Banana Bread

I've been very busy lately so when I realized I had to blog about a recipe this week, I didn't know when I would have the time to do it. But, as the bananas on my counter continued to ripen and get darker and darker, I knew I had to make banana bread. It's pretty quick and it's super tasty. I usually make a double batch, but since I only had 2 bananas, I only made 1 loaf.

My mom's banana bread recipe makes the BEST banana bread in the whole world! There are a lot of varieties of banana bread in existence and I dislike most of them (I know, I'm picky)! If it doesn't taste like what I'm used to (i.e. my mom's) then I probably won't like it. The problem with making this banana bread is that I want to eat it all! It's so good...I'm going to eat some right now!

Because we are so busy, Bill didn't help me by taking pictures this time - I took them myself. So, there are fewer pictures (I forgot to take some at each step) and they aren't as nice...but you get the idea, and the recipe is still super tasty!

The ingredients...missing the vanilla (I forgot to gather it for the picture).

Mash the bananas into an unappetizing pile of goo.

Blend the shortening and sugar, then add the other ingredients (according to the directions, of course).

Pour it all in a loaf pan and bake.

Delicious Banana Bread...hot out of the oven! It smells and tastes so good!

Banana Bread:

1/2 cup shortening (I use a combination of margarine and oil)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 eggs
2-3 bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
-Blend shortening and sugar together.
-In a separate bowl, mix water, salt and baking soda then add to sugar mixture.
-Stir in eggs and bananas.
-Add flour, cinnamon and vanilla.
-Pour into greased loaf or cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Dirty dishes - not too bad.

Banana Bread

Taste: 5 out of 5
Dirty Dishes: 5 out of 5
Time/Effort: 4 out of 5
TOTAL: 14 out of 15

II Corinthians 12:9

Week 13 - II Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

God doesn't expect us to be perfect. When we are weak, He can shine through.

5 Things Packed for Driving vs Flying

Last week, someone suggested we take a 6-hour drive to the mountains to visit friends. We hadn't been planning to go, but we said, "why not?" So on Friday, we loaded up the car for a weekend get-away. We like road trips, a lot! As we were packing, I realized that I pack very differently for a road trip than I do for a plane trip. When we drive, we can take as much as will fit in the car...but when we fly, I have to expertly fit everything into the suitcases and make sure they weigh less than 50 pounds (which I am pretty good at!!).

Even though it isn't very exciting, I decided it might be fun to list some of the things that we brought with us. (Some of these things we would never take on a plane trip - for obvious reasons).

Driving vs. Flying
1. Two laptops. If we were flying, I would not have taken my laptop for 2 days...the hassle of taking it out of my bag to go through security is too much. But, since we could just throw them in the backseat and we knew the hotel would have free wi-fi, we each brought our own computers.

2. Power inverter. We didn't need this on the trip, but it would have been handy if we had broken-down or been stopped for an extended period of time (which can sometimes happen here). We used this on our 4-week road trip in 2009 and it is very handy to charge cell phones, laptops, and other such devices. Since we had room, we packed it in the car.

3. Cooler and TONS of food. If we were flying, we wouldn't need much food and we would be able to buy it in airports fairly easily. We also wouldn't be able to take any liquid. But, for the road trip, we grabbed all kinds of snacks and took a cooler with drinks. We were only gone for 2 days but we had enough food to survive at least 20! And, the hotel had a mini-fridge so we kept our drinks cold for the ride home (and we used the ice machine to refill our cooler).

4. Clothes on hangers. I am not a fan of garment bags - I think they are bulky and not useful. So, if I have hang-up clothes to take, I fold them neatly and put them in a suitcase when I fly. But, for the road trip, we had the convenience of hooks in the back seat and we just hung our hangers. So much easier than dealing with a garment bag!

5. Lots of Bags. I like bags (except garment bags)! I have all kinds of totes and backpacks and purses and bags. Sometimes, I'm sad that I can't use more of them when I travel by plane because everything gets put in a suitcase or my carry-on. But, on a road trip, I use lots of bags! Shoes in one bag, snacks in another bag, and clothes in yet another bag, etc. I get to use lots of individual bags to gather things together. Then, we just toss all the bags in the car and everything is contained and organized - I love it!

Psalms 62:5

Week 12 - Psalms 62:5
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

Sometimes when we are very busy, it's hard to slow down. But, it's good to remember that we can find rest in God.

South American Cruise

You may have heard that we recently returned from a trip of a lifetime...a South American cruise...around Cape Horn!!! It was wonderful - we had so much fun! We experienced so many wonderful things and we will never forget the amazing time we had!

