Sassy Priscilla

A Much Needed Rescue

We've been having some gorgeous weather lately. It has been a great excuse for working in the yard. 

Yesterday, as Jeff was mowing the lawn, Aidan was hurrying to rescue all the dandelions before they were cut by the mower. He came running up to me with a handful. My heart swooned.

I am so glad May is here. April was a really crummy month. Well, let me backtrack - a glorious thing happened last month. Beautiful baby Huck was born. Being an aunt again thrills me and Jeff and Aidan is tickled, too.

However, poor baby Huck has had a rough beginning. He developed viral meningitis. We are so happy he is home now and doing well (despite a soy/dairy allergy that is really inconveniencing his mommy and hurting his tummy). 

Right before all that, we lost our Toulouse. Then, my wonderful Uncle Dane had emergency quintuple bypass surgery. He is home recovering. Outside of our beloved Toulouse, we are very lucky to have had these scary things end up well.

See that closed up dandelion in the vase under the water? I've felt that way a bit. We can no longer afford for me to see my therapist for anxiety issues and I have moments where I feel like I can't get my head above water. But having seen her, I know techniques that can help me rebound but it sure seems to take a long time. I think the fact that I have blogged a few times is a good sign.

May is my favorite month. Tulips, daffodils, budding perennials, seedlings, green grass, Mother's Day, wedding anniversary, a precious boy's birthday - these all make me so happy. So May is my much needed rescue.

What's for Breakfast? Best Baked Oatmeal Recipe.

Sorry about the picture - we couldn't wait to dig in. I barely tweaked this most delicious recipe from Southern Living. It is really, really good.

I halved the recipe which made me play around with some of the ingredients amounts. I also added vanilla.

Enjoy!

Delicious Baked Oatmeal
adapted from Southern Living (thanks Donnajean!)

Ingredients
1 - 2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 egg, 1 egg white, beaten
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tablespoon Penzeys Ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup plus 2 T milk
1/4 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons Penzeys Double-Strength vanilla

Directions

1. Toss blueberries in 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, and spread evenly on bottom of a lightly greased 8 x 8 inch baking dish.
2. Combine oats, next 9 ingredients, and remaining 1 Tbsp. lemon juice in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Pour oat mixture evenly over blueberries. I like to mix the wet ingredients and add to the dry ingredients.
3. Bake, covered, at 350° for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 20 more minutes or until golden brown and set.