Early Start

Help me decide on a case for my new phone.

See the choices right here.

Last night was a much better night, and apparently I'm so excited about heading out to the MQX quilt show that I could hardly wait to get out of bed. Smitty and I were up at a little past five. Smitty always flies out of bed in the morning ready and willing to face a day of harassing the birds. For my birthday way back in May, I asked for a bird cam. After doing some investigating, Mike informed me that it would be a good idea to wait for the newest version. Apparently, there were some problems with the old one. I was happy to do that and the new camera finally shipped just yesterday. Here's a promotional video about it, if you're interested in such things:

I'm bringing this up because I'm curious how many of my bird cam photos will include Smitty hunting birds.

Well, in my sleep-deprived haze yesterday, I totally forgot to tell you about the muffins I baked. They were so yummy.

These are Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins. I found the recipe at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. They were so quick to mix up, and they were moist and delicious. Mel notes that they freeze well, and she recommends freezing them and warming them one at a time for a quick snack. They contain very little sugar and fat, and the oatmeal gives them a nice little crunch. The recipe calls for either dried cranberries or raisins. I used golden raisins in mine...not that I have anything against brown raisins. I just don't like them in cooking. They tend to swell up and remind me of little rabbit oofies, if you know what I mean. Not that I have anything against rabbit oofies. Much.

Here's an observation about the recipe, and you can take it for what it's worth (from me...probably not a whole lot, but it's totally free to you on my blog today). The recipe calls for both baking powder and baking soda, but here's what I know about baking soda: it requires something acidic to activate it. And so in a recipe with buttermilk or citrus, it's a good choice of a leavener. But since this recipe doesn't contain any high acid ingredients, I was suspicious about how high they would rise. Despite being delicious, they were wimpy in their height. The next time I try this (and I will), I think I will substitute buttermilk for the milk and see if they rise any higher. I'm all for taking the high road when it comes to baked goods.

And now I'm off to get ready for the quilt show. I have a busy day ahead. I'm going to go down to my favorite little breakfast spot at the South Store Cafe for my favorite bowl of oatmeal before heading off to the show.

It won't look like that today since it's cloudy and gray outside. Then, on orders of my physical therapist, I need to stop into the New Balance store and switch out my old shoes for some new ones. (I intended to do that before we went on our trip, and just didn't make it over there.) Then, I need to make a quick stop at the grocery store. We're celebrating Erik's birthday on Saturday. Since they are spending the day moving, I've stepped up to make them some lunch. I need to pick up a few things and get going making some of Erik's favorite salads. He hasn't had my crockpot pulled chicken sandwiches yet, and I'm just betting he's going to love them. They're a good choice for a day of moving too.

But before I go, it's time to turn up the heat again on our esteemed (guffaw!) members of Congress with my NP4 protest. Yesterday I tried appealing to their shame, but clearly, they have none. Today I'm heating things up with this image of Saguaro National Park East in Tucson, Arizona. Saguaro National Park consists of an East and a West side. The West side includes the Sonoran Desert Museum, a combination zoo and botanical garden that is a must-see if you ever find yourself in Tucson. Oh yes, and Power to the people!!

Have a lovely day today!