Cozy Baked Oatmeal

 Looking for a warm and cozy breakfast recipe for Thanksgiving morning to share with family and friends? Try this recipe from Bon Appetit for a big batch of baked oatmeal inspired by those beloved hippie muffins - morning glory. It's loaded with grated carrots and apples, two kinds of oats (rolled and steel-cut) and sweetened with orange juice, raisins and a touch of maple syrup.

You can make it at the beginning of the week, keep in the fridge and reheat portions as needed.  Add a splash of milk for a wholesome breakfast. The recipe is easily converted to vegan by omitting the egg and swapping the butter and milk for any non-dairy alternative.

This is the perfect start to your Thanksgiving holiday celebration - to begin the day by pausing and giving thanks for the blessings in your life, the beauty and harvest of nature and for your family and friends.

Cozy up with a warm herbal tea - Bon Appetit!!

Follow the link for the recipe for Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal -

               Morning Glory Baked Oatmeal Recipe | Bon Appétit (bonappetit.com)

                                    Gratitude is the inner feeling of kindness received.

                                    Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling.

                                    Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. Henry Van Dyke

Seize Your Muse

 In ancient Greek the muses were the nine Greek goddesses that presided over the fine arts/science and served as the embodiment of inspiration.  In modern day, a muse is considered to be someone who influences another and becomes the inspiration for that person's creative work.  Inspiration is an intangible emotion yet an inseparable part of any creative process.

Muses still impact and affect creative processes.  The people we meet, movies, books, nature and cultural ideals potentially awaken our imaginative minds.  For me - being outside and one with nature with my muse sparks my creative energy.  It is only when we allow ourselves to be touched by  muses that we  understand our capability to create own individual greatness.

People too often move through life unaware of the presence of their muse.  A lack of awareness may be compounded by having only one muse throughout our lives, multiple muses inspiring us concurrently, or a single muse touching us briefly in a specific moment.  When you discover your muse you will encounter a force that sparks you to be courageous and inspires you to broaden your creativity.  This force will erase all of your self-doubt and motivate you to give your thoughts and feelings form.  If your muse eludes you take steps to surround yourself with people that support you and immerse yourself in culture.

After identifying your muse, embrace it's presence!  I am a firm believer in Divine intervention - that someone comes into your life to inspire you to become your authentic self. 😍 You will find that fear or criticism is not able to penetrate the emotional bliss of taking a muse sparked idea and it's impact on the entire world to bring enjoyment.❤

Autumn's Beauty

Suddenly summer gives birth to autumn, an event missed by many.  Autumn tends to reveal itself slowly until its crisp breezes pierce our summer clothing, and we stop and notice the transformations taking place all around us.  When the last fruits and vegetables have been harvested and the trees begin displaying patterns of crimson and gold that we begin to internalize that fall has returned.

Autumn is invigorating and a time to gather our thoughts.  It ushers in shorter days, brilliant foliage, southbound geese honking overhead, and the arrival of a bountiful harvest.  Internally we begin to slow down and take stock of our lives.  Dormancy, not death, is the hallmark of fall.  Your priorities may change as nature flares into sunset brilliance and lapses slowly into slumber.  Remember to rejoice in nature's beauty where each finale serves as an overture for a new beginning.

                                                            Harvest Apple Cake

 Ingredients:

3 eggs, 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 2 cups finely chopped, peeled apple, 1 cup chopped pecans

Caramel Glaze:

20 square caramel candies, 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar, 2 Tablespoons apple juice

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10 to 12 cup bundt or tube pan; set aside.

In large mixer bowl, beat eggs, oil and vanilla extract.

Add flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Beat until smooth. Batter will be thick.

Stir in pecans and apples. Pour into prepared pan.

Place pan in oven on insert rack.

Bake 60 - 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes then invert on rack to cool.

For glaze, microwave caramels and apple juice in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 45 seconds to 1 minute or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir in confectioners' sugar. Drizzle over cooled cake.

 

Today we usher in the beautiful month of September.  It brings with it the scents of autumn - bonfires, apple cider, pumpkin anything, colorful fallen leaves, slow cooked soups and all things earthy. It's the rite of passage from summer into fall - shorter days and cooler nights.

September is also a wonderful time to pause and take a deep breath.  Draw in all the events of the past months, before all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins.  Sip a cup of hot apple cider or pumpkin latte while you reflect on whether you shed light or darkness in the world.  A person of light is filled with self-awareness and contentment.  While a person who sheds darkness is dissatisfied and wants others to feel their bleakness.  

The longest relationship a person will ever have is with oneself.  Your personal self-talk can either be positive or negative and becomes your personal mantra.   A life of joy begins with a seed and must be cultivated daily.  Plant it deep within your heart and nurture it by watering with positive affirmations - not just daily but multiple times each hour of each day.  

We become what we think, so think on-

"Whatever is True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely and Admirable.  If anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think on these things."  Phil 4:8   

                                         ENJOY THE BLESSINGS OF AUTUMN🍂

Happy Father’s Day❣️

 Being a good father doesn’t suddenly happen nor does it come naturally.. It takes a heart filled with love and patience, and a pinch of grace, a lot of sleepless nights and a special kind of understanding to lead, guide, direct, hope, and inspire... Happy Father's Day Friends ...... Enjoy this special day honoring the men that have blessed your life💙

    ♡♡♡♡♡

     Nanner

Spring Anew

 Spring - when our external clocks are moved forward; when nature begins anew; and when we clear the clutter from our lives physically and emotionally.

No need to keep sweeping the emotion clutter under the rug.  Take that rug laden with emotional clutter and give it a good shake outdoors!  Shake out the hurts, the hate and any negative thought.  Your thoughts take your emotions for a walk down a path.  You will find yourself packing down the dirt and trampling some of the underbrush every time you hike that path.  As you continue using this same path you begin to feel emotions - sad, depressed, overwhelmed or disappointed.

The good news is we all have the ability to chose a new and different path.  When you have a thought about a circumstance in your life, make a conscious effort to stop going down the negative path and get your emotions on a new positive path.  You do not have to believe everything that you think.  If a thought about a circumstance is not serving you then just let that thought go by shifting it to a positive thought.

Now that your thoughts are on a more positive path, it's time to clear out the physical clutter. All physical clutter accumulates based on what we think or feel.  There are many psychological reasons why we keep things, but you have to get rid of things you no longer want to make room for the things you do want.

The more you release things that you no longer use and no longer bring pleasure, you will have more energy and prosperity. Start with the most cluttered area that is overwhelming and clear clutter in small bursts of 15 - 30 minutes daily.  Make this a daily habit so that you're clearing space to manifest more energy and prosperity. By donating items you no longer use/need you are giving them new life and purpose and meeting the needs of another person.

Spring your life forward by starting anew this Spring season!