Friday Finds


Whoops!  Looks like I almost forgot about my pledge to post once a week!  Luckily I already had this one started so I could add some lovely finds that I thought you might enjoy as well.

I came across a lot of green living, bicycle transportation, and living intentionally small this week.  I posted a lot of my favorites on twitter.

On top of that, I finally responded to an email from Bicycle City which was in response to my request for more info.  First time I actually heard from someone (I've been following them since 2007) and I was tickled to death!!

My husband taught me how to use Pocket to save articles for later reading instead of leaving 15 tabs open on my browser (and thus slowing my browsing to a CRAWL....).

After "meeting" Sarah through Liesl's 3 Question interview series, I proceeded to pin about a dozen recipes from her blog: The Vanilla Bean Blog.  One of which I have already tried my hand at.

This board has some great eye candy for contemplating yarn storage as we continue to plan our addition (and my little etsy corner).

This might be a great way to use up my wool scraps & also allow us to stop buying dryer sheets.

And I've been doing a lot of swagbucks these last two weeks to reach my daily goal for the whole month to get a bonus 300 points.  Does anyone else use swagbucks?  Once I got the hang of it, it has been a great background addition to my daily computer use to earn a few giftcards toward fun things :)  We are currently saving for Home Depot giftcards for home improvement projects.

What did you find worthwhile this week?

More Granola: Maple Cinnamon

While in search of the perfect granola recipe for us, I discovered Sarah's blog through Liesl's 3 Question series.

Yesterday I tried her recipe for Maple Cinnamon Granola with only slight hesitation at the inclusion of cinnamon.  I've been looking for a healthy, tasty granola to pair nicely with my homemade yogurt & a drizzle of honey (my favorite snack ever!) and the idea of cinnamon just didn't seem to fit the bill - at least in my mind.  I've always thought of cinnamon as more a holiday flavor and pairing with sugar & sweets.  But I decided to try it anyway since my last two batches have been quite dull in flavor.  I also omitted the water she called for and added an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract instead.  :)

Fresh out of the oven & cooling.
So far the flavor is smokey & delicious (I licked the spoon after pouring it into the baking sheet) and the sweet maple aroma is just starting to waft from the oven.  I'm so excited to try this latest batch with my yogurt.  The only downside is I'm almost out of dried cherries!


Recipe:
5 cups rolled thick oats
2 Tbs whole flax seed
2 Tbs wheat bran
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted almonds (I would have added a whole cup but this is all I had today)

1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup applesauce, homemade so it has a few chunks in it
3 tsp vanilla extract

Mix oats, flax, wheat bran, cinnamon, salt & almonds together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix syrup, applesauce and vanilla together.  Pour wet over dry ingredients, being sure the oats are fully coated.  Pour onto a greased baking sheet in an even layer.  Bake at 325*F for about 30 minutes (until oats are golden brown & no longer wet), stirring about every 10 minutes.

While cooling, add in 1 1/2 cups unsalted peanuts and 1 cup dried cherries.  Stir occasionally while cooling.  Store in an airtight container.

Some Great Finds

While getting back on the blogging "horse," I've found quite a few great finds!

First, my header's image was missing (?!??) so I re-uploaded it only to dispair that I couldn't get it to center (really??  how hard can that be??).  About an hour or two later, I stumbled across this article with a quick copy & paste CSS that worked like magic.  Yippee!

Then I came across a Pickles cardigan, an etsy seller feature (Yay Kim!), & this beautiful starburst throw pillow while catching up on my blog reading.

And thanks to Liesl, I now have two more books [Almost Amish & A Householder's Guide to the Universe] in my library's request queue....

What are you discovering?

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Liesl at LieslMade for winning Week 2!  



She chose the mustard yellow ear warmer.


If you didn't win last week's giveaway, there's still next week!  Week 3 will start Monday but this time the rules change a little, so be on the look out for that...

Congrats again to Liesl & I hope to see everyone back tomorrow for another chance to win!

My Pick-Me-Up Playlist

Happy Friday!  Just a quick note to share a little playlist I've slowly been building & constantly listen to when I need a little inspiration.

It's a bit of an oldie (my spin instructor just recently played it in a mix) but I love when my mind just picks it up & *needs* to hear it.  That's what happened at the end of the work day, Wednesday, and what inspired this post.  I couldn't keep it to myself.

This one's thanks to Lieslmade.  I may have stumbled upon it through her originally, but I know I came back to it because of one of her posts.  So glad it came back to me :)

This is my favorite version of this song.


These last two videos will cheer up any dull day.  I known it's worked for a few of my rougher days.

Let me know if you have any songs to add to the mix, even if its just a song you've been obsessed with.  I love learning about new songs.  Hope you enjoy the mix.

A Double-Take

Liesl included ME in her blog!  ME!!  I've always looked up to LieslMade because she makes such cute items & is always on top of posting to her blog.  These are qualities I aspire to with my etsy shop.  So image my surprise when....

Picture Collage by Lieslmade; Sources:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
I pop up in one of her posts!  Do you see that ^^?  (Excuse me as I have a star-struck moment..... I just feel so honored that out of all the blogs & sites I'm sure she looks at, she picks ME out of it all)

I haven't been reading her blog too long, but it is one of my favorite ones that I'm always checking when I sign online.  So thank you to LieslMade for making my week!

CBC

I may have to move my January challenge to February because my book came up due, tomorrow, at the library and I can't renew it -- someone else is interested in it and has a hold on it.  So if I don't have time to copy the pattern before I return it, I'll have to re-request it for February's craft challenge.  :(

Craft Book Challenge - January's Project


My first goal for January: Liel's Craft Book Challenge.   Instead of using one of my own books for this first project, I'm going to use a book I borrowed from the library.  After browsing through it immediately after getting it home, I bookmarked about a dozen fun little patterns I want to try but haven't found the time.  So this challenge will be perfect for that before I have to return the book.  Then maybe I'll try one of my old vintage pattern books from my great-grandmother on crochet slippers...

This month's pattern will be:

A Knitted Chair Cushion

I think I'll try it in yellows, pinks and/or greens so it's ready for springtime.  :)
I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration!