Banana Oatmeal Cookies

These delicious moist cookies are worth sharing. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com when i was trying to get rid of some oatmeal and spoiled bananas. I brought the cookies to our home group and they were a huge hit! These cookies are really easy to make and super, super moist and a bit cake like. They don't last to long in our household!

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 3/4 cup of shortening
1 cup of white sugar 1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp of baking soda 1 cup of mashed ripe bananas (i add more)
1 tsp of salt 1 3/4 cups of rolled oats
1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg 1/2 cup of walnuts(optional)
3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon


~Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.
~ In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda,salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut in the shortening until almost no lumps remain. Stir in the egg and bananas. Mix well. Finally, stir in the oats and walnuts if using. Drop by the spoonfuls 2 in apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
~Bakef for 12-15 mins, or until edges are browned. Remove and cool immediately on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Mommyhood

I am have been doing this thing called "Mommy" for a full year now. I would never dare say that i figured it out. I have learned a thing or two, but i know i have LOTS to learn. Each season and age, Jack has new tricks, new ideas and new lessons that he teaches me. Somethings have changed, some remain the same, and his little personality increase at a daily rate. Personality and will that is... Here is some of the good, the bad, and the ugly.





~ Jack is walking! Yep, walking. He toddles around the house like he is big stuff now.

~ Jack likes his accessories. That is right, i said accessories. We have this little plastic links bag half full of links that he carries on his shoulder every.single.day. He puts it on multiple times a day and walks around the house with it. He also likes to place things over his shoulders. We have a few cat toys with a string and mouse hanging at the end. Those go over the shoulder and he walks around. Anything will do though. Monitor and cord, game controls. This habit is not my favorite. I make sure it is never actually wrapped AROUND his neck and he is closely monitored. I have taken this off so many times, yet it never matters. Around the shoulders they go.*

~ My eat anything from a baby food jar and reject all table food baby is now rejecting his baby food and leaving this momma at a loss of what to feed him... What do 1 yr olds eat anyway?

~ At his 12 month appt, he weighed in at a whoppin 18lbs 140z. 5% for weight, 80% for height. The issue? No idea. The kid eats, a LOT! Well, that was till he decided he was too cool for baby food, thus the panic of "Is he eating enough?!"

~ He still nurses 4 times a day. No interest in NOT nursing. I still get up with him around 5am to nurse. Is that normal? Who knows. He will only sleep 8-9 hrs before he eats. There is no 20 min crying for this little guy. He goes on and on and on till he is feed. I promise.

~ He is my little chatterbox these days. His vocabulary has grown from Mama and Daddy, to Osc (the cat), this, that, well more like "dis" and "dat" and shoes. He likes shoes. I have no idea where he got that from ;) He talks all the time, i just have not yet been able to translate it...

~ I have successfully gotten him into a good two nap schedule and been on it for awhile. This is a big deal for my "I never want to sleep" baby. Count your napping blessings if your child never gave you any issues on that. Count them.

~ Jack now cries when i leave him in the nursery. Not too sure if i am o.k. with that. My oh so social child now realizes that i am Mommy and realizes when i leave. That is a good. The crying. Not fun at all. He is now getting a little bit shy with strangers, a little tiny bit.

~ Jack has mastered the sign " All Done". He ignores the rest, but uses "all done" for everything. Done eating? All done. Tired of the carseat? All done. Done with being in the shopping cart with mom? All done? I'm singing a song to him and he is over it? All done.

~ I love love love making Jack laugh. He laughs so hard and it is so cute. It really is a highlight to my entire day. It is priceless.


~ I love little things about Jack. I love how he is so expressive. His little face tells a million stories. I love his little baby belly that sticks out, even when the rest of him is little. I love when i pick him up, he puts his arm around my neck and twirls my hair. I like when he kisses the puppies in his books, but especially love when he kisses me! I love his Eskimo kisses. Let's me honest, i love everything about him!


Mommyhood is a wonderful, challenging thing. A friend asked my husband if having a kid was like getting a second job. Silly single boy. Having a child is like getting a full time, part time and overnight job. But it is the greatest, most rewarding and fulling job i have ever had!

Here is my littel guy walking around with his man-bag and his cat toy...silly baby.

*Jack loves his trucks, cars and balls and is very very boy. His man bag and shoes collection are quite manly as well :)

Recap

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for the Fedell's. July 4th was a very full day to say the least. We celebrated our baby boy turning 1. We lost his name sake great grandfather. Talk about conflicting emotions! After finishing up a little small party for my new 1 yr old, we immediately got in contact with our loved ones in MI. We booked our tickets home at 11:30pm that night and flew out the next day by 4pm. It normally takes me a week to prepare for a trip home, the flight and everything else one needs to do. We did it in less than 12 hrs. Hectic, but we did it.

Due to flight prices, we flew in on Sunday and left that Saturday. It was a good thing we got in on Sunday, as Ryan helped his mother and grandmother plan the entire funeral on Monday. I was so proud of my husband. He took charge, and took all the worry away from him mom and grandma, who were still only 48 hrs into losing their father/husband. His oldest brother,wife and two kids came, as well as his other brother. It was good to see all of them, since it had been over a year since we last saw them. It is good to be with family in that type of situation.

The funeral was beautiful. It was challenging to me as well. The church was packed out with people from all ages and all times of Jack's life. Everyone talked about how he had dramatically touched their lives. The thing that impacted me so much was what they were talking about. It was not how funny he was (which is true) or how nice he was (also very true) but they talked about the deep character of the man. His attributes were the fruits of the spirit. He was patient, he was kind, he was selfless, he kept no record of wrong, he loved unconditionally. He actually truly listened to people. Not one single person had anything bad to say. One story brought tears to my eyes as well as everyone else's in the room. His former pastor stood up and said how one Sunday night that nothing particularly important was happening, he saw Jack kneeling at the altar with his hands over his ears. After the service, Pastor Jeffrey asked him what he was doing. He said, " Pastor, sometimes you just need to shut everything else out and just listen to the Lord." The thing is, this was not a one time deal. It was a regular occurrence. It was inspiring. It challenged me to live my life like that. To be known for my character and actions and not just my words. I feel so blessed to have been a part of his life and i was so proud of the man he was. I can't wait to see him again one day.

