A Mellow Monday

  Today was everything a Monday should be....pleasant weather, quiet and peaceful outside, and I accomplished a LOT.

3 loaves, all in all.  Made with a combination of bread flour, whole wheat flour and rye flour.  It turned out better than any bread I've made in a while.


   Then  (or, first, actually) I made 2 batches of granola bars, one for my son and one for here.  They are really good too, and chock full of 3 kinds of fruit that I dried (apples, blueberries and cranberries) plus raisins, walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, raw sunflower seeds, coconut,  flax seeds,and oatmeal and honey, barley malt syrup and butter.  Thinking I might try using coconut oil next time. They look like this:

 And then get cut into this:

  And wrapped.  Each batch makes 16-18 bars.  I roughly figured it out that it costs about 3 dollars to make a batch. And that's a very rough estimate, since I'm always buying things on sale and stashing them in my pantry and never know from one time to the next what I might have paid...lol


  I'm thinking I need to figure out how to incorporate some peanut butter into them,. Wouldn't that be good ?


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  I also made a blackberry pie, since my husband has been hinting around about how good one would taste.  lol  I found some 2 year old blackberries in the freezer that needed using, and VOILA!  Pie.


  We had leftovers for supper, the last of the adzuki beans and some jasmine rice, fresh bread with butter and a small green salad.  Because they needed to get eaten, and because by suppertime, I was about cooked OUT.  lol


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  I finished my book by Elizabeth Hay..A Student of Weather. Excellent reading.  I kept thinking I had read this before, but now, having finished it, I'm not so sure.   The characters were exquisite. The story is set between Saskatchewan, Ontario and New York.  Loved it.


  Now--what's the next read? Possibly Rush Home Road, by Lori Lansens  or maybe, The Hour I First Believed, by Wally Lamb.  Hmmmm.....


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  I found a station on the tv satellite that is all Guitar and Piano music and that is what was on all day. I turned the computer off around lunchtime and spent the rest of the day listening to music, reading and baking.  It was extraordinarily relaxing.  I have a few set plans for tomorrow- some errands to run and some chores to do--but mostly it might be a day of working outside, getting some grass mowed, getting some branch teepee trellises set up. Whatever it turns out to be, I'm going slow and easy through it, just like I did today.  :)


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  Might be having a visit form baby brother and family in the middle of the week...better get the house straightened around, just in case.  lol  Have a massage and reflexology treatment scheduled for Wednesday morning, not a minute too soon.  My back and neck are hurting pretty good.


  Talked to my youngest sister a while today too.  She's busy working and all is well on that end. I will be seeing her this weekend, hopefully.


  The baby chicks are growing like weeds. The signs of spring are inescapable  and I am ready for more outside time and lots of sunshine.  Sounds good to me.  lol


  For now, I am off to bed. To sleep--perchance to dream.


  Hope you all had a relaxing Monday too...




Namaste.