The Best of Granola's

I know this post should have some happenings of our lives, but, its not, sorry!  Soon maybe?  I did want to put a recipe here though that I don't want to lose!  The best granola I've made yet.  I found this recipe online and tried it out this morning and its great.

The Best of Granola's (Jill Abegg - she wrote a book called Eat Well Stay Well Spend Less but I don't have the book.  Maybe I should buy it since this recipe is so good?)

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 to 1 cup wheat germ (I played it safe and used 3/4 cup)
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup sweetened coconut ribbons
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup oil (I used coconut)
1 1/2 cups honey (divided, and I used 1/2 cup maple syrup to replace some honey)
1 cup dried fruit (optional)
1 tsp almond extract (essential and I don't even like almond extract much)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Mix dry ingredients together (except dried fruit).  Mix together 1 cup honey/maple syrup and oil and extracts (heat slightly if using coconut oil).  Mix wet and dry together.  Spread out on a couple baking sheets and bake at 300 F stirring every 10 minutes or so until nice and toasty (mine took 30-40 minutes).  Pour granola into a big bowl and drizzle on up to a 1/2 cup honey and stir well and allow to cool.  Store in a tightly sealed container.

Man, that drizzle of honey at the end helps it all stick together a bit and really makes it awesome!  I will keep you posted if for some reason it also makes it mold or do anything gross sooner than other granolas!

Paul’s Birthday!

Paul turned three!  He’s a big kid now; oh, wait, he’s not cause a big kid in my book is potty-trained.  Oh, well, he’s older at least!  Grandma and Grandpa came for a quick trip on his birthday (though you can’t tell from the pictures cause they aren’t in them!).  We had chocolate cake with fudge-y icing and a few presents.  His big present was his cedar chest which is like John’s except I swapped the brown and blue colors.  I didn’t get any fabulous pictures of it, but I’ll work on it, maybe even some side-by-side’s with John’s.  Oh, and I had to add in a photo of John and of Ruthanne’s crazy hair style!

Paul can be the sweetest cuddliest thing and he can also be the most frustrating child!  Still, can’t imagine life without him!

Really Cute Stuff

Since I haven’t really posted anything cute for awhile, I thought I would put up some of the cute/fun photos we have taken for the past while.

A ward primary temple trip was our April activity.  A temple worker took the kids on a tour outside the temple and talked to them about some things (what, I’m not exactly sure cause I stayed and followed Paul around while Ruthanne and John kept up with the main group).

 

They were taking photos of families outside the temple, but I just wanted a quiet moment with the kids (and Luke was inside the temple, so a complete family photo it would not be anyways), so we walked around to the other side and I snapped the above photo of the three.  While we were doing this, I ran into my cousin Kimberly!  Small world!

We also took a boat down the Augusta Canal with our homeschool group.  Here is one side of the boat looking for the turtles (and then the turtles they were looking at). 

A trip to Brunswick the week before Easter.  Our trip was extended so Ruthanne could spend time with her BFF (cousin) Hannah.  Hannah was the only one enthused with my marbled egg dying kit.  Oh, well, I can say we dyed eggs at least!

Our trip to Jekyll Island where the lady talked me out of the history tour on the trolley with the kids.  We played on the huge oaks instead.  Well, I clicked the wrong button, so to see these click the image below.

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A trip to Brunswick is never complete without a trip to Barbara Jeans (or so I think anyways!).  And, a trip to the pier which is extremely nerve-wracking even with the additional fencing.  Thankfully we didn’t lose anyone!

  

A trip to the park with Mimi which ended when a bunch of high school students invaded.  And, yes, Mom, this is as good as it got!

Ok, so I think that got me through the photos already on the computer, but now I’ve downloaded more recent photos (including Paul’s birthday) so will start a new post about that!

Paul is back in diapers

It stinks! I don't like to fail! I want him potty trained! Wah wah wah! I thought we were making progress, cause he took himself to the potty once Saturday and then Sunday at church he told me he needed to pee (and then peed on the big potty) and then kept his pull up dry for the rest of church! But, then, we come home from church and its nothing but pee, pee, pee in his underwear. I don't get it. I was going to put him in underwear this morning (and did) but then he peed in that pretty quick after sitting on the potty just recently, so he is in a diaper (cloth so hopefully it will be uncomfy and bulky and he will still feel wet when he pees). I hope to give him a little potty time every day so he will keep pooping in it (cause after all this I don't want to lose the ability to poop in the potty!). But really, two weeks of good solid effort and peeing every 30 minutes according to a timer and he still won't take himself to the potty? I'm done, be a baby and have a cloth diaper. So we will revisit this later I guess. I think Luke thinks I shouldn't have given up yet, but I think we will be refreshed if we revisit it later.

