Oranges and Inspiration

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What kind of things kick-start you or just get you inspired?

I get inspirations from all kinds of different direction. Today my inspiration came from

Joy McElroy~Yesterfood

She shared her recipe for Clementine Simple Syrup.

I  had an abundance of fruit that had been hanging around since the holidays. Instead of the clemetines she had; I had naval oranges.

I followed her super simple directions and in a few minutes my syrup was done 

and 

cooling in a jar.

But...

I still have quite a few oranges getting very close to being thrown out.

So I thought some Orange Muffins would be quite good especially with the kids home from school.

They came out quite nice and there's still the smell of oranges in the air and the taste of orange on my lips as I set here.

As far as my recipes go, I followed Joy's recipe except I doubled it. I am also in agreement that I like the pulp too. It wasn't much and I didn't strain it.

The Orange Muffins  are my same basic recipe I always use with a cup of freshly juiced oranges and a spice or too thrown in. 

Orange Muffins

Preheat oven: 425 degrees

2 cup Self-Rising Flour

1/1 cup Sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla flavor

1 cup of milk (a little more or less) 

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1. Mix dry ingredients

2. Stir in egg, oil, vanilla, milk, and orange juice.

3. Mix well

4. Pour into prepared muffin pans 

5. Bake for 15- 20 minutes or until nicely golden 

Thanks for visiting and allowing me to share my inspirations with you.

Christmas & Cookies

Well around here we officially over The Christmas Holiday Break. I was back to work last night and the kids will be back to school tomorrow.

As much as I enjoy Christmas, I am ready to get back to a somewhat normal routine. When we're all home in this house it seems to be a constant of eating and a constant sink full of dishes. 

The very rainy holiday didn't offer up much else.

I've been pretty absent from the blogging community the past few months but we carried on with most of our usual holiday shenanigans but I just do them all with a camera in my hand.

The one thing I didn't do as much of this year was making cookies. We made a batch sometimes before Christmas but with there being no lack of other desserts I really couldn't bring myself to bother with them.

This morning I was going through a few reminders to get the kids minds back in the perspective places for going back to school when Jack asked, "Don't we need to make those cookies??"

Well of course...Jack we do need to make those cookies.

So we did.

These were a sorta' Gingerbread cheater cookies.

 I had seen a recipe for making cookies from a cake mix, egg, and block of cream cheese.

I made a different variation of the recipe but honestly the quick and easiness of the recipe didn't give me the kind of cookie that I prefer. The cookies were more like cake; not bad to eat but more like eating a really small cake instead of a cookie.

but...

Out of a bit of laziness and lack of preparation, I doctored the recipe a little and came out with a pretty good gingerbread cookie. They were still a bit soft for cutting out but they eat up just fine.

Are you wondering what the moral of this story is?

Well quite simply...

if you are down to the last day of your holiday

make cookies.

Any cookies is good cookies!

The countdown is on and for us around the Blaylock residence the Christmas season is on!

Time to decorate!

Looking forward to those yummy treats that usher in this season,

time to spend with family and friends as well.

A little extra fun around here since we have some grandbaby time!

Inspired & Rambling

Hey..I'm hoping you all are doing wonderfully today. Wow, this blogging thing has become such a struggle for me and I surely apologize if my absence has offended anyone.

I'm one of those dinosaurs that has been pulled by hook, crook and maybe a carrot into the world of blogging. As a country raised girl that came along before the boom of the computer and all that goes with it I question myself many times on what I am doing here. I'm truly not the expert of anything. 

My reasons always come back to friends and relationships I've made through the process. 
    Friends? Relationships?
Yes..If you make it around for a visit I consider you a friend. But I will have to say that I had gotten
put-off (annoyed) by all the advice, bombardments, hops, restraints, rules, guidelines and whatever else I'm constantly being told I should be doing to maintain a good blogger status. Having to live up to a status is enough to make me want to give a good smirk. I thought I had stopped all that nonsense back in high school..not true..I have recently joined the hoards of folks who tote a cell phone. I have been one of those people who would give very slight snarl at all the good people who have formed relationships with their devices. 

