It's been too long...

Times are hectic, to say the least.

My husband, Dennis, has been attending school across the state for the past (almost) nine months. He'll be graduating at the middle/end of March. And I couldn't be more excited to finally have him home. Our little one, Cody, will be very happy to have his Daddy, too.

It's been a rough [almost] year for us. For all of us. For everyone, everywhere. Things are tough all over, as Cheech and Chong would say ;)

I have been absolutely addicted to "House Hunters" and "House Hunters International" on HGTV. I'm still not sure exactly why I can't get enough, perhaps because it gives me some insight about what kinds of homes are going for what prices in what parts of the country/world. As of right now, the mortgage Den and I will probably get approved for, we'll be able to buy a house in Argentina ;) (If we're even lucky to get a loan for $100,000!)

As much as I would like to contine this post, my mother-in-law is taking Cody out to play in the snow, and I just have to take pictures. Due to my (brand new, Dell) laptop, I should be able to magage to post more often than I have been (like sometimes as opposed to never!), so check back often for updates.

Take care, everyone!



-Cassie

WooHoo!!

So, I'm finally 'getting with the times' -- now, not only am I on Twitter, but most recently, I "built" a Facebook page. Come visit and become a fan!!

- Cassie -

Art From The Past

While organizing old emails, I found my login info for ArtWanted.com. When I logged in, I discovered a portfolio of art I created a few years ago. Wow! How my style has changed. Here's a sample of what I did back then....as soon as I have a free moment, I'll post some of my recent work. Enjoy!

- Cassie -

I'm beZazzled!

My mom, who happens to be an incredible photographer, created some new products for her Zazzle gallery - White Flower Art The Gallery - and, with my permission of course, she used my son & I, as well as another sweet baby, as some of her models. Below is a sample of one of the mousepads she's selling at her gallery. When you have a minute, drop by and check out her products - great for Mother's Day!

- Cassie -

Sleep Like a Baby Mousepad by whiteflowerart
Make a mousepad online with zazzle
View other Children Children's Art Mousepads

He's Here!

My adorable little 'peanut' has arrived - December 30th/2008 - healthy & happy! My hubby and I are absolutely thrilled!

My intentions for this blog was to publish at least one post per week, beginning at the start of this year. And my intentions for my Zazzle art shop was to design a new product at least four times a month. However, due to my being a new mom and proclaiming my own maternity leave, I've decided to take time to truly enjoy my son, and being his Mommy.

I promise that as soon as I have time to concentrate on my writing and my Zazzle shop, this blog will interest readers with delightful stories, delicious recipes and more - and my shop will display a large variety of my artistic designs.

Please continue to drop by & browse both my blog and my shop for updates. Thanks for stopping by....

Mmm, banana bread :)

Is there anything better than something (homemade) fresh from the oven? Especially when you're six and a half months pregnant, and that nagging voice in the back of your head has been itching for banana bread for the last, well, six and a half months.

I finally caved and made some this evening. Thanks to my handy-dandy vegan cookbook (stay tuned next time for a link!), and my own vegan baking knowledge, I put together a scrumptious (and healthy, woo!) loaf tonight.

Here's the recipe;

2 Cups whole wheat flour
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup pure maple syrup (it's more expensive, but having switched from imitation, I've noticed a significant [and much better] difference)
3 Medium (approximately 1 1/2 cups), very ripe bananas
1 Teaspoon aluminium-free baking powder ('cause who wants heavy metals in their food?!)
1/2 Cup distilled water
1/4 Cup canola oil
1/4 Cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 Cup chopped pecans, or nut of choice (optional)

-Preheat oven to 350 (F). Lightly grease an 8 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 -inch loaf pan.
-In medium mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
-In separate mixing bowl, mash bananas (a potato masher works great!) and add maple syrup. In a small cup, mix together baking powder with water, and add to the syrup/banana mixture, stir to combine. Add applesauce, canola oil, and pecans (if using), and mix.
-Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir only until combined.
-Pour into prepared loaf pan.
-Bake at 350 (F) for 75 minutes (but check on after an hour), or until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
-Remove loaf from pan and allow to cool completely.

Of course, I couldn't wait for it to cool completely, and had to have a slice 20 minutes after it came out. It's not overly sweet, the natural ripeness of the bananas, mixed with maple syrup give it enough sweetness for my tastes.

I enjoyed my slice spread with (organic) chunky peanut butter (this coming from the girl that hates peanut butter and banana sandwiches) and a tall glass of soy milk. It's also good plain, or with your choice of margarine.

I will give credit where it is due, and I (impersonally) thank Lois Dieterly (author of my favorite vegan dessert cookbook, Sinfully Vegan) for the above recipe, of course, I did a lot of my own thing to it, so it's a combination of her recipe, plus my recipe.

Please stay tuned for links. And the pictures I promised.

-Cassie

PS; There's only 14 weeks (give or take) of my pregnancy to go, and still so much to be done. I'm becoming overwhelmed (but not all in a bad way). I'm also getting kicked like freakin' crazy, and am honestly waiting for an alien to burst out of my stomach and eat me, then Dennis. But I have to remind myself it's a baby, and this is real life, not a cheesy science fiction movie :)

And the crazy pregnancy dreams you might hear pregnant woman talk about? About having a litter of puppies or kittens? Yeah. They've started too. Except mine was a little backwards. I had one puppy, and then it transformed into a human.. Then I had a separate dream that I had (human) quadruplets. Oh boy, what am I in for? :)