G R A N O L A(including a pumpkin spice variation!)

Over the past several months, I have gotten into the habit of making granola on a regular basis. It's a delicious breakfast that both my husband and I enjoy served with milk or over greek yogurt. I have shared in my instagram stories about making it, and had some people asked for the recipe. Well, ask and you shall receive! Here's my standard granola recipe, followed by a scrumptious pumpkin spice variation to celebrate autumn.

// G R A N O L A //

// INGREDIENTS //

4 cups oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup honey

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (Fahrenheit). Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

Meanwhile, in a microwave safe container, warm the honey and coconut oil for 45 seconds in the microwave. Mix well. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and stir until combined.

Pour the warmed honey mixture over the granola and stir until the oats mixture is well-coated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread mixture evenly onto the lined baking sheet.

Bake the granola in your preheated oven for 7 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and gently toss the granola to ensure even baking. Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 7 minutes or until the granola is golden brown.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Allow the granola to cool completely before storing it in an air-tight container.

Serve with your favorite milk or top a bowl of yogurt with a few generous spoonfuls. We enjoy adding dried cranberries to ours - delicious! Fresh fruit would be yummy, too.

As for my pumpkin spice variation...

// PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA INGREDIENTS //

4 cups oats

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup chopped pecans

3 Tablespoons flaxseed

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup honey

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice

Otherwise, simply follow the instructions as directed above. On a cool autumn morning, a bowl of this granola with a cup of warm coffee is enough to make me smile. Hope it will make you + yours smile, too.

Enjoy! 

7QT {no. 33}babymooning, thanking you & preparing for advent

{1}
We had a great babymoon to Vermont last weekend! It was so nice to get out of the city and have some special time together as husband and wife.

{2}
Vermont is absolutely beautiful. I just adore the New England area. Even though the leaves were past peak that far north, we saw some beautiful foliage on our drive from NYC (we took the scenic route - so fun!). And the views in VT were not bad either, as you can see:

{3}
One of the trip highlights was lots of delicious food. ;) We tasted Cabot cheese, went to a cider mill for hot cider and donuts, and ate at yummy restaurants. We also went on the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour, which meant ice cream at 10:45 a.m. - but it's never too early for ice cream on a babymoon, right?

{flavor of choice: salted caramel blondie - yes, please!}

We feel really blessed to have had the time and resources to enjoy our little getaway. What a gift!

{4}
Speaking of gifts, I have to say thank you to each and every one of you who donated or prayed for our birthday gift for Thomas Gianna, a fundraiser for the National Gianna Center for Women. Here is the final total on our gift:

Wow! What a great total. We are blown away by your generosity. I can't wait to give the Gianna Center this gift next week. Thank you for joining us in honoring our first child, and for helping so many other women, children and families here in NYC. You are a blessing, and we are so very grateful for you.

{5}
We had our twenty-week ultrasound this week (even though I am now a little over twenty-one weeks pregnant now). Everything is looking good for the baby at this point - praise God! We do have to go back in a couple weeks for a follow-up because they couldn't get our sweet, stubborn baby to move for a good view of part of the brain. We also know whether our little babe is a he or a she! So exciting! I promise to share with you after we have a gender reveal party next Saturday.

{6}

Proud daughter moment: 

Isn't it lovely? This sweet cross-stitch piece was designed by my mother and her dear friends who own a design company called The Trilogy. To find out where they might carry this nativity design in a cross-stitch shop near you, click here and search for your state. A perfect piece to stitch for your home, or to gift a friend this Christmas.

{7}
Can you believe the first week of November has already come and gone? It seems like time always goes so quickly in this season each year. Advent is right around the corner!

Have you heard about the Blessed is She Advent Journal? It's a beautiful resource that was lovingly created to inspire your heart during this special church season. Included in the journal are the Sunday readings {with room to take notes on homilies}, inspirational saints for each week, a page for every day of advent with the daily readings listed and room for journaling - and more!

{click here}

Click on over to order your journal in time for Advent, and don't forget to share this resource with your friends, family, and members of your Parish community!

Also, Blessed is She will be hosting a twitter chat on prayer this Monday, November 10 at 9pm EST.

