think they have been married for a long time. Aren’t they sweet?

Seriously though, I am just having fun documenting our family during day to day life. Abbey and Amber finished two weeks of dance camp. I think my baby Amber looks so grown up in this picture it makes me want to hyperventilate.

All three girls finished their golf clinic with Kyoko…..the most fabulous coach!

We had great 4^th of July…..complete with patriotic crackle nails.

Amber and Allie each entered a contest that had them building boats out of cardboard and racing across the pool. Amber and her friend Audrey, made it safely across!

Allie’s team…. didn't fare quiet as well!

Brian and I took Abbey to the golf course for some Goofy golf…

You could only use two clubs and had to tee off with only a putter. I think we all know who was the goofiest.

We ended the day with a fun barbeque with friends and fireworks. We love that we can celebrate America even though we are so far away! Amber said it best and wrote it on her cardboard boat….. “God bless America the beautiful!”

Summer Bucket Lists

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 21:22:00 +0000

I like to make lists. Things to do, stuff I need, or maybe something like 101 goals I have. I guess it makes me feel good to accomplish something and then check it off the list. “Look what I did world!”, I can say….and then everyone thinks I’m awesome….or so I want to believe.

Lists work for me. I accomplish things with them, and I feel good when I get things done. It goes without saying then, that I think my three girlies should make lists too. You know, have some goals…..get them done…..feel good about themselves. So, we tried……

This is how you do it:

-Buy some nice, big, white, poster board. A plain old piece of paper won’t do. These bucket lists are a BIG DEAL. Remember, this will be a, “Look what I did world!” moment for them. It needs to be written on something nice and big.

-Buy the kids some new markers or crayons. There is something about a new palette of markers that makes kids want to do their best. What kid wants scummy old peely crayons that they have been using all year at school, when they can open a brand new box of shiny new markers? It’s inspiring!

-Give them a lecture. Tell your kids WHAT a bucket list is, WHY people want to make them, and HOW you are going to help them accomplish what they want to do this summer. Help them make their goals reachable. For example, you son may have one of his goals as, “I want to go to the moon this summer.” Okay…..probably not going to happen. But, you can visit a planetarium, stick glow in the dark planet stickers on his bedroom ceiling, go camping with a telescope…..ANYTHING.

-When their posters are finished stick them up in a visible area so you can look at them all the time. A list doesn’t help much when you don’t look at it and remember, these are a BIG DEAL. The kiddos will be happy to know that you think of their goals as important!

-Lastly, make a list for yourself. Stay-at-home-mom……working mom…….whatever. Can you come up with 10 things to accomplish by the time school starts? I bet you can.

Here’s a little re-cap of our summer bucket list adventure! I am so excited these turned out as well as they did.

Abbey is my artist and set her goals pretty high. My favorites include, learning how to play a song on the guitar, making a fabulous new dessert (YUM), and taking a new picture every day and making a collage.

Allie’s goals were full of energy. A few of them were things like, do 50 sit-ups a day, watch every single episode of MLP (My Little Pony), and pull an all-nighter. (Not sure what I think about that.)

Amber wrote hers all in cursive very carefully. She wants to draw a cool picture and make a robot. But my two favorite goals of hers were to be nice and have fun!

I hope my girlies really do have fun trying to check off goals from their summer bucket lists. I think they just might!

Grilled Garlic Butter Salmon

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 01:51:00 +0000

Really…..this is soooooo easy. Hello summer grilling.

Line a grill basket with some foil, and lay some lemon slices inside the foil.

Lay about 12 to 16 ounces of salmon on top of the lemons.

Schmear the salmon with a mixture of butter and crushed garlic.

I used about 1/3 cup butter and 3 or 4 garlic cloves. Go ahead. Butter it up good. You will be glad you did because most of it’s slides off while grilling.

Lightly salt and pepper if desired. Add sprigs of fresh rosemary or other seasonings.

Grill for about 7 to 9 minutes over low heat, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Super easy and delish!

First Week of Summer....A Photo Re-cap

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 01:06:00 +0000

First full week of summer break for the girlies and I. We are bachelorettes because Daddy is golfing in Guam and drinking gourmet espressos every morning. Lucky duck.

We have been keeping busy though. Android FINALLY has the Instagram app., so you can say I have went a little phone picture crazy.

Allie and I have golfed almost every day this week. She pared a hole and it was a special moment.

Amber and Abbey are in dance camp. Leave it to Amber to get a little crazy while practicing.

I was in charge of making centerpieces for a women’s conference at church. I turned these……

Into these. (Pretty crafty eh?)

On Wednesday, typhoon Guchol hit Japan. We were ready.

