Before deciding to start a blog, my initial intention was to start journaling.  I bought a lovely journal, pretty stickers, pencil crayons, fancy pens, stencils, etc.  Then when I went to start, I couldn’t find the words, couldn’t figure out what I wanted to write about, and most importantly I realized that my once beautiful handwriting had become not so pretty. I have had a couple of relapses with my Multiple Sclerosis that affected my right arm & hand, so writing isn’t pleasurable anymore, much less legible.  I didn’t even realize it until I decided to journal.  When you are writing a little note, or signing a birthday card, you don’t notice your writing has taken a dump!  Hence, I needed to change my plan so I went from journaling to blogging! Once I decided to write a blog, my girls and I started brainstorming names; we wanted to have something that was indicative of my personality and who I am. I grew up on a ranch in Colorado; we owned and operated a state of the art breeding facility raising show horses.  Just to be clear though, this was not a hobby, it was our life.  Hobbies were not something there was time for.  When you are involved in this kind of operation it is 24-7.  Horses don’t like to wait to be fed, stalls need to be cleaned, foals are born at the most inconvenient time, and then there is grooming & training, goats to milk, eggs to collect from the chickens and when people pay big money to have their mares bred by your stallions, you take it seriously! NOT A HOBBY!  My dad always said if anybody gets in the horse business to make money, they aren’t too bright yet here we were in the horse business!  Anyway, back to naming my blog.  Horses were a big part of my life, hence the cowboy boots portion.  That also took care of my love for the Denver Broncos, always have, always will love them!  I am not a bandwagon fan either, it’s like a marriage for me – you know, in good times and in bad (& there have been a fair share of bad times let me tell ya), nevertheless, I’m a Bronco girl and on football day, my family and friends know where to find me, on the couch watching football in my full on Bronco gear.  Next, we figured out what I’m good at and that’s where the cooking part comes in.  I like to cook, my food is usually edible and I’m not afraid to go out on a limb and try new recipes.  I have many other likes and hobbies but none really spoke to me and I also wanted something that I would be
ok with being identified by.  I don’t want to be identified strictly by my MS although it sometimes happens, my craft skills are very poor (I’m far too impatient for that), my sense of style is always evolving (even if my kids think it sometimes is going backwards), I love camping and hunting, I am passionate about my essential oils, I love to golf (although I’m not great, but I try hard!), I love the ocean as much as I love the country and last but not least, I love to spend time with our family!  How do you put all of that into one Blog name?  We decided short and sweet was the way to go so Cooking in Cowboy Boots was born!

I mentioned before that I recently stopped working due to my Multiple Sclerosis and I’m not going to lie, I found the first 4 months extremely difficult. It’s almost like I was grieving, I really didn’t know what to do with myself.  What was very clear to me though was that I was worn out, run down, stressed out, and quite frankly, a little lost.  My family and my neurologist all told me it would take time to adjust, it would take time to reset my life, it would take time to de-stress, it would take time to feel better, it would take time to find a new way of being.  I remember going to the neurologist about 5 months after I stopped working and saying to her that she lied when she said I was going to feel better and she just looked at me and said that it’s been a long time since I have felt good, felt rested, etc because I worked myself to the bone and it wouldn’t turn around within months, she said I needed to be patient and give it at least a year or more to begin to recharge.  That very day, I decided to give myself a year of doing whatever it was my body required to rest up and then I would come up with a strategy to start getting my health back.  I am happy to say that it has been a little over a year now and I am finally starting to feel good!  I have rested, relaxed, napped, strolled, laughed, cried, and listened to what it was I needed each day and with the love and support of my family, I am finding my way to a better me!

Throughout the past year and a bit, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting – I’ve thought about who I once was, I’ve thought about who I am becoming and I’ve thought about where I have come from and about where I am going and lastly, I’ve thought about how I’ve changed over the past year.  I can say that I am much more relaxed and am holding myself to a higher standard, I strive to be present in the moments and aware of what’s going on around me.  I am grateful for the blessings I have been given & my heart is full of love and compassion for the people in my life. I am more purposeful in what I do, I am more grounded than I have ever been and have stopped being so busy that I forget to take a breath throughout the day.  I am becoming an explorer, exploring what works for me health wise, exploring new talents, exploring new ways of being, exploring my capacity for growth, rather than someone seeking the safety of being comfortable. If I could pick one word that sums up this past year for me, I think it would have to be – Renewed. The very definition is exactly how I would describe myself today compared to where I was a year ago.

Renewed (verb)

1. to begin or take up again, as an acquaintance, a conversation, etc. resume.
2. to make effective for an additional period:
3. to restore or replenish:
4. to make, say, or do again.
5. to revive; reestablish.
6. to recover (youth, strength, etc.).
7. to begin again; recommence.
8. to renew a lease, note, etc.
9. to be restored to a former state; become new or as if new again.

Yep, renewed – that’s it!  And I am excited to continue with my journey of renewal!

I can’t leave without a little recipe for you all, to thank you for your indulging me while I babble!!

Lemony Banana Blueberry Muffins

Cooking in Cowboy Boots

These Lemony Banana Blueberry Muffins combine 3 tasty faves in one delicious muffin that's perfect for breakfast or a quick snack

Print Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Muffins

Servings 24 Muffins

Ingredients

  

• 1 egg
• ⅓ Cup Milk
• ½ Cup Canola Oil
• ½ Cup Sour Cream Can substitute plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 Cup Mashed Bananas
• 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• ½ Cup Sugar
• Zest from one lemon ½ for muffins and ½ for glaze
• 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 1-2 Cups Fresh or Frozen Blueberries I used 2 cups

Streusel

• 1 Cup Flour
• ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
• 4 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter Melted

Glaze

• ½ Cup Powdered Sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Half & Half or Milk
• Lemon Zest

Instructions

 

• In a medium mixing bowl, beat egg lightly.
• Stir in milk, oil, sour cream, lemon zest and mashed bananas.
• In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
• Add all at once to liquid mixture and stir just until moistened.
• Gently fold in blueberries (if frozen, toss in a small amount of flour first to coat).
• Grease 2 muffin tins. Fill each cup ¾ full.
• Prepare streusel by combining flour, sugar, and melted butter; mix with a fork until coarse crumbs form.
• Top muffin batter with streusel mixture and press down gently.
• Bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes or until centers are set and edges are beginning to brown.
• Remove from pan; cool completely.
• For glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk and a bit of lemon zest. Drizzle over muffins.