Fruit Muffins and Baked Oatmeal

Over the weekend, S made two things for breakfast that were just wonderful. One is a family recipe that we've made many times before and they are always a hit. The other is a new recipe found in a church cookbook. I thought I would share both with you. The muffin recipe is ours but the oatmeal recipe is from the A Taste of Trinity cookbook. I've never even been to this church but they have some wonderful recipes! Maybe one of these will inspire you to make something yummy.

Fruit Muffins
(I would call these blueberry muffins but you can use any berry you like and I prefer raspberries)

3C flour
2C sugar
1Tbs baking powder
1/4lb (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
1C milk
2C fruit

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix together flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in butter until a fine meal is formed. Measure out one cup of the mixture and set aside. Add the eggs, milk and fruit to the remaining flour mixture. Place in muffin tins lined with paper liners. Top batter with dry mixture that was set aside, evenly distributing the entire amount. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Makes 20-24 muffins.

NOTE: Frozen fruit works best in this recipe, as fresh fruit tends to break up more easily in the batter. You can also add the zest of half a lemon to brighten up the flavor.

Baked Oatmeal

3C oatmeal
2tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
1C milk
1/2C oil
1C sugar (half was plenty for us or you can do half sugar, half brown sugar)
2 eggs

Mix together oatmeal, baking powder, salt and milk. Add oil, sugar and eggs. Pour into greased round or 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes (until firm and lightly browned). Serve with milk.

What's Going On

I'm back, y'all! Not that I've gone anywhere but I just haven't posted in almost a week. I wish I could say that I'd been somewhere spectacular (like Alaska as my friend Jennifer did a week ago) or that something completely wonderful had happened that kept me from blogging. Alas, no such luck. It just the same old thing happening day after day.

The thing is, though, I'm much more comfortable with that right now than I was just a few weeks ago. I'm beginning to relish the time I have with my children, knowing that in just a few short years, they won't need me as much as they do right now and, sadly, won't want it, either. I'm finding joy in being a mother to three small children. They are needy but they are mine and I want to be there for every new step. So allow me to brag on their most recent accomplishments.

(As a side note, they have all had their moments of non-compliance this week, confirming, in my mind, that they are not perfect).

K is learning to read. This is so much fun to watch. I bought her a set of books that are for very beginning readers and she is flying through them. We only do one or two at a time because she gets tired of it. However, she loves to read them and feels so accomplished when she reads a whole book by herself. It's a sweet thing to watch her little mind expanding.

L is going to be my little athlete. We have been practicing volleyball and she can bump with the best of them. Honestly, the first time I tossed the ball to her, she hit it right back to me. I know I couldn't do that at three. Her Daddy is so proud.

H is, as I said previously, is getting big. He's starting to push up with his hands which is the beginning of the end as far as being immobile is concerned. He's also getting his two bottom teeth. And he is the cutest baby boy I have ever seen. His smile is so sweet it just warms my heart.

So that's what is going on with the kids. I'm so thankful for them and the wonderful blessing they are on this family. Sure, they wear me out but it's a good kind of worn out!

What's For Dinner?

Is anyone else in a cooking slump? I would say that I am except that I haven't really had to cook too much lately. This week has been filled with some really wonderful dinners cooked by my loving husband, who is a much better cook than I. I'm the baker, he's the cook.

We've also discovered a new vegetable: sweet potatoes. Now, before you go nuts and say that this particular vegetable has been around for ages and many a child has loved this sweet root, I would not be one of those people. Yes, I'm Southern and should love them as they are a staple in the Southern kitchen. However, I have never really liked them except when my stepmom PJ makes them. I don't know what she does but they are good. Well, S made baked sweet potatoes and I mashed one of them up to give to the girls. L could not get enough and wanted more when there was no more to give.

For those of you familiar with our family, you know that L is quite a picky eater. She isn't required to finish the food on her plate but doesn't get any options other than what is put in front of her. Anyway, the discovery of the sweet potato as a viable vegetable has been wonderful.

So, what did you have for dinner tonight? Anything good? Just so you know, S prepared steak, cottage potatoes (provided by his mom before she left) and green beans. It was all so yummy, especially since I didn't have to cook it!

H is Getting Big!

When our screen saver comes on, it is a montage/slideshow of all the pictures stored on our computer. As you may have guessed, most of them are of our kids although some are very random. For example, I have a picture of a bumper sticker that was produced after the 2005 Auburn/Alabama game that reads, "HONK IF YOU SACKED BRODIE" in reference to the umpteen times the former Alabama quarterback landed on his behind in said game. It was funny.

Anyway, this has nothing to do with football or random pictures. Well, it sort of has to do with random pictures. Anyway, one of the pictures I saw was this one when H was brand new and had only been home from the hospital less than two weeks. He probably weighed about 6 pounds. He was so tiny! I remember his very skinny legs as he had almost no fat on his body.

Fast forward to this picture I took this weekend. He is a chunk! I have no idea how much he weighs but I can tell you that he is still nursing and is not yet on any solids. He is a growing boy.

Just look at those double chins! It is amazing to see how well he is doing despite all the issues surrounding his birth. I am so thankful for our little man!

He Is Famous

A friend of ours has recently opened a children's shop in our area. Several weeks ago she asked if H could be a model for some of her really cute clothes for an ad in a local magazine. Of course I said yes. So H and a baby girl, V, were in this photo shoot. The pictures turned out great even though by the end of the shoot both babies were tired and ready for naps. I'm only posting a couple so you can see how cute they are together. I know V's mom and we enjoyed being pregnant together so it was fun to see our babies in pictures together.

An Encouraging Weekend

I just want to say that I had a blast this past weekend. My mom (aka Nana) was here for the weekend and we had a wonderful time. After such a tough week, it was a welcome sight to have both Daddy and Nana around. I got to sleep in, I wasn't the only adult in the house and I didn't once have to prepare a meal. Oh, did I mention that S and I got to go out to dinner and a movie? And Auburn won. It was just wonderful, a true blessing.

But wait! There's more! Then (this is the best part) Nana and I got to go shopping! Oh, it was so much fun. We spent all day Monday shopping our little hearts out while K and L were in school. S graciously agreed to pick them up so we didn't have to worry about getting back at a certain time. H tagged along with us and was so good all day. He didn't get a very good nap and slept really well that night but he was just a great sport the whole time. I even got to take Nana to a great little place for lunch without any interruptions from children. H was there but he was so good! (I think I may have already mentioned that). I was able to get several things that I needed (and a few that I didn't) since I have only a few things that really fit now that I'm not pregnant any more. I hit some wonderful sales and I would say my best find was a pair of pants for $6.97 from Old Navy. Oh, and a great pair of jeans that actually fit. They were not $6.97.

We were both exhausted by the time we got home but it was so worth it. The last time my mom visited, I got almost no time with her so this little trip was just a blast and much needed on both ends. We laughed the entire time and enjoyed being mother and daughter, as well as friends.

Here is a picture of the kids with their Nana and one of L that I just had to share. We have more fun to look forward to as Papa and PJ are scheduled to come in the next couple of weeks and we haven't seen them since May. H has changed a lot since then and the girls are so excited to see them. Should be fun!

Enjoying the Weekend

I want to thank all of you who have been praying for us as we adjust to S's new job. He is home now (blessedly!) and let me just tell you how excited the girls were to see Daddy. They were, well, very excited. It was so sweet.

And now that Nana is here, the weekend is even that much better. The girls were thrilled to see her and I became instantly invisible upon her arrival. That's actually not such a bad thing after a long week.

I'm sure I'll have plenty of tales from the weekend so enjoy yours with your family (or wherever you may be!).