100 Things About Me!

*cue confetti cannons and trumpeters*

Can you believe it? This is my One! Hundredth! Post!

I am delighted to participate in the age-old grand tradition of blogging one hundred things about my sortacrunchy self . . .

1. I like to talk. A lot.

2. I "talk" much more online than I do in real life.

3. I was born in hot and humid Houston, Texas,

4. but did most of my growing up in sorta hot and sorta humid Oklahoma.

5. I have never worn a pair of Wranglers in my life.

6. I can, however, two-step. Sorta.

7. I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was six years old,

8. which seems really young, but my parents and pastor made sure I had a genuine understanding of the concept of salvation.

9. I don't think I really began to live out my faith until I was in my early twenties.

10. I was boy-crazy in high school.

11. I was not a great friend in high school.

12. I was an even worse sister.

13. I am the oldest of four children (two sisters and a brother).

14. Before D was born, I wanted to have five children.

15. Now I think three is a good number.

16. I've been in so many tornadoes I have lost count.

17. I am not afraid of tornadoes, but I am terrified of lightening. Pathologically terrified.

18. I was a senior in high school when the Murrah building in Oklahoma City was bombed.

19. I was buying shoes for prom that morning.

20. My husband (whom I had not met yet) was sitting in class at a university 20 miles north and heard the explosion.

21. My senior year in high school, I went on a cruise in the Bahamas.

22. The only other times I have been outside of the USA were for a day trip to the Canada side of Niagara Falls in college, and a day trip to Matamoras, Mexico, on our honeymoon.

23. I have a degree in Secondary English education from a East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

24. I went to college on a full-ride scholarship in English

25. which I am still convinced I received only as a fluke.

26. But I am still thankful I graduated from school with no school loans.

27. I LOVED COLLEGE!

28. I am an alumna of Chi Omega.

29. My younger sister is a Chi O, too.

30. I was her new member educator in our chapter.

31. I wrote a lot in college.

32. I like to go back and read those papers.

33. I miss being able to read and write all the time.

34. I love college football

35. so much that I married me a college football coach.

36. The fall is my very favorite season of the year.

37. It doesn't really cool off here until October (at the earliest)

38. but I still love the start of school and the beginning of the football season.

39. I have a love/hate relationship with Texas

40. depending on what the weather is like.

41. I taught English for three years before D was born.

42. I taught sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

43. I loved it.

44. But I could never go back to teaching English now that I have children.

45. If I ever do go back to work, I want to be a school librarian.

46. I am a born nerd

47. and not the least bit ashamed of it.

48. I love coffee!

49. I was, at one time, a barista at Starbucks.

50. I am something of a coffee snob.

51. Ever since I worked at Starbucks, I drink my coffee black

52. but I am not opposed to a toffee nut latte every now and again either.

53. I drink coffee even when I am pregnant.

54. One cup a day.

55. The only time I have completely cut out coffee was the first month of breastfeeding D.

56. Maybe that's why she wasn't a good sleeper as a baby.

57. Even when not pregnant, I cry at the drop of a hat.

58. My husband says I am the "cryingist" person he knows.

59. I cry at commercials, I cry at TV shows, I cry at movies.

60. It's embarrassing really, but not much I can do to change it.

61. I am really anal retentive about some things

62. like being on time. I cannot stand to be late.

63. I am really laid-back about other things

64. like cleaning house.

65. I was born without the house cleaning gene.

66. I especially loathe cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen.

67. I do, however, like to vacuum.

68. I vacuum every other day.

69. I like to do laundry!

70. Buy I hate ironing.

71. I love reality TV.

72. We don't have cable, just local stations.

73. I miss Project Runway the most.

74. Oh, and the Food Network.

75. I love to cook!

76. I love to bake!

77. I wish I had a full-time housekeeper.

78. My three favorite books are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby and Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love.

79. My favorite movies are O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Burbs, and Secondhand Lions.

80. I couldn't choose my favorite songs to save my life, but three of my favorite CDs are Dixie Chicks' Fly and Jimmy Buffet's Songs You Know by Heart, and Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill.

81. I got married three days before my 21st birthday.

82. I didn't believe it at the time, but we really were just kids!

83. Before D was born, I had never had stitches.

84. I have never broken any bones.

85. I wish I were funnier.

86. My husband is one of the funniest people I have ever met.

87. I have crazy, crazy dreams

88. that only get crazier when I am pregnant.

