"Better Than Those Other" Granola Bars

For the past week I've been trying to find a good granola bar recipe.  There are a bunch of veeeery yummy recipes out there.

But I wanted one that didn't have butter, salt, condensed milk or other not-so-healthy things.  I also wanted one that had ingredients that my girls and I like, was quick to throw together, and that actually stuck together.

So here is my recipe for granola bars.

 

Better Granola Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

2 cups oats

1/4 cup almonds

1/2 cup peanuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Microwave the peanut butter and honey for 30-40 seconds and mix well.  Pour in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.  Press into an 8x8 foil lined pan.  Refrigerate until cool.  Flip out of pan and

cut to desired size.

 Most recipes I saw said to melt things on the stove, but this is much faster and you don't have to heat it so much that the chocolate chips melt.  Of course if you like the chocolate more dispersed just heat the peanut butter and honey a little longer.

To make this healthier you can use organic peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, local honey, and peanuts that you shell yourself.  It makes me feel better at least. :)
You could also add non-sweetened coconut or other nuts.

I store mine in the fridge in a sealed tupperware container.  It seems like the warmer they get the more likely they are to fall apart or be super sticky.

After giving one to my 4 year old she said, "These are better than those other ones."  I thought she meant they were better than the ones I had been experimenting with, but she said they were better than the ones in the packages....hence the name "Better Granola Bars."   Yea for homemade! 

Hope you enjoy!

DIY Decor = Canvas + Doily + Spray Paint

One room in my house that has never been decorated is my master bedroom.  Isn't that sad?  I've made bedding and decorations for about every room in the house, but never for our master bedroom.  So after 10 years of marriage, I thought it's time.

I'll have to wait for the big before and after reveal of the whole room (mainly because it's not done), but for now, here are some decorations I've put together.

I had bought doilies from a garage sale a couple years ago and had these canvases on hand.  I laid them out how I would want them and then Mod Podged them on.

I made my own Mod Podge, and so glad I did for this project because it took quite a bit.

 

Want to make your own Mod Podge?

Mix 1 part Elmer's glue 2 parts water.  Put it all in a jar and shake well.  That simple.  It comes out a lot thinner than real Mod Podge, so I was skeptical, but it turned out working great.

I brushed on the Mod Podge and stuck down the doilies.  Then I started brushing on the Mod Podge on top of the doilies, but resorted to dumping it on because I wanted them covered well and it was taking too long...a little impatient, yes.

I had to let them dry outside in the sun for awhile.  After they dried I spray painted them and let that dry well.  It took a lot of spraying because of all of the little spaces in the doilies.

I really love how they turned out.

And because spray paint makes all things look better, I had these stick decorations (I don't really know what to call them) but didn't like them in my kitchen anymore.

Now they are my bedroom decoration.

 

Can't wait to finish this room.  Working on the duvet cover and pillows now.

I should mention I have material for 2 other rooms in my house as well.  Hopefully in the next few months they will actually all be done.

Lots of before and after pictures to come!

Such A Lie!

I am always seeing this pin or article or idea that your house can be clean by only cleaning 15-20 minutes a day.  All I have to say...such a lie!

Ok, I get the idea.  Do a chore a day and the deep cleaning stays looking good with about 20 minutes a day invested.  I actually totally agree with this concept.  But what about the other million things you have to keep cleaned?  Just trying to be realistic.

I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and made a list for my weekly chores...dozens, I tell ya.  I did it again today, but this time I'm actually going to stick to it (hopefully).

Here is what my list looks like:

Sunday -  NOTHING (start the week off easy) :)

Monday - Bathrooms (all but floors)

Tuesday - Vacuum whole house

Wednesday - Mop whole house

Thursday - Big Laundry Day

Friday - Dust, Windows if needed

Saturday - Organize (pantry, closets, garage, kids crafts etc.)

All Week (because face it, these don't go away with once a week kind of a deal) - Dishes, Pick up, Sweep, Laundry, Trash, Water Plants, Spot Vacuum, Spot Mop

I do have 4 kids and a husband, so maybe my house takes more to maintain, but hoping it is possible to keep up better if I'm organized.  I'm also getting ready to start assigning chores for my little ones (age appropriate of course).  I think as they get older my chore list with start to shorten. :)

I'm going to try making lists for getting organized with eating healthy also.  I like my lists.

iCarly Cupcakes

Let me first say I know absolutely nothing about iCarly.

So when I was asked to make cupcakes for a little girl iCarly birthday party, I was stumped.  Google came to the rescue.

I searched and saw something about spaghetti tacos and gummy bears.  I ran this by the mom and she said her daughter loved it...I guess it does have something to do with the show or Carly, yea.

This is what I came up with.  The purple and white icing was upon request.

Fun stuff.

Reupholstering Chairs

It was my first time reupholstering.  Success!

My hubby took all of the chair cushions off and kindly put them back on, so I definitely had some help. 

My fabric was pretty thick so the corners on the chairs took the longest to get just right.  Of course, I think about every project I do takes twice (if not 3 times) as long as I think it will.  It just sounds pretty simple...take cushions off, staple fabric on, put cushions back on.

It really was simple, don't get me wrong.  It just took some patience as well.

I am so happy we did this.  Before they were an off-white microfiber.  I love microfiber because of how well it cleans up...for awhile that is.  After it has been cleaned so many times and has some wear on it, it no longer cleans up to look like new.  It just looks dirty all the time, especially such a light color.

Here's the before and after.

I would highly recommend reupholstering.  Much cheaper than a new dining room set.