Because You Asked

Because I have had several friends ask for the recipe of my Homemade granola bars....I'm posting it for them and you today.  They are a great addition to a packed lunch or an after school treat.  Something I don't always have the time to do...but this week I did.  Enjoy!

 

Granola Bars

Bring to boil:

1 1/4 cup corn syrup

1 cup brown sugar

 

Then add:

1 cup heaping creamy peanut butter

 

After peanut butter melts into mixture, add:

2 cups mini marshmallows

 

Remove from heat & add:

4 cups oatmeal

3 cups Rice Krisipies

 

Grease 9 X 13 (or larger pan if you want them thin) and put 1/2 of granola mixture in pan.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips (I skip this step...because I'm such a "health nut" ha ha ha) Put the rest of the mixture on top and press until flat.  {like Rice Krispie Treats} Sprinkle with mini M & M's or mini chocolate chips on top. 

 Speaking of after school I found these pictures when I uploaded the granola bar picture.  This is Donovan & Suzy as we are all waiting for the last of our kids to come home on the first day of school.  Donovan is like a little kid when it comes to this mega phone.  He hooked up his iPhone to the mega phone by some "cord" and had Justin Beiber playing when Isabella walked up the drive. 

Mainly because our kids all think Justin is......well.....not their type of music.  As a middle schooler Isabella was tormented by her dad playing music and talking on the mega phone as she walked from the bus stop.   {Don't worry-the bus and the other kids getting off the bus were long gone} William and I may have been break dancing in the drive as she walked up.  Just for a fun embarrassing factor.  It doesn't take much to get her "feathers" ruffled. 

Didn't realize Donovan got this picture.  But this is my {apology for embarrassing her} welcome home  hug.

Ahhhh....I love her.  She reminds me of myself when I was in 7th grade.  Only I got embarrassed by my parents big brown maxi van that had lots of rust and a loud muffler.   HA HA HA.  I remember asking my mom to drop me off down the block from school.  :) I'm pretty sure it's pretty common for this age to embarrass easily...right?

Black Bean Hummus

Black Bean Hummus

1 clove of garlic (I love garlic...and use 3 cloves)
1 (15 oz) can black beans (drain and reserve liquid)
2 TBS. lemon juice
1 1/2 TBS. Tahini (at health food stores)
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika

Process everything in blender with 2 TBS. of bean liquid.  Add more liquid if needed.  Add toasted pita bread & magazine.  Enjoy!

7 X 70

The 1st day of school was a success!!!  Everyone came home so excited about their teachers and it was so fun to hear about their days!!  William said, "MOM!!! MY TEACHER IS SO NICE!"  And Jack said pretty much the same thing, "MOM, I LOVE SCHOOL again!  My teacher is so nice to us." Awww....pitter patter.  I love to hear those kind of reports.  Suzy had a good day too and was all smiles, but said that there was one boy who kept getting in trouble and had to put his head on the table TWO TIMES!  Made an impression on her little mind. :) 

So this year I have 4 children in 3 different schools.....SO....I have 3 drop-offs in the morning.  When taking my 2 youngest to school at their elementary building.....I noticed that my friend in front of me in the drop off line ~having her daughter {that goes to the same school as Jack} get out to go and hop on the "connecting bus" that will take students needing a ride over to the Intermediate School building (4th & 5th grade building) to their school.

I told Jack, "HEY! You could ride the connecting bus!! That would save me time and gas!!" Which he responded, "Nah! I don't really want to.  I won't know anyone.  I probably won't get an assigned seat next to anyone I know.... Isabella didn't like when she had to ride that connecting bus...."

ARGHHHH!!!  MY KIDS AND TRYING NEW THINGS!!  I told him...."Well you would know Cassie"  To which he responded...."Yeah, But she probably sits with her friends--that are GIRLS."

I told Jack, "Well maybe sometime you could just give a try!"
And then I dropped it.

And then he noticed as we were dropping off the younger 2 a couple of the new songs I put on my iPod that was playing over the sound system in the van.  To which I figured he would complain...because they were some worship songs on forgiveness.  Something God's working on my with right now.

Anyways....Jack is more the upbeat song kinda guy.  He loves music and esp. electronics & iPods.  I just didn't figure this was his genre.  [Still working on the glass is 1/2 full mentality with this one.]  But when 7 X 70 came on he said he wants this song on his iPod too!  I said, "Really?" How do you know this song Jack?"
"Because we learned about it in music class last year."
"Really?  Who is the artist?"  {Wanting to know if he really knew what he was talking about..}
So he replied, "It's Chris August.  He had a really hard childhood and he's singing about his life right now.  His parents used to fight a lot.  This must have been really emotional for him to sing this, right mom?" 
WOW! The heart strings pulled!!  And all of a sudden from behind my sunglasses I had "something in my eye" syndrome!
It opened up a conversation about forgiveness and what God asks us to do. 
And just like that we arrived at his school, and after he kissed me good-bye, he says, "Time to rock and roll." I love his sense of humor and colorful ways of putting things.