Hope to see you there! {be sure to follow @blessedisshe__ &  me, too @inendlesssong}

Wishing you a beautiful weekend. And don't forget to stop by our gracious host Jen's for more takes!

Sign up to receive {in endless song} blog posts via e-mail (see the sidebar), subscribe via bloglovin' or your favorite blogreader, and follow me on twitter & instagram.

5 Favorites {no. 13} pumpkin edition!

This week's edition of five favorites is dedicated to my pumpkin favorites from dear ol' Trader Joe's. No, this post is not sponsored. I just love Trader Joe's and all the pumpkin things, so I wanted to share!

{1}

pumpkin waffles // These frozen waffles are not only delicious, but a quick & easy breakfast -

just toast and enjoy!

{2}

pumpkin cranberry crisps // I forget which lovely blogger pointed me towards these delights, but they are a super delicious treat that make me feel a little fancy. Especially when I eat them with my favorite cheese, brie. (Pasteurized only for this pregnant momma. P.S. 20 weeks today!!)

{3}

this pumpkin walks into a bar...cereal bars // I have been throwing one of these into my purse as I head into the city for a long day. They make a great snack, and they're pumpkin-y delicious!

{4}

organic pumpkin {canned} // Please excuse my already open can of pumpkin. This stuff is not only yummy, but reasonably priced (thank you, TJ!). I have made pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, and can't wait to make some pumpkin pie...the possibilities are endless!

{5}

dark chocolate speculoos cookie butter cups // This was supposed to be pumpkin spice granola, but I ate it all before I remembered to snap a picture. If my Trader Joe's carried their super amazing pumpkin pancake mix this year that surely would have made the top of this list. So, as a stand in, I give you Trader Joe's dark chocolate speculoos cookie butter cups. Need I say more, friends? Warning: These are dangerous. Very, very dangerous.

What are your pumpkin favorites? Or Trader Joe's faves? Pretty please - share in the comments!

{Bonus! An update!}

We have been given $300 more in donations since Friday's post. Only two days left and $885 to go! Please consider giving to this worthy cause, especially as Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month draws to a close. Every $1, $5, $10 - or any amount you can give - really helps! Click here {or follow the link in the sidebar} for more info or to make a donation. God bless you for prayerfully considering!

And, in case you missed it - all proceeds from these new prints in my etsy shop go to our birthday gift fundraiser for the next two days only. 

This one would make a great Thanksgiving gift for a family member, friend or your dinner host:

Okay, that's all for today, dear friends - thanks for stopping by...

And don't forget to click over here for more favorites! Thank you for hosting, Jenna!

Sign up to receive {in endless song} blog posts via e-mail (see the sidebar), subscribe via bloglovin' or your favorite blogreader, and follow me on twitter & instagram.

7 Quick Takes {no. 30}

Joining Jen and more for seven quick takes - thank you so much for hosting us every week, Jen!

{1}

It's been a week of fall weather here in NYC - some rain, some sunshine, and lots of cool breezes. Last weekend was the open house at Michael's campus of Columbia. It was so nice to get out of the city and see some of the colorful foliage.

 And, of course, I always love spending time with this handsome guy.

{2}

Yesterday was the feast of St. Gerard, patron saint of expectant mothers. We had cannoli for dessert in honor of his Italian heritage. 

O good St. Gerard, powerful intercessor before God

and wonder-worker of our day, I call upon thee and seek thy aid. 

Thou who on earth didst always fulfill God's design,

help me to do the holy will of God.

Beseech the Master of Life, from whom all paternity proceedeth

to render me fruitful in offspring, that I may raise up children to God

in this life and heirs to the kingdom of His glory in the world to come. Amen.

{3}
I have a very important prayer request for you: would you please pray for the repose of the soul of a dear family friend who died earlier this week? I would also especially appreciate prayers for his devoted wife and three daughters at this terribly difficult time. Thank you so much for your prayers.

{4}

I've been working on something special for my etsy shop, {with joy calligraphy}. I will continue to offer handwriting for invitations and escort cards, but I am adding something new: art prints. Here's a sneak peak at my rough sketches:

What do you think? Be sure to check back in my shop soon for these (and more) new items. And let me know if there are any prayers or quotations you'd especially love to have!

