baking inspiration: pumpkin bread muffins

i figured i'd start a new feature whenever i baked something tasty! so here is the first installation. let me know if you like this feature and if you bake one of my recipes let me know how you like it and how it turned out!

pumpkin bread muffins:

- 3 cups all purpose flour

- 2 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1 tbs nutmeg

- 1 tbs cinnamon

- 1 tbs all spice

- 1 tsp salt

- 3 cups white sugar

- 1 cup oil (canola or veggie)

- 4 eggs

- 1 15 oz canned pumpkin puree

- 1/2 cup water

- preheat oven to 350 degrees - grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans (or 2 muffin pans) - sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices. set aside.

- in a large bowl (or in mixer bowl) beat together sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin. stir in flour mixture alternately with water. divide between prepared pans.

- bake in the pre-heated oven for 60-70 minutes (if in loaf pans) or 20-30 minutes in muffin pans or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

- for best flavor store in plastic wrap at room temperature overnight before serving.

these would be awesome with a chai latte and some honey butter (that's how i had mine!) or a nice pumpkin or cinnamon latte! enjoy!

honestly,

- e

coming through the weeds

you know that i feel like if i put this down in words the powers that be are going to jinx me...but i can't resist it.

i feel kinda like when you pull the blankets off your face after sleeping under them for a while - that cool, refreshing feeling that breathes on your skin as you snuggle back in. it's comfort. it's a feeling i've not felt in quite some time. it's been one thing after another, after another, after...well, you get the idea.

it was the decision to separate, the decision to file papers, the choice to move to minnesota, unemployment, being super broke, a loooooong depressing winter that was aided by the loss of my best little companion dying, crappy job after crappy job (then working three together to try to make ends meet)...along with so many little set-backs that i'm kind of amazed that anyone put up with me cause i was a weepy mess for the majority of the time!

but - what doesn't kill us makes us that much stronger...i know the meaning of this now. i know that my time "in the weeds" was basically a really tough way to realize that i didn't appreciate the little things in life. sometimes we all need wake-up calls and sometimes they can be INCREDIBLY painful. it was just like being under those blankets - i couldn't see anything outside of it all - all i could see was this enclosing space that didn't promise me any ways out. but, i believe that God came along and started pulling the edge back little by little.

now here we are - i have so much to be thankful for. tonight i am so over-filled with joy and love that i could burst. i have found myself looking at old and new pictures on facebook tonight and many times close to the point of crying. happy crying. so strange. every time i cry i wonder how the heck that happens! aren't we all just a mystery, how we work?

anyways...thanks to everyone who has been helping me through all this, i'm sure there will be other times when life pulls the blanket back over my head and i find myself tangled and twisted but for now, i'm barely holding that blanket. i have so much to look forward to. some of my closest friends have had (or are close to having) new babies which makes me so happy. oh, and of course there is that little thing that's happening in 57 days where i get to say "i do" to my best friend whom i owe so much comfort to. i am so thankful that we're both getting a second chance to be in love. speaking of him, i'm going to leave you all with "our song"...some people might find it odd that this is ours but, like i said, we've been through some stuff together and have come out so much stronger for it. i finally am learning how to help myself (with a little help from my friends...and family).

help yourself

hope you have a gorgeous rest of your summer. peace be with you and may your days be full of blessings, even in the blanketed times.

honestly,

-e

new hair!

so, i have this process that i always seem to go through - i grow my hair out...and then it all gets chopped off. i'm not entirely sure why i do this so often but it's how i've been since senior year of high school. maybe it's cathartic? i think that i typically like to have shorter hair but now that i'm getting older i like to have some length, too. got it cut today. i'm pretty happy with it! it's cute, it's funky and it's fun. i think that i'm still adjusting to all the highlights i got put in. i like them but i think i'll stick to a little darker next time. i've gotten really used to myself with darker hair and i kinda like it. but the highlights are very pretty! my hair stylist is pretty awesome! and she's now a friend so that's kinda great. well, here are some other pics of the new hair!

honestly,

-e

a smidge of a teaser and news

ok - so it's admittedly been a horrible thing of mine to neglect this blog. seriously, deplorable...what am i thinking!? apparently those four of you who read are dying to know what's going on. well - lots!

