Be still my heart

{9 months}

We are absolutely smitten with our sweet Capri and are doing our best to soak in her baby days that are seeming to go by way too fast.

 Slow down my little love.

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Breakfast Cookies for my littles

Warning:  Do not think this is a substitution for a true cookie. It's a good breakfast cookie and tastes healthy. I wouldn't give up my chocolate chip cookies for them...just sayin'. I am a die hard chocolate chip cookie lover. That being said, I do enjoy eating these and think they taste good but I would say my kids make a much bigger deal about these than I would. :)

I blogged a year or so ago of a breakfast cookie I made for a quick grab and go breakfast with the option of freezing them for later. I found a breakfast cookie recipe recently that I tweaked that I'm more of a fan of than the one before. My 5 & 3 yr old and even 9 month old all approve!

3 mashed bananas (I often use frozen ones and give them a spin before the rest of the ing. go in)
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 cups uncooked oats (I love using the Snoqualmie Falls oats)
1/4 cup skim milk (I use 2 %)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar (or any other sweetener you prefer)
3/4 cup raisins (see variations if raisins don't appeal to you)
1/3 cup coconut (optional - see variations)

Mix it up. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min on a greased cookie sheet (I use my pampered chef stoneware so I don't need to grease it).

Variations: Substitute the raisins for cranberries or do both (maybe half of each), add in chopped nuts, add flax seed, chocolate chips, coconut, etc. The possibilities are endless.

Tips: Mash your bananas first so the dry ingredients don't fly out of your mixer. 17 minutes in the oven seems to be the golden number for me..

I make a big batch of these by doubling the recipe and freeze them and pull a few out the night before if I know the morning is going to be busy. I love a recipe that has simple wholesome ingredients and ones that I know I always have on hand. What kid doesn't love a "cookie" for breakfast?!

Bon Appetit!


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Bear Valley {Christmas 2013}

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Book Wreath DIY

I love wreaths. My mom made one similar to this that hangs over her mantle that I have been inspired by for quite some time. I decided it was time to try it out and taught myself along the way. I completed it in a couple hours while Sterling was at wrestling practice with a cup of coffee and an episode of Arrow to pass the time. It really is easy peasy...don't let it intimidate you. Happy gluing!

Materials:

a wreath

a book

&

a hot glue gun

Instructions:

1. Tear out all the pages to your book. I think I used around 100 or so pages.

2. (Optional) Cover the back of your wreath with strips of book pages just to ensure you won't see any wreath showing through.

like so....

3. Make book petals

I highly recommend making ALL the petals first and then applying them to your wreath base once they are done. It makes for quicker production to get the tedious part out of the way all at once.

 4. Flip you wreath over on it's front and glue your first layer of petals on. (back )

 (front)

5. Then start layering the petals. You shorten each layer by an inch or so by gluing more of the stem down. By the time you are in the middle you wrap your petal all the way around to the back. 

 6. Finish it off by giving it a hook or something for it to hang. I used the title page and some more hot glue. (You can see the tips of the inner layer of petals in this picture that wrapped around to the back)

And voila! I will probably go back and fill in some gaps but for now it's nice to have off the dining room table where my little people could mutilate it in second and on the wall in somewhat of a safety zone. You can make it as full as you would like with adding a couple more layers on the inside. I left room for a pair of antlers to come out of the middle....just another project on the horizon.

Happy Crafting!

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