My Take on Grain Free Granola

Our family has discovered a wonderful diet lifestyle, the Paleo diet. We did it consecutively for two months and really loved how we felt, how our clothes were fitting and how delicious it was. Unfortunately we allowed the holidays to dominate our diet, and we threw healthy eating out the window for sugar and gluten. Yick. This week we are back to Paleo, and I want to share a delicious recipe with you.
I adapted it from this WONDERFUL recipe over at www.paleoparents.com.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds removed from their shells)
1 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup chopped cashews
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup fresh dates diced
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (Trader Joes has a delicious one)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the honey and oil. Pour over the nut and fruit mixture mixing well. (I used my hands to really get it all over) Spread on a large lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes at 275 degrees stirring once after 15 minutes.

This makes a yummy little snack, or better yet, pour in a bowl with your favorite non dairy, non soy milk, and enjoy the first bowl of cereal you've probably had since going paleo!

(awesome dishwasher spots on my plastic, right??!!)

Thanksgiving Thursday

I bought the book One Thousand Gifts on the recommendation of a friend for myself, my sister in laws, and my secret santa gift for Christmas.  I began reading it, and really evaluating my own moments of gratitude. What has really stuck with me so far, from the few chapters that I have read, is that taking the time to thank our Creator for the little things in life slows you enough to appreciate these little moments..as gifts from above.

This week I have really tried to slow, and appreciate sweet moments and each week I will list my thousand gifts. I want to encourage you to as well. We can make every Thursday a Thanksgiving Thursday!

1. little voices playing "kitty"
2. a husband who cooks delicious meals
3. little fingers stroking my cheek as I sing goodnight songs
4. taking walks on warm winter days
5. clean water to quench my thirst
6. never forgotten, always provided for
7. new colors on my wall

The Chevron Headband-it

I have my first pattern for sale in Ravelry. It will also be listed in my etsy shop. I am pretty excited about it and hope you are too. :)
J

ChachachaCHanges-Wordless Wednesday

DIY Roller Stamper

I want to start by saying I saw this ingenious pin on pinterest that lead me to DIY stampers which in turn gave me this idea. :)

Firstly, you need some toilet paper rolls, a large stamp pad, and foam stickers of your choice.

We'll go jungle themed

Just stick them on creating a picture horizontally...then roll in your big ol' stamp pad being sure all stickers are well coated, then roll away on paper. I am going to go create a bunch of these with my not so tots this afternoon!

EDIT TO ADD:

After playing with this craft WITH tots...we decided it was way more fun to place the rolls on a paint roller and roll the heck out of the paper on their IKEA easels! That's how we "roll" 

Formatting

In order to be more active on my blog, I need to have an assignment! In the next few weeks I am going to implement some changes in format to help me in that department.

Monday: Laced with Grace in conjunction with other bloggers following my friend over at http://www.gracelaced.com/

Tuesday: Craft-tastic Tuesday

Wednesday: Wordless Wednesday

Thursday: Thanksgiving every Thursday

Friday: Foodie Fridays

I look forward to filling my little corner of the cyber world with fun and useful and interesting tidbits! :)
Jenny

Did you miss me?

Well, for most of 2011 I had no internet connection...then, for the last part...well, I had slipper orders coming out of my ears! :)

Now I get to be a mommy. And a blogger...a little bit. Here are some of the crafts we've been doing around here:

Around Thanksgiving, we went on a little leaf treasure hunt...I cut out a construction paper body and the kids did the rest...they're turkeys!

Thanks to a Martha Stewart craft idea, I bought some jewelry wire, and cut a good length of it, bent the end, and the kids LOVED threading them with buttons! I didn't embellish any more than this, but a little bow would be cute too.

We went on a pine cone hunt a few days before Christmas and found a few pretty ones that we made even prettier with some glue and glitter. I used the jewelry wire again and just wrapped the heck out of the center of the cone to attach it. Then formed a loop and hung them on the tree.

Hubby and I (okay mostly I) did some holiday baking to help bring on the happy merry jingle bell feelings!

I got my secret santa gift from my treasury team mate. She made me some bookmarks with my new shop name banner. :)

And, I am wearing one of my first knit hats I made! I am hoping to have a nice supply of them in my shop when it opens up! Yippeee. 

Thanks for peeking over here at the toddlerwhisperer!

Beer Can Chicken (have you tried it?)

This post is dedicated to Mr Toddlerwhisperer...who really is our Grill King. :)

To start, he uses his well-loved, well-used charcoal grill. He uses hard wood lump coal...which makes a huge difference in taste. Notice, all the coal is piled on just one side of the grill? That's important.

Next comes the part every man loves...the lighting of the coal. Lighter fluid required. Notice how the flames on the left look like a cat trying to make it's deathly escape...Grill Master likes that part too. Now we wait. Wait until those flames burn every bit of lighter fluid off the grill...and the coals begin to glow white hot.

While we wait, we prepare our birds. 

Preparation is actually quite simple. You need a small beer can...like the 12 oz variety...we found Buds in this form, and this time we are using a local brewer's beer.  Salt, pepper garlic and oregano..

dressed

perched

telling ghost stories by the fire...actually, this part is important. you set the chickens on the side of the grill with no coal...you are indirectly cooking them. Cover, and leave alone for 1 1/2-2 hours.

This is the end result. Delish, perfectly roasted, juicy, falling off the bone chicken. Your life will never be the same. I promise!!

Did I tell you I learned to knit?

My mom was patient with me the week after Christmas and taught me how to purl (because I roughly knew how to knit) and taught me an easy way to cast on, and viola!! I can knit!! I haven't yet attempted anything with yarn overs or increases yet...but here is my show and tell!

My very first swatch.

my first scarf

my neckwarmer/cowl...when you are a crocheter cables intimidate, but knitting them is EASY!

a skinny scarf

hearts square

an owl square...it's a little sloppy but it was fun.

Gosh it feels good to learn something new!! Have you learned something new too? Do you want to? What is it?

I Am From

A friend of mine, over at http://50stickyfingers.blogspot.com/ posted this a few days ago. I have been neglecting leaving comments or even posting blogs, so, to try to get back into it, I am going to play along.
And you can too. I will post the link to the template after my poem.


I am from a hot pink bicycle with a cooshy pillowy seat, from Barbie Dolls and Lincoln Logs.
I am from the brown stucco home, warm, inviting, woodburning fireplace.
I am from the beautiful green grape vines lining the entry, the succulent cactus, growing in the planter my momma painted.


I am from touring the neighborhoods and looking at lights on Christmas Eve, and coming home to hear my father read the Christmas story from the Bible, and praying one for each other, from Grandmas and Grandpas and PawPaws and Grannies and Mamaws and Papaws.


I am from the "Be a person of your word"  and "Judge not".
From "Stay where I can see you"  and "Eat your vegetables".


I am from knowing about Jesus to knowing Him. Real tests to prove He knows my need.
I'm from the sultry southwest with roots in the deep south and in Europe, from hamburgers to nachos, fried chicken to lasagna.
From the being attacked by a giant black dog at a family reunion when I was two,  the sneaking rides to school with my cousin when i was supposed to be on the bus, and the little girl who sang at the Rescue mission with my dad.


I am from shelves of albums, dusty old trunks and treasured pieces of jewelry hidden in drawers. Memories, mementos and photos of old.  So grateful for their safe keeping, tying us all together, this family of mine.










Now here is the link to the template. You should go and write one too! (And let me know if you do!)
http://www.swva.net/fred1st/wif.htm