Man I humbled by this job.  It moves me to see them develop and at the same time the things that God develops in me.  To have these little snippets of time that all too soon will be gone.  Something I was irritated about {him not riding a bus} turning to a really special little conversation. 

Thank you Mrs. Cinamon Short for being my kids' favorite music teacher!  Thank you for introducing them to Chis August, and for the way you love your job and students.  Thank you for the ways you teach them to get interested in the musicians you study.  You are an amazing lady making an amazing difference in so many lives.

{Photo borrowed from facebook}

In case you haven't heard the song....

"7x70"

I've been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born
These walls have seen me happy
But most of all they've seen me torn

They've heard the screaming matches
That made a family fall apart
They've had a front row seat
To the breaking of my heart

7 times 70 times
I'll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way

7 times 70 times
There's healing in the air tonight
I'm reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I remember running down the hallway
Playing hide and seek
I didn't know that I was searching
For someone to notice me

I felt alone and undiscovered
And old enough to understand
Just when I'm supposed to be learning to love
You let me doubt again

7 times 70 times
I'll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way

7 times 70 times
There's healing in the air tonight
I'm reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I lost count of the ways you let me down
But no matter how many times
You weren't around
I'm all right now

God picked up my heart and helped me through
And shined a light on the one thing
Left to do
And that's forgive you

I forgive you

7 times 70 times
If that's the cost I'll pay the price

7 times 70 times
I'll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way

7 times 70 times
There's healing in this house tonight
I'm reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

Yeah, I'm gonna wrap it all around

I've been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born

The School Bell Rings.....

 Ahhhh...The school bell has rang for 2012....and I'm caught in the middle of a little sadness and somersaults.  Sadness for the days of sleeping in and goin' to the pool....sadness for wanting to freeze some of these people in time...because of all the preciousness.  AND then just a little bit of somersaults because this last week somethings been brewing in the kids.....

Kinda a mix between them being excited and maybe a little nervous....and all the energy of something new on the horizon comin' up.  They were a whirlwind of craziness the last week.  Drivin' me nuts!  Love um'  I DO LOVE THEM.  But man they were restless. 

 

William starting 3rd grade with the teacher that Isabella had in 3rd grade, Mrs. Blotkamp.  Love her and her patience with her students.  Love her sweet spirit.  So excited for what I see developing in William.  And the poor thing just before this picture was taken....he had "something in his eye" syndrome.  Bless his heart for trying not to cry.  He didn't even let a tear fall but I saw the eyes filling up.  Just a little bit of jitters about going back to school this year. 

  I think he recovered very well. 

 And Suzy has the 1st grade teacher that William had.  We Love Mr. Longacher.  Love how he keeps the classroom in order and speaks with such respect to each student.  Keeping all those little 6 & 7 year olds in line. 

And what a great surprise!  Suzy gets to sit by her good friend Ryan, that we were in small group with for 3 years and now go to church with.  I'm so excited for Suzy and her 1st day of 1st grade.  She loves school and loves to please.  I think she's gonna do great. 

 Now by this stage of my kids....no way do they want mama  going into the school with them.  Which I respect.  To be honest I don't really want to be a helicopter parent.  There really are very few parents that walk in with their kids to the Intermediate Building (4th & 5th grade building) But it kinda breaks my heart just a tiny bit...to see them so grown up so big and so brave.  Jack is going into 5th grade and I'm super excited about the enthusiasm Jack's teacher has!  She had been teaching at Jefferson and then worked at Bethel for a couple of years and missed teaching and is filling in for Mrs. Miller this year.   I have heard that Mrs. Gonzalez is a very good teacher.  School has always been a little hard for Jack (well except for the social part) and I hoping that this year he will buckle down and really apply his awesome cute self. 

Awww...tender heart Isabella has been cut from the same exact cloth as her mama.  I remember the same fears/anxiety going into 7th grade.  Although Isabella is very excited about her 2nd year at the Middle school she had just a little bit of the jitters this morning.  I told her I did the same thing at her age.  This tough love sometimes tears me apart.  I gave her a tums (for a sick stomach) and told her she'll be fine.  Prayin' for her and all the things that she will face in her day.  Prayin' that she'll make a stand when she needs to, and that she'll be a light when she needs to shine.  {Isn't she cute with her little folded paper of all 6 of her classes and locker combination in her hand?}

Love these kids so much.  So blessed to be given the chance to raise them.  Now I must get chop a loppin.  Not that they are gone I have to go back to doin' all  the dishes and laundry hangin' out.