I've been working hard to compile a video from all the footage I had and create a nice summary of our trip. I finally finished the video...and it's 15 minutes long! I know...that's long, but we were gone for TWO weeks. So, I decided it was ok. If I wanted it to accurately portray our vacation, I couldn't trim away anymore! I guess if you think it's too long - just stop watching. Or, don't start! :)

However, because the video is so long, the file was too big to upload! I had to upload it at a lower resolution just to make it work. Therefore, the video quality isn't the greatest, but you can still get an idea for what our trip was like. (If you're ever at our house, you can watch the higher resolution with us!)

We had a lot of fun and hope you enjoy the video:

South American Cruise from Kara Hurt on Vimeo.

Romans 8:28

Week 11 - Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

God is always working in our lives. And even if it doesn't seem like it, He is working for good. God can use any circumstances in our life for His purposes.

March 6 - A Day In My Life

We've been back from vacation for over a week, but our internet has been very unreliable so it has been difficult to update the blog. I'm working on it and hope to get a couple new posts up in the coming days.

If you didn't know, we went on a CRUISE for two weeks at the end of February! It was SO much fun. I could spend hours talking about it, but I'll try not to. Here is a brief glimpse into our life on a cruise..enjoy!

I know, it wasn't that early, but when you're on vacation, it seems early! Our room was so dark, which made me want to keep sleeping!

But, when I finally got up and opened the curtains, this was the view from our cabin. (Yes, we had a veranda - they upgraded us for free and we loved it!) Welcome to lovely Punta Arenas, Chile.

All ready to go...headed to breakfast to start our big day!

Breakfast buffet in the Oceanview Cafe. So many choices - this was just one of the many buffet lines!

I ended up with french toast, sausage, potatoes, and a donut (yes, I know I eat a lot of carbs!). It was all so tasty. It's true when people say you gain weight on cruises...so much good food to eat!

Waiting in the Celebrity Theater for our tour group. They issue everyone a sticker according to the tour you are on. Then, you wait patiently for your sticker number to be called.

We were with the "Pink 14" tour group...going to see PENGUINS!!! They did warn us that this was the end of the penguin mating season so we might not see very many. But, at our first stop, we saw quite a few so I was hopeful!

On the tour bus for the hour-long drive to Otway Sound - where there are penguins...hopefully!

We made it! It was so windy...I can't even describe how windy it was! We were wearing every warm layer we had! Now, let's go find some penguins!

We started the long walk out to where the penguins nest. The long...windy...cold...walk!

There were tons of people, all hoping to see penguins. Everyone was anxious to get to the lookout point. Everyone gathered up ahead must mean something good, right?

And when we finally made it...this is what we saw. Where have all the penguins gone??? Actually, they've all gone up to warmer waters near Brazil by now. But, there were a few (10) brave penguins left for us to stare at.

You can tell they think it's windy too...all huddled together!

We saw one more penguin away from the beach, near some nesting sites. Can you see him? He's the black and white speck about half an inch above the tip of my finger! During the height of mating season, the beach and all the nesting area is covered with penguins...too bad we missed that!

Like I said, there were a LOT of people there to see the penguins. There were easily 40 times as many people as there were penguins!

Time check! On the bus headed back to town.

In Punta Arenas, overlooking the downtown area - with our cruise ship in the distance.

Statue of Ferdinand Magellan in the main square.

Buying souvenirs. We were still really cold...recovering from all the wind!

Because the cruise ship was anchored, we had to take tenders to get back and forth from shore. (The port isn't deep enough for the big ship). We enjoyed riding in the little tenders (which are also life boats, if needed).

Time for a quick lunch before or next activity. You can't beat the view we had at almost EVERY meal!

One of my favorite activities on every cruise I've been on is Trivia! They had lots of different trivia sessions this time and we enjoyed many of them!

Back to the room to get dressed for dinner...we tried to get a little dressed up most nights.

Our dinner menu...fancy food!

Again, you can't beat the view. We really enjoyed all the food and eating on the cruise!

Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert. One of the best desserts I had during the entire cruise.

After dinner, we went to a beer tasting in one of the lounges. Bill enjoyed tasting beers from around the world.

Then we stopped by to see part of the special swing dancing show. It was fun, but since we aren't dancers we didn't stay long (it was interactive and we were afraid they might try to make us dance).

Finally, back to our room! I love coming back to the room and having the bed turned down and the chocolates on our pillows. And, I love reading the newsletter and schedule for the following day! Another one of my favorite things about cruising!

Hope you enjoyed a little peak at our vacation. We had so much fun! If you've never been on a cruise - you should go!!

Psalms 90:14

Week 10 - Psalms 90:14
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

We need to remember that only in God can we find complete satisfaction and He always loves us...ALWAYS! His unfailing love can fill us with joy for all our day!