Nanna's Granola {Recipe}

Hi, everyone! I'm so excited to share with you all this amazing granola recipe from my mom. All summer, the kids have been devouring this stuff down after our swims at her house. They absolutely love 'Nanna's Nola' and it's also great for them. Shhh! Don't tell! 

 

If only you could smell it, you'd be hooked. My husband came home from work and immediately went into the kitchen and chowed down on this, hot from the oven. We love it with some vanilla greek yogurt, and I'm sure it would be even better with Lydia's homemade yogurt!

I like this recipe because you have a little freedom of what to put in it. It calls for 3 cups of nuts, but I used a cup and a half of sliced almonds, a cup of raw pumpkin seeds, and I snuck in some flaxseeds to round out the balance. And who can say no to vanilla and coconut? It's my weakness... even our wedding cake was coconut, y'all. 



Emmie loves coconut just as much as her momma! Here she is eating it raw and unsweetened.

Want to make some? Here's the recipe!

Nanna’s Granola 

Ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup dried milk

3 cups nuts (I used sliced almonds, raw pumpkin seeds, and flaxseeds)

3 cups dried, unsweetened coconut flakes

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

1/2 cup honey 

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 egg whites (beaten)
2-3 cups raisins

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Start by combining all of your dry ingredients and give it a good mix. 

Add wet ingredients and mix. It's a good idea to first add your oil, and use that same cup for the honey. The honey poured right out :-) 

Add the raisins and stir it up again. Then spread it (1-3 inches thick) on a few jelly-roll pans lined with parchment paper . Mine made 3 trays.

Pop them in the oven and keep a close eye. Turn the granola every 5 minutes. Just like cookies, it's better to be on the cautious side. I'm famous for burning bread, so I set a timer for every 5 minutes and stood watch. It's ready when it's hot to the touch and a light golden brown. Mine took about 15 minutes plus or minus. 

And voila! You're done. It's that easy and it's that delicious. I love knowing that I'm not giving my kids junk when they grab a handful of this (for myself too!). I hope you all enjoy!

Linking up with:

Freedom Fridays
Inspire us Thursdays
Craft Frenzy Friday
Weekend Recipe Link Party
Pretty Pintastic Party
Weekend Bloggy Reading

Much Ado About Monday No.70

Happy Sunday night everyone! This month sure has flown by. My family and I took a vacation up to Canada to visit our family and attend my brother-in-laws wedding. We were gone for almost three weeks and just got back last Monday afternoon. We kept incredibly busy, quadding, playing outside, visiting a mountain waterfall, swimming and of course getting in lots of family time. It was a great trip. All great things must come to an end however, and I have to admit it is really nice to be back home.

While this week was all about getting laundry done and settling back into a routine for me, Lydia was sharing her Pottery Barn Inspired Wall Art over at FromG2B for our monthly contributor post.

And you guys were busy little bees linking up some great projects and recipes to last weeks Much Ado About Monday. So, like we do every week, here are our top picks of the week!

Jamie's Pick: Boys Overall's to Girls Dress via Sewsnbows
Lydia's Pick: Embroidery Hoop Catch All via The Life of a Craft Crazed Mom
Emily's Pick: DIY Drop Cloth Bench via Our Home Away From Home
Jill's Pick: DIY Wood Sign with Printable via Anything and Everything

And the most viewed post this week was:
Bubble Up Garlic Cheese Bread via This Little Life of Mine

Congrats to all of our featured bloggers. Make sure to grab our 'I Was Featured' button to display proudly on your blog. :)

<a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixVNENkTznT_QebliwrX2_RRCIKXGslYGH4nKjuqZWuFJZoW9OsePxJ5zj-xZg3aAnrH6zaptLmu7r0tJIqZjQSsV-5044F4yK8IaIK8K1T_ukpGwCOyNYmU2YZgU8r738EbyUkhcaM2e/s1600/grabbuttonfeatured.png" width="150" height="150" border="0">

And now, let's party!!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

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* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!

* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)
*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+

* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.

* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.

* You may link up to three posts a week!

* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.

* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for joining us this week!

An InLinkz Link-up

Pottery Barn Inspired Fabric Wall Art

Hey guys! If you are anything like me, you get a little giddy when your Pottery Barn catalog comes in the mail. I don't think I've ever actually bought anything from PB though; I just love getting ideas from that glorious magazine. This art project for my daughter's room was inspired by a canvas from a few years ago. Now that I am finally getting around to completing her room {see former projects here, here and here}, I thought she really needed a statement piece above her bed and this idea immediately jumped into my head. I absolutely LOVE how it turned out {see what I did there?} and am sharing how I made this awesome piece of art over at FromG2B for our monthly contributor post.

