Granola

  

I've been looking for a tasty granola recipe for quite some time now. One that requires normal ingredients. This one fits the bill! Benjamin declared this my best granola yet! Thanks to a friend who posted the recipe on Facebook. I'm sharing it here so I know where to find it in case I misplace it. :-)

Spiced Vanilla Granola

4 cups thick rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 C freshly ground flax seed

1 C chopped nuts

1/3 C coconut oil

1/4 C maple syrup or agave

1 Tbsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In large bowl mix together dry ingredients. In saucepan, combine coconut oil, sugar and syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture, stirring well.  Transfer to cookie sheets.  Bake, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Cool completely. I added a handful of chocolate chips. Yumm-o!!!!!

Isn't the glass jar I used cute? I got it for Christmas. I believe from Katie. I just love the chalkboard label!

There has been some decorating taking place. I'll share soon. Rumor has it my bathroom will be painted by the weekend!

Decorating...

Mike has left us for a fairly short period of time. He's enjoying the warmth of the South right now. The girls and I are planning to get some decorating done while he's gone. I'm ashamed to say, we've been in our house for more than a year, and I've done very little decorating. I painted the kitchen with the help of some friends. I did paint one bathroom, although that's as far as I got. So, I present to you decorating project number one of hopefully many more to come.

Frame: Ben Franklins - $35
Chalkboard Paint: Ben Franklins - $11

That's it, my friends! I've never worked with chalkboard paint before. Easy peasy!!!! The can says it adheres to glass, but I was hesitant to believe what it said. I'm here to say, it works!!! I haven't told my husband about this project yet. I'm hoping he will love it. When our girls first started taking piano lessons, he commented on their teachers chalkboard pantry door that she used to announce the dinner menu. I scoffed and told him to erase that thought from his mind, it wasnt happening. But a frame, a frame I can do. We shall see what he says. I will tell you a secret...I am worried about doodling. Am I the only one with doodling kids? I'll have to hide the chalk. I know I'll find doodling on it all the time!!! Oh, one Pinterest pin I read says you can use Bistro Markers on chalkboard. What in earth are Bistro Markers? I'll have to google.

A New Week

We've had a crazy few weeks. We've had a rough time getting back on track from an extended Christmas break. Last week, Mike left for a school at Ft. Benning. Katie returned from her extended vacation to NY and KY. So, it's time to get the school bus rolling. This is how I started my Monday...

Yard Visitors

For the last couple of days, we've had some guests in our yard. A momma and baby moose. The baby appears to be last years calf. They both visited quite a while yesterday. The baby even laid down and napped a while. They left, only to return a while later. Today, we didn't see the baby. So, not sure if it was the same mama moose or a new one. Devin went outside to bring in a couple of loads of firewood. Much to his dismay, he couldn't because the moose was there again!!!! Poor Devin.

In Which We Do School

If you're Liberty, this is how you would listen to today's read-aloud...

Delish Dinner

I made a DELISH dinner last night. Well, most of it was delish. The chicken wasn't my favorite. The rest of my family LOVED it. Me? I loved the sweet potatoes. Oh my heavens. I could have eaten an entire plate of them. All.by.myself. I will definitely be making them again. BUTTER-PECAN SWEET POTATOES 8 medium sweet potatoes (5 lbs.), or one per person olive oil course salt 2 T. butter, cut into small pieces 2 T. light brown sugar 1/3 c. pecan pieces 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and halve lengthwise; slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil (we brush it on both sides); season with salt. Transfer half the potatoes to a second baking sheet; cook both sheets until potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, pecan pieces and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly. Bake until sugar is carmelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Toss gently; serve immediately. Serves 8. **Definitely double the topping. I didn't, and wish I did.** ***I thought 5 potatoes was going to be enough. It wasn't. I'll definitely use 8 next time.*** I didn't take pictures. I will share the blog post where I found the recipe though. She has pretty pictures. You'll also find the Monterey Chicken recipe there. It was too cold to grill last night, and we don't have a George Foreman. So, I pan fried the chicken. Which was probably my mistake. I'll grill it next time for sure. http://kimmccrary.blogspot.com/2010/05/perfect-day.html Tonights dinner is a real family pleaser as well. Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. Oh my. Is it dinner time yet???

Home Ec with Friends

One of my New Years Resolutions is to be more active with the kids. My kids do a lot of activities, but that doesn't always mean I am involved. I need to change that.
Melissa and I decided a couple of months ago that we were going to get together and make pillowcases with the kids. It just took us a little while to actually make It happen. We found the tutorial on Pinterest. Imagine that!!!! Very easy instructions. I got to Melissa's house with 3 of my kids around 9:20. All four of the pillowcase making kids were finished by noon. They rocked it! This was Libertys first time using the sewing machine. She was nervous, but did fabulous!!!! Mikayla came home and made 3 more pillowcases. Two for Benjamin, and two more for herself. We bought fabric for a couple of Christmas pillowcases to tuck away for next year. She will be entering them in the fair this summer. Fun times!!