89. My family calls me Joseph the Dreamer.

90. I love dark chocolate.

91. I also LOVE cereal.

92. I eat at least one bowl a day, but that is just the bare minimum.

93. I am nosey.

94. I like to eavesdrop.

95. I think that is why I like reading blogs so much. It's socially acceptable eavesdropping.

96. I haven't had a haircut in six months.

97. I have never been to a water park. Or water-skiing. Or snow-skiing.

98. I am a lousy singer.

99. I have a ton of freckles.

100. Evidently, I am pretty self-centered because this list of 100 wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be!

One hundred posts! One hundred things you were dying to know about me! Come on, bring on the comments. You know you want to. ;)

Connected

"Come lay down next to me," was the invitation as I set the fresh and full coffee mug on his bedside table this morning.

I slipped under the sheets next to him (well, as much as my seven months pregnant self can "slip" under anything) and wrapped my arm around him, my chest to his back. Eyes closed, I am taken back to many, many mornings in the first years of our marriage when we had nothing else to do other than lay next to each other in bed and talk, accompanied by the music of morning birds and illuminated by the gentle prodding of the rising sun.

In those days, with my chest to his back and my arm around him, I remember my heartbeat keeping time with his. Now a pregnant belly is sandwiched between our heartbeats, confirming rather than interrupting our connection.

It is not always like this. There are times when I feel I am standing on a beach, watching our intimacy recede further and further away, washed out to an unswimmable expanse by tides of distraction, exhaustion, and miscommunication.

I operate under an unshakable belief that life moves ever forward in cycles.

A couple of months before we were married, we went through a ropes course together. I was so scared. He, of course, was not. Vividly I remember being up - so far up! - above the ground, shaking and unsure. He held my safety line and called up to me with words of empowerment and courage. My Coach.

It isn't until we awaken to find ourselves in a season of stress that I realize how tightly I am gripping that safety line. Daunting circumstances and difficult days can be a breeding ground for distance, severing the cords of connection; but, oh, what sweet surrender in allowing myself to slow down and accept an invitation to come lay down next to him. My man.

On this day

I've been tagged! Ingrid tagged me for this easy and fun little meme.

ON THIS DAY
Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthday (only the month and day). Choose and write down 3 events, 2 births and 1 holiday. Then tag 5 friends.

June 16th

1487 - Battle of Stoke Field, the last dying breath of the Wars of the Roses.
1846 - The Papal conclave of 1846 concludes. Pope Pius IX is elected pope, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy (not counting St. Peter).
1960 - Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho opens in New York.

1938 - Joyce Carol Oates, American novelist
1971 - Tupac Shakur, American Rapper

Bloomsday, in honour of Leopold Bloom, the hero of James Joyce's Ulysses set on 16 June, 1904.

I tag Karen, Lauren, Mary Ann, Nikkie, and Sara!

To her Daddy

Father's Day! Before I forget, Happy Father's Day to my sweet husband and to all of the fathers out there.

As I was purging and packing last week, I came across a little something I had written years ago when I was teaching. I could just kick myself for not dating this or noting to myself the occasion for having written it . . . all I know is I must have written it at school because it's scribbled on stationery I used only in my classroom.

I have debated all week on whether or not to publish it here. It's pretty simplistic and cutesy and almost cheesy, but it illustrates an aspect of my relationship with God that has never been more real to me than in the past year. My relationship with my father is complicated. I love him, of course . . . but the word that best defines the way I experience my father is unsteady. Because I have never really been able to rely on my earthly father for stability, I have been able to experience the unchanging, ever-reliable love of my Heavenly Father with such sweet depth that I have the freedom to love my earthly father just for who he is. And that allows me the freedom to rejoice in the truth of Romans 8:15 where the Apostle Paul writes, ". . . the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' "

Again, I can't remember the exact circumstances that prompted this little writing. Please know that I never feel more naked and exposed than when I share my writing with anyone, but I feel sharing this is one way of living out my desire to be more authentic with what I write here.

