Linda's Lunacy

Faith, Home, & Family

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

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This recipe makes a nice moist, flavorful muffin. And because they are my special gluten free muffins, I don’t have to share with the family. Good thing they freeze well, or I would most likely eat too many. 🙂
I did let my family try a taste, and they all liked them.

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

3 very ripe bananas
2/3 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c. gluten free all purpose flour
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mash bananas, add eggs and beat. Add sugar and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Mix until combined. Spoon into greased muffin tin, about 3/4 full. Bake 15-20 min. at 350. Let cool slightly before removing to wire rack.

Makes 16-18 muffins
They freeze well. You can also frost if you want to, but they don’t really need it.

 

Linda's Lunacy

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A Lasting Impression

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A fake. A forger. More than anything, Claire Laurent longs for the chance to live an authentic life, to become the woman she wants to be. And she’ll be given that choice. But will it come at too costly a price?

Claire Laurent’s greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she’s forced to flee from New Orleans to Nashville only a year after the War Between the States has ended, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe. She considers him a godsend for not turning her in to the authorities. But after he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she’s sorely misjudged the man. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville’s society, Claire believes her dream to create a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach–but only if her fraudulent past remains hidden.

The Federal Army has destroyed Sutton’s home and confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family’s honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him and to right a grievous wrong reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined–as well as the woman he loves.Set at Nashville’s historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Mrs. Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves–and each other–for who they really are.

 

Tamera Alexander is a best-selling novelist whose deeply drawn characters, thought-provoking plots, and poignant prose resonate with readers. Having lived in Colorado for seventeen years, she and her husband now make their home in Nashville Tennessee, along with their two adult children who live near by. And don’t forget Jack, their precious–and precocious–silky terrier.

For more information please visit www.tameraalexander.com

MY REVIEW:

Clair loves to paint, her mother started teaching her to paint when she was very young. Then her mother become ill and her father forced her into the family business. The business of painting fakes and selling them as originals. Clair is not happy with the situation and would love to change it. When tragedy strikes, she is able to leave town and start over. Living the life she has always dreamed of living. Painting what she wants. And signing her own name.

Then she meets a man and she’s afraid of telling him about her past. Will her turn away from her after he finds out about her past?

A Lasting Impression will have you so intrigued with the history, the painting, the love story, that you won’t want to put it down!

A Lasting Impression is available on Amazon.com. (not my affiliate link)

 

Enter to win one of Tamera’s fabulous prizes and RSVP for Facebook Party on 11/15!


 TA Campaign

Post:

Kindle Fire Giveaway and Facebook Party from Tamera Alexander!

While Tamera and her book,  A Lasting Impression, are traveling across the country virtually
(with a few international stops as well!), she will be hosting a Kindle
Fire Giveaway (11/4 – 11/15) and preparing for a lavish Southern-Style Facebook Party (11/15) (dripping
with hospitality, of course). She will be giving away Southern Food
Baskets, books, and an array of other fabulous freebies! Don’t miss a
minute of the fun. Swoon!

Read what the reviewers are saying here.

One grand prize winner will receive:

  • A Brand New Kindle Fire (shipped as soon as it releases)
  • A copy of A Lasting Impression and 3 other special books Tamera wants you to have (for Kindle)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends at noon on November 15th. Winner will be announced at A Lasting Impression Facebook Party on the 15th. Tamera will be wrapping up the A Lasting Impression celebration
with an author chat and giving away Southern Food Baskets (Loveless
Cafe Food Baskets, books, Amazon & Starbucks gift certificates, and
copies of Christy Jordan’s Southern Plate cookbook), six gift certificates to Starbucks and Amazon.com, and copies of A Lasting Impression! So grab your copy of A Lasting Impression (it’s
okay if you don’t have one yet- you might win one!) and join Tamera on
the evening of November 15th for an author chat, a trivia contest (How
much do you know about the 1860’s?) and lots of Southern-inspired
giveaways (complete listing here).

Enter via E-mail Enter via FacebookEnter via Twitter

Don’t miss a moment of the fun. RSVP today and tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER. Hope to see you on the 15th!

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Our Homeschool Week in Review

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This week has been Sabbath Week for us. That means no school. But that doesn’t mean we just sat around and did nothing. Well, ok, that happened, too. We did lot’s of other stuff, too. Just look at some of the thing we did this week:

 

Hannah made homemade waffles for lunch one day. They used my homemade cinnamon syrup on them. yummy

 

I showed Abby how to make rice cereal treats this week. She made them THREE times this week. And yes, they are all gone! lol

Hannah made 8 more pillow case dresses for the Christmas shoeboxes at church. She made some pillow case dresses last month for church, too. This time, the church supplied the fabric (and ribbon & thread) and she cut them out and sewed them instead of using actual pillow cases. The came out really cute.

