Author: Lee Reynolds

Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake~Dimes from Heaven

/ Lee Reynolds

Have you ever found a penny or a dime and felt that it was a sign just for you? If you have read my blog, you know that I have a thing for feathers. At least I used to find feathers all the time when I was on the journey to having our children. Every time I found a feather, and I used to find a lot of them, the feeling in my heart was that my dream would come true. Just hang on and trust. I’m now abundantly blessed with a large family.

This week, I have not been finding feathers…but something totally different and very unexpected. I live in Canada where we have several coins for our  lowest currency.. We have pennies (1 cent) of course but last year the government discontinued them since they were costing too much to produce. However, there are still pennies everywhere. Then we nickles (5 cents), dimes (10 cents), quarters (25 cents) a loonie (one dollar value) and finally, a toonie (2 dollar value).

As I tell you my story, keep in mind that while we have many different kinds of coins in our country, finding them in our home is a rare thing. We aren’t one of families who has loose change just lying around. The kids are always asking for change for fundraisers at school, or a bit of spending money if they are out with friends. I’m also looking for quarters and loonies to park in our downtown core which is all metered parking. Also, in the era of using debit cards, we hardly ever use cash in our day to day transactions, so finding ANY coins is actually rare in our home.

This week though, a very mysterious event has been occurring. I have been finding dimes. Not just one or two but dozen of them!!!

At first, when I would come upon one, I just thought cool, a dime and I’d pop it in jean pocket. But then, it happened again and again. I would be going through a box and at the bottom of the box, I would find a dime. When I moved a piece of furniture, since I’m not just de-cluttering but I’m trying to do some deep cleaning as I go along, I find a dime. Or for instance today, as I was moving my son’s bunk bed in order to vacuum underneath, I found lots of stuff. Several missing socks, some used kleenex, I know, gross, and you guessed it, another dime.

The weirdest moment, was when I was down in our crawl space (where there is NO money) and I was going through our daughter Alyssa’s stored boxes. She is teaching in the U.K. for the next two years but she will be home for 10 days this summer to attend her best friend’s wedding. I know she will not have a lot of time so I thought I would sort through her clothes, wash them all, iron them and pack them away, organized in season so she could find her summer clothes easily. As I was lifting up one of her boxes, I heard something clink on the concrete. As I looked under the box, yep, there was another dime shining in the dim light.

That night after dinner, as everyone was finishing up, I told my family what I had been experiencing. The kids were teasing me but my husband thought it was interesting and asked what I thought it meant. I told him that I thought, just like with my feathers, it was a sign from my angels.

In my heart what I hear is, “Hope, everything is okay, money is coming.”

As the kids filtered out of the kitchen all laughing at how weird their mom was for believing dimes were a sign from heaven, David Googled what dimes mean and guess what he found? Here is the link but basically, I was RIGHT ON. Dimes are signs from heaven that our angels and loved ones who have passed on, support us on our journey and want us to know that they are here for us cheering us on.

Are you interesting in reading more about coins being a way for a spiritual connection? Check out this hyperlink….Finding Dimes and Pennies. It’s amazing!

It gives me shivers thinking about how many dimes I have now found in the last 2 weeks. I have a little silver basket full of them now but here is a picture of a few that I have found over the course of only a few days.

What do you think? It is kind of whoo, whoo!

Last weekend, my sister invited us over for dinner and since it had been her birthday only a few days before, I brought her a chocolate mocha cheesecake to celebrate. Something to put the birthday candles on, something she can wish upon as she blows them out. In her card, I had given her one of my dimes, but in hindsight, I wished I had wrapped a few of the dimes in tin foil and put them in the cheesecake. My mom used to do that with her plum pudding at Christmas time and whoever got a coin got a wish.

I think in the future, I’m going to call my chocolate mocha cheesecake, my angel cheesecake and put some dimes inside. Maybe it can be a fun tradition and memory for my family. We can tell the story of the time mom was getting direct messages from her angels. Maybe it will open my children up to the mysteries of our connection with our loved ones who have passed on and our angels. At least our older children because the younger ones, especially Will, totally get this stuff.

I think my mom is really excited for me as I de-clutter and she wants me to know how happy she is that I am letting go of stuff in favour of a richer life. And at the very least, it will be a fun story to tell as we eat this cheesecake. It has already brought some light and fun into our house as we continued to do more work this morning Harrison yelled out, “Hey mom, I just found a quarter. Guess that’s my coin from the angels.”

Anyway, back to the cheesecake. It worked really well with the dinner J and B made the other night. Thanks J and B for the delicious salmon and scallop dinner. The asparagus, roasted carrots, potatoes and your garlic spread on the french bread was divine. EVERYTHING was so delicious! And J, your  wishes and dreams are already coming true.

I hope you will try out my cheesecake recipe. It’s so easy and tastes like you have slaved away. A perfect light dessert after a spring dinner.

Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake or….Angel Cheesecake recipe

Crust Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa (fryers)


Mix all really well, reserve 1/2 cup for topping and press the rest into 9″ spring form pan

Filling

8 ounce cream cheese
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup chocolate syrup
1 tbsp instant coffee (mixed with 1 tsp hot water)
1 cup whipped cream

Beat cream cheese til fluffy, add can of sweetened condensed milk, 2/3 cup chocolate syrup, 1 tbsp of instant coffee in 1 tsp of hot water.
Whip 1 cup of whipping cream and fold into the rest of the filling ingredients.
As you fold in the whipping cream, put a few dimes wrapped in tinfoil for your family to find. Whoever finds a dime can make a wish and put it in their pocket for luck.

Pour into spring form pan and top with remaining crumbs. 
Decorate with pecan pieces…I also used bits of Scor pieces with the remaining crumbs…giving it a slight toffee taste.
Freeze over night.

Pull out 1/2 hour before serving, cut and serve.

If you want to hear more about Dimes and signs from our angels and our loved ones, check out Ada May Brown’s Youtube message.

Keep your heart open. Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Blessings from Hope       

Minimalism Journey

/ Lee Reynolds

For the last two weeks I have been swimming through the muck and mire of our worldly possessions. Some days, I felt like I was drowning and other times, as I found my stroke, the waves parted and I could see the white shores of home. As I write this though, I’m finally over the hump and I wanted to share a part of the journey with you. .

The title of this blog came from my daughter, Grace, who along with my son Harrison, has been helping me de-cluttering over Spring Break. They helped me keep the fires burning, so I could climb the mountain of baby and childhood memorabilia. BOXES and boxes of them.

My idea originally, was that each child would have a Rubbermaid box with all their baby keepsakes. You know the outfit they came home the from hospital in, their first stuffed lovie, their favourite blanket, the outfit they wore as they had their first formal portrait, their first shoes, well, you get the picture.

Then there was another Rubbermaid box for their childhood memories. All their certificates, little trophies, awards, ribbons, their report cards, their school pictures. The older children had two full boxes since they are out of both phases now and even have graduation caps and gowns.

When we had just two and three children, the storage required for these boxes wasn’t a big deal but with 8 children now, the boxes of memorabilia is a big deal. Also, and probably a bigger issue was when I went through my own memorabilia box and let go of everything recently, even my wedding dress. It was then, that I realized keeping our past in a box wasn’t necessary.

The memories weren’t in the box. They weren’t in the things stored away. They were and always will be in my heart.

What kind of gift was I giving my children by keeping these things? Also, most of this were things they didn’t even have a memory of themselves.

Keeping the things meant I had to find a place to store the items and then take the time occasionally to sift through the stuff or move it around. In my case, I can’t even count how many times I have moved this stuff as we moved again and again over the years. It took time out of my life to pick it up, pack it away and then move it. Why was I moving around stuff from my past?

That brings me to “Humpty Dumpty.”

Humpty Dumpty was given to my mother as a vase for some flowers she received after my birth.

It’s OLD!

When I got married and we bought our first house my mom gave me Humpty Dumpty. She must have been relieved to say good bye to him. Ever since then, he has been in the vase cupboard in my kitchen. Have I ever used him? No! Does he bring joy to me when I look at him. Ummm, not really.

Part of the reason I kept him all these years was that my mother kept him for 20 something years and I can’t even count how many household moves she experienced to keep him in the family and for some strange reason, I felt like I had to keep the tradition going as well.

As you may know, my mom passed away 3 years ago. When she left, I hung onto many things of her’s and also memories from my childhood were really important to me. I think I have a glimpse into why other people may become hoarders…because they are in a state of grief and can’t let go.

I’m happy to say that is not me. I smiled at Humpty one last time and took him out to the garage where he will go into a pile of things that others may see the value in.  Old crap. He is after all a 1/2 century old and the glaze and paint on him are unique to that time. Maybe someone will love him. He is missing his gloved hand though. Still I have to give him a chance don’t I? Another home…but if no one wants him after the garage sale, I won’t have any problem saying good bye.

It’s time. And with that, I’m over the “hump.” As I realized this, I was telling Grace and Harrison that I had finally gotten over a really important step in the de-cluttering process and Grace looked at me holding Humpty and said, “Mom, you are over the hump!” We all had a good laugh. Maybe she should be writing my blog because I thought that was a good play on words and the perfect title for this blog post.

After that, I pulled up Will’s old high chair from storage, which I had been saving for a someday grand baby. Along with that came the cute pack ‘n play that we bought for the twin’s early days home from the hospital.

And after that, I had the children who were home help me pick the things that were special to them and guess what?

None of them wanted their version of the Humpty Dumpty in their baby boxes. Whew!

Smart kids! I have been reading a lot about moving towards minimalism and it’s not always an easy thing to do when you share a home with other people. What is recommended though is to inspire others by example. It hasn’t taken long, as the kids and even my husband are on board, Well, okay, maybe not my University son, living at home, but hey, he’s right in the middle of mid term exams etc and says he can’t even think about the stuff around him. Fair enough. In the meantime, we are being good examples…and smiling.

After that other memorabilia really flew.

David let go of many of his trophies years ago but we had kept the ones that held the best memories.

This week we snapped a picture of him with the remaining trophies. (he used to play baseball and was also a championship skeet shooter in his late teens) Those memories and aspects of himself are not in the trophies, but inside himself. Also, I think when the kids saw him letting go of these physical recognition awards, they realized, we aren’t those things. We are successful without accolades. Success and happiness are inside of each of us.

After the Humpty insight, I felt lighter and happier. Like how one feels after climbing an long and arduous climb and the view on the other side is breathtaking. If you hadn’t endured the climb, you would have missed out on another amazing experience.

Here is a snap shot of one of the piles in our garage. You don’t even want to see what is in our recycling and garbage pile!

 

Interestingly enough, this is a picture our University son, Clark took when he went for a hike this week. He didn’t have time to de-clutter, but he is balanced enough to know that the hike is what life is really about. …a shot above Kalamalka Lake

So what is your Humpty Dumpty in your life?

When I found this frame with our family picture it kind of said it all.

“Keep fond memories in your heart…for they will last a lifetime.”

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

Irish Stew, Irish Soda Bread and Apple Sauce Cake

/ Lee Reynolds

 

“Hence I cannot be silent, and indeed I ought not to be, about the many blessings and the great grace the Lord has deigned to bestow on me.” ~Saint Patrick~

And oh, like St. Patrick’s quote above, “I’ve been surely blessed!”

Stepping away from de-cluttering for a moment, to celebrate the up and coming St. Patrick’s Day, I also take a moment to remember my grandmother, (my Dad’s mom, Flossie,) who was born in Canada to Irish Immigrants. They had left Ireland to find new opportunities for themselves and their children. The Kilfoyle family, raised 6 children in their new land and I’m here, their great granddaughter, a century later to remember them and my heritage.

I’m singing in the kitchen because David came home from his trip out of town late last night and one of the first things he did for me today was to repair my dryer. Yeah! I couldn’t be happier. Isn’t it funny how things you normally take for granted, all of a sudden become a big deal when you don’t have them any longer? I’ve missed my dryer AND my husband this week. (I am blessed~thank you~)

Hanging our laundry on our deck and on our standing drying rack all week, really took me back to a simpler time. A time when laundry was hard work. I certainly felt a connection to my great grandmother Kilfoyle, who with 6 children must have done her fair share of laundry.

So as I’m humming happily this afternoon, I’m gathering the ingredients for my version of Irish Stew, some Irish soda bread, and for “bessert,” (little Victoria’s term for a treat) I’m making apple sauce cake from an old recipe that I have. It compliments the meal nicely.

 

The day is blustery and the lake is filled with white caps. As the little ones play outside this afternoon, (it’s Spring Break) please join me in making a delicious Irish Stew.

Okay, let’s start chopping for that is the most consuming thing about making Irish Stew. Do you want a cup of tea? ….now I’m using beef and not a lot today as you know I’m on the road to being a vegetarian but also a minimalist, ha. The traditional Irish stew would use lamb and I understand from my daughter Alyssa, who is in the U.K. teaching, that there are sheep everywhere. For this Canadian, beef is more readily available and besides I just couldn’t eat lamb anyway. (no judgement for lamb eaters out there)

Hope’s Irish Stew

Ingredients

2 tbsp of olive oil
2 pounds of beef..(I used a sirloin cut…add more if you want it really meaty)
2 medium white onions
2 stalks of celery
4 large carrots, chop into round bites
1/2 of a large turnip chopped into bite size pieces
10 medium sized potatoes..chopped into nice chunks
2 cups of stewed tomatoes
4 ounces of tomato paste
1/2 cup flour
4 cups of beef broth
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce (I use Lea and Perrins)
1 tbsp rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic
fresh parsley for garnish…it’s just starting to grow in the garden now

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add beef chunks and cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper. 

2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a saucepan, add onions, celery and garlic. Cut until translucent. Add flour and mix well. 

 

 
3. Add tomatoes to the browned beef, along with all seasoning and worcestershire sauce. Finally, add.the onion, celery, garlic and flour mixture.
4. Add beef broth and tomato paste to the above
5. Add potatoes
6. Add carrots and turnips
7. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer on low for 2 hours or until the veggies are cooked
8. Serve hot with a sprig of fresh parsley on top.

While the stew is cooking, you can make the Apple Sauce cake and the Irish Soda bread.

Start the Apple Sauce cake first, since it takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook and it needs to cool before icing. That is, if you choose to ice it, as it’s very moist and lovely plain.

Apple Sauce Cake

This recipe came from my Robin Hood flour (no sift) baking book that is falling apart since I use it all the time. It’s packed with great recipes. This recipe book was given to me by my mom…..thanks MOM!

Ingredients

1-1/4  cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 cup chopped walnuts (can also use raisins which I would love but my kids would not enjoy as much as nuts…your choice…what does your family prefer?)
1/2 cup soft margarine…part butter
3/4 cup brown sugar…use 1 cup if making your own homemade applesauce
1 egg
1 cup applesauce (it takes about 3 medium apples to make 1 cup of applesauce)

Directions

1. Grease and flour an 8″ inch square pan
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F…or 325 if using a glass pan
3. Measure and stir thoroughly all dry ingredients. Add nuts or raisins
4. Cream shortening until fluffy. Add sugar gradually. Beating well after each addition. Add egg and beat well.
5. Add the dry ingredients alternatively with the applesauce until well combined.
6. Turn into prepared cake pan, spread evenly
7. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the your toothpick comes clean. This can vary depending on the moisture in your applesauce. Cool really well and serve plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or whipping cream or you can ice it with a butter icing. 

I iced the cake and replaced some of the milk and the vanilla extract with Baily’s Irish Cream liquor (we buy little bottles for just this occasion)…yummy and perfect for St. Paddy’s Day

While the cake is cooking, make the Irish Soda Bread.

Remembering the Kilfoyle’s,  Irish Soda Bread

This bread goes really fast in my house as it’s has a lovely texture. Consider making two loaves.

Ingredients for one loaf

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp  white sugar
4 tbsp unsalted cold butter
1-1/2 cups buttermilk….if you don’t have buttermilk, here’s how to make it at home
1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour an 81/2 round cake pan
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.
3. Cut the butter into the flour very gently until it resembles oatmeal
4. In a small bowl, gently beat the egg and then add the buttermilk, stir to combine thoroughly
5. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and then pour in the buttermilk-egg mixture. Combine the two mixtures, stirring very gently with a wooden spoon until it forms into dough. It will be wet and sticky. 
6. Turn dough onto a well-floured surface and generously dust it with flour…you may want to have a cup of flour close by to dust your hands and slowly work it in to this dough. Very gently form the dough into a ball and then transfer it into the prepared cake pan.
7. Lightly press the dough so that it spreads to the edges of the pan. With a sharp knife, cut an “X”  into the top of the dough. 
Bake for 30 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven when the toothpick comes out clean
Enjoy warm with a bowl of Irish Stew

 

It’s DINNER!

Mad rush to the kitchen as everyone has worked up a great appetite today. Thanks for joining me this afternoon.

And here is what it looks when it’s all pulled together.

The photo is of my great grandparents, The Kilfoyle’s and their 6 children

And it wouldn’t be a great Irish meal without a glass of ale…sorry no Guinness here but we do have a good glass of stout beer….

 

“Slainte Chugat!” which is cheers and good health wishes from my husband David to you. He really needs a good strong ale since he he has been working 12 hour days for a week now and yesterday he put in a whopping 17 hours as he worked all day and then drove home from up north, Just in time to fix our dryer, declutter his dresser and closet (that is what he was doing when I was cooking today) |and now when I’m writing my blog, he is putting the little people to bed. Do I love this man!

What are you going to do on St. Patrick’s Day! Wear green, (so you don’t get pinched) and maybe you will make a big pot of Irish Stew. Irish blessings and……

And before I close, I thought I would share a great you tube video I found of some very talented fiddlers. You know I have a soft spot for strings. My son Clark said he’s going to play some Irish fiddler tunes for me on St. Paddy’s day, but until then, I hope you enjoy this video. If you can’t click on the video below….click on this hyperlink. Traditional Irish Music, Lilla Akademien’s violin ensemble

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

 

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle…the three R’s

/ Lee Reynolds

Three’s…. a Magic Number!

Three isn’t just a magic number when it comes to children (although, I like the number 8 too) but it’s also the magic number when it comes to the three R’s. The R’s that stand for, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

With earth day only a month away on April 22, 2015, I’m really thinking how important these three little words are for our environment. Ever since I was little, it was always important to me to keep the earth clean but it wasn’t until we added these last three children to the world that I really started to realize the impact each one of us has on our planet. Also, how much of a difference, each of us can do to heal it as well. We are powerful.

I’ve been talking a lot about de-cluttering lately on my blog but I forgot to mention that there is a specific intent with regards to this action. And that brings me to the thought of intention.

Intention is the starting point for any action. If we aren’t clear about where we are going, how we want our lives to look, how in the heck will we ever accomplish our goal. I suppose I’m taking a few steps backwards but after writing an email to my sister this morning, it occurred to me that I hadn’t been clear about sharing the idea that the first tip towards Minimalism, is INTENTION.

You have to decide what you want before you can move forward and it’s the thing that will keep you going on your darkest days. I know this from my years of trying to conceive these last three beautiful children . I knew that if they were to manifest in my life, that I had to become clear on what I wanted. What was most important to me and have laser focus with that regard.

Everything I did in the 5-7 years it took to bring these little people to “being,” moved in the direction of my intended result. And voila…although it wasn’t as easy as ever saying that lovely, easy french word for, TA DA! they are with me at last.

Just as is my desire to make this world a better place. For me to heal my part of the planet by taking care of the earth. Taking care of my family and ensuring they are nourished, loved and raised connected to nature. That is a BIG goal, I know, that is my intention… but the baby steps to get there are to attend to the three R’s.

And that is where reduce comes in this month. I’m reducing our footprint like crazy. Putting anything that we don’t LOVE, and we aren’t USING, out into our garage. I’ve already started to make piles of things that we will sell and anything that doesn’t sell, we will donate. That ensures others can reuse what we deem not necessary in our lives any longer.

The second big pile that is accumulating, is my recycling pile. Things like an old computer keyboard, a computer monitor, glass jars, cardboard boxes that we have been storing things, that we never look at in,….well you get the picture. These items can be recycled and turned into new products for others to enjoy.

These are the steps I’m taking and the long term vision is becoming clearer and clearer as I remove needless belongings from my sight lines. How does one downsize when you have a large family? As I wrote to my sister this morning, you can’t  downsize the kids, although since our family ranges in age from 24 down to 3 year old twins, I can see that in a short amount of time our family will be a lot smaller. Already our oldest is out of the nest and living and working overseas. Our oldest son is on his last legs studying Environmental Science and our third oldest, is starting his out of the nest venture with his first year of University almost under his wings.

In time, we will have a smaller family living under our roof on a day to day basis so there is still time for me to create a simpler family life. Do we need 3000 square feet of space, plus our Hobbit’s hollow (developed crawlspace) any longer? I’m leaning in the direction of No being the answer.  I want our life to have a sustainable back bone, supporting  creativity, where more peace and fulfilment flourishes. I’ve set a goal of completing our de-cluttering project by the end of  March. I know kind of  optimistic of me, but hey, it’s spring break for the next 2 weeks and that means no driving kids everywhere., and gee, maybe do you think they can assist me?  By the time earth day is upon us, I will have accomplished my three R’s with regards to our earthly possessions.

And then WHAT? My intention is to use another R word. The fourth R stands for the word, RENOVATE the Reynolds family. I want to renovate my life. Changing and reworking where we live, how we spend our time, what we eat, who we share our life with and what we think……or not…as that is also my intention.

Do you want a RICHER life too? Do you think the seeds for that are in living with less? Have you joined me on the road to minimalism? Of course, that could look very different to you. It could mean that you are selling your beach house or your second car. It could mean that you are reducing the hours that you are working each week, or even if you are able, dropping down to a one income family. You could be choosing to buy all your kid’s spring and summer clothes at the local thrift shop, instead of at the mall this year, choosing to reuse instead of purchasing new.  There are so many ways that we can live the three R’s to live rich. I hope to talk about that more in the weeks to come as these insights appear.

If you are starting to revamp your life and doing the three R dance, please share in the comments below….or supply any inspiring words to support me on my path.

Before I say goodbye,  I wanted to share this great You tube video that will get you up and dancing. The little girls and I put our “Jack Johnson CD ” this morning (we found it when we were decluttering our CD’s and DVD’s yesterday and we LOVE IT)  as I was airing the laundry out to dry. Did I tell you that my dryer broke down? Yes, again. They don’t make appliances like they used to and I’m ready to chuck my fancy red LG set, except that for 4 months of the year it’s snowy and cold here. Today though, it’s  a nice, breezy, spring day and doing the three R dance feels GOOD!  Knowing that I’m helping the earth just a bit today by letting my clothes air dry makes me happy….and the earth is helping me too. There is lots to dance about isn’t there!

 

If you can’t see the above, click on this hyperlink, Jack Johnson’s The three R song“The 3 R’s”

Three it’s a magic number
Yes it is, it’s a magic number
Because two times three is six
And three times six is eighteen
And the eighteenth letter in the alphabet is R
We’ve got three R’s we’re going to talk about today
We’ve got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you’re going to the market to buy some juice
You’ve got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste
And if your brother or your sister’s got some cool clothes
You could try them on before you buy some more of those
Reuse, we’ve got to learn to reuse
And if the first two R’s don’t work out
And if you’ve got to make some trash
Don’t throw it out
Recycle, we’ve got to learn to recycle,
We’ve got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Because three it’s a magic number
Yes it is, it’s a magic number
3, 3, 3
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
33, 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, and
3, it’s a magic number

And dance around your living room, singing with your kids, your dog, or just grooving on your own two feet.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Strawberry Mango Smoothie~Keeping it Simple

/ Lee Reynolds



                                                                                                               
Even in the mud and scum of things, something always, always, sings.” ~  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Have you ever noticed that when you are on a certain path all sorts of affirmations meet you at the exact time that you need inspiration.

Well, I have been receiving messages almost daily and not surprisingly, they are ALL directed towards walking a simple path. They are inspiring me to keep going even though some days it feels like I’m moving through mud.

The first one that I received, was during my book club meeting at the end of February. It was early days into starting my path towards a minimalistic life. After a stimulating discussion of Hermann Hesse’s book, “Siddhartha,” I passed around my little green affirmation cards to my sacred sisters. I held mine quietly, not even peeking at the message within, until each of my sisters had had a moment to relay what was on her card and how it spoke to her. When it came my turn to read my card, I was rather stunned at how significant the message was. It read;

“Keep it simple. Simplicity is the key to Brilliance.”

Wow!

