Mmmm...Muffins!

I like to bake sometimes, so here is a recipe I tried out yesterday. Its a pretty healthy muffin, sweetened with molasses not sugar, so it might not be for everyone.
I really liked it, and found that it is nice to eat just plain without butter too.

Molasses Raisin Bran Muffins

(12 servings)

* 2 cups Rasin Bran - lightly crushed (I only had plain bran cereal, so I threw in a handful of mixed dried fruit)
* 1 and 1/4 cups low-fat milk
* 1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat and it turned out good)
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 1 large egg - lightly beaten
* 2 Tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
* 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare 12 muffin cups with muffin papers or a light coating of cooking spray.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together the milk, molasses, beaten egg and oil.

Add wet ingredients and crushed cereal to the dry ingredients. Mix until just moistened.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full of batter.

Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Thanks to Mr. Breakfast for this recipe!

The Chocolate Fast

I am just over 2 weeks into my chocolate fast.
I don't know why they call it a "fast" because it goes really slow.
Anyway, I am still chocolate-free but there have definitely been moments of temptation.
Like last night. After Bible Study (which takes place here in the "manse") I was cleaning up the tea and biscuits and then it struck.
I was alone in the kitchen, everyone had gone...and there were these chocolate biscuits staring me down.
The glorious cocoa aroma wafted to my nostrils. It had been so long since I'd been able to pair the taste to the smell...
Eat us...eeeeat us...
They chanted.
There's only two of them. I thought. Nobody would know...
I'm sure you will all be very proud to know that that is as far as it got. Breaking free of their mind-tricks, I locked those villainous, albeit probably very tasty, biscuits into their cookie jar, and walked away.
In other news, it was my own Mother's brilliant idea to "replace" chocolate with something.
I am pleased to introduce to you to GOLD!

I've never seen Gold in Canada, but who knows it might be available there. Gold has served as my "patch", if you will. Its caramel coated biscuity-ness soothes the chocolate cravings because the textures are so similar.
The real secret to my success :P

Slightly Disappointing...

So Karissa is coming up to see me in June, and we were planning on hopping on a bus tour that would take us through Wales, England, and Scotland with really reasonable rates. Every time I looked at the overview of it I patted myself on the back and thought to myself, "You did well finding this tour Jill...you Bargain Master, you."
We were going to cover a lot of ground over 12 days and stay in a castle for a night...the works. It was going to be fantastic!
Last night I was checking over some stuff on one of the connected sites and noticed something strange...

"The UKI Combination Tours will not be running in the foreseeable future."

eh?
I emailed the contact address, and sure enough I got something back this morning.
Its a no-go.
Hmmm...
I'm sure filling a month with sight-seeing won't be hard to do. But I do want some variety, and getting around can be expensive. A sight I could do without seeing is a cardboard box called Home! :)

Lurker's Lurgy Part II

Can you believe how hard it is to find a picture of innocent-looking glowing eyes on google?
Maybe because lurking is sinister. You know me, but I don't know you.
Haha, ok, I'm done with the guilt-trip.
Because I've been lurking a lot lately, so I guess I'm one to talk.
Anyway its been brought to my attention that maybe some lurkers only lurk because they don't know how to de-lurk. (Ha! That was fun to say)
I am here to remedy that.
First of all, click on the comment link.
That's an important step.
This will bring you to a new *gasp* screen. Don't be frightened, its all part of the process. Also, don't be distracted by the other comments, if they exist. Yours will be appreciated even if it is only a reiteration of a previous note...though I'm sure you can come up with something interesting or witty of your own. I have faith in you.
Now type your clever comeback into the box under the sign "Leave a comment".
Then, choose an identity.
If you don't have a Blogger or other blog account (if you do, I'm assuming you know how to comment :P) you can click on the "Name/URL" option, or "Anonymous".
Please don't choose anonymous, there is no need to hide. We are all friends here.
Instead, I encourage you to choose "Name/URL". Type in your name, and you can leave the URL bit blank...it will still work.
And that my lurking friends, is how to comment. Now you have no excuses. HA!

A Great Day Out

Experienced a few firsts yesterday...

