Last week was a complete doozy. I had my feelings hurt a ridiculous amount of times, I cried a lot, I felt really discouraged, but it taught me something. I realized that I let other people control my happiness. I've been thinking a lot about not wasting my life away on useless emotions and refreshing social media apps (embarrassing!). Instead I want to soak up the BEAUTY of my life. The life that I am so blessed to have. To appreciate gifts like the nicest card I may have ever received. I put it on my mirror as a daily affirmation. My love language is certainly encouragement and I've felt really low in that department, it was the perfect gift.
So, in order to focus on the lovely "every day" I've put together a calendar full of fun fall activities: a visit to Helen, a trip to the pumpkin patch, apple picking, and something fun for Halloween to be sure. I've also decided to be really careful about how much time I spend online. I've realized it has been a huge source of
unhappiness for me, instead of endless inspiration. I'll be taking a big step back from things like twitter (I don't even understand it) and being quite deliberate about the rest of 'em. What makes me happy is being around people I love, feeling the cool breeze, making things, cooking our
favorite chili, taking pictures, being creative, and that is what I want to focus on. Why open myself up to rejection (someone unfollowed me!) and vulnerability by paying too much attention to social networks that aren't even real life? Know what I mean?
With that said, I made some pumpkin bread and oh my is it tasty.
Pumpkin Bread (oh, and it's gluten-free!)
adapted from this recipe for Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread
You will need:
1/2 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1-3/4 pamela's baking mix
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon all spice
Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Grease one 8.5" inch loaf pan.
In a mixer, cream together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together baking mix, cinnamon, and all spice. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
No one will know this pumpkin bread is gluten-free. It is so moist and delicious and perfect warm out of the oven with a little butter on top. Enjoy!
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You are my favorite blogger! Thank you for your honesty!!
ReplyDeletewhat a day maker! thanks tracy!
DeleteI hear you on the twitter thing...still don't really get it. So excited to try this gf pumpkin bread recipe, thanks!!!
ReplyDeletehope you like it amber:)
DeleteThat's why I dumped Facebook about a year ago and I haven't regreted it at all. Thanks for the recipe, looking forward to trying out later this week!
ReplyDeleteWhat can I use in place of pamelas baking mix? It isn't available around me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteif you wanted to go gluten free you could use some sort of almond flour or all purpose gluten free baking mix. here are the measurements: 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon baking soda + 3/4 teaspoon salt
DeleteLesley, this pumpkin bread looks yummy! Baked goods are the hardest thing to give up when you go gluten free. We will try it. And for the record, all that social media stuff is just for celebrating mediocrity!! It gives importance to people who don't deserve it!
ReplyDeleteYUMM! Looks incredible! I make vegan pumpkin cupcakes every Fall and they are to-die-for! Especially when I throw in some chocolate chips.
ReplyDeletei want your recipe please!
DeleteI’m with you on the internet being an unhappy place. Sometimes it feels like being creative doesn’t count for anything and it’s hard to just push all the noise aside and be content with what you’re creating. But I think that doubt every so often beats being a sheep any day. Your bread looks great! I miss bread, but I could eat that! Sending good thoughts your way :)
ReplyDeleteI am in love with these pictures! You have made me FINALLY happy for Fall. I have been so NOT wanting it, but thanks to you and your pictures, I am sitting here happy to accept Fall's arrival :)
ReplyDeletei am so thrilled that i could get you in the mood. :) fall is the best!
DeleteI've been craving pumpkin bread lately! This might be my motivation to get the ingredients and make it happen. :) I bought my first pumpkin candle of the season and it's making me really excited for Halloween and Thanksgiving! I miss a lot of the GA stuff you mentioned . . . Helen, apple picking, etc. I should investigate what we have going on around here.
ReplyDeleteLove you lots and hope we can catch up soon.
I have been in the exact same spot lately, so thank you for sharing your story. It's always nice to feel like you're not alone when you're feeling down. I have found it surprisingly tough to pinpoint all of the things that really do make me happy. Still working on that, but I love your plan for fall. I have no doubt that is going to make a world of difference for you. And thanks for sharing the recipe! A top fall favorite of mine, but my mom is gf, so she is really going to love this! :)
ReplyDeleteAnd this :: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4vZ1LutLRRY
ReplyDelete:)
Why am I just now finding your site? You have such beautiful images! And this food looks scrumptious! Love the way you laid it out!
ReplyDeletexo TJ
hi, lesley! been reading for a while, but this is my first time commenting. had to for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that i think we were cut from the same sensitive cloth.:) i left all social media almost three years ago, and while i sometimes feel like i'm missing out on something (and also feel a tad ancient at times!), i truly don't regret it. my tender heart just can't handle all that info and what comes with it, so i opted to honor that part of me and set some serious boundaries. from time to time i get grief from family and friends that are far away and want to see more pics of our 18 month old cora, but overall, it has been the best choice for me. just sayin'...hang in there and respect all the beautiful things that make you YOU, even if they don't always jive with the state of our world these days.:) also, i made your pumpkin bread last night and it is divine! been trying to eliminate gluten wherever possible and this recipe makes it much easier to picture life without it. thanks a million!
ReplyDeleteso great to hear from you nichole! thanks so much for the kind words and for tempting me to do the same. ha! i am thrilled that you like the pumpkin bread. hope you have a great week!
DeleteMy Twitter followers go up and down but the friendly faces of loved ones and friends that I actually see face to face stays strong! We must remember that our words may touch many but some folks just won't get it. It is a fact that we must live with in social media. Continue to live abundantly in your heart and your life. Those who love your blog are worth so much more than those who may not get your message. Smooches! Maria
ReplyDeletep.s. this bread is a MUST DO!
So I just made the second loaf in 24 hours! This bread is crazy good.
ReplyDeleteYEAH! it's addictive for sure.
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