A Sweet & Healthy Treat : Nutty Oat Bars

 I was working with a health coach last fall and one of my favorite treats from that time is No Bake Nutty Oat Bars. My health coach made up this recipe for an event she was hosting at her house and wanted something yummy but healthy. This treat is so delicious! I love it!!  I tweaked it a bit for my own needs. For example I use almond butter instead of peanut butter, coconut nectar instead of honey and I also added craisins one time which was a great addition! Here is a link to her original post: Recipe for Nutty Oat Bars 

No-Bake Nutty Oat Bars
Makes about 24 bars

3 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup nut butter, no additives or sweeteners
3/4 cup honey
3-5 drops On-Guard essential oil blend (DoTerra)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove 
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4-1/3 coconut milk, if needed (to help combine everything)

In a small saucepan combine honey and nut butter. Stir to combine. When nut butter and honey are warm and melty (but not too hot) add essential oil. Stir to blend.

In a medium size bowl combine oats and spices. Stir in honey/nut butter mix. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats are incorporated and covered.

If needed, use coconut or almond milk to thin it out a bit. The honey nut butter mix thickens as it cools. The milk helps so you can incorporate everything easier.

When everything is mixed well, pour into a 8 1/2 x 11 pan. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Again these are rich. Cut them into 24 squares and enjoy!

Add ins: try adding dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, or coconut flakes for some yummy texture!

Little House on the Prairie

My favorite show of all time:  Little House on the Prairie.  I LOVE it!!  I'm pretty sure I have seen every episode. Between my grandfather and I, we own the entire series.  I have been thinking of buying the newly released collection so I can have it in it's entirety.


When I was a little girl I watched LHOTP.  I wished that Charles Ingalls was my dad.  I hoped to marry someone just as amazing someday.  I wanted to look like Caroline and be as strong, kind, loving and smart as she was.  I really liked Laura - she was spunky and smart.  I wanted to be that way too - I felt that way inside, but was often too shy and scared to say how I felt.  She was awesome!  I loved to hate Mrs. Olsen and her horrible daughter Nellie.

Now that I'm a big girl, I still watch LHOTP (I even get to watch it with my awesome boyfriend!  He likes to watch it with me!  At least he seems to, and it's always his idea to watch it.  Maybe because he loves me so much??  Maybe he really likes LHOTP a lot???  Maybe it's both!  I hope so!!!).  I still love Charles and Caroline.  I heart their love story, the romance, the team work.  I love how they help each other.  I love how they've got each other's back.  I love how if they are wrong, the other can help them see it without tearing them down.  I love how they are quick to apologize when they are wrong.  I know it's just a show, and not real life, but I think it helped teach a generation about what life could be like if all the members of a family pull together to accomplish a goal.  It was a good example of how a wife could support her husband in love and build her children into strong adults and still maintain her own unique identity.  It was a good example of how a husband should support his wife in love, and build his children in love.  They both had responsibilities to help their children and each other, to make their family successful.  They both had unique roles, different from one another.  They fulfilled different tasks.  Even the children had tasks to accomplish.  They supported each other in those unique roles.  They seemed to glory in each other and the unique role that they other held.  The supported their children in the unique role and tasks that fell to each of them.  I just love it!!  

I'm sad that television today is so far removed from this ideal.  It seems like all that is available to us on television is the ugliness and evil that is found in this world.  I don't watch much TV these days - anytime that I do I feel sad and let down.  I feel frustrated and annoyed (there are so many commercials!  It seems like there's more commercial time than program time!)  I wish that there were more producers and directors like Michael Landon.  TV might be worth watching again if there were more shows on like LHOTP.  You know that phrase in the 13th Article of Faith??  "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."  LHOTP definitely meets this criteria.

Gideon: A righteous man, yea, a man who has done much good among this people...

