Joy

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This Moment...

Inspired by Soule Mama

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Home-Made Seed Bars

Ever had one of those delicious Bumblebars? This week I decided to try and recreate the recipe in my own kitchen... I must say that it came out pretty tasty! It doesn't have quite the same consistency as the store-bought kind (it doesn't stick together as well), but for a lower cost, less packing and home-made, I can overlook that fault. If anyone has any tips on how to make it stick a bit better, please fill me in.

What You Need:

• 1.5 cups sesame seeds
• 1 cup flax seeds
• 1 cup peanuts
• 1/2 cup agave syrup or brown rice syrup
• 1/8 cup shredded coconut
  
• 2 tbl. honey
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbl vanilla

What You Do:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Grease a 9x13 baking dish (I used olive oil spray) and spread mixture into it. Bake at 300 for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Cut into squares after it has cooled and hardened. I have been storing my in the fridge (as to reduce the stickiness factor).
  

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!

When I did some research yesterday and found out that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration for Mexico winning a war against France, I was not quite as excited to celebrate it as I have been in the past. But hey- any excuse for a margarita is a good holiday for me! In honor of this Mexican day of festivities, we had our own Mexican-inspired morning.

We made Mexican eggs for breakfast

We made tissue paper flowers from used tissue paper (hence the wrinkles)....

Which inspired us to dance...

And we made chili peppers to decorate our holiday tree (we had to take the picture outside because the lighting in our house in horrible).

I hope that festivities will continue after I am done with work tonight with a yummy margarita from the taqueria down the street.

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Build-A-Birdhouse Take 2!

Yesterday, Finn and I decided to build a new milk-carton birdhouse in celebration of spring. If you are curious, you can check out the 2009-edition birdhouse here. Finn loves to watch our feathered friends come to feed in our yard (heck, so do I!) and birds are great garden helpers as well: they eat pesky pests and they fertilize with their poop!

To build this birdhouse, you will need:

• an empty and clean milk carton
• dowel
• scissors
• sturdy string or wire (I used hemp)
  
• glue (I used hot glue)
• a small square of cardboard
  
• construction paper, paints, glitter, stickers, or any other decorating materials.

First, poke a hole through both sides of the milk carton, near the bottom. Now insert your dowel through and you have a perch! Choose one of the sides that already has a hole at the bottom, and cut out a door/window for the birds to feed from.
Next, poke a hole through the center of the top lip of the carton. Measure your cardboard square so that it is the approximate correct size to make a roof. Fold the roof in half, so that it slopes, and poke a hole on each side of the roof, close to the center line. Thread your sturdy string or wire through one roof hole, then through the carton, then through the other roof hole. Tie a knot in the top of the string and whatever length you want it to hang. Now, fold the roof edges down until they touch the sides of the carton, and glue the edge where roof meets carton. Your roof should be stable and secure.
Now decorate your feeder, fill the bottom with bird seed and enjoy your day bird watching! Pin It Now!

Grow Your Own Clean Air

Did you know that indoor air quality is often much worse than the air quality outside? In the developed world this happens because all of our new stuff (furniture, building materials, paints, etc.) off-gasses toxic chemicals for many years AND because most of our homes, especially the newer ones, are well-insulated. Good for your home's efficiency, but not so great for any toxins that are trapped inside your house. We basically fill our homes with toxic stuff and then trap the air in. Hmmm...
Good thing that we have our friends the plants. Plants not only produce oxygen, but are also capable of actually cleaning the air. Plants can remove particulates and capture off-gas (like formaldehyde and benzene). Philodendrons, spider plants and ivy are all good choices for air quality. For a quick 5-minute video that talks about greening your air, check out ted.com's How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air.
So, this week, try to find a new plant to adorn your home and clean your air. Thanks plants! Pin It Now!

Happy May Day!

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