The Yums: Autumn Abundance Muffins!

I'm still in baking mode. Blame it on Fall. This here is my own silly experiment. A first (of hopefully many) original muffin recipe(s).

Autumn Abundance Muffins:

2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*

1 tsp. salt

1 stick of salted butter (8 TBsp.)

1 Cup raw/turbinado sugar

1 Cup light brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Cup applesauce

1 Cup pumpkin

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 Cup orange-pinapple juice

3/4 Cup golden raisins

3/4 Cup craisins

3/4 Cup walnuts

*1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice is: 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/8 tsp. cloves, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg.

Cover raisins and craisins with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes. Mix all dry ingredients together. Mix all wet ingredients together. Drain raisins/craisins and fold into mixture along with walnuts. Grease muffin tins (I use butter) and fill with mixture. Bake at 350 degrees. 24 mini muffins bake for 18 minutes. 12 regular muffins bake for about 30 minutes. Freeze extras. So far they do thaw well (and I think they taste better after being frozen - Of course it is hard to beat hot out of the oven with butter and a tad bit of honey). This mixture is fluffy and rises well. Dense/hearty muffins. Could do with less sugar, but are tasty as is if you like a sweet treat. Tastes like Autumn! If you try this recipe out, please let me know what you think (or if you make any changes). I think that some chopped candied ginger added in at just after the walnuts might just perfect this muffin. Enjoy!

30 days of happiness: Living a joyful life.

It has been a lovely journey tagging along on the 30 days of happiness train with Erin fromBluebirdbaby. It was just the motivation I needed to seek out the joy and abundance that surrounds me. I confess, too, that part of me is sad to see it all come to a close. Of course the happiness will continue and is sure to shine through in the posts to come... but it was inspiring to be a part of something so simple and sweet and (dare I say?) communal. It has been fun to light upon beautiful blogs that were last month unknown to me; bloggers who also joined in on the 30 days posting. Most of all, it has been refreshing to realize that I spent the better part of a month focusing on the beauty of life and not much thinking about the fears, worries, state of the economy, or any of the nasties that can drag one down. So thank you very much, Erin, for lighting the way... & thanks to all of you who dare to reveal little snippets of your daily life; little snippets that stoke tiny fires of creativity in our hearts spurring many of us onward into peaceful action. You all rock!

And so I leave you all with some tiny snippets of my own... glimpses of my life today: food in the garden, tons of play in the yard, cool weather, togetherness, growth (chickens & Sebastian) & the turning of the foliage as a reminder that we are always cycling. May the joy, love, abundance & light of this little corner of the world be radiate forth.

30 days of happiness: Hail & welcome, Autumn!

Autumn came and went without a proper celebration... We can't have that now, can we? Sunday nights are our family meal night, meaning that the father-in-law (Dud) joins us at the table for dinner and wine. It seemed fitting to theme this night to fit with the emerging of a new season. So here it is: While Bas and I were at UU church this morning, Benjamin harvested tomatoes. He harvested potatoes, too... but that is for another post. Here is the first tomato... Have you ever seen one so large? I know that it is 2 fused together, but still...

Seriously, what are we going to do with such tomatoes? Soup is a good start; cream of tomato-parmesan soup to be exact. But then there are so many more tomatoes to take into account. Take this bucket-full for example (& there are more on the vines!!!):

Chopped & prepped for dinner:

Dinner! Said soup, french bread, simple salad:

+ wine:

+Creamy Pumpkin Rice Pudding (from the current issue of Better Homes & Gardens):

Ummmm.... yeah. Perfect family Autumn celebration meal? Yes. All bellies are happy tonight. ;) The real detox beings tomorrow.

30 days of happiness: 1st art!

Bas is suddenly interested in painting, so we gathered up some supplies and had at it. We tried his hand at finger painting... Oh my! So messy. Fun, though. We found watercolors a bit less stressful, but not as easy to get good color out of. Sebastian had a preference for the deep blue and green in the finger painting set.

The result? Time spent creating together *&* his first piece of art on the fridge. Awwww, I feel like a real mama now.

It's going to be so awesome to watch my boy get adventurous with color & evolve his technique over time. Daddy is hoping that Sebastian loves to paint as much as he does. I think we both just hope he keeps on having fun.

30 days of happiness: AUTUMN!

