My New Hobby

I have many hobbies. They include reading, researching, writing, watching sports of any kind, and collecting old books, to name a few. One of my newest hobbies, however, is metal detecting.

I absolutely love metal detecting. Granted it has been restricted to my back yard, but you would be surprised to discover what lies under the layers of grass and soil that was left by those who came before us. No I haven't found any coin caches or diamond rings, but I have found a few old coins and various pieces of pottery. I have even found a few of my son's toy cars that he has lost outside over the past eight years. Being a lover of all things old and historical, this is absolutely one of the most fascinating activities that I have found. 

Thanks to a very friendly and hard working mailman who delivers to my house and listened to endless stories from my son on the YouTube videos that we watch about metal detecting, we own a Bounty Hunter Quick Silver metal detector. Not the most expensive machine ever built nor the most powerful. It is perfect for beginners such as my son and I. He also threw in a pin-pointer to help us on our detecting journey and also took time on a Saturday afternoon, after he was done with a full day's work, to give us instruction on it's use. Awesome huh?

Here are a few of the relics from my back yard.

Don't ask me what any of this is.

 I found a  few dimes and pennies. The penny separated from the rest is a 1944 Wheat Penny.

My son and I have gone out twice and my boyfriend and I have gone out once to detect the yard. I have a few permissions, because you should always get permission first, to detect a friend's yard which is two acres and my sister's yard which is three acres. Also, you should keep in mind that there are laws about when and where you can detect when on public land. Check with the local DNR division. 

I have had a lot of fun with my detector so far. Get one for yourself and see how much history you can dig up, just make sure you fill in the hole afterwards!

Breakfast In Bed

My son made me breakfast in bed! Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He did a great job and even wrote "for mom" on the package so I would know it was mine.

 It is the little things like this that are actually the big things. I love parenting!! Kids have a beautiful innocents about them. It is so rewarding to see them grow up as fine young men and women. Every tough, sad, happy, emotional, challenging moment with them is worth it.

Breakfast In Bed

A Healthy Way To Start Your Morning

Here is another easy healthy solution to your rushed mornings! 

My son enjoys these smoothies. I like to vary up the flavors of yogurt and the type of fruit blends so that he doesn't get bored with them. He doesn't even notice the kale.

Frozen Fruit and Kale Smoothie 

1 Cup of Strawberry Yogurt

1 Cup of a Frozen Berry Blend

3/4 Cup of Soy Milk

1 Cup of Fresh Kale

1 Teaspoon of Ground Flax Seed

Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend until everything is smooth and well incorporated. Pour into a glass and enjoy! 

Post Vertigo Mayhem

Anyone that has vertigo knows how difficult it can be to get things done during the time that they have it. Simple things that a person takes for granted become a major chore. Bending over, standing up, turning too fast, laying down, sitting upright, or even blinking, at times, causes the head to spin. Believe me when I tell you, this is no fun. I am currently having mild vertigo which is an improvement from last weekend when I had it so bad that any movement, including blinking, made my head feel like it was on the Silly Silo and nausea to make my stomach churn. It is very unnerving to stand up and immediately fall back down because your balance can't keep up.  

My wonderful boyfriend brought over pizza so that I wouldn't have to cook Saturday night. My son had his snack box which is always full of things like cereal bars, granola bars, peaches, apple sauce, spaghettios, chicken noodle soup, and fruit snacks. That and the pizza kept him fed. Needless to say, other than meals, nothing got done in my house.

The chaos of this scene is enough to cause nausea on its own. But wait! There's more.

Oh yeah, plenty of laundry.

 I always feel like a horrible mommy when I can't do the things that need to be done. It is frustrating. Fortunately, the vertigo has eased up to the point where things can be done if I don't move too quickly and don't bend over a lot.

As you can see, I recovered my kitchen. Yes, the laundry got done. It was a frustratingly slow process but the goal was achieved.  Hopefully, the vertigo will stay away for a while now so that life is easier to deal with and my kitchen can stay this way!

My Son Says I Make The Best!

My son says I make the best Banana Bread in the whole wide world! Considering his vast amount of experience with food world wide (I'm being sarcastic, of course.) I will certainly take the compliment and run with it! So here is the Best Banana Bread In The Whole Wide World recipe!

BEST BANANA BREAD IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD

4 RIPENED OR OVER RIPENED SMASHED BANANAS

2 EGGS

1 3/4 CUPS OF BROWN SUGAR

1/2 CUP MELTED BUTTER

1/4  CUP MILK
1 TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

1 TEASPOON BAKING SODA

1 3/4 CUP FLOUR

Cream together bananas, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix flour and baking soda together thoroughly then add to the creamed banana mixture. Make sure to mix thoroughly so there are no lumps. Pour into a bread pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake till golden brown top cracks slightly or 1 hour and 25 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven. 

This and a nice hot cup of coffee in the morning, what could be better?