Deliciously Delectable Carrot-Raisin Muffins from Gooseberry Patch's Farmhouse Kitchen Cookbook

I have been a fan of Gooseberry Patch for awhile, and have recently "fanned" them on Facebook. So, I now get regular updates of new cookbooks and recipes on my Facebook Homepage. In January, they shared this recipe and I made it for bookclub last month and thought I would share it with you.

Yummy Carrot-Raisin Muffins

18 oz pkg of Carrot Cake Mix

15 oz can of Pumpkin

1/3 cup golden raisins (I used the regular brown raisins)

Add dry cake mix and pumpkin together to make a thick batter. Add raisins and mix well. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until muffins test done. Makes 1 dozen muffins.

These were a very dense muffin and very moist. The pumpkin flavor was very strong and mixed well with the carrot cake. You could also use a Spice Cake Mix.

For more about Gooseberry Patch, check out their website http://www.gooseberrypatch.com/.

Softlips Winner

Using Random.org, the winning comment was..............


Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2010-02-09


paulasue said...
Pomegranate sounds wonderful!! Thanks for the giveaway!!!

Thanks to everyone for signing up. Paulasue will be receiving an email from me shortly. It was interesting to see everyone's flavor of choice!

Choose Happy

It is another Monday. Did you wake up grumpy? If you read my post last Monday, you know that I am trying to change my attitude and am hoping others will as well. Maybe you have a really hectic week ahead. Maybe life isn't going the way you want it to go. Maybe you woke up with a cold this morning. Whatever it is...change your attitude this minute. Life isn't always what you want, but it is what you've got. So, take this minute, and CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY! See what a difference this will make in your day and the day of those around you!

Pride

When I met my husband nearly twelve years ago, his tag-line on his AOL profile page was "Swallow your pride before it swallows you". The other day I read this quote in the December 2009 Guideposts Magazine: "Swallow your pride. It contains no calories."

Being proud of my children and their grades, their behavior, and their accomplishments is a positive part of pride. But there is another side of pride that isn't always so positive.

I know if I took a minute to step back and ignore my pride, it would save me some frustration and heartache in several situations. Why do we hold tight to our pride? We don't want to be embarrassed. We don't want to admit we were WRONG. We would rather keep our pride than say "I'm Sorry!" Who are you hurting (besides yourself) because you didn't swallow your pride? I know how hard it is because I have let pride takeover and the result is always damaging. What amends could you make today by swallowing your pride?

Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. Guideposts Magazine December 2009

Another Softlips Giveaway!

Are your lips suffering from dryness this winter? Are they cracked and chapped? Well, mine have been and I have been using lots of different products to try and keep them smooth and soft.

Softlips is a 95% organic lip conditioner. It is 100% natural. It contains a blend of organic oils, beeswax and shea butter. It also has Vitamin E to protect the lips. This product is free of pesticides, harsh chemicals, and parabens. It is gluten-free and cruelty-free which means is does not test its products on animals. It comes in a variety of flavors and also comes tinted. I have several of them and like each one.

I liked the long skinny tube because it fits easily in my pocket. Softlips is the one I take with me on the go. I don't have to worry about it "melting" in my pocket and the skinny tube isn't noticeable in my pocket. The product goes on very smoothly and stays on.

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, I thought I would help you get your lips in perfect kissing form! I have more Softlips lip protector to giveaway to you. Thanks to Nicole for offering the lip balms for me to giveaway!

To sign up, leave me a comment with your email address and tell me which flavor you would like to try after visiting the website http://www.softlips.com/. You have until 11:59 PM on Monday, February 8th to enter. I will draw a winner on Tuesday, February 9th and announce it here. Who knows, I may even draw more than one winner!

Mondays

Now that I am on Facebook, I have noticed that nearly every Monday, several people complain about the fact that it is a Monday. Can you do anything about the fact that it is Monday? No. But if you start out with a cranky, bad, negative attitude on a Monday, how will that affect your day, your week?

I am the first to admit that Mondays are tough sometimes and it can be hard to get going again after the weekend. But I have also learned that my attitude affects our whole family and the "air" in the house. So, I have been trying to really notice my attitudes lately and if I am starting to get cranky, I need to change it and quick!

I read somewhere once....In one minute I can change my attitude and in that one minute I can change my entire day. I really try to remind myself of that on a regular basis.

If I think positively, I will feel better. If I smile, I will likely get smiles back. If I am grumpy, I am going to hear grumbling from others. If I am worried, I am going to get more worried. If I am unhappy, others will be unhappy. But, if I am kind, I will attract more kindness. If I am loving, there will be more love.

Just changing the way you feel or the way you start your day can affect your whole mood for the rest of the day. You will change the way you feel inside and likely your feelings will transfer to others. Won't that be a better way to start your Monday?