Since I had just started the journey, it was like a signal that I was on the right road. I have found in my life, that when I need some direction, the Universe never fails to send me a symbol or sign that I’m on the right road and here it was in a sweet message.

Last week, I was finding it really hard to make time in my day to tackle a specific area to de-clutter. Something always came up or someone needed to be picked up or taken some where, which broke the rhythm in my days. It was difficult enough to get my regular work done, not to mention any de-cluttering projects handled. You know, cleaning the kitchen from breakfast, making the beds, picking up the laundry and throwing loads in the washer, moving it to the dryer and then folding it and putting it back in everyone’s rooms, sigh! seemed to be all that I could manage. Forget, trying to accomplish anything.

Then I remembered the message on my card and I decided that the only way I was going to get anything done was to tackle the smallest projects at a time. And that is what I did. Although, I had basically done most of the kitchen, there was one drawer that I hadn’t touched. It’s the drawer with the most memories for me in the kitchen. It’s the drawer where I keep all of my cookie cutters, my cake decorating items. and my canning accessories.

As I opened the drawer, memories of Christmas’s past flooded my mind, as I recalled making sugar cookies with my mom as a young teen for the first time. She basically gave me the dough and said, “go to town.” That Christmas, I made my first Christmas trees, hearts, candy canes, angels, and oh my, nothing tasted so good as those chewy, soft, sugar cookies with a hint of nutmeg and topped with mint flavoured icing.

As I looked lovingly at the various shaped cutters, I thought of the first Christmas I let my own daughter, Alyssa handle the sugar cookie project. That was a big deal since I had been making them for 30 years without any help. Then there was the time that we invited her friends over for a sugar cookie icing party. Images of those giggling pre-teens with braces and pony tails made me smile. Those same girls would all be turning 25 years old soon. Where had the time gone?

The drawer I had been resisting de-cluttering as it holds so many memories

As I looked at this drawer though, I realized it represented the chaos in my life and if I was ever to create and capture more of these moments, I had to quit holding onto the past and move forward with dreams for the future. I still had Grace, Will, Kathryn and Victoria to make cookie memories with. If I continued to keep the extra clutter in this drawer, it would take precious moments away from me spending time with our younger children. If left alone, this single drawer would suck time from my life, as I dug around looking for the special cookie cutters for any future project. With that thought in mind, I quickly was able to toss more than 50% of the drawers contents.

These are a few things that I got rid of…some I took to the little girl’s preschool for their Playdoh station and their teacher was happy to have a Shamrock cookie cutter to add to this month’s special occasions.

 

Goodbye needless clutter

And here is the drawer now. In the tin to the right are my beloved cookie cutters. Now, it’s a breeze to see exactly what I have and where it is which will enable me more time to gather my sugar cookie cutters and make memories with our kids…and maybe someday, our grandchildren.

Hello new memories

If you are on this minimalism path with me, you may have discovered this already but if not, I’d like to share some de-cluttering wisdom. Start small. If you don’t have a lot of time in your day then break down what you can do in say, 15 minutes. Tackle one drawer at a time, one closet, one counter top. Also, try to start with a spot that doesn’t hold a lot of emotional attachments. Our memories cling to our belongings and the energy lingers heavily which makes it hard to hear the music amongst the mud and scum of things. It’s liberating to clear the space and hear and feel the harmony.

After finishing this last drawer in the kitchen, I moved onto the kid’s craft closet and gee, I wished I had taken a picture of it before I cleared it out. There were games stacked on top of other games. Had our children tried to take something out they would have been seriously hurt if something had fallen on top of them. In addition, when I went to clear out the paint, crayon and felt pen supplies, I realized we had a lot of duplicates and that was wasteful.

Another message that I was walking the right path came when I found a basket of polished rocks hidden in the craft closet. Wrapped around each rock was a little piece of paper. I remembered now taking quotes from the book, “The Alchemist,” by Paulo Coelho and giving a rock to my sacred sisters during the last time I hosted our book club meeting. I decided for fun to unwrap one of the messages and guess what was within?

“It’s the Simple Things in life that are the most extra-ordinary, only wise men are able to understand them.” ~excerpt from Coelho’s book, “The Alchemist.”

I had to sit down after reading this message. I held the rock, rubbing it’s smooth surface and thought about all the guidance I had been receiving with regards to creating a simpler life for myself and our family. I whispered, “thank you God.” I knew that I was on the right path even though little fearful thoughts had been creeping in as I cleared away our stuff. Thankfully, that voice was growing more distant as I grew stronger in my resolve to let go.

So that brings me to another point in this whole process, and that is really the nuts and bolts about clearing out clutter. I really should have addressed it before now but as I was doing this all myself I realized that one needs a place to put all the stuff that you are accumulating. A staging area if you will. Also, it really helps if you pull out everything in your closet, or drawer, whatever you are sorting through, so you can see what you have to work with. It will quickly be apparent what you do or don’t want to keep. Eliminate the easy stuff first.

Then put back only what you use and what you love. The Minimalist guys say that another method is packing up absolutely everything in your home and then pulling only the things you need out of the boxes. After 3 months, or 6 months, whatever you decide is the time frame for you, whatever you haven’t used, you get rid of. That’s too extreme for me and too hard with 6 kids living in our house at the moment. It would be chaos while we were getting ready in the morning for instance.

If you are doing a big de-clutter as I am, (our whole house…all 3000 square feet of it…more if you count our Hobbit’s hollow, aka the crawl space), you probably need a large place to put all the stuff you are parting with. Also, I have read that some minimalists set up boxes labelled, “donate,” “sell,” “not sure,” and “garbage/recycle” but I have found it easiest just to have a garbage bag/recycle bag as I move from place to place. I put all the stuff that doesn’t fit into that category, out to my staging place, which happens to be our garage. It would be most efficient not to have to touch the stuff more than once but in my case, I think whatever we don’t throw out or recycle, will go into a garage sale to be held in April. THE MONTH..of the beginning of garage sales in our little town.

I’ll let our little kids make and sell popcorn and lemonade. I’ll have our older ones help sell our discarded items, and anything left at that point will be donated to our local thrift stores.

In the meantime, I’m (we’re) going to be living amongst this clutter and chaos for at least several more weeks. My husband is out of town this week and I will be trying to make some headway while maintaining our daily family commitments.

I have also enlisted the help of our children. The little ones helped me go through their drawers and the belongings they keep in their bedrooms this weekend. It was very productive and fun as they had a little fashion show and tried on all sorts of clothes. As we made decisions about what fit and what didn’t, what toys were played with and what weren’t beloved any longer, we talked about children all over the world and I reminded them of a saying a very wise man shared with the world,

        “Live Simply So Others May Simply Live,” Gandhi

 

I knew I was planting little seeds of generosity, love and peace as we cleared out their rooms.
Hey, and another wonderful side benefit to this was how fast Will and the little girls were able to pick out their outfit for today. It was easy and pain free. And the best part was that it saved time so we had more time to have some fun.

 

Above are the two drawers the little girls share. Most of their clothes are matching which makes it easier for me to buy and plan their outfits. I stack them one on top of each other so when they pull out one top, they hand their sister the other top. Most of their outfits are the same but they do have some in different colours and they are very definite about who gets what colour. From the time they were really little they had distinct preferences. Kate is the pink girl and Tori is the blue girl. Makes it really simple….and as you know I’m all about that.
I try not to read too much about twin literature and probably dressing them alike will end once they start school but they seem to really enjoy wearing the same style of clothes although Tori really LOVES her leggins and Kate likes the days when she wears jeans. They both love their dresses and skirts. Anyway, like usual, I got sidetracked….the point was that getting the little people involved is helping them to see that less is more in so many ways and by consuming less, we have more resources to help others.
Here’s a picture of Grace helping de-clutter our Playmobile collection. Do we REALLY need 100 pirates and castle people?  Harrison passed by the Den as Grace and I talked about downsizing the people and he remarked that having lots of people was the fun part about playing Playmobile. Hmmmm….do you think he thinks this about our large family too?
It’s these little comments though that makes me pause and wonder what is really fun for our children. Clearly, we have too many toy/people when you have to sort for 5-10 minutes to find your fav pirate/king/queen. The one you really want to play with, that’s too long in my books.
Here’s the quote I wrote on our black board this week. When I got stuck in all the mud and scum, it helped me remember whey I’m doing this.
For the people who are important to me in my life. My children, my husband, my sisters and their families and the friends who I never seem to have even time to have tea with lately, (sorry B…we will get together soon)

And before I close I just wanted to share my Strawberry/Mango Fruit Smoothie Recipe with you. As we de-clutter our lives with our stuff, we need to make sure we are staying energized and remembering that clearing the toxins from our body is just as important. Little steps will take us eventually to the destination of a healthy body and home.

Remembering that while we are on the road to less, we are still living fully. It would be very easy to get caught up in the whole process of de-cluttering, after all who are we kidding, we live on earth and there is all sorts of clutter and chaos here. It’s easy to let even the act of de-cluttering prevent us from living fully.

As long as we don’t lose sight of why we are clearing and reducing the stuff in our life. Let’s continue to consciously clear what isn’t working in our lives and fill the spaces with more beauty, love and peace. That’s my wish for everyone on earth. We are all deserving of this.
Okay, here’s my Smoothie recipe…share a cup with your beloved or take it out in nature and drink it in….. Spring is almost here.
Hope’s Strawberry and Mango Smoothie recipe
 
2 big people servings…or enough for one big person and three little people
 
1/2 grapefruit
1 orange

 

1 banana
10 frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen mango or yellow fruit of your choice…pineapples are yummy for instance
1/2 cup of crushed ice cubes
I had mostly fresh fruit but I used frozen mango and pineapple too

 

Here’s the tough part….peel the grapefruit/orange and banana…place in a blender with the other ingredients and blend. Pour into glasses for your beloved and In JOY!
Before I go I wanted to share a book that I have been reading called, “The Simple Living Handbook,” ….discover the joy of a de-cluttered life….by Lorilee Lippincott
It’s a refreshingly simple and delightful book so if you are interesting in moving in this direction, I would highly recommend reading it. It may be the sign or symbol that you are on the right path and she certainly inspired me. Her web site is great too.

Here’s a You tube video interview with Lorilee on the Midway Simplicity show…love this guy. (click on the hyperlink if you can’t see the video below)

As I embark on another week towards minimalism, join me in listening to one of my fav cello pieces. I thought this was an appropriate ending as I started my post with a stunning picture of a woman playing cello amongst the clutter of life.

My son Mitchell plays this piece on his cello, beautifully and EVERY time I hear it, I always think how J.S. Bach was the supreme musical guru in simplicity. Please join me in listening to the “Unaccompanied Bach, prelude in G Major” played my Yo Yo Ma……..love this (click on the hyperlink if you can’t see the video below)

 

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt~

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope 
 

Matrimonial Cake~’Tis a Gift to Be Simple

/ Lee Reynolds

‘Tis the gift to be simple,
’tis the gift to be free,
’tis the gift to come down
where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
’twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained
to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed,
to turn, turn, will be our delight
till by turning, turning we come round right.

Words: Shaker song, eighteenth century  

  
Hellooo!

I’m emerging from the depths of decluttering, to say Hi and to share a few thoughts. First, de-cluttering is hard. At least, that’s what it feels like as I move room to room, paring down our stuff, while humming the above Shaker song and also continuing to keep all the balls of normal life up in the air. Continuing to be there for our kids; feeding them, keeping them in clean clothes, making sure they are on top of their homework and all the upcoming events that are in line, from a swimming competition this weekend to yet another basketball tournament, an upcoming piano and voice festival and finally a music exam.

Tonight when my 12 year old daughter asked, “Mom, when are you going to change my sheets?…it’s been like 3 weeks!” Well, first it hasn’t been three weeks, two at the most and I replied, “don’t you go to bed clean every night after your nightly bath?” Just saying. It’s hard keeping the train rolling, while taking time to chuck off certain items to lighten our load.

I’m happy to say, that this week I took a car load of “stuff” to our local charity organization and another load to the dump, While 90% of the dump load was garden waste from debris I couldn’t cram into my compost bins, it was still letting go of stuff. Believe me, I had thoughts of hoarding those wonderful bags of leaves and garden waste, etc. but one can only keep so many bags of decomposing debris without neighbours starting to look at your stock pile with wonder. Besides, our district chips up all the garden waste and turns it into mulch, so that trip made me feel okay. Still, there are heaps of things to go through and spring is flying by.  I just came in from outside and noticed that there are little buds on the forsythia tree and that is the first sign of spring in our area.

Image result for forsythia
Spring is here when the forsythia tree next to our House blooms…it will be early this year

Another thing that has been preoccupying my time this week is finishing reading, or rather re-reading the book, “Siddhartha,” by Hermann Hesse. It’s my turn to host our sacred circle book club this month. To be precise tomorrow night.  I have already read this sweet, little classic book that was written decades ago about the life of Siddhartha, aka, Buddha but I wanted to go over it one more time since it was my selection.

I’m so proud that this month, I found an e book AND an audio book on line, so I didn’t have to purchase a new book and then decide what to do with it. Even though this is a great read, it’s one that I don’t think I would want to own and I certainly don’t need another book to sort through. Being frugal, sustainable, and with a minimalistic mindset makes me so thrilled. It’s these little steps I’m taking, that keep me believing it’s possible for us to downsize, enjoying more life with less stuff.

I thought the message from the book was also timely, as the story of Buddha’s life reinforces my minimalistic path and the belief that everything we need to be happy is within us at all times. Part of the suffering we experience on this earth has to do with material possessions, wanting to own them, taking care of them, letting go of them, etc. Why do we put ourselves through that?

When I think about how diverse this blog post already is it makes me laugh. First, I start my post with a picture of a farm house which to me says, “peaceful times.” Anyone that has a tire swing in their yard knows how to enjoy the sweetness of just swinging through life. Then I have the lyrics to the Shaker’s little hymnal, “Tis a Gift to be Simple.” Finally, I bring in thoughts about Buddha. But you know what? All life is tied together. Everything is connected. We have fought wars on this earth because of differences in beliefs, opinions and the ludicrously is, we are all talking the same truth but get caught up in semantics.

But that is a philosophical discussion for another time, however some of the ideas that Buddha presented, is certainly appropriate for my minimalistic mindset towards simplicity. As you know, I’ve been talking about de-cluttering and I have to tell you how my husband and I are approaching the task is totally different. It’s interesting really, since he is a very focused, get one job at a time done person and I am used to multi-tasking. Wars have not been fought thankfully because, we are after all moving in the same direction but we have had to discuss how that is going to look.

For instance, my husband wants to go into a room and get rid all the superfluous items. He feels that would be the most efficient approach. HOWEVER, I want to go into a room and sort through our stuff, while cleaning the items that are to be kept, along with doing any repairs to the room itself. ie; paint inside the cupboards in our family room before putting the toys, CD’s back (although I’m still debating on whether we even need CD’s any longer now that we have our i Pods and download any music we want) but you get the idea.

What we have decided to do for now is divide and conquer.  He has tackled the garage and the den so far and I have done our laundry room and kitchen….well, I’m still working in the kitchen. I was listening to the audio book of Siddhartha while I was cleaning the drawers last night. Did you know you could listen to a piece of classic literature or even learn a whole new language while cleaning and de-cluttering. Amazing!

It can be done!

We are making some headway though and a few thoughts have come to light which I wanted to share with you if you are starting on this journey too. It’s one thing to get down to sifting through the stuff and deciding what is going to be kept, donated, recycled or thrown away…but it’s the stuff with emotions where it really gets hard.

If you have a partner, discuss how de-cluttering looks to them. How do they want to tackle the task and what is the time frame they see as being appropriate for such a feat. You have to set limits and really limits are what minimalism is all about isn’t it? In all aspects of our life, how much stuff you need around you, how many commitments you are willing to take on, how much food you want to eat, how much exercise. Well, it’s all a decision of what feels right for you so that you can maximize your enjoyment of life.

Some compromises may be required.

This takes me back to a story my mom used to lament over. It was a time when my Dad took a load of stuff to the dump without her consideration. There were things he threw out that bothered her for a long time.

One, was a beautiful wicker, antique doll buggy. She loved it and sadly Dad didn’t think of it as special or antique. He just saw it as clutter and old when he took it to the dump. (now since I wasn’t ever able to check that out with my dad that is just an assumption from what my mother relayed to me)

In my childhood memory banks, I recall fondly wearing long dresses and cast off, high heeled shoes and pushing my babies around the yard in this buggy. Maybe, since I was her youngest, holding onto this buggy represented holding onto having babies and young children.

This story touched me so deeply that when our oldest daughter was little, I started looking for a wicker buggy to give her. I finally found one and sewed bedding for the buggy and found the perfect baby doll to put inside. The Christmas that Alyssa was 2 3/4 years old, not only did she receive this new buggy and baby doll, but 5 days before Christmas her new baby brother, Clark arrived. When he was newborn we used to put him in the wicker buggy and push him around.

Here’s the wicker doll buggy that I bought for Alyssa’s Christmas present 22 years ago. She was also a new big sister that Christmas to her baby brother, Clark. We were shocked when we heard, “It’s a Boy.” (in those days they didn’t tell you the gender before birth) and we had to scramble for a bit to find a perfect name for our new son. He carries my maiden name, “Clark”…since my Dad had passed away and had had only daughters. (as if that isn’t enough but in those days carrying a name forward was important…in some cultures it may still be that way.) We thought it would be a tribute to give our first son, my Dad’s surname. ANYWAY….the name we had chosen for our planned second daughter was given to Alyssa’s doll, who is still in the buggy to this day….”Chelsea Anne.”

 

 

Guess what? 22 years later, we still have this buggy…but now I have to decide what to do with it. Do I keep it for Alyssa who has assured me that children are not in her future. She never was the baby doll type of person anyway and although she liked her brother just fine, she really wasn’t impressed with his baby years…or the 6 other siblings that followed afterwards. The little girls are currently playing with the buggy and love to push Chelsea Anne around but there will come a time when we have to decide….”what do we do with the buggy?”

Anyway,  I digress AGAIN, the point is, I now understand why Dad took that old buggy to the dump and I’m sure it wasn’t in the kind of condition that our wicker buggy is currently in. It takes a lot of energy to decide what to do with our belongings, when we do decide to let them go….maybe the dump wasn’t the best place for that old buggy, but Dad didn’t have tons of time to carefully weigh the options and in those days there weren’t the places there are today to recycle and appreciate old things. Everyone in those days had old stuff. He did what he needed to do to create more space in our small home so that we could live a richer life. Thanks Dad for teaching me that lesson by example.

It wasn’t long after this, that my Dad was killed in a truck accident and a year after he passed away, my mom moved us out of our hometown of Hope, leaving my 2 oldest sisters to stay in our home until it sold. (One sister had graduated and had started working at the local bank and the other sister was left to finish high school in the town she had grown up in) I was too young to remember how mom moved us but she had to deal with all our stuff somehow. She remained a bit of a collector all her life, although I won’t say she was a hoarder because she kept everything looking very nice but in some circles, they would say she had problems with letting go of  material things. I think that was quite common when you came from the depression era though. Books were one since she loved to read. Sentimental items were another. Tough stuff.

I know how I view our belongings is shadowed by how my parents dealt with their stuff. With this in mind, I was VERY conscious of how I approached my twin daughters the other day when I asked them to come and look at a basket, over flowing with stuffed animals. I talked to them about how they had so many lovies in the basket that you couldn’t even see them all. We talked about how they didn’t play with most of them and I told them about other children in the world, who didn’t have any lovies at all. I asked them if they felt they could part with any of them. “Which ones are your absolute favourites?” I asked.

Of course, since they are three, four in May, every single lovie was special. I was very careful in helping them choose their favourites. We took time to eliminate the ones they didn’t have a connection with.  I asked them if they thought they could say good bye to the ones that weren’t as special and we could give them to other children to love. They nodded their heads solemnly. We kept the bunnies, since the girls were born in the year of the rabbit (Chinese zodiac) and bunnies happen to not only be a favourite of their’s but I know if my mom were alive, she would have said, “oh keep the bunnies.”

And that brings me to another story from my mother’s childhood. She was a child during the depression but her family was fortunate to live on a farm and they had chickens and rabbits. She loved the bunnies and for a long time, didn’t make the connection that often after having a delicious Sunday dinner of “chicken,” one of her bunnies would coincidentally go missing. I think one of her older brothers finally clued her in…boys!

So we kept the bunnies in the basket but several other non-describt lovies made it to the give a way box. After a final farewell, I moved them quickly out to the garage since I knew if the girls saw them again, they would suddenly feel they would HAVE to sleep with one or all of them that night.

So with another week almost behind me on my minimalism journey, I have a few more tips to share.

Be considerate with your spouse regarding how they are letting go of their possessions. We all have a past and it’s good to be gentle and give others space to let go in their own time. That the truth for them is the same truth for you, but it may just look different. Compromise with compassion. (this from Buddha’s teachings…the compassion part and a reminder that we are all connected….and perfect just as we are)

And if you have children, get them involved and help them to see that letting go isn’t painful but can be enlightening. Can be filled with joy. Hopefully, they can carry some wonderful childhood memories down the road to pass on to their children and it will look like this; People, not things are important. Happiness is within, memories are not in our belongings. They are in our hearts.

Well, I will close but I wanted to share my recipe for Date Squares before I say good night….for yes, it is now evening.

This is  my mom’s recipe. I have tried to make it exactly how she did over the years but it never tastes exactly the same. I don’t know what she did differently…maybe it was just the love she put into each pan. You know how things always taste better when they are made just for you? Maybe it was in the actual tin pan that she cooked her squares in (old, dark and well used) and I use a glass pan? Maybe the quality of ingredients is different but it’s still an amazing recipe.

So Mom and Dad, this is for you. “I’m laying up my treasures in heaven” and all that but until then, I’m making date squares and remembering you both with love.

Ethel’s Date Squares
or what she liked to call her Matrimonial Cake


Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour…for a great texture use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon (this is my addition…my mom didn’t use this)
pinch of salt

Filling
1 pound of dates
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of orange juice….or do what I do and juice a whole orange
pinch of salt
orange rind…about 1 tbsp

Directions

Put all the filling ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn down to a simmer for about 20 minutes and then take a potato masher and break the dates so the mixture is smooth and thick. Turn off the heat and let the filling thicken while you are making the bottom and top layer.

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients. Add cut up butter (best if the butter is cold) then with a pastry mixer or two knives, continue to cut the butter into the mixture until it’s all well combined.

Press 1/2 of the flour/butter mixture into a 13×9 lightly greased pan. Add and spread all of the filling mixture and finally top it with the other 1/2 of the flour/butter mixture. Pat with a fork.

Bake in an oven 325 degrees if using a glass pan or 350 degrees if using a metal pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the edge is lightly brown.

Let it cool and set and then cut into squares. I usually put 1/2 of these squares into the freezer or they will be gone within the day…..they are really great for book club night meetings too.

For instance, I made this today for my book club meeting and it’s almost gone….but oh so good. If you love dates, I hope you will try this recipe and think of my mom who loved bunnies, babies, books, her family…and my Dad. This coming Saturday, will be the 3rd anniversary since Mom passed away. Another reminder how fleeting this earth journey is, and how stuff just isn’t important.

My mom and Dad and my Dad’s fav squares…..served on my mom’s Forget Me Not china
What do you do with old recipes written out in your mother’s writing? As you can see, I’ve loved this recipe for years but the recipe card is not my mom…she is in my heart and every time I make this recipe she is telling me the story of how much my Dad loved these squares……they are delicious!


So as I leave you, with maybe a recipe to try out, or an inspiration to clear out the clutter in your kitchen, (do you really need five spring form pans, as my dear friend K just mentioned she discovered in her kitchen recently?) maybe you can set up your computer in your kitchen and listen to the audio version of the book, “Siddhartha,” by Hermann Hesse. Here’s the link, if you are interested in listening and remembering that what you think, you become. We all have the seeds of Buddha inside of us. We are all perfect, even as we sit amongst all our stuff. It is a good way to practise the art of letting go gracefully.

I wrote this quote on our chalk board for our Siddhartha meeting tomorrow night….”what we think, we become.”

If you can’t see the link to the Siddhartha audio book below, click this hyperlink.