1. First time on a train!

Christine, Kerry, and Lee, took me on a day trip to Killarney. It was a really great time!

2. Rented a bike

We cycled to Killarney National Park, but the first bit we had to go on the road...I was absolutely PETRIFIED!!! For one, I haven't been on a bike in years, so I was as wobbly as a wet spaghetti noodle, and as I've mentioned before- Irish roads are narrow, and Irish drivers are nutso. They go FAST. I was praying the whole time, "God please don't let me hit that pothole and go flying in front of a car!!!"
I was seriously scared for my life.
But all good things come to an end, and we did get to the Park eventually. Then it was fun, and good exercise :)
First we stopped by the Lake Hotel to look at some ruins on an island. It was pretty cool, and the sun finally came out so that was good!

After that we biked some more and saw Muckross Abbey under construction, and a creepy cemetery, and after a little while longer (this was a long bike ride!) we arrived at Muckross House!!

It was absolutely gorgeous! I felt like I was on a movie set for Pride & Prejudice or something. I took the tour of the inside...absolutely unbelievable! 70% of the furnishings were the originals from 1800-whatever...beautiful. And the whole place was massive. Living there back in those days it would have been a whole community just inside the one building. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pictures inside :(
I also walked through some of the gardens, and took pictures of the horse & buggy service that clip-clopped by...

After about 2 hours there we got back on our bikes and started pedaling again. By this time I had become keenly aware of the very narrow, hard, seat on my bike. Ouch!
On the way back, we took a short detour and saw the rugged Ross Castle! After I snapped a few shots, we headed back to return our bikes.

We went out for supper, and I had Traditional Irish Stew, which is really more like soup with lots of yummy chunks of beef, cabbage, onion, carrots, potato, etc.
Finished off by sharing blackcurrant and pear sorbet with Kerry.
I would have taken a picture, but it went too fast :P
It was only after we'd stuffed ourselves, that we realized we had a train to catch! We literally ran for it!
The ride home was quiet. We were all totally wiped from all the exercise!
I discovered that you can cover a lot of ground on a bike, and it might be worthwhile for me to try and take it up a little more often. But my sore bottom says otherwise.

(As usual, more pictures can be found on my Facebook profile)

The tale of Penelope did not start well, her beauty transformed by an evil spell. To the world outside the news was big, a poor little girl, with the nose of a pig! How to break the curse? Well, nobody knows... unless a handsome prince can be made to propose...

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than watching a fairytale-esque girly movie?
Haha...ok, there are probably lots, but hey...I enjoyed it :)

Joy Comes in the Morning!

That's right, I'm trading my sorrows!
And let me tell you, they were numerous ;)
After a fitful sleep last night, I woke up early and laid in bed until 9:30, but the sun was shining and I had to get up to get stuff done, and head out to the Mum's & Tots group at 10:30.
I was feeling very stressed out with everything I needed to get done, and not really wanting to go, but it was the one day that I was needed to stay and lock up afterwards.
Joy #1- A GLORIOUS SUNNY DAY!!! It is absolutely gorgeous weather today! I actually got really warm from the sun, and didn't wear a coat. I love it so much!
Joy #2- The babies were especially cute today and smiled at me! Usually babies don't like me. The mums were nice too ;)
Joy #3- Was reminded that we don't have Bible Club tomorrow so I don't have to stress about getting the craft ready.
Joy #4- Met a couple people that I knew in town when I went shopping. Nothing makes you feel like a "local" quite like stopping to chat halfway across the Fermoy bridge!
Joy #5- This is a big one...ready?

As I was walking home, lugging my groceries, and sweating...yes, sweating (from the sun, not the exertion OF COURSE)I thought to myself, The only thing that could make this day the best ever is if I FINALLY got my birthday parcel. I craned my neck to see if there was a nice brown package awaiting on my doorstep.

Well there wasn't. That's ok, I consoled myself. It'll be here soon.

And as I fit the housekey into the lock, something caught my eye...tucked away behind the plant-stand was a goodly-sized brown package!!!

YIPEEEE!!!

My Mom's birthday parcel has arrived at last!!!



There were lots of goodies inside, and books, and a great CD by Leah Nogue, Katie's sister. Wait. Not all of you might know Katie. I might have to do a little post about her later. No pun intended. Snicker. Haha, sorry Katie.

