I have been looking for healthy snack recipes and I found these wonderfully delicious cookies.

They taste so yummy you might expect them to be bad for you. They are naturally sweet on their own but just a little bland so last time I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar to help the taste and it seemed to do the trick. These really are very good. I got this from allrecipes.com. If you bake these make sure that you cook them long enough. When they are properly done the bottoms carmalize into a thicker texture. Make them small too. They do not spread out so you have to press them down flat.

Healthy Banana Cookies


INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in oats, dates, oil, and vanilla. Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.



Here is another recipe from quakeroats.com. I haven't actually tried these yet but I have made a similar granola recipe and these look like they would be a lot better. It was hard to get the other ones to stick together. I am going to see if I can make them with the girls this week.

snackin' granola bars
ingredients
3-1/2 cups Quaker® Oatmeal, toasted
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts
2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup honey, corn syrup, or molasses
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
preparation
1. Combine all the ingredients; mix well. Press firmly into well greased 15-1/2x10-1/2-inch jelly roll pan. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350° F) about 20 minutes. Cool; cut into bars. Store in tightly covered container in cool dry place or in refrigerator.

notes and cook tips
To bake in 13x9-inch baking pan, bake in preheated oven (325 degrees F), 30 to 35 minutes. To bake in 13x9-inch glass baking dish, bake in preheated oven (300 degrees F), 30-35 minutes.

variations
Add 1/2 cup flaked or shredded coconut. Substitute one 6-oz. pkg. semi-sweet chocolate pieces for 1/2 cup raisins.
Substitute 1/2 cup sunflower seed for 1/2 cup nuts.

Today is Thursday so I went to the school to volunteer. As I was sitting in Mrs. Whaylen's class (Caylee's teacher) I was thinking to myself that this seemed like the perfect school situation for my girls for right now. Especially for Caylee. First of all I do not worry about secular influences penetrating into her thoughts too much because I have gotten a strong feeling that she and I are on the same page as our beliefs. We have not had a formal conversation about it because there is always so many other things to discuss. But I have picked up little things here and there. One instance I saw a bag of candy in the back of the class today and asked her if we were going to have a haloween party and she said yes but it won't be celebrating halloween. I like that she puts a stong emphasis on Thanksgiving just like Christian Heratige Academy does. We are planning to put together a play coming up pretty soon.

Caylee is learning so much and Mrs. Whaylen is filling in gaps that she had. Caylee reads great but needs extra work in math. Also when she first started she was probably the slowest person in the class. Their were a few that were close contenders but I think she would have earned that title. In homeschool she was used to going at her own pace and didn't have any incentive to go faster other than Mommy nagging not to mention it made it more difficult to get alot done. Even the timer did not work too well. But now if she does not go fast then she has to work while others are reading books and she has extra homework. It took about 3 or 4 weeks but nowI am proud to say that she can keep up with the class quite well. Part of the reason that she was slow was because I was a bit of a stickler on handwriting (due to my training at CHA). I have noticed that it is not quite as important at Sheppard as I would like it to be, but I can't have everything the way I would like it.

Another reason that I like Caylee's class is that there is more socialization. Some homeschoolers will deny it fiercly to the end. But homeschooling families, unless they live in a neighborhood with a lot of children, tend to get isolated because they are busy doing school at home. Do they still get enough? I would say usually yes. I am not saying that homeschoolers don't get enough, I am jsut saying there is more in a public school setting usually. The reason I am bringing this up is because Caylee spends alot of time with the children in her class. Of course when any group of people spend alot of time together, what happens? Conflict. It is usually the girls. Caylee had one of her friends say they were not friends because Caylee did not obey this girl's orders. She mentioned it too me at home and we had a talk about how girls say things like that to manipulate each other and they don't really mean it. Well, the next day everything was smooth again and Caylee learned a good lesson. Caylee never seemed to have conflict with her other friends in Oklahoma so I think she is having some valuable experiences.