The girls practiced volleyball at home all week, and with the team on Thursday night.  The boys “helped” them practice by chasing the ball. They didn’t last very long being ball chasers, though. lol

Abby found out a way to practice and protect her sore arms.

Bubble wrap! lol

She didn’t wear it to team practice, though. lol

Dad took these pictures at the gym last night. The pic below is Hannah.

They also finished a puzzle this week. We all love to do puzzles, but the kids did all but a handful of pieces on this puzzle.

So even though we didn’t have any book work this week, we stayed busy and productive.  Back to the books on Monday!

 

Here are a few homeschooling links I found interesting and helpful:

Flag Coloring Pages
Making Books in Your Homeschool
Handmade Christmas Cards for the kids to make
More Handmade Christmas Cards for the kids to make

 
For more homeschool posts, please visit:Weekly Wrap UpWeekly Homeschool Highlights

What’s For Dinner?

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I made Taco Beans for lunch one day last week. They came out really good. To cooked pinto beans, I added tomato sauce, chili powder and cumin. I served it over rice, and the kids really loved it. I think next time, I’ll add diced tomatoes, also. And top with a little cheddar cheese. yum!

Have you ever made up a recipe that your family really loved?

 

Saturday – Sabbath- Make ahead meals- Cheeseburgers, homemade french fries – husband cooked

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Bean soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Monday – chicken –  Chicken Strips, homemade BBQ sauce for dipping, salad from garden

Tuesday – pizza –  Homemade Pizza, carrot sticks

Wednesday – super simple – leftovers

Thursday – beef – Spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, salad from garden if there is any left

Friday – Sabbath Dinner –  Roasted Chicken, mashed potatoes, beets

 

 

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday and Menu Planning Mayhem.

Mercy Come Morning

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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

 

Today’s Wild Card author is:

 

 

and the book:

 

Mercy Come Morning

WaterBrook Press; Reprint edition (August 16, 2011)

***Special thanks to Laura Tucker of WaterBrook Press for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

LISA BERGREN is the best-selling, award-winning author of more than thirty books, with more than two million copies sold. A former publishing executive, she now splits her time working as a freelance editor and writer while parenting three children with her husband, Tim, and dreaming of the family’s next visit to Taos.

Visit the author’s website.

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:

There are no second chances. Or are there?

Krista Mueller is in a good place. She’s got a successful career as a professor of history; she’s respected and well-liked; and she lives hundreds of miles from her hometown and the distant mother she could never please. It’s been more than a decade since Alzheimer’s disease first claimed Charlotte Mueller’s mind, but Krista has dutifully kept her mother in a first-class nursing home.

Now Charlotte is dying of heart failure and, surprised by her own emotions, Krista rushes to Taos, New Mexico, to sit at her estranged mother’s side as she slips away. Battling feelings of loss, abandonment, and relief, Krista is also unsettled by her proximity to Dane McConnell, director of the nursing home—and, once upon a time, her first love. Dane’s kind and gentle spirit—and a surprising discovery about her mother—make Krista wonder if she can at last close the distance between her and her mother … and open the part of her heart she thought was lost forever.

“A timeless tale, to be kept every day in the heart as a reminder
that forgiveness is a gift to self.”
—PATRICIA HICKMAN, author of The Pirate Queen

Product Details:

List Price: $13.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: WaterBrook Press; Reprint edition (August 16, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307730107
ISBN-13: 978-0307730107

AND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:

“She’s dying, Krista.”

I took a long, slow breath. “She died a long time ago, Dane.”

He paused, and I could picture him formulating his next words, something that would move me. Why was my relationship with my mother so important to him? I mean, other than the fact that she was a patient in his care. “There’s still time, Kristabelle.”

I sighed. Dane knew that his old nickname for me always got to me. “For what? For long, deep conversations?” I winced at the harsh slice of sarcasm in my tone.

“You never know,” he said quietly. “An aide found something you should see.”

“What?”

“Come. I’ll keep it here in my office until you arrive. Consider it a Christmas present.”

“It’s December ninth.”

“Okay, consider it an early present.”

It was typical of him to hold out a mysterious hook like that. “I don’t know, Dane. The school term isn’t over yet. It’s a hard time to get someone to cover for me.” It wasn’t the whole truth. I had an assistant professor who could handle things on her own. And I could get back for finals. Maybe. Unless Dane wasn’t overstating the facts.

