True confessions of a granola addict.

It has been a long-standing joke between Mr. Christiansen and myself that I am (a-hem) a little bit "granola." Now I know this term has multiple connotations--depending on who you are talking too--so I definitely don't mean to offend anyone. In fact, that's the joke. Mr. C sometimes calls me "granola" a wee bit accusatory (all in good fun) and I take it as a compliment. Here's a handful of reasons why, perhaps, he's right:

• I don't wear much (any?) make up. I don't even own much. When I do put some on (the occasional Sunday event) Mr. C compares it to adding salt to food. A little goes a long way in flavor... and too much can do the opposite. "Oh," he says, "you've sprinkled on some salt today!"
• I don't watch TV. We don't own a TV, in fact. Now I want you to know I have no problem with you owning and watching TV. Really, I don't. I don't think TVs are morally wrong (although for sure some of their shows are), I just don't want one. I'd much rather read a book, find out about the world on the internet, or watch a DVD on my laptop.
• I like to wear skirts. Mid week, in fact. Flowy, comfortable ones that look equally good with slip-on mary janes or flip flops (And I wish I currently had a few more that fit since my capris still aren't making the postpartum cut. Sigh.)
• I believe in whole foods. You know, lots of fruits and veggies. I think there is something morally wrong about Kraft singles cheese slices. Gross.
• I was super adamant about having a separate engagement ring and wedding band. Truth be told, that vast majority of the time I am a wedding-band-only kind of girl. I love the simplicity of it. How can I wash the dishes and change dirty diapers and (someday) weed the garden with a diamond getting dirty on my finger? (It definitely makes the diamond oh so special when I do where it)
  
• I have a hard time remembering to shave my legs ("AH!" you scream, "that is going too far!" The truth is, however, I am just not a hairy person. The fuzz I get after, oh, three weeks is often comparable to someone going three days. It's light and soft and hardly noticeable. I try to remember once a week. Really, if I didn't, you wouldn't know the difference. If I were hairy, I would shave.)
• Yes I did have a backyard wedding reception with daisies and vintage table clothes and handmade doilies on the tables. And I LOVED it. How did I walk away from that reception without a single vintage tablecloth, however? Someone tell mom I want one for my birthday this year too.
• I love the transcendentalists. Emerson. Thoreau. Annie Dillard (ok, so she wasn't an original transcendentalist, but Tinker Creek was practically Walden Pond. Oh how I love woods-romping ways!)
  
• I am a bit old fashioned sometimes. I like to dress Raymond in "day gowns." Or what Jeremy refers to as Man Dresses. They are just so smart. I love the homemade day gown Aunt Chris made. If I knew where my camera was I would take a picture for you. It's so beautiful I hardly want to put it on him.
• You've already learned that I've joined the cloth diaper revolution (although my main reason is much more for the economics than the environment... it does do my heart good to know of the environment saving benefits as well)
• Someday I really really want to live somewhere where there are multiple trees in my backyard, perhaps a small stream, some chickens, a trail or two. And wide open air to see the stars. Pretty pretty please. I pick Virginia, but there are other such nice places, I'm sure.
• I'm not afraid to take public transportation or to get where I need to go on my own two feet. I rode the bus in Provo for years. I loved the rickety old buses in Honduras. And I have actually walked to work the past 4 years more than driven (in Provo, Blanding, and Cedar City).
  
• For some reason that I have hard time articulating (even to myself), I felt very very strongly about wanting to have Raymond naturally. Not that I have any problem at all with epidurals (power to you)... I just could never imagine myself doing it. I really really needed to experience and be 100% a part of Raymond's birth. And holy smokes was it intense. But so very worth it. Even the nurse in the hospital refered to me as "100% whole wheat"!! Haha, Mr. C got a kick out of that one!
  
• I own chacos. They are by far the most comfortable sandle I've ever owned. What can beat high arch support while getting total breatheability?
  
• And yes, I actually eat granola. On a daily basis, in fact. And here's my favorite recipe for it:
  

toss:
6 cups oats
3/4 cups wheat germ (or some other hot cereal. I use Red Mill 10 grain)
1/2 cup oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut (optional)
1 cup nuts of choice (I rarely have any on hand, so this is optional too, I guess)
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (usually craisins and raisins for me... although when I can afford it I add dried blueberries, mangoes, and/or pineapples)

heat separately:
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cup honey
2 T water
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Mix it all together thoroughly. Bake on a large cookie sheet @300 degrees. Stir every 10 minutes for 30 minutes (although lately I have been stiring every 12-15 minutes for 40-45 to get a slightly crunchier granola. Mmmm)

ps. Did I really just share all these brutally honest things about myself? Can we still be friends?