A Full Rich Day

I love the M*A*S*H TV series, and watch the DVDs far more often than any sane person should/would. This post title is taken from one episode of the series.

But, it has indeed been a full, rich day for me. (Or rather yesterday was-- I can't sleep and am taking advantage of my insomnia to write this, but I can't keep my tenses straight, so bear with me.)

I got to church this morning, which was great. Moved to tears by the very first worship song-- a fast-paced old hymn. I can't even say why, but it really got to me (in a good way). First message from the new senior pastor too. I'm looking forward to having him; apparently he'll start officially at the beginning of June (after leaving the church where he presently ministers and moving his family up to Kentucky). Yay! The long search and wait is over.

A good friend shared some personal information with me privately on Facebook; I was glad she opened up and honored to have been trusted.

My brother and sister-in-law are moving to a new apartment. Their new duplex neighbors are people they go to church with, and they won't have to commute any more. So awesome.

I did lots of cooking and baking as well: granola, crustless pumpkin pie, and a pseudo-Thanksgiving meal of turkey meatloaf, scallion mashed potatoes, and green beans. I had so much fun playing in the kitchen. I was singing at the top of my lungs and doing my private "funky chicken" and booty-shaking dances between chopping and measuring and stirring. It was gray & raining outside, so it was the perfect way to spend a drippy day: celebrating life, life, life-- and that more abundant! The giving thanks of my pseudo-Thanksgiving was real. ;-)


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Ready Radishes?

My radishes sprouted 20 days ago, so I was hoping a few would be mature enough to harvest now (but judging by the foliage, I doubted it). Still, I pulled one up this morning. A lovely scarlet root, but not a plump radish. Ah well, I knew I was being impatient. I did wash and eat it, and it tasted spicy. Another 10 days I reckon.

I have 17 carrot seedlings growing, and true feathery leaves are showing on some.

Yesterday's lawn mowing threw all sorts of clippings into the raised bed, which makes it a little difficult to see emerging sprouts. Hopefully those bits will wither and turn brown quickly so that I can see when my next crop of lettuce appears.

Definitely need to water today-- for the seeds' sakes mostly.

Today's going to be another busy day of chores and errands, even though I've started kind of late.

I need to shop for some summer clothing. I only have one pair of ginormous shorts and multiple way-too-tight capris that need purging from my wardrobe. I can't wear pants through Kentucky's sweltering summers unless I'm ensconced in a chilly air-conditioned office.

By the way, here's a photo my mom took of her birthday lava cakes.


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Busy Day

I've got someone coming to mow today, thanks to my Mom's arranging, so I need to prep the yard a bit. I have to rope off the area where the tulips are growing, trim the excess weed fabric from the remaining bed, and remove the netting for the moment-- I don't want him entangling himself or his equipment in the portion puddling over the sides of the bed. Plus, I may not be at home to give directions or warnings when he arrives. This will be the first mowing of the season, and the yard sorely needs it. There's a 30% chance of showers though, and it does look a little cloudy and dark. Hope it gets done.

I have an appointment with an optometrist. It's been 3 years since my last checkup. I need new glasses that aren't so fragile, and then I'll have the current ones for backup. I also need prescription sunglasses. I've never purchased any before because of the expense, but I think it will be a worthwhile investment in headache prevention.

It's also my Mom's birthday, and I am planning to bake Molten Lava Cakes and take them to her. I first made them earlier in the year (January maybe? Before I started this blog). They are wonderful and surprisingly easy to make. I have to find my recipe though; it's buried in an avalanche of papers in my knitting room. I can't even remember the source of the recipe that I finally tried-- I have several in my collection. If there are any leftover they can be frozen then nuked. I want to try that and see if the frozen ones are as good as fresh. The only thing they needed to be perfect was a little vanilla ice cream on the side! ;-)

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Easter Sunday

Despite it being a special occasion, I didn't make it to church today-- only 5 hours of sleep and soooo tired. Dragging, in fact. It took me forever to get my shower and to make the simple ingredients for our Cherry Trifle: yogurt sauce and sugar-glazed walnuts. Mom made the angel food cake, so I only had to cube it and assemble the trifle when I arrived at my parents' house.

Dad grilled steaks and potatoes for us, and Mom roasted the broccoli. She also prepared strawberries with dessert toppings: sour cream & brown sugar plus a chocolate sauce with a hint of orange and vanilla.

As always, we had a great time talking, laughing, and catching up with each other. My brother and sister-in-law are both quick-witted and tend to keep the three of us entertained with their humor and sense of the outrageous. Invariably, one of them says something funny just as my Mom or I take a sip of a beverage-- with predictable results!

It was a good day.

Toward the end of our gathering, I slipped away to take some more spring photos of plants in and around my parents' yard.

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Mostly Chores But...

I did some baking today-- which I can't afford to do often if I want to reach my weight loss goals; I have to restrict myself to cooking instead. But today the kitchen was clean, and I had "no-sugar-added" apple butter on hand; it was the perfect time to try Mini Whole Wheat Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Glaze from The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight & Eating Great by Pam Anderson. The author brags that you'd never know the muffins were made with whole wheat flour, and that little sugar is needed for the muffin batter because of the glaze.

Well, the muffins aren't bad, but I think the texture is a dead giveaway that they're whole grain-- they're a little too soft somehow-- not al dente to appropriate pasta terminology. And, the sugar may be minimal but the fat is not-- about 5g per mini muffin! It's always a trade off between sugar and fat when it comes to baking. The recipe does call for oil rather than butter, so at least the fat is not the saturated variety. And whole wheat flour means a little more fiber and some trace nutrients that white flour lacks.

I only made enough glaze for 3 muffins, because I planned to freeze the rest. Good thing, too, because I don't care for the glaze; it's just powdered sugar plus milk-- with a bit of cinnamon and a drop of lemon juice for flavor (but it still tastes strictly like powdered sugar-- kind of chemical). I think the glaze was a futile attempt to convert something wholesome into something decadent; better to just enjoy the muffins for what they are-- warm and cinnamon-y and 100 calories each (with or without glaze).

I am proud of myself for only eating the three I had planned to consume. As soon as they were cool, I packaged 2 per baggie and whisked them into the freezer. With a piece of fruit, they will be a nice afternoon snack/small meal to tide me over until dinner time. Or, one muffin plus a cup of yogurt will be a satisfactory light breakfast until my mid-morning fruit snack. It's always helpful to have goodies in the freezer-- "Frozen Assets" according to one cookbook title.

Baking is also a pleasant way to spend a day of snow flurries-- domestic and cozy to counter the cold.

Insomnia again so...

I'm making Blackberry Cobbler for breakfast. I have justifications for consuming so much white flour and sugar. First, Mondays are my days off my diet. Second, it's a holiday (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). Third, I couldn't let those berries go to waste, could I?

Actually, it's amazing how little variety there is to blackberry recipes-- cobbler, muffins, jam, dessert sauce, fools, smoothies (hardly smooth made with blackberries), pan sauces for pork or chicken. Other berries seem more useful for improvising.

So you see, I HAD to eat cobbler for breakfast. ;-)

Image source: www.schwansfoodservice.com/.../ 4001272.jpg