Granola...It's what's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

So far this pregnancy I've had a love affair with fruit smoothies, Trader Joe's frozen macaroni and cheese, and now home made granola. I got this recipe from Sarah's mother Fran. Fran is a do-it-your-selfer in every possible way. She is a wealth of the kind of knowledge I'd like to have. So whenever she is in town I try to learn something new from her.

I find this granola to be delectable. It's crunchy, golden goodness has no equal. I find myself eating at least two bowls a day lately. The original recipe didn't call for flax or pumkin seeds but I think they add that little something extra plus they're very good for you.

The recipe is as follows:
6 cups rolled oats
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups chopped nuts( I use half almonds and half pecans)
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
3/4 to 1 cup honey(to taste)
3/4 to 1 cup melted butter(to taste)
1 T cinnamon
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oats, coconut, nuts, and seeds in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine melted butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Spread onto cookie trays and place on top rack of oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes.

This recipe makes a lot so if you're not feeding an army you could cut in half.
Enjoy!

The Obsession Continues

So you might recall from earlier posts Ephraim's love of jam. I guess after a hard day of playing in the dirt there's nothing quite as comforting as a jar of jam to snuggle with while napping.

Dash Point!

Last Friday was a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day and Thomas was home from work. It was just one of those perfect family fun days. First, we all ventured to the mall and everyone got their own new pair of flip flops from Old Navy. You can't beat 2 for $5 when buying shoes.

Then we headed to Dash Point. We were especially lucky because the tide was WAY out. So many cool things to discover. Among our finds were a sea snail, a geoduck, sand dollars,clam shells, a sea cucumber, jellyfish, and a bunch of crabs(unfortunately the crabs were all dead). Marley and Townsend were so excited about all their discoveries. Aislyn was content to just dig in the sand the whole time. Ephraim LOVED throwing the sand but didn't love having to get cleaned up when he was done. Jairus was happy to be by my side most of the time. But even he ventured off for a little while and threw some sand with his little brother.

Happy Ephraim.

Digging Aislyn.

Marley and Townsend whilst finding a jellyfish.

Update

So yesterday when we realized the thief had my phone Thomas decided to send them a funny little text saying"Hey, would you mind returning my ID when you're done with it?" Turns out the thief had a little heart. After he/she was done trying to spend some money all over town they drove back to our neighborhood and threw the wallet(ID crumpled but inside) on the sidewalk about a block from our house. Some kids found it and returned it that afternoon. Thanks be to a criminal who isn't completely evil!

A Break In?

Indeed. The day started at 4:50am with a huge dose of adrenaline. I was laying in bed dosing in and out of consciousness, feeling kindof nauseous, and wishing that the sun weren't shining in my bedroom window...just yet. I heard footsteps just outside by bedroom door at the top of the stairs. This in and of itself isn't unusual, Aislyn comes in to sleep the last couple of hours with me quite often. So I said,"Hello". And then a set of foot steps took off running down the stairs. Thomas then rolled over and said,"That was weird." And then fell right back to sleep. I still wasn't scared. I hoped maybe Felicity had gotten up extra early for seminary or something. So I go downstairs and look around. I start to feel "that feeling" when I got to the back pantry and find the door left open. So brave girl that I am I book as fast as I can go back up the stairs and tell Thomas to go check it out further. They got our laptop, my cell phone, and Thomas' wallet. The police came and dusted for fingerprints. But of course there is really not much chance of catching this brazen, bold, and horrible person.

It's so cliche but I really do feel so violated. The worst part is that whoever it was was upstairs just feet away from where my children were sleeping. So creepy! It was light outside and they were so brave as to venture upstairs, not satisfied with what they found downstairs. My only consolation is that they must have been sorely disappointed with what they got. The computer they took was missing the shift key since Ephraim thinks it fun to pop the keys off. They tried getting cash from our accounts but luckily we're so broke right now nothing worked out for them. The computer did have all my pictures from the last six months or so which is very sad to me. And just yesterday I thought to myself that I needed to back them up on disk. You should always listen to that voice in the back of your mind.

It's been a day to remember. Some good news though, Thomas got a promotion at work today and will never again have to wear the TSA uniform, which makes him very happy. We are extremely blessed though. How thankful I am that we were all safe and protected and no real harm came from it.

Calvin Heath Simmons

Just after 9:00 am on Tuesday morning Calvin Heath Simmons was born. It was the most amazing experience! Sarah was able to have a water birth at home. It was peaceful and calm and beautiful. I had never experienced a birth from an outside perspective before. I am thankful Sarah asked me to be there. I worried that I wouldn't know what to do to comfort her or that I might irritate her. But it just kind of all came naturally. It was just such an amazing,beautiful day. Sarah was awesome. Everything went quickly and smoothly. The baby is perfect and healthy. I just love the difference being at home made. I have always hated the hospital. But I didn't realize there were any other options. They never leave you alone, never let you get any sleep, make you worry about everything. It is all so clinical, cold, and emotionless. I am so excited to do my next birth at home. Dawn Wadleigh is her midwife and now mine. She was so perfect. She is extremely knowledgeable, calming, and nurturing. Sarah and baby are doing great. My kids are happy because the Simmons boys are getting to spend a lot of time over at our house. I love new babies!

My Birthday!

OK, so usually on my birthday I tend to get a little grumpy. Today was different. Today was perfect. Sure, I'm another year older. I'm getting little wrinkles all around my eyes, and my stomach will never be as flat as it once was. But today I was showered with love and affection. And I see what a blessed life I have been given.
It started with my beautiful Marley Mae giving me a menu with my options for breakfast, which she then lovingly prepared. I had delicious scrambled eggs and orange juice. She then told me I should get dressed because my surprise was coming over. She had secretly called my best friend since I was seventeen, Jessica to come over. Jessica and Molly(her daughter, who is also Jairus' future wife) brought me lilacs, a pine cone, a princess crown, and took me out to hot chocolate at Starbucks. When I got back my sweet husband went running with me. That is one of my favorite things. Then my wonderful mother drove all the way down from Goldbar with my grandma and brought me lunch. Then my beautiful friend Sarah brought a huge basket of fresh fruit and some chicken salad(because she knew I was craving them). Then my lovely friends Trissa and Tallie called and sang me happy birthday. All three of my sisters called. And then just when I thought nothing else cool could happen my friend Bonnie dropped by with cupcakes and a beautiful boquet of flowers. I have never felt so dang popular in all my life!
To top it all off, the week of depressing, cold, drizzly, rain ended and the sun was warm and bright all day long.

I am so grateful for all that I have been given. I do not need anything more than the love of such wonderful people.
Thank you everyone!