In my reading of the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, I have come to the story of Gideon.  Gideon was a Nephite patriot.  He loved his people and fought for them and their freedom.  He abhorred the wicked King Noah, and fought him in defense of his people.  He also had something of a soft heart, as he spared the life of the wicked king when he had the perfect opportunity to rid the people of him.  He was a smart man - when the daughters of the Lamanites go missing and Gideon's people are accused of the crime, Gideon figures out who the real culprits are - the wicked priests of king Noah.  When his people were in bondage to the Lamanites it was Gideon who came up with the plan for their escape.  He was a strong member of the church of God and when Nehor came on the scene, teaching all manner of false doctrine and leading away the hearts of the people, it was Gideon that defended the truth and eventually became a martyr when Nehor slayed him with a sword - even as Gideon was sharing his testimony of the truth.  The people were devastated; this was a man dearly loved by them, a man who had defended them and fought for the right all his life.  The people of the land named a city in his honor so that they might always remember their defender and champion.


I have a new little nephew.  He was born right near Christmastime.  His name is Gideon.  I don't know that his parents named him specifically after this Nephite patriot.  But I do know that they looked to this Gideon of ancient times and maybe were thinking along the lines of Helaman who once said to his own sons: "Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first patents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.  Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them" (Helaman 5:6-7)

Alright little Gideon.  Now, go and do good so that it might be said of you even as it was said of him of old.

RACK, Days 2-10

Wow!  What a week!  This week started out terribly.  On Monday morning I was about to leave for work.  As I was grabbing my phone and chapstick (essentials for a day away from home!) I noticed that there was a mouse sitting at the foot of my bed.  I could not believe my eyes!  I thought this was trick - perhaps it was a sock and a piece of thread or yarn that only LOOKED like a mouse.  But no, a mouse it was!  After a few moments of shock and disbelief I realized that I was still standing on the floor, where said mouse was also standing.  I screamed, jumped up on the bed, and started to really panic.  I was now trapped on my bed, needing to leave for work.  There was a horrible little mouse in MY ROOM, of all places!!!  Where would it go?  What would it do?  And, the phrase I dislike so much in connection with mice ran through my mind over and over again: where there is one, there are many.  Needless to say there was more screaming, crying, and leaping across bedroom furniture to escape the mouse.


This really threw me off my groove, so some of my RACK's did not happen until later in the week, but they were all great, and I want to share them.  Here goes....


Day 2
I was shopping at a local store and decided that the clerk who was checking me out deserved to have some chocolate, and not just any chocolate.  She needed something rich and smooth and more expensive.  So, I bought one of the more expensive bars at the check-out.  She bagged everything and wished me a good night.  I pulled out that little bar of deliciousness and said "This is for you.  You can eat it on your break - Merry Christmas!"  She smiled and told me it was nice of me to do, and set that lovely bar of chocolate aside for a quiet moment alone when she could relax.


Day 3
I paid my little MorMor a surprise visit.  She is so old and tiny - I can actually pick her up in my arms like someone picks up a small child, or to carry their bride across the threshold.  She is not hearing too well these days and her memory is not so good and she really just want to go be with my grandpa.  Well, I visited with her for a short time - she smiled.  I kissed her soft, wrinkled cheek and told her I love her.  She smiled her beautiful yet tired smile and said "And I love you, and I love you more than you love me."  We did this several times - it's always hard for me to leave, so we say many goodbyes.  That is a Ludlow tradition - long goodbyes!


Day 4
I am kind of a shy person in certain situations.  The ward, or I should say rather the branch that I attend is HUGE - there are approximately 600 members, and that's not counting all the visitors that attend.  So, sometimes I get nervous and shy with all these people, pull inside of myself and don't really talk to anyone.  I know this is a weakness that I have been working on for a long, long time.  I have come a long way - but still I have miles to go.  I decided that it would be a good goal for me, and would hopefully cheer some strangers if I wished at least five people a Merry Christmas.  So, I did.  I don't know if it helped any of them, but it did make me feel happier, just to smile and say those lovely words "Merry Christmas!" AND, I reached my goal !  It's those little successes that lead to the big ones.


