I absolutely love the fall. It's my favorite season. I love the crispness, the sounds, the smells, I love baking autumn harvest treats, and I love the beautiful display of colors. The leaves seem to be at their peak this week. Earlier today I drove down one of those awesome roads where the trees are like a giant umbrella over the winding road. I couldn't help but think that a photo would have made a beautiful postcard. And, it was a great reminder to stop and appreciate God's wonderful creation. How often do we, as adults, stop to appreciate the changing of the leaves; that a caterpiller turns into a butterfly; that flowers that die return the following year?
As I was baking a yummy autumn treat for my Sunday school class this past Sunday morning I stopped to look out my kitchen window. I was admiring the gorgeous colors of the leaves when a single pink snapdragon caught my eye. It seemed so out of place. It was in my flower box. The flower box that I did not have time to plant last spring. The flower box that has been empty for over a year. I don't know when she appeared (I have decided that snapdragons are girls) but I felt as though God was giving me a sweet little gift... A gift of new hope... a sweet reminder that He makes all things new.
Of course I had to grab my camera and take a quick photo of it. And... I did have to make it sing! I just love that when you squeeze the sides of the flower her mouth opens up as if she were singing in a choir! Isn't that the coolest thing? It's like she's a flower and a toy all wrapped up in one amazing creation.
It's moments like these that remind me that there is beauty in life and there is hope in tomorrow... even if it doesn't always feel like it. If you are stuck in a bad place today, step outside. Take a deep breath and enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of autumn. Today is a new day. Let's rejoice in it.
Here's the yummy muffin recipe! I got the base of this recipe from the Everyday Life page of www.Proverbs31.org. They had only three ingredients so I had to give them a try. And boy am I glad I did. I added the streusel topping because... well... any excuse to add buttery brown sugar goodness seems like a good idea!
Muffins:
1/2 cup water
15-oz can pumpkin (not pie mix, just canned pumpkin)
one box of spice cake mix
Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 stick cold butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
In a large mixing bowl, combine the water and the pumpkin. Stir in the cake mix. Spoon into paper-lined muffin tins (fill 2/3 full).
Make the streusel by mixing flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans.
Sprinkle streusel over each muffin. (I had streusel left over... an excuse to make another batch of muffins!)
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!
Sweet Harvest Blessings,
LeAnn