moved into a new apartment, still looking for sustainable work....GOT ENGAGED! yup, i used caps...never do that so you know how flippin' excited i am about marrying this guy! he's amazing, he loves me for who i am, no matter how screwed up i am and it's all ditto back in his direction. i also started writing in a freelance capacity which is fun and kinda nerve-wracking!

anyways - we're getting married in 90 days from today, yup, 90! no, i'm not preggers, we just wanna get hitched and do it in a non-fussy way. i'm going to post some d.i.y. wedding projects here over the next couple of weeks along with some apartment goodness. i love my new place and can't wait to share it, but tonight it's just not so pretty!

i've had a bit of a breakthrough today - i am going to be making some changes and i think i'll be better for it. those are just two of my little to-do lists at the top. i find that life goes smoother when i write lists... i get rather neurotic about them but oh well.

and here is just a little teaser of the new apartment to keep you coming back in a week!!

oooh la la! it's an un-styled look at the corner of my bedroom

(the other corner is full of laundry), don't you just love that fan!? ::gag::

honestly,

-e

lemme dust off the cobwebs!

i can't believe it's been so long since i've posted. maybe it's been because i've been far too busy. maybe it's been because winter did a doozy on my mood or maybe it's because i can't seem to figure out where life is going these days!

not sure which but i do know that three jobs (two now...that was not planned) is definitely one way to fill time. why is it that it's so difficult to find a job these days that actually pays decent money, has benefits and treats me like a human being? i didn't spend all that time in college working my butt off to learn how to make cones at dairy queen...seriously (nothing against dairy queen or people who work there but they rubbed me the wrong way this week).

life has been picking up speed and then dropping down to a lull for quite a while. to say it's like a roller-coaster ride isn't too far from the truth. to add to the joys of this insane life of stretching $20 for a week, i'm moving into a new apartment at the end of the month. it's some exciting stuff! 300 more sq. ft. than my current apartment for very little extra money so i'm very happy! it's interesting to note that this is the first time in my adult life that i haven't had my family help me move. of course ryan and his family and my friends are volunteering to help and i hope that it goes smoothly, but there is just something heart-breakingly homesick about not having my mom and dad around to help me move. i don't know if i'll be able to make it through the traditional first-meal-in-the-new-digs of take-out chinese without tearing up a bit.

i'm not saying i want to move back to memphis. nothing wrong with that city but it's not the place for me at this point in my life but i do wish my family lived close by. i miss those friday nights when i could just call up my folks, throw on some sweats and head over for a backyard bonfire. those nights were good for this introverted soul of mine. i look forward to maybe living in the same city as them again someday.

eh, i just feel a little jostled around and kicked in the stomach lately. and yes, i know it will get better and yes, i have trusted God with this. but i have also talked to God about how the past few years have felt a little rough and would he please quit thinking i'm so strong? he knows, it's all good. he's big enough for me to be occasionally mad at him.

speaking of which, i think ryan and i finally found a church that we are starting to feel comfortable in. for as many years as i have worked in ministry it's a strange thing to be hunting for a church from this perspective! it's a cool little community. full of artists and environmentalists...when i finally have enough money i can even subscribe to a CSA (community supported agriculture) program through the church which would provide me with organic veggies every week. sounds pretty awesome to me. we're still playing it a tad shy with the church for now. i've got some wounds there that i hope will heal with time. i just have to remember that it's a community of broken people and that broken people hurt each other sometimes.

well - hope the update post wasn't terribly boring. i'll try to be around more often. once the move is over i will have more space in which to craft again! i am even going to attempt to make some pillows and possibly a quilt coming up soon. we shall see! anyways - have a good one.

honestly

-e

ink & whimsy - my 'business'

hi guys! so, exciting news! i am starting a hobby/business called ink & whimsy! i decided that there aren't enough baby announcement/thank you note/birthday invite companies that do things for the funkier, more inked ladies and gents out there! if i were a mom i think i'd like something that was a bit more 'me'. ya know? so, i'm starting ink & whimsy to help that out!

check out my etsy shop: www.esty.com/shop/inkandwhimsy !