The only thing that was mysteriously missing were...well here's a clue.

That's right, the dropjes were not in the package. I suspect foul play.
But that's ok. Not even missing dropjes can dampen this sunny day for me!

A Foggy Day

Ahhhhhh...warm, snuggly, bliss...
Cue wake-up alarm.
Just five more minutes, please.
Cue snooze alarm.
NO!
Ugh, I should really get up.
Drag myself out of bed, get ready.
Heading out the door in 10 minutes to catch the bus.
Phone rings.
Flight delayed due to fog.
Ok.
So there was no need for me to get up this early. I could have slept in.
Sigh.
I catch a later bus, and arrive on time.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
No sign of Christine. I go shopping until next aircoach arrives.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
No Christine.
Go shopping again.
Decide to catch 4:00 bus home. At 3:30 mobile rings.
Christine is back in Belfast after an ordeal with flights and foggy conditions. Have to arrange another time to meet. Sorry that your day was messed up.
No big deal. Its ok.
Bus home.
Very tired.
Wish I could've slept in, that's all.

"Wrecked"

One Irish-ism I learned quite quickly was the term "wrecked". It is used to describe someone who seems exhausted, haggard, bedraggled, etc...and after this weekend I think I can safely say I am totally wrecked.
I don't do well with long car rides, they seem to drain more energy than running a marathon (not that I can say I've done that!!!). And I really don't like sitting, which is what I spent Saturday doing. Sunday I was out all day, at least three people on separate occasions mentioned I looked 'tired', and getting up this morning was a battle of epic proportions.
I got the overcrowded bus to Cork and arrived at work to find that I was nearly on my own all day, and I had a splitting headache. Then in the afternoon I WAS on my own, and it was busy, so busy that I stayed an extra hour because they were short people. I dragged myself onto the overcrowded bus home and limped up the hill (yeah, I'm laying it on thick here because I need to vent), collapsed inside the door, threw dinner in the oven, popped a painkiller, and sprawled across the bed with a hot water bottle cradled behind my neck.
"Tomorrow you can sleep in," I crooned to my poor pounding head, "You can take it easy and clean up this disaster of a household. Having a clean house always makes you so happy..."
(This place is seriously in dire need.)
My sore head purred at the thought of no alarm in the morning, and hanging the laundry to dry in the conservatory.
Then the phone rang.
I hobbled over and answered it.
"Hi is this Jill?" asked the voice. "This is Christine. Are you still ok to meet me in Cork tomorrow?"
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christine is overseeing the SWIM program I am "officially" with and she had emailed me a while ago to arrange a day when she could fly down from Belfast to meet with me and see how I was doing. She had never confirmed a day though, so I had completely forgotten!
Being the little fake that I am, I put on a cheerful voice and we made our plans as if I wasn't in utter cranial agony and the last thing I wanted to do was get up early and catch another overcrowded bus!
Which is exactly what I will be doing tomorrow morning.
I expect I will be out all day and will get no housework done.
Waaah.
I will be SO wrecked after this week!

Going to Town in Portadown

Tonight myself and at least 3 others from the church are driving up North to Portadown to attend a conference for Christian childrens' workers (or something like that!). Basically its on how to teach God's grace to children/teens in a way that they will understand, I'm sure it will be helpful to myself as well. Those that went last year (it was on a different topic) say that its really good.
We will arrive at the B&B around midnight tonight, and then the conference will take up all of tomorrow, and then we're driving back, so I'm afraid I won't have much daylight to take pictures...its really too bad we have our priorities straight :P

Lent

I don't know much about Lent, and I've never done it before. From what I hear it commemorates the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert, and you are supposed to give up something you like for forty days starting today.
I'm giving up Chocolate.
It will be very hard. I am addicted, a self-confessed chocoholic. And its very easy to come by here, in some form or another. I have chocolate almost every day, really.
I want it already.

My Turn

I've taken the personality test, and the results are in...I am "INFP-- The Dreamer"!
Not really a label I would have given myself, and I don't fit the entire description (I don't think) but it gets pretty darn close.
I love doing these quizzes and learning more about myself, so I enjoyed reading the in-depth analysis and deciding what was "me", and what wasn't.