Day 5
This was the dreaded day of the mouse.  It was hard on this day to take care of my RACK.  I was so wrapped up in the mouse and the fear of more, buying all kinds of traps and other means to deter any more furry friends from coming to my lovely home and especially my room.  So, this day ended with me allowing others to give service to me.  I really don't like to be a bother to others.  I try to take care of myself and not be a burden.  But, when it comes to mice this is really hard.  When at the store buying mice removal paraphernalia, I get an upset stomach and cringe that I have to touch the packages of traps and what not.  I hate the little pictures of mice on the packages.  Ugh!  It's so...so...disgusting!  So, I had to allow two people to help me out.  First, my amazing mom!  She came over later that morning and helped remove the mouse - it had died, right there in my room on my lovely "Daughters in my Kingdom" book.  Now, I am grateful that it died (I'm guessing he must have eaten some poison from the deep dark crawl space where he may have entered the house).  If the mouse was still alive it would be crawling all over my house and scaring me as it scurried and darted about.  But, even a dead mouse is scary, so my mom, who hates them almost as much as me, came over and removed the offending dead mouse.  What a lady!  She truly is amazing and I love her!  After buying all my traps I couldn't set them up.  Like I said earlier, I hate touching the packages of traps and I hate bothering people.  So, it was really hard for me to let a friend come over and set all the traps for me.  I was very grateful though, and so far no mice have been caught.  I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.  Are the mice just really smart and avoiding the traps? Or are there really no more mice?  I hope its the latter.  From this not so lovely experience I learned that sometimes you need to sacrifice and allow others to sacrifice for you.


Day 6
I think the mouse situation threw me off my groove.  I was so worried about the mouse and it's possible remaining family members that I didn't think much about serving.  I will make it up though!!


Day 7
I made some delicious treats that are a tradition in my family and that we have not had time to make for a long, long time.  The plan is to take them to family and friend on another day.  I made chocolate crinkles and walnut crescents.  They are super delicious and make me feel like Christmas. The thing about these two recipes is that the dough must chill for 3-4 hours or overnight, so the rest of this service will need to be done tomorrow.


Day 8
I made some delicious treats that are a tradition in my family and that we have not had time to make for a long, long time.  I packaged up the little treats and took a box to my mom and one to my MorMor (grandmother in Danish).  My mom was delighted, and she began to cry.  We decided that we need to have a special day of baking in the next week or so, and make all the yummy goodies that we used to make when my siblings and I were small.  It will be super fun!


Day 9
This day marked two RACK's .  One, I made a goodie box of those aforementioned treats from my childhood and left it on the doorstep of a friend and his family.  I hope they enjoy!  Secondly, I went to a winter holiday dance that my roommate's 6th graders were putting on to raise money to buy winter gear for children in need.  The dance was hilariously funny!  Just imagine 11 year old boys and girls dancing to hip hop and techno music and doing "The Shuffle".  It's something like "The Running Man".  Anyway, I donated a hat, scarf, and six pair of gloves to the cause.  The kids ended up raising $105 to use towards the purchase of more gear.  Good job!

Day 10
Today I will help my mom decorate her tree.  She is feeling a little lonesome and melancholy I think.  All her kids are grown, and Christmas is just a little different without little children around all the time.  ***I am back!  I helped set up and decorate her tree.  I brought in all her boxes of Christmas decor so that she can set things up at her leisure.  She was really happy and appreciated my help.  The tree is lovely!  One thing my mom loves to do is sit in the dark with the Christmas tree lights on.  She enjoys looking at the lights and thinking about the past year, all the good, the bad, mostly the good and think about the new year coming and the hopes, dreams, and goals that she has for the future.  Now, she will get to continue that tradition this year :)

Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living

I am a teacher.  I am a photographer.  I love cameras.  I love smiles.  I love the beauty and wonder of this world we live in.  I love capturing all this on my camera.  I love to see what others do with their cameras too.  