Natalie is doing very well. She knows how to sign all the letters of the alphabet. Her teacher uses it adds is in when they are working on spelling and she uses it as a quiet game whenever needed. Natalie is great at math. We got her report card yesterday and she recieved all A's and one B in reading but I know that will improve with practice.

Oh, My WORD!

This Osage Land Company will not leave me alone. They keep sending me letters saying that they want to buy the oil mineral rights to our old house in Del City. That is not our house anymore but even if it were I would not sell the rights for $13.73. Mind you that is not a monthly or yearly fee. You sell those rights and they are gone. I need to call them and tell them that I am sorry but I just would not want an oil pump in my backyard. What person in their right mind would?

Hey everybody.

Sorry for the long hiatus. Been a bit busy and blogging everything that has happened seemed to be overwhelming. But I am back now hopefully with more regularity.

Things you may have missed are that I moved to Sheppard AFB in Witchta Falls, TX and I have put the girls in public school, bought a new dryer. All very exciting and different.

Moving down here was extremely stressful. Especially in retrospect. You know how when you are going through something you just do it because you have too . Then you look back later and wonder how you did it. But I can't say it was all bad either. We had some excitement and fun in the middle of everything. Asher was able to be with me when the moving company packed and loaded our stuff. It was wonderful to have him there. We stayed with my parents for a week to finish last minute stuff like painting and caulking and spackling.

Then we made the two hour trip down to Sheppard. Asher had a head scratching time with the military housing leasing office because they were insistant that his orders were that he was to spend three days at Sheppard then off to COT (Commissioned Officer Training) in Alabama, and then he was done with his commitment to the Air Force. So therefore he would not be needing a house. Fortunately Asher left before I did so I did not have to wait the whole time 3 or 4 hours he was trying to deal with them. Asher was finally able to contact a higher up at the dental clinic to explain exactly how to read orders.

Asher was able to spend three days with us here getting used to our new house. There is no carpet in most base housing and we had no furniture yet so the girls ran around alot sliding in their socks for fun.

Sunday afternoon Asher left and Monday morning our stuff arrived. It just kept coming and coming. I had hoped that because I was moving into a house with more square footage there would be as much or more storage. No such luck. My eyes kept getting bigger every time the movers brought something in. It got to the point were I just had to say with some things, there is no room for that it is going to stay out side and get donated. I am relating to my newest neighbors who moved in a few weeks ago and are going through the same thing. It is good though. I think as Americans we tend to accumulate more than we need and moving helps one to streamline. I have gotten rid of so much. I think moving next time will be much easier. I think often about how I can make the next move go smoother.

Some of the bright points in the move was when my two friends Tegan and Michelle came to visit me. They came seperately to spread themselves and be a better help. Isn't that sweet? Tegan came first and she was like a locomotive getting boxes unpacked. She had a mission and it was going to get done. I had been able to get most of the kitchen unpacked before she came but my children had just gone through a major life change and Daddy was gone so they needed so much of my attention. Bethany was having the hardest time but they were each acting in their own way so I needed to give them attention to keep family order. So when Tegan arrived we really went to it. I am so grateful to her because she helped me start to feel sane and like this was my house. Fortunately I was able to put the girls in VBS that week so we went shopping and did girly stuff by ourselves for a little while. Then Michelle came and brought peace to the house. She helped me organize some but most of it was just stuff that I had to do so we mostly chatted and ate chocolate. She brought me such sweet fellowship.

Then Tegan and Michelle both surprised me and came back for seperate visits. Those were wonderful also. I felt like they were lifelines back to my old life. I hadn't gotten connected yet to anybody and I had only met one person briefly whom I felt like could be my friend so their visits were just what I needed. When they were here it just felt so natural for both of them to be here. So warm and perfect. I will always cherish their ministry to me. I think that situations like that make a person more aware of meeting the needs of others around them because it was so wonderful to have one's own need met.

Tegan asked me to write my side of this story in my blog. Tegan this is for you.