"INFPs are introspective, private, creative and highly idealistic individuals that have a constant desire to be on a meaningful path. They are driven by their values and seek peace. Empathetic and compassionate, they want to help others and humanity as a whole. INFPs are imaginitive, artistic and often have a talent for language and writing. They can also be described as easygoing, selfless, guarded, adaptable, patient and loyal."

What I found interesting was what one of the links had to say about how INFP's feel about their careers and how they learn.

"As young adults, INFPs may have some difficulty finding the ideal career and the ideal mate, in part because of that very word 'ideal'. They have a vision in mind of what they want, yet reality may not follow suit. They may make several starts and stops in their career until they find a comfortable place for themselves...
...INFPs need a purpose beyond the paycheck...Their job must be fun, although not racous, and it must be meaningful to them...They want to be recognized and valued, without undue attention given to them. They may become embarrassed when made the center of attention...INFPs are quite disorganized. But when tasks at hand are important and best done in an organized way, INFPs strive to do so."

Any clues in there as to why I was so unhappy working at Tim Hortons?!

As for learning, thank goodness my parents decided to homeschool! What a blessing...

"INFPs learn best in flexible situations where they know the teacher takes a personal interest in them. They like to be able to interact with their peers, but not too much so. They want to feel free to dig into subjects that are of interest to them...Subjects that hold a great deal of interest for them are learned readily. They will often do extra work in their attempt to learn as much as possible about something of interest. "

And a few other random glimpses of my personality:

INFPs seldom confront situations directly, in part because they do not like conflict. Whenever possible, they would rather wait for a situation to work itself out, since they trust that people will work things through...They do not like following all the rules and regulations, but they are not overtly rebellious...INFPs' leisure activities are done alone --- reading, listening to music, and gardening are some activities likely to appeal to them.

This was one link that I found particularly accurate for me. Enjoy!

One More Thing...

It was a gorgeous day outside today....
The sun was shining, birds were singing, buds were blooming...
I do enjoy January in Ireland!

An Unpardonably Boring Post

I'm afraid I have nothing terribly exciting to report today...no floods or getting lost in the mountains or anything.
I moved back into the Mawhinney's house on Monday, so I said goodbye to my little room in St. James Place, and hauled my accumulation of goods up to Quarry Hill. Its scary how much stuff I have now. As I packed I went through it all deciding what will come back with me (very little) and what will stay (a lot).
As a result of returning to this house, I am freezing again! I swear its colder inside than out. Thank goodness for the woolly socks and fuzzy slippers I got for Christmas from my family :)
Sam, Karen, and the boys are leaving tomorrow morning. They are going on Sabbatical (they were planning on going to Kenya, but now with all the fighting going on there that has recently been canceled) and will be back to move all their things to Dublin in March.
So I have this big cold house all to myself starting tomorrow afternoon...I don't know what I will do with myself!

Lurker's Lurgy

Lurk.er, n. 1. One who lurks.
Lur.gy, n. 1. British English slang for an unspecified or mythical contagious disease, generally one considered inconvenient and non-fatal with obvious symptoms, such as influenza or the common cold.

Have you ever read a blog and not commented?
Did the blog belong to someone you knew?
Maybe someone you didn't know well?
Maybe someone you didn't know at all?
If yes, then you have the dreaded Lurker's Lurgy.
I myself suffer from a mild case. I know how you feel...you find the blog entertaining, interesting, or at the very least a good method of procrastination. The topic of a specific post might make you laugh, smile, or spark controversy.
You react to the words on the screen, but you don't comment because...

You are afraid.
You think: "The blogger will think I'm creepy. They will think I'm stalking them, they will stop posting, they won't write as honestly, they will be weirded out, etc."

I have felt these things, my friends. I know your pain. Lurker's Lurgy is an uncomfortable affliction, closely associated with guilt and insecurity.

But if they didn't want people to read their blog, it wouldn't be open to the public now would it? No. So, moving on...

The only cure to Lurker's Lurgy is Commenting.
Revealing yourself.
Exposed for the Nosy, Time-Wasting, Addicted blogger you are!