“Krista. She’s dying. Her doctor tells me she has a few weeks, tops. Tell your department chair. He’ll let you go. This is the end.” I stared out my cottage window to the old pines that covered my yard in shadows. The end. The end had always seemed so far away. Too far away. In some ways I wanted an end to my relationship with my mother, the mother who had never loved me as I longed to be loved. When she started disappearing, with her went so many
of my hopes for what could have been. The road to this place had been long and lonely. Except for Dane. He had always been there, had always waited. I owed it to him to show. “I’ll be there on Saturday.”

“I’ll be here. Come and find me.”

“Okay. I teach a Saturday morning class. I can get out of here after lunch and down there by five or six.”

“I’ll make you dinner.”

“Dane, I—”

“Dinner. At seven.”

I slowly let my mouth close and paused. I was in no mood to argue with him now. “I’ll meet you at Cimarron,” I said.
“Great. It will be good to see you, Kristabelle.” I closed my eyes, imagining him in his office at Cimarron Care Center. Brushing his too-long hair out of his eyes as he looked through his own window.

“It will be good to see you, too, Dane. Good-bye.”

He hung up then without another word, and it left me feeling slightly bereft. I hung on to the telephone receiver as if I could catch one more word, one more breath, one more connection with the man who had stolen my heart at sixteen.

Dane McConnell remained on my mind as I wrapped up things at the college, prepped my assistant, Alissa, to handle my history classes for the following week, and then drove the scenic route down to Taos from Colorado Springs, about a five-hour trip. My old Honda Prelude hugged the roads along the magnificent San Luis Valley. The valley’s shoulders were still covered in late spring snow, her belly carpeted in a rich, verdant green. It was here that in 1862 Maggie O’Neil single-handedly led a wagon train to settle a town in western Colorado, and nearby Cecilia Gaines went so
crazy one winter they named a waterway in her honor—“Woman Hollering Creek.”

I drove too fast but liked the way the speed made my scalp tingle when I rounded a corner and dipped, sending my stomach flying. Dane had never driven too fast. He was methodical in everything he did, quietly moving ever forward. He had done much in his years since grad school, establishing Cimarron and making it a national think tank for those involved in gerontology. After high school we had essentially ceased communication for years before Cimarron came about. Then when Mother finally got to the point in her descent into Alzheimer’s that she needed fulltime institutionalized care, I gave him a call. I hadn’t been able to find a facility that I was satisfied with for more than a year, when a college friend had shown me the magazine article on the opening of Cimarron and its patron saint, Dane McConnell.

“Good looking and nice to old people,” she had moaned. “Why can’t I meet a guy like that?”

“I know him,” I said, staring at the black-and-white photograph.

“Get out.”

“I do. Or did. We used to be…together.”

“What happened?” she asked, her eyes dripping disbelief.

“I’m not sure.”

I still wasn’t sure. Things between us had simply faded over the years. But when I saw him again, it all seemed to come back. Or at least a part of what we had once had. There always seemed to be a submerged wall between us, something we couldn’t quite bridge or blast through. So we had simply gone swimming toward different shores.

Mother’s care had brought us back together over the last five years. With the congestive heart failure that was taking her body, I supposed the link between us would finally be severed. I would retreat to Colorado, and he would remain in our beloved Taos, the place of our youth, of our beginnings, of our hearts. And any lingering dream of living happily ever after with Dane McConnell could be buried forever with my unhappy memories of Mother.

I loosened my hands on the wheel, realizing that I was gripping

it so hard my knuckles were white. I glanced in the rearview mirror, knowing that my reverie was distracting me from paying attention to the road. It was just that Dane was a hard man to get over. His unique ancestry had gifted him with the looks of a Scottish Highlander and the sultry, earthy ways of the Taos Indians. A curious, inspiring mix that left him with both a leader’s stance and a wise man’s knowing eyes. Grounded but visionary. A driving force, yet empathetic at the same time. His employees loved working for him. Women routinely fell in love with him.

I didn’t know why I could never get my act together so we could finally fall in love and stay in love. He’d certainly done his part. For some reason I’d always sensed that Dane was waiting for me, of all people. Why messed-up, confused me? Yet there he was. I’d found my reluctance easy to blame on my mother. She didn’t love me as a mother should, yada-yada, but I’d had enough time with my counselor to know that there are reasons beyond her. Reasons that circle back to myself.

I’d always felt as if I was chasing after parental love, but the longer I chased it, the further it receded from my reach. It left a hole in my heart that I was hard-pressed to fill. God had come close to doing the job. Close. But there was still something there, another blockade I had yet to blast away. I would probably be working on my “issues” my whole life. But as my friend Michaela says, “Everyone’s got issues.” Supposedly I need to embrace them. I just want them to go away.