The storm left us with cool skies…..

And some nasty bunkers at the golf course.

Now it’s time to sit on the porch and relax with my favorite glass of something…….

While listening to C-130’s take off and land.

What have you been doing this week?

We Have The Bestest Daddy!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:53:00 +0000

It is typhoon season here in Japan. Know what that means? Rain. Rain. And more rain. Oddly though, it is only enough rain to keep my kids inside all day, but not enough rain to keep my husband from golfing. What’s up with that???

So yesterday, with the three girlies trapped inside and my husband out on the course, we got a bit crafty with paper, tape, markers, and stickers.

I HIGHLY recommend heading down to your local craft store and letting the kiddos pick out a pack of stickers….the nice 3D kind like Jolee’s Boutique, with a cute theme……and letting them create little masterpieces for Daddy. Yes, it is probably more expensive than a Hallmark card, but it will be so unique and special.

Amber picked out a ‘farm themed set’.

“A treasure you find in the farm?”, she wrote. “Unscramble this….aFhtre.”

Allie went with a tropical theme. (I know. We have brown carpet. Gag.)

I LOVE the end of her poem…..And even though you’re obsessed with golf, And are on the course all the time, I still respect and love you, And golf isn’t a crime. Bahahahaha.

Abbey did her card up fancy with a classy ‘theater’ themed card, telling daddy that she looks up to him and that he makes her proud. I think he got a little choked up with this one.

Finally, not to be outdone by my girls, I actually made a golf bag with tape, a paper plate, and a poster board. Yeah I did.

Complete with bubble gum golf clubs and a chocolate play book.

My husband’s wife is so awesome!

Crispy Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 22:22:00 +0000

I am a firm believer in ‘Everything happens for a reason.’ Like that one time when I dated a guy for a year, then was engaged for a year, then called the wedding off six weeks before the knot was tied. All that happened so I could get my almost-mother-in-law’s Banana Crème Pie recipe. I’ll share that recipe with you all one day, but you should know that the drama and heartache of that relationship has been well well worth an occasional slice of that pie.

Today though, I want to tell you about another time. The time we moved to Minnesota.

We left our Air Force life, eager for my husband to go into private practice. (He was a young strappy dentist.) In a cute little small town, we bought our first house, and with our three incredibly young children, decided that this was the place that we were going to raise our young family.

I’ll just some up our experience in few words. Mosquito bites, mortgage, Life Flight, mid-life crises, poop, snow shovels, small town gossip, and 100 proof Southern Comfort. All this in temperatures well below freezing.

But there are always diamonds in the middle of the coal, right? (Like I didn’t marry the one guy, but I got a much better one. Yay me!) So despite our lack of enthusiasm for the weather and mosquitos, we met some great neighbors who wanted to ~~drink all of our Southern Comfort~~ be our friends. They would set up huge neighborhood block parties to watch the Packers and Vikings play football. There were hot dishes (Minnesotan for casserole) galore, and don’t cha know…..Crispy Bars. Yes. The very reason we lost our life’s savings and almost our minds, was for these.

Crispy Bars

My friend Dorie told me, “Oh this is soooo easy. Just remember cuppa, cuppa, cuppa,", and she was right. This recipe has stayed in my head for years. You will need 1 cup of Karo Syrup, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of peanut butter…..cuppa, cuppa, cuppa. Melt these three ingredients in a saucepan on medium low heat until smooth.

Pour this mixture over 6 cups of corn flakes and press into a buttered jelly roll pan.

Next, melt together one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips and one bag of butterscotch chips in the microwave, stirring together until smooth. Now pour this over the corn flake mixture and spread around until it is covered.

Cut into small squares and serve when chocolate is set.

(I usually end up putting mine in the fridge for about 30 minutes.) Serves 24-36 depending on how small you cut them.

I’ll leave you with one more recipe. A cuppa love, a cuppa detours in your path, and a cuppa God’s plan and not your own. Mix together and you will get a sweet sweet journey.

Can't Get Enough of Those Stingrays!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 04:07:00 +0000

We had our final swim meet of the year this past weekend. All three girls and the Yokota Stingrays Swim Team did a fantastic job! I love to watch my girlies work hard and reach their goals.

After a hard day of swimming I mixed up a batch of these yummy drinks for the family, and then we relaxed on the back porch.

Strawberry Limeade Slushies

It’s simple. Take one can frozen limeade, 1 can of Sprite, and 1 bag of frozen strawberries. Blend it up. Pour into sugar rimmed glasses.....wrote a post on that HERE!

Add a shot of rum if you are over 21. Rum is yum! Makes about 4 medium sized drinks.

