Creativity

There must be something to the Ground hog's Day lifestyle of parenting that makes us crave creativity or accomplishing something concrete.  95% of the day is spent doing the same thing, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.  But to accomplish something above and beyond the daily routine always feels so satisfying.  I think that's why so many mom's scrapbook or re-arrange furniture or elaborately re-paint.  For me it ranges from wanting to set up my easel and pick up my paint brush (which likely won't happen until I get around to taking some refresher studio art classes) to baking a loaf of bread to wanting to plant something beautiful to look at.

Today I copied my daughter's brownie troop try-it project: Recipe for a Miniworld (page 100 of the Brownie Try Its book).  At first when she brought her project home from brownies I was annoyed.  A jar full of dirt and dead leaves that will sit on my counter indefinitely?!  But it grew on me.  I liked looking at it when I washed dishes.  When Elsa got overzealous with a new duster shaped like a sword and I got to clean up not only dirt, rocks and dead leaves but broken glass too:)  But I missed that silly jar so today I braved the misty rains and put together a new one out of the woods in my back yard.  I'd hung onto a neatish milk jar thinking I could re-use it in some way.  Here it is:

I'll bet it grows in nice and pretty full of misty rains inside the jar. 

Plus it encouraged me to get outside and breathe some fresh air. 

To make it: you pick a jar, toss in 2 handfuls of rock, 2 handfuls of dirt, a couple dead leaves, some moss if you can find some, little plants that you can find, put in a few drops of water then put the lid on.  It should be self contained and not need any water or weeding:)  My kind of plants!

Next up, fudgy oatmeal bars.  I'm sure I'll snack on one or two while I contemplate tackling my nightmarish pantry...

FUDGY OATMEAL BARS
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking or regular oats
1 package (12 ounces) Nestle semi-sweet real chocolate morsels
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°. Grease jelly roll pan, 15½x10½x1 inch. Mix brown sugar, 1 cup butter, the eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt; stir in oats. Reserve 1/3 of the oatmeal mixture. Press remaining oatmeal mixture in pan.

Heat chocolate morsels, milk and 2 tablespoons butter in 2-quart bowl in the microwave 3 minutes.  Stir until smooth- add more time if needed to get all the morsels melted. Remove from heat; stir in nuts (or pretzels), 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread over oatmeal mixture in pan. Drop reserved oatmeal mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls onto chocolate mixture. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. While warm, cut into bars, about 2×1 inch.

70 cookies.

Enjoy.