 Wish you could join me during our sacred circle book club tomorrow night but maybe you can listen to the story and tell me what you think of this classic little book about Buddha’s life.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

A final youtube video….the song, “Tis a gift to be simple” by Yo Yo Ma and Alison Krause…..love, LOVE the cello and Alison’s voice is beautiful………good night dear blog friends

 

 

Minimalist Journey, TIP 1 & 2, and Spicy Bran Muffins

/ Lee Reynolds

Thanks for popping in as I’m excited to share a few tips I have discovered on my early “moments” towards minimalism. The first one became very apparent to me yesterday when I woke up bleary eyed from a brief four hours of sleep the night before.  (I had been writing my first blog about minimalism and finally posted it at 3 am)

Some people have asked me where I find time to write with our busy life with currently 6 kids in our home and two others that I try to stay connected to outside the home. Well…..

Like anything that is important, I find the time. I love to write and although for most of my life as a mom, I have put my needs at the bottom of the list, over the last decade I have learned that this doesn’t have to be the case.In fact, having this mindset is actually detrimental to our family as I get crabby when my needs haven’t been met. I’ve put myself last for so long however that even a tiny bit of “me time” can fill my bucket to over flowing.

I have found time over the years to go to my yoga classes, take a few evening courses, and even have the occasional long walk all alone.  On days when the kids and house needed more attention, even doing a few yoga poses or sun salutations perked me up. My writing though is something that I really have to make a concerted effort to create time for daily/weekly, in order to release all the ideas and thoughts ready to erupt from my brain.

I paid the price yesterday though when I was surviving, yes that is an appropriate word for yesterday on only four hours of sleep. And like any day around here, it was jam packed and I needed to really be in the game.

Have you ever noticed that when you don’t get enough sleep, nothing seems to go right for you. Life is full of obstacles and shadowed with difficult moments, almost like the fog that clouds your brain. Things that you normally find solutions to in milli-seconds takes minutes, or longer.

Therefore, my TIP # 1 for beginning a minimalist journey is to NOT be minimal with regards to your sleep. This is one area that you need a huge amount. A bit ironic, that on the path to being a minimalist, you NEED something big in your life. But yes, sleep is one of them.

As I whipped through the house while the girls were at preschool and perhaps “whipped” isn’t the best verb to describe the way I cleaned the house yesterday morning, I took a large basket with me so I could gather up things on my path that I knew for SURE we didn’t need any longer. I noticed that my decisions for those things were slower than I believe I could have been, had I been well rested. Plus, my pace was definitely slower than my usual speedy, efficient self.

As a previous, fitness instructor, I have a mind set that my house cleaning can be a form of work out. As I bend down to reach for something, I do a squat, as I travel up the stairs, I run, sometimes taking two steps to really work my legs and give me a burst of cardio. When I’m making beds, I lift the sheets way up high, shaking them to air them out but also working my arms and shoulders. Okay, you get the idea and often people have said to me, after hearing I have 8 kids, “wow, you’re in great shape.” I don’t really know what they expect a mom with many kids to look like, but I often reply with a laugh, “my kids are my personal trainers and having a large family requires more work so that may explain why I may appear fit.”

I digress, the point is, that optimum sleep is paramount, if one is to be an efficient minimalist.

The other thing I also noticed was that I wasn’t eating the best. The morning started with me just grabbing an apple as I headed out the door taking Clark to the University bus, then back home to gather up the others, taking Harrison to high school and then Grace and Will to elementary school (yes, I know not very environmentally conscious/green, all that driving, but Grace was downhill skiing with her class yesterday and she had a lot of gear to take to school) and finally I had to take the little two to preschool. Upon returning home, AT LAST, since I was moving slower than usual, I didn’t stop for a good breakfast but plowed right into the work. Cleaning the kitchen, gathering up laundry, making beds. Yes, not eating… is not the best idea.

Since Will had invited a friend over after school, I made special oatmeal cookies, loaded with trail mix type filling. I also made a large snack plate to be brought out of the fridge when they arrived home later in the day. It had cut up veggies and fruit, some crackers and cheese and of course several of these large cookies on the plate. It was close to 11 am so I raced back to preschool.

After collecting the little girls, we went to the recycling center to drop off all the bottles we had accumulated and then the library where many of the books on minimalism were on on hold for me.  Can I say enough about our library? I LOVE IT!….and although I love books, I can see that as long as I’m close to a library, I can let go of my books.

Here’s what I picked up;

Yeah!.. the book above will be an easy read and down below is a link to one of this author’s youtube videos.

The book above was written by the two guys I wrote about in my last post….although they don’t share the same lifestyle that I have (with a large family) I really like them. They remind me of my nephew, E, who lives in Vancouver in Yale town and enjoys a lovely very urban lifestyle. (he also has a minimalistic approach since he has a studio apartment.


The book above is written by a woman who is a mom like me….I listened to an interview she gave on the web and she had such a down to earth manner that I really resonated with….I’m looking forward to reading her book….

and because I knew that part of my quest for minimalism had to do with my diet, I also picked up these books as well.
  AND

I love Deepak….as you know I participate in all the group meditations that he and Oprah put on….there is one coming up again in March and the focus will be on “success.” Check out the Chopra’s center to sign up.

After lunch (I fed the little girls but didn’t stop to eat) we went to pick up our University son and brought him home as he was going to greet Will and his friend V, after school, while I picked up Harrison from high school, collect Grace and all her ski stuff and then take her to her swim club session. To keep me going, as I was in and out of the house driving kids around, I grabbed a few of the cookies I made and a little bowl of fruit and veggies.

When I finally came home, as I was making dinner, I ate another cookies, okay, maybe two. Then, since I was still starving, I basically inhaled dinner not really “aware” of what was going in my mouth as I chewed and as we all hurriedly talked about  the things each of us had on our plate for the evening.

After dinner as I was cleaning up, I knew I still had a full evening ahead with bathing the little kids, telling stories, working with Will on his reading, checking in with Grace on her homework, tucking in little people, making lunches, you get the picture and since I was running out of steam, I opened the box of chocolates that D had given me for Valentines as I was cleaning up the kitchen….I ate one chocolate and then two and finally three!!!

I said goodbye to Harrison, with a mouthful of chocolate. He was off to play another basketball game and since I had attended the one the night before, I let David see last night’s game. Then after the game, Harrison had asked if he could go to the February Valentine’s dance at school. Thank heavens I didn’t have to get him to those activities but since my number one helper, “my husband” was out for the evening, it was up to me to pick up the slack. So to keep going, my body ate another chocolate as I yelled for Will to start the bath water running.

That brings me to TIP #2 beginning the minimalism journey. After reading everything I just wrote, you probably are thinking tip #2should be ridding ourselves of activities….but no…that will have to be something we consider down the road. In these early days, my tip # 2 is, prepare healthy meals, eat slowly, savour your food and even if you have a busy day like I had yesterday, be mindful of the moments when you are eating.

On this journey, I want minimalism to create fuller, richer moments in every aspect of my life and getting sufficient sleep and eating consciously, with joy for I do love food, these must be the foundation for my life to flourish.

No matter your lifestyle, I would think this would be the base for a good life but in addition to North Americans having a lot of stuff cluttering up their homes, I think it’s safe to say that we as a society don’t get enough sleep. We certainly don’t have the best eating habits. (what do you think?)

After I put the little ones to bed, I quickly performed all the evening chores I needed to do in order to allow our morning to flow smoother. Then exhausted, I went to bed. Even though I was very tired, I started reading the new book I had picked up from the library, “Clutterfree with Kids,” by Joshua Becker. While it was very interesting, by 9:15 my eyes were really heavy. I set the book down, sprayed some lavender mist on my pillow that my sister C had given me, put some peppermint drops from Saje that my other sister B had given to me (because I used to be addicted to Vicks under my nose at bedtime….a story for another day about clearing up our addictions) and I dropped off to a blissful, deep sleep. Oh sweet dreams.

Image result for sweet dreams on a pillow

I woke up this morning refreshed and ready and excited to start a new day. The first thing I did today was take my green powder drink, make some oatmeal/quinoa cereal and I brewed a pot of Mother’s Helper tea from David’s Tea and while I sipped my first cup, I made some bran muffins. The cookie jar is still packed with the cookies I made yesterday but today, I ‘m going to have a good bran muffin as a conscious, well deserved snack before we do the piano and voice lessons, the basketball practise etc. (yes we do have to do something about the activities)

As I write this blog, it’s later in the morning, I’ve done my morning chores and while the girls play with their dollhouse, I thought I would pass on these two tips to you.

      Get enough sleep and eat healthy meals and snacks

Well I’m off to do some deeper cleaning with a large basket under my arm. My intention is to start my deep cleaning with the thought, “do I need this and do I love it?” foremost in my brain. Wish me luck!

Image result for do i need it, do i love itImage result for do i need it, do i love itImage result for do i need it, do i love it

Hey and before I close I thought I would share the bran muffin recipe I have been using for years. It was the first muffin recipe that I ever made as a newly married woman. I hope you like it too and in a way, it’s kind of appropriate for the minimalism path since it clears out your colon REALLY well. Nothing like the feeling of cleaned out inside too right?…okay maybe too much information but hey…..when we start talking about paring down, shouldn’t we also be thinking of what is inside us as well?

Pumpkin Bran Muffin Recipe

Hope’s Minimalism Bran Muffins

11/4 cup of flour….I use 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of white flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 baking soda
1/4 salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 ground nutmeg
1/4 all spice
11/4 cup milk…..almond, rice, cow…whatever you prefer…I like almond
1/4 vegetable oil….or coconut is great too
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1/2 raisins
11/2 cup of a bran type cereal……I have used All Bran and that is I believe where I got this recipe years ago….of the cereal box

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together

2. In a large bowl, combine cereal and milk. Let stand 4 minutes or until cereal is softened. Add oil, molasses and egg. Beat well. Stir in raisins.

3. Add flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Portion batter evenly into 12 lightly greased muffin-pan cups.

4. Bake at 400°F about 20 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean

Image result for bran muffins in a country kitchen

 

These muffins will help keep things moving…..I also like to sprinkle some ground flax on top of the muffins before they go into the oven and that really helps me stay regular.

Oh….and one final tip as it goes with helping things in your colon get flushed out….drink water~as you are working through your stuff. In fact, often during the clean up, you may reach for food as a distraction, but instead, drink a full glass of water, nice and slow and appreciate how far you have already come. Be SIMPLY GRATEFUL.

If you want some more minimalist inspiration, check out this youtube video by Joshua Becker (more joy on owning less) who wrote the book that I’m currently reading, “Clutterfree with Kids”. He has a typical American family with 2 kids and is now a minimalist. (Note: he does talk about his spirituality in the longer video above…click on the hyperlink above to see it. When he references God etc, it may be interesting to watch your reaction. For me…..I think the road to minimalism can create more time for us to contemplate our connection to Source and our soul’s journey….unless you don’t want to that is….as my older son says…..becoming minimalist can allow more time for no reflection at all…..just being)
Well, I’m off to tackle my spice cupboard….what are you working on?
 
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Blessings from Hope

 

Living Large with Minimalism

/ Lee Reynolds

 


‘Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Live the actual moment.’ ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Last year, in my spare moments, I started to Google simplicity. I visited our local library seeking every book they had on the subject. I’m at a place in my life where many of my friends are starting to downsize because their youngest child/children are leaving the nest and although we are YEARS away from our youngest leaving home, a large part of me wants to shift and seek a richer lifestyle. My heart desires less stuff so we can experience more life.

In my quest, I wanted to be inspired with ideas to create a more meaningful lifestyle to raise our younger children. Although our intention was good while raising our older kids, looking back I see that it was centered on a busy, consumer oriented life. We have achieved the “Canadian/American” dream. We have a large home with a pool, the children attend excellent schools and have all sorts of  enrichment type activities. We want for nothing, and yet, I feel like A LOT is lacking.

For the last several years I knew that the stuff we had accumulated, which was to make life easier and more fun, wasn’t making us any more joy filled. In fact, it caused more stress since things always need to be repaired, cleaned and maintained. In my quest to look for an alternative path, I was amazed to find that many people all over the world are intensely interested in the same sort of thing. It’s like we are all waking up and seeing that we have bought a used bill of goods. More is less.

During my search, I stumbled across people who live in “Tiny Houses.” These are small houses (usually under 300 square ft) that normally wouldn’t meet building standards but since they are built on trailer beds with wheels, they do not fall under normal building codes but rather under vehicle codes. The people who choose this lifestyle usually have one thing in common; they want more life and less stuff.

I love to take virtual tours of these tiny houses and often lay in bed at night dreaming of how much freedom this would create in my life if we had less square footage. Just imagine, it would take probably minutes to wash a few dishes, make a bed or two (there are even small families in these houses) and clean the tiny, closet like bathroom. Just think, it would be hard to lose anything in this size of house! To me this is luxury living. MAYBE it’s not your idea of nirvana, but there is a huge part of me that desires this life style.

The dream goes back to when my Dad converted a back yard shed and turned it into my playhouse. There was a real stove and cupboards for my little dishes and my baby dolls seemed to really love it there too. I would take dirt and leaves and cook amazing meals on my stove. Outside my house was our garden with butterflies flitting around and there were always a cat or two hanging around, begging to curl up in my lap. Now that is heaven to me.

Sigh!

What has propelled me to start thinking seriously about living more simply? Well……

A few things have, let’s say, been accumulating in my home which is causing some discontent and distress. First, the growing pile of singular socks in my laundry room is driving me wild. Do you have this in your house? Where does the other matching sock go? My kids say that my washer must eat them. I think the likely situation is that the sock attaches itself to another piece of clothing, (since I don’t use static fighting fabric sheets…..I just throw in a lavender soaked rag instead) and then gets put away in someones drawer never to be seen again. (And I have to stress here, there are not just a few socks but a huge pile of singular socks waiting for their partner to appear.) And socks are expensive…especially basketball socks, YIKES!

Also, it seems to take longer and longer each morning to put our house in any semblance of order and that is even when I have asked each child to make their bed and bring their laundry to the wash basket. I don’t know if  I’m slowing down but most mornings I feel as if I’m walking through sludge, going room to room straightening things up.

As I sort through my laundry looking for missing socks, I have been pondering my life.

Image result for missing sock pile

I’m sure my niece, N, who is an efficiency expert with her company would say, “Auntie, the problem is with the number of kids you have.” Hmmmm…. I’m just assuming here of course, but I’m sure most people would say, how can you have a simple life with 8 kids? I did try to Google simple living with a large family and you know what I found? Not much.

So it looks like I’m leading the pack or perhaps there are large families out there but they are having so much fun enjoying living simply, that they don’t see the need to reach out and share their secrets. Maybe, living large “with minimalism” is an oxymoron, but my gut says that there really isn’t a huge contradiction here after all. I think it’s one and the same. Living large is what being a minimalist is all about. We want more LIFE. And I guess since I have 8 kids, it is a play on words but I think it’s possible to have a large family and live simply. I’m kind of excited to share this journey with you…..if you are interested in what we are doing that is.

I did find one book on our library’s list that may help me and once it comes in and I have a chance to read it, I will share the contents with you. I can’t wait!

When 2015 began, I knew I was going to continue to move in the direction of being more sustainable, by growing a large garden, using our resources with care, raising children who are earth conscious but I had no idea that only 2 months into the year, I would be thinking of becoming a minimalist.

A few things have shifted my thinking. First, as I meditate more and feel a greater connection to my soul, I feel expansive. I don’t need things or a large home to feel happy any longer. I want more time to just be in THAT space. Also, I want more time just being with those I love.

 

It’s the simple moments that are precious….the girls sitting on the window seat  in awe of another snow day.

Another inspiration is with regards to our oldest daughter Alyssa. If you read my blog, you know she left last August to teach over in the U.K. As I said goodbye to her at the airport, she was pulling two connected suitcases and had a carry on slung over her shoulder.

I helped her wash and iron the clothes she carefully selected, so I know what she packed. A lot of black. Black pants, tights, a few black dresses, a black skirt and then a stack of different shirts to coordinate with all the bottoms. For the next two years these will be her only possessions. What she desires is experiences. Where is she right now? On her school’s break in Paris.

This is all Alyssa is going to have for possessions for the next two years….keep in mind all her career clothes are in these suitcases along with her tablet, her computer, her camera. Could you live out of two suitcases for 2 years? She didn’t even take a book….and she is a book LOVER!

 

Alyssa in her black London Fog coat …she is capturing life in Europe

Then our son Mitchell, who is away at University, came home last week for a part of his reading week. He was here for 6 nights and 5 full days and all he brought with him were one pair of pants, two t-shirts, a plaid shirt, a jean jacket and a comfy pair of jersey type pants that he wore to relax and sleep in. He had a great week visiting with his old school friends, he went up skiing with the family, he went to his little brother’s music class and said hello to his old guitar teacher and he even cheered his 16 year old brother, Harrison on during one of his basketball games.We watched movies together and I made many of his favourite meals and desserts.

 

Mitchell being silly with his little sisters..”making memories”

We had a wonderful week full of fun and made some lasting memories but as he walked up the driveway with only a backpack it occurred to me that my older children have the right idea. They are both living life fully and not encumbered with stuff. Since Mitchell brought only a few items home, there was nothing to maintain and it was a breeze for him to pack again. Mid week, I did throw his clothes in the wash with the rest of the family’s and I think I lost one of his socks too, but other than that there was no effort involved.

Then finally, I was thinking about how I’m about to embark on my yearly, intense spring cleaning session.
Image result for spring cleaning and decluttering tips

Ask the kids how gruelling it is and they will assure you that they would rather be anywhere else but in our house for spring cleaning. I go room to room, de-clutter, clean what items are left and organize our belongings so that there a place for everything. (you know that saying….)

 

Then I do a deep cleaning in each room. This process normally takes at least a month since my day to day life is usually spent doing our usual maintenance and household upkeep. And finally I perform a space clearing ceremony in our house. I go room to room with some sage/lavender smudge sticks, a feather, a bell, flowers, etc and I bless our home.

Once I have finished with the interior, I take that spring cleaning energy out into the yard. I prune all our shrubs, trees, rake the grass, pick up the debris leftover from winter, sweep all the walkways and driveway. I wash all the windows on the outside of the house and clean our little front yard pond while also setting out our water feature fountain at the front door.

Then I take out all our stored outdoor furniture and set them up; two patio table/umbrella and chair sets, our front yard Adirondack chairs, our red ones for the backyard fire pit, and then I haven’t even started talking about the kids tiny house or the garden/compost (or David opening up our pool and cleaning the hot tub for spring)….I’m exhausted just writing this and I’m sure I forgot a lot………So yeah…..I wish the little house below were MY HOUSE.

Our kids playhouse and playground….what would life be like if this was where we lived?…..some families in the world do live in spaces this small.

Does all this sound familiar to you too? If you have been thinking that you want more life and less stuff too, then we are kindred spirits. Let me share a few really cool Youtube videos that I discovered recently. Maybe you will join me and others around the world in paring down and living more.

It’s not just our stuff, it’s our thoughts, it’s the things we say “yes,” but really want to say, “sorry, no.” It’s the activities we register our children in, creating another generation of people who don’t know how to slow down. It’s even as simple as our breathing. When was the last time you took a really deep, slow breath?…instead of tons of shallow ones?

Well, I’ve been staying up late listening to some really wise people talk about the minimalist movement and I hope they inspire you to start on a new path…if you aren’t already there.

First, I found these two guys, Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus. They had a really powerful TEDx talk, called, “A Rich life with Less Stuff.” (click on the hyper-link below) They also have a web site called, “TheMinimalist.com.

If you want some inspiration check out this video by The Minimalists, (A Rich life with less stuff)

And another one is with Angela Horn (I love her accent) called, “The less you own, the more you have.” This video REALLY resonated with me as she starts her talk reflecting on clearing out her mother and father’s family home. After my mom passed away 3 years ago this month, I started looking at all of my stuff with a new light and now ask myself, “what do I want to leave my kids to  go through after I’m gone?”

Check out Angela’s videos below or better yet, this hyperlink to the TEDx talk she gave in Capetown……. “Less you own the more you have. In this video she shares the two steps that you need to make towards having more.

1) Clear the clutter
2) Stop buying new stuff

 

Well, enough said. Ha! When I think about minimalism, I want it to relate to EVERY aspect of my life. Not just stuff. I want less thoughts, more love and peace.

Will you join me in the ranks of people all over the world who are ditching the “Dream” and working in the direction of a simpler more fulfilling life? It starts with refusing to bring more stuff into your home, while working slowly through the belongings you do own. While you do, think about this, if this was your last day on earth, how would you want to spend it? With the stuff you own or with the people you love?

Are you in”
Stay tuned as I share some things that we will be doing around our home.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Carrot Cake~A Hero’s Journey

/ Lee Reynolds

“Not all those who wander are lost.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
 
As you may or may not know, I’m a HUGE Lord of the Ring fan. Well, maybe not as massive a fan as my daughter Alyssa, who could probably teach a University level course on Tolkien’s writing and Middle Earth history. She has been known to speak Elvish and when she performed her Irish Dance steps as a child/teen, I could almost see the Elves and Hobbits dancing beside her as her curls bounced to the lilting Celtic music.

When she and her brother Clark, (she on piano and Clark on violin) used to play one of the songs from the movie, “In Dreams,” I used to weep in sadness that we did not live in such a world or a time as is portrayed in Tolkien’s literature. It was a time and place of innocence and magic. I’d like to think I did play a bit part in creating her passion for this literature, since I introduced her to Tolkien when she was around 11 or 12. My mom and I also kept her belief in faeries/elves and the like alive by surrounding her with faerie stories and music.

(If you are unable to see the video below, click on this hyperlink which will take you to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, “In Dreams.”….for inspiration to journey starts there)

I think of our dear daughter now, over in the U.K. teaching English to the English and I have to smile for she is finally living in a country steeped in history. A country where Tolkien was inspired to write his Middle Earth tales, she is starting her epic journey.

Teaching isn’t the easiest thing to do when one is more comfortable behind the piano, behind a book, behind the camera, sitting in the corner observing.

She pushes her comfort zone each day as she faces things that are hard and difficult. It may be modern times but courage and determination are needed. I think if Gandalf were really alive and well he would say, “Well done, Alyssa! Stay with the quest.”

And when I look at another of our children, Mitchell, who was just home from University for part of his February reading week, my heart goes out to him as he often struggles trying to find his authentic self and the path that he must walk. I try to share mother wisdom with him but all the wisdom in my heart will not help him on his journey. Only he knows the way and it’s my job to trust and let go that he will listen well to his heart and follow where it bids him to travel. I have lived long enough to know that it will turn out right.

In my own life, when my friends and family questioned many of my life choices; to leave a comfortable career, to have more children later in life than society deems prudent; to leave the city and move out to the country, I had to shut out those voices and go inward. I had to find my own path and keep following the signs along the way, encouraging me to stay true to myself. My life is now rich with what I love to do, care for my family, write, garden, and while many would not think this is a worthy life purpose, I know it is the way that I will grow as a soul.

What about you? Do you question your life’s path? It’s really simple to follow the road signs if you recognize the symbols along the way although they aren’t always easy to discern. I remember trying to decide about a certain life choice years ago. The two doors were open wide but I just couldn’t decide which one to walk through. I was praying for guidance daily. Minute to minute uttering the words, “help me with the direction to take,” as my mantra.

Then one day as I was driving our children to their after school activities and of course we were in a hurry as usual, hoping that we wouldn’t be late but of course we got behind a slow moving vehicle. I had to step on the brakes, take a deep breath and when I did, I realized the car in front of me had a bumper sticker in the rear that read, “Trust Comes First.”

As soon as I read those words, I got shivers as if my guardian angel were sitting right beside me whispering the message directly into my ear. I knew what I had to do in that second. I let go of any fear that I had been holding onto and knew which door to walk through. I wanted to follow that car and when the driver finally stopped to say, “Thank you, as you have no idea how much your bumper sticker helped me today.” Do you ever wonder why certain people or things are put on your path at a precise time? There are no coincidences in life. Everything happens for a reason but we aren’t often listening or watching for guidance.

And so, while I continue on my hero’s journey, a part of that is trusting that goodness will always prevail. That my children will be okay and that the messages that Tolkien wrote about in the Lord of the Rings and his other books have reached them. Every Christmas we have a tradition now of watching the movies together, often we are quoting the lines at the same time, they are entrenched in our memory.

(If unable to see the above, check this hyperlink to the Youtube video of Gandalf …”All you need to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

While there are many lines from the book/movie that are profound, the above has to be my favourite, as it helps me to remember to live fully and never let fear take over.