While Tegan was here the second time she mentioned that she thought she might be pregnant. I internally rolled my eyes because I have heard that same thought from friends so many times. Women are always freaking about this so I didn't pay much attention to it but then she started describing her symptoms. When she told me about the cramps in her lower abdomen I perked up. "You are probably pregnant," I said. Her eyes got real big and she immediately went from trying to convince me that she was pregnant to how she was not pregnant. She kept stopping and saying,"Do you really think I might be pregnant?" I loved that we got to share that moment together. Tegan went out with Caylee to get a pregnancy test and Oreo's during nap time. Tegan came back and did not waste time in taking her test. When she came out she was quite confused about the results of the test. She told me that she thought it might be positive and I agreed that it was. That did not sink in, I could tell. I had to tell her several times and show her on the box in detail how the plus sign matches the positive sign on the box. It was amusing to see my self'-assured friend so discombopulated. After the information finally penetrated there was lots of happy hugs and tears. Then of course she had to call Mike and share. He was overjoyed as expected. The rest of the day was spent in shock calling all of Tegan's relatives to share the good news. It was a happy day and I am so glad I could be there for you Tegan. I love you!

I want to share one last thing. I mentioned earlier that I met a friend briefy and I want to say more about that. After I first got here I was at Wal-Mart by myself (the kids were at the first day of VBS) I was shopping for Tegan's visit, making sure I would be able to make her comfortable. I was looking at something in an aisle when a lady and her adorable daughter walked up (or maybe they were there first, I don't remember that part.) But anyway the daughter was telling her mom about her mean friend that does not share and how nobody wants to be her friend. My heart went out to her and she was so cute that I had to get in on that conversation. The lady was a farmer's wife named Cory Thompson. She lives in Burkburnett. She and I seemed to make an immediate connection so we exchanged numbers. I have never met someone at the store before so it was a little wierd to me but exciting because she seemed like such a sweet and wonderful person. Definitely someone worth pursuing as a friend. I have talked to her a few times in emails and I really think that it was a God thing that we met.

I have so much more to say but it is getting late now so I will continue later.

Here is what we are doing today.

Awhile ago I ordered these savings bank from Crown Financial Ministries. They are so cool. There is a compartment for giving, savings and one for spending. I love it because it gives them such an excellent sense of how their money should be divided. They were happy about giving 10% to God and then I explained that 50% was to save for whatever big thing they wanted and the last 40% was money that they could spend on anything they wanted (like gum). Now I need to come up with a schedule of paid chores they can do. I am not going to pay them for cleaning their room because I feel they should do that because they are part of the family. But there are other things like washing windows, putting dishes away, organizing the bookshelves/entertainment center that I have decided I will pay them for.

Bethany got a boo-boo yesterday.


I was out mowing the backyard and all the girls were up on the playset to get away from the lawn mower. It was Natalie's turn to slide but Bethany wanted to go first and was attempting to do so. Natalie put her arm out to prevent Bethany from falling but Bethany took it as opposition to her cutting in line and pushed on Natalie's arm, thus tumbling off of the tower.I noticed that she was favoring her arm and she kept telling me that it was "hurning" Then I noticed the swelling very soon after and my mommy instincts kicked in and told me this was something a little more serious. I knew it was not a bad break because there was no discoloration, she was still using it tenderly and the swelling was hardly noticeable, but I wanted to see exactly what it was.

Asher was at school helping a friend get the rest of his requirements finished. So he came home and took Bethany to the hospital. It turned out to be a sweet time of cuddling for them. He said that Bethany was perfect. She did everything exactly that the doctor and x-ray techs wanted. I think she just liked being there and getting all the attention from her daddy.

So her arm turned out to be a little more than a hairline fracture, but not as bad as a break. The doctor splinted her arm and said she should be fine in a couple of days. I would think that the splint should be on longer but since she is so little and her bones are always restructuring themselves she is going to be able to heal very quickly.

