THE Best Blueberry Muffins

1/3 c sugar
1/4 c butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/3 c flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c fresh or frozen blueberries
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 c butter or margarine, softened

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter. Then add the egg and mix well.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk.
4. Stir in the vanilla and fold in the blueberries gently.
5. Fill 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
6. Make streusel topping by cutting in all ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and then sprinkle over the muffins.
7. Bake 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

These are the best muffins I have ever had and I can't take all the credit. We will just say that my kitchen was a test kitchen and the proper credit goes to Mary Anne McWhirter from Pearland, TX. This recipe for Blueberry Streusel Muffins was submitted to www.allrecipes.com and is wonderful!

I do have to tell on myself a bit....I did something while making these muffins that I have never done. While preparing the streusel mix I dumped the flour right on top of my entire sugar container instead of into the mixing bowl. I just sat there and stared at it for the longest time not believing what I had just done. I then proceeded to fish out the flour VERY carefully and transfer it to the mixing bowl. Needless to say the sugar didn't get measured very properly but it came out great. I hope you enjoy it.

Life after the Transplant

My husband was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma last December and is now 34 days past his stem cell transplant. For now he is just concentrating on recovering. He fractured a couple of vertebrae in Nov 2008 and that is how the tests were done to find out what was wrong. He was on bed rest for a few months and taking Revlimid which is a type of maintenance chemo. That prepared him for the stem cell transplant in June. All is looking good and only time will tell. We plan on enjoying as much time as we can together. Life is too short. He cannot go anywhere public as there is too much risk for his immune system which has been stripped. We limit his exposure to friends and strangers just to be safe. After all we have been through these last 8 months it wouldn't be worth it to do something stupid now and give him the flu or something! We just deal with it.

He was a 55 yr old police officer when all this happened. I was a housewife with a small part-time job. He is not sure what his career holds now and we won't find out for a few months yet. I am looking to go back to work. If he stays home he will get to be the one to shuttle girls after school and thats okay too.

Like I said in the header, my role in life has changed several times the last year and it continues to change. I just take each day as it comes and don't do much planning at this point. I think the kids are starting to realize that their parents don't actually have their lives planned out moment by moment. We don't predict the future but how we react to it molds our children. Only God knows what will happen and its very liberating to just let everything go and let Him have control. God is in the small stuff and He has proven over and over that he cares and loves us very much.

I am a very proactive personality. I would rather plan for the variables than have to react to them. This whole year has turned that personality trait on its ear! I have not reacted with despair at the thought that my husband may not be around in a few years. I react with hope that research has come so far in just the past few years. Hope is what I have.....It comes from God - NOT Obama.

Sara P Duke Gardens, Durham NC

The beat goes on

Headlines this week have been interesting. Terror suspects arrested in North Carolina...actually about 30 miles from my home. Don't really know much at this point and the news is very vague so I guess we will see. They proved Obama's birth certificate is authentic and he really was born in Hawaii. Nevermind the fact that he spent most of his life living somewhere else. His parents could have easily been on vacation visiting family there and his birth was just timely. Just think of how many people around the world are born in countries other than where they live out their entire lives. If any of those people were born in the US, they are eligible to be President...Hmmmm. That fact alone could reshape world politics as we know them and we all know something needs to be done.

As for family, we are doing great. Husband is slowly returning to normal activities and getting very bored just being around the house. Teenage daughters are well......Teenage daughters. My 14 yr old is fighting off some kind of virus and we keep her away from her daddy which isn't exactly easy for a child that has a habit of touching everything she passes in each room. She has always been what we call our "flibberdegibbit." My 13 yr old continues to push her limits and my patience but thats what they do at that age. We are trying to be consistent but that is one of the hardest tasks I have found as a parent. She is strong willed just like her mother and at times we expect her to be tough. She always delivers on that point but we also know there is a little girl in there just wanting to stay daddy's little girl.

I tried a new recipe the other day to get rid of all those tomatoes I am accumulating from neighbors gardens. So simple and so good.

Grilled tomatoes - Use any disposable or grillable square pan or even muffin tins. Cut tomatoes in half lenthwise and place cut side up in pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and even a little garlic or Italian seasoning if you wish. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and place Provolone cheese on top of them. Place on a top rack in your grill and keep an eye on them. Once the cheese starts to bubble they are done and this will depend on how hot your grill is. Enjoy!

Let's start this thing!

I am excited to start this chapter of my life. My husband is recovering from a stem cell transplant and my kids are full swing into summer. Life is good considering all we have been through this year. We, as a family, are really at a crossroads. My husband is facing an earlier retirement than what he originally planned and I am facing re-entering the workforce. We have one daughter entering high school and one in middle school. I have been thinking about starting a blog for a while now and really didn't know what to say but I saw a Luna Moth the other day and it kind of inspired me with its simple beauty....blogging is so simple and I was afraid to jump in and just do it. That is why the Luna Moth is my mascot! I have always been the kind of person that is not necessarily shy but not really willing to stand in front. I prefer the background and have pretty much always kept to myself but I have spent the last couple of years trying to force myself to nurture relationships. My husband is my best friend but I also need other friends and for many years I didn't really have any close friends. It takes work to be a friend. I never really tried to work at it I guess but that is changing. Please check back and check on my progress and I'm sure there will be some interesting thoughts along the way.