Well, I've had a busy day today and finally have some time to catch up and do an early post (instead of Thursday).
Yesterday was a gorgeous day. It wasn't humid and my swim date with a girlfriend and her 2 boys went "swimmingly"! It's so nice to wear a swimsuit and not feel self-conscious in it! We later enjoyed a nice coffee in her backyard where there was a light breeze. Just one of those lazy summer days that make you feel happy to be alive and in the world.
Later in the evening, I happened to pass by my Japanese willow. Several weeks ago, I noticed that there was a nest in it. I really didn't give it too much thought until I heard little cheeping sounds coming from it. I went inside to get my stepladder being careful not to get too close.
Low and behold, I saw two tiny little mouths with their tiny little beaks stretched wide open! When I went to the other side of my garden I saw Mrs. Cardinal warily make her way to the nest. Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal chose my tree to start their family! This morning I saw that Mr. Cardinal was taking his turn to feed the little birdies and I sat very still hoping to be able to get a picture. These are 2 shots I managed to get. Not very clear but if you click on them and enlarge them you should be able to make out one of the baby beaks and then daddy at the nest.
Now, the saga of my car. Ladies, you've probably heard it before and goodness knows that I should know better. NEVER take your car troubles to the dealer unless you have full warranty coverage! I knew that they would find all sorts of things wrong but when they called back and gave me a quote of $1300 plus my mouth fell and I actually asked if they were kidding! Needless to say I took it elsewhere and ended up paying $300. Come on, these were things that didn't even need to be done! "We noticed that..." What, I'm stupid? A dopey female who doesn't know better? Yeah, right!
Sabine at Sunshine and Shadow has a recipe swap going on. She's calling it DINE: Delicious, Inexpensive, Nutritious, Easy to make. If you're interested, go check it out and link to her page. She has what looks like a yummy recipe for pancakes. I'm always up for new recipe ideas so I'll share a great recipe for blueberry muffins. They are moist and delicious and what a fantastic time for them as the blueberries I've been eating are big and juicy!
Blueberry Oat Muffins
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 egg beaten
1 c. blueberries
1 c. grated apples OR 1/4 c. oil, OR 1/4 c. apple sauce
Combine oats with buttermilk and let stand about 1/2 hour.
Combine the dry ingredients.
Add beaten egg and/or apples, oil to oats and buttermilk.
Add dry ingredients, mix until moistened. Mix in blueberries.
Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
So moist and delicious! (makes 12)
3 pts if you use oil, 2.5 if you use apples (I prefer oil--moister and you taste blueberries not apple). *excellent for freezing; pop in microwave and they taste fresh baked!
Today was quite warm and we had a smog advisory day. After I dropped off my car I had the fleeting idea of going for a bike ride but opted for relaxing inside. This was the first time in ages that I didn't sweat due to a workout! I don't mind that one square on my calendar that will remain blank. Hmm, maybe I'll go for an early morning run...
4 months ago
11 comments:
Mmm those muffins sound great... expect to see them soon on my blog :)
I've printed off the recipe and will put the ingredients I need on my shopping list tomorrow. I can't wait to make these! Thank you so much for participating!
I can totally relate to your experience of not feeling self-conscious in your bathing suit. That is what I am aiming for, just to be comfortable in my clothes and not to be worried about whether a certain outfit makes me look fat.
How privileged you are to having cardinals nesting in your tree. I guess they don't come to this area. We had Northern Flickers interested in our nesting boxes but they left. I think it was too noisy here once the lawn mowers powered up. P thinks the crows scared them off. Might be a little of both.
It does feel like a privilege when birds nest in your yard. And cardinals, no less. I've never seen young ones before. How neat.
I'm going to have to make these muffins. Can I freeze them? They sound like they taste like MORE & I wouldn't be able to keep a dozen around the house :)
It's wonderful not being self-consious about your body, isn't it? I'm aiming for this too. I'm glad you enjoyed your swim. It was a beautiful day.
You had me at buttermilk!
Thanks for adding the freezing tip.
I think 3 points is pretty good for a muffin.
My calendar has a lot of empty spots. I hope to change that today.
Glad your swim went swimmingly. I can't wait until I can wear a bathing suit without feeling like a beached whale!
I hung out in the AC all day yesterday. I didn't care cause I beat the heat in the AM.. Today's run was really really humid. Tomorrow I'm skipping the run for a gym day in the nice cool AC!
Good thing you shopped around. It makes me so angry to be treated differently because I am a woman.
Your muffin recipe sounds great. Maybe I'll try them this weekend for my Sunday breakfast.
Thanks for the recipe and for the link to the DINE recipes!
Take care in this heat! Better to have a blank spot on the calendar than a blank spot on the brain. :)
Oh, thank you, THANK YOU for sharing those photos of the cardinals! We don’t get them here in California, and I miss them. They're just so beautiful. Thanks for sharing yours with me!
And congrats on hanging out, swimming and relaxing. You deserve that, and to feel good in your body. I'm proud of you for that!
Your recipe sounds like one I will have to try...=). I enjoyed your post too.
Oh, I'm so JEALOUS!!! What a wonderful present! I love cardinals, and they come to my feeders often, but I haven't seen a nest. Yay for you!
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