Dr. William Asher Wright, D.D.S



I am so proud of Asher. It was such an exciting moment to see him walk across the stage. He has worked hard and perservered through so much. I was glad that the girls got to watch their Daddy graduate. For most of his schooling they have been pretty disconnected from what he does. He goes somewhere everyday called school and then he comes back. But on Saturday they got to be part of his life away from home.

Our graduation weekend feels like it started on Thursday because that is when Asher's family came to visit. I was excited to have them here because I was looking forward to meeting my new sister-in-law, Jennifer.






While they were here we attempted go to a spray park in MWC, but it was so windy. I found my friends down by the playground but we kept getting sprayed with sand. It was a bit painful actually. We then went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. That place actually is pretty delicious. Whenever I have gone before I have always had the wrap or a salad becasuse I like those. This time I thought I would try something new a get a sandwich. The breading on their chicken is wonderful. Their chicken nuggets are quite a step up from our usual Mickey Ds. Another thing that I noticed and liked is that there are antiseptic wipes by the door for kids to use before playing on the playplace. What a great idea. Those places are always ridden with germs and my kids have actually gotten sick after playing at Mcdonalds before.






Jennifer loves little girls so she and the girls hit it off right away.



While we were having girls time together the guys were all having lunch. Here they are with Allen Fortenberry.





I am going to fast forward a little to the graduation banquet because I did not take very many pictures.

The banquet was held in the Grand Ballroom of the Skirvin Hotel. It was all very nice and grand. I met a lot of Asher's professors and the man who let Asher into dental school.












I wanted to get more pictures of Asher and his friends at the graduation and he wanted it too, but he was dying under his robe and needed to take it off. Also, it was packed in there so he wanted to take off right away. So we only got a couple of pictures after the ceremony.















Here is a picture that I stole from a friend's blog. (Hope you don't mind, Valina.) These are some of Asher's best buddies at dental school. I think the only ones missing are Steve Deming and Allen Fortenberry.

Asher's new commander just called from the AEGD residancy program at Shepherd. He sounds so nice. I think Asher will enjoy working with him. Will Robinson said that the commander is what makes the program a good experience or not. He was surprised that Asher has a family, especially such a large one. He said that they normally just have a bunch of single guys. He seemed impressed that we have already been down to Shepherd and have made arrangements to move there. He was calling to ask Asher to move down there before he goes to AL and was pleasantly surprised that we already have it all arranged and are second on the list for housing. It seems like Asher is getting off on the right foot and I am glad for that.

The commander said there is going to be a picnic Aug. 8 for all the new people and we are invited too. That sounds like fun. I am already planning on bringing bubbles, frisbees, balls and such for the kids to play with. I bet that they will get some adults to join with them also.

I am getting excited to see what our new life is going to be like.

Does anyone have any suggestions about flies in the trash can? Last year we had a ton of flies from our trash which would make their way into our house. I thought it was because I was using the cheapy, clear janitorial trashbags. This year I have changed to the thick black bags that sinch up at the top, but I am starting to notice that the problem is ongoing. Last week I noticed that there were a bunch of maggots left after the garbage man emptied our trash can. I didn't want to use bleach because I didn't want it to make a mark on the lawn, but I sprayed out the garbage can till it was spotless on the inside. I was hoping that would take care of it, but this morning I noticed that there are maggots along the sides all the way up to the top.

Is this normal? It is so ucky. My stomach turns everytime I take out the trash.

I was thinking it might be from all the poopy diapers that we have. Bethany still wears diapers part of the day (like anytime we go anywhere) and of course Sery is still in diapers.

So from my own brainstorming I have decided that there are two possible causes. I either need to get trash bags that tie at the top so it will close tighter or if that is not it, deal with it until my kids are all potty-trained.

Please let me know if anyone has anymore ideas.

This was the last time we saw Kyle as a single man. He is so great with kids.