And before I leave today, I wanted to share my Carrot Cake recipe with you, my dear readers because, well, at the end of a journey, one needs to find nourishment and comfort. Also, carrot cake happens to be one of my daughter Alyssa’s favourite desserts. This recipe was given to me by my sister C, years ago and I have made hundreds of carrot cakes since then. Do we ever really realize how the smallest things we contribute and share can change the world? This simple, easy recipe has created moments for our family to stop on our path, celebrate life, restore ourselves and have the energy to carry on….like lembas bread.

Thank you C  for this recipe. I hope it becomes a family fav for you too.

Hope’s Carrot Cake

Ingredients

2 cups flour (1 cup white, 1 cup whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar  (1 cup white, 1 cup brown sugar)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup rapeseed oil or any light oil of your choice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all-spice
4 eggs
3 cups finely grated carrots (I don’t use my food processor…I like grating by hand for this recipe)

Directions

1. Sift dry ingredients
2. Add oil to dry and stir really well…this is a thick mixture
3. Add eggs, one at a time until well combined
4. Add carrots and ensure blended well

5. Pour mixture into a lightly greased pan of your choice. (I use a bundt pan or a 9×13 pan)

Bake for 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes…if using a glass pan….bake at 325 degrees

Cream Cheese frosting
1- 4 ounce package or 1/2 of the large 8 ounce package
3 tsp milk
11/2 tsp sugar
8 tbsp of icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Blend cheese and milk then slowly add the additional ingredients until smooth

Adjust the amounts depending on whether you want a glaze or a thick icing on your cake

When the cake is cooled, ice with the above and sprinkle walnuts on top….Journey’s End

I’m serving the cake on my mother’s “Forget Me Not” china tea set….we all make such a difference in each other’s lives

 

 

 

My beautiful son Mitchell, home for reading week…now back on his path

 

My darling daughter Alyssa, on her Hero’s journey….this pic from.her day trip to Windsor Castle, Bath and Stonehenge

The next time you are wondering about your life purpose or whether you are on the right path,, all you have to do is trust that everything will become clear in time, let go…and  ENJOY.

YOU are the hero in your own journey!

(If you can’t see the Youtube video above…click here for the video of “Into the West” from Lord of the Rings)

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Gandalf and Pippin from the Return of the King….”The Journey Does Not End Here.”

Blessings from Hope

Cranberry Scones~Entering the Castle

/ Lee Reynolds

 


~Saint Teresa of Avila~

I’m back! After a month long hiatus from my blog, I want to declare I am well. My computer however needed serious healing with the local computer geeks…but it now seems well too. While it was being repaired though, I was able to plough through my latest book club selection by Caroline Myss called, “Entering the Castle… Finding the Inner Path to God and Your Soul’s Purpose.”
(This book was inspired by St. Teresa of Avila, who was an extraordinary 16th century saint and contemplative master. She wrote “The Interior Castle” which was a guide to finding your soul.)

                                                                      
                                                         
A glimpse into the writing from this book……

“Contain your experience with the divine so that it does not escape you but rather shapes you.  Be silent.  Silence will help you avoid engaging in the games of competition and illusion that regularly seduce us in the outside world.  Silence also helps you avoid distraction.  It helps focus the busy mind—the mind that always has to be doing something, thinking something, the mind that always has to be otherwise engaged lest it become introspective and allow the soul’s voice to override its own.  The silence I am describing is a silence that you use to contain the grace you receive when you enter the Castle of your soul.  This quality of silence allows you to engage in discernment.  You carry this silence within you, even when you are with others.  It allows you to hold your center amid the chaos of your life; it keeps you clear so that you do not do or say things you will regret or make decisions out of fear.”
Caroline Myss
Source: Entering the Castle: An Inner Path to God and Your Soul, Pages: 38-39
Our book club meeting was cancelled last night because our hostess, L, had a houseful of sick children and an ailing husband. (I have been there!) That’s okay, as it gives me more time to go back and work on some of the “soul work” that the book suggests.

Do you ever find it interesting that when you are working on connecting with the divine, that stuff comes up to make you work all the harder to align yourself and your actions with your highest self? WEtLL, I have had a boat load of crap hitting the fan around here all month and I am very conscious of how unsettling it is to me. I guess that is the thing about raising your vibration. All of a sudden you are hyper-sensitive to negative energy fields AND how you are reacting to them. Let’s just say, I have been caught up in the drama a bit more than I would have liked.

Okay, here is where I breathe in and whisper “Om” and exhale slowly.Peaceful breathing.

I’m not going to go into details over everything that has transpired, for there is always something in life to suck us in and take control of our sacred self and don’t we love to vent! In retrospection, I’m so grateful for the blue screen which signaled the shut down of the hard drive on my computer, for I wouldn’t have taken the time to REALLY read this deeply moving book or been listening to my soul which is gently reminding me that all is well. In our darkest moments, the brightest light shines.

Although I was aware that the key to communing with my soul was practicing a daily ritual of silence, meditation, and prayer, this book reaffirmed what I already knew and helped to get me back on track. It carried me through some rough patches this month.

In the past, my prayers have often started with a thank you, but then they would go on asking for protection for my family, friends, and world. While reading “Entering the Castle,” I have come to realize that within the walls of my castle, I am always protected. There is NOTHING to fear. My prayer is now just a humble thank you. It is a blissful thank you. It is a tearful thank you, as I’ve been reminded that I am perfect exactly as I am and always, ALWAYS loved. All is well.

On this earth school, we get side tracked as we bump up against walls and try to figure out how to scale them. We forget that the draw bridge to our castle is always down for us to cross and we can enter at any time to be restored and filled with the love that is waiting there, just for us. Then when we re-emerge to our “real life,” we are over flowing with light and love and wherever we go we shine.

 


I’m going to spend a lot of my weekend in my castle, restoring my energy. In silence, as much as one is able with 6 children in residence. In quiet contemplation throughout the day. I may head out for a walk in nature sometime throughout the weekend and then when my legs are tired, I’ll return home to make myself a pot of spicy chai tea. My favourite thing to drink this time of year. Maybe I will even whip up another batch of cranberry orange scones.The last batch I made last week were literally inhaled.

A favourite room in my castle is filled with floor to ceiling dark wood bookshelves, loaded with   books. A crackling fire is filling the room with light and on either side of the fireplace are comfy chairs. Between the chairs, is a small table, perfectly suited for a tray with a pot of tea and a plate of scones.

It is there, when I sit opposite my soul and open up boxes from my past. Memories of humiliation, hurt and ridicule. It is there I empty the boxes, letting go of fear, anger, and scorn. Not just inflicted upon me, but also when I was the perpetrator of pain. I become humble. My wounds finally heal and divine grace overcomes me. Peace and a sense of of belonging fill me and a connection to all things in time and space overwhelm me. Tears of gratitude flow.

And then I leave that room after saying a thanksgiving prayer and open another door, peeking into another castle room where more soul work can take place.


What does your favourite castle room look like? What restores your soul so you can heal and go out into the world and fill it with more light? You are not alone.

Princess Victoria and Kathryn in their castle in our family room


Before I close, I want to share my delicious scone recipe with you so you too can whip up a batch and perhaps while you are sipping your tea and enjoying a scone, you will think of me and know you have a soul companion while you are on your journey. Your soul’s journey.

(BTW..scones are a Scottish quick bread originated between 1505 and 1515. Scones are named after the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), the place where Scottish kings were once crowned…….kind of an appropriate thing to take into your castle is what I was thinking)

These scones were eaten quickly while still hot, yummy!



Hope’s “Castle” Cranberry Orange Scones

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar and then 2 tbsp of sugar for topping
1 tbsp grated orange peel
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup cold butter
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup orange juice (I squeeze the orange that I used for the peel)…save 1 tbsp for the glaze
1/4 cup half and half cream
1 egg 
1 tbsp milk for the topping

Glaze recipe

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp of orange juice
1 tsp of cinnamon…Alyssa loves this addition

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, orange peel, baking powder salt and the baking soda. Then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two knives until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Set aside and then in a smaller bowl combine cranberries, orange juice, cream and egg. Add to flour mixture and stir until you have a soft dough.

Pour onto a floured surface and then knead gently. Pat dough into an 8 inch lightly greased pan…I use my cake pan. Brush top with milk, then sprinkle with the sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let sit for a few minutes and then turn over onto a wire rack. 

When slightly cooled, drizzle the glaze over the warm scones. Cut into triangles, serve nice and warm,,,,and don’t forget to set aside a few to take into your castle with your pot of tea.

  “Let your Castle become a sacred ground beneath your feet. Live the power of your soul. Listen to and follow the voice of your soul. You are not alone. No higher purpose in this life exists than to be called into a mystical relationship withe the divine.” ~Caroline Myss~…last page from the book


“Let nothing disturb you                         
Let nothing frighten you
All things pass away
God never changes
Patience obtains all things
He who has God lacks for nothing
God alone suffices.”   ~Saint Teresa of Avila~

Leeds Castle in the U.K. (interestingly, as I was writing this blog post, my daughter unbeknownst to me was touring Leeds Castle…WOW!


And all manner of things shall be well~

 Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

 

 

Healing Our Body, Our Soul and Mother Earth

/ Lee Reynolds
Wisdom to heal is within each of us
Little did I know but this blog post was inspired early this morning, when I selected one of the tiny wisdom cards from my seashell. The words on the card said, “Slow down~When you move too fast, you miss so much.”~
These precious cards were given to me this past Christmas by my niece, T, who lives in Victoria with her family. Her husband R and her two beautiful daughters, H and M. My niece T, is a gentle soul with a warrior’s heart. She is sensitive, compassionate, kind, loving and oh so generous. Thank you T, for helping me remember what I already know.
(If you are interested in learning more about these cards….I will put more details below)
The wisdom cards given to me by my niece T…..this one says, “Slow down, when you move too fast, you miss SO much.”

As I went about my morning, I thought about this message and very quickly it became clear how it  would resonate in my life. First, I received an email from my wonderful sister B, who is a strong, intuitive woman with such a kind heart. She goes out of her way to help others for instance, rather than going to high tea to celebrate her birthday this past Sunday, she asked how she could help our son who was flying back to the city to start his second term of University.

She not only picked up Mitchell but his friend as well, she took them grocery shopping at Costco and then drove Mitchell to his dorm and his friend to the place he resides while going to school. Other than a foot injury last year, she always seems to be so healthy. She is really good at listening to her body and soul, and taking care of both,  but is service to others another key to staying healthy?

Then, she told me about her daughter T and her granddaughters not feeling well this week. Flu season is here after all, but I just went hmmmm, maybe there is a message I can learn from all of this today. T (who you may remember gave me the wisdom cards) and her husband both work, lead a busy life in a large city, raising their two beautiful girls but they are really good at listening to their bodies. What’s up….are they able to slow down enough for what their bodies need?

Then I received another lovely email from my sister, C, who is a yogi, a personal trainer, a reiki master, an artist, and I think a modern mystic…but aren’t we all? Except most of us aren’t truly tuned in or even trying to listen. Anyway, she wrote me an interesting email titled, “Universal Health.” In her email, whether she realized it or not, she inspired me on ways to stay healthy, and also help the earth. She mentioned that this month she was involved in some art classes and then she talked about hanging their laundry to dry and how she loved the smell of air dried clothes.

Finally, she wrote about their green bathroom practice to save water, “when it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Okay, maybe TMI, but I was thinking of how her whole life has been devoted to staying healthy within her mind, body and soul, while inspiring others to follow suit. Also, by walking the earth gently it allows healing to take place which in turn nourishes us. Mother earth give us the basics for perfect health, clean water, air and healthy food, not to mention beauty everywhere to feed our soul.

She then took me down memory lane when she used to teach fitness and on her business card were the words, “Universal Health.” Her creative, and artistic son, S, drew a picture of a cute alien in meditative pose, floating above the world with, “Universal Health” as the heading. She wasn’t just promoting her ability to train individuals towards greater fitness and health but she was referring to how we could heal the earth, and hence heal ourselves by creating a healthy Universe for us ALL to enjoy.

Okay, too many coincidences for me to ignore. I had to write about health and how we can heal ourselves. It also seemed like the perfect blog post for a New Year, when so many people are working towards their conscious intention of obtaining great health, more joy, greener living…etc. Thank you to my sisters, and my niece for this inspiration.Although, you have no idea how extensive you touch my life in so many other ways.  Okay, here is my post for today….

 

 

 

Recently my family had a lovely, relaxing holiday, as well as two bonus snow days which were magical.  I thought we were ready to start the New Year with gusto and although everyone finally returned to school and their respective jobs this week, some of us were not functioning at our best.
Now that is understandable, as it takes a few days to re-adjust to getting up earlier and fitting back into a regimented structured schedule, but over the holidays a few of our children caught cold viruses and weren’t recovering as fast as I would have liked.
Will got sick first, a few days after Christmas. Although he had had a slight cough, I was surprised how quickly his croup incident came upon us. We had put him to bed, thinking nothing other than it had been a lovely day. There was no warning whatsoever, until in the middle of the night, I awoke to our little guy’s barking cough. I knew exactly what was occurring when I saw him sitting up in bed, gasping for air.
The first croup incident occurred when he was a toddler. When we realized he was having such a hard time catching his breath we did the logical thing and rushed him to the ER at our nearby hospital. When we arrived, they diagnosed him as having croup and administered medicine through an inhaler. However, he had improved so much just by being out in the cold air on the way to the hospital, that the next time he had a croup incident, we just took him outside first rather than rushing him to the ER.
At the back of my mind though, I’m always second guessing taking my child outside, instead of to the hospital. As I sit rocking him, bundled in a warm comforter, whispering soothing words, “it’s okay, it’s okay, take little breaths, little breaths,” I’m praying inside, “please God, keep him breathing, keep his heart beating.” It’s such a terrifying experience as a parent and yet, a part of me is also saying to myself,…..”Hope, it’s okay, it’s okay… JUST keep breathing.” We always know the path to take deep inside.

What is always amazing to me is how resilient children are. They can be extremely sick one night and then bright and chipper the next morning. It’s so surreal. But there is a lesson here, as small children live in the moment and appreciate the smallest things in life. Their joy and exuberance is another key.

Then, a few days after putting the vaporizer away, we heard that tell tale, barking cough coming from the twin’s room. Both girls had had colds, but it was Kate who was struggling to breathe one night. Although she and her twin, Victoria had been tiny 5 pounders, when they were born, they have been healthy babies and toddlers. We have been really thankful that they have hardly had a cold in their 31/2 years. So when she caught the croup virus, it really caught us off guard. Thankfully, like Will she recovered nicely after a trip outside and an evening with the vaporizer in her room. Then a few days later, Victoria, who also caught a cold, developed a rash all over her body, which I understand is a common side effect from some cold viruses.

Not only were the little ones feeling unwell but our oldest daughter Alyssa, who has been teaching in the U.K. since September, and working so hard at her new position, caught the flu right before Christmas and she spent the whole holiday coughing and was extremely tired. And back in our home, Grace had a cough and Clark also had been really tired and suffering from a sore throat. As the kids got ready to head back to school, I KNEW I had to do something drastic. I opened up my pantry and went into my laundry room, where I keep my herbs.

Okay, my pantry needs serious organization work…but keeping a well stocked pantry with nuts, seeds, dried fruit, flax, oats, quinoa, can really give you the boost when you are needing a quick energy fix.
I use this indoor expandable clothing rack to dry my herbs…it’s great and accessible when I need to refill my herb jars.
Being able to grow my own herbs has taken my cooking to another level…one of greater health AND looking at my herbs reminds me of that song by Simon and Garfunkel…”Scarborough Fair”….see below

If you can’t click on the link above, click here to hear and view… Simon and Garfunkel’s song, “Scarborough Fair” which I always think of when I’m using “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” in my cooking…love this classic sweet melody….sing it while making your soup to heal your family

I took stock and knew that things like garlic, ginger, “parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme”, brown rice, vegetables, all simmered in an aromatic broth would heal us. There is something restorative about these foods, they are our comfort foods, allowing our bodies to balance and return to perfect health. Here is my version of a healing Soul Soup….

Hope’s Chicken and Rice Soup…(although I have added chicken, vegetable broth and more veggies works beautifully with the rice and all the garlic and ginger too…let your heart be your guide)

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions
4 garlic cloves
4 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 celery stick
6 Chicken Thighs
12 cups of  chicken broth 
1 cup of uncooked basmati brown rice
5 large carrots
1 tbsp parsley (and if you have any fresh as well you can add it to the soup when serving)
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp rosemary
Salt and pepper
(optional: swiss chard or spinach)

Directions: 

1. Soak 1 cup of brown rice (I use basmati) in 2 cups of water
2. Bake chicken, seasoned with some salt, pepper, garlic and ginger in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes

I sprinkled the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and ginger powder…and caught all the juice in the tin foil and added it to the broth



3. In a large stock pot, add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute, 1 diced onions, 1 cup up celery stick, 2 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tbsp of fresh minced ginger…cook until translucent. 

 

4. Add 12 cups of chicken broth

5. Add the dried parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, oh and salt and pepper to taste. Then carrots.

oops, sideways…but you get the idea…lot of lovely dried herbs are the key to flavour

 

And if you are making it a totally veggie soup…be creative..I love beans and mushrooms with carrots

6. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan and saute second medium diced onion, 2nd celery stick, 2 minced garlic cloves and 2 tbsp minced ginger…add the cooked chicken. Allow the chicken to brown really well creating more broth for the soup. (we are funny about meat…we like to cook it really well…especially chicken…plus it just makes more broth) After cooking for about 10 minutes, add chicken to the stock pot….add salt and pepper liberally as you are browning the chicken

After cooking the chicken in the oven, browning it with onions, celery, garlic and more ginger just layer the flavors again.


7. Rinse the rice and add to the stock pot.

I had been soaking the rice in a jar…rinse it and then add it to the soup…boiling and then simmering

8. Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour…..or until the rice is cooked. (I like making my soup mid afternoon and simmering for a few hours until dinner…the smell in the house is like aromatherapy in my opinion) Also, if you want to add some swiss chard or spinach do so just before serving the soup…the added greens are lovely and add more nutrition to your soup.

Light a few candles, serve with a green salad, bread sticks (recipe below) and a glass of white wine…or in our kids case, they had their Umma’s special, “pink lady”drink..which is cranberry juice and ginger ale which is perfect when your tummy isn’t feeling all that great and you are maybe a bit dehydrated….it makes it festive for the kids to have a special drink.

 

Okay, actually this doesn’t look all that great…ha…but then I had to serve 9 people and wasn’t able to touch up before the photo shoot…but you wouldn’t believe the flavour…D came home for lunch the next day so he could have more soup!…good thing his office is just 5 minutes away from home.

 

My family was saying…’really mom, another blog post…can’t we just eat already…it was so delicious and restorative HERE’S TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH!

 

The little girls sitting next to us at their little table were thrilled with the Soul Soup…”we are all in perfect health!”..CHEERS!

Although, I did not make bread sticks on the day that I made this delicious soup, as we had some good heart buns in the house, I love making my bread sticks to go along with my soups…or my pasta…well my kids like bread sticks anytime. Here’s the recipe. Mitchell brought the recipe home from his grade 9 Foods class. I have never been a fan of taking Foods in high school for our kids because I teach them how to cook at home but this was one recipe, I was thankful to receive as we enjoy it several times a month.

Mitchell’s Bread sticks…also known as our Crazy bread recipe

Ingredients

5 cups Flour
5 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
5 tsp yeast
450 ml of hot water

Topping;
1/2 cup of melted butter
2 tsp garlic powder
75 ml parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 F

1 Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast
2. Add hot water to make sof dough
3. Turn out dough onto lightly floured counter
Knead until smooth, and elastic, about 2 minutes
4. Cover, with a damp paper towel, Let rest 5 minutes
5. Meanwhile, combine melted butter, and garlic powder
6,  Roll out dough to 1 cm thickness.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush on half of the melted butter
8. Place on lightly greased baking sheet.
9. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until lightly brown..watch closely
10. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Cut into sticks or shapes of your choice

I make a large batch and they disappear very fast…the little kids begging for some BEFORE dinner

Then as if that weren’t enough, as this health idea was brewing in my brain all day, I received a phone call from our son Mitchell. As I mentioned earlier, he is back in Victoria attending his second term of University, but today he called me to say he went to the clinic as he wasn’t feeling great and it’s now confirmed that he has contracted mono. (His roommate in his University cluster had caught it in the fall) I absolutely knew by then, that after the little ones were in bed tonight, I would be writing a blog post about health and healing.

I wondered why he was so tired during the holiday break. While he worked really hard at his grocery store position, both weeks while home, as well as filled each moment visiting family and friends, he seemed more under the weather than is normal for this energetic, upbeat 18 year old, (almost 19 year old) so I was concerned. Knowing this virus was brewing, makes me wish I had made some soul soup for him before he left to return to school.

Well, as for the Wisdom card message, “Slow Down, when you move so fast, you miss So much, ” a few thoughts have come to me today. First, often we become sick to begin with by burning the candle at both ends, if you will and not allowing any light to infuse our lives. We work so hard and life for many people today is stressful. It’s also, not aligned with what our earth needs to heal itself either.

When we slow down and connect with nature, we are able to balance ourselves and recognize what each of us needs to do in order to stay in perfect health and keep our Universe healthy as well. By living consciously, breathing deeply, moving and connecting out in nature, eating whole, as close to nature food, we stay in our natural state. Perfect health.

So the next time you become ill, say thank you. It’s an opportunity to slow down and allow contemplation and connection to occur….”what are you meant to be doing after all?”

 

And before I close, I just wanted to share some information about the precious wisdom cards and a link to an interesting TED Talks presentation by Allan Savory below. First about the precious cards.

These card were created by a Victoria, B.C. yoga teacher, mother and nature lover, “Linda Cirella.” Each deck contains 80 cards and is printed on eco-friendly paper in Victoria, B.C.  Canada
These cards were created to remind you of what you already know deep within your core; and to help you to connect with it….because when you embody that wisdom you shine BRIGHTLY and you feel more ALIVE. And as a result you have more to give to others…So the world gets a little brighter!!!

Thank you again to T for the cards and to my sister B and my sister C…for always inspiring me! YOU ARE LOVED!

 

If you are interested in purchasing the cards contact Linda at om_shantii@yahoo.ca 

Wisdom is always a great gift to share.

And my final thought for the day is in regards to a Ted Talk my sacred sister, L, sent to me about healing our planet by Allan Savory. (thanks L…your angels must have whispered to send it to me)

Here’s the link to the Youtube video, but if you are using an apple product you may have to click here to see it. “Allan Savory’s presentation on TED Talks, how to green the world’s deserts and reverse climate change”

I believe it’s worth the time it takes to view it….slow down, when you move too fast you miss so much.

You never know when you will pick up a tiny piece of wisdom, put it in your back pocket and contemplate how it may change the world. Remember, we are ALL connected!

Until, I see you again, may you be WELL, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fruit Blast Muffins~Snowy Days

/ Lee Reynolds

This is what the lake and surrounding hills looked like on Christmas day 2014..so much for a white Christmas

 

And then, this was a picture from our deck yesterday, January 5th, 2015. Looks like winter is finally here

And not only has winter finally arrived but yesterday and today were SNOW DAYS!

I don’t remember a time in the last 20 years when we received so much snow or there was a snow day declared, although in 1998 we did have a snowy Christmas. That was the year that Harrison was born on December 19th. It was also the year that my husband D. brought Harrison and I home from the hospital on the 21st and then promptly went to bed with a terrible flu. He didn’t get up for 10 days and when he did, he had a terrible cough for months later. Our oldest, Alyssa, said she remembered that Christmas being really snowy and it was probably because with a new baby in the house and a sick husband, I had the three older children, then 8, 5, (almost 6) and 2, (almost 3) outside a lot helping me shovel the drive-way…although being still young, they were probably sledding in our yard.

Anyway, it’s been a while since we had a snow day. D, couldn’t even go to work on the first day so what did we do?

Well, the little kids did some colouring in their new books.

Will tried to read a really funny book he received for Christmas…

And Clark and Harrison shoveled….

And shoveled…..

And Shoveled…..and these were just a few of the pictures I snapped of them digging us out.

Of course D and I also took our turns. After all we do own 4 snow shovels so this white stuff is not unheard of…but we don’t usually get such a large snowfall all at once.

The four younger kids loved it and were thrilled with their first SNOW DAY break.

 

 

 

So let us remember this early January snowfall. Both Mitchell, who is back at University and Alyssa, who is in London teaching, are not going to experience sore aching backs from shoveling this year. We miss them both a lot!

