Chocolate, Cranberry, & Oat Bars

Here is a yummy recipe for bars that I found in my
FREE Kraft Food Magazine. They turned out nicely and
have only 160 calories per serving.

(I substituted walnuts for pecans and chocolate chips for
chocolate baking squares.)

1 cup dried cranberries 1/4 cup orange juice 1-1/2 cups flour 1-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats 1 tsp. CALUMET Baking Powder 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) margarine, softened 1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar 2 eggs 4 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup PLANTERS Pecan Pieces

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF. Combine cranberries and orange juice in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 30 sec. Let stand 10 min. Meanwhile, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat margarine and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well after each addition. Stir in cranberry mixture, chocolate and pecans. SPREAD dough into 13x9-inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. BAKE 20 to 22 min. or until center is set. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting into bars.

Happy Candy Day!

Today I will eat candy. I like to take advantage of the candy sales during this time of the year, and then I eat it all myself. Why would I give out perfectly good candy to a complete stranger?!?! My candy of choice this year (other than Peanut M&Ms, of course) are Take 5 candy bars. Sweet and salty!

I love the sweet and salty combo. At work this week, somebody shared a mix of candy corn and peanuts. It was pretty good. Did you know that Americans eat 35 million pounds of candy corn every year. That is enough candy corn to circle the moon 4 times. Although I prefer chocolate to pretty much every other treat, if the tri-colored candy is sitting around, I just can't help myself. And...here's a fun little website where you can Carve a Pumpkin.

My Super Sweet Running Shirt

I just picked up a new running shirt by Champion for outdoor running this fall and it is super sweet. The shirt is stretchy and made of wicking material to keep you cool and dry, it has a pocket for an MP3 player, and the sleeves have cuffs that can be flipped over your hands to keep them warm.


Available (in black) at Target for $24.99

Mmmm....Honeycrisp

I do not claim to be an apple connoisseur, but I recently discovered Honeycrisp Apples. A coworker introduced me to them by saying they were better than chocolate. Of course I did not believe her because nothing is better than chocolate, but I had to try one for myself just to be sure. Totally good...crunchy, juicy, and sweet....but not better than chocolate. They are my new favorite apple.

On sale at Target this week for 99 cents a pound.

Oh, Who are the People in Your Neighborhood?

One of my coworkers was browsing the list of sex offenders in the city this morning and informed me that she saw one listed as living on my street. I've known that there have been a few living within a couple of blocks from me, but I checked out the address to find that he lives across the street. Lovely. It made me think of a song from my childhood...


The People in Your Neighborhood
A song from Sesame Street
Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood,
In your neighborhood, In your neighborhood?
Oh, who are the people in your neighborhood,
The people that you meet each day?

Oh, the fireman is a person in your neighborhood,
In your neighborhood, in your neighborhood.
The Fireman is a person in your neighborhood,
A person that you meet each day.

I don't remember there being a verse for sex offenders, but there are more of those in my neighborhood than there are firemen. Ha!

Good News for Office Fans!

First of all, if you aren't watching The Office on NBC Thursdays you are missing out. It may take a few episodes for the show to grow on you, but give it a try.

If you are loving The Office as much as I do, here are three FYI's:

*Season 3 is on sale at Target this week for $27.99 (regularly $39.99)
*There are fun things on The Office website, like Dwight's blog
*You can view full episodes from this season

Enjoy!

A Better Bath

I enjoy taking a bath every once in a while, but I am always frustrated that I can only fill my tub about 2/3 full before the over-flow drain starts sucking down the warm water. But I found a cheap way to remedy the problem at Bed Bath and Beyond. For just $4.99 I enjoyed a tub completely filled with warm water. Actually I used a coupon for 20% off, so it was even less than that!

Technology Sadness

For the last month I've been thinking to myself, "I really should back up the files on my computer." Yesterday I was sad that I hadn't. My computer crashed. If this has ever happened to you, you know the sick feeling that accompanies the thought that you've pictures, music, and work. In the grand scheme of things, it isn't such a big thing. But here's a friendly reminder:

Prevent technology sadness by backing up your files!!!

A mother is...

"A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four
pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she
never did care for pie."

~Tenneva Jordan

It just doesn't get any better than this...

Two of my favorite treats have joined forces to create an irresistable candy sensation. Dark chocolate and Peanut M&Ms. I don't stand a chance.

A picnic, a walk, and a proposal...

That's what the Saturday before last had for me.

I said yes, by the way.

You're never too old for a trip to the zoo.