This fabric wall art project was fast, cheap and so adorable! You can't really ask for more! So be sure to head over to visit Becca and see how it's done!

Linking up here:

Wake Up Wednesday
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Party on the Porch
The Makers
Lou Lou Girls
Inspiration2
Project Stash Link Party
Freedom Fridays
Inspire Us Thursdays
Craft Frenzy Friday
Pioneer Momma 
Made By You Monday

Much Ado About Monday No. 69

Welcome back to another amazing party! 

Thanks for joining us!

We had a lazy week at home, filled with pool-parties in the backyard, epic sagas played out with my daughter's dollhouse, multiple trans-playroom railway builds and lots of book reading. It was awesome. We always go, go, go during the school year and tend to overbook ourselves during the summer so this past week of just staying at home and playing was really great.

Over on the blog, we were busy as ever though! Jamie shared a quick and cute craft idea with her Rainbow Footprint Butterflies and I finally got around to painting this adorable nightstand with homemade chalk paint.

Our features this week were awesome (as usual).

Lydia's Pick: Fried Nutella Balls by Lamberts Lately
Jamie's Pick: Double Ruffle Capris by Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Emily's Pick: Anthropologie Peplum Tank Knock-Off by Domestic Bliss Squared
Jill's Pick: Homemade Cherry Hand Pies by Alex Haralson


And our most popular feature was Ivy and Elephants super cute fork and spoon art. Love this!

Congrats to all the featured bloggers! Be sure to grab a button below:

<a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixVNENkTznT_QebliwrX2_RRCIKXGslYGH4nKjuqZWuFJZoW9OsePxJ5zj-xZg3aAnrH6zaptLmu7r0tJIqZjQSsV-5044F4yK8IaIK8K1T_ukpGwCOyNYmU2YZgU8r738EbyUkhcaM2e/s1600/grabbuttonfeatured.png" width="150" height="150" border="0">   Now on to the fun! Let's party!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+

* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!

* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)
*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+

* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.

* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.

* You may link up to three posts a week!

* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.

* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for joining us this week!

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Nightstand Makeover {Homemade Chalk Paint}

So, I feel comfortable admitting something to you guys. Since we are such good friends and all.

I am a furniture hoarder. 

It's true. I'm like an industrious little squirrel--always on the look out for another yummy looking nut to stash away for a later time. I may not even need the piece of furniture, but if I like it, I will get it. {Much to my husband's dismay.} I may need an intervention.

In the case of this small side table, I picked this up at a Goodwill while in Austin for a Texas bloggers meetup over a year ago. Thank goodness this table is so little or it may have been evicted from the garage much sooner. As soon as I saw this petite table, I had to have it. I love the pretty legs {great gams!} and the little back splash.

There were a few marks on the top of the table and something had eaten through the varnish {nail polish remover can do that} but I knew that wouldn't matter once I painted it. {I have a really hard time painting antiques but this table is definitely not an antique.}

I bought the table to use as my daughter's nightstand and since I was getting close to finishing her big girl room, I wanted to knock this project off the list. I am doing her room in blues, pinks and greens. There is a lot of pink and blue already but not a whole lot of green so I decided to paint the little nightstand a pale shade of green.

A few months ago, Jill shared her DIY chalk paint recipe with us and I liked the idea of being able to pick any color that I wanted and make it into chalk paint. I ended up using the Plaster of Paris recipe {3 parts paint to 1 part Plaster of Paris} and it worked so well!

 

I honestly couldn't tell a difference between my homemade chalk paint and the more expensive chalk paints. It covered really well and has a nice, matte, chalky finish.

After a couple coats of wax, the table was done! My daughter was really excited to have her "little green table" up in her room.

And I am really excited to have one more piece of furniture finished and out of the garage. My husband concurs. 

Linking up to these amazing parties:

Happy House and Home
Wake Up Wednesday
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Party on the Porch
The Makers
Lou Lou Girls
Before and After Wednesday
Inspiration2
Project Stash Link Party
Freedom Fridays
Inspire Us Thursdays
Craft Frenzy Friday

Rainbow Footprint 'Butterflies'

As I mentioned last week when I did my Rainbow Crochet Roundup, we are visiting my family up in Canada. Whenever we visit with my mom, she always has craft ideas to do with the girls. Now ever since Taylor was born, my mom has been 'jonesing' to use the girls footprints to make butterfly pictures that she could hang in their bedroom at her house. So of course that was THE project we had to make sure got finished. Luckily this particular craft is really easy and super quick, so we managed to fit it in amongst daily visits with friends and family, trips to the playground and splashing in what seems like every different splash pad around the city.