Yesterday we went ice blocking with some friends from dental school. It was pretty fun. It was nice to see the other wives again.
For those who don't know what ice blocking is, which I didn't before I met the Albistons, you take a tub of water and freeze it with a rope in it. Then, Wa-la, you have your very own block of ice to careen down your chosen hill. We were at some park in Yukon, I didn't know what it is called. There is this huge hill there that is used for sledding in the snow. Well, it is perfect for ice blocking also.







Valina brought snow cones. The kids really enjoyed that. Especially Asher. (Yes, I am including him with the kids.) He worked at a snow cone stand in high school and developed a passion for a really good snow cone.

Almost right after we first arrived Caylee lost another tooth. We have to leave the window open so the tooth fairy can come in.


I was surprised at how much Caylee loved riding the ice. She spent nearly all her time on the slope. She even missed dinner because she did not want to stop. We let her grab something before we left though.

Traipsing up that hill lugging a block of ice was not easy work. I did it for one of the other girls right before I took this picture and it was hard.


Here are the guys just hanging out. Asher and his friends have gotten pretty close. They have spent a lot of time together for the last four years. I know that Asher will miss them.

Sery found a stray block of ice. Yummy!




This was neat. Someone brought a kite and let the kids play with it. They all took turns holding the string. This kite was much easier to fly than the one that we tried at the church.





Bethany couldn't slide down on ice so she used her bottom instead.




I was trying to get a picture of Asher and the girls but I couldn't get the girls to stay still at the same time. I thought this was a nice view from the mountain.





Someone had an idea to get a picture of all the mommies with babies because we all had at least one. Then we decided to get a picture of the guys. And then a picture of the kids.

It was funny because while the ladies were lined up the guys were lined up on the other side with cameras. Then we traded. Then the parents were lined up taking picture of the children.


I don't think I got a very good picture of the children. Hopefully someone else did and will email it out.

Yesterday was a great day. I worked really hard to go out my way to please Asher. He did not have any idea of what I was doing, but things were very pleasant around our house. We did not have anything to do yesterday morning so the girls and I cleaned our house until it was spic and span. Asher even helped because he did not know what I was doing for him. I think the biggest change was that I did not nag him about anything and I was nice even when he got extremely frustrated because Macy peed on his side of the bed, again.

I know it sounds from my writings that the atmosphere around my house has been very hostile lately. That is not so. I have just noticed that Asher and I have gotten a bit terse when we have gotten frustrated with each other lately. That worries me whenever that happens because of my previous relationships before Asher. It seemed like with almost every one that it was always better in the beginning before we had ever had any real arguments. The level of respect desinigrated because of how we talked to each other. (Relationships are not usually real mature in high school.) From those experiences I learned that protecting the level of respect and friendship is vital to a relationship.


I think as women we don't realize or we forget how much power in the atmosphere of our relationship. We are natural responders to our husbands. That is how God made us. They initiate and we respond. That is how God made us. So when our husbands are feeling a bit grumpy it seems innate to react back to them. It is truly amazing to see how fast a husband will turn around and start acting in a Godly fashion if he sees his wife doing it first.

This is a good principle for husbands who are already saved, too. (1 Peter 3:1+2) Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives.

Last night Asher and I had an argument. It was not a horrible argument. I was just a small one where I wanted to address an issue and he did want to choose that moment to talk about it. I was fuming mad. I was saying things like, "I am sick and tired of this," and "I deserve better than this" to myself.

I am reading a book on prayer right now. Since the girls were in bed and that is the time that I read or do other things to relax, I opened up my book. The book is about praying the attributes of God to become closer to Him. As I turned to the current chapter I saw it was entitled, "Awesome God." I am not sure what it was but those words struck conviction in my heart. Suddenly, God spoke to me. "You spend a lot of time trying to fix Asher's faults but not too much trying to fix your own." It was clear and very accurate.

Asher is a sweet guy. My favorite things about him is that he is funny, hard working, snugly, loves his girls, loyal, passionate, desires God's will for his life, patient with me and full of wisdom. Those are some great qualities. Yes, Asher is not perfect(despite what I thought when we first married). He is human just like anyone else and he has faults. I can be really hard on him sometimes. I don't give him much fudge room. He knows the things he needs to fix and he is sincerely working on them.