We spent the remainder of the week with family. Grandpa Jack would have been very proud. His great grandchildren spent much of their time playing his old keyboard. Jack loved music. It was a part of him. He was an incredible jazz drummer, but also played the upright and electric bass. His gift for music was passed on to my hubby, and from the looks of it, my son. My little Jack loves music as well. Here is a happy little picture of two of the cutest boys i know!

We came home and promptly slept all of Sunday away. It was much, much, much needed. I will be very happy to stay home for awhile and just be. I feel blessed to have been able to travel so much, but i am ready to enjoy a bit of this summer. Maybe take a break and not travel again till September...maybe.

Here He Goes!!

Jack has been on the move and is SO proud of his new walking accomplishments! He is almost completely walking!! How did he get so big?!

In Loving Memory...

Yesterday, while we celebrated the new life of my little man, Jack David Fedell turning one and just barely beginning his life, we also said good bye to the man we named him after. Jack Sturtevant went and met his Lord and Saviour on July 4th, 2009. He had been battling cancer for the last 6 months. He quickly deteriorate in the last 3 weeks. He slipped peacefully away and left with a huge grin on his face.





Friday night, Ryan was playing his guitar and just thinking about his Grandpa. He felt like the Lord told him not to worry, that he would be the first thing his Grandfather saw. We did not know he would leave us the next day. The grin on his face told us everything. He finally got to see his Jesus, who he had faithfully be serving for many years.





We will greatly miss our Grandpa Jack. He was Ryan's support and cheerleader in life. Ryan could always count on his Grandpa to be cheering him on, no matter how many mistake he would make. He was loved by all, and not one person could ever say a bad thing about him. He lead a peaceful, quiet life yet was a dynamic prayer warrior.





Because of Jack Sturtevant, my mother, grandparents and aunt came to know the Lord, as well as Ryan's mom and family. What an amazing spiritual heritage to pass on to our son. Our prayers is that my little Jack will live a life committed to the Lord and to follow in his great grandfather's footsteps. We have yet to see all of Jack's influence and prayers acted out. There is so much more to come.





While we will miss his smile and kind words, we know that we will see him again. There is great comfort in that. He was an amazing, wonderful man and i loved him dearly.

Here is Grandpa Jack checking out little Jack's "Sturtevant" toes. He certainly loved his little name sake.

Happy Birthday!

My sweet baby boy is ONE!! Where did the time go?! It seems like yesterday that i was staring at this little peanut face that was sleeping so sweetly in my arms for the first time. How that cute face has grown. From the first smile, to the first pout, to a mouth full of teething grinning back to me,that little face has been my pride and joy. I am so happy you came into our life, one year ago today and i can't wait to see what an amazing little boy you will become. I love you, my son, always and forever.

Thank the Lord

I am not doing this today...

July 3, 2008

And thank the Lord that tomorrow i will celebrate a healthy, happy baby boy turning 1.

Lately

Jack turns 1 in 3 days. 3 days from now i will have a one year old. It blows my mind. I am slightly depressed that my baby has grown so fast and has gotten so big. I absolutely love this stage though. Jack is moving, exploring, showing more and more personality and is even getting a bit more cuddly with his old mom!

In honor of his first birthday, Jack has decided to revert back to his old newborn sleeping patterns. He is out like a light from 8am till 3am... than the nightmare begins. He is up and crying on and off non-stop till 7am. He will not be comforted, rocked, have his back rubbed, or just fuss it out. He refuses. He will go on for hours.The ONLY thing that will put this boy to sleep again is nursing. He is teething, so that could be the culprit... but he will not sleep from 3am on.... let's hope he gives mommy a birthday present by sleeping through the night again.

Also, i have been tagged by Mrs. W to do a little about me thing... She did two of them, but i am combining them together.

favorite artist/designer: Marc Jacob, Chloe(bags) and Christian Louboutin(shoes)
I love to create using: my camera and editing
what inspires me: Telling stories of how Jesus changes peoples lives
most inspirational city: Kampala, Uganda
ideal weekend off: a trip to NYC with family and friends
favorite color: Green
favorite musician: (of all time): ummmm... Coldplay
favorite movie: Gone with the Wind
favorite song: of the moment.... How He Loves Us by John Mark McMillan
favorite song lyric: see above
If I could have any other job it would be: Photographer
I wish: My son would sleep through the night
What was I doing 10 years ago?July 1999: I was working at KFC/Taco Bell and waitressing. Probably about ready to start Soccer practice
What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? Get ready while Jack naps, Drop Jack off and go to Chiro appt, Re-edit Ituha's My World at work, Find something for dinner, go to Target and Babies R Us for birthday presents.
Snacks I enjoy: anything sweet.
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:Pay off all debt, including my family. Support lots and lots and lots of kids all over the world. Travel the world. Buy a huge lake house that my family could go to any time they wanted. Get a good personal trainer.
Places I have lived:Utah, Missouri, Michigan, Minnesota, Virgina
Jobs I have had:Waitress, Leasing Consultant, Television Producer


O.k.. Now, lets learn about some things from these other wonderful ladies.

I tag:
Crystal from La Buena Vida
Sarah from Jason and Sarah
Sarah from NashVegas Clores
Jaime from Our Life...Complete
Tiffany from McClain Clan

Tag, you're it!