I loved having two days added to the end of our holidays where we could just hang out, get used to waking up earlier and I was able to wrap my head around the fact that soon it will be business as usual…back to school, basketball games, piano lessons, jazz band practice, preschool, swimming,…well you get the picture. A busy life.

This time was an extension to the magic I felt over the holidays. Snow, pure and crisp laying a blanket on the world and for a moment we could breathe deeply and be still.

Me, in repose on the sofa, looking down the lake, while sipping some hot tea.

Of course I also took advantage of the fact that I didn’t have to drive kids anywhere. On Monday, I un-decorated the house…is that a word…”un-decorated?”

It’s always kind of sad taking down decorations, as I love twinkling white lights all over the house. Normally, I’m usually in a rush and pack everything away quickly but on Monday, I was able to linger over the sentiment that our ornaments hold. The Popsicle stick ornament, shaped like a tree with a picture of Alyssa holding our cat Ninja….the fall of 2000. We had to say goodbye to our dear Siamese cat and you could see the tears in Alyssa’s eyes in the picture and the love in Ninja’s.

Then there was my Hope Angel, given to me by my best friend Tamara while we were trying to conceive and a soft white teddy with silver thread in memory of our soulbaby we lost the next Christmas. The Christmas of 2002 though, had a little angel holding a sign that said, “It’s a girl!” That was the Christmas, Grace Elizabeth arrived. I put away golden cello’s and wooden violins, little girls in ballet shoes and on skis, little teddies kicking soccer balls and playing basketball and then there were the 6 stars, representing our 6 children at the time. Of course, we had to buy two more when the twins were born in 2011.

It was a joy, going down memory lane and carefully packing away all the Christmas decorations with care. Then while shoveling the driveway late yesterday, I noticed something in the snow and when I went to pick it up it was a snowman ornament holding a pair of skis. On the skis it said, “Clark, 2000.” He would have been involved in the Nancy Greene Ski program that year and it was our custom to choose ornaments based on our children’s hobbies or interests. It must have fallen off the real Christmas tree, as we were taking it out and putting it in the snow bank.

A memory from Christmas’s past and our oldest son who was downhill skiing

 

This truly was a beautiful tree….of course I say that every year!

Today, we did more shoveling and the boys put the Christmas tree boxes (10 Rubbermaid) down in the crawl space. I had all the kids strip their sheets on their beds and in between washing clothes and bedding, I made yummy muffins. This is a recipe that my sister J really liked as there is a delicious crumble on top of them. If you are looking for a great berry muffin recipe check this one out….

Hope’s Fruit Blast Muffins…for a large crowd

Ingredients

3 cups of flour….I use 11/2 cups of whole wheat and 11/2 of white flour
11/2 cups of sugar…again, I use half brown sugar and half white
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2/3 cup vegetable oil….coconut oil is very nice
2 eggs
2/3 cup of milk (whatever you want, almond, rice, cow)
2 cups of berries…I used blueberry today but a mixed berry blast is lovely

Then for the topping…add the following to a medium size bowl
1 cup of brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup of cut up butter
1 tbsp of cinnamon
Mix them all together with a pastry cutter…or a fork

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin tins or line the cups
2. Combine 3 cups of flour, 11/2 cups of sugar, the salt and the baking powder.
3. Place the oil into a 2 cup measuring cup; add the eggs and then enough milk to fill the cup.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and then fold in the blueberries.
5. Fill the muffin cups right to the top and then sprinkle the topping mixture 

6. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven or until the toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let the muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes and then put on a cooling rack….enjoy warm. 

Note: This recipe made 22 big muffins…but if that seems like a lot…you have to try them…they disappear really fast…and of course you can always take a few freshly from the oven to your neighbours, who may be feeling kind of  isolated and “snownly” 

Muffins are ready guys…come on in and warm up.

 

 Make muffins and they will come…..
Well, tomorrow our kids go back to school, from our kindergarten son to our University son, all classes are scheduled to be going. The little girls go back to preschool and after school, the avalanche of activities begins anew. Am I ready for the New Year? Not really. The holidays and this snow day experience reminds me that slowly down is precious. I wish we could have snow days, every day, but maybe we can keep the feeling of unwinding, and turning inward all year long. It’s an idea.
Wishing you a year full of snow days.
 
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful
Blessings from Hope

 

Cranberry Bliss Bars and Eggnog Lattés~Happy Holidays

/ Lee Reynolds

I had many creative ideas and things I wanted to share with all of you over the holidays but once December came, an avalanche of birthday parties, Christmas affairs, concerts and basketball games over took me. There really wasn’t even time for me to do my usual monumental baking fest. All I was able to squeeze in, were a few evenings of baking some sugar and shortbread cookies to take to the various parties, Christmas fundraisers and holiday events.

One morning I had the little girls do a photo shoot..this is Victoria Hope with Mr. Nutcracker
And Kathryn Mira…she was trying on several dresses as you will see

Also, I spent most of December in a shadow of gloom which causes writer’s block for me.  Even if I had time or energy to write, I didn’t have any spirit to do so.

It all started with the things that had been breaking down in our household (zippers, dryers, furnaces…see previous blog) in the fall and then just as December started to unfold, I broke one of my back molars eating popcorn. I was hoping our dentist could repair my tooth but the first words out of his mouth after looking into mine were, “you are going to need a crown.” Which I knew meant, anything we had squirreled away to give the children an awesome Christmas was going to be residing in my mouth. At least I would be  able to eat turkey dinner.

 

I’m so glad that I saved a few of Grace’s fancy dresses as the little girls had fun dressing up on this photo shoot

As upbeat and hopeful as I am, most of the time, I have my moments of sadness and often the holidays trigger my lack of faith in the greater good. This year, I was recalling the dream I held close to my heart last Christmas. We had just toured a beautiful Christmas tree farm for sale and D had said, as soon as the New Year began, we would work really hard to get our house on the market so we could sell it and purchase “my” dream home/acreage. But, things didn’t work out that way. For one reason or another, by the time we did have our house ready for the market, the Christmas tree farm had finally sold.

I was sad that my life wasn’t where I had imagined it to be this holiday season. I really do believe, that when we put our attention and focus on ANYTHING, that is what will manifest in our life. It’s after all, the Universal law of attraction.  And yet, this Christmas my faith was shaken. How could I feel hopeful about the future when  my dream from this past year had not come true? And now, as I write these words, it is so obvious that what continued to show up for me once I started feeling blue, was more feelings of lack. A lack of faith, trust and belief.

All these feelings, despite the fact that this BELIEVE sign sits above me daily in my kitchen…why I didn’t look up a bit more during the holiday, I don’t know. We should all keep our head up!

One night when D and I were on our way to the mall with a bundle of Christmas Wish letters stuffed in my purse from our children, I broke down. I let my sorrow pour out, telling him that I felt so bad about my tooth and wondered aloud how we were going to make everyone’s dreams come true on our budget. (not to mention my lack of faith) He didn’t have a solution but reminded me that  Christmas wasn’t about commercial gifts. (I should have known that!) Around this time, I spoke with a dear friend one day after we had each dropped our little ones off at preschool. We go back quite a ways and have both experienced the sadness of infertility…and now here we are with our daughters in preschool together. (that should have been miracle enough!….hello!)

I was feeling really bad that we may not be able to contribute to the preschool’s fundraiser and their December donation request for contributions as of yet and further to that, Harrison’s band teacher had just made a rude comment about the small poinsettia order we had placed for the jazz band’s fundraiser. I was feeling really stretched and vulnerable.

It was my dear friend, whose own husband has had a precarious work situation all fall, who inspired me to look at the bigger picture. She said, “at least we aren’t sitting helplessly beside our sick child at the Children’s hospital and we certainly weren’t homeless.” As I left her to go to the mall to find stocking items, I pondered her words. She was so right. We had a warm home, food to eat and I was grateful that all our children were  healthy.

We were blessed this Christmas to be able to send a few shoe boxes filled with gifts via Samaritan’s purse…I wish we could have watched the children’s faces as they opened the things Grace and Will carefully selected for them.

 

Amongst the flurry of activities in December, there were moments of pure bliss. And not surprising, they had NOTHING to do with the whole commercialized aspect of the holidays. One moment, was sitting through a basketball tournament where our son Harrison’s team did not win any games. They came close but didn’t win once. They never gave up heart though and played with all they could to the bitter end. When our son accepted the tournament’s all star award for his team, I couldn’t have been prouder than if their team had come first place. It wasn’t about winning or losing, it truly was about how they played the game. That buoyed my spirits.

They were boosted further when Clark got a call from the Science Centre, where he works through the school year, to say that he had won a turkey. Hmmm, we didn’t even know we were in the running.

Then there was the moment I was sitting in the front row of the audience and watching our daughter, Grace perform the lead acting and singing role in her school’s Christmas concert. The play was called, “The Holly and the Ivy,” and she played Holly Day. Holly, wanted to be a deputy Santa, with the hopes of being the REAL Santa one day. In the play, she experienced gender discrimination and fought to teach others to accept differences and recognize everyone’s mutual strengths. Her voice was clear and strong as she sang, “A heart full of love.” In that moment, with tears in my eyes, I thought the Christmas message doesn’t get any clearer than that…it’s about treating others with love and kindness, being accepting and having eternal hope. At moments like this, I wondered if the whole play had been orchestrated and my daughter chosen to play the lead, just so I got the message.

Grace before her piano concert…she was our Christmas baby in 2002..reminding me to believe in dreams

Then D and I shared a magical afternoon as we headed up to the mountains to search for our family’s Christmas tree. We were unable to take the family this year since we don’t have a roof rack on our new van and there was no way to put a tree in the back portion of the van since the little ones have their car seats safely fastened in the rear. We decided to drive our new little Honda Fit  up the mountains one Sunday afternoon before Christmas. The kids were contentedly watching a Christmas movie and besides, I think a “real” tree was more my thing than theirs.  After all, we did have several artificial trees throughout our house, all various sizes and the little ones had helped me decorate a few of the trees earlier in December.

So D and I headed up the valley, and turned onto a road that eventually becomes a forest service road, where it is legal to remove Christmas trees. D was a bit reluctant, since he had traveled to Vancouver and back the day before, picking up our son, Mitchell, from the Vancouver Island ferry as his first University term was finally over. D had traveled 900 kilometres in one day, so being back behind the wheel wasn’t really how he wanted to spend the rest of his weekend. Not to mention, the last time we went tree hunting in the forest he seemed to remember sparse trees so he wasn’t very optimistic that we would find anything. On top of that, was the fact that our little Honda Fit wasn’t exactly the front wheel drive sleigh we were driving during our last visit to the woods. I, on the other hand, was adamant I would not purchase a real Christmas tree since my dream to have a Christmas tree farm had not come true this past year. I wanted to cut my own tree and not spend any money doing it. We worked our way up the mountain with our little car, the air growing colder every mile. In the valley we hadn’t had more than a skiff of snow but as we climbed higher the snow lay deeper and the trees glistened with heavy blankets of white.

It seemed like forever before we came to the forest service sign and snow started to softly fall. Other than a few four wheel drive vehicles, it felt like we were all alone in the forest. Since we had left quite late in the afternoon, the sky was darkening. I had visions of being stuck on the side of the road and I regretted not packing a thermos of hot cocoa, some snacks and a blanket…until we turned a corner in the road and then I saw it. Like that moment in the movie, “Christmas Vacation,” when the Griswold family comes upon their tree for the first time and it’s lit up and angels are singing, I knew our tree had been found.


There wasn’t a break in the clouds and music playing but the tree appeared illuminated nonetheless. Even D saw it. Since it was on the opposite side to where we were driving, D slowly did a U turn further up the road and as we started to move back in the direction of the tree, we jumped as a loud blast broke through the forest silence and we were further shocked to see a sanding truck thundering towards us. It was scary how quickly that truck came upon us.

For a moment I had visions of us on the evening news with the headlines,”Local couple and parents to 8 children, who were up in the mountains looking for a Christmas tree, were killed by a sanding truck.” I know, morbid hey? Thankfully, D’s reactions were quick. He put on his right signal light, and easily pulled over to the edge of the narrow road just as the truck barreled past us, making our little car shake. D put on the hazard lights, grabbed his saw and jumped out of the car. I was still in shock over how close we had come to having an accident. It felt mystical how we were spared. By the time I opened my door, D had climbed up the slight incline, moving through the snow and was already assessing the tree. I joined him still wondering how he could just move on from that close call. I felt like something amazing had just occurred and as I looked around, everything seemed more intense and heightened. The air was crisper, the silence deeper, the forest around us felt sacred.

The tree was enchanting. It was the perfect height for our family room and nicely full. I could just imagine it in our house decorated with the children’s homemade ornaments and popcorn strings. I had saved some dried baby’s breath from my garden and thought that would give it a whimsical look as the white lights twinkled. As I got closer to the tree though and actually felt the branches, I had a moment where I just wanted to turn around and go home, leaving it to grow another year in the forest. I knew that if we cut it down, it would not be a home for birds, or a refuge for little animals on the coldest of days. It’s beauty would be enjoyed only for a few weeks, camouflaged beneath our ornaments. Then D asked me if this was the one and I just nodded and said,  “it’s perfect!”

The next thing I knew, we were lifting it into the back of the little Honda Fit and the top of it was

Our beautiful tree 2014

hanging out of the car at least 4 feet. As we slowly drove down the mountain, the snow glowed white as the skies drew a dark purple curtain over the valley below.  The one benefit of the sanding truck was that he had started to spread dirt as soon as he passed us, so our drive down the mountain wasn’t as precarious as D feared as the road was getting icier. As we drove along the country road in our bright red Honda sleigh, I thought we must be a sight for sore eyes with our tree hanging out the back of the car. Inside, both D who had been chatty on the drive up the hill, were suddenly quiet, immersed in our own thoughts. The smell of fresh fir filled our nostrils and for the first time it felt like Christmas. When the kids heard us come home, they piled out of the house to see our new tree and I was just so happy to see their beautiful faces.

The final magical thing that happened this Christmas was that somehow we were able to give our children everything they had asked for on their wish list. As I was telling my sister J, and brother-in-law B, who popped in this afternoon for a New Year’s Eve visit, Christmas ended up being a bit like Jesus’s loaves and fishes story. There was enough for everyone.  Enough for our children, enough for the places we wanted to donate, and even bigger dreams came true when D came home with a small bonus from his office. Why did I ever doubt? Have I not been blessed, time and time again? There is ALWAYS, always, ENOUGH!!!

Of course the Christmas story is the BIG one this time of year (and Will loved to remind his little sisters that Santa isn’t in the word, Christmas…(I should have been listening to him!)

 

This is the manger, my Dad made over 50 years ago…this Christmas it sat on the dresser in my bedroom…reminding me of what the season is about…..gifts of love.

….but for me this year…the loaves and fishes story was also huge….in case you have forgotten, here’s how it goes, …

 

Matthew 14:13-21New International Version (NIV)

 

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

After setting up our real Christmas tree in the family room that Sunday night before Christmas and decorating it with the kids the following day, (and not even saying anything when they only decorated the top three feet of the tree and often put a dozen ornaments on the same branch) I started seeing clearly all the goodness in my life.

Our fishes and loaves stretched beautifully. Again and again little miracles kept happening. As I looked down the pew, where our family sat enjoying our church’s Christmas Eve candlelight service, I felt an enormous sense of peace and bliss. The season of love and light was upon me and I realized that just like the first Christmas when Jesus was born in a simple stable, it was the smallest things that held the most joy for me this season. Sitting together with all of my family in one place and knowing, Alyssa was also being cared for in the U.K. by a dear, kind cousin J (my Dad’s first cousin) and her generous family, well what more could I ask for than that?  I was filled with peace and bliss

And now I will share a few Christmas moments with you….bliss abounds.

On Christmas morning, to allow the older kids to blissfully sleep in longer, we got the little ones bathed and ready for the day…hence all dressed up…it was hard to drag out the morning as they were so excited to see what was in their stockings

 

Finally, they are in the family room….Harrison and Grace are still in their Christmas Eve  P.J’s
I’m showing this picture as our cats were lingering in the back,looking for their share of the fishes and loaves…yes even miracles stretch for kitties and they received treats too. The little girls had asked for dolls as well as a kitty for Kate, and Victoria had asked for a puppy. When I found these dolls holding a kitty and a puppy, I thought I had struck gold! This is what I mean about everything working out perfectly.
Harrison’s basketball team are called the Lakers…since we live near a lake I guess…he was thrilled when we found this hat for him

 

Grace desperately needed socks this Christmas and she was very blessed because even her Auntie must have mysteriously got a hold of the wish list…she is laughing as she opens a second package with socks…warm feet, warm heart!
Mitchell is just happy to be home from University…there is nothing like moving away from home to make you appreciate the littlest things
Clark’s boots got a hole in them right before Christmas…we were not going to get him new boots but when we found these on a “deal”….like they were meant for him…we bought them and they fit perfectly..he was overjoyed!
Will asked for a telescope, a watch and a yo yo this Christmas….he was thrilled to be looking at the heavens

 

Here’s Clark, our oldest son setting up Will’s telescope late in the day on Christmas and giving the kids some astronomy tips
I stopped between mashing potatoes and making gravy to snap this picture on Christmas day…it was blissful

Another magic moment came when it started to snow after Christmas.  It has been an unseasonably warm fall and early winter and it’s almost unheard of in these parts not to get a good dump of snow by Christmas. Then, it started to fall gently, enveloping our little town with a white, peaceful blanket and a few days after Christmas we had enough for the kids to go sledding and making forts in our yard.Will was thrilled since he received a new sled for Christmas.

Here’s a picture of the kids outside today…on New Year’s Eve 2014
And what’s great about going outside…coming in for hot cocoa and watching the movie, “Frozen”

 

And so those were a few of my Christmas 2014 memories. Last Christmas, when D and I were out doing a marathon holiday shopping fest, I was absolutely exhausted and desperately needed to eat and drink something. Unlike most people, over the holidays I usually lose 5 or so pounds since I’m so busy. I swear that having a bunch of kids is a weight loss program, especially at Christmas, (who knew, maybe more people will have a large family now) so I probably hadn’t eaten much on that day. We were in my favourite store, “Chapters,” where there is also a Starbucks located inside.

I’m not a coffee drinker. Never have been and was planning to steer myself through a lifetime of “not” getting addicted to the brown stuff but that night, I needed something and the deep, rich smell of coffee was enticing. I was going to order a herbal tea but then I was lured by the lovely sounds of an eggnog latte. In addition, since they were about to close up the store, they offered some free cranberry bliss bars on the house. Well, normally I don’t indulge in too many sweets but I was starving and needed a serious sugar boost, so we gratefully accepted the free bars and took our drinks.

Well I should have been more wary of becoming a coffee addict since my mother LOVED it and I know most of the world also enjoys it. I thought I was strong enough to have one cup and then return to my tea habit but nope. It turns out that if there is eggnog AND coffee in the house, I will be drinking it…and lots of it. I still mainly drink tea but at Thanksgiving time, I’m all about pumpkin spice lattes and during the Christmas holiday season, it’s all about eggnog lattes…..

Also, as if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m also an absolute steadfast fan of Cranberry Bliss bars. If you have not tried these….oh for heaven sakes, you haven’t known bliss.

So even though our family has a recipe book full of our Christmas favourites, I want to share my recipe for Cranberry Bliss bars and Eggnog lattes with you. Last year I tried various recipes and this is my favourite……I hope it will become a family favourite for you too.

Now, when I get up in the morning, the first thing I ask D to do, is make a full coffee pot, so I can drink them all day. Yes, I will have to start doing my green drinks and my juicing in the New Year….but for now, I’m going to enjoy what I call, holiday bliss, I hope you will join me.

Oh, Alyssa, I wish you were here this Christmas…you LOVE CRANBERRIES….this is for you dear daughter and for all my blog buddies who haven’t tried these…YET!

Here’s what you need for some bliss….

Cranberry Bliss Bars

 

 

 

 

Ingredients
Cake Base:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1¼ C brown sugar, packed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp ground powder ginger
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1½ C flour
  • ¼ C minced dried cranberries
  • ¼ C quality white chocolate. I used a Lindt white chocolate bar, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ C minced candied ginger
Frosting:
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1½ C powdered sugar
  • 2 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp grated orange rind
Drizzle:
  • 2 Tbsp minced dried cranberries
  • ⅓ C white chocolate, melted

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 pan
  2. Beat together butter and sugar and then add eggs and vanilla beating until light and fluffy
  3. Add flour, powdered ginger and salt
  4. Beat well
  5. Fold in the cranberries, chocolate chunks and minced candied ginger
  6. Spread batter in pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown
  7. After cake cools, mix all frosting ingredients together and spread over top of cake
  8. Sprinkle with minced cranberries
  9. Use a cake decorating bag of melted chocolate with a small round decorating tip to drizzle the chocolate over the cake
  10. Cut into triangles…or bars…your choice but I like the look of triangles

 

 

I like to cut them into triangles but warning these are really rich…oh I love the ginger in them, yummy!

And to accompany the perfect Christmas treat….an eggnog latte

Holiday Eggnog Latte

 

Ingredients
  • 2 shots espresso OR ½ cup of double/triple concentrated coffee
  • ⅔ cup eggnog
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • sugar…to taste
  • optional whipped cream and nutmeg
  • Variation: If you want to make this as an evening cocktail, add a shot of rum.

 

Instructions

 

  1. Pour espresso/concentrated coffee into a mug and add steamed eggnog/milk mixture.
  2. If you prefer your eggnog latte sweeter, add a little sugar.
  3. Top off with whipped cream and a pinch of nutmeg.
  4. *If you don’t have an espresso machine, do what I do most often. Just warm your eggnog/milk mixture in the microwave. Cook times may vary but I prefer heating mine for 2 minutes.
I love Starbucks Christmas blend…but any medium roast coffee is great for your latte

 

This is bliss in my house….happy holidays!

Another special moment…once Mitchell came home for Christmas we had our annual photo shoot at our local Super Store….this year we got out in record time and everyone was smiling…gotta love that!
Here is a picture of the twins, “they always have each other’s back” wearing their beautiful plaid dresses
Although this picture didn’t turn out..I had to show it to you…this was the holiday cards we sent out..note the Christmas tree on the card…very meaningful this year

So that is a wrap dear blog friends and family. If I have learned ANYTHING at all this year…it is to believe in magic and miracles…because again and again they keep appearing in my life. I hope your upcoming year is full of what your heart desires.

Bliss at the very least.

 

Here’s an appropriate song for the occasion, “The Last Goodbye” sung by Billy Boyd, from the third Hobbit movie, (we went last night and I thought it was the perfect song as we say goodbye to 2014)

Good bye 2014

And…..

May all your wishes and dreams come true.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessing from Hope

 

Homemade Ice Cream Cake~ Bath Salts

/ Lee Reynolds

Welcome December and my busiest month of the year.

Welcome to The Spa at Orchard Ridge

As if this month isn’t busy enough, we have three children
who all have birthdays in the next couple of weeks. We eat a lot of cake this month. Clark our oldest son, will turn 22 on December 20th and Harrison, will be sweet 16 on December 19th. I’ll never forget when I went into labour with Harry, the day before his older brother was about to turn 6 years old. It was getting close to midnight and I told
my Doctor to break my water to move things along, as
I wanted our oldest son to have his “own” birthday.  As it turned out, Harrison was born before midnight and when we told Clark he wouldn’t have to share his birthday, he replied quite graciously, that he wouldn’t have minded sharing his birthday and having Harrison was the best birthday present he would ever receive.

When we found out we were expecting Grace, we were just so
thrilled that we hardly blinked when we found out her due date was December 18th. I actually thought it would be really cool
to have three children’s birthdays in a row but she had other ideas and arrived 2 weeks early on December 5th. She will turn 12 this coming Friday but last weekend, we celebrated by giving her a Spa Getaway party.

I had so much fun planning her birthday and that is also why I wasn’t blogging last week. Sadly, I didn’t take enough pictures to share today. I wasn’t really thinking “blog opportunity” when planning and throwing my daughter her birthday. However, I did take some pictures of the Ice Cream Cake I made and a few pictures of the Bath Salts that the girls made on the morning after the sleepover. I thought you may like to see them and have the recipes. The Bath Salts are easy, fun to make and I personally think they would make great gifts for teachers this holiday season.

The night before the party, we took Grace to her voice recital where she sang a cute Hawaiian Christmas song which set the perfect mood for returning home to make an ice cream cake.