One of the things that I love about him is that he hardly ever mentions my faults. Trust me, I have plenty. But to hear him talk you wouldn't ever think much about them.

I know that one of the best ways to help Asher is to be the best wife I can be. If he sees me doing everything I can to please him he will be inspired to do the same for me. I would much rather inspire my husband into certain behaviors rather than try to nag him into those behaviors. I think it is time to change my mode of operation. Well, I am off to clean the kitchen. It pleases Asher when it is sparkly. =)

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

This is what Asher and I do after the kiddos are tucked snugly in bed. :)

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There is a reality to my situation. The reality is that I have five children ages 7 and under. So I have realized that because of this reality I cannot maintain a sparkly house all by myself. My realtor told me that she wants to see my house sparkle before she puts it on the market. I purposely chose a realtor who is a "shark" as my mom would call her. She is highly ambitious and a go-getter. She set a high price for my house but in turn she is expecting a lot out of me. At first I was real gung-ho and I knew it was going to be tough, but I was going to make cleaning and prepping the house my first priority. Now reality has set in though. I have five children, the majority being still small, I am a slow cleaner, and my husband (the fast cleaner) is getting ready to graduate from dental school, so he has not been around much to help me. He has not gotten home before nine this week and one night it was midnight. So Asher is stressed worrying about whether or not he will graduate on time (I am sure he will, most dental students go through this), and I was overly anxious about getting my house ready to sell.

I was completely wearing myself out trying to get as much done as possible in a very short amount of time. I was grouchy with my children and our diet was suffering horribly. I did not want to make a mess in my kitchen or reserve the time it would take to make something healthy so I was resorting to eating out almost every day. Then I asked myself, "Why am I doing this?" Answer, to possibly have a buyer before we move. I decided that it is not worth it. Judy, my realtor mentioned in passing that the first little while that a house first comes on the market is the most important. So I want those few days to be when our house is empty. That we can paint with the furniture gone and we can have the new carpet already installed. When I was looking at houses I looked a quite a few of them and only one had the furniture still inside. So I am sure it will be fine. One other reason that I wanted to put it on the market early was because somebody told me that houses sell faster when the furniture is still there because it makes it easier for buyers to envision their own stuff in the house. But I will have to have buyers with creativity and vision.

Today was the first day that I have had the idea of waiting solidly in place and it has been so much more peaceful. I have a better attitude and I can focus on being kind to my children and having consistent discipline with Bethany.

The great thing though is that I have gotten alot of my work already out of the way.

Easter!

This year for Easter we went to Kyle and Betsy's house for our celebrations. Betsy spent the whole morning, starting at 4:30 a.m., cooking for us. It was spectacular. There was mashed potatoes, ham, cheese noodles, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole and that is not even half of it. Michelle cooked and my mom brought stuff too so let's just say there was plenty of food. I brought easter eggs filled with trail mix and pistachio nuts. I started that last year and I love the new tradition because I don't care how much of it that they eat. With sugar I have to monitor that they don't eat too much because they will eat all they can and get a tummy ache, but with nuts they stop when they are pleasantly satisfied and they don't feel deprived.

Unfortunately I did not get any pictures inside but as soon as the egg hunt started I grabbed my camera and headed outside.

The girls love the egg hunt. It is one tradition that I always did every year and we have never missed it either.

I love that face.

I realize now that I mostly followed my little ones around because they are so cute when they are small. Plus I have pictures of my older ones at Easter, but this was Bethany's first real hunt.

This was Kyle helping Bethany.

Papa and Caylee are searching for eggs.

What a sweet doggy. That is Becket (or maybe Emma), Joe and Michelle's dogs.

How sweet!

After the hunt the guys and Betsy took turns tossing the ball around. They started to get a little rowdy though as you can see in the picture down below. It looks like all three guys are trying to catch the same ball but actually Asher is trying to knock it out of their hands. Good times, good times.