A Little Girl To Her Daddy

Daddy, I don't feel good.
You don't feel good? Show me where it hurts.
Right here.
Your heart?
Uh-huh. My heart hurts.
Why does your heart hurt?
I think it's broken.
Child, how did your heart get broken? Tell me what happened.
Well, it all started when I had an idea. It was just a thought, really. Then it started to grow. I took care of it and loved it and watched it bloom. That thought grew into a dream. It was a good dream, Daddy, one that I really wanted to come true. I thought it would make me happy. But now I know it won't be coming true. And that's why my heart hurts.
Oh my child, I understand what has happened. You set your heart on a dream, a beautiful dream that you believed I wanted to come true for you. Your heart began to race and soar at the thought of this dream becoming big and true and real. The moment your heart broke is the moment you thought your beautiful and well-cared for dream had withered and died.
But look, child.
Your dream isn't dead at all. You just don't recognize it because it's changing. Little one, I know your heart and I know your dreams. You wanted to follow this dream as it bloomed down this path because this path looked like happiness.
But I know this path, and I know that in the end, it wouldn't bring you happiness; instead, it would bring you hurt. I want to protect you because that's what Daddies do. And that's why I'm not going to allow you to go down that path. That's why I am tending to your dream and helping it to grow and change.
I know your heart hurts right now. Put it in My Hands and I will heal it. Then take My Hand and hold on tight because that dream is growing and changing into something far more beautiful than you ever imagined it could be. I can't wait to show you all I have planned to keep your spirit soaring.

Thank you, Daddy. I feel better already.

Babywearing photo tag!

I'll tell ya what . . . this moving business is seriously interfering with my computer time! I can't say nearly as much as I want to! As I am packing, I have written countless posts in my head and feel quite confident they will have disappeared by the time we settle in to the new house. *big sigh* Anyway.

Sweet Friends Lori and Shannon have posted pictures for Whitney's photo tag of babywearing, and I wanted to get one quick picture up while I have just few minutes!

My favorite picture of D being worn is this one:

This is one of my favorites of many babywearing pictures because the sling I am wearing is a CassieBeanie Ring Sling, made by my Sweet Friend Shannon. (Yes! I know the shoulder desperately needs to be ajdusted. It was one of those off moments!) We have had a lot of slings come and go in the ol' stash, but this is the only one made by someone I know. It's the perfect length and perfect fabric for us. I still carry it in the car for "just in case" even though it has been a long time since I could get D's long ol' legs to fit in.


I got hooked on babywearing because D refused to lay in her carseat carrier while we grocery shopped. (Think of that unique newborn shriek little ones can let loose with when they are not happy, and that is what I mean by refused!) One trip through the store with her in one arm and pushing a cart with the other was enough to convince me we had to find a better solution. My very first ever carrier was an Evenflo Snugli. *blush* Then a friend in an online community posted pictures of her wearing her son in a Lucky Baby pouch. Just one look . . . that was all it took . . .

Right now, our carrier stash is pretty sparse. I have an Ergo (on loan to a friend), our CBRS, a Chicken Scratch Ring Sling, and a WAHM made pouch (can't remember where I got that one). Before Little Sister arrives, I would like to get a Moby for those newborn days, and then I will have to have another Mei Tai.

Fun tag, Whitney! Thank you!

PS

I almost forgot!

Happy, happy birthday to my birthday twin Sweet Friend Keara!!! I so wish we could celebrate together.

Also, happy birthday to one of my favorite Bible teachers and amazing writers, Beth Moore!! (Yep, she is a birthday twin, too! I always felt a cosmic connection with her . . . *grin*)

Thirty While I'm Thirty

Thirty years ago today, a week past my expected day of arrival in the sweltering and muggy heat of Houston, my saint of a mother joyfully delivered me into this world.

I cannot express to you how much I have been looking forward to this birthday! Maybe it's just me, but I feel there is a certain sense of authenticity . . . believability . . . maybe even authority? . . . that blooms once you hit the thirties decade. Whereas my sweet husband actually mourned the day of his thirtieth birthday (and still lives in denial of each passing year), I welcome today and the years that follow with great anticipation and many expectations.

I cannot take credit for the idea of creating a list in honor of my thirtieth. Sweet Friend Mandy created this one as a list of goals to accomplish before her thirtieth. Clearly, I am not on the ball as all that, but I think this one will work nicely.

