My Favorite Muffins

I love recipes. Especially ones that I've copied from a friend, like this one from my old friend Wendy. We've made these for years and always when we share them with others they rave and want the recipe too...so I thought I'd share it here.

Seems we often have apples around that aren't really good for fresh eating.

6 cup portions for our bunch

Grated apples

Apples really aren't  good, unless their good, if you know what I mean. Who wants to eat a mealy apple? But once grated and used in these muffins they're great...and it's such an easy way to keep them from going to waste. If you don't have time to make muffins, simply grate the apples and freeze them in the portions needed until you do.

Ruth is our main Apple Muffin maker

Apple Oatmeal Muffins
3 c. grated apples (leave peels on)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1 t. salt
1 t. soda
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. raisins or chopped dates or dried cranberries
 2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. oil
1 c. oats
1/2 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1/2 c. brown sugar

 Cook apples in water with sugar. Cool.  Stir flour, salt, soda and spices together. Add remaining sugar, oatmeal, nuts and raisins. Combine eggs, oil and grated apple mixture. Add everything together  and stir until just moistened.  Fill greased muffin tins or tins lined with papers 2/3 full. Bake @ 375' for 20 minutes or until no longer shiny and look done.

These are so yummy served warm with a little butter or a spread of cream cheese.

God's Lesson Plans

It is always my goal and desire to be reading a chapter book out loud to my children.  So the other day, since I have been slacking in this area, I picked up "The Twenty-one Balloons" which is a novel by William Pene du Bois, published in 1947 and awarded the Newberry Medal for excellence in American children's literature 1948. The story is about a retired schoolteacher whose ill-fated balloon trip leads him to discover an island full of great wealthy and fantastic inventions. The events and ideas are based both on scientific fact and imagination. In the introduction he claims that the story is half truth and half fiction, which  is intriguing for the children. I can really see the wheels turning in the children's minds as I read.

There was no particular reason for me choosing this particular book which has been on our library shelf for years.  I've never read it or seen anyone else read it or heard anything about it, good or bad. The children keep asking for "one more chapter" which is a good sign. Jeff overheard us reading it; turns out he read it and loved it when he was a boy too!

I am writing this to give Glory to God who does all things well, including teaching children through an earthen vessel (cracked-pot) like me! I could never plan lessons the way He does!

About three days into our story, we were all sitting at the breakfast table and James announced that he could see a HOT AIR BALLOON in the sky! We do see those beautiful balloons here from time to time but only in the spring (as far as I can recall) and this is February! It was cold and windy that day...not a hot- air- balloon -sighting type of day AT ALL! We had fun viewing it through our binoculars and  spotting scope. Later Peter drew this picture:

Peter's Hot Air Balloon

I often think of the story of the loaves and the two small fish that the little boy brought to Jesus. It was all he had but he trusted the Lord to use it as needed.  And God multiplied that food until there were leftovers! That's what we home-schooling mothers need to do. Bring what we have to the Lord and trust Him to add whatever else is needed. It seemed God was showing me that HE is aware, interested and involved in even the small details of our little home-school. I thank Him and praise Him for that!

The following poem has always encouraged me to read to my children:

The Reading Mother
by Strickland Gillian

I had a mother who read to me
Sagas of pirates who scoured the sea.
Cutlasses clenched in their yellow teeth;
"Blackbirds" stowed in the hold beneath.
I had a Mother who read me lays
Of ancient and gallant and golden days'
Stories of Marmion and Ivanhoe,
Which every boy has a right to know.
I had a Mother who read me tales
Of Gelert the hound of the hills of Wales,
True to his trust till his tragic death,
Faithfulness lent with his final breath.
I had a Mother who read me the things,
That wholesome life to the boy heart brings-
Stories that stir with an upward touch.
Oh, that each mother of boys were such!
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be--
I had a Mother who read to me.

Proverbs 3: 5, 6
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The Whose-Who of "Choice"?

I had the very disturbing, in fact, depressing opportunity of visiting our county's department of Social Services office last week. From the moment I entered this brand new state -of -the- art office I felt like a "bad-guy". Although the room was huge and well appointed, dividing the space between 'us' and 'them' was a glass barrier all the way to the ceiling. In order to talk to 'them' we had to speak through a small vent in the glass wall.  All over the walls were bulletin boards with glossy posters proclaiming our "rights" to:  food, healthcare, education, counseling- you name it. Young mothers came and went, speaking through the little vent, requesting more money and "free" services for their children.

What bothered me most was one poster in particular. It asked; "Are you pregnant? Confused? Scared?" and encouraged telling someone you trust. It informed us about the safe surrender law in California. It is legal here to surrender your newborn baby to any emergency room hospital employee (even the janitor I wondered?) within 72 hours of his birth, with no questions asked. You might even be allowed to reclaim the child within 14 days (I assume that is if one of 'them' deems you trustworthy).  At the very bottom of the poster this appeal was made: "A trashcan or dumpster is NEVER a choice!"

On the surface this law seems so right; so noble. Please understand that I support encouraging women NOT to throw their babies in dumpsters. What's bothering me is this:  society teaches (by legalization) that it is an acceptable "choice" to throw babies in dumpsters as long as they are removed from their mother's wombs through surgically induced death. And I'm sure one could get a referral for an abortion from this very same office.  'They' are speaking out of both sides of their mouths!  "The dumpster out behind the hospital is alright for baby corpses but please don't discard them in the public area. Only the 'Doctors' are permitted to throw them away." Or, to put it another way: 'They' may toss babies in the trash but 'we' may not! Makes me wonder...would it more acceptable for unwanted babies in Haiti to be tossed into the rivers to drown if it were done by a "professional" tosser?  God help us!

The next day I read Psalm 12

Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
  for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
  with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.


May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
  the tongue that makes great boasts,
those who say, "With out tongue we will prevail,
  our lips are with us; who is master over us?"


"Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
  I will now arise, says the Lord;
  I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
The words of the Lord are pure words,
  like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
  purified seven times.


You, O Lord, will keep them;
  you will guard us from this generation forever.
On every side the wicked prowl,
  as vileness is exalted among the children of man.


What a sad but lovely contrast between the double speaking  of the wicked as highlighted above and the words of the Lord which are "pure like silver refined in a furnace...purified seven times".

God please grant each of us, your servants and true lovers of children, opportunity to meet and help the poor.  Open our hearts and our homes to help in whatever way we can. Use us Lord to help our sisters in their times of trouble. And thank you for keeping us and freeing us from the clutches of the enemy of our souls.

 "You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever. On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man." 

Footnotes