Don't turn away! Its not as bad as it sounds. After all, we are all in this together. See, the thing is we all have it to some degree...so there is a capacity for understanding when a Lurker confesses! The blogger will understand where the Lurker is coming from, because chances are, that blogger lurks as well. So there are benefits all around!

1. The Lurker is cured of Lurker's Lurgy, and now has the freedom to comment when and how they please.
2. A sense of Blogging Community is nurtured.
3.The Blogger will have more comments to read, and appreciate, thus spurring them on to blog more regularly.
3. The Lurker-Turned-Commenter gets to read more regular updates!

As Mufasa would say, we are all connected in the Great Circle of Life! *private snicker*

You might think, "Easy for you to say. I'll bet you've never De-Lurked in your life."
That's where you'd be wrong. I've de-lurked plenty of times, in fact, if you blog and have received a comment from me that is evidence that I've De-Lurked right there. Furthermore, I De-Lurked today. I officially revealed my Lurking Presence to a Blogger I have never met.
I was scared. But I did it...and in doing so, received a taste of the antidote to Lurker's Lurgy. Maybe in time I will be wholly cured, and comment indiscriminately wherever I go.

I encourage you to conquer your festering case of Lurker's Lurgy, for blogging's sake.
You can start today, by clicking the little brown link just down there that says "friends left a note". You can introduce yourself, tell how you found this blog, and why you read it, and then you will be a friend of PJ too!
Wouldn't that be exciting?!
Go on...do it! Do it! Do it!

2-0

So now I am officially old...
I have left the teenage years behind me forever...and I can't say I'm sorry to see 'em go! They weren't all bad of course, but I think my 20's will be a million times better.
Yesterday was a lot of fun, especially spending time with a family from the church. I've gotten to know the two oldest girls quite well, and they are great. When we arrived at their house I was greeted with an alternate version of the Happy Birthday song by the youngest, and then presented with this:



She also made me chocolate rice krispie "buns" which were a true delight, and I got to wear this special pin:



I was spoiled rotten and given star treatment. Chocolate birthday cake with candles and lots of presents!



I have also learned that perfume is a popular gift here. Previously I've not really owned a lot of perfume, but since Christmas I have accumulated 4 bottles!



I felt really blessed to be loved by such wonderful and generous people here!

So all in all it was a great birthday...but when I woke up this morning I had some serious cold symptoms, and it was thundering outside, quite literally. So we'll have to see how this whole era goes...!

Cappuccino Criticisms...

Volunteering at the City Gates Cafe in Cork is usually a lot of fun, and I had been thinking that I don't mind working in a coffee shop, and its nice, and la, la, la...but yesterday I got a little reminder of the negative side...the Annoying Customer.

*cue mystical "rippling" effect and harp music as we go back in time...*
First of all you must understand that previous to my time in the coffee shop here I would not be able to tell you the difference between a cappuccino and a latte, or an americano to a macchiato. But thanks to my little cheat sheet I can flaunt my knowledge to all and sundry.
Anyway, this lady comes in an orders a cappuccino so what do I do? Read the cheat sheet of course! Double shot of expresso + "textured" (read: steamed) milk = Cappuccino. Yay for me!
Unfortunately I am unable to make the milk foam much so it doesn't look quite as flashy as I might like, but all in all I'm rather proud of myself. I'm just easily pleased like that.
A few minutes later the lady comes by to pay and I ring it up: cappuccino = 2.95
So I tell her. And she goes,
"How much is it?"
"2.95" Sometimes my accent can be hard for people to understand, so I don't mind repeating myself.
"For a regular coffee?" She asks.
"Oh I'm sorry I thought you ordered a cappuccino," I say, thinking I had made a mistake.
"I did," She says, "But I only got a regular coffee."
"Oh no," I assure her, "That's a cappuccino."
"No its not." She says firmly.
"Um...yes it is." Trying to still sound chirpy at this point.
"No its not." She repeats.
Should I revert to age 8 mode and start shouting, "Is to?". I'm really not very good with confrontation, and I'm not too sure what the policy here is for cranky customers.
"I don't mean to sounds rude," She says, sounding very rude, "But it is NOT a cappuccino. It tastes like coffee."
Whoa...hold on a minute. A specialty coffee tastes like coffee?! Something must be seriously wrong here! (forgive me...sometimes the sarcastic voice in my head is the only thing that keeps me sane. Frightening isn't it?)
She wouldn't pay for it, insisting that it was a regular coffee, so in the end she only paid for a regular coffee. And it made me angry.
Just goes to show that even though I might be hitting the big 2-0 tomorrow, I still have a lot of growing up to do! I let people like that get under my skin, and I take everything personally. And if I had spoken to her in the way that I really wanted to, she probably would not think very highly of the Christians at City Gate Cafe...

