Buttermilk Banana Bread, Baby Blanket & Bum-chafing

It's what I'm eating.  It's what I'm making.  It's what I'm feeling.  Let's start with the buttermilk banana bread that came out of the oven only minutes ago. 

 It's sweet, soft and warm - perfect for this winter weather we've had today!  Believe it or not, it's frigid here in Kirksville!  It may very well be that we've been so accustomed to the warm/hot/blistering summer that this sudden dip seem outrageously cold, but I stepped out of the house this morning and I didn't smell autumn anymore.  I don't know how many people out there are like this too, but I identify with the seasons based on smell.  Every three months or so the smell of the air starts to change.  One whiff and I know where we're at in the year.  And, a whiff is about all we got of autumn, the best season of them all, and then BAM! Winter. :(  Anyways, this bread settling down nicely and deeply in my stomach, pudging me up for the coming cold months.  I found the recipe in a cookbook made a few years back by the spouses and partners of the medical students, and it truly is a fool-proof recipe, one of those recipes that you get perfect on the first try.  If anyone is interested, here is the pretty simple recipe:

Buttermilk Banana Bread
 2 eggs
1/2 c. butter
1/3 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. mashed banana
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Pre-heat oven to 325.  Spray one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Blend together eggs, butter, buttermilk, vanilla and bananas.  Sift sugar, flour, baking soda and salt.  Add to banana mixture.  Mix well.  Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

- - From "SenSAAtional Favorites: just what the D.O.ctor ordered", by Jessica Crapo, 2008 

FYI: if you do make it, don't get scared when it's been in the oven for an hour and the edges are all starting to look really dark.  It's not burnt!

In addition to becoming a comfort food connoisseur, I have also been turning into a granny. . . a granny-square maker, that is.  For those unfamiliar with granny squares, have a look at the pictures.  I'm making a blanket for Gabe's room.  I wasn't going to unveil it until I was done, but knowing me and my crafting skills, it is highly likely that this blanket will not turn out the way I envisioned.  So, I'll show it in progress.

This last picture is where I'm at today.  I found instructions and a tutorial on how to make granny squares here.  I got the idea for joining them together here.  And inspiration came from here.  It's nice to sit down and have something to work on after Gabe's gone to bed and while Phil is still at the library.

As for the bum-chafing, I went to my first spinning class this morning.  Exercise group started this week, which means that every morning at 8:30 I drop Gabe off in the basement of the gym along with another couple dozen of children who get babysat while their moms go workout for an hour.  All the moms take turns babysitting (my day is Tuesday).  Gabe has a lot of fun.  I was able to observe him yesterday while I was babysitting, and he just crawls and crawls and crawls.  Sometimes he'll pick up a toy and put it in his mouth.  Sometimes he'll sit up for a minute and laugh (at what, I have no idea). But for the most part, he just crawls.  By the end of the hour, though, he's usually ready to go.  I went in to get him after class today, and he was being held and had tear stains down his cheeks.  He went to sleep on the way home.
Anyway, I had my first taste of spin this morning, and it kicked my butt!  Or, should I say, chafed my butt.  Not only was the workout grueling, but I had never realized before why hard-core bikers wear padded shorts.  Now I know.  Rather than type away about this further, I will show you some pictures (not of the chafing!) of Gabe from today. He's got some major double-chinnage in this one.

 

 I tried to get him to stand up by the fire hydrant, but he wasn't having it.