Yikes! It's 2014

Oh my! I feel like such a slacker! I have so many stories, pictures, recipes...sooooo much that I kept saying I need to share and just didn't actually do it.  I need to be better at this.  But for now here are a few updates -

-I'm back at work! Well, part time.  But I LOVE having two days at home.
-Our family is still in Oakland and we LOVE our Oak 12th Ward and the youth especially.  :-)
-Kids are growin, learning, progressing and talking back! Ahhhh!!!! I'm not ready for that!
-Family is good.  Really good.  We love seeing everyone on a regular basis.  They make me smile.


Let's hope I can be more pro-active and become a regular blogger in 2014. 

Happy New Year!!!
Ahn

Super Cute!!!

Oh how I miss blogging!!! But blogging requires time...free time and that is hard to come by these days! Living in Oakland is nice but there's ALWAYS something to do.  Always.  No complaints here though.  I'm just soaking it all in!

BUT I'm not going to do any real updates just yet.  This is a quick blog for entertainment purposes because I happen to think this is SUPER cute. 

Cinderonce! LOL Super ghetto...maybe a little ratchet even but still fun.  I thought it was cute and so I figured I'd post it on my blog to switch things up a little bit.  We all know I just LOVE me some B.  ;-)

And this is why....

Man I love my family. We're ALL crazy...but that makes life more fun right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where has the time gone?!

Good grief! I haven't blogged in the longest! I wish I kept up with this as much as I meant to when I first started blogging.  I NEED to get better at it because before long, I'm going to be looking back at what I have recorded and I'm sure I'll be wishing I did more.  So with that said, here are a few updates. 

MOST importantly, Siua and my boys got baptized!!! I can't tell you how much of a blessing this was for my little family.  Because we have been married so long, I started to lose hope in Siua as far as the gospel was concerned.  He had been through countless discussions and met with so many sets of missionaries but he would never commit.  I should've known that this was in the cards all along and Heavenly Father knew better than I did when the time was right for him.  Those who know him also know that he's a SUPER devoted dad.  He'd do anything for our kids and I'm glad they got to experience it together. In the end, if it was good for them then it was good for him also.  Gotta love the guy and his willingness to dive in and make such a huge step.  In retrospect, I'm glad he didn't do it years ago.  It's helped me to grow as a wife, mother and daughter of God. While I continue to fall short, I now have my very own priesthood holder to help keep things in place. 

We moved back to OAKLAND! There's no place like home.  We all know the saying and we all know the feeling we get when we're back in our old stompin' grounds.  After countless weekend trips and extended stays, we made the move for good.  Gma is still around and I want my kids to know her.  Not just know that she's gma but to build their own relationship with her.  There's nothing like OLD SCHOOL love.  They need to know it, feel it and soak it all in! My aunty is ill too and while I have faith that she's going to be around for years to come, I want to be as close to the both of them as I can, while I can.  All of my family is in Oakland and it's been nice to be surrounded by them day to day.  Church on Sunday is like a reunion and there seems to always be something fun to do on the weekends for no reason.  I'm lovin' it and I know Siua is too.  Being close to our family has always been important to us.  While we miss our many loved ones in Mateo, we're glad that we're just right over the bridge. 

June, Mark and Osi are home! I can't believe how quickly that two years flew past! Eric will be here before we know it.  I'm so proud of my little brothers for all of their hard work, endurance and faith.  I know it wasn't easy.  I know that they were tested.  I also know that they grew into men while they were gone.  It's nice having them home again. 

We went through Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and so many other holidays since I last did an update.  I'm going to try and be better about keeping things up to date.  Even if it's a few pictures or a quick video.  I know I'll be happy I did one day. 

Good Old Banana Bread

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of fresh baked banana bread.  My cousin Ginger used to make it all the time when she first came home from her mission because it was one of the things that she made regularly when out on the field.  Can you blame her? It's an awesome way to make use of over-ripe bananas and it tastes AMAZING.  I make it pretty often because of the need to use those before mentioned bananas.  Often times, I buy a ton of bananas knowing full well it's impossible for them to be consumed in time.  That idea came back to bite me hard a couple weeks ago when I had TONS of bananas left over! So I ended up making six big loaves of bread! Too much of a good thing? Maybe...but it was still fun making it and giving it away! I figured since it's such a staple in our home, I'd post it for others to enjoy as well.  I hope y'all like it as much as we do!

Banana Bread (recipe yields 2 loaves)

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup melted butter (real butter, not margarine)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

5 cups mashed banana (usually about 8 bananas)

I always start out by mashing the bananas. 

This day they weren't as ripe as they usually are but they were ripe enough.

Then I mix the "wet" ingredients together including the banana. 

That's the butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and banana.

In a separate bowl, I mix the "dry" ingredients.  Flour, soda and salt.

I add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until it's blended. 

Don't over mix, it makes the bread less fluffy.  I usually just mix until I see no more "dry" flour.  Then pour mixture into greased loaf pans.  You can do this in a cake pan too.

Bake at 350 for about an hour.  If you're using a cake pan, you may want to

check it at about 30-35 mins because it won't be as thick.  Let cool and enjoy!!!

We LOVE this with honey butter! Find that recipe below. 

Quick Honey Butter

2 sticks of butter (not margarine) softened

1/2 cup of honey

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Just mix it all together and you're done!



Bet You Haven't Seen Moves Like This...

I'm going to miss these goofy car rides one day.  Especially the crazy leg lifts and Joshua all of the sudden "falling asleep".  Soon enough, they'll be too cool to dance in the car.  Oh how I love these babies of mine! Can time slow down just a little? Pretty please....

Chocolate Croissants and See's Victorian Toffee

I got a gift today.  It was from a temp agency looking for new referrals but still a sweet gesture.  It was an orchid plant and a box of pastries to share here at the office.  Lucky for me, since it was MY gift, I got first dibs.  I opened the box and saw a chocolate croissant.  I NEVER eat those anymore! So I grabbed the sweet treat (gonna have to skip lunch now! LOL) and put the rest of the goodies in the kitchen. 

Man it's been YEARS since I last had a good chocolate croissant.  It was a sweet treat that I used to get all the time when I was a kid.  I remember going shopping at the South Shore Center in Alameda with my mom and Auntie Tala.  Back when there was a Woolworth's (sp?) and Mervyns there.  They would go to score whatever deals they could while stopping in at the fabric store or whatever random department store they chose for that day while Ginger and I would tag along and try to sneak our own goods into the bag.  Once they were all done we would stop into a bakery to get a chocolate croissant and then See's candy for Auntie Tala to get her favorite Victorian toffee.  Such fond childhood memories I have.  To this day I give Auntie Tala her Victorian Toffee for Christmas every year.  A sweet throwback for us both.  How blessed am I to have such a sweet and loving FAHU who I share countless memories with.  Oh how I love and adore my family.  I love little blast from the past memories that creep up on random days.  It helps me to remember why we do it all to begin with.