{5}

Baby Howe is continuing to grow and grow (according to my growing belly, that is). I am just over eighteen weeks now, and am so looking forward to feeling him/her move around in there! Sometimes I think I feel movement, but I'm not 100% certain just yet. If you've had a baby, do you remember how far along you were when you started to feel your sweet blessing move around in there?

{6}

Last week we were at $265 for the amount raised for the Gianna Center in memory of Thomas Gianna's upcoming due date. Thanks to a few very generous donors, here's where we are today:

Over a quarter of the way there! Woohoo!! We are so thankful! 

There are still two weeks left to donate - the deadline is October 31, 2014, our baby's due date.
Thank you for praying for the success of the Gianna Center's campaign and for considering donating.

{7}

Our weekend looks relatively low key (which I am looking forward to!). The great purge of 2014 will continue as we try to make space for the baby in our one-room apartment. Always exciting!

Wishing you a most beautiful weekend filled with blessings...

Sign up to receive {in endless song} blog posts via e-mail (see the sidebar), subscribe via bloglovin' or your favorite blogreader, and follow me on twitter & instagram.

7 Quick Takes {no. 29}a science fair, a pumpkin, a bump & a treat

Linking up with Jen & friends for another edition of 7QT!

{1}
In case you missed it, yesterday I posted an update on our birthday gift for Thomas Gianna. We are very thankful to have received one very generous donation since then, so here is today's update:

Still a ways to go! Every little bit helps. Thank you so much for spreading the word, saying a prayer, or giving. You're the best.

{2}

If you live in the Greater NYC area and you are looking for something fun to do tomorrow, come out to Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Open House, October 11 from 10-4. There will be lots of cool science stuff for all ages, and I'll be there with Michael!

{3}

This sweet little pumpkin brings me a lot of joy, so I wanted to share it with you. Doesn't the stem have so much character? I love it.

{4}
A little photo bumpdate for you:

We heard the baby's heartbeat again at our OB appointment this week - what a beautiful sound to this momma's ears. We also scheduled our twenty week ultrasound - we can hardly wait!

{5}
This pillow came in the mail today. I have high hopes it will be helpful now and in the coming months as I'm getting a little uncomfortable sleeping (I imagine this is only the beginning!). I'll be sure to let you know if it helps!

{6}
Last week I made these:

I like my rice krispy treats homemade, classic, plain & simple - nothing added. It is probably a good thing that I often forget just how easy they are to make! 

{7}
Now I'm off to try this recipe - check my instagram later today to see how they come out!

Have a great weekend!

pretty, happy, funny, real {with an update!}

Happy Thursday! So glad you're here. It's been too long since I've done a {p, h, f, r} post. Delighted to be linking up with Rosie & many more over at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

{pretty & happy}
Have you seen the posts that are a part of Bonnie's awesome Autumn in My Home blog hop? The blog posts are so much fun, and so very lovely. Sharing the beauty of homemaking is such a wonderful idea, so I hope it's okay if I give you a little peek into what autumn in my humble home looks like:

This kind of seasonal decorating brings me so much joy!

{funny}
Yesterday I reached an exciting pregnancy milestone, friends: On my commute home from work someone offered me their seat on the subway train. (For those of you who may be new around here, it might be helpful to know that I live in New York City.) His kindness was much appreciated, I must say! I guess I must be starting to show a little more obviously these days. Of course, the person who offered me his seat was an elderly gentleman with a cane! I wouldn't take his seat, since he appeared to need it more than me, but when the young woman next to him noticed what was going on, she offered me her seat, which prompted the gentleman next to her to stand up and offer his seat as well. As the train announcement says, "Courtesy is contagious, and it begins with you!" :)

{real}
And now for the update: A week ago today, I posted about our birthday gift for our first child, Thomas Gianna, who is now in heaven. Here's a little graphic to show how things are progressing:

{$2,335 to go. Please join us!}

First and foremost, we are so very grateful for the gifts we have received. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who have given. 

As you can see, we still have a long way to go! Would you consider joining us? Or sharing this opportunity with your friends? Every little bit helps! We so appreciate your time, and your prayerful support, too.

Wishing you a beautiful and blessed October day...

Sign up to receive {in endless song} blog posts via e-mail (see the sidebar), subscribe via bloglovin' or your favorite blogreader, and follow me on twitter & instagram.