Thanksgiving 2019

Thanksgiving was good this year with everyone contributing to the meal.  Gma came for a couple of hours and enjoyed her turkey dinner.  Lilah loved licking the chocolate off of the mixer whisks with Gpa.  She also loves pumpkin pie. 

Grandma Southward's Granola

Grandma Southward has been making granola for many years.  She and Grandpa were 'tree hugger's' , 'back to nature', early recyclers for many years before it was cool to do all of the things they were used to doing in their normal lives.  They always had a garden, composted, reused many things, cooked from scratch, and canned their food.
Here is one of their recipes that I make almost every 2 weeks.  We use it as breakfast, dessert or a topping for ice cream.

Gma's Granola
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal (ok to use quick oats if that's what you have)
1 cup coconut
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup brown sugar (I use a little less)
1 cup nuts (I use sunflower seeds if I have them)
3/4 cup oil (usually canola but I've used coconut oil too)
3/4 cup water
1 Tbsp vanilla

I also add ground flax seed, wheat bran, hemp seeds.....whatever you want

Mix together and put on a large baking sheet with sides.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes depending on if you want it chewier or crunchy.  Stir occasionally.......I stir mine at 20 minutes and again at 25 minutes, remove it from the oven and add raisins or other dried fruit.

Keep in frigerator........Yummy!
I'll add a pic when I make it again.

Halloween 2019

It was a quiet Halloween this year. Our good neighbors behind us have moved and they are usually our only trick or treaters.  I bought some candy just in case they stopped by and they did but not on that evening.  Lilah really got into it this year and I helped Val make part of their costumes.  She and Eric were echineaca flowers and Lilah was a butterfly.  Valerie asked Lilah the next morning what she wanted for breakfast and she said 'candy' !!

Out with Gma

On a beautiful day in October Stacy took Grandma over to Palmer Lake for some fresh air.  She really enjoyed getting out and spending some time together.

October November Hikes

We had Clyde for a few days while Mere and Tim went to Mexico so we did some hiking close to home.  Monument Preserve allows dogs off leash so we usually take him there to work off some energy and get some exercise.  The trails aren't marked but you can't really get lost and we have our favorite loops.