Easy Homemade Granola Bars

This is the granola bar recipe I make my family.  They make nice, sturdy bars that travel well in lunch boxes and toddler hands. . . and they taste good.

Easy Granola Bars

2 cups oatmeal
1 cup white or whole wheat flour
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup wheat germ (if you don't have any just add extra oatmeal or flour)
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 to 1 cup dried fruit (my kids like dried cherries the best in this)
1/2 tsp salt

Mix dry ingredients together.  Then add:

1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup oil
1 egg

Mix it all together and spread it into a 9 x 13 greased pan.  Pat it all down firmly.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Then you get this deliciousness.

Doll tights from socks

My daughters are in love with their 18 inch dolls.  I am not in love with the price of accessories for them.  I saw a video about making tights for dolls from socks and figured I'd give it a try since the cheapest tights I could find them were $3 a pair on Amazon.

So this is what I started out with.  A pair of men's dress socks.  The video I saw recommended knee socks but I happened to have these from a free Target coupon deal so I figured I could make do.  Each sock will make a pair of tights so you will get two pairs from each set of socks.  Target has some really cute women's knee socks for $3.  They come in a bunch of colors and patterns.

So first I measured the sock on the doll.  Make sure the ankle band of the sock is above the doll's waist and then give it a little extra at the bottom so there will be room for her feet.

And cut your sock off there.  Now you turn your sock inside out and lay it back on your doll.  Change the fold so that the center back of the heel is the center back of your tube.  If you use knee socks you will have cut off above the heel section so you wouldn't have to do that.

Once again, make sure the ankle band is above the doll's waist.  If you don't her derriere is going to hang out of the finished product (believe me that happened on my first attempt).  Mark with a pin where her crotch is and then pin down the center of your tube.

Now sew a seam down from the crotch a little off center.  When you get to the bottom make a gentle curve and sew to the folded edge.  Then turn it over and do the same thing on the other side starting your seam at the top of your other seam and then gently sew a bit off center again so you have room to cut between your seams.

Cut your sock up to where your seams meet at the crotch. You can trim your feet a little too if they need it.  Then turn your tights right side out.

And here she is sporting her new tights.  This was really a lot easier then I thought it was going to be and only took about 10 minutes.

Then, if you don't want to waste the sock portion you cut off you can make a skirt or tank top.  The skirt is just a tube and the tank top just needs a neck line and arm holes cut into it.  No sewing required for either.

My kids were impressed.

Festival Foods February 9-15

Store Coupon Items:

Hoffman House Shrimp or Tartar sauce $0.98 limit 1

Essential Everyday Sour Cream $0.88 limit 1

Festival Large Eggs $0.98 limit 1

Whole Baby Bella Mushrooms $0.98 limit 1

Fresh white or wheat bread $0.98 limit 2

Johnsonville Pork Links $1.98 limit 2

Fresh Strawberries $1.28 limit 1

Palermo’s Classics Pizza $1.88 limit 10

Barrel O Fun Potato Chips $1.98 limit 3

Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage $1.98 limit 1

6 pack Coke products $2.48 limit 4

Stouffer’s Lasagna $4.98 limit 2

Pepsi products $3.33 limit 3

Kretshmar Turkey off of the bone $5.48/lb limit 1 lb

Sara Lee white or honey wheat bread $1.88 limit 2

Other Good Deals:

 

Creamette Lasagna or Egg Noodles $1.29

Dannon Light n Fit Yogurt 4 pack $1.50

Era 2x Laundry Detergent $2.50

Fritos, Cheets, Kettle Potato Chips $2.50

Oreo Cookies $2.50

Essential Everyday Macaroni and Cheese $0.40

Braeburn apples $0.88/lb

Louis Kemp Imitation Crab and Lobster $0.99

Progresso Vegetable Classics Soup $1.00

Sargento Off the Block Shredded Cheese $2.00

Green Giant baby carrots $0.78

Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli cuts or Rice selects $1.00

Multi Grain Dinner Rolls $1.48

Festival Foods February 2-8

Internet Only Coupon:

 

Arm and hammer $1.88

Store Coupon Items:

 

Hall’s cough drops $0.99 limit 2 $0.50 off two coupon

Flavorite Chunk Light Tuna $0.49 limit 3

Creamette Pasta $0.69 limit 1

Essential Everyday egg noodles $0.99 limit 2

Prego Pasta sauce $0.99 limit 1

12 double roll Scott bath tissue $3.99 limit 1

Dole Bananas $0.28/lb limit 3 lbs

Bar S Jumbo Franks $0.88 limit 2

Essential Everyday Saltines $0.98 limit 2

Orv’s Rizers or Bernatellos Pizza $2.88 limit 10

Kemps Ice Cream pail $3.99 limit 1

Scott Mega Roll paper towels $3.99 limit 1

Other Good Deals:

 

Essential Everyday cottage cheese $1.88

4 lb bag of oranges $1.88

Skippy Peanut Butter $1.98

General Mills Large Cereals $2.49 limit 6 various coupons

Kemps Gallon Chocolate Milk $2.88

24 oz Essential Everyday ketchup $0.69

Flavorite Grape Jelly $1.39

Cantaloupe $1.98

Chicken noodle or Tomato soup $0.49

Freshlike Frozen vegetables $0.88