It is a wintry time, but not too cold to write Ten Things of Thankful. I hope you are able to feel some gratitude, and link up to the blog hop hosted by Dyanne of Backsies Is What There Is Not.
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| Ground, shrubs, and trees covered with snow |
1. A time to bake
Monday was the day I realized how very patient the pumpkins given to me in the fall had been, assuming pumpkins have the ability to be patient. Typically most people probably would have either carved or eaten the pumpkins by now, but during a pandemic what is usual may deviate somewhat.
2. Finding a recipe online for Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal Cups (Muffins) that doesn’t have any flour in it
My husband and I really liked these muffin cups made with just milk, eggs, pumpkin purée, old fashioned whole grain oats, maple syrup, leavening, and spices and flavoring. These are so delicious and leftovers can be frozen to enjoy later.
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| Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffin Cups |
3. Surprising firsts
While preparing some roasted pumpkin seeds, I guess some wanted to pop rather than roast. Most of the seeds ended up being too immature to consume, meaning there was no seed inside the husk. If we had little children around they could use the bowl full of roasted husks for some kind of crafting activity. When some of the seeds popped, I thought at first I had a fire starting in my oven. HaHa. So glad that wasn’t the case! The two or three that popped may have been the only ones with a mature seed.
4. A change of scenery
The weather forecasters said there was a possibility we would get snow Tuesday afternoon, but it would most likely be at slightly higher elevations. As it turned out, we got 3” in 2-1/2 hours and our hill was turned into winter wonderland for the rest of the day and evening.
5. Being able to hear in general, and specifically the calls of a very small bird as it flitted from one fir bough to another
Since I was only stopping at the mailbox and didn’t have my camera handy, nor binoculars to get a closer look, its call enabled me to be able to identify it later.
6. Parables from the scriptures and parables one recognizes from one’s own life stories
7. Two good documentary movies to enjoy in a single week
8. Receiving an email from an old friend, someone with whom I had not been in contact for maybe 20 years
9. A former student of my husband, someone my husband taught early on in his teaching career, taking a few minutes of his time to call my husband this week and thank him for the influence my husband had on his life
10. Vic and our family and the happiness I feel this day
These are amazing gratefuls! I have been reading some parables in my Bible lately too, as I'm reading the gospel according to Mark. These are indeed intriguing.
ReplyDeleteWhat documentaries did you watch?
Thank you, Astrid.
DeleteThe two documentaries are The Mole Agent and Penquin Bloom.
The Mole Agent is in Spanish with English subtitles.
love the snowy photo. i wasn't fast enough and the snow was gone. the phone call is super.
ReplyDeleteThank you Arlene. Some unexpected things just brighten the day.
DeleteThank you for sharing your beautiful list and photos.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Thank you for coming to read my TToT.
Delete"...assuming pumpkins have the ability to be patient"
ReplyDeleteSurely they are the most patient of vegetables, if not given to a certain grumpiness... now, bananas... there's an impatient plant. "Hey! Want to ignore me?!! Watch this...."
looks like you've had more snow (at least so far) this winter than we have... (crossed fingers icon here)
Oh, I so agree with your assessment of the grumpiness of bananas. I never quite get it right when it comes to how many should I buy.
DeleteThose muffins sound very delicious! Baking is good :) Especially in winter and especially if it's snowing. The still and the video are beautiful. The trees are so big! There is something very peaceful about snow when it falls. I love the quiet that comes with it.
ReplyDelete#9 - wonderful that someone took the time to convey their thanks.
Thanks, Denise. The trees have grown so much. We planted many of them and seeing how much they have grown amazes even us. I love the stillness that follows a snowstorm. I think it might be something one needs to experience to fully appreciate how very still it is.
Delete2. I find recipes online very helpful too. I still have cookbooks but use the internet more often.
ReplyDeleteSame here, Carin. I have so many cookbooks, but these days, I find it so much quicker just to find recipes on the internet. I think a third of the time, I do use a recipe I have clipped years ago, or a recipe that is tried and true from a cookbook.
DeleteThose muffins look delicious! I do love to bake, especially when it is snowy. And your snow video is soooo pretty! Big, beautiful snowflakes falling! And I think #9 is nothing short of fabulous. More of us should do this (including myself). Even the smallest gesture of gratefulness to an educator is much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dyanne. So true, about the gestures of gratefulness to educators.
DeleteAh, Pat, once again I am so glad I picked this week to pop into the TToT! I, too, neglected my pumpkins. A couple of weeks ago I decided I'd better do something with them before they rotted, so I just roasted them and made puree to freeze. Now I have a whole lot of frozen puree I need to use. Was just thinking this week that I should find some good recipes. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteHow funny that we both decided now is the time to deal with those pumpkins! As for the puree, I had just a little left over after freezing my packets of 2/3 C each, so I just put the rest in a casserole I was making that night. It provided some extra nutrients without even being noticed. HaHa
DeleteWhat lovely thankfuls and the snow video!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lisa. I was hoping someone would enjoy watching the snow fall.
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