Making it up as I go

I am really big into life evaluation. I worry that sometimes I spend more of my life analyzing my time than actually living my life. Anyway, the point is that finals are coming around the corner. That means another crossword puzzle to construct, a few papers and lots of studying to do.

Because I was home for Thanksgiving break, and when I came back I was busy doing stuff with my cousins and Sam, I neglected to go grocery shopping. I will be fine... I have food, but I don't have fresh food, like eggs or milk or bread. [sigh].

So I tried to make muffins, right, like I do every weekend. And I was all, "I can just make up my own recipe... la la la..."

I mean, I did it once before, right?

Um, they are gross. Embarrassing thing is that I gave them to my home teachers before I even tried them myself. And they were nice and they lied and said they were good! When Sam and I ate them, we just could not eat another bite. So now I feel really dumb. And I think I need to stick to recipes that people have actually tested. Maybe I'll try to fix it, but for now, just know that today's Muffin Monday is gross so I am not even going to post the recipe.

And yes, I am aware that I forgot to post about muffins last week. Forgive me. Here it is! This recipe is delicious, and there is more sugar than flour.  They are technically financiers, which is a French Muffin. Oui Oui!

And Sam got to separate the egg whites from the egg yokes. He was very excited about that.

So finals are just around the river bend... and as close as I am to finishing it... I'm giving up NaNoWriMo. I'm 37 thousand words in, and I could still finish...But no. Let's face it, I'd rather be spending time with Sam or doing my homework. Because I'm shamelessly in love and school is important (even though I am seriously lacking motivation).

And I know that writing it here makes it official. And I hate to say that this is the second year in a row that I have come short of 50,000 words. I have done much more than I did last year--I think I got to 17k?--and I have a legitimate story.  I started with nothing and now I have this little plot and a million characters and I love them, and they are their own people.

Ya, lots of psycho madness goin' on right now. Thought I'd just rattle on to the world about muffins and writing and love.

I am going to write more soon. I promise. More scenes from the weekend:

-Meg

I'd rather be a comma, then a full stop

Tonight, after I said a witty comment, someone told me that I should have a blog.

And I was all, "I do! And I post my muffin recipes there."

Then I felt bad because I lately that is all I have ever done, so sorry. I'm going to talk about interesting things now.

Like how my tonsils got all huge and gross and I couldn't breathe or swallow, and so I had to go to the doctor. But not the doctor in Salt Lake, the doctor in freakin' Odgen because the clinic I go to here was randomly closed for staff training.

But whatev's. I got to meet my mom and she brought me egg drop soop [sic, I think it's better that way].

I did not get caught up on NaNoWriMo... not yet anyway. I want to! I have lots to write and I don't always have motivation, but I force myself and then words happen, so ya. I'm still too concise for my own good. I still let my readers fill in the blanks too often. But one thing I took from my acting class is this: you have to know everything, even if you don't use everything. So in the final product will I take out unnecessary things? Sure, but for now they're there so I'm forced to think about them.

OK, that's a lot of meta data.

I'm really tired and I'm still sick, so I'm going to bed, mmmk? Thanks.

-Megan

Muffin Monday! Cranberry Cornbread

This weekend was another glorious one, filled with a healthy dose of excitement, sleep, stress and giddiness.

11/11/11 11:11 happened, and I knew I had to do something epic, so Sam and I went roller blading.

And I went home for my friend Jantzen's homecoming. That meant spending time with my wonderful sisters.

Today's Muffin Monday is Cranberry Cornbread muffins.

Recipe here

I'm getting really sick of muffin pictures. They're just so boring... but they don't taste that way!

Writing, and other strange acts

I actually wrote this a few days ago, but forgot to publish it. So here goes.

As I am writing my novel, and fighting valiantly through the happiness and stress of my life, I have a list of things that I must always remember. I am amazed at how similar those two things are. Perhaps it is a good sign that my novel's character is so similar to me, because she helps me not forget those things which I must not forget. They seem cryptic only because they apply across the spectrum of my existence.

1. I am not the victim.
2. The answer will come.
3. I am fearless.

Today I'm feeling ill, so I'm staying home from class. Although this really isn't making me feel better, because now I'm just stressed about everything I'm missing. I'm trying to use this time to get caught up in all my assignments, but ugh... one day I will done with school!

-Meg

p.s. NaNoWriMo updated. I'm at about 11k words. I would never be able to do it without Sam or Katie. It's far from over but I don't know how I would have even survived this long without their support. I just thought I'd mention that because they are just super cool. 

p.p.s. I came home and a Weeping Angel was in my room, on my compy. Ya, I was terrified, in a happy way.

Creating novels and recipes...

I write what I feel inside of me. So my novel is never going to be turned into a movie, or even a play. It is just my little story, my reckoning with the thoughts in my head. It is my connection with my ancestors. Not my grandma-- not that close. Far, far distant. I'm talking about my ancestors who were hunter-gatherers. And I feel connected with them so I write about it.

It isn't an easy story to explain, and it isn't really about the plot anyway. It's about love, and writing just to write. I love it.

I wrote my own recipe on Sunday, actually. I adapted it from the basic muffin recipe that came in my muffin cook book.  Here it is! (all my muffin pictures are starting to look the same! ahh!)

1 1/2 cup normal white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 or 3/4 cup butter milk (I don't remember how much I put it, so take your pick.)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
chocolate chips

I baked it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. But check it.

Yes peeps, I made a recipe. I am become domesticated. The world is about to end...! You better believe I'm in love.

-Meg

Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

You're probably wondering how I disappeared off the face of the planet. It is a combination of several things, one of which is NaNoWriMo. That is short for National Novel Writing Month. 

That is why I was so negligent in posting last week's muffin Monday. So this is shamefully late. Forgive me. Recipe found here.

Roommate Katie saved my butt again. Whenever I make cooking mistakes she saves me. Thank you thank you!

-Meg

Happy Halloween!

This has been the hottest Halloween of my life. In both senses of the word, as my roommate Hailey would say.

Saturday I surprised Sam and took him horseback riding with my family and Jay. The air was crisp and Smoke understood me, as always. I trust that horse so much. 

Sam had never before ridden. Not in his entire life! I am glad this was remedied. 

The air was crisp, but fresh and light and even though everything was dying, it was a rustic beauty. 

The horse adventure took longer than I anticipated, but after we finished, we ate at The Oaks and headed back down to good ol' SLC. 

We finished our costumes, helped the roommies get ready, and headed off to Halloween madness.

Sam and I were Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, respectively. 

 It was all sorts of fun. And the morning came early, but it was worth it because we had Stake Conference, and it was fantastic. I was in the choir and it was just a lot of fun. I love singing so very much.

We carved pumpkins and I got to meet all of Sam's family. And that was a lot of people (he is the youngest of six).

So I pretty much spent the entire weekend with Sam, and that's saying something about him because usually cannot handle being with people for that long. But it went by so fast and I was so happy the entire time.

I know today ought to be Muffin Monday, but these muffins I've been working on have taken much longer than I anticipated. I started it on Sunday, and it won't be done until Tuesday. I ran out of butter, and my roommate Katie was so awesome and went and got me butter from the store this morning. She's always serving me, it's freaking amazing. Anyway, I ran out of time before work, but this recipe is going to be amazing, I can just feel it.

-Meg