“Yeah,” I muttered. Dane McConnell was better off without me. Who needed a woman still foundering in her past?

I had to focus on Mother. If this was indeed the end, I needed to wrap things up with her. Find closure. Some measure of peace. Even if she couldn’t say the words I longed to hear.

I love you, Krista.

Why was it that she had never been able to force those four words from her lips?

Excerpted from Mercy Come Morning by Lisa Tawn Bergren Copyright © 2011 by Lisa Tawn Bergren. Excerpted by permission of WaterBrook Press, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

 

MY REVIEW:

Mercy Come Morning was previously released as Christmas Every Morning.

Mercy Come Morning is a very emotional book to read. The main character, Krista, is in a very tough position. Having to care for her mother that she never felt loved by and never got along with. Her mother has Alzheimers. Not only does she have to care for her mother, but her mother doesn’t know who she is.

With the help of God and a childhood friend, Krista finds love, forgiveness, and mercy.

I had tears in my eyes during a few parts of this book. Mercy Come Morning will pull at your heartstrings, so have the tissues ready.

 

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services
mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I
only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255:
“Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Saturday on the Farm

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Gardening is almost done for the year here in Kentucky. I still have some lettuce, turnips and radishes left in the garden. We are covering and uncovering everyday to protect them from the frost.

 

I have flowers blooming, though! This cyclamen is in the Bible Garden. It was called a Hardy Cyclamen when I bought it. I guess it is hardy, as we haven’t been covering it at night. It has 3 little flowers on it.

I actually have a bud on one of the rose bushes, too. I’ve had roses before on Thanksgiving, so they are right on track.

The Burning Bush is gorgeous this year! It’s on the front corner of the house. To the right is the Bible Garden, the bush is actually part of the Bible Garden. The front garden is to the left of the bush.

Do you still having anything growing or blooming?

 

Here are a few links I found interesting and helpful:

Using Ashes in the Garden
Growing Carrots in a Soda Bottle – A great gardening project to do with the kids.
How to Make Elderberry Syrup
Urban Homesteading
How to Save Tomato Seeds – video

 

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Our Homeschool Week in Review

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This week, Hannah and Abby went to their first homeschool girls volleyball practice. They were so sore the next day! They have only played volleyball casually, so this is a new experience for them.  The girls are of all ages from about 9 or 10 to 17. The coach is a homeschool dad and he was great with the girls. None of the girls have played on a volleyball team before, and some haven’t even played volleyball before. So he’s starting with the basics, which is good for all of them. They have their first game in about 2 weeks. I really wanted to take pictures of them at their first practice. But I was a good mommy and left the camera in my purse. They were nervous enough about their first practice without me documenting their first attempts. So the way I see it, that makes all the next practices fair picture game. lol

 

We’ve been using Excellence in Literature’s Introduction to Literature for the last few weeks. By we, I mean my 17 year old. lol It’s a self-directed course and non consumable. Perfect for families with more than one student. In case you missed it, here’s the review I posted of Excellence in Literature’s Introduction to Literature for The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew.

 

It’s November, which means a Thanksgiving Tree! The kids write what they are thankful for on leaves and tape them to the tree. I have the kids put their name or initial on the back of each leaf. I usually save the leaves when we take the tree down and that makes it easier to tell who each leaf belongs to. It’s so fun to look back and see what they were thankful for when they were younger. They are allowed to write whatever they want. So yes, we have thankful leaves for computers, video games, and kool aid. lol Here’s this years tree:

We usually have branches on the tree, but when I was cutting out this years tree, Zach said why don’t you round it out so we have more room to put leaves. So I did it the way he wanted. I use the brown packing paper that comes in packages. I always try to save this kind of paper. Smooth it out and fold it up. It makes great paper for projects like this, or even spreading out on the table and letting the kids draw all over it. Our Thanksgiving Tree is on the back of our front door for all to see. We let guests fill out leaves if they want to, also.

Do you do any fun or meaningful things for Thanksgiving?

 

Here are a few links I found interesting and helpful:

Handwriting Thankful Pages
Difference between test grades and transcript grades – video
Free printable maps
How do you get enough credits when homeschooling highschool – video
The Transcript Process
Download and print a How Do I Become President? poster – prints on 8 1/2 by 11 paper
Calvary Chapel Curriculum
How to put together a homeschool high school portfolio

 

For more homeschool posts, please visit:
Weekly Wrap Up
Weekly Homeschool Highlights

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