Happy Thanksgiving!

Desert Storm
Originally uploaded by ms4jah

Happy Thanksgiving! I know, I’m a few days early but we’re on the road tomorrow morning to Warner Springs for a cold & rainy holiday. One of the many things I’m thankful for. The coming days will be filled with cooking & family. There’s so many of us that the list of things I’m thankful for often goes unspoken. So with two more days to go, here are a few of those many, many blessings….

I am thankful for…
My family-California & beyond
My old friend Ferris coming back into my life
My job and the simple fact that I still have one
The weather finally cooling off for a chilly Thanksgiving
That is will rain this week and the burnt earth will begin to heal
That on Thanksgiving Day we will have a lovely meal made from scratch by loving hands

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy Thanksgiving!

Desert Storm
Originally uploaded by ms4jah

Happy Thanksgiving! I know, I’m a few days early but we’re on the road tomorrow morning to Warner Springs for a cold & rainy holiday. One of the many things I’m thankful for. The coming days will be filled with cooking & family. There’s so many of us that the list of things I’m thankful for often goes unspoken. So with two more days to go, here are a few of those many, many blessings….

I am thankful for…
My family-California & beyond
My old friend Ferris coming back into my life
My job and the simple fact that I still have one
The weather finally cooling off for a chilly Thanksgiving
That it will rain this week and the burnt earth will begin to heal
That on Thanksgiving Day we will have a lovely meal made from scratch by loving hands

With that, I wish you a beautiful holiday.

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Odes...continuing

Just read through my previous "Odes". Lots of typos to fix but I think they're still good. I have two in me for this year. They'll be coming soon. Stay tuned....

Christmas Music

I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I’m already listening to Christmas music. I can’t help it. It is one of my favorite parts of this time of year. Yesterday, I bought YoYo Ma -Songs of Joy & Peace. As I type, Alison Krauss is singing The Wexford Carol. A song I had never heard before now and it’s beautiful. The combination of the haunting cello and her angelic voice…puts me in a truly peaceful, Christmas-y mood. Never mind that it will likely be 90 today, or that the world around is quite literally going up in flames. Right now, I feel joy & peace. More importantly, I’m feeling full of hope.

May I be the first to wish you a very merry Christmas.

Coffee, coffee, coffee

This post is primarily for my sister. Why? Because she will be shocked. Joyously shocked at something new to tease me about.

I have, over the last few weeks, been increasingly drawn to a simple cup of coffee. While this may seem normal to most people, I have never been a coffee person. An iced mocha from Starbucks now and then. If it was really really cold (a rare occasion in my neck of the woods), maybe a Peppermint Mocha. I have never been one to crave a cup o’ joe in the morning.

But lately, the idea of it has been intoxicating. Just the other day, as I toasted my pumpkin bagel, I dug into my husbands coffee stash looking for the one pod not labeled “jet fuel” or something similar. I took my first sip and my husband stepped into the kitchen. His mouth fell open in speechless wonder. My husband being speechless is really something. I just don’t drink coffee in the morning.

Maybe it’s part of getting older. Maybe it’s the added stress in my life. Whatever it is, I’ve made the first step into the world of coffee drinkers. I know I’ll be welcomed with open, if somewhat jittery, arms.

Doughnut Muffins

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Originally uploaded by bbratsthoughts

I spent the better part of last week searching online & through cookbooks for doughnut muffin recipes. All were pretty similar but each had something slightly different about them. Google "Doughnut Muffins" and find one that sounds good to you. Most recipes I found called for nutmeg. I'm not a huge fan so I used pumpkin pie spice instead. I can't describe how light and yummy these muffins are. They smelled so good that my neighbor called to ask me to bring by whatever it was I was baking.

Edit: Here's a link to a very similar recipe out there in blogdom. She used powdered sugar instead but still sounds yummy.