So last night was the release of Leopard. Conor was all smiles. He went to a training session from 4-6pm (I shopped) and basically had a party with other people that are obsessed with Apple. This was pretty much the day he’s been waiting for for at least a year (trust me, I remember watching the conference or whatever with him back at 319). One perk about Conor’s job: we get it for free (but not for a little while longer). Here’s a shot of the apple store and the oh-so-posh cherry creek mall.

And a shot of the line-up.

I feel like a traitor to my family in a very odd way.

My newest love: aprons! I really like aprons, not only because I am a sloppy cook/baker but also because they can be so cute! This is my apron that is almost done!!

Here’s the recipe for the banana muffins I made the other night (guess which ingredient I like the best):

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 egg
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup milk
1 cup mashed bananas (3 medium) 

Measure first 5 ingredients into large bowl. Mix thoroughly and make a well in the center.

Beat egg until frothy. Mix in oil, milk and bananas. Pour into well. Stir only to moisten. Batter will be lumpy. Fill greased muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake in 400F oven for 20-25 minutes. Yield: 12-14 muffins.

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Last night I made muffins. But I only had 2 ultra ripe bananas. So what to do? Well my momma taught me this trick. You can substitute that third banana with crushed pineapples. So I threw in 1/3 cup (well drained) and even tossed in a bit of juice to add a little more moisture. And of course… delicious! I love this little secret. It works everytime! So next time, don’t sweat or fret about how many bananas are left over after a bundle – just pick up the proxy banana and enjoy! 

Yesterday afternoon, Conor had a school field trip to the Denver Zoo and he was allowed to bring his wife! So off we went for a fun-filled day at the zoo. It was great! We took so many different pictures of all the different animals. Just how many you may wonder! Well the Denver Zoo is home to nearly 3500 animals and 650 species! Some of my favs were the lions, tigers, polar bears, penguins (we watched them at feeding time), squirrel monkeys, elephants, giraffes, and more! Doesn’t this just make everyone want to come to Denver if not to see us, but to go to the zoo??

On a more serious note, let me address a zoo issue. It sucks to see animals in cages especially in cages that are too small. And in a different climate then what they are used to. It’s sad really. However would I ever see these beautiful creatures otherwise? Probably not. Would we feel more or less compassion to an animal well beloved by us as children because we saw it in the zoo? Are the scientists really making a difference in the survival of all these different species? Or will homo sapiens just win out because we are dominate on this earth and don’t really intend to give up luxuries? I don’t know the most correct answer to these questions. In the end I feel almost okay with zoos. And really our species needs to be more aware. Which is me saying lots as I live in the middle of the city where all I see are ducks, geese and rabbits. However, where I end up in the future is important. If Conor and I were to build a house in “bear territory” and that bear came and messed around in our garbage and was reported and tagged then the next time it did that, it would be shot. So there are definitely things we can do as every day people sharing this world with other species.

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