It was a really great project and I'm really glad we did it. The  project can be completed in about 15 min (depending on your models moods) and requires little to no artistic talent. Perfect!! And best of all, the girls had a really fun time making it. All in all, I'd say this craft was a winner. :)

Can't Get Started Without:
~ Rainbow stamp pad (or paints if you're a little more ambitious)
~ 8x10 white cardstock or another light coloured cardstock of your choice (if you're using the stamp pads, another colour of cardstock besides white may cause your colours to be a little different)
~ Coloured markers or pencil crayons
~ FEET!!

With clean tootsies, press your rainbow stamp pad on your childs foot. Most rainbow stamp pads that you find are too small for feet bigger than an infants, so I just used the top colour of the stamp pad and did the toes and the top part of the foot. Then I pressed the stamp pad over the middle of their foot (to create the rainbow effect) and then used the bottom colour of the stamp pad and did the whole heel.

Then, press those pretty rainbow feet onto your cardstock.

 Use the right foot to make the left butterfly wing, and the left foot to make the right butterfly wing.

Using a marker or pencil crayon, draw the butterflies body between your footprints. Don't forget to add the antennae!!

Your beautiful Butterfly Footprints are done. I know, so easy!

As an optional last step, you can use your markers to write your child's name, or better yet, let them write their own (only if they can of course). In our case, my mom has beautiful writing, so she wrote each girls name.

This was a really fun and simple project that my girls really enjoyed doing. They giggled the entire time I was stamping their tootsies and they were really excited about the final result. This project is great as a way to decorate a bedroom or as a gift for grandparents.

Have you ever used footprints to create works of art for your kiddos bedrooms? What kinds of designs have you made?

Linking up to these amazing parties:
Happy House and Home
Wake Up Wednesday
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Party on the Porch
The Makers
Lou Lou Girls
Inspiration2
Project Stash Link Party
Freedom Fridays
Inspire Us Thursdays

Much Ado About Monday {No. 68}

Happy Sunday, friends!

Did y'all have a nice weekend? Ours was lovely! My family is officially back in Ohio now. We're currently staying with my in-laws until we close on our new house. We are absolutely in love with it and I can't wait to share all of my grand DIY plans with y'all! I just have to remind myself to take it slow... everything doesn't have to happen at once! Because, let's face it, I want to decorate ALL of the rooms... NOW!
 

 

Anyway, here is a picture of our new abode! Isn't she purty? I have two words for you, folks. Curb appeal. This baby's got it! :)

 

 

This week here on Huckleberry Love, I shared my mother-in-law's famous Calico Bean recipe, while Jamie rounded up 12 happy (and FREE) rainbow crochet patterns. Be sure to check out both posts and pin if you love them! :)

Now, onto this week's features!
 

Emily's Pick: White Dipped Basket with a Twist via Hawthorne and Main
Jamie's Pick: Ruffled Curtains via A Vision to Remember
Lydia's Pick: 2x4 Scrap Flag via Wilker Do's
Jill's Pick: DIY Outdoor Chandelier via Tiny Sidekick

Our most popular link this week was a great post from The Pin Junkie on What NOT to do on Pinterest. Be sure to pin this one, the tips are extremely helpful! :)

Congratulations to our featured bloggers this week! Thanks so much for linking up with us and be sure to grab a button!

<a href="http://www.huckleberrylove.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixVNENkTznT_QebliwrX2_RRCIKXGslYGH4nKjuqZWuFJZoW9OsePxJ5zj-xZg3aAnrH6zaptLmu7r0tJIqZjQSsV-5044F4yK8IaIK8K1T_ukpGwCOyNYmU2YZgU8r738EbyUkhcaM2e/s1600/grabbuttonfeatured.png" width="150" height="150" border="0">   Now on to the fun! Let's party!

The Rules:

*We love our followers, and always follow back. Please follow us on GFC as well as BlogLovin:

*You can also find us at these favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+

* Please link back to us in your post. Whether it be through a text link or by posting our super cute button somewhere in your post. We appreciate it!

* If you do NOT link back to us in your post, you will NOT be Featured on Much Ado About Monday. So, link back! You'll thank us later. :)
*Features posts will be pinned on Pinterest and promoted on Facebook and Google+

* Feel free to link up decorating tips, DIY projects, recipes, organizational ideas, sewing and crochet creations or anything else crafty or that you find inspirational.

* Please do not link up giveaways, Etsy shops, or projects that were not made by you.

* You may link up to three posts a week!

* If your post has been featured, please do not link it up again.

* Remember to visit, visit, visit! That's the point of a party, right? Have fun!

Thanks for joining us this week!

 

An InLinkz Link-up