Dramatic Girls....

Some would call us foolish while others would say we were brave beyond belief. Whichever you decide....we summoned our courage and made sure the fresh warm chocolate chip banana bread did indeed have no poison in it.

My husband laughed at the above text message I sent with attached picture and replied back quickly to say that I was weird, melodramatic, and where in the world do I concoct this stuff up from.
I can't help it. It is what happens when all of us girls are in the house and feeling goofy.

For years it has been a standard conversation in the kitchen. Whenever I do any baking my girls run in as the steam rolls off the golden ______ (you fill in the blank because the response is the same no matter what it is). They exclaim with mischievous grins,"Mom do you need a taste tester to make sure those are safe for eating?" Sometimes their stuffed mouths are followed by moans of delight and other times they fall to the floor in mock drama to re-enact what they have dubbed.....a sudden case of death. Once the laughter subsides they always exclaim that they need to confiscate the rest of the baked goods for further inspection.

Yum! Banana Chocolate Chip Bread......it is the perfect treat when I have a sweet tooth. Sometimes I omit the chocolate and put cranberries and almond in instead. But the chocolate chips are a perfect compliment.

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There is a young girl we know that we have tried to become friends with for a couple of years now. She was always really quiet and barely responded to our attempts at making conversation. Over the past 3 months though there has been a dramatic change. Now she calls and texts the girls and I on a regular basis and greets us with a huge bubbling smile whenever she sees us. We have begun to include her in all of our teenage adventures that include shopping, movies, and all descriptions that can be included while visiting at "Grandma's House". She remains very quiet and chooses to be a corner observer in all activities but then thanks us over and over at the end of the day when she remarks at the incredible day she had.

Recently we learned that she was to have a birthday and didn't plan on doing anything. My girls jumped at the opportunity and proclaimed that they would throw her a party and it would be a time to remember.

It has been so amazing and humbling to watch the delight wave over her face this last weekend when she turned 18. There are so many things that my girls and I take for granted and this girl was in shock that we would actually make food for her party, that we would take her cake shopping, that we sought to know her favorites and dislikes.

I can't even think of what to write next. I simply want to aknowledge that I am so very grateful.

Thank you Lord for your prompting, for your love, and for your hugs.