Thirty While I'm Thirty
1. Write (and send!) an actual thank you note for every single gift that I or one of the girls receive.
2. Start - and finish!! - a knitting project. Something a little more adventurous than doll baby blankets.
3. Send an actual birthday card to each family member on his/her birthday. I have an embarrassing stack of birthday cards in my correspondence basket - all purchased with the best of intentions, so very few of them actually sent.
4. Keep a steady supply of stamps on hand.
5. Take my car to be serviced on time, every time.
6. Run my car through the car wash at least once a month and then vacuum it.
7. Practice at least five Random Acts of Kindness.
8. Invest time and energy into my physical health and well-being.
9. Create at least one project on my sad and lonely and seldom-ever-used sewing machine.
10. Live with an attitude of reducing, reusing, and recycling anything I possibly can.
11. Create a compost pile.
12. Garden.
13. Listen more, judge less.
14. Turn the TV off more.
15. Read at least one of The Great Books. (You know - something from the classical canon, something everyone would think a former English teacher would have read, but chances are I probably haven't!)
16. Go to my local LLL meeting at least every other month.
17. Enjoy the early days, weeks, and months of Little Sister's life instead of stressing over little things.
18. Make it a priority to spend time in Scripture reading and prayer at least five days a week.
19. Take my husband on more dates.
20. Write my grandmother a letter once a month.
21. Send my dad more pictures of D (he is computerly challenged and doesn't get email updates).
22. Try to foster a relationship with my brother, even when he rejects my attempts.
23. Complain less.
24. Choose joy.
25. Invite friends over for dinner.
26. Create an environment in my home that welcomes anyone at anytime.
27. Get more involved at church.
28. Be more intentional in the way I steward our money and my time.
29. Hold off on at least half of the unsolicited advice I offer.
30. WRITE MORE!

So there you have it. Feel free to check in on my progress at any given time - I welcome accountability!

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude . . .

Happy, happy Friday morning to ya, sweet friends and readers!

Two BIG things:

1) Changes in latitude - Today is the day we pick up the keys to our First! Ever! House! Nine years of apartment living have been, well, okay. God has provided exactly what we needed at exactly the right time. But from the day we stepped off the plane from our honeymoon and drove home to our Married Student Housing hovel apartment, I've had a burning desire and unceasing ache in my soul to have a little house to come home to. We are literally changing our latitude by a few clicks on the compass as our move will take us from the very south edge of our little Hill Country town all the way up to the north edge. I am so excited for a new neighborhood! You can be sure there will be more on this later . . .

2) Changes in attitude - SO! What do you think of SortaCrunchy's new look?! I am so thrilled by Jules's work! The most gorgeous surprise in all of this was that I had told her that my favorite color is purple, but I wasn't sure how that could fit into the overall vision I had for SortaCrunchy. Imagine my delight in how she found a way to make it work perfectly!! Thank you, thank you again, Jules. And for all my blogarina friends who are thinkin' about a makeover of your own, I cannot say enough good things about working with Jules!

Hand in hand with the new look here will be some changes to content. For a long time, I tried to focus my posts on parenting issues - natural parenting, specifically. At this point, however, I feel I am not being true to the complete picture of my sortacrunchy self because I have refrained from incorporating my spiritual beliefs in my writing. I know it's taking a slight risk because I know that several (many?) of my readers differ from me in spiritual backgrounds and beliefs, and so I hope I don't drive anyone away with this new direction. My overall vision is to allow this blog to represent the intersection between a faith in Christ (and what that looks like lived out) and choosing natural living as part of life on this planet. I am a little scared but mostly a lot excited to see how this will play out.

Thanks for being such amazing readers and friends. Stay tuned!

Some of the best

The plan today was to post a Thursday Thirteen listing all the reasons I am looking forward to my thirties (the big 3-0 is on Saturday!). Or some such nonsense along those lines. But then this morning I read an entry from Megan over at The Velveteen Mind that stopped me in my tracks.

If you have just a few minutes, go grab a cup of coffee or pour some sweet tea over ice and sit yourself down. This is some of the best personal writing I have read in a while. Delicate in its subtlety, powerful in its truth. So beautiful, it will make your heart ache . . . Victor Vito.

(sorta) Wordless Wednesday

Love makes little things grow . . .

Pardon me while I freak out

A few things on my Freak Out list:

Freak Out Number One - Twelve weeks from today, we are scheduled to welcome Little Sister into our little family. Twelve weeks, ya'll! Do you know how not-really-all-that-long that is?! Do you know how utterly unprepared I am?