I found this great blog called Adventures & Misadventures of Daily Living .  The author happens to be a teacher, as am I.  It's no wonder I find that I can really relate to this author/photographer/teacher.  


If you enjoy looking at amazing images of not only this beautiful world but the amazing people that are in it, and if you like to laugh then I suggest you head on over and take a look! :)

RACK, Day 1

Today is December 1st, which marks the start of the advent season and the beginning of my Random Acts of Christmas Kindness plan.  I was busy today with lots of things going on, and have not had a chance to actually make up my little "RACK Advent Calendar".  As a result I was not sure what random act of Christmas kindness I would do today.  I stopped by Target, thinking I could buy a hot cocoa for the Salvation Army bell ringer, but alas!  There was NO Bell Ringer!!!  How could this be?  The Christmas Season is just not the same without the bell ringer!  I went into the store to buy some candy canes that I plan to hand out on another day.  I thought maybe I could buy a view gift cards and give them to Target patrons as a help with their holiday (and otherwise) purchases.  As I walked toward the checkout desks, I spotted a cute old lady - she was alone and went straight to the cleaning aisle.  I thought, she probably doesn't have a lot of money, or she'd check out more exciting areas of the store.  While the cleaning aisle has it's good points, you have to admit, it's not that amazing!  So, I quickly went over to finalize my purchase and get the gift card for her.  After paying form my items, I scanned the store for a pen, finally found one and wrote on the back of the card, and then set off looking for the cute little old lady.  I walked almost the entire store but could not find her.  I was feeling pretty sad because I really wanted to give the card to her.  As I walked toward the front doors and check stands I saw her!  Hooray!  


She had already bought her cleaning supplies, and was waiting for someone.  As I approached her, I noticed that she looked tired and sighed in either boredom or exhaustion.  
I walked up, smiled and said "Merry Christmas!"  in a cheery tone.  I handed her the gift card.  She brightened up, smiled and said "Oh!  What's this?"  "You can use it next time you come shopping!  Merry Christmas!" I replied and quickly ran out the door and to my car.  I don't know why I couldn't have slowed down - I got nervous and thought she can't refuse if I leave and she has no one to refuse.  
I smiled as I ran to my car.  It felt good to share with someone who wasn't expecting it.  As I drove home thinking of her, I began to cry - I don't know why!  I'm glad I was able to do something for someone, even though it wasn't much.  I hope it helped make her day just a little brighter.


Merry Christmas!

Random Acts of Christmas Kindness

Christmastime is here!!!


I came across this great idea for counting down the days until Christmas Day arrives.  I am really excited about it, and I must admit- a little nervous.  However, the excitement outweighs the fear which is good.  AND, if I can get a friend or two, and maybe a niece or nephew to help me along the way, I think this is going to be super fun!!


So, the idea is this:  Each day as Christmas gets closer and closer, I (and anyone who may want to join me) will do a Random Act of Christmas Kindness (otherwise known as RACK) for one or more people.  Some may be random people that I don't know, some could be acquaintances, maybe even friends or family, but the act of kindness will be random and totally unexpected by those who will receive it.  


I have several ideas floating around in my head:


*Hand out candy canes to people as they finish shopping
*Put an uplifting Christmas quote or thought on windshields of shoppers
*Take a treat to the postal workers who are happily sending off all our Christmas packages
*Buy a hot chocolate for the Salvation Army bell ringers
*Get a treat for the clerk at the check out 
*Pay the library fines for two or three people
*Give away a gift card or two to Jamba Juice 
*Sing Christmas Carols
*Put change in parking meters that are about to expire


Well, that is quite the list, but as you can see not nearly enough for 25 days. So, if you have any ideas for RACK's send them my way.  And, if you find that you want to join in the fun let me know!


Christmastime is here!!!  Wahoo!!! :)