The cake takes about 15 minutes to make. Max. When I think of all the years we used to buy our children their frozen cakes in the past I cringe. The last cake we had, was ridiculously expensive and had freezer burn so I’m glad to have found a great recipe to share with you now. Okay, maybe being totally sustainable means you have your own cow and you can make your OWN ice cream, etc, but hey, making things yourself is rewarding and does make you feel independent of others in many ways. Plus it’s just plain delicious. I know from past experiences, children who visit us and taste our own homemade Ice Cream cakes are amazed, asking several times, “and you made THIS?”

Hope’s Ice Cream Cake

1 box of oreo type cookies
1/4 cup melted butter
1 carton of ice cream
possibly two if you want two flavours or colours
Whipping Cream
Anything you want to garnish the cake with

 

The first thing you need to do is set out your ice cream of choice and let it sit and soften while you are preparing the crust. Grace really likes mint, so we purchased Breyers Mint Chocolate chip Ice Cream. I find that a large container is enough, although as you will see later, I often use a small amount of vanilla or chocolate to bring the ice cream to the top of the cake pan.

To make the crust you need a box of cookies. Typically, we use Oreo type cookies but our local Super Store has a store brand this time of year with candy cane filling in the middle. It’s perfect for the season and goes delightfully with our mint ice cream.

Set aside several cookies, which can later be split apart or broken up to garnish your cake. Then grind the rest of the cookies with a food processor, or you can put them into a freezer bag and break them up into fine crumbs with a rolling pin.

Put the crumbs into a mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup of melted, cooled, butter. Mix really well until well combined.

 

Press the cookie mixture into a spring form pan. I find there is a fine line over how hard to press the crumb mixture down. If you press too hard it can be really difficult to cut later, so press just enough to spread on the pan evenly.

 

Put all of the softened ice cream into a bowl and mix until creamy. If your ice cream is still quite hard, just let it soften a bit more.

Take the creamy, softened ice cream and spread it on top of your cookie crust in your spring form pan

My mint chocolate chip ice cream only went 3/4s of the way up the pan, so I put the cake in the freezer to let the first layer harden as I softened some vanilla ice cream. Once softened, I put a few drops of red food colouring in and stirred it really well. I thought this was a nice touch for a spa cake, calm green and soft pink always comes to mind when I think of relaxation and girls.

During this next step, you can get as creative as you like when making your cake. In the past, I have made strawberry ice cream cakes with the top being chocolate ice cream and then garnishing the whole cake with strawberries and cookies. I have also made a chocolate, strawberry and vanilla cake…you can also sprinkle cookie crumbs between layers.

For this cake though, I thought the light pink was a lovely finishing touch.

 

Once the cake pan is topped with the softened ice cream of your choice, cover it and place it in the freezer. For a good set, leave it 24 hours.

About an hour before the party, I brought out the cake and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then I carefully unlatched the lock on the spring form pan and lifted it up off the cake. I transferred the cake onto a crystal cake dish and brought out the items that I was going to decorate the cake with. For this cake I chose some red and green sprinkles, left over cookies split in half, some crushed candy canes and of course whipping cream.

 

You can whip your own cream but I find buying the kind in a can the easiest for a nice decorative touch.

This is my favourite part as I love to decorate; houses, packages, and in this this case, a cake. It’s like beautifying and putting your own touch on things. I didn’t have more than 5 minutes though, since I was doing last minute cleaning, cooking, spa prep. And that is the true beauty of this cake…it takes no time to make it look sensational.
And here it is, a few cookies around the sides, some along the top and I used the whipping cream and sprinkles/crushed candy canes, to do the rest. I didn’t take a picture of it after it was cut since I was the spa coordinator along with the cook, baker and bottle washer. It was beautiful though, with the chocolate crust, then the light green ice cream and finally the soft pink as the top….it almost looked like icing. Oh and it was yummy too. ( Hint..if you ever do a spa party for your child….ask a friend/sister/neighbour, etc to help out….so you can take pictures)

As I was busy getting things ready in the afternoon I DID snap a picture of our chalk board and all the things we had planned for the evening. When the girls arrived, I had spa music playing, candles lit and I used lots of aromatherapy to make the house smell relaxing.

 

This was the “waiting room”…I had a salt crystal light, candles, and a water feature tinkling at our front door…of course I Googled some great spa music and it was playing on my computer all night…oh and the smell in the house…lovely scents from the store “Saje”

Once everyone had arrived and settled in, we served dinner. I thought the appropriate dinner selection would be one less spicy but our daughter loves butter chicken, vegetable samosa’s etc, and ceasar salad so that was our menu.

After dinner, each girl was asked to find a comfy chair in our living room, where I had placed a white plastic bucket filled with hot water at the foot. In the water, I had poured a mixture of sea salts, epsom salts and some lavender essential oil….and of course a touch of blue food colouring. The girls settled in comfortably, chatting easily, as the spa music filled the room. It didn’t hurt that we had already decorated our house with greenery and white lights everywhere, which really set a peaceful mood.

As they were soaking their feet, I went from girl to girl and placed the honey facial mask that I had made ahead of time.

Hope’s Facial Mask

1 egg,
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of flour
Lavender Essential oil…(I also put in a few drops of vanilla)

After they all had their facial masks on, I placed a “cold” cucumber slices over their eyes. Each girl went “awwww,” as they felt the refreshing cucumber go on their eyes. As they relaxed, I went around from girl to girl and massaged their feet using an exfoliating product I had purchased at the “Body Shop” but I  had read that a homemade product of sugar and honey works great too.

This would have worked a lot better had I had some help, as I was really moving from girl to girl and in and out of the kitchen with fresh hot water to add to the their foot baths. They didn’t seem to notice though since they were all really quiet (amazing for 11 year old chatty girls!) as they had their heads back, just enjoying the treatment.

After about 20 minutes with the mask on their face, I heated up some wet wash clothes, with lavender sprinkled on them, in the microwave. Once heated, I gently placed it over each of their faces, with just their noses exposed. Each of them, audiably sighed, and as they relaxed further into this warmth, I went around the room and took their feet out of the foot bath. I gave each of them one final foot massage rubbing in some lovely rich “Satsumi,” body butter from from the store, The Body Shop. The smell is absolutely lovely.

Once all the girls had their feet massaged. I gave them a new round of warm wash clothes to wipe off their honey masks. I then brought in lovely red towels for them to dry their faces (we really needed new towels and these were on sale at The Bay recently…I thought they looked rather festive and although one thinks of WHITE for spa towels…I thought these were warm and rich looking and lovely with the white lights and candles and all the greenery. (For some of the greenery, D went out just before the party and pruned some of our pine bushes) I put the towels in their laps and brought each of them a small bucket of warm water, in which I had placed a light vanilla scented soap, some epsom salts and dried peppermint leaves from our garden. Oh this was lovely, and the girls seemed to really enjoy soaking not just their fingers but immersed their whole hands into the warm water. After about another 15 minutes, I brought clean warm water and they rinsed off their hands. Then, I gave them all some of the Satsumi body butter for their hands. Finally, I gave them all an emery board and asked that they file their toe nails and finger nails.

It was time to play the Nail game. I pushed everything out of the way and laid down on the floor a warm fleece blanket that I had just heated in the dryer. The girls sat down forming a circle and I  explained the game.

We had a selection of 5 nail colours plus a clear colour set aside. Each girl threw dice to see who would go first…the highest throw started the game. The first girl chose a nail polish bottle of her choice and spun it. The person the bottle pointed to when it stopped spinning was instructed to roll the dice. The number it landed on would then determine how many toe nails she had to paint the selected colour. She would then paint her nails, which ever toe nail she chose, and then she selected the next colour and spun the bottle and the game continued for a long time. Choruses of laughter spilled from the living room. When all their toes were painted, the game was over. The girls had such a great time and in the end, everyone seemed really happy with the results of their pedicure. (Note…if you are doing this make sure to put down a blanket that is not near and dear to you…in case some nail polish gets spilled.) Also, before they started painting their nails, I gave them nail painting instructions 101 so they spread the polish with ease. (One stroke down the middle…then sides…finishing with a Q tip with nail polish remover to take away any overages)

 

After their pedicure, the girls painted their finger nails the colour of their choice.(It helped that I bought Sally Hanson, fast dry nail polish) After that, the girls went out to the hot tub, where I could hear them laughing and giggling. When they came in they were all prunes but they said it was wonderful, luxuriating in the hot water with the cold winter air on their faces. It was perfect as I was able to clean up from the spa part of our evening and set out the cake, popcorn, punch, pop, licorice for the movie/sleepover portion of the party.

The next morning, after D’s delicious pancakes (he really knows how to make a great breakfast!) I had the girls make Lavender Bath Salts to take home. It was really fun watching them turn some basic ingredients into a lovely gift and I was thinking, hmmmm….I should include this in my blog in case you are looking for a homemade gift to give to someone special this holiday season.

Hope’s Bath Salts

A glass container
Epsom Salts
Sea Salts 
Food Colouring
Essential Oil of your choice….we used Lavender 
Ribbon of your choice…we used raffia ribbon for a cottage look

Mix 1 part epsom salts with 1 part sea salts. Add the food colouring of your choice. You have to really mix the colouring in well until you get a nice consistency. The girls used blue and a bit of red for a lovely blue. Finally, add and stir in the essential oil of your choice.

Ideally, you would let it sit and dry overnight but we had to pour with a funnel into the girls glass containers and added a label and the raffia ribbon. You can do different colours and layer it as you desire or have it all the same colour. One Christmas our girls made peppermint bath salts and did one layer of green, then pink, alternating layers right to the top of the jar…fixing a bow and attaching a candy cane beneath it…the sky is the limit regarding your choice of scent and colours..and jars. Canning jars would be really cool with the raffia ribbon!

I wished I had taken pictures of the girl’s thank you bags but you know how busy things get at parties….but here’s what I did in case you are wanting to throw your daughter a spa party. I went to the dollar store and found really pretty glitzy clutch purses. The make up bags that they had were kind of tacky and weren’t big enough for what I wanted to put in them.

Inside these bright pink, glittery bags, (like evening bags) I placed a bar of lavender soap, nail polish remover (in case the parents weren’t thrilled over the girls manicures/pedicures) a few emery boards, some cotton squares(put into t little bag to keep them sterile) and a bottle of nice nail polish (I didn’t get these at the dollar store but bought a good quality bottle of nail polish) Finally, when you are 11, turning 12, you still like candy, so I threw a handful of wrapped candy….holiday variety, since she is my December baby. I wrapped the whole purse with raffia ribbon as it was bulging full. In addition to their bath salts, it was a nice way to say thank you for coming. Grace is really blessed to have such wonderful friends!

Well, that’s one birthday down, two more to go….the next one is a SWEET SIXTEEN for my quickly growing sweet boy, uummm, young man,  Harrison…stay tuned. Although celebrating each of our children’s birthdays is very special, remembering the journey to Grace, reminds me how special this time of year truly is. It’s the season of light. The season of miracles. The season of love.

Before I close I thought an appropriate YouTube video was, (click here if you can’t see below) Joe Cocker’s song, “You ARE so Beautiful.” because although this blog post was all about Grace’s spa beauty party, she reminds me all the time what beauty is all about.

 

     Happy Birthday Grace. Your soul shines!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Being Grateful~Happy Birthday to My Sister

/ Lee Reynolds

After a really tough week, yes another tough week, I’m so very grateful.

If you have been following along with what’s going on in my life, things have been falling apart around here; zippers, dryers, furnaces, and then on the weekend I broke a tooth while eating popcorn watching a movie. Yes, I’m doing the shift and let go dance every day, while remembering on my most difficult days that I often grow the most as a soul. I’m learning A LOT lately.

Tomorrow, is my sister C’s birthday. As I was making up an email note for her this evening, I came across the most beautiful Grateful song I really wanted to share with my blog readers. Also, with many of my friends from the States celebrating their Thanksgiving tomorrow I thought it was very appropriate. While they are eating turkey and pumpkin pie this weekend, I will be counting my blessings and remembering how fortunate I am to have sisters, and blog sisters as well all over the world. What are you thankful for? The practice of writing down 5 things that you are grateful for really does generate more happiness into our lives. What are your top 5 things you are grateful for?

Today for me, I’m grateful for:

1. A wise and wonderful sister who inspires me to live my best life. (and two others who love me, too)

2. A son with a working zipper on his coat and a GREAT HAT.

3. A dryer that is working.

4. Two gas fireplaces that are working until the heating guy can repair our furnace

5. A wonderful dentist who can get me in next week to repair my tooth

…..and the list goes on and on, health, home, food, family, friends and as my beautiful son Harrison often says when I ask, “how are things?”  he says, “LG mom,” translated to….life’s GOOD!

So HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear sister, C….and

Happy Thanksgiving to my U.S. sisters.

Check out this Youtube video, Gratitude, a love song to the world...I hope it inspires you and brings you joy. (click on the hyper link if you can’t see it below)

Until I see you again, may you be well, HAPPY and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Tomorrow is my sister C’s birthday and as I sent her an email greeting because my birthday card is not going to get to her in time, I

Gingersnaps~Living With Will

/ Lee Reynolds

Oh the blessing of free will. Some may call it a curse. Some may call it a gift. Last week, I made a number of excellent choices and then some that, in hindsight, I wished I had not made. But then even as I write these words I know, even our worst choices bring insights and so it’s all good.

As you probably recall from reading my last blog post called, “When Things Fall Apart,” a number of things were breaking down in our household. Things did not improve as the week unfolded, despite my new mantra expecting only Marvelous things to occur.

On Thursday morning, again the house was very chilly when we awoke and when I went to turn on our gas powered furnace,  I didn’t hear that warm hum. I cycled power and it worked for a bit and then stopped. Big problem. Direction? To call our furnace repair guy. Result. He’s coming later in the afternoon.

Of course, he came exactly when I was due to pick up our University son from the bus and right after that I was due to take Grace to her piano lesson. Thankfully, D had agreed to come home, (his office is about a 5 minute drive away) which is a good thing since I don’t understand the language of the skilled trades person. After they come to look at whatever it is that is not working, they try to explain what is wrong and how they plan to fix it and frankly, I’m always surprised that they don’t notice my perplexed facial expression because they continue to talk, as if we are on the same page. Thank you D for coming to my rescue.

In the meantime, I was ready to bundle up the little girls into the van to go and collect Clark, but when I looked out at our drive-way, I see the repair man’s truck is squarely in the path of my van. I decided to wait until D arrived home so I could leave the little ones with him and steal his little economical red Honda Fit. His treasured car I might add, which is really funny when I think of how times have changed. When I met him he had just sold his red Corvette and bought a Camaro. Again, it’s interesting the roads we choose to travel as well as how we choose to travel them.

 

Anyway, I zoomed up the hill, picked up Clark, who had been waiting for awhile, and arrived home just as the school bus was dropping Grace and Will off. Since it was a cold day, the first thing I noticed when I saw Will come into our yard was, that his head was bare. As he was coming into the house I asked, “Where is your new hat Will?” He sloughed off his new coat, {remember the one in which I had to replace the zipper recently? And, further to that, the one that I’d bought because I had fallen in LOVE with the HAT which happened to go beautifully with the jacket) and said, “M, took it off.” “What?” I said. He replied, “M took it while I was on the bus.”

Although I knew I had to be out the door shortly to take Grace to piano, I tried to clarify where his hat was since I KNOW from experience, the longer something goes missing, the chance of getting it back are slim. Amber Alert starts to flash in my mind. As it turned out, based on both Grace and Will’s statements, Will had his new hat when he got on the bus and while he was looking out the window, ” M”, who was sitting beside him, took it off. Will asked for his hat back but she was looking away, when he asked again, she didn’t respond. She got off the bus before him and he didn’t get his hat back.

Well, even though I was conscious, EXTREMELY, consciously aware of my feelings, anger, starting to bubble up from an unknown source, anger and frustration that another child should remove our son’s hat, I still made the “choice” to continue down this path. In fact, I became even more livid as I tried to find M’s phone number but there are like 50 people with her last name in our phone book. And remember, this is a small town! I tried calling a few who live in our area but each time it was the wrong number. Glancing at my watch, it was time to take Grace to her piano lesson. I grabbed an apple, an orange, some crackers and cheese and threw them on a plate for the children’s after school snack, Grace snatched a bit of everything and we were out the door.

Thank heavens, our older son was home to keep an eye on the little ones. On the way out of our sub-division we stopped off at the cul-de-sac, where Grace thought the M girl lived on. She had seen her get off the bus with her younger sister and she was pretty sure she knew which house they lived in. M is Grace’s age. Actually, in the same grade but in a different class and so she is familiar with her. We stopped at the house where she thought she lived and I rang the bell. No answer. We continued to piano.

Although I like to stay for her 3/4 hour lesson, that day I had to run and pick up Harrison after his jazz band practice.  On my way back to our area, I decided to stop once again at M’s house. This time a teenage boy answers and said, “No, she didn’t live there, but there are two girls next door.” Quickly, keeping an eye on the time, I ran next door and rang the bell. A young, Filipino woman came to the door. I explained nicely to her that our kindergarten son was sitting beside M on the bus earlier and he said, she had taken his hat. I wanted to know if she knew anything about it.

The woman looked shocked and while she was apologetically saying, “oh my, I’m sorry, what does it look like?” as she was rummaging around a backpack at the door, I told her that it was black with a red stripe and cool brim. She shook her head no and said it wasn’t in M’s back pack. She further said, M was at her dance class but she would talk to her when she picked her up. I assumed she was the nanny, as she referenced her employer a few times. Before I left, I mentioned that I was surprised M was sitting with Will at all, since I understood the older children were suppose to sit at the back of the bus. My older daughter doesn’t even sit with him. She just looked at me blankly, like she didn’t know what the rules were, so I gave her my phone number and said, “thanks.”

I was still pretty annoyed at this point. I was thinking back to a time when my oldest son got off the bus without his rather expensive ski gloves we had purchased for him. He always had cold hands so we made sure to get a really warm pair this particular winter. He said one of the kids grabbed them and threw them to the back of the bus and for awhile all the kids were throwing them around. This was a Friday and our family was going skiing that weekend. We never got those gloves back.

Ever since our children were small, we have taught them to take care of their things, to appreciate what they have and to understand it takes effort to provide nice things for them. While some may feel that this is putting too much emphasize on stuff, I believe it teaches them to respect belongings. Theirs and other people’s. While I understand we all choose different parenting philosophies, at the very least, respecting other people’s space and their, “things.” is in my opinion, a really important lesson in life.

I got to the high school and Harrison didn’t come out. I shut off the car engine, text him but he didn’t respond. I raced into the school, knowing Grace’s piano lesson was going to end soon, and stopped outside of the band room. Teens were flying out and thankfully, one asked who I was looking for and I told him. He replied that Harrison wasn’t there that day. The band teacher, Mr. M. must have seen me at the door, as he came over and said Harrison hadn’t shown up after school. Was there a Dr.’s appointment or something? I just shook my head, smiled and decided to check out the gym. I continued down the hall and who do I see shooting hoops with a few other boys? Harrison.

When he saw me, he quickly collected his belongings and came out rather sheepishly. I asked him why he wasn’t at his jazz band practice and he mumbled something about, not wanting to go.. He perked up and said, “oh Mom, I’m number one on the list posted for the basketball team.” I nodded my acknowledgement, but I didn’t let the first part slide. As we walked down the hall, I asked him why he didn’t go to band and he said he wanted to play basketball instead after school. By this time we were outside the band room, so I told him that he better go and apologize to his band teacher.

As it turned out Harrison was not in Mr. M’s good books anyway. At the band concert, the night before, he had apparently been talking and laughed briefly, during  the 5 minute Bach flute solo. Mr. M had had words with him and the other boy involved after the concert. In addition, he was annoyed when he told the jazz band to make some “noise,” while warming up and Harrison had done just that, TOO much, in Mr. M’s estimation. Harrison later told me it was a GREAT fill! (Harrison plays the drums by the way)  D and I were at the back of the concert room so we never heard anything but we were not looking for poor behavior. He played really well as far as we were concerned (you can always hear your child when they play drums) but he had clearly made some bad choices during the concert for sure.

Harrison right before his band concert last Wednesday night

He apologized to Mr. M over his prior night’s behavior and not attending his band practice and we were back in the van to pick up Grace, with me talking, Harrison would say, lecturing, about the choices we make in life and the results we desire. Ownership and being respectful, being the theme. We arrived 5 minutes late to pick up Grace, who was getting cold as it was getting dark by this point. The rest of the night went off without a hitch, dinner, clean up, bath, stories, bed. It was when I was making children’s lunches for the next day that I received a phone call.

It was M’s mom calling about my query over Will’s hat. She was absolutely spitting mad and told me that under no circumstances should I have come to her door, upsetting her nanny, and accusing her daughter of taking Will’s hat. She further went on to say that her child was kind hearted and would NEVER take someone’s hat. I tried to explain that this was blown WAY out of proportion but she had made up her mind as to my intentions. I told her that I was simply wanting to get his hat back and I started on the trail of the missing hat based on where Will thought it was. She basically said, I shouldn’t listen to something a kindergarten aged child said and I should look around our house for the lost hat which will most likely turn up.

Near the end of our conversation, she threw this out, “It is JUST a HAT.” As if I were being ridiculous and out of line. I explained that we do have 8 children to cloth and it isn’t just a hat to us but the principal of teaching our children to be responsible with their things. She then, quite condescendingly said, “we probably can find a few hats lying around here if you really need one.” At that point, I knew we weren’t getting anywhere. I apologized if her nanny was upset by my appearance and before we said goodbye, I mentioned that I had called the school, left a message with the principal as I wanted to discuss bus seating policy and the incident.

I didn’t sleep that night. I kept thinking about the choices I had made with regards to the actions of the missing hat. Was it just a hat or was it the principal of other people being disrespectful towards our belongings? Also, on my mind was my beautiful teenage son, who was making his own choices. Sometimes not the best ones. I went to sleep finally, thinking about hats, drum sticks, and conversations  all playing out in my mind.

Things always look better in the morning. The house was warm as the furnace had been repaired. The little girls had a lovely morning at preschool and when we arrived home at lunch time, I received a phone call from D. He said that the principal, Mr. S. had apparently tried to contact me but I was having tea with an old friend  and I hadn’t been checking my messages. D said that Mr. S had taken the steps of having all the people involved in the hat fiasco, into his office. As it turns out, a girl by the name of, get this, HOPE, had taken Will’s hat off his head. She had been sitting behind him on the bus and when she got up to get off at her stop, she had dropped it behind his back. She thought he would have noticed but he didn’t. Apparently, this time Hope was the culprit but she told Mr. S that other children had been doing it as well, namely, M and her younger sister, D.  M admitted that yes, she had done it before. It was unclear whether M was aware this time that Hope had taken Will’s hat although she had been the one to say Hope should also be included in the meeting. The Principal told them both that he had zero tolerance for hat removal, or any touching of other people’s belongings whatsoever. They were being warned that if he hears about this again, they will be off the bus.

Was I feeling vindicated? Well, sort of. But then, crazy me, I try to think about it from the other person’s perspective and I see that I could have handled it differently. First I could have stayed in my Zen place. I could have let the incident go totally and just bought Will a new hat. Although, saying that, I have to qualify that by saying, this hat was PERFECT. Also, as you know, I’m careful with our money and gee, did I really have to buy a new hat when we had a perfectly good hat “somewhere.” So yeah, I was unresolved even after all of this was hashed out. The right choice is not always clear and we never know what the outcome will be when we go down  a certain path.

Mr. S, the Principal, did track down Will’s hat. It was left on the bus and he has given instructions for the bus people to return it to Will today. The bus should be dropping the kids off shortly and it will all be resolved. Until the next time that is.

I know this is just one incident in my life, one week of choices, but the real point here is, when we have the will power to choose which direction we are going to take, in every aspect of our life, the choices we make always impact more than ourselves and no matter which way we go, if we are open to it, we learn our biggest lessons in life and we teach as well. Yes, I could have taken the higher road and let the hat go. We would have ALL lived in peace and harmony, EXCEPT, until the next time one of the kids on the bus (or in life) thinks nothing of messing around with other people’s things. Isn’t it part of our job as a community to teach identify moral lessons? It’s part of living in a peaceful society.

Also, another big lesson I want my children to learn is that stuff isn’t important. I know, I know, this is a contradiction of what I have been talking about but the a particular piece in the scripture has always stayed with me from my childhood Sunday school lessons and that is, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6) This bible verse has always resonated with me and I’d like to believe I’m not materialistic.