I don't understand... potty training related

OK, so sometimes it works out sometimes it doesn't. The past couple days Paul has been peeing in underwear constantly it feels like. He is just playing then pees. Normally he stops himself after he feels he is wet. But it is frustrating! I really don't want to give up. I feel like he gets the pee thing and he is amazing at pooping in the potty (and I don't want to lose that), but seriously how long will it take to untrain him to just peeing wherever? Cause I think he just forgets that he just can't pee wherever he is (like he could with diapers). When he comes to me saying he has peed or says I'm peeing (when I'm close), I make him take of his wet underwear and then sit on the potty until he pees more. I just made him practice playing and then running to the potty when he needs to pee.

I've also bought him a train and a cake (when you ask him what he wants he says that) and I plan on displaying it (train will come tomorrow) and giving it to him when he has successfully had a day with no accidents or when he can take himself to the potty when he needs to go or something like that. Cause he still hasn't decided he needs to go and taken himself to the potty yet. Seriously, the other kids got the pee thing quickly and struggled with poop and he is the opposite which is actually more of a problem (and more frustrating) cause of the number of times a day you pee! Grrrrrrr!!!!!

I need VODKA!

What has driven me so far to the edge you ask? My need to make more homemade vanilla extract! I've been wanting to write this post for a while and I hope no one will take offense. I have been wanting to make more vanilla extract forever, but I don't like buying the vodka. In fact I won't (wouldn't it be great if someone saw the LDS chaplain's wife buying hard liquor?). So, I need someone to buy some for me. I'm gonna have to work on that. I am almost out of my homemade vanilla extract that was made almost two years ago. Its a bummer and I'm gonna have to buy some and I know it won't be as good! But, I better get started cause that stuff takes a while to soak.

On another note, Paul is doing fairly well with the potty. We had a couple accidents today. One was bigger cause I didn't make him pee right after woke up this morning (his diaper was so full I didn't push it) and then the other time his underwear was just slightly damp (so he must have realized what he was doing and stopped, right?). We're making progress, right, Kelsey? I typically only make him try to potty every 30 minutes to an hour now. Hoping he is trained by the time we go to Brunswick! Now we probably need to seriously consider switching the crib to a toddler bed, not looking forward to that either!

Day 5 - I'm trained!

Paul is NOT! So, I finally figured out that if I set the timer every 15 minutes and have him sit, we don't have accidents! He doesn't go every time, but he thinks about it. This way he doesn't sit on the potty for long periods of time either. He's either naked or with a pair of underwear on. I'm hoping we will progress from this to independent pottying soon (or I will have to give up cause every 15 minutes, really?).

Oh, yeah, another reason we had this turning point is we made his monkey act out drinking, needing to potty, and asking Paul where monkey should pee pee. Then we put monkey on the little potty to pee.

Little bit of fun

This is the little bit of fun I let the big kids have this week of potty training torture.

Potty training day 4 - mid-day

So, gave Paul gobs to drink this morning. He kept holding it, finally peed on the potty some. Then peed tons more in his pants a few minutes later, then a little more in the potty, then a little more on the floor. That all probably took place over 15 minute time period. Everytime he puts on clothes he pees. So now he is naked. He doesn't like that much (and honestly I don't really like it either!). He asked can I put on pants and I said nope we aren't putting on pants. His face lit up and he said hopefully "a diaper?" Nope, sorry bud, you may be stubborn, but I'm gonna try to wear you down! He is going to take a nap soon and I plan on putting a cloth diaper on him. Glad I held onto some prefolds and covers! We'll see what he likes better, peeing on the potty or wearing cloth diapers!

Editing to add: Well, he liked putting on the cloth diaper. He said I like it! Lame! Lazy boy!

Modest clothing sale

Downeast basics (modest clothing line) is going to be on sale today at zulily. If you aren't a member already will you use my link to join? http://www.zulily.com/invite/cwilson229

Starts at 9.