Banana Cake and weekend outings alone

I wonder why I didn't order a large print of that one? Thats her "Franken-Tilly" look. She gives it all the time.

I awoke to a bowl of over ripened bananas on the kitchen counter. Where as other fruit over ripening is a sad frown upon our wastefulness, over ripe bananas mean only one thing. GRANDMAS BANANA CAKE! So, while all the babies were napping, I made a quick cake and now Lucas and Matilda are happily running around the playroom with their small slices clutched in sticky little hands. Its sort of like velcro- their fingers- only its flavored with jam and butter. :-)

Yesterday, I took a book to Starbucks and spent three hours reading. The book was "The Highland Fling Murders" by "Jessica Fletcher" (Donald Bain). Right now I depend upon reading to keep my 'little gray cells', as Poirot would say, from deterioration into baby wipe residue. I read every night from 9 until 10 p.m., then happily slumber until the entire baby routine begins around 7 a.m. the following morning. I haven't seen a television show in over a year that was geared toward anyone above the age of 3, I am completely behind on current events (for a brief moment over the weekend when I saw someone with a sports Jersey that said "OBAMA 08" I wondered if he played for the Atlanta Falcons before remembering the heated primary), I don't know a single song composer whose currently in the top 40 and have no clue whats playing at the box office. I am like a "time capsule" from 2006. People could interview me to find out what 2006 was like, since most everyone else has forgot it already. This isn't as bad as a friend of mine whose hairstyle is a time capsule from 1985. And the weird thing is she is too young to have actually worn that hair style in 1985, so its something she discovered years past the styles prime and adopted for herself anew.

But, I will not sacrifice my "me time" which for me is a murder mystery- favorites in the cozy theme- and a quiet corner. I have been reading Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, and Donald Bain of late. I found just such a comfy chair Saturday and spent three hours engrossed in a light fun book with a character I am attached to from television viewing (when I had that). I have been over my days of reading Vonnegut while in a state of perpetual mourning for years and rather enjoy being swept in something fun and only slightly spooky. Hey, if its not "Mrs. Wishy Washy" I consider it Pulitzer material.

So back to my comfy chair... apparently the comfy chairs in Starbucks are viewed as "couples only" chairs and no one would occupy the one next to me. Either that, or I smelled like baby formula. Not having to SHARE my corner meant I could completely curl up sideways in the chair and let my ankles drape over the arm of the opposite side. I had one entire alcove to myself. Every once in awhile a couple would walk over and stare at me for a moment, perhaps wondering how long I would be claiming ownership of the "comfy chair corner". I wanted to yell "Take your expensive coffee and get a room!". Hee, hee. Another young man sat beside me briefly with his laptop and kept eying me in a most conspicuous fashion and I suspect he wanted me to make eye contact so he could then ask how long I would be hoarding the mate to his comfy chair. Poor fella, I outlasted him, too. When his lunch companion arrived, he cocked his head toward me and rolled his eyes and said "Lets find a secluded corner" and they walked away discussing their upcoming power point lecture. Hmpfh! As if I would be insulted by his snide little stare and purposefully loud annoyment. On the contrary, it just made me appreciate my comfy chair all the more, so I sat my book on it and went and purchased a second over priced beverage to savour while staking my claim to it. I may ask if I can rent this chair every Sunday afternoon from 1 until 4 o'clock. What I drank was some sort of apple cider with caramel, whipped cream, and cinnamon that tasted like a warm apple pie and came in at 470 calories. *That* part, thank goodness, I didn't learn until at home or I may have suffered from an imagined sense of bloat at having downed it so quickly. Not knowing how sugary it was (in a caloric sense) just made the afternoon all the sweeter itself.

OK, Lucas and Tilly finished their cake and Matilda asked me if they could "Scribble". I am right here outside their playroom, so I can enjoy their company and catch up on my blog at the same time. I gave her several color safe markers and two sheets from their coloring book. And now the entire back wall of their playroom is decorated with multiple colors and I snapped a picture of her with a silly expression that says "Uh Oh!" that I will update this entry with sometime in the course of the week. :-) Lucas, on the other hand, now has two green feet.

Here is my grandmas cake, and a picture of my current favorite sleuth:

Maw Maw's Banana Cake

2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda ("sodie" as my grandma would say)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed bananas (we use FOUR)
1 teaspoon vanilla

As with all grandma cakes, there isn't any whipping the sugar and cream together, or sifting the flour. Just combine and pour into a 9 by 13 pan and bake it at 350 for about 25-30 minutes.