bathtub snorkeling

it's good to be home.

thank you, mom,

for holding down the fort.

♥

p.s.

i'll get some vacation photos posted here soon.

~ manta ray night dive ~

we did a manta ray night dive.

{see the company we went through here}

it was amazing.  i still can't believe it.

in the ocean,

in the dark,

swimming with wild animals.

over 200 manta rays have been named
by local divers.
you can see "lefty" in the video below
{she has a broken left cephalic lobe}.
we swam with her.

♥

p.s. the morning of our night dive,

we swam with dolphins with the same folks here.

~ aloha ~

 

i could get used to this

♥

p.s.
have a look at my special souvenir 

i get to bring home some vana

{hawaiian sea urchin} whose spines

should dissolve in about 2 weeks.

awesome.

in the meantime,

i'm telling myself that it is delivering 

magical nutrients and minerals.

fun stuff on the horizon

i'll tell you about it in a bit.

today, i had my hair dyed just a little.

the very subtlest ombre.

just days after my friend, angie, did it.

there's fun stuff happening soon.

♥

sweet sleeping baby art

this is totally something i would do.

see her blog here.

♥

field trip :: ag expo

today, ned's class took a field trip

to the agricultural expo at meridian high school.

i sat with ty & ned on the bus

there were lots of awesome animals

some cowboys

this beautiful saddle blanket

that i would hang on the wall

some spooky taxidermy

do you see the way that mountain lion is looking at everyone?

farm equipment in one of my favorite colors

and a funny video

{see what they are laughing about below}

♥

almond butter chocolate pretzel granola bars

i found this recipe at how sweet it is.

it is really good.

i made a few changes, 

like almond butter in place of peanut butter,

and kashi puffs in place of puffed rice.

plus, i always try to pare recipes down

to the simplest possible directions.

so, there ya go.

your new favorite granola bar recipe.

you're welcome.

almond butter chocolate pretzel granola bars

ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup kashi 7 whole grain puffs cereal

1 cup crushed salted pretzels

½ cup chopped dry roasted almonds

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup ground flaxseed

¼ cup brown sugar

⅔ cup almond butter

3 Tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon honey

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

directions:

preheat oven to 350°.

combine oats, puffs, pretzels, peanuts, flour, flaxseed, and brown sugar.

add almond butter & mix well.

add melted butter & vanilla & honey. 

fold in chocolate chips.

butter a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

press dough into the pan.

bake 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.

cool completely before cutting.

post edit:
- other changes & additions -
swapped the chopped peanuts for chopped almonds.
i like to add shredded coconut & cacao nibs.
dang, these are good.

my other favorite granola bar recipe is here.

♥