Now..I'm one of 'em!

It has made it possible to keep up with my blogging friends and...Pinterest on my lunch break and uggh..Facebook..which has meant I don't have as much need to be on the computer. The picture quality is definitely better on the big screen but I don't have to get on here hardly at all..and I haven't.

Yesterday, I sat on the porch and listened the rain beat the roof while I listened to some music I had put on the phone and talked with a family member on FB...Can I say talked? maybe I should say texted or messaged ?

    All at the same time!
It rained hard enough to beat the dirt out of my pots...

 

Looks like the gutter needs some work...

Things are wanting to grow and ramble.
I don't even know what the purple foliage is. I got a piece of it from Jack's sitter a few years ago. She was near to cursing it as it had taken over a bed of hers but I had a spot I could get nothing to grow in. So I said, " Can I have some of that?"

That's how I do it..I'm a cheap gardener.. more like sharing and borrowing than anything.

Here's my poor old pot (maybe the bottom out of an old washer).
Hey and I've slapped some of my new color on it;two leftover buckets of paint out of the basement. I stuck three old tobacco sticks in there and planted the purple and some morning glory seeds. I'm hoping after it's over grown and climbing and offering some blooms it will have an appealing look.
If not..nothing really lost.

My Tiger Lilies are coming up. 

I love 'em..
They are all brambled up along with everything else. The old man turned that tree adventure into a long..long process. All those wonderful places the trees laid is a mess but me and the birds still love the blooms. Maybe it will all come along?.?

If you notice those little round things on the stalk, those are the seeds. I have grown mine from a little handful Mama put into an envelope from hers. Between the wind and the birds toting them around they are starting to come up all over the place. I like it..but I do like the unexpected. 

For as many folks as subscribe to my site through Email I'll send you some of these seeds.. You will have to send an address so I can mail them out. I have a good stand of these but I can only send them as long as they last.

I am so pleased over these two pots of petunia's. They were my beautiful, beautiful hanging baskets I had on the porch last year. I moved them into the front room as winter started to set in last year. They survived nicely until I moved them to make room for the Christmas tree. After that it was what seemed like a slippery slope to death.

(dead like nothing but some brown stubble) 

I thought myself crazy not to have gone on and throwed them out but look and see!!

Just goes to show you should never underestimate and always live in a hopeful state.

I think I've just about rambled to the end of this post.

Some things that helped me be inspired this week:

My latest issue of Southern Living magazine. I love Rick Bragg's "Southern Journal." You know you're a true southerner if you "get it." I enjoy the magazine but I look for the back of the issue everytime.

I was browsing around at Shoestring Elegance and I read her profile where she had listed a couple of scripture she favors. One of which was Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If you have the faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place: and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Wonderful words that so many cherish. I wonder how many read the verse that immediately follows,

Matthew 17:21

Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Makes me think!

I'm so blessed

&

my hope is that you too will 

Be Blessed!

Take It Outside Sunday

I have been so glad to see the sunshine on a regular basis. Sunshine on a Sunday afternoon just screams, "cook out doors!" And for the second Sunday in a row that's what we've done. 

The Ole Man had been jonesing for barbecue ribs for at least the most of last month.

I'm not really talking about putting on a big put-on; I'm just talking about some real casual laid back family togetherness.

The right deal on a mess of ribs 

and 

some charcoal,

We were on our way!

Sometimes it's not about the fancy recipes and outstanding exterior decor it's really just about getting  out there and doing it.

Barbecued Ribs, buttery corn-on-the cob, garlic buttered onion, basic cole slaw, Sunbeam dinner rolls, and wash it all down with a big glass of sweet tea.

It will get the good times rolling!

Feeling Blessed on a Southern Sunday!