Everything we have been given of material goods, is to bring us joy on the earth, make life easier and being grateful for those things is an important lesson too. I hope our children learn a few lessons from this whole experience, all of our children, Will, Grace, Harrison, etc…that respect is an important part of living on this earth, and choosing to be kind. Always kind. When we take that path, we are never wrong.

Well, I must close but before I do, I want to give you the recipe for my ginger snap cookies which I think are the perfect choice to go with late fall/early winter weather. I have a full cookie jar with these cookies right now thanks to my dear, DEAREST, son Harrison. While D and I were out doing our Christmas shopping for his oldest sister Alyssa yesterday, (who will NOT be home this Christmas and we want to send her a package soon) he had made a huge batch of these for the family. (Alyssa would love these too…they are her fav) I came home to a hot cup of tea and a plate of cookies. I showed him how to sprinkle an icing sugar star on top. They were so delicious that I thought I would add them to this blog post today. Thank you Harrison. I respect your excellent baking skills.

I hope you enjoy them too, if you want to make them more festive, simply make a stencil of a star or whatever…maybe I should have put a hat on our cookies. Whatever choices you make on this earth, I hope the lessons that result are gentle,

and your cookie jar is ALWAYS full!

Harrison’s Ginger Snaps

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup of margarine or butter, softened
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
21/4 cups all purpose flour (Harrison used whole wheat yesterday and it was great)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, margarine, molasses and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup sugar, mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling. (You don’t have to do this last step…Harrison didn’t yesterday and they were great)

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Shape dough into 1 inch balls; roll in 1/4 cup sugar. Space 2 inches apart on un-greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degree F. For 8 to 12 minutes or until set. (Cookies will puff up and then flatten during baking.) Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

Yields 3-4 dozen

We double the recipe for our large family so they last the week.

 

Will just came home and look what is on his head!

Looking at the above picture, it reminds me me of a story Dr. Wayne Dyer tells, of a woman who was walking on the beach with her small son. Suddenly, a huge wave washes upon the shore and pulls her son into the ocean. She gets down on her hands and knees and cries, “Oh God, please, please, bring my son back to me!” On the next wave her son reappears, none the worse for wear. She looks him over from top to bottom and says, “but he was wearing a HAT” 
 

                                               

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Light and Fluffy Waffles and Snow

/ Lee Reynolds
This was a shot from our deck at 7:30 this morning…our first snowfall of 2014

To put you in the mood as you read this blog post, play the following YouTube video clip. It’s from one of my favourite Christmas movie’s called, “White Christmas.” It’s called, “Snow.” (click on the hyper-link if you can’t view below)

Snow, white and fluffy, reminding me of the ivory snow flakes I put into my homemade laundry soap, softly drifted down from the heavens last night. I felt the possibilities of such in my bones, as I went to pick up the children from school yesterday. At the time, only heavy wet rain drops were plopping on my windshield but later, when I had to take Grace to her Christmas choir rehearsal, it had changed to the white stuff. Oh the first snowfall of the year is glorious.

I LOVE snow. A peaceful feeling and memories of childhood envelope me, as I’m in awe over our first snowfall. One of my favourite memories from childhood, was being bundled into my red one piece snow suit and going outside with my family to play in the snow. This was when we lived in Hope, B.C., back when my Dad was still alive. We made a massive snowman, taller than my dad and he even had a lap for me to sit on. Pictures of me with my three older sisters and Dad, and of course our snowman, are treasured photos now.

The smell of crisp, cold winter days also fill me with joy, as I remember the times when my step Dad, Bud and I would go and feed our horses. As our green Ford truck would come into view, our horses would lift up their heads and snorts of mist would puff from their noses, as they sauntered over to meet us at the gate. My horse, Blondie’s velvet nose would push me in the tummy, and she would nuzzle me until I gave her the carrot or apple in my pocket. Knowing she was as happy to see me, as I was to see her, made those cold, snowy days, magical moments. She of course is long gone, along with my father, and my step father but as snow falls, my thoughts of them bring them alive once more.

Last night, the little ones had a hot tub before going to bed. As we lifted the hot tub cover, steam rolled up into the night sky. Safely, under the cover of our upper deck, the children floated around and their excited voices echoed into the blanketed white. “Can we go and play in it”? They asked? “Sure,” I said, so they climbed out wearing nothing but their birthday suits. They ran to the edge of our deck, gingerly touching their naked toes on the white ground, and then they ran back to the hot tub, giggling, filled with glee. My step Dad, Bud would have looked at me and said, “making memories.”

At bedtime, all warm in their fleece jammies, we read a story called, “Big Snow” by Jonathan Bean. It was about a little boy who while “helping” his mother do some holiday cleaning, was antsy as he kept a watchful eye on the progress of the winter snowfall. He was hoping for a big snow. Inside, he is underfoot, turning  white sheet changing and tub scrubbing into imaginary whiteouts. I love when his father comes home early from work and the whole family goes out for a walk in the deep snow.

It was the perfect book to read to our children on our first night of snow. I hope they have magical memories of this special time of year.

This Saturday morning, I had to get up early and take D to the hospital where he was undergoing a colonoscopy. Groan! Yes, I know, not the most fun procedure in the world and certainly not delightful to prepare for. I felt truly bad for him as he was up most of the night. I’ve just returned from dropping him off at our local hospital and also taking our oldest son, Clark to his job at the Science Centre. There was a sleepover there last night and Clark is on the first shift this morning, getting the kids their breakfast, making flubber, etc. I’m sure they will be talking about snow and perhaps looking at snowflakes through a microscope, exploring the marvelous world of science. Serious fun!

I’m going to make a quick batch of my light and fluffy waffles for the kids. Harrison was at a birthday party last night. Do you call it that when teens are turning 16? It was suppose to be a sleepover but at 10:30 he appeared home and as he poured himself a bowl of cereal, he said they had done everything he had wanted to and he knew his Dad was going to the hospital in the morning and I may need him. Yes, there were moments this week when I had to shake my head at some of his teenage judgement calls, but then he rises to the occasion, like last night and I think, “okay, maybe he will be ready to learn to drive soon.” He turns 16 next month. I have a month to ponder that.

So I’m making waffles this morning and realized I haven’t put a breakfast recipe on my blog yet. Do you want a great waffle recipe? This one has a few extra steps than the basic waffle recipe but it results in light and fluffy waffles. Waffles your family will remember as being the best they have ever eaten! So make up a batch for your family, serve them near a window, so they can eat and enjoy the magic going on outside, no matter where you live in the world. Making Memories!

Hope’s Light and Fluffy Waffles

  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1¾ cups whole milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 oz (½ stick) whole butter
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)

Directions

    1. Pre-heat your waffle iron to its hottest setting.

 

    1. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt.

 

    1. Separate the eggs. Put the whites in a glass bowl and the yolks in another.

 

    1. Melt the butter over a low heat, then remove it and let it cool

 

    1. Beat the yolks thoroughly. Whisk in the milk, oil and melted butter.

 

    1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Then add the sugar and continue mixing until you get nice stiff peaks. (This makes the waffles fluffy)

 

    1. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and mix gently until combined.

 

    1. Carefully fold in the beaten egg whites to the batter, don’t over mix.

 

    1. Spray both surfaces of your waffle iron with cooking spray.

 

    1. Pour ½ to ¾ cup (depending on your waffle iron) batter onto the iron and close it.

 

    1. Cook until the waffle iron’s indicator light shows that cooking is complete, or until no more steam comes out. The finished waffle should be golden brown and crispy.

 

  1. Lift the waffle out of the iron with a pair of tongs and either serve right away or transfer it to the oven to keep warm.
I add some fruit, some syrup and sprinkle it with icing sugar and serve it to the girls.

 

The little girls have been wearing their bear hats all week…Bears love waffles!
Me yelling, “Harrison” come and get it….I really have to start using a bell at mealtime

 

 

My older kids love weekends when we make waffles etc and take time for breakfast
Grace is always up for a smoothie

Add a fruit smoothie to the breakfast and you’ve given your family a healthy start to the day along with memories of icing sugar sprinkled waffles on snow covered mornings.

Fruit Smoothie

This is the one I make most often as all my children love it.

Add some crushed ice to the bottom of your blender…I use about 1- 2 cups.

Then I fill 1/2 of my blender, about 4-6 cups with whatever milk we have on hand….almond, rice, or cow’s milk…let your taste be your guide

I then add 1 – 1 1/2 cups of yogurt…strawberry or blueberry is our choice

Add a banana and then frozen fruit…we like blueberries and strawberries. The more you add the fruitier the smoothie…also my girls like more strawberries for a pink colour smoothie ….but lots of blueberries looks great too…not to mention loaded with antioxidents.

Blend it until everything is well combined and serve.

(Note…I like to add some ground flax seeds for extra fibre for my smoothie but some kids don’t like it) 

Well, blog readers, I hate to leave you mid blog but the hospital just called and it’s time to pick up D and bring him home. I’m going to add some scrambled eggs to his breakfast when he gets home. He must so hungry since he hasn’t eaten since Thursday night!

While I’m off, I’m going to leave the little ones home with Harrison and Grace. I’ve promised them a special video to watch while I’m gone. Have you ever watched the “Snowman” movie? I’m adding a link below and maybe you can watch it with your family on the next wintery day. (unless you live in Florida like my good friend, K)

The music is hauntingly beautiful and reminds me of when my older children were playing their violins and cello, with our local Carriage House String Orchestra.  Alyssa also, played it on the piano and I wonder if Grace, who is now taking voice lessons, will sing it in the future. Tingles cover my arms as I listen, knowing angels are listening to it with me. Wrap yourself up with warm memories and know, each moment you are making more magic in the world.

Okay, I’ve got to run but I hope you enjoy this movie and the music as well. Here’s the YouTube video of “The Snowman.”...for young and old. (click on the hyper link if you can’t view below)

 

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

When Things Fall Apart

/ Lee Reynolds

My dryer is broken.

My Ruby red LG dryer–broken dryer

You may remember reading last week about my belief in Murphy’s law, coinciding with D’s business trips. Something ALWAYS happens when he goes out of town. Of course, if I truly believe in the law of attraction, which I do, I will start reciting this mantra, “something marvelous always occurs when D is working out of town.”

But last week, I had no such insight.

D has since returned, delved into the dryer’s malfunction (did I mention he is handy?) and has ordered a new circuit board. Of course, just finding a place that would provide, said part was an ordeal. I get SO frustrated when we find a part in our cousin country, (the U.S.) but for WHATEVER reason, things can’t always be shipped to Canada. (Free trade stinks at times) Anyway, don’t get me started, we did finally find the part but of course, it is NOW on order.

Until then, I’ve threatened the children within an inch of their life, to NOT put anything but socks and underwear in the wash. To hang up their towels after use and under no circumstances are they to put their sheets in the laundry basket. Even the little kids know the drill and they carefully strip down, laying the approved items for the wash aside and putting their other clothes back in their drawers/closet.

Even under these strict rules, with 8 people living in our home, there is still wash to do each day and each day I pray for good weather so I can set it out on our deck to dry.

First thing I do every morning is assess the drying weather

Now for some strange reason, when it is MY choice to dry our clothes on the deck it’s okay. I feel really empowered by the whole concept of saving energy and using wind and solar power to dry our clothes but when I have no choice, I feel like a victim to the appliance manufacturers, who can’t seem to construct machines that will last more than 5 years.

Our clothes drying outside…underwear and socks are inside

For the first 15 years of our marriage we had the same washing machine pair and since then we have had to replace them every 5 years like clockwork, which is ridiculous in my books. Yes, sure, we have a larger than average family and for the last 5 years our family is very large but still, this new LG was purchased after Will was born 5 years ago. You would think it could make it until he was in grade 1 before breaking down.

Okay, enough venting about my dryer, except to say, I actually would dry everything outside,(and sneer at the dryer manufactures) if there was a way of drying clothes outside without everything, like towels, feeling scratchy boards. Send me a comment if you have a solution In the spring, I may even ask D to construct a clothesline, although our neighbours may protest over us airing our “clean” laundry to dry. Sigh.

I actually thought I was doing really well with D out of town last week, dealing with the day to day drama until Will came home from school on Thursday with a broken zipper on his new coat. His NEW coat. He had only worn it for a week and the little metal thingy on the bottom of the zipper broke off so the zipper slide wouldn’t stay attached.

The metal piece on the right..broke off

I was livid! BUT again, Murphy’s law prevailed (D was still away at this point) and wouldn’t you know I had just thrown out the store receipt, along with the price tags, etc in the garbage on Tuesday. I wasn’t exactly sure it went in the Tuesday garbage, but just to be sure, I went through the garbage we had accumulated since Tuesday, reviewing each item carefully. It was Friday morning at this point and surprisingly we had a lot of garbage. Yuck!

Have you ever done a garbage inspection? It was amazing what I found. PERFECTLY GOOD STUFF! A bag full of nuts, dried fruit and yogurt covered bits, (expensive nuts, I might add), an apple, a perfectly good pencil, an unopened juice box with straw still attached, cat food cans that still had food in them, (the children feed the cats) and then what really surprised me were things that could be recycled, for instance toilet paper rolls, and quite a bit of potential compost material…like apple cores, banana peels, etc. Very insightful.

Suffice it to say, garbage inspections will continue, (as gross and stinky as they are) regularly since the goal of being less wasteful is high on my priority list. And perhaps I will have to get the children to do some research on garbage waste in our country and we can enjoy a field trip to the dump, which really should have a new name, something like “precious land.” Okay, again I got sidetracked…where was I?

Oh YES, since I must have thrown out the store receipt (which yes, when I think of it, should have been recycled too…in which case we would still have them in our recycling bin) I had to come up with a solution to Will’s broken zipper. What to do? Well, after the garbage inspection, I pulled out our yellow pages and called every single tailor and seamstress listed. Three. There are probably more but I don’t have any connections in the sewing industry which I think is a lost art by the way. And again, Murphy’s law, every one of them said they could do it but not for 3 weeks. That was the magic time frame for all of them. I told them my son would freeze by then but thanked them for their time.

Then I decided to google how to repair a zipper but sadly this didn’t appear to be easily manuvered, so I decided as ridiculous as it is to repair a brand new coat, I had to walk my talk and not only be frugal but sustainable. I would have to do it myself. On Sunday, I warned all the kids that the big repair job was being conducted and they were to keep themselves busy so I could focus on ripping out the broken zipper and reattach the new one we had purchased at Fabricland on Saturday.

Well, at first I couldn’t see how to even begin and I was so worried I was going to put a hole in the nylon material but after about 1/2 hour I finally made a tiny opening and things progressed from there. Once the zipper was removed, I carefully pinned the new one to the coat, being conscious to place the zipper bottom, at the bottom of the jacket. Believe me, I have done some funny things over the years when I sew. Harrison, our 15 year old, must have inherited my lack of sewing perception, as his Home Ec teacher told him not to become a bridge builder when he grows up, as he had sewed the legs shut to the boxer shorts he was making last year.

Sewing the zipper was really easy and quick or so I thought. When I went to zip up the jacket, the zipper got stuck on the material since I had sewed the zipper too close to the edges of the jacket. So, with teeth clenched and screams to the children, “do not BUG me,” I ripped out the zipper again and re-sewed it. This time, being careful to ensure the material had some clearance to allow the zipper to flow along the teeth without any blockages. Voila! Not the prettiest job but it got the job done and Will would not freeze this winter.

Will checking out the new zipper

 

Also, I learned a few valuable lessons. In the future, when we purchase anything that costs over say $50.00 dollars (and this coat was much higher than that) I will retain the receipts and tags in an envelope for safe keeping. We do this with appliances…however isn’t it interesting that the unit always breaks down exactly one day after any warranty expires?

Well my dryer still isn’t fixed but D assures me that the part will be here soon, fingers crossed that this is the magic part. Will went to school on Monday with a working zipper and all was going okay until I woke up yesterday to a freezing house. D had already left for work very early, at 6:45 to take Harrison to jazz band and Clark to the University bus. He didn’t notice how chilly the house was but one hour later when the kids were going out the door the house still wasn’t heating up.

D came home at lunch, per my frozen request and cycled the power (I think that was the correct term he used) and geesh, I could have done that. It seemed to get our furnace working but again this morning, it didn’t kick in. So now we have another ISSUE to deal with.

Our gas fireplace kept us warm

Add some concerns we have over our daughter in the U.K. and her teaching profession and our out of town University son, finding a comfort zone to marinade in while away from home and things in my life, to a degree seem to be falling apart. Do you ever wonder why things seem to go wrong. And in threes too? There is that old wives tale anyway.

I don’t think they really go wrong in threes, they go wrong in a series of threes, a life time of threes. Life is just full of things falling apart. And that is the essence of life. Unless, UNLESS, you shift your perspective AND learn the fine art of surrender.

I often say that “letting go” is my major life lesson. It seems to be in the theme of EVERYTHING I experience in life. Something falls apart, I notice it, I react….sometimes I OVER REACT, and thankfully as I’m growing wiser, I then shift and let go and then I’m back into the well being stage. UNTIL the next thing. Which at times can be moments later. It feels like a delicate dance I do on this earth school.

Then last night, as I was at my meditation meeting, things became clearer. Things fall apart in order to teach me the lessons I need to learn. To enforce the understanding that we are impermanent and things are ALWAYS changing. Then I laughed and wondered if once I became proficient at this life dance, if in the future I wouldn’t even be aware when things go awry because I will smoothly waltz past any obstacles. My awareness will be that everything is perfect and things are not broken at all.

In this light, and maybe as a result of my attraction expectation, instead of things falling apart, things will be coming together. Like a beautiful dance, where at first you are just learning the steps and finally after a lot of practice, it artfully flows together with the music.

For instance on Sunday when I was sewing Will’s zipper in place. Grace took the time to host a tea party for the three little ones. She made some “Mother’s Helper Tea” that my sister B had given me and filled a plate full of cookies we picked up from her school’s Christmas Fair Market. She made the afternoon fun for the little ones as I tried to repair the jacket. She reminded me that things do come together with the smallest effort. My children have been the best teachers in my life. They are CONSTANTLY changing and growing and with such ease and grace. They live in the moment and enjoy each experience.

Grace brought up her Beatrix Potter tea set and her fairies to join the party
Invite some friends to the party
Kate, Grace, Will and Victoria enjoy their Mother’s Helper Tea and Cookies
Would you care for another biscuit, Kathryn? Yes, thank you.

Check out this YouTube video, it’s one of my fav artists from when I was young, Cat Stevens singing, Oh Very Young....reminds me of how quickly life unfolds and reminds me also, not to stress when things fall apart…we are impermanent and life is short. Our children are truly are best teachers. Even though they are changing and growing every day, they live happily in the moment.

 The lyrics to Oh Very Young

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while
And though your dreams may toss and turn you now
They will vanish away like your daddy’s best jeans
Denim Blue fading up to the sky
And though you want him to last forever
You know he never will
(You know he never will)
And the patches make the goodbye harder still

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
There’ll never be a better chance to change your mind
And if you want this world to see a better day
Will you carry the words of love with you
Will you ride the great white bird into heaven
And though you want to last forever
You know you never will
(You know you never will)
And the goodbye makes the journey harder still

Oh very young
What will you leave us this time
You’re only dancing on this earth for a short while
Oh very young
What will you leave us this time

Hmmmm….good lessons to learn when things fall apart.

What do you do when things fall apart? Watch your reaction the next time and notice how you dance to the music.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Sweet Dreams

/ Lee Reynolds

 

 

Today was pajama day at the twins preschool. They have been talking about it since last week when their teachers gave them a sneak preview of the upcoming event. I kind of wish they hadn’t done that, since every night since then, before they went to bed, they asked with hopeful smiles, “is it pajama day tomorrow?” Each night, I would have to say, “not quite yet” and then after depressing groans, we would count down the days until the big P day.

We discussed which stuffed animal they would bring and every day their selections changed. After their preschool class on Wednesday, when they made little bear hats for the BIG day, I decided to set out their new pajamas and we made one final choice of teddy and set them on their dresser.

D went out of town on Wednesday morning and was going to be away for the rest of the work week, so I knew anything I could organize for all the children’s various activities would be helpful in running a smooth ship. Of course, every time D goes away, something ALWAYS happens. It’s Murphy’s law. This trip, my LG dryer stopped working around the time he was packing for his trip which I thought was really interesting. Then today it started to snow…but thankfully only a few flakes drifted down. I do NOT have snow tires on yet. As I said, it’s always something.

Any planning and organizing I can do ahead of time is a lifesaver. As tired as I may be at times, getting things ready the night before, always makes things flow better in the morning. When I tucked the little girls into bed last night, (Thursday night) they knew the next morning was pajama day and they were so “becited” as Victoria likes to say.

Good night little girls….

Sweet Dreams!

The final teddies have been selected…notice the Beatrix Potter books…they love these…and to the right, the angels holding three babies up in the air…the inscription under their feet is, “I knew you before you were born”

 

 

“I’m so BECITED!” said Victoria

When you wake up in the morning it will be the big P day.

Kate kicking back but looking forward to waking up on Friday

I didn’t sleep really well last night. I kept waking up and looking at the clock. 2 am, 3 am, 4 am. I was so worried that the alarm I set, was not going to go off. Then finally I got 2 hours of solid sleep because the next time I squinted at the digital clock beside our bed, it was 6 am.  I just laid, feeling exhausted. Wondering how I was going to get through our busy day.

I had to get up soon in order to drive Harrison to his High School Jazz band meeting and then get Will and Grace up and off to school. Then get the little girls out of their jammies, bathed and dressed into  their “new snowflake” pajamas for their special party day.

Thank heavens, our University son was staying home to work on a large project due next week. That was one kid I didn’t have to drive around. If I could just get through the morning, all I had to do later in the day was pick up Harrison from school at 4 pm (he likes to go into the weight room after school) and then take Grace to a swimming assessment, as she has been wanting to join our local swim club. After dinner I knew D would return home and I could exhale. Also, remember, my dryer has been broken most of the week and for someone who does at least 2 loads of wash a day (minimum) it has been another challenge to deal with…washing the least bit of clothes and hanging them to dry.

I thought I was doing really well. I even had time to take a few pictures of the girls after they were ready in their new pajamas with their teddies in their arms.

For some reason this picture didn’t turn out well….were they moving or was their too much light?..but you get to see them in their new pajamas….which for some reason was really thrilling for them. Oh no, fashion divas!

I finally got them all bundled up in their warm coats, hats and gloves because it was really COLD here this morning and hoisted them up into their car seats. Both were complaining that it was tight. Note to self, get D to adjust the car seat straps because I can’t figure out how to adjust them….do they need booster seats ALREADY?…seems like just yesterday we bought these Britax seats.

Here’s a snap I took of the girls the other day all bundled up…but of course Victoria likes to take off her gloves…I need to put a string on those gloves as sure as shooting we are going to lose them

Seems like just yesterday they came home from the hospital in their infant car seats.

We jammed to Van Morrison all the way to preschool. As I looked into the rear view mirror and saw them rocking side to side in time to the beat, with big smiles on their faces, I experienced a flash of  deja vu. Before they were born and I mean BEFORE, they were even conceived. While we were just trying to conceive, I used to look into the rear view mirror of my van and dream about little ones in the back seat. I never dreamed I would have TWIN daughters, well okay, maybe for a second, but I don’t think I could imagine a dream that big, coming true.

As we drove into the preschool parking lot, it wasn’t just the little girls getting excited for their pajama day,  I was starting to feel rather bubbly over the affair. As I parked, other little ones clutching teddies and holding their parents hands were going down the steps to the preschool. WAIT!

BACK UP! The other ones were clutching, TEDDIES! AHHHHH! I knew before I even looked in the back seat that we were teddyless. No teddies. In a car that normally has a few story books, a sleeve of crackers, an apple, someone’s hoodie, a whole bag of things on route to the Goodwill, but this time of course, NO teddies in sight. Again, Murphy’s law at work. When the van is always loaded with all sorts of stuff…except on the day that you need a few lovies…well that is par for the course when D is out of town. Blame it on me being too clean and organized this week.

I didn’t say a thing to the girls. We grabbed their lady bug back packs and headed for the door and it didn’t take them more than a second to realize that something was wrong with this picture. As we walked into the welcoming room and they saw all their friends holding their stuffies, that was it. Victoria’s lip started to tremble and Kate’s brow furrowed even more than usual and she gave me a look that said, “Mom, this just won’t do!”