The Great Flood of Fermoy

Check this out...



When I told you its been raining buckets lately, I wasn't exaggerating!
Fermoy has flooded!
Well, part of it at least. The stretch of stores just down the road from my place are all closed for flooding.

The river is sooo high, and a couple roads are blocked off, and a field is completely submerged.

For once I wasn't the only one carrying a camera, so I didn't feel self-conscious about snapping some shots! (Unfortunately I think I may have damaged my camera with all the damp it has seen here. The pictures haven't been turning out so well lately. Grrr....why am I so irresponsible?!)

I did some errands this morning and that was the extent of it.
But by the time I headed back mid-afternoon there was only small dry spot to cross on. I had to cross the bridge again after 3, and walked through an inch or so of water. Car traffic was being funneled by the garda. At 4:30 the water had risen so much that no cars were being allowed across the bridge, and it was several inches deep. One garda was ferrying poor stranded pedestrians such as myself across the flooded road. I was so excited thinking I was going to get a ride in real Irish police car!!!


But then he drove off and didn't come back, so I had to walk through it. It only came up just past my ankles, but the water was FREEZING!!! When I got home I quickly changed into my new warm, dry slippers, but snapped a picture for the blog of course ;)

The day was actually beautiful, sunny and warm, and it seemed like everyone made it out to take pictures, survey the damage, and talk with neighbors. It was like a big town get-together! Fermoy even made it on the news. Sadly, it sounds like the damages will be quite high, but they are used to flooding here, so it hasn't come as a big shock to anyone. Its just that this has been the biggest flood in a long time.

And sure I know that this isn't my "internet day", but I figure news like this can't be kept waiting. It needs to blogged about while its still fresh...so don't give out to me about breaking my restriction. Spirit of the law, not letter of the law, ok?

Coming Soon...

An earlier comment got me thinking all things Narnia...and I found this! Cinematically (made that word up, but you know what I mean!) I've been living under a rock until this past week, so I was pretty excited to see that Prince Caspian is well on its way, and I'll be able to enjoy it in June! SO EXCITED!!!

A Taste of Home

So, a week into the New Year, and it brings me a little taste of home :D
First, during a visit to Tescoes (The Irish -or maybe European?- equivalent of Superstore) what do I spy with my little eye...? Tim Hortons prepackaged donuts! It was a little twilight zone experience. I could hardly believe it. There right in front of me was something very Canadian. So naturally I took a picture!!!



And then I got my "Christmas package" from home!!! How exciting!!! Amongst the goodies were these delightfully warm, and much-anticipated slippers!


And my favorite tea that is sadly unavailable here. I look forward to sipping the nectar later today...

Not much has been going on with me. The kids/teens clubs don't start until next week, but I'm busy preparing the crafts for them. My "scissor hands" will be very developed soon! Nice and muscly. Very attractive.
The weather has been cold, frosty on two occasions, which felt a very little bit like Canada. Right now its raining buckets. I haven't been out walking much due to the rain. And my laziness.
I have socks stuck around the French doors in my room to keep out the draft. Last week we had serious wind storms and I could feel the freezing cold breeze circling my room. It was actually so strong that some of the socks were blown out! Now its not so bad. It just looks funny. I have very colorful socks.
Been watching some movies on a portable DVD player lately. Amazing Grace was last night's delight. 'Twas fantastic...really liked it. Maybe I will watch Transformers tonight :P

EDIT: Oh PS...Did I mention that I am giving my first ever official Piano Lessons this week?! I'm terrified!