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.

2014 Goals

I know it may seem a little late to be posting goals for the new year, but these have been swirling in my head since the end of January and I think they are finally ready to be listed and documented.  Not to mention by publishing them I can hold myself accountable and keep myself on track for the year.

  1. Finally get my Tax/ Incorporation in order.  Aka, am I a sole proprietor or LLC?  I meet with my uncle who does taxes for a living to figure this out next week.  :)
  2. Commit to at least one show/fair/market per month.  Obviously I missed the first three months this year but so far I'm on track to start in April with the Merchant's Landing Show April 12 & 13.
  3. Post to this blog once a week.  If more is happening that's worth posting about, I'll be sure to post it as well, though it may be less wordy.  Who is ok with just a picture post once in a while?
  4. Get my wares into a physical brick & mortar store.  More to come on this once things are settled.  I'm currently talking with two different shops and it just makes me super excited for new possibilities!
I've also started reading this great book that has some nice exercises (I'm not usually a fan of "exercises" in a book) that really spoke to me after I met my goal of doing 1-3 physical shows in 2013.  I felt so empowered and excited I couldn't wait to make more goals for this year & feel an even bigger empowerment at the end of this year.  Thus my mind has really started opening to the possibilities because of this book & it has really inspired some energy in me for this year's success.


So far my favorite passage is on goals & goal setting (thus inspiring this organized post instead of just a note to self on a scrap piece of paper):

Goals are really amazing things.  They give you focus and set your course.  [...]  Goals support Intentions.  By actively working on these goals, the end result will be accomplished.  You can use your intentions to make sure you keep your business on track. [...]  Your goals should be your friends; they should excite you, and you should look forward to working toward them.  Goals are not chores.
Exercise: Make a list of all the goals you've had since you decided to be a creative business owner.  Now circle all the goals that you've already accomplished.
Quote from Jolie Guillebeau: "Take small steps consistently.  Do something every single day to make a little progress toward your goal." 
Grow Your Handmade Business - Kari Chapin

Anyone read anything inspiring lately?

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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?

Lake Michigan


Taking a little vacation time to regroup, clean out email inboxes (I have 3, each over stuffed), and find inspiration.

I'm excited to say inspiration has already started whispering in my ear once more and I can't wait to get started on fall items for the shop.  (Not to mention a giveaway is planned for September on a friend's blog!)  I'm so excited to get things kicked off for cooler weather.  What are you looking forward to in the near future?

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.

Finally! A Little Crafty Corner


It's so cute!  And it didn't cost anything!  I thought I would never find the place to set up my own little craft corner of the world, even if I did find the right desk & layout.  I'm on a little cloud just happily sitting here on this CLEAN, quaint desktop gazing out the (rain-filled, grey, blustery) window.


The sewing machine was a 14 or 16th birthday present; the books are borrowed from the library (I'm back to the addiction), my laptop, my mother's bulletin board from when she was a child, a hand-me-down desk chair from my childhood and curtains that came with the house (though I hope to either switch them out or maybe use them to practice embroidery before doing the living room?).


I'm so excited to have a place dedicated to sewing and crafting.  Though, I don't need a place to work when I'm knitting or crocheting (because I do most of it on the couch watching TV, in the car on road-trips, or in waiting rooms), I definitely need one for sewing.
My mending pile has gotten quite high due to my lack of motivation to set up the sewing machine for only one patch that needs sewing or a broken hem line.  Now I have no excuse!  Plus, I can now start diving into my next goal - sew my own wardrobe!  Obviously that'll take some time, I know, but I've gotten some books out from the library to help me along.  :)

And when I'm not sewing, I'll have to try out some of these free vintage patterns.  I love seeing all the hairstyles & clothing.

Hi from Spin Class!


Last month, I had so many inspirations while riding in class that I've since started keeping a little notebook & pen on the handlebars for jotting quick notes so I don't lose any inspirations.  hehe.  Do you ever have instances like this?