And just in case you are interested……Abbey and Allie swim the 100 meter breaststroke and Abbey wins!

Then Amber does her 50 meter backstroke!

Linking up with:

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 31 May 2012 00:56:00 +0000

May has been such a great month. I am actually sad to see it go.

My youngest daughter Amber turned 9. We had a fabulous date just the two of us. All you can eat crab legs.

Next, I had a wonderful girl’s weekend to Lake Kawaguchi near Mt. Fuji, with my Japanese culture club. AMAZING!

Then, there was the solar eclipse. I had to sear my corneas a bit, but I actually got some pretty good pictures.

This past weekend, I went with Abbey and Allie to Tokyo Disneyland. Twelve million people live in Tokyo and eleven million were at Disney. Can’t say it was a blast, but I enjoyed the time I got to spend with my girlies.

The very best thing that happened in May though…..I got a new grill for Mother’s Day! I love it! I am the Grill Master! It is nice and big and it even has a bun warmer and one of those little side burners on it. Jealous much?

I am looking forward to a summer full of grilltastik yumminess. This is what I made last night.

Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

For the Teriyaki sauce:

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup water

¼ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons of white vinegar

2 teaspoons fresh ginger (I use the ginger in the jar)

4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

For the kebabs:

2 to 3 pounds chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs

Onions, green, and red peppers (or whatever you like to put on kebabs)

Freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

Directions:

First make the teriyaki sauce. Put the first 7 ingredients into a small saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

Next, cut the meat into kebab size pieces and marinate (covered) for 3 hours in the teriyaki sauce.

After the chicken is marinated, put 6 or 7 pieces of chicken on each skewer, separating each chunk with a piece of onion, pepper, pineapple, etc.

Arrange the skewers on a plate. Pour half of the remaining Teriyaki sauce over the chicken and grind black pepper over the kebabs. Drizzle with olive oil.

Put the kebabs on a grill with a low flame. (Oil the grate so the chicken won’t stick.) Grill for about 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until chicken is completely done and browned slightly. Serve these tender yummy kebabs with rice.

Makes 6 to 8 large kebabs. Recipe adapted from www.woodfiredkitchen.com .

Spring In Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Here we are folks. It is spring in Japan. We get a picture like this…..and we can’t believe we live here! Enjoy!

Scripture Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Tue, 08 May 2012 20:58:00 +0000

There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside you: neither is there any rock like our God. 1 Samuel 2:2

I bought a huge bag of small stones the other day. I can probably get a bazillion craft projects done with it. I just LOVE rocks.

I decided to take some of these rocks…..the smoothest and flattest ones….and write some of my favorite scripture verses on them.

I know, I know. I don’t have the coolest handwriting ever. But I like them anyway.

I took a few of them with me when I went out the other day. I put one next to the peanut butter at the grocery store. I left one on the counter at the post office. A third one I dropped into my friend’s purse while she was looking away. I wonder who will find them or when?

For now, I put the others in a little glass jar so I can take a few out as needed. I may stick a magnet on some of them too. Little reminders to keep my faith firmly on the Rock each day.

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2

Breakfast Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Yum……Pizza.

Yum…..Breakfast.

Yummo….Breakfast pizza…….with bacon and cheese.

I just love that kind of stuff but I know we are coming up on swimsuit season. Should I be frying thick cut bacon, sprinkling it with cheeses and eggs on a fresh rolled crust, and eating it for breakfast? Oh man, I wanted to.

I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen but I really really wanted to make a healthier version of it. So, I cut the cheese in half, switched the thick cut bacon to tasty yet healthier microwave bacon, and swapped out some of the eggs with just the egg whites.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

· Pizza Dough (I used a pizza dough mix.)

· 6 strips microwave bacon cooked crispy

· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

· 1 cups grated mozzarella cheese

· 2 large egg

· Egg whites from 4 large eggs

· Freshly ground pepper & salt, and oregano

Roll out your pizza dough on a baking stone or pizza pan. Crush up the crispy bacon and spread on top of dough.

Mix cheeses together and sprinkle over bacon. Whisk eggs and egg whites together with pepper and a pinch of salt. Slowly pour into the center of the pizza. You may have to do some construction work here, and dam up some egg leaks off the edges.

Rolling the edges of the dough slightly before you put on your toppings on, will prevent a dam leak. Remember….pour slowly. Sprinkle with oregano. Bake 425 for 10 to 13 minutes, or until pizza cheeses and edges begin to brown.

The recipe will make four servings each containing about 289 calories, 10 grams of fat, 33 grams of carbs, and 15 grams of protein.

Linking up with:
Carole's Chatter

Banana Cake With Vanilla Bean Frosting

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:21:00 +0000

It has been a big cake-fest at our house in the last couple of days. I have had cake for breakfast for about 4 days straight now, and the scale is tipping slowly towards my anti-goal weight.

My husband was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel the other day. I wish everyone could experience a promotion ceremony in our United States military. It is when one reaffirms their commitment and sacrifice to defending the freedoms we all take for granted every day.

And there is cake too.

Later that day, my smarty pants oldest daughter Abbey was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. We are so proud of her hard work and drive to do her best in everything she does. (I think she gets it from her dad.)

So, we had more cake.

The cakes were good. Chocolate, vanilla, frosting, GOOD. But they were not even close to as good as the cake I made over the weekend.

I found this cake on Butter Yum. I didn’t change a darn thing in the recipe except I doubled the frosting. Yep, you heard me. I DOUBLED it. You should double it too.

Banana Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting

Cake Ingredients:

· 2/3 cup sugar

· ½ cup sour cream

· 1 egg

· 2 tablespoons butter, softened

· 2 mashed ripe bananas (about ¾ cup)

· 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

· 1 cup flour

· ¼ tsp salt

· ½ tsp baking soda

Frosting Ingredients:

· 2 tablespoons butter, softened

· ¼ cup heavy cream

· ½ tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

· 1 ¼ cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 F. (350 F for a glass pan.) Mash your bananas. (I did this in my mixer but the recipe is easily mixed together by hand.) Cream bananas together with the sugar, sour cream, egg, 2 tablespoons softened butter, and vanilla. Add flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix well. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, cream butter and confectioner’s sugar together until smooth. Slowly add the heavy cream and stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Spread on cooled cake.

The original recipe actually calls this To Die For Banana Cake…..so watch out. My husband and I had to have words over the last piece. Even though he out-ranks me in the military, we all know who the General of this family is. So guess who got the last piece?

ALOHA!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Big long lull in the blog posts eh?

Well, I have the best excuse ever!

We took a family vacation to Hawaii and let me tell you, it was fabulous!

Non-stop happiness for the kids.

Happy mommy and daddy.

Snorkling. Snorkling. And More Snorkling.

Beverages.

A real Hawaiian luau.

Grandpa and Grandma time.

Beach magic.

History.

More refreshments.

Poolside fun.

Sunsets.

Submarine rides.

Fish.

The best shave ice EVER!

My husband starring his own Nautica commercial.

And another drink…..or two.

Now it is back to reality……full of jet lag and laundry, but I am sleeping in my own bed, blessed and thankful for my family and the wonderful time we got to spend together.

Wow. I love my life.

Let's Put Away Resentment

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:46:00 +0000

Resentment. I know that everyone has to deal with it. But doesn’t it sometimes seem as wives and mothers that we are just swimming in it? Why doesn’t my husband ever have to scrub the bathtub? Why can’t the kids just feed themselves a nutritious meal for once? Why don’t others put in as much time and effort volunteering for our community as I do?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes the resentment is so deep, I actually start drowning in it.

(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006 (page 14))

The bible uses many words to help describe resentment. Pride, anger, and bitterness are just a few. If you want to get really fancy you can even use wrath or vexation. Recently, I have been so vexed by the fact that no one else in my family can take out the recycling, I am about to just go dump it into their beds.

So what does a Godly woman do about resentment? You might feel like moping around the house trying to get someone to pay extra attention to you. You may flat out yell at your children because SERIOUSLY? Can they put their dirty clothes in the hamper already? Or if you are like me, you may make a snide, underhanded remark about how your husband never does anything around the house, as he is walking out the door for a 10 hour work day. (Hey baby…..I know that isn’t true and I am sorry.) Obviously, none of these scenarios are very God-like.

Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with malice.” I purposely bolded the words “be put away from you”, because these are some words we all should concentrate on when surrounding yourself in a sea of resentment.

(Image Source : imagekind for purchase)

As sinners, we dive right into the resentment sea thinking that our time, our motivations, and our accomplishments, are better or more important compared to everyone else. Then, we quickly feel the effects of this self-centered mind set of resentment through, anger, jealousy, bitterness, and disappointment. Job 5:2 warns us that when we are in a constant state of anger and jealousy, we will suffer. “Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple.”

As women of God we must put resentment far far away from us. First we need to confess our sin of resentment and ask the Lord to forgive us. We must then ask Him to constantly show us when the bitterness and anger that accompanies resentment, is present in our lives. We all know that love is patient and kind from 1 Corinthians 13, but do you remember that love is also “not irritable or resentful”? We need to ask God to put resentment away from us, and replace it with His love.