My sister and I recently visited Omaha to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo and the Old Market. She's been hearing for a while now that Omaha has one of the best zoos in the country, frequently compared to the San Diego Zoo. We spent about 7 hours there only stopping for lunch. There was so much to see. If you are ever near Omaha be sure to make a stop there. The zoo was definitely worth the visit and the Old Market was a fun bonus, especially the Candy Shop.

Best Sneakers Ever!

Today I went for a run and I was thinking about how comfy my new running shoes are (Gel-Nimbus 9 by Asics). I picked them up a little over a month ago. I asked other runners what shoes they recommended, and everyone answered Asics as did the salesperson at the sporting goods store. So I got a pair and they truly are the best tennies I've ever owned. So if you're in the market new shoes, Asics are the way to go.

Thank you Liberty Mutual

I've been noticing the music on the new Liberty Mutual commercial and thanks to the Internet and iTunes I have been sampling music from HEM. How have I never heard of them before? Check out the commercial...

"The Part Where You Let Go"

and here's an older commercial featuring another song by HEM...

"Half Acre"

My sister the songwriter

Have you ever had that feeling when someone you are close to does something pretty amazing and your heart just swells with pride? I had that feeling tonight.

I was over at my parents' house and my dad, my sister and I were playing music out on the patio. Towards the end of our little hootenanny my sister sang a couple of songs she wrote recently. They were really beautiful.

Oh deer!

I had a fun surprise on my bike ride today. While enjoying the bike path by the river I spotted a deer. She was running on another path closer to the river and then came up onto the path that I was on only about 40 feet in front of me. I tried to keep up with her, but she was too fast even though I was going about 20mph. She must have realized that she wasn't getting far enough away from me because she quickly ran back into the tall grass and trees and I lost her. I love it when things like that happen. To my left houses and a dike. But to my right trees, river, deer. I just wish I'd had my camera.

A Fun Find

I recently attended an Art Festival and stumbled across a booth where a man was making name rings. He used a jewelers saw to carve names into silver or gold rings. He said that it usually takes him about 10 minutes to carve a ring with a single name, but he can put as many as 35 letters on a ring to make mother's/family rings which of course take more time. The rings were pretty cute so I decided to treat myself to one. All I had to do was give him my name and return later that day to pick it up. Check out Vickerman Name Rings.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

I went to a women's book club tonight through my church. We are reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. The story is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. I've read the book before, but as I'm rereading it I've been thinking a lot about what God's love is like. The more I think about it the more I realize that it is incomprehensible.

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Ephesians 3:17-19

Mountain Mama

I recently took a road trip to Billings, Montana to visit my man. The last time I had been to Montana was when I was in junior high and I hadn't seen mountains since my family took a trip to Colorado in high school. I remembered that the mountains were beautiful, but I had forgotten just how incredible they are.

We went to a place called Rosebud for a hike. We hiked up into the mountains 3 miles to called Mystic Lake. It was really pretty. The hike was not too difficult, although in some places it was a little tricky. We had a picnic at the lake and then headed out. We spent about 5 hours on our trek. The scenery was amazing.


One day we drove through Bear Tooth Pass. We went beyond Bear Tooth Pass to a gorge about 30 minutes away. We spent about an hour in Red Lodge going to the shops and getting coffee. My favorite shop was the candy store. They had every kind of salt water taffy.


We also went white water rafting in Absarokee, MT. I was sooooo nervous. The guide took us on a small raft - we were the only people and he wanted to try it out. We wore wet suits so it wasn't cold at all, but I wasn't a fan of wearing a skin tight body suit either! At one point on the trip, we climbed up the river bank and jumped off of a small cliff. Pretty wild, I know. We saw a bald eagle nest and a ranch previously owned by Mel Gibson. It was a lot of fun, but my back was sore from rowing the next day.

On the way home I stopped to visit a friend who was expecting a baby. I was hoping that she would have the baby by the time I got there, but no such luck. Thirty minutes after I left her husband called me to say that her water had broken. What timing!

I had a great time visiting friends and gallivanting through the mountains.
I can't wait to go back!

I'm a runner?!?!

I ran in the Fargo 1/2 Marathon last Saturday. It was an amazing experience. The weather was less than desirable: windy and cold. I optimistically wore a tank top and shorts and I was regretting that decision until I got into the run a few miles and started breaking a sweat. I felt really good until about mile 11, at which point a feeling of desperation came over me as I became acutely aware of every muscle in my legs and bum. But when I saw the finish line and my friends standing off to the side I felt great. Of course as soon as I stopped I felt horrible, but it was worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Thanks to everyone who supported me during my training.