Freak Out Number Two - This is a really great, really fun kind of freak out. I am working with Jules of Everyday Mommy (and Everyday Design) to bring a brand new look to SortaCrunchy! We had a great chat yesterday about the plans, and I am so thrilled that she and I are on the same page. I absolutely cannot wait to see how it all comes together!!
(In case you were wondering, she is behind the brilliant designs at Rocks in My Dryer, Velveteen Mind, Chili Tried, and other lovelies!!!) A very, very good freak out, indeed.

Freak Out Number Three - (Okay, this really isn't a freak out at all. I just find lists of three to be more complete than lists of two.) Just wanted to be able to say that nine years ago today, on a gorgeous Oklahoma summer day, within the walls of my hometown church, surrounded by family and friends, The Coach and I became husband and wife. (And I mean literally surrounded . . . I had eight bridesmaids, ya'll. EIGHT. The Coach had to do a little creative thinking to come up with an equal number of groomsmen.) Happy anniversary to my hubby (who already beat me to the anniversary greeting by texting me before he went to bed last night). I cannot wait to see what the next nine years hold in store for us.

Father's Day Giveaway!

Can you handle one more post from me today? I hope so, because by the end of this week, I am sure to be knee deep in boxes and soaked with sweat . . . not a pretty place from which to write.

I wanted to let everyone know that Jules at Everyday Mommy is honoring both daddies and mamas of boys with a really neat Father's Day Giveaway!! I've already emailed a heads-up on this giveaway to my mama friends here in town who are raising up some amazing young men, but I want to make sure my online community sees this, too. Meghan! Colleen! Karen! Lori! Keara! Amanda! Mandy, Devon, Yan, Nichole, Sara, Lauren . . . and anyone else I left out -- this means you! I have heard stories of your wild boys and been fortunate enough to actually meet a few of them. I so hope you will take a minute to write up something for the masses to read and enjoy. And hey - you just might win what looks to be a spectacular book!

The Blogging Story of SortaCrunchy

Check me out, ya'll! I am on a roll. Three posts in one day! Try to contain yourselves. (Oh, don't worry. I am still getting plenty done on The Great Purge and Pack of 2007. But a mama's gotta take a break, especially when she is besieged by painless but plentiful Braxton Hicks contractions.)

So many of my fave bloggers are participating in Chilihead's Blogging Story Carnival that I just had to add my little story to the fray. Here goes!

How did you start blogging?
I am looking back at my first post and remembering that originally I just wanted a place in which I could write. I am a frustrated, lazy writer, and I think at the time I thought if only I had a space to write, oh surely the magic would just flow forth from my fingers.

I chose Blogger because I am big, fat HTML dummy and even before the New! Improved! Blogger! was rolled out, it was really easy to work with.

Did you intend to be a blog w/a big following? If so, how did you go about it?
Not at all. I don't think I even told anyone about it for months. I think my readership is about ten or twelve people at any given time, but having a big readership is not a goal for me. The handful of readers who do read faithfully are mostly all a part of my mommy boards. I do put my blog address in my signatures on the various and sundry message boards I post on . . . perhaps in hopes of picking up a few readers here and there? At this point, it's not a priority.

What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?
Such a pivotal question for me right now!

Originally, I just wanted to have an outlet to write and place where I could blather on about how much I love to practice natural family living. But in the past few weeks, I have given much thought to taking SortaCrunchy in a new direction.

So I think I have been successful in doing lots of babbling without any direction or real purpose; however, I am going to need a more concrete, well-thought-out plan to see my new vision for SortaCrunchy actually take shape and come to life.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?
Not too much, for now. When I got pregnant, I obviously added in more preggo talk than I had expected to, but I've tried to stick to the parenting focus.

Again, I am at a point where I want and need a change of focus and direction . . . just not sure of what that will look like.

What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started?
One of the most fun and rewarding ways to bring traffic to your blog is to read other blogs and leave comments. Even if that person only stops by once, it's still fun to know someone is reading your posts! And like I said, it's really rewarding to allow yourself to build little friendships in the blogging community. Quite warm and fuzzy.

Do you make money with your blog?
No. I don't understand how all that blogads stuff works and it kind of gets me overstimulated just thinking about it. So no.

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?
My sister and husband both know I have a blog, but I am confident neither has read it. I have sent them the URL, but I think they were probably both bored to tears. Someday I may share the blog with my sister-in-law, but I don't think anyone else would be too terribly interested.

