yummy granola...

granola has become a favorite to make of late. i'm not sure if it's because i know it's healthy or what, but i sure enjoy it. it's very very tasty and easy to make. use what you have in your pantry. since i've been making granola, i always have a steady supply of ingredients. here's the latest recipe i've used

homemade chewy granola bars (revised from allrecipes.com)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (omit)
1/3 cup peanut butter (I use Kirkland creamy organic PB)
1/4 cup corn syrup (I use honey)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup sunflower kernels
1/4 cup raisins (or craisins, but raisins/craisins can be a bit sweet, so I cut down)
3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (I more than double this with both white and black seaseme)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (omit since I want a really healthy breakfast)

1.In a small mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in the oats, sunflower kernels, raisins, wheat germ and sesame seeds. Fold in chocolate chips.
2.Press into an 8-in. square baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until set and edges are browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. (I bake it on a tray with a silicon sheet at the bottom, works well)

I also usually double the recipe. It's a great breakfast, snack, or friend magnet! =)

_________ is in control

so often it's easy to forget this. there's been many good and big things happening in my life. there are also many opportunities and memories. one of these big things is happening in seven weeks (49 days) i'll be going on an adventure with 3 other adults and 12 high school students to another island off taiwan-penghu. i've been swimming in a lot of details and lots of unknowns.

i wish i knew all the details, i wish i knew what was going to happen, but i don't. the past two days i've had the privilege of praying with different people and the prayer has been "God is in control." yes He is, and so often i think i am. i think i have to figure it all out. there's too many i's. as is the "isfj" in me...my prayer has often been "Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right." that has been my prayer. my hope though is that i really learn to trust God and not try to control everything.

i think it shall stop here. if you get a chance, will you pray for this upcoming trip? not just the logistics, but also that the trip will advance God's kingdom and glorify God.

another update in the making.

every 6 months, I send out an update. one is electronic, the other is by mail. i'm in the midst of working on that.

did you receive my email update back in october? if not and you would like to receive my updates, please message me your email and also snail mail address.

reflection is good. God is faithful and good and always doing new things.

view of home.

i have to confess...i'm quite a mountain person. living in the pacific nw has helped me fall in love with the mountains and less of the city.

a view early this morning...took me back to seattle.

those mountains just look gorgeous! this is from the roof of our staff housing.

back at it...

blogs....i write so much at work...i wonder if that's why i'm not so tied to blogging. so this blog may just a stream of thoughts...

i've been baking more again! it's soo nice. i've decided to post some of my favorite recipes as i try them. come back see the musings of ellen and her new adventures in baking.

i really like this granola recipe from "in praise of leftovers"

"eat it every day granola"

Eat-it-Every-Day Granola

*The only thing this recipe has to have are the oats, oil, and sweetener. Everything else is optional and mix/match depending on what you like (or your kids don’t like) and what you have in your pantry. I sometimes add finely chopped crystallized ginger as well.

6 c. old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 c. flaxseed meal, sesame seeds, wheat germ, or combination of any 3 or 4 cups nuts and seeds–almonds (whole, slivered, or sliced), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pepitas, hazelnuts, pecans, etc.
1 or 2 c. coconut
1 ts. salt.
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, or combination of any
2 or 3 cups dried, roughly chopped fruit–apricots, cherries, figs, dates, blueberries, cranberries
Put racks in upper and lower thirds of oven preheat oven to 350.

Stir everything except the dried fruit together in a big bowl.

Spread mixture evenly on two large baking sheets with sides. If you have parchment paper, this would be a good time to use it. Bake, stirring granola and switching positions of sheets halfway through baking, until mixture is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. If you’re worried about burning, bake them one at a time.

Cool granola completely on sheets, then stir in dried fruit. Keep it in an airtight container and enjoy at least a week’s worth of delicious breakfasts. And give some away. You’ll start to have more friends on Facebook.

it's a really easy recipe and has been great for me to take to work. i've enjoyed it a lot! however, i've been wanting something more solid and not crumbly, so i'm trying a new recipe and it has peanut butter in it! i'll post it if it turns out any good! it's current baking in the oven for next week's breakfast!

phew! what a day...

okay....i'm just venting..and sharing my day..not complaining. i loved every part of my job and day! this only happens once in a blue moon!

7:00 i make breakfast! it was really good but i burnt my finger against the edge of the pan...so the next hour and half i kept blowing on it cause it hurt :(
7:15 arrive at work since i had a 7:30 video conference call. usually these meetings last 1 hour, but it slipped my mind this particular one is a 2 hour meeting!
9:30 at my desk, but got a phone call of someone who needed me to gather everything they needed for an event on saturday (since i was going to be gone for the weekend).
10:00 meeting with co-worker (in the middle of the meeting, i get asked to help another coworker before noon)...usually i don't get phone calls, i get 2 phone calls during this mtg.
11:15 i see i'm low on time before noon, meet another person...(i'm on my second cup of half a cup of coffee, which ...NEVER happens)
12:10....lunch time. it's thursday....so we eat together as an office (i microwave my food...open it, realized it's the wrong tupperware, go home, switch tupperwares, open it slightly, then get tow work..right before mircowaving it, i realize....hm....wrong tupperware..finally i go back with the right tupperware)
lunch was nice though, siting with co-workers...alll of us were there too! which is RARE....and we got to see a slideshow of chile, post-earthquake shots, volcanoes, easter island...makes me wanna travel!! by now i'm really thinking..i deserve a bubble tea today!
1:00 back to work! rewrite an article...
meet with someone else
meet with another person......check in with our tech guy....and now i'm running low on time...since i have a meeting at 4:15. i'm in a meeting and looking at the clock tick 4:12... i run over to campus where my meeting is (pushing aside the fact that i have overdue library books)...to find out that it was 4:02...so i walk back and grab my library books and saunter over to my meeting.

my meeting was really good. went back to work for a bit..but i did enjoy a good dinner...i was able to get two pairs of linen mossimo pants for 3.50 each!

praise...i did get my bubble tea! my coworker needed to go to the post office, so she bought one for me :)

long, stressful, tiring day, but still good :)

and i'm almost all packed for my trip to the philipppines!

my office!

i'm having a really hard time posting on here with pictures. it won't look exactly the way i want it! that's the design side of my going crazy!

here's the entrance at my office, what you see when you first walk in.


next, is the kitchen! yay for microwaves, hot water, and fridge!


this is the place we sign in and out for work :) i was out of office on monday, returning on tuesday!


down the hall....


turn... first the work room with our mailboxes, copier, and supplies


viola....here's my space!


here's my name:




here's the website to some of the articles i've written for work. this is the electronic format and not the nice pdf verisons. the print verisons look a lot nicer!

http://www.mca.org.tw/publications-front-page.html