How Will You Fix Your Hair Today?

There once was a woman who woke up one morning,
Looked in the mirror,
And noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today."
So she did
And
She
Had
A
Wonderful
Day.

The next day she woke up,
Looked in the mirror
And saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said,
"I think I'll part my hair down the middle today."
So she did
And
She
Had
A
Grand
Day.

The next day she woke up,
Looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her
head.
"Well," she said,
"today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail."
So she did
And
She
Had
A
Fun,
Fun
Day.

The next day she woke up,
Looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on
her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed,
"I don't have to fix my hair today!"

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Looking back on my life, I can clearly see that I make the best lemonade. Thankfully, I have been able to take something positive out of all the so called tragedies I have experienced. Sometimes it seems that I've experienced one setback after another...you know the feeling.....one step forward and two steps back... Sometimes it's like life keeps hurling lemons at you and the only solution left is to make the best of it.

One step forward, one step at a time...that's how a journey starts. At first you may have to physically lift each leg with your arms and drag yourself forward...but then your muscles limber up and each step becomes a bit easier. Soon you don't need your arms, but you keep them pumping anyways. Each step becomes wider. Each step becomes stronger. Next thing you know, you are running. Some days it feels like a marathon and others like a pleasant jaunt. The important thing is to keep moving forward. Don't let the potholes and ruts in the road knock you back. When the road leads uphill, keep moving forward ...even if it is a struggle. One foot in front of the other soon brings you to the top of the hill, and then you can look back and think to yourself..."Yayyy! I did it. I got past that!" There is a great strength to be found in adversity, you only have to choose to grab it. What's the alternative? Naahhh. I don't think so....I'm too stubborn to give up. Today, I'm gonna wear a hat....and drink lemonade!

While I'm drinking all that lemonade, I might as well have cake with it. I made the most wonderful, fabulous, fantastic banana cake yesterday you could ever imagine! (Why oh why do I keep doing this to myself!)

*Banana Caramel Cake*

Serves 10 - 12

Printable Recipe

This just may be the best, most delicious banana cake you will ever chance to eat! In other words….this is to die for….full of scrumptiously moist pieces of banana, pecan nuts and chocolate chunks with delicate undertones of spice…all topped with a decadent caramel glaze which soaks into the cake creating the most heavenly experience ever found in a cake…

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp fresh grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

1 tap baking soda

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups sunflower oil

1 ¾ cups caster sugar

1 TBS pure vanilla essence

¾ cup coarsely chopped toasted pecan nuts

3 ounces good chocolate, broken into chip size pieces (I favour Green and Blacks)

3 ripe bananas, peeled and diced

CARAMEL TOPPING:

1.2 cup of firmly packed soft light brown sugar

1 TBS milk

1 TBS double cream

4 TBS unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Grease and flour a 12 cup tube or bundt pan, shaking out all the excess flour.

Sift together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt and baking soda. Set aside. Beat together the eggs, caster sugar and oil with your electric beaters on medium speed until the sugar is totally emulsified, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the vanilla essence. Slowly beat in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl to make sure it all gets mixed in well. Fold in the pecan nuts, chocolate and banana chunks very carefully with a rubber spatula taking care not to mush the bananas up. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes. Test with a wooden skewer to see if it is done. It should come out clean if it is. If not, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat and cook until the butter and sugar are melted and it begins to boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes while you are waiting for the cake to finish.

Remove the cake from the oven and poke holes all over the hot cake (without removing from pan) and spoon the caramel glaze over the top, stopping every now and then to let the cake absorb it. If it starts to pool, poke some more holes in the cake. Let cook completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and unfolding it onto a plate. I then put another plate on top and flip it over until the right side is showing again. Delicious!