Homemade Granola

I don't know about you but I LOVE granola. Literally love it, don't really like any other kinds of cereal but granola. Especially since you can mix it up so easily, add some fresh or dried fruit, nuts, seeds, whatever. Kendra and I used to make granola parfait's all the time in college. That granola is just good stuff!

I got a hankerin' one day to try to make granola, couldn't be that hard! Justin's gramma Pat is known in the family for making the best granola, so I kidnapped her one day to show me how it was done. And now since I've done it successfully I just had to share, because believe me once you try it you'll be hooked too! I'm just saying...

So you start with your dry ingredients, quick oats...


...sesame seeds....

...brown sugar love...

...salt...

...sliced almonds or whatever kind of nut your feeling...

...some delicously fluffy coconut...

...then you add in the liquid ingredients which are just water, oil and vanilla!

Don't be shy, use your hands to mix it up good.

Yummmmmmmm! Doesn't that look delicious!

Then you split the batch between two baking sheets and bake it then enjoy some homemade goodness! I will give ya the recipe below, try it, experiment! I plan on adding dried cranberries to my next batch. And wow your loved ones with this wholesome, hardy goodness that will give you energy and leave you full and satisfied!

Gramma Pat's Homemade Granola

6 cups quick oats

1 cup coconut

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 T salt

1 1/2 cups brown sugar (do 1 1/4 cups if you don't want it as sweet)
1 cup walnuts (sliced almonds, whatever kind of nut you want) chopped

3 cups wheat flour

1 cup water

1 cup oil

1 T vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well. In a separate bowl combine the liquid ingredients, whisking till the well mixed. Add liquid to dry mixture, mix until all dry ingredients are well coated, break up any large chunks. Divide mixture between two baking sheets, spreading out evenly. Now here comes the tricky part. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, but watch as the time gets down so that it doesn't burn. Pull out sheets and stir granola. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for another 90 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes. Continue to watch it closely as ovens can vary. I have to turn my oven off after 60 minutes and just leave the granola in to finish baking. Don't let it get too hard as it will harden up after you pull it out. Let cool and ENJOY!

Little Jackie had some chickens

WE'VE GOT OUR FIRST EGG! WOOHOOOOOOO!!!!! Okay well actually we've gotten three eggs now, but we are super excited that our chickens are finally earning their keep! We've gotten an egg a day since Saturday and its been awesome! I wasn't sure who exactly was doing the laying but this morning Jack and I caught Goldie (our Golden Wyandotte) sitting in the nesting box on the plastic egg. Why a plastic egg you ask? Well I put it in there to make sure the chickens knew where they should be laying em. It would kinda suck if they were laying them outside in the dirt!

This first egg also had two yokes in it when we cooked it up! Yum, fresh eggs are the best!

This is our second coop since we got the chickens, I like that it takes up less space. Our cousin is going to help me change it up just a tad bit and I need to finish putting on the cedar shakes. Which as a side note is really easy, especially for someone with NO carpentry skills!

Just call him "Mr Clean"

Jack has been on a real cleaning kick lately. Really! No joke! ...

...Okay, well maybe mommy hasbeen on the cleaning kick and Jack just likes to do what mommy is doing! :) And while it definitely slows down the process I love doing these things together and having a fun time as well! Not to mention the fact that Jack's wife will have it easy someday!

Vaccuming away

I thought it was too big for him, he completely proved me wrong!


Just call me "Mr. Clean"!

Scrub, scrub, scrub-a-dub

Just a little more!

Along with being into cleaning Jack has picked up a certain sigh that I tend to use when I've encountered a rather large mess and uses it whenever he spills food or has a mess on his highchair tray! Its hilarious and while it makes me much more aware of my reactions to things around Jack, I can't help but chuckle at little mans interpretation of what mommy does!

All the single ladies, well almost!

Last weekend we celebrated Kendra's final days as a single lady! We had a great time and I really enjoyed getting to know all of Ken's friends better. Portland was a fun place to spend the evening exploring, people watching and of course doing a little dancing!

Ready to go into Darcelle's for a show, unfortunately reservations there don't mean you can be even a little late! So no show for us! BOO

Instead we headed to Portland City Grill which afforded us a great view of Portland from the 30th floor and a funny group of guys at the table next to us.

Who can pass up a mirror ceiling shot!

Beautiful girls on a rooftop restaurant called Departure!

Sisters!

Love!

Crazy girls in a crazy cab!

Ended the night with some good laughs from fellow hotel folks!

Fourth of July Weekend

Happy 5th of July! This weekend we had a tons of fun playing in the sand, soaking up some sun, riding bikes and just spending time together as a family. Saturday morning we headed over to Lincoln City, the weather was overcast and chilly and I was just thinking how wrong the weatherman had been when it suddenly cleared up! We ended up with one of the hottest, most beautiful days on the Oregon coast I have ever seen!

View from our condo

Jack and Henry were ready to get out and play

Sitting with daddy watching the wa-wa

"Throwing" the ball for Henry

Still trying...

Mommy's sandcastle before Jack destroyed it

All my boys down by the water

Seahorse

See -horse

(Pretty sure I had just as much fun with the sand toys!)

Coming back all wet!

Decided it was warmer in the sand

Sandy belly button

Snack time

Jack's first sparkler

The Held Family

Snug as a bug in a rug...with a sparkler

Nothing like a bonfire on the beach


You tired yet? And this is just two days worth of beach fun! Monday we hit the river with more sand and water and sun fun!

Jack and Callie

Taking a snuggle break with daddy

Putting on his sunscreen

I think he's starting to get tuckered out!

Happy 4th of July!