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
As I said above, you will find all sorts of fun, thoughtful, witty, and inspiring blogs out there when you just click around. Read all you can and leave comments!

And try to set a reasonable goal for how much you will write. I try to blog at least once a week, but then there are days like today when I can get three posts in! For right now, I don't think daily entries is a workable goal for me - but it's something to work up to. Having a minimum posting goal really helped me give the ol' blog at least a little TLC every week.

Blogging advice, The Momma Code, and a GIVEAWAY!

DONE AND DONE!

Somehow, amazingly, I have finally gotten caught up on my blog reading. Thank you, dear Google Reader, for allowing me to skim thoughtfully read and reflect upon all sorts of wonderful posts from the vast array of feeds you deliver so faithfully to me everyday. And WHEW! I feel a great burden has been lifted now that I am caught up. I didn't get to comment as much as I would like to, but please know I have read.

Anyway, a couple of posts stuck out to me as I was reading from the last week:

1) I hope each and every one of you have, by now, added Scribbit to your feeds because she is just the coolest. Last week she published Ten Housekeeping Tips for Your Blog. Definitely check this out! Even if you don't feel you want to or can incorporate everything she suggests right now, this article still offers some great direction and advice!

2) Another treasure from last week was Shannon's republication of The Momma Code. Very much worth the read! Such truth.

3) Finally, SO EXCITED to tell you about Stephanie's latest giveaway!! A $75 gift certificate to MamaKanga!!! Don't ya just love how easy (and generous!) Stephanie's giveaways are?

Now, if the babywearing gods smile gently upon me and I should somehow win this giveaway, oh what would I buy? I have to say I am torn. For wearing Little Sister, I have a trusty pouch and several lovely ring slings. I am thinking with $75 to spend, I would want to go with a Mei Tai. Or maybe a wrap. No, definitely a Mei Tai. But I hear such great things about The Gypsy Mama wrap! But I have never tried wrapping before, and I feel a little intimidated. But look how lovely! Ahhhhhh, the choices. So fun to shop and drool.


So those are my highlights from the week. If I can possibly fit it in, I am hoping to participate in Chilihead's Blogging Story carnival. Such fun to read everyone's blogging stories!

Have ya'll made that chocolate cake yet? Let me know when you do.

No such thing as a bad chocolate cake

I have so enjoyed all the comments on my SortaWhat, Part Two post. It's really surprising to me just how many mamas lean the "sorta crunchy" way . . . we just don't talk about it. I would love to see those conversations taking place on playgrounds and over coffee instead of being limited to LLL meetings and health food stores.

Anyway, speaking of health food . . . I've got a little recipe to share with you. I realize most everyone is doing their Meal Plan Monday for the week. We are still in packing/moving limbo, so my meal plan consists of going through the freezer and pantry and inventing meals out of what I find inside so we can transport as little food as possible to the new hacienda. But over the weekend, the need to bake consumed me once again, and I turned to this scrumptious recipe I had re-discovered last week.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
(from the Taste of Home 2003 recipe collection; recipe submitted by Elaine Medeiros of Wamego, Kansas)

2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1-1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. baking cocoa
1/2 t. salt

1-1/2 c. water
1/2 c. vegetable oil
4-1/2 t. white vinegar
1-1/2 t. vanilla extract

Peanut butter batter:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1/3 c. plus 1 T sugar, divided
1 egg
1/8 t. salt
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir in water, oil, vinegar and vanilla, mix well. Pour into greased 13x2x9 baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/3 c. sugar, egg, and salt until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons over cake batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl the peanut butter mixture. Sprinkle with pecans and remaining sugar.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers.


What? That doesn't sound like health food, you say? Au contraire, my friends. It has peanut butter in it and peanuts are an excellent source of protein, ya know. And did you see that it has vegetable oil? Oh, it is surely health food indeed. If nothing else, it's great mental health food, particularly if you are self-medicating from the stress of a move coupled with the tireless demands of an already-needy-two-year-old who is teething those awful molars.

(As the cake finished cooling on the rack, I discovered The Coach hunkered over the pan in the kitchen - in the dark. He stopped forking cake in his mouth long enough to say, "this is awful . . . you probably don't want to eat any of it. Don't worry about it . . . I'll take care of it . . .")