Brown Sugar Granola

Sometimes I start craving granola. Especially on cold windy mornings when things are a little rushed. I've tried loads and loads of granola recipes looking for that special one. I have learned that I like my granola on the decadent side and to me, that means butter and brown sugar.

6 cups Rolled Oats

1/3 cups toasted flax seed

1 cup raw sunflower seeds - you can add other seeds/nuts but this is how my kids like to eat it

1/4 t. salt

1/2 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 t. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the oats, seeds/nuts, and salt. Melt the butter over the stove and add the honey and brown sugar.

Add the buttery sugary goodness to the oat and mix well.

Line a cookie sheet (the ones with sides) with foil and pour the granola mixture on it. Bake for 30 minutes, stir, and bake for another 30 minutes...by now the house should start smelling really good.

Let the granola cool and then break up into smaller clumps. Who wants a granola-yogurt parfait?

Valentine's Day 2012

There is something about Valentine's Day that I just love. Every year when the Valentine's candy comes out I search the stores for the red juju hearts - they are my favorite of all candy. I seriously think of stocking up every year. The kids woke up to small treats on the table and we have a heart-shaped waffles with whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast. We had a special family dinner and the kids each got a pair of TOMS Shoes. If you don't know TOMS - they give a pair of shoes to someone in need for each pair they sell. It is an awesome company! This is what Valentine's 2012 looked like at our house.

Climb On.

My husband is amazing. He can build pretty much anything I ask for. I wanted a wall removed between our living room and kitchen and he figured it out. Before Christmas I showed him a recipe box that I loved and he made it for me. We dreamed up the idea of putting a climbing wall in our basement and he did it.

Everyone pitched in one way or another to help get it built.

The angled section of the wall is at a 42° pitch.

We decided that we would add a hideout for the kids to play in - we call it the cave. It's big enough for multiple kids to hang out in and even long enough for an adult to sleep in.

We have spent hours each day climbing the wall. It's the first thing the kids want to do in the morning and the last thing they ask to do before we get ready for bed. Blakeley has gotten so good that she has almost climbed to the top of the angled section of the wall. Anyone wanna climb?