Yummy apple muffins

We brought home eight pounds of apples and a jug of fresh-pressed cider on Thursday after going apple-picking with a bunch of our friends. It was the most gorgeous day -- despite the forecaster's threats of rain, the sky was bright blue with puffy white clouds, and the temperature was perfect for long sleeves and a morning spent in the sun. The kids had a blast playing tag around the farm where we bought the cider, and then at a nearby park, where we picnicked, played, and nibbled on our apples and goodies.

Now today is baking day! I wanted to make apple muffins for my grandmother who celebrated her birthday this week, but it had to be nut-free and not too high in fiber or sugar. So I made one up. Puffer's compliment to me was, "They taste like you used a recipe even though you didn't!" Hee hee.

Yummy Apple Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 Tbs oil
1 egg
1 cup soymilk (or whatever you have)
1/2 cup apple cider
1 tsp vanilla
1 apple, peeled, cored and shredded

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients. Mix sugar with butter and oil, then egg. Blend in the other wet ingredients, including apple. Add dry ingredients slowly and mix until just blended. Don't overmix. Pour into a greased or papered muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes 350. Makes 18 muffins. (Six for us, a dozen for Gramma. :)

Socks don't suck.

I will not let iPhoto raise my blood pressure any further. Thanks, John. Just knowing that you, my dear, kind-hearted, soft-spoken friend, could have used the "F" word in regards to that hateful program makes me feel better. Especially since that's what I was yelling when I woke up the baby.

Now, then, what I really wanted to post about was the fact that I finally finished my first pair of knitted socks!



Aren't they cute? My mom brought me home some hand-dyed wool sockyarn (Sockenwolle handgefarbt) from Germany this summer. I don't know if you can tell, but the yarn's in variations of apple green, seafoam, and khaki. They're very campy, and I love them. I didn't make the ankle quite as long as I'd like, but they still work under jeans. (My jeans are hiked up a bit so you can see the cuff. They cover the cuff normally.)

I've also finally finished my cousin's baby gift -- woohoo! Well, okay, I still have to block it, but hopefully I can get to that after my nephew's birthday party tomorrow. Now I have to hurry up and get it in mail, and then start on my other cousin's baby's gift, since her shower's in four weeks.

Darn iPhoto. Again.

Yes, I know it's horribly unfair of me to nag the boys about not being too loud when the baby's sleeping, and then go throw a tantrum myself about this stupid iPhoto program on our new Mac, but I have to tell you, I am SO FRUSTRATED!!! All I want to do is crop a photo, save it where I can find it, and upload it to Blogger. Doesn't sound too hard, does it? Well, I can't figure out how to save the darn thing. iPhoto lets me crop it, but it doesn't have a "save" option anywhere I can see. (I've looked in File, Edit, all over the iPhoto window, done "apple-S, etc.) And it just puts the photo right back to where it started when I click on "done."

Anyone know how to fix this? I'd call Brad, but it's getting late and I know I'll get too loud on the phone and wake up Baby Fish again. Brad? Are you reading?

I'm getting old. That's the problem. I knew how to use Macs way back in the dark ages when the screens were 6 inches wide and in black and white. I even knew how to use them when the screens became big enough for people over 25 to read, but before you could get them in your favorite color. In fact, other reporters used to come ask me for help when they couldn't figure out how to do something. Don't ask me how I knew.

Now. I want things to do what I want them to do. And I don't want to have to relearn how to do things. I'm getting old, stubborn, and crotchety.

Somebody want to trade me their new PC for a new iMac?

The moment you've all been waiting for...

Honestly, I know I overthink things. And take forever to make decisions. But this was really more about the fact that my 15-month-old suddenly needs my attention every waking moment. (Because when I'm NOT paying attention, he unplugs the computer. And that's bad. Very very bad.) He's rather advanced, you know. He doesn't play with toys anymore. He prefers to experiment with knives pulled out of the dishwasher, and containers made of glass. But I'm getting off topic...



SO. Ahem. (Please excuse me, this cold is dragging on forever.) I am excited to present the following Rockin' Girl Blogger Awards to...

Jen at Mama's Magic -- for her commitment to her children and her creative life, and for her efforts to support other creative mamas through weekly profiles on her blog.

Cathryn at Pondering Parenting (formerly Lollymom) -- because she's a fabulous writer, as neurotic about her parenting as I am, and because she REALLY needs something nice to happen after going through THIS.

Girls, you are ROCKIN'!