Since Thursday, in the midst of finals, Christmas programs and plain holiday craziness, we’ve been doing our best to putter around and purposefully effort to put others ahead of ourselves.

We’ve supplied goodies for one of our favorite youth program’s Christmas service. Normally our family would be smack dab in the midst of serving hot chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, etc to these wonderful families – many of which are refuges, all of which have been blessed by an after school program called “Youth Believing in Change”, but we had a cousin’s birthday party.

So we gathered our goodies and brought them to YBC. Our friend Tanya took over the serving helm and had a blast filling cups, topping hot chocolates with whip cream, spreading sprinkles and divvying out goodies to a crowd surprised to be served. Of course the one most blessed… was our friend Tanya. Few things provide a buzz like serving others in a crazy, active environment – especially when unexpected.

We’ve also been gathering gifts (with friends) for a family in need … and baking. Baking because we needed more smacker-doodles for our neighbors & friends. 

Oh yeah, have I introduced myself lately??! My name is Kay. I’m a recovering enabler, controller, grammar hacker … and procrastinator. It’s that last one that tends to be my ginormous Achilles heel in the holiday season. No need to admit that I have a few years Christmas cards (picture, cards, notes) ready to go and never sent, the week’s worth of baked goods, bagged & bowed yet not delivered are enough to prove my addiction to putting things off.

Oh, well … I guess we’ll have to eat those goodies and start again. 

Not only did we fire up the oven for sugar cookies, we also ventured down the road of my sister-in-law’s pumpkin mini-muffins. They’re Future Hoarder of America’s very favorite snack.

Super Yummy Pumpkin Chippers

that are actually healthy… making their yumminess all the better!

Why does FHA enjoy these muffins so??

…might have something to do with that front & center ingredient.

Here’s the recipe:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar (I use evaporated cane juice)

1 16 oz can pumpkin

3/4 cup vegetable oil or olive oil

3/4 cup apple sauce

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups mini chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients. Spoon into greased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 350 for 15+ minutes. (Mini muffins tend to cook a bit faster due to their size. So keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.)

I made the recipe twice. The first time in typical Kay fashion. The one where I went to the grocery store and forgot to get what I came for. So… instead of using whole wheat flour, I just used the all-purpose on hand. I’m always quick to change a recipe to fit what I have on hand. Let’s just say, my strategy didn’t work too well. When I plopped a cooked muffin on the very excited FHA’s plate, he instantly snubbed my creation. “I no like those muffins! I eat SuSu’s.” …Picky. Picky. (I also forgot the cinnamon.)

Next time I followed the recipe.

Eggs? Check.

Sugar, pumpkin? Check.

“Eewww! What’s that smell?! … Gross!”

All from mouths that sure enjoy the muffin when it’s cooked.

Oil and apple sauce.

Flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, CINNAMON, and…

FHA’s chocolate chips.

Here again, I didn’t have enough mini-chips (forgot them at the store), so improvised with regular semi-sweets. Unlike the white flour, this ingredient switch was a hit.

They turned out great and passed the FHA test. (He inhaled 3 muffins before I could turn around.)

This time, we packaged them up, put them in our bags with the manna snack packs and headed out the door to deliver. We have a few in the car to deliver tomorrow, but hopefully my procrastionation bug will take a day off and we’ll be able to get it done.

If only my cards can get mailed before Christmas!

Thanks for walking the road with me.

-Kay

Heard on the Street


My friend Priscilla sent me a message about something super cool and very easy for each of us to do. Check it out. Don’t procrastinate … Just do it!

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL   

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com   you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services. 

  

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!    It is FREE and it only takes a second. 

  

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?    Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them. 

  

This takes just 10 seconds and it’s a wonderful way to say thank you.    Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough thank you’s.” 

  

Thanks for taking to time to support our military!


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