Breakfast Bars

One of my kid doesn't like breakfast all of the time. The other one likes breakfast some of the time. Neither of them like oatmeal unless it's the kind with flourescent dinosaur eggs in it; the kind I'm pretty much opposed to (most of the time).

They do, however, like cookies, cake and anything that resembles a dessert-like dish.

We occasionally have a banana problem (I bought more than we wanted to eat and now they are brown.) I used to make banana bread. But they all swear they hate it now. Hmm...I don't like it, myself.

The obvious solution to all of this was some recipe I found for "Breakfast Cookies". I'm pretty much too lazy to make individual cookies, so mine are bars.

They ate it.

The recipe could not be easier.

Combine 3 ripe/mashed bananas with a cup of applesauce. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats, a handful of Craisin, a handful of nuts and however much cinnamon you feel like putting in. Spread in a 9x11 pan. (I sprayed mine with a little oil.) Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

I'm guessing this is one of those things you could hide all kinds of good stuff in.

Spring Project #3

Spring projects #3 and #4 should probably be just one project. But, I work full-time and go to school full-time and have kids and a husband and a house...which means I get to divide it up however I want. Go ahead...roll your eyes. I'd do it if it were you talking. ;-)

Last year, I was going to make some outdoor furniture. Because all of ours is all junky. Actually, I can't even say that anymore. I put ours out on the road and somebody picked it up. So, now their outdoor furniture is junky.

I'm in a mood today. Have been all weekend, actually. Today is not the day to mess with me. Just sayin'.

Doesn't everyone build furniture in the dining room? Ryan had this great idea of using our old tile spacers to space out the decking.

The light on my porch is bad, but you get the idea. Project #4 is going to be the chairs. I'm using these plans.

Spring Project #1

Spring Project #2

Finished.

Remember this day?

The projects are finally finished.

Criteria:
Must meet size requirements, be collapsible and be able to support the smallest member in your group.

Constraints:
You may only use cardboard and white glue.

Criteria:
The bridge must not be any longer than 12", but must span 10". Your design should support the entire load (In this case, 44 combination locks...because sand would make a ridiculous mess.) without sustaining any damage.

Constraints:
You are limited to 500 toothpicks and white glue. You may not coat the entire bridge in glue. (There were many violators of the glue rule.)

I have no idea what I am doing tomorrow.

Spring Project #2-Pea Trellis

Seriously...the most productive weekend ever.

My peas are planted. Some of them anyway. I'd like to figure out how to grow more of them on my deck (since I bought a 1/2 lb of seeds), but it gets really hot up there early in the season. So maybe that won't work. We planted these.

And the obligatory chicken picture:

Spring Project #1-Complete

In my mind, I had this picture of the finished project. This looks nothing like I was imagining, because, I started looking around (There was so much junk in there. My room seems to be the catch-all for all the stuff we don't know what to do with when we clean other parts of the house. Read: We just move crap around when we clean.)and there were all these things I wanted to keep that didn't match my picture of some Mediterranean themed space. It's all good...it's clean and decluttered and peaceful. But, yeah, it doesn't look like what I was planning on doing.

I need curtains.

The tour (Sorry about the lighting. It's an old house and natural light is lacking in spots.):

I'm not really into Precious Moments figurines (or pretty much any of those types of statues), but I once was. A really long time ago when we were first married. We would look at them when we were at the mall and sometimes Ryan would buy them for me. On our first roadtrip, he took me here on our way back from St. Louis to Oklahoma City. I guess I keep them around, because I'm sentimental. It's only been 19 years, but that world seems like a long, long time ago.

The quilt is from my Great Grandma Boone. She made it for her hopechest before getting married in 1930.

Normal people would have "His" and "Hers" or something boring like that monogramed on their shams or something. Not me. I've got a fox mask and fairy wings. This room decor was not intentional. I bought them to wear as costumes to the fairy festival, which is awesome, but then we stopped going. Because Jac always seems to have a lacrosse game or six that weekend. I hung them there, because I needed them to be somewhere and there were already two nails in the wall. And then decided I like them there.

This house was built in 1959 and I guess people didn't value closets during that time. Or bathrooms big enough to add any sort of storage device. My Grandpa Ed made this little cupboard for Alicia's play kitchen. But, she's too big for all of that now and it works perfectly to store away all that bathroom stuff that has no other place to be.

Jac's baptism gown (in very poor lighting). Every marriage has some secrets. I think mine only has one...the amount of money I spent on the lace for this gown. There is no way I am ever divulging that, because even 11 years later, the figure is astounding. It's French. The bottom piece looks like a single piece. It's not. It's a few rows of laces sewn together.

Of everything I have ever sewn, this is my hands down favorite. And I want to look at it all the time. It's one of those things I look at and marvel that I made it. Should I mention it took grand prize at the fair? Some other world I used to live in...

Spring Project #1

One thing you should know about me is that I love spring. I mean, really love it. Spring motivates me to get stuff done. The other seasons? Not so much.

Spring is when I feel the sudden need to immediately do projects that never entered my mind until 5 minutes ago.

Another thing you should know about me is that I am incapable of cleaning anything unless I have a new bottle of cleaner. Which entails me having to go to the store where I open every option and smell them. Because the best part of cleaning is having a house that smells good. At least, that's what I tell myself.

At some point, though, a situation always arises where a bottle of cleaner (and the good smell it brings) isn't enough. That's where painting comes in. I love color and I love to change it. This usually occurs on a whim and pretty much without any warning.

I think I cleaned my room two years ago. I sort of recall taking a day off of work to do it. I'm pretty sure paint was involved.

But, I'm tired of yellow or gold or "Cowboy Canvas" or whatever that color is. And my room needs cleaned. Badly.

Enter..."Seamist".

Stay Tuned.

Comes in like a lamb...hopefully goes out like a lamb.

I told you spring was here.