Up to...

Danielle said my blog misses me; I am afraid she is right.

So, what have I been up to?

On Wednesday, I passed the one-year mark at my job.  I have now worked at an oil-gas-rock quarry-farm-ranch-who-knows-what-else office for a whole year, and, amazingly, I don't feel like I want to quit.  I considered not taking the job if it was offered to me, but I am so glad I did.

Little-known fact: The best falafel I've ever eaten was purchased from a food cart in Bethlehem.

Amos: But you don't really like falafel.
Me: I know, but it was the best one I've ever had!

Maker of the best falafel in the world!

Bethlehem field...where are the sheep and the angels?!

Glory to God in the highest!

The muffin choices today are buttermilk spice (pretty good; we'll see how they taste after they've been in the freezer for a week :P) and banana chocolate chip (I remembered to add the eggs at the last minute!).

Next up for today...make a last-minute present for Amos, organize/decorate my bullet journal, listen to more of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry and Dumbledore are off to find a horcrux!), eat lunch, and hopefully read some of Lila or The Secret Keepers (a new book by Trenton Lee Stewart!).

Weekend doings

Amos went to Men's Retreat this weekend (and is currently on his way back! :D), so I had a series of adventures on my own!

Yesterday I took two walks, baked some pita chips, read a good bit of Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (very interesting, by the way), painted a few tiny paintings, started on a Christmas present (I might need to redo it), and watched "Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix."

Today I watched a few episodes of Good Mythical Morning, visited a new coffee shop, bought a brand-new, never-been-worn sweater for $2.70, with tax, tried out a new bookstore (not very good), and trekked around the Ray J. Harral Nature Park!

Click on the pictures to enlarge them. :)

Treasures from one of my walks yesterday

$2.70 from Goodwill, never been worn!

Tiny paintings, inspired by other paintings on Instagram

Slightly creepy turtle...with a creepin' frog

Some strange corrugated metal yurt...?

Moss

That oak leaf is as big as my face!

Looks like Anne of Green Gables

Master muffin recipe

I like muffins.  I'm actually eating a blueberry pecan muffin right now.
When I worked at Ikeda's, a small family-owned "farmer's market" store in NorCal, I was always excited to find the half-price peach muffins. As an employee, I took half price off of the half price and bought four huge muffins for the price of one. :D

I still like muffins.  Over the last few months, Amos and I have been eating a muffin a day at work as a mid-morning snack.  I make them every two or three weeks and store them in gallon bags in the freezer.

After reading multiple blogposts and making hundreds of muffins, here is my pseudo-recipe, adapted from an old cookbook my mom was tossing out many years ago.  I never follow the recipe exactly, but this is the basic idea.

Jennica's Muffin Recipe
-adapted from Betty Crocker

Whisk...
Two eggs, beaten
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 cup oil (1/2 coconut oil [melted], 1/2 vegetable oil)
1-2 teaspoons vanilla

Add...
1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned or rolled)
*This warm-milk bath will help the oatmeal soften up; oatmeal gives the muffins a springy texture, very helpful when making gluten-free muffins, like I do.

Let sit while you...

Mix...
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup rolled oats (optional)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed and/or chia seeds (optional)

Stir...
All ingredients together at once, just until incorporated

Fold in...
Any additions mentioned below, unless you want to make banana muffins.**
I have never made plain muffins; I wouldn't recommend it!

Spray...
Muffin papers or muffin cups with oil

Fill...
12 muffin cups to the brim or just a bit over

Bake...
400 degrees for about 16 minutes or until golden and toothpick comes out clean

Transfer...
To a cooling rack immediately

Enjoy!

Other notes...
If you are adding spices, stir them in with the flour
If you are adding pears, apples, peaches, chocolate chips, or nuts, stir in with all of the ingredients, or fold in after you are done with the stirring
If you are adding blueberries or strawberries, fill the cups half full, add a few blueberries or chopped strawberries, and fill the cups the rest of the way
This is not a good recipe for chocolate muffins.  The cocoa makes them too dry.  I will have to experiment with this...
**If you want to use this recipe for banana muffins, reduce the milk to 1/3 cup and add 1 cup mashed banana to the milk-oil-vanilla-oatmeal mixture

Flavor ideas...
Blueberry
Banana
Strawberry
Pumpkin
Zucchini
Carrot
Apple
Pear
Peach
Cinnamon

Topping ideas...
Streusel (press it in)
Turbinado sugar
Granola (press it in)

Favorite variations...
Nutmeg pear (1 teaspoon nutmeg with the flour)
Strawberry
Banana chocolate chip
Cinnamon swirl

Walking

I don't work on Fridays, so yesterday I went on a walking adventure!  Here are some of the beautiful things I found (not pictured: a redheaded woodpecker, monarch butterflies, feisty squirrels).

Toxic pokeweed!

This plant is referenced in Anne of Green Gables as "pigeon berries."

Creek and shoes

Through the fence

Self portrait

Virginia creeper, also referenced in Anne of Green Gables...and elsewhere

Evening walk

Today is the fifth day of fall, but the first day of fall weather.
We'll see how long the coolness lasts.

Somebody had an accident...ooops.

Mr. Acorn welcomes fall

Alabama in May

Amos and I journeyed out to Alabama for my cousin Aimee's wedding.  Here is a photo post of our trip...
First off, the flora.

Tons of Queen Anne's Lace along the freeway in Mississippi

Alabama Blue

My mom says there is a specific color blue for the summer skies in Alabama

Oh, hello!
(Flora AND fauna!)

Grapevines create a chorus line at Aimee and Daniel's wedding venue

My Aunt Brenda is a master gardener!  One of her many hydrangea

A huge magnolia near Grandmother's house

Mimosa, an icon of the South

Some purple flower

Aunt Brenda and Uncle Jerry's woods

And now, the fauna...

About to cross the Mississippi into Tennessee!  No good pics of the river... :P

I've always loved this Cape buffalo.
Granddad shot him on one of his African safari trips.

Daniel, in blue, with his brother, mom, and sister, helping with the rehearsal
dinner preparations

Cambodian chicken curry - so good!

Amos, Mr. Lighting Expert, replaces the ballast in the mud room light fixture
while Uncle Jerry holds the light and provides moral support ;)

Amos hands off Bailey's balloons after Chelsea
made sure she wasn't dying from a mortal wound.

Daniel and Aimee, working on boutonnieres

Awwww!  Daniel likes Aimee. :)

More flower deliberation with a skeptical Aunt Brenda and Emily

Mother and daughter: Grandmother and Aunt Brenda :)

Father and daughter: Mom and Granddad :)

Aimee is so excited!

The next day, pre-departure

Aunt Brenda and Uncle Jerry

Cousins!  Emily, me, Aaron, Aimee, Lydia, and Seth :)

Daniel with Addi and Bailey, new nieces :)

How cute is this?!?!
Addi watches a toad that Aunt Brenda extracted from her plants

Heading home...with a blue filter??

Elizabeth at work at FamilyLife

College friends :)

Grandmother and I

This last picture is the last picture of Grandmother and me. Grandmother died last Saturday from acute leukemia.  She was a fun, sweet lady, infinitely generous and loving.  Amos and I stayed at her house for this trip, and the most striking thing about her home was the myriad of family pictures.  Pictures on the walls, pictures on the dresser, pictures in boxes, pictures on side tables, pictures on shelves, pictures in calendars, pictures on the fridge.  Grandmother loved her family very much, and we will all miss her very much.