I think someone was just a bit off when they referred to the Winter holiday season as the most wonderful time of the year. Truly... There is something so magical about the fall. I woke up yesterday with a yearning to bake something. Anything. I went through a whole spiel with my husband about baking bread from scratch. I started pulling out the yeast and the mixing bowl. Then I decided maybe cookies would be better. Or bread pudding. That's about the time that I spied the peaches in much need of consumption.

Aha! Peach cobbler. I'd share the recipe, but this was one of those concoctions I pulled entirely out of the moment. (If anyone adamantly requests it, I think that I could closely reconstruct the recipe... so holler if you're interested).

We couldn't resist such golden brown goodness... and so we ate our slices fresh from the oven around 11am. I wasn't kidding when I said that I woke up ready to bake.

This is how I know it is Fall. I get that itchin' to straighten up the home (I mopped the living room and rearranged the furniture, too!). Also there is that urge to just soak up the last bits of sugary sunshine: in an afternoon bath, of course.

Is it just me or do any of you out there have a ritual around bathing? I fill the tub with cool water (not too cold, but cooler than lukewarm), plop in a stone to set the tone (this time it was Rose Quartz), set out some crystals, burn a little sage & pull up the shades so the window crystal can usher the little rainbows in. Oh yes! Can't forget the bath salts (this time around it was 18 drops of lavender + 3 drops of attraction oil from Ancient Ways in Oakland, Ca.). I climbed into the tub in a sort of trance and found myself melting into bliss. My heart swells to capacity when I find myself in little moments like this; baby napping, clean house, smell of fresh baked goods & a little corner of quiet just for me.

I hope this Fall is beginning as sweetly for you. I dare you to open your eyes and/or heart to something wonderful today! Happy Mabon!

30 days of happiness: Sebastian's new friend!

Tanith! She's cute, she's fun, she's all around fabulous. The kiddos had loads of fun over 4 and a half days together. There was a trip to the zoo which included a mini train ride & carousel ride, a drive up the canyon, a walk around a lake, a couple of hours in Park City, lots of silliness around the abode & much teaching of new tricks (as evidenced by the pic of T in the tv stand).

That's Ben rescuing a fully clothed Sebastian from total dunkage. The only thing we didn't do was go in the pool. Ahhh, well there is always next time. My evil computer seems to have eaten all of the pix from the day trip up the canyon and around the lake. I'll get them up on here as soon as I figure out how to retrieve them.

30 days of happiness: Trying for a nice reunion photo.

After 15 years apart, my pal Heather and I still know how to have goofy fun.

Oh yes, a couple of those faces I am making are a tiny bit embarrassing... but way too silly and fun to leave out. I had so much fun, Heather! So when are you moving into my neighborohood? I'm not going to stop dreaming it up, you know. ;)

30 days of happiness: Heather Feather & Tanith!!!

My friend Heather is here!!! She brought her daughter, too!!! Okay, I am excited. I've been worried about having to drive to the airport by myself for months. Funny thing... Today was the day and I didn't even think about it; just got in the car and made it happen. I'm thinking that the driving anxiety that resulted from postpartum fallout is on its way out. Hooray! Anyway, they are here. We are relaxing and enjoying. There are possible trips to the zoo, up the canyon, Oktoberfest, and more planned. We are keeping our options open, though. We get them for 4 whole days, so the possibilities are multiple. Heather is my good friend from way back when... This is the first time we have been able to spend with each other in 15 years. It is so sweet to have this time together and to watch our little ones playing with one another. We're floating on clouds over here. Expect pix of our shenanigans in the next few days.

30 days of happiness: The coop has risen!

It's done! Yep, except for a handful of mini details, the coop is complete & inhabited. Benjamin has been working his tail off the last few weeks. I definitely think that the wait was worth it. I had no idea just how fantastically handy my guy is. I mean, I knew that he could fix things... but build them? This opens up worlds of possibility. Methinks that the honey-do list is going to get a lot more complex.

Benjamin chose the jungle green to blend in with our wild garden foliage. It's a bit hard to tell, but the trim matches the sky on a clear day.

Today was moving day for the chicas. Two of them got a little crazy and flew around the coop a bit. Besides that, they settled right in. Looks like we will be trimming wings in the next few days.

In case you were wondering: 5 chicks in all. We are rubbing our hands in anticipation of the 5 eggs a day to come.

Not that the chickens care, but we are having a little trouble naming them. I'm firm on the white one being Clementine. I'll probably nickname her Darlin'. Ben wants to call the black one Knight Rider. Leave it to the boyfolk to come up with the weird names. It is almost certain that Knight Rider will be shortened to Kit. We've got to have a Mabel or Matilda or something. I'll keep you posted. Any suggestions?