i am soooo excited! granted, there isn't much up there yet but rest assured i'm still working my little design-y brain off on it! i'm hoping that this will be something that will add to my income. i figured, if i can't seem to find a design job right now why not start my own!? so, check it out and let me know what you think!

honestly,

-e

my new venture!

i have something fun in the works! i won't tell you about it too much this week, just know that next friday i'll have a fun announcement! here's a sneak peak ;)

i'll let you know more soon!

honestly

-e

the winter in me...

i have been having a tough, really tough go of it lately.

some days i'm hanging by a thread, ready to cry at the slightest change of plans or the smallest memory (mainly, still, of my timber). other days i just go through life - i work, i come home, i watch weeds (way too many episodes but i love that ryan and i are watching it together!). i feel like i can't get enough time off lately but when i have time off i get antsy.

it is winter.

it has been for a while now. and that's ok.

it is also winter in me. and that's ok, too.

i am trying to accept that life has dealt me some crazy blows over the last year and that it's ok to pull inside and recover. it's ok to not be happy all the time. it's ok to not fake a smile and to actually be upset and let that be known.

that being said, i look forward to spring! the snow is so peaceful and pretty and the cold is bracing but i am ready for cute dresses and the chance to wear my flippy floppies (yes, mom, i'll get a pedicure first!!). it is time to slough off the winter and make some positive changes. it is time to invest more in my life than "what makes money"...cause, let's face it, most of the time, a job is just a job...and that's definitely the case currently.

i got a new charger for my camera since i've apparently misplaced the other one, and i intend on taking my art back up again. also - working on writing some music...i know, wow!

it is time to come on out of the snow and start coming back into myself. i believe some of the wounds of going through a divorce, and uprooting, a new life, losing my best buddy are starting to heal a little. of course they will always change who i am but i'm starting to realize that that's ok.

i am hoping that this period of winter in me is thawing. we'll see - it's going to take time but i'm getting there. here's to spring.

honestly,

-e

my best friend

my sweet timber,

i will never forget you. you have been a constant comfort through many storms of life. i can't see how i'm going to be able to move on from this catastrophic loss and i feel as though someone pierced a hole in my heart. i know some people would say "he was just a dog" but we know better, huh? you understood me better than any human ever has. you knew exactly when to put that sweet nose under my hand to be petted, when to snuggle up next to my legs and put your head in my lap. you even knew that the best thing to do when i was crying was to come and lick away my tears. i have never felt safer than when you were snuggled in the bed beside me or barking at anyone who passed within 100 feet of our house. i loved quiet nights sitting out in the backyard with you on alert next to me...you were always hunting something. i won't forget the silly little circle wag you always did with your tail (and that you taught to the greyhound!) and the howling at sirens that was always so funny and so eerie. i remember when i first met you, all your beauty, your gentleness, your sweet nature - i fell in love instantly. those first few weeks i felt as though i had a wild coyote running through my house and yard, you were so different, so exotic compared to any other dog i'd ever met. i almost feel like i did the morning i took off in my pjs, barefoot and running through the streets trying to find my baby, thinking i had lost you for good. but no, you had just wandered out of the gate and couldn't find your way back - you didn't get far and you were trying to come home.

right now the sweet memories are a little painful. they keep mixing with the memories of your last day and how difficult that was. it's hard to sleep for all the dreams i'm having of you and all the guilt i have for not getting to spend as much time with you as i have wanted over the last fourteen months. i know you'll forgive me and i hope i do someday, too. i just thought i had more time. you were so healthy and happy in your new home and at least you were just across town instead of all the way back in memphis. but it was still so hard to be there and know that i had to go home and leave you every time. i hope this will get easier, that i can focus on the fact that you're up in heaven with hobie, korey and kermit having a great time herding a ball around, marking everything you can, running, jumping, playing in the snow you loved so much and waiting until i'm ready to come join you. until then i think that the snow, red rubber balls, sirens and so many things will make me remember you. i miss you so much, mutt mutt. you were my best friend and i don't know how i'm going to go on without the promise of you waiting for me. i love you with all of my heart and can't wait until i can hug you again and run my hands through that thick, crazy fur of yours.

your best friend.