My Day Friday

Not much going on around the Reid house today. I have been baking up a few things to freeze for us to have after baby Wyatt's arrival. During that time the kids were very busy enjoying the spring weather.
Meredith informed me that she had taken ill and was on her way out to the hospital to have her hair washed. I said, "wait, let me take your photo before you go." Her response...."Don't you dare, I look terrible!"


Benjamon and Lancelot have been very busy today chasing after a squirrel in the back yard. The latest strategy is that they wait on the side of the house in hiding until the squirrel comes out and they both coming running like crazy after the squirrel. Here they are watching the squirrel in the tree after they have once again been defeated.

Lancelot has been chasing squirrel for years but only recently found his partner. Wonder what either of them would do if they ever caught one? I suppose I would have to find a new recipe. (No she didn't!)

And lastly Benjamon would like to remind you that if life has you down perhaps you should just look at things from a different angle to the see the world in a whole new light.

Tropical Coconut Bread

I had some coconut that I needed to use up. I've had this recipe for a while and it seemed weird so I never made it. I was really surprised by this. It was really sweet and delicious. I asked Meredith if she wanted to try some bread and she informed me that it was cake not bread. It does remind me of a vanilla cupcake. Super moist and crumbly and the coconut flavor isn't very strong. Just a little hint. Maybe if I used coconut extract instead of vanilla it would have been stronger but I didn't want to go out and buy coconut extract because I would probably never use the rest of it. Now wouldn't that be foolish and wasteful?

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons coconut extract (I used vanilla instead)
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup shredded coconut

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Grease and flour two 9 1/2" x 5 1/2" loaf pans.
Do not use a mixer with this recipe.
Use a spoon or spatula and stir by hand.
In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well.
In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil, beaten eggs, and coconut extract; mix well.
Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to sugar mixture and stir only until moist.
Stir in shredded coconut.
Pour batter into the two prepared loaf pans, place on middle rack and bake for 1 hour.

My Day Friday

I ran into my friend Kinzie on Friday and she made the suggestion that I should do some updates on my life instead of just recipes. Nothing exciting ever happens around here really but I decided I would give it a try. Let me know if you want to hear about my life or say sister just stick to the cooking.

Went to Target to get a present for Hudson’s Birthday. Meredith asks when the party is. I tell her we won’t be able to go because Mommy has something else to do that day. She says “well I am really mad about that.” The little darling has learned the word mad and how to use it. We take the present to Buffy at the bank where I used to work because I know that on Fridays they have doughnuts and I am not above feeding my kids a doughnut buffet to replace lunch. We visit with Buffy for a while and her fiancee Jeff comes in to look at a car that Buffy would like to purchase. We all go outside to look at the car. Jeff and Buffy have a “discussion” over the vehicle. Jeff asks me if they are the most high maintenance people I know. I undoubtedly say yes. Buffy turns to Jeff and says, "hush up it’s not like she knows that many people." I laugh hysterically as I think in my head about how many people I know. I say goodbye to Buffy and go into the other bank where my safety deposit box is. Meredith has a lengthy conversation with my previous boss Cynthia which I only hear bits and pieces of because I am talking to other girls. I hear Meredith tell Cynthia that her favorite color is white (really Meredith white? Is that the best you got sister?) Then the discussion turns to snow angels and I stop listening. We say goodbye and head home. The kids play outside while I take photos of them and pretend to be a professional photographer. During nap time I attempt to paint my own toenails since I decided this could be the last time I could reach them. With some yoga type moves to get to my feet I finally get them painted but am exhausted afterward. After nap the kids are back outside. (FRUGAL TIP) We keep a trash can outside the back door and when I have large trash items I toss them in that instead of the inside trash can to save space in the trash bag hence using less trash bags. This works great except sometimes the kids like to rummage through that trash and play with the items they find. Today Meredith informs me that she has a birthday present for me. I see that she has put a giant rock in a box she found in the outside trash. Obviously she still has the birthday party that she is “mad” about on her mind.


Then after we play birthday party for a while she lays down in the grass and starts making snow angels. Wonder what Cynthia will say when she gets the bill for the grass stained shirt? Hmmm.

Now here is Benjamon trying to make a snow angel. He doesn't grasp exactly what it is he is trying to do but if sister does it then he must do it.


Then I go out front to check the mail. There is always a brown truck parked on the curb this time of day. I walk out and take a look inside the truck. Lord have mercy, the teenage neighbor girl is straddled over a boy with the steering wheel jabbed against her back. They also have her full size poodle in the truck with them. They both turn to look at me and I want to lift my shirt and shake my head at them as I show them my giant pregnant belly but my mind is still focused on the huge poodle and why on earth they have that dog in there. I come in and peek at them through the front window for a minute then decide to start dinner. We are having soup. My husband will surely come home and sweetly mention that it is a little warm outside for soup. I will then give him a huge lecture about how it’s not easy being a stay-at-home mom and he is lucky to get dinner at all.