I encourage you to place the happiness sucking, relationship destroying, suffocating sea of resentment, into the hands of God. He is big enough, He is strong enough, and he will always be there to guide you if you fall back in.

(Image Source: Diviant Art by XPI August 23, 2011)

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Dijon Maple Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 23:04:00 +0000

Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. We eat a lot of chicken at my house. Lately though, it has been getting a bit blah. I want TASTE and ZIP and ZING!

I am also a busy mom though, who doesn’t have time to get kids’ homework finished, fold the laundry, drive to swim team, AND make a fabulous new dish every freaking night of the week.

No I am not bitter…….just tired of food. Food is such a pain in the ass. Buying it, putting it away, fixing it, cleaning it up, storing it, and loading & unloading the dishwasher……3x a day!

Oh yeah, and then there is the planning and trying be healthy. Gah! I am so tired of food. When I lamented my woes to my husband, his reply was, “But honey, you are keeping me alive.”

Okay, I guess food is good for something. And now……back to chicken.

I found this recipe torn out of a magazine. (I am not sure which one, but the article mentions a Trader Joe’s Cookbook.) It was easy, and had ZINGtastik flavor. The clean-up would have also been easy, if I would have remembered to non-stick spray the pan.

Dijon Maple Chicken
(The pictures are just so so. Remember, I am tired.)

Ingredients:

· 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs with the fat trimmed off

· ½ cup Dijon mustard

· ¼ cup maple syrup

· 1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar(I think white vinegar would do also)

· Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken thighs in baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine mustard, syrup, and vinegar. Pour over the chicken thighs. Turn the thighs in the dish so they get all saucy. It should look like this...

Place the dish in the oven for 40 minutes, basting with the sauce after the first 20 minutes. Remove chicken from oven and let it sit for a few minutes so it’s not boiling. Baste the chicken with the sauce when serving. Serve with rice or pasta and veggies.

The flavor of the chicken is more mustardy than maple-like…….savory and oh so tender. Leftovers are great diced up and tossed into a salad.

Now go and non-stick-spray your baking dish so you don’t have to scrape it out the next morning, like I do.

You're So Lucky I Made This

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:58:00 +0000

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I am a little ashamed to admit that I have no idea why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Other than the wearing of green, the pinching, and the green beer of course, I am at a loss. I will have to Google it as soon as I finish this blog post.

If you are looking around the blogosphere however, you may find that St. Patrick’s day is all about the Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s. They are evidently pretty good and now available at ALL McDonald’s this year. Except, dear dear Ronald, you seem to have forgotten all the McDonald’s in Japan. What’s up with that?

Lucky for us, there is no shortage of “copy-cat” recipes on the internet. And as usual, I am adding my own special touches, which will undoubtedly make them much much better than the real thing. Plus, it will be much much easier than driving three arguing sisters through the drive-thru at Micky D’s……which I probably wouldn’t do even if I could.

So here they are folks! My…………

You’re So Lucky I Made These For You Mint Milkshakes

Ingredients:

· 2 cups of vanilla ice cream (I used Dryer's 1/2 Fat Vanilla)

· 1 cup milk

· ½ tsp peppermint extract

· ¼ tsp green food coloring

· Whipped topping

· Shaved or chopped up Andes mints

Put the ice cream, milk, peppermint, and food coloring in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses. Top with whipped cream. I chose Reddi Whip because I NEVER buy it and the girls are always begging for it.

Don't forget the green fingernails.

Finally, sprinkle on the mint chocolate bits.

Drink it right away. Don’t take pictures for your blog or you have to drink the melted one. Boo.

Goal #13. Make a “green” lunch or special treat for Brian and the girls on St. Patrick’s Day. Complete! (101 Goals in 2012)

PS By using the ½ Fat Vanilla Ice Cream the Mint Milkshake recipe is only 275 calories vs. 423 for a medium McDonalds Shamrock Shake! This recipe makes two servings.

Remember Summer?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Penton) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:39:00 +0000

Remember summer? The warm air, blue skies, and endless days in the water? Me either.

Here’s one of my best photos.

I took this for my photography class and the instructor really loved it. ~~It won all sorts of awards~~ and I had visions of becoming a great photographer with my fancy new DSLR.

Who am I kidding? What mom wants to lug the huge camera around with three kids, the sunscreen, goggles, a snack bag, my Kindle, and a couple of naked Barbies?

Not this mom.

But hey, I still have me cell phone. Remember summer? The warm air, blue skies, and endless days in the water. Ahhhhh. Now I remember summer.