I acknowledged their disappointment and apologized several times for forgetting their teddies. Victoria asked me several times if I could PLEEESE just drive home and get them. Kate let her do all the talking but was very invested in what her sister was saying. I started to tell them it’s really unfortunate that we forgot their teddies but to drive home would be a waste of gas (totally against my being green and frugal) and perhaps their teddies were happier at home anyway.

Victoria’s eyes grew round and surprised. I don’t think she has ever heard me say no to anything, of any consequence anyway. When I saw that look of deep, DEEP, disappointment in her eyes, I KNEW, I was going to cave. As tired as I was, I knew I was was going to drive all the way home, pick up teddies and then drive all the way back to the preschool. (you know we don’t live right in town right?) I was prepared to do that for my daughters and they recognized me relenting and had hope in their eyes….and then their teacher, Miss C, had overheard our conversation and she came to the rescue.

“Kate and Victoria, how would you like to bring one of the preschool stuffies to the pajama party?” she offered. They looked at each other and almost in unison said, “Okay.” And off they went in search of a furry friend. I whispered, “thank you” to Miss C, and followed the girls into the next room where said stuffed animals lived when they weren’t in the arms of a child.

As I kissed two, HAPPY, little girls goodbye, each holding a new friend, I thought how very blessed I was to experience this moment. Although over the years of trying to conceive these last babies to complete our family, I experienced a lot of disappointment, it was only when I was able to shift my focus and let go, when they arrived at long last. My sweet dream came true. Doubly blessed with them and thrice blessed with William, Kathryn and Victoria.

Isn’t that true for anything we desire in life though?. Sometimes, no amount of laser focus on our intention, brings what we want into our life. Sometimes, we have to shift, take a deep breath and let go and then and only then is disappointment replaced with joy and peace. A sense of well being floats over us and then, sometimes, something even better than we ever DREAM comes to us.

As I walked into our house, look who greeted me….

The little girls teddies, Audrey and Lavender, waiting patiently and contentedly, side by side on our stair railing. Perhaps how my little girls waited for us, wherever they were before coming to earth.

This was a good lesson for me today. After a really busy week, things turned out really well. I just need to follow the little girls lead and be open to bringing another furry friend to the party.

When I went back to pick up the girls from preschool, they were happy and excited and as we headed  to the van, with me wearing Victoria’s bear hat on my head, they took turns sharing stories of all the fun activities they had experienced that morning. I told them that I was REALLY proud of how they accepted the bear disaster with such grace and how I would like to do something fun with them when we got home. Soooooooo…

As soon our coats were put away, with bears in their arms, we all went down to our Hobbit’s Hollow (our crawl space media room….I have to write a blog post about this space) and we made two big bowls of popcorn. We brought it upstairs, I made a healthy smoothie and  hooked up my computer to our big screen T.V. in the family room and we proceeded to have a Beatrix Potter film festival. The movie we watched is called, (click on the hyperlink if you can’t see the YouTube link below)
The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends, episode 1

It’s a delightful show and the music is beautiful.

I often think of Will, Kathryn and Victoria as my little bunnies and some of our favourite books to read together are the little books we have by Beatrix Potter. Alyssa loved them when she was a young child and I think it inspired her fondness for Victorian literature.

When Grace was a baby, I bought this sweet wooden wall hanging, (very cottagy) with three little bunnies hopping on a blue wooden ribbon. I didn’t know then that we would be welcoming three more little ones into our family. (Watch how you decorate your house is all I can say) Below, is a picture of the little nursery we made for Will when he was a baby. See the three bunnies on the end wall. Talk about using space wisely. We turned our former walk in closet into a delightful nursery. Here are a few pictures from when he was a baby.

I love the colour of the nursery’s walls. It’s called “soft earth” by Ralph Lauren. Lovely and peaceful. In this picture you can see the three bunnies over the crib

 

The room is so small that we did the entire end wall in mirror
His bedding was sage green and cream and had little lady bugs and dragon flies on it….little did we know but his baby sisters would be born in May and were called our little “lady bugs” when I was pregnant with them
The blue chair in his room was bought almost 20 years ago for our first baby’s nursery…..I’ve nursed every one of our little ones in this chair….the pillow is one I made and embroidered for Will…”Allow Miracles to Happen” The crib is also old…we bought it for our first baby 20 years earlier…originally it was white but we put a tea stain on it for Will…and D reinforced it to make sure it was still safe for him.

 

Will was only 23 months old when the twins came to earth, so we left him in the nursery and the babies crib was in our room for the first year of their life. They slept comfortably and happily together in that crib until they were one. Often I would find them curled up together in the middle of the night. Notice the the pair of cottage craft bunnies over their bed…the Bunny theme continues.

 

I I thought I would share the above pictures because so many people I know wonder where we find room for all of our children. I like our babies and young children close so this has worked out really    well for us. There was a time when we thought we had to have everything for our children. When     we had our first baby, we had a fancy nursery for her and I think she would have been much happier in her crib right next to our bed. We all have to find what works for us, but my advice to new parents is, don’t spend a lot on baby things, decorations, baby clothes, because babies just want to be in  your arms. They want to be held and feel safe.
Isn’t that truly what we all want?
Well, D arrived home safely as I was typing this blog post. I took about 1/2 hour to bring him up todate on all the happenings and then he said, “I’ll just read it in your blog.” So, dear readers, I think I had better go and follow him to bed. Each of us has to find ways to shift when disappointment arises in our lives but I hope the next time you are saying, “oh crap,” you will put on your pajamas, find a furry friend to hug, make some popcorn and watch a good movie…or better yet, find a great blog to read.
 
                                                          
For those of you with little ones, I hope you sit and watch the above YouTube together. It’s really quite magical. And of course, may all your sweet dreams come true.
 
Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
Blessings from Hope

Lest We Forget and Lentil Soup

/ Lee Reynolds

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

~An excerpt from Laurence Binyon’s poem, “They Shall Grow Not Old”~

What does Remembrance day and lentil soup have in common? Well from as far back as I can remember, November 11th was normally cold, dreary and wet, so soup just seems to be the appropriate thing to eat. Warmed the bones and the heart. Also, it’s something that you can make easily that doesn’t take tremendous effort and yet it’s satisfying at the end of the day.

But today the weather is glorious. I woke up to blue skies and although I knew it was cold outside as there was frost, FINALLY, on the ground. Even though the weather was nice, albeit cold, I still felt like soup. On a day when I think of my step father Bud and all the war stories he told of his years in the navy, I want to wrap myself in a blanket, eat soup and be thankful for those who gave up their lives so I could live in freedom.

Before starting my soup though, I decided to go out to the garden, one last time to salvage any remaining vegetables so I could make one last fresh juice from our garden. So with clippers in hand, out I went picking an assortment of things.

I picked kale, swiss chard, parsley, and even some lavender and also gathered some leek seeds
In the war days people were encouraged to grow Victory Gardens and these last vegetables of the season would have been precious.

 

So with the last vegetables form our garden, I juiced a a delicious vegetable drink with a bit of ginger

 

This is the stuff that helps me keep up with these little ones

 

D, who had been out in the garage attic, looking for skates, skis and winter boots, came in for a drink….Cheers D!

 

Bottoms up, Victoria and Kate

 

Will, who was outside helping D find skates…came in when he heard the juicer…he LOVES his green drink!

So with delicious juice in our tummies, the boys went back to the garage attic, and the little girls continued colouring, (check out the Activity Village site for great free colouring pages you can print off…there is something for every age) and I got started on my lentil soup for dinner. I wanted to get the soup made and simmering, and then head back out to the garden. The weather was really nice and since our compost bin was full, I needed to dig a hole to put our kitchen compost scraps somewhere.

I love soup. It’s my ultimate comfort food and as a mom, I like how I can make it early in the day and it just gets better as it simmers on the back burner. I know we are going to eat a healthy dinner without any mad scramble at the end of the day and I can spend a good bulk of my day, doing what I  love or dig into a bigger project. Literally, today I would be digging holes to put debris I couldn’t cram in the compost any longer.

If you like making soup too, join me as I chop and talk. I don’t need a recipe for soup, I just start with my stock pot, some extra virgin olive oil, onions, garlic and seasoning and then add what I have on hand. Here’s how I’m making my soup today.

And before we get going, let’s put on a song called, “We’ll Meet Again.” by Vera Lynn…this takes me back to when I was small and even though I was born at the tail end of the baby boom generation,…I remember hearing these songs from my childhood and they left a lasting impression

Hope’s Remembrance Day Lentil Soup

Ingredients

2 cups of dried green lentils
1 cup chopped onions (2 large onions)
1 cup chopped leeks, white part only (depending on the size, maybe 2 leeks)…from my garden, yes!
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup medium-diced celery (3 stalks)
2 cups diced carrots (3 to 5 carrots)
8 cups of vegetable stock
2 fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup of tomato sauce,,,,I had some left over spaghetti sauce in the fridge
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Sour Cream, fresh parsley for topping….opt freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Saute onions, leeks, garlic with olive oil. Add seasonings, cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are translucent.

 

 Add the seasonings and continue to cook. Ahhh… layering the flavours
In a large pot, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

Add the celery and carrots and cook for 10 more minutes.
 Add the tomatoes, cook for another 5 minutes
Add drained lentils and vegetable stock

 





Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are soft. Taste the soup and add any last seasoning to taste. Add the red wine and serve hot, topped with sour cream, parsley, grated parmesan cheese.

 While the soup is simmering, let’s make my easy and quick, dinner buns.

I love the smell of bread baking in the kitchen don’t you? Pure comfort!

Hope’s Quick and Easy Dinner buns

    • 4 1/2 cups flour

 

    • 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

 

    • 1 cup milk

 

    • 3/4 cup water

 

    • 1/2 cup margarine or butter

 

    • 1/3-1/2 cup white sugar

 

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

 Directions

1. Mix 2 cups of flour and yeast in a large bowl

2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to a lukewarm in the microwave or on the top of the stove

3. Add all at once to flour mixture and mix until smooth. I use my kitchenaid stand mixer

4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough..2 -21/2 cups

5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto a floured surface and let it rest under a greased bowl for 15 minutes.

6. Shape dough into balls and place on a greased baking pan…I like to top the buns with a mixture of oatmeal, ground flax seed and sunflower seeds but you can top it with anything you have on hand…or nothing.

7. Cover with a tea towel for 45 minutes to let it rise

8. Bake in preheated oven at 400 F for 12 to 15 minutes

  So with the soup on the back burner, and the buns rising, I decided to make some healthy cookies as well since our cookie jar was empty and tomorrow the kids are going back to school.

I always think of my mother in law, Doreen when I make cookies. My husband says that his mom never made cookies for him and 3 siblings. She used to say, “I would make cookies, but they will just get eaten.” Which I always thought was so funny. Another thing D would say if we hadn’t heard from her in a while (since they didn’t live in our town and to connect meant we had to call long distance) she would say, “I would have phoned, but I didn’t know if you would be home.”

Now don’t get me wrong at all, D’s mom Doreen was a LOVELY lady but she was quirky sometimes. I certainly had my moments with her when she was alive and some things really set me off, but when I hear other women complaining about their mother in laws, I wish I could give them some advice and tell them to treasure the days. If stuff is coming up, then it’s a good thing and an opportunity to look at yourself in the mirror.  I wish I had been a more tolerant and loving daughter in law. I see it now but it’s all in hindsight, although on this Remembrance day, I’m not just thinking of the veterans, I’m thinking of lost moments with people like Doreen. She was a special person and I don’t know if I ever told her that when she was alive. 

In memory of Doreen and things that I’m learning, my kitchen motto is, “you can never have too many cookies and the faster they get eaten the better.” ~by Lee Reynolds~

So with that, here is the Cookie Recipe I’m making today.

I have a general basic cookie recipe that I use and I just change the add ons based on what I have in my pantry and often the time of year as well. Today, it feels like we need a cinnamon type cookie…something soft, chewy and a bit spicy.  Something that feels like a comfort cookie. Wish you were here Alyssa….you too Doreen!

 Hope’s Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 cups oatmeal

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

Now this is where you get creative…today

1 cup of walnuts

1 cup of dried cherries…which I love but my husband said he wished I had put in raisins

My older kids said they wished we had white chocolates and pecans….but I didn’t….and anyway that isn’t as healthy but you see what I mean…this is where you can create your own cookie combo….today for us..it was walnuts and cherries…oh almonds and coconut…maybe with a few chocolate chips would be good too. Okay, you see, the cookie baker in me gets carried away. These turned out really chewy, a nice soft texture and not too sweet…the cherries were a nice touch 

Directions.

Cream the butter in a large bowl…I use my kitchenaid mixer

 Add the white and brown sugar

 Add the 3 eggs, mixing well after each addition

 Mix all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, the flour, oatmeal, etc and then add them to the butter, sugar and egg mixture. See the consistency below.

 Now the part I often ask my kids to help me with so I can get outside…whoever is in the house and there is usually one older child lingering around the kitchen…usually our 15 year old Harrison although today it’s Clark……I get him to bake the cookies in a preheated oven…350 degrees F…for 10 minutes or until golden brown…if you over bake the cookies they will be crunchy…we like them soft so we find around 10 minutes is perfect.

As you can see from this picture, the sun is shining into my kitchen…time to get outside

 The cookie jar is full, AND there is a tupperware container of cookies in the freezer as well. This makes 3 dozen, nice size cookies

 But first, since D has been trying on skates, I thought it would be nice to offer a cookie…..

 

And also offer one to Harrison who was out raking a few leaves for my compost pile.

One of my compost bins…absolutely full. So I decided to do some trench composting. (Makes me think of the men in the trenches during war.) Have you heard of it? It’s where you dig a hole in your garden and deposit your kitchen scraps and leaves or any debris from your garden and at this time of year…there is LOTS. Everything decomposes exactly where you need it.

So whenever we have a full bucket with kitchen scraps, which is daily in our house, we dig a big hole, put the scraps in and top them with leaves…nothing like composting in the spot you want to enrich your soil. The little girls have really gotten into helping mom as you can see.

 

The top two pictures were taken last week, when my tomatoes etc were still in the garden

 

 

 

These pictures were taken this weekend…it’s really taken a turn towards winter but we can still dig in the garden

So after being out in the garden in the afternoon, it was nice to come in and have a cup of hot cocoa and a cookie and chat about what Remembrance Day means to my children

They do understand the sacrifice others have made for them and appreciate the peace we are living in right now.  Lest we forget.

 And now it’s time to dish up dinner, open up the Pumpkineater ale my brother in law B gave us. It’s from Howe Sound Brewing on the Sunshine coast…brewed with barley, fresh roasted pumpkin, hops, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, water and yeast. Apparently produced in very limited quantities. Thanks B…wish you were here.

Now, I’m not normally much of a beer drinking but I do recall my mom and her friends all going to the legion after the Remembrance day ceremonies so I’m giving it a go….plus doesn’t it sound like it would compliment lentil soup? (It was good…but strong)

Clark is showing me how to pour the ale

 

Our 21 year old drinking his protein shake AND the ale at dinner…thanks for baking the cookies Clark

 

 

D, loves when I’m taking pictures for my blog…as he doesn’t have to dish up himself!

Before we eat, let’s give thanks for the abundance in our lives and today, for those who fought bravely so that we could live freely and in peace. Amen

 

If you are unable to see the YouTube video of the Remembrance Day…last post click on the hyperlink

This blog post is dedicated to my step father, J. R. Finch, my uncle Stan Herrling, my uncle Gordon Clark, and also to my mother in law, Doreen. May you all rest in peace and know how much you were loved

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

(p.s. this post was written on November 11, 2014…but didn’t get published until the 12th)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetarian Chili~Growing Older and Wiser?

/ Lee Reynolds

Dearest blog readers, I’m sorry I haven’t written many posts this week but it’s been a birthday week for me. First, to celebrate my best friend T’s birthday on the 5th, and then mine yesterday. I’ve spent the whole week being introspective and reflecting on my wishes the last time I blew out a blaze of candles. I have grown a year older, but I wonder, am I any wiser?

At the beginning of the week I was feeling rather blue. I know it had a lot to do with the consumption of sugar from Halloween, which I tried to curtail but in the moment it’s fun to try a little of everything from the treat bowl. It takes me right back to my childhood but now I understand how damaging processed sugar is towards our health. It’s evil wrapped in brightly coloured packages.

As we ate a few treats with our children, D and I were remembering the little boxes of raisins, the handfuls of peanuts and the apples we would receive during our childhood trick or treat forays. Whatever happened to those? Our kids looked horrified and said, if they received anything like THAT, it would be suspect and they would probably have to throw it out. I was thinking, NOT if we knew our neighbours better. Anyway, this isn’t a blog about Halloween treats, but the sugar dump from that occasion prompted my depressed feelings.

Sadly, I kept them growing, (have you ever done this?) by allowing myself to think about both of my parents who are no longer on this earth school. You’d think I’d get used to that loss, after all I have spent most of my life without my Dad physically present and it’s been 2 1/2 years since my mom passed away. On special occasions, like Halloween and my birthday week, it doesn’t get any easier. Do you know what I mean?

Thankfully, I snapped myself out of my glum at least a bit, by banning the sugar. I took all the kid’s Halloween loot and our remaining candy bags that we didn’t give out and  put it all in the garage.  Now you may be thinking, “why did you take the kids candy too?” My response is, because just like clockwork, a few days after the candy gorge, all my little ones, and big ones started to feel yucky. Hmmmm, no wonder. Am I getting any wiser? At the twin’s preschool class, after their morning circle time, I heard their teacher asking whether they had any candy left from trick or treating, and one child said they traded in their candy for a toy. What do you think of that?

Anyway, my plan was, we would forget all about the said candy and when we did find the hardened candy bars and stale chip bags the next time my husband did a wood working project, my children (and me) would not find it appealing any longer. Can you compost that stuff? PROBABLY NOT! I transgress.

On Monday, I started my meditation with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Oprah, (are you joining me?) and my first session stirred up some emotions I thought I had let go. The meditation series is called, “The Energy of Attraction.”    and day one was about the Nature of Desire. The centering thought was, “my life moves forward through desire,” and the quote for the day was;


“You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed.” ― Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
As I explored my feelings, I realized I was still grieving over the loss of our Christmas tree farm and  if my deepest desire wasn’t coming true, what did that make me? I had so wanted to be living in the country by this birthday.
So Tuesday started with me being rather glum again, until I found my sister C at my doorstep with hugs, kind words and a lovely lavender coloured bag heavy with birthday surprises. She also brought a few keepsakes that belonged to my father and mother. She had kept them all this time and wanted me to have them. Although she was with me only a short time on Tuesday, the connection was sweet, loving and meaningful. (thank you C)
My sister C said that since I was writing, (and our daughter Alyssa too…check out her Introvert in the Corner blog) perhaps I would like our Dad’s typewriter (he was a writer as well) and a few of our mother’s beloved books. Perfect for reading by the fire throughout the winter. After C left, I place them on mom’s Hope chest in our Den, under our family portraits with a little angel between them.
I felt so buoyed by her impromptu visit, that I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and join a meditation support group that was held at our local library Tuesday night. I felt safe very quickly and the evening was wonderful and restorative, but  L O N G. We sat in a circle and during our second meditation session, I sensed rainbow filled light energy slowly circling around us and above us, creating a tunnel with vibrating, coloured light and at the top was brilliant white light.

Before the session was over, the newcomers continued to meditate, while the regulars in the group, laid hands on our heads with silent blessings. Before the first hands were felt on my head, there was a soft rush of warm air and the feeling of peace.

It was an amazing experience, until I went to get up. After sitting cross legged for almost 2 hours of meditating, chanting and discussing experiences that brought us joy, my right foot had gone totally numb. When I went to stand, my foot didn’t move and as I looked down at my non functioning appendage, it appeared to resemble a rubber fake foot, totally disengaged from my leg. Ahhhhh! Looking back it was so funny, but in the moment I thought I would never walk again.

After that Tuesday night meditation session, my week got even better. On Wednesday, I remembered how blessed I was to have a best friend in T as I sent her a birthday card and wrote a blog post about our friendship . How can we ever stay in a place of sadness when we start to count our blessings. Thanks mom for that lesson and to you, T for being my dearest friend.

Then on Thursday morning, D came home to watch the little girls, while I attended the PAL’s kindergarten program, where parents are inspired to assist their young learners towards literacy, numeracy etc. I came home excited to rearrange our family room, so our children could access the various play things we had in our home. They just needed to be organized to a degree where they were readily accessible. As I worked away, before the older kids came home from school, I dropped into a funk again, as I recalled how functional the Christmas tree farm house would have been. It was the perfect lay out and flow for our family dynamic. While our current home is great, it wasn’t designed to house 6 children, not to mention 8, when everyone is home.

Later that night though, my spirits soared as I found out Harrison’s volleyball team did really well at their play-offs. His high school is known for, “Honour and Excellence” and isn’t the largest high school in our small town but they are known for their strong academics. Normally, the boys sports teams don’t do incredibly well at play offs but this year they made it to third place.  That is HUGE and so while others may wonder why we were so happy, the fact they didn’t come in last was a big deal for a rag tag team.

And if that weren’t enough, while at the volleyball play-offs, D received a call that Grace had been chosen to play the lead, “Holly Day,” in our elementary school’s Christmas concert. She will have the most speaking and singing parts of anyone. We were absolutely thrilled and Grace, who is 11, and is in grade 6, as well as grade 6 in piano with the Royal Conservatory, and a voice student at our local music school, was stunned when she heard. She thought she did well at the audition but she came home saying there were some girls with wonderful voices so she wasn’t holding out much hope for a big part. Did I mention she is humble? I however am very proud of her and it really was another highlight in our week.

So many great things happening in one week and yet, I still felt sad, like a black umbrella of dark emotions covered my head.

I don’t know about you, but I always find I’d rather skip my birthday totally, as so much STUFF comes up. On my actual birthday, yesterday, November 8th, I woke up wanting to sleep the day away rather than face what was to come. Since it was Saturday and nothing was planned, I thought sleeping in a bit would wash away the negative feelings, but it just made it worse. When you are a mom to 8 kids, 6 of whom are still living at home, you know you can’t take even a day off, let alone a morning from ANYTHING. So when I finally did get up, the kids were hungry, the laundry pile was huge, the dishwasher needed to be emptied and filled again, the cats were meowing. Well you get the idea. You don’t really have a day off…even on your birthday.

Now I’m not normally a person who believes her glass is half empty, as you have probably figured out from reading any of my blog posts but I kept looking at what I didn’t have in my life. I wouldn’t be selling Christmas trees this holiday season or baking cookies in my new farm kitchen. I wouldn’t be organizing a large children’s play room or getting chicken eggs from our coop. Oh crap! What a roller coaster of emotions…UNTIL.

My sister J came to our door, totally unexpected but boy was I happy to see her shining face and feel her warm hug. Amongst the mess of our house and chaos of noisy children, we somehow shared a pot of “David’s Mother’s Helper tea, my oldest sister B had given me during her last visit in October. (see the Get Grounded Earthlings post…thank you B) It was lovely to sink into a chair and talk to J about the week and also share some of my feelings. Do we ever really know how deeply we touch each other? And also, why  certain people are put onto our path and in our lives.

I don’t think my sister J knew the extent of my blues. I like to believe I’m quite an upbeat positive person and as a result good things keep showing up for me but for some reason when my birthday comes around, I feel sad. Is it about getting a year older? Maybe. Although one of my mantras is, “I’m ageless!” Seeing my cake glowing brighter with more candles every year though reminds me in one sense, how many years I have experienced on earth and then it also reminds me that I AM growing wiser as well. I am more enlightened. Feeling melancholy is okay, and actually part of the process. We need to feel the depths of sadness in order to recognize great joy when it arrives. It’s part of growing as a soul.

After J left, I picked up my socks, literally and figuratively, since my laundry pile was knee high (and full of socks to be partnered) and she had lifted my spirits. As I cleaned and organized, our 15 year old son Harrison, made me a decadent chocolate cake, complete with bits of left over Halloween chocolates on top. (I gave him some of the stash) D and I made dinner and the evening turned out really better than I had ever expected after such a emotional week.

I blew out the flurry of candles, to cheers from the children, and then marvelled over the thoughtful gifts everyone had chosen for me. I felt more and more blessed. Today, as I look again at all my new treasures, I see there is a theme, as if everyone got together and chose something unique and special that belonged with the next gift. Although, I don’t have my farm, YET, everyone gave me a little piece of HOPE to keep my dreams alive.

The collection of thoughtful gifts given by my sisters, friends and even our oldest son took time to find something for his me

 

So Happy