Not 5 minutes after getting those girls into their new space did Miss pretending-to-sleep show up. That's my little stalker girl. If anything goes wonky coopside, I will know who to go questioning first.

It is so good to witness Ben's satisfaction at having completed a looming goal. I can't wait to see & share what he dreams up next.

30 days of happiness: Amazing skies!

The past several days have been riddled with much lounging, coughing, nose blowing & lovely skies. Yes, dynamic weather abounds! One of the pleasures of being couch bound is actually getting to sit and stare out the window. These are a few of the views that happened to lure me out of my cocoon:

Looks like rainbows & firey skies are the cure for the common cold. Who knew?

30 days of happiness: Baby's first fort!

It's a simple beginning to our fort building journey... and really, why wouldn't it be? One of the joys of living with a toddler is being constantly reminded about how simple life can be. No drama, very little worry & loads of time to play: toddlers rock.

That said, Sebastian *adores* his fort! It's one part dining table, one part mama blanket, one part barely used (& very clean) doggie bed, one part stack o'books, & 2 bazillion parts love. Thanks to the fort, this cold-laden mama actually got the rest she needed. My mind is working overtime coming up with ideas for expansion and creative alterations. The rainy & snowy indoor play days to come aren't going to hold us back!

30 days of happiness: Finding joy while down.

This is one of those weekends that was all planned out. Saturday was a 3 hour teachers training for the Unitarian church. Saturday night was meeting up with some new women for a Goddess pampering night. Sunday was cleaning up to prepare for the week + family dinner night. Monday was State Fair day! I made it to the teachers training, but felt a little off at the end of it. By the time I got home, the sore throat had appeared. I waited out the rest of the day thinking it was nothing. About an hour before I was to leave for Goddess pampering, I had to give in and cancel. So disappointed! No cleaning happened Sunday, but I made it through a steak/asparagus/potato/key lime pie/blackberry cabernet sorbet dinner... I ate little, but could not miss out on such yumminess. & then there was the hope hope hoping that I'd be all better for the fair (It's family discount day). Oh boo hoo... postponed. This isn't a boo hoo post, though. It's about the joy I have found in the midst of the downtime.

-Knowing that I can trust myself to stop when I need to. Hooray for self care!

-Mid day & all day naps!

-Extra cuddles with the little one. :)

-Watching many many movies (with no guilt).

-Introducing Sebastian to the wonders of fort building (pix to follow).

-Being totally okay with the house being messy-ish & finding peace is knowing that I will get to the clean up in due time.

-Unlimited cups of tea.

Here's wishing you and yours health and self care... and fort building & movies & naps & tea (or whatever makes you happy).

30 days of happiness: Naked worm riding!

Okay, well that just sounds interesting. We scored a Radio Flyer ride on inchworm at Kid to Kid for $25 bux; a great deal considering that they retail for $50 - 60. Sebastian is completely in love with it. The last two days have been spent on the worm. He eats his snacks on it, he brings his other toys over to it and plays on it, he... well, you get the picture. Hooray for used toys in great condition!

Oh, and yes... he is pants-free. I just can't seem to keep the bottoms on him. He is asking to use the potty about 3 times a day, so we are getting somewhere. I am not pushing it as I know it is a bit early; just following his lead. I am so loving the laid back feel we have around this potty training stuff. He still is not comfortable with the idea of pooing in the potty, but wanting to pee in the potty is a huge accomplishment. I.LOVE.THIS.KID.

30 days of happiness: The Little Gym!

We are BIG fans of the little gym! Shortly after moving to SLC I signed Sebastian up in an attempt to make friends & socialize him/get some regular exercise in. He had a blast those first 10 weeks, but we decided to take the summer off to keep our schedules open. All summer long Sebastian would ask me, "gym?". Apparently he remembered his time at TLG very well. Since he has loads of energy to burn off, we decided signing him up for this term (which goes until mid-January!) would probably benefit our whole household. Today was our third week back... and I can't tell you how glad I am that we decided to take the plunge. Almost every picture below is blurry. I make no apologies as it authentically conveys just how much movement that class evokes.

Sebastian makes a friend:

Flippin' with the help of Daddy.

Hangin' from a bar! (The changing table is in his closet. He's been practicing)

Balls!

The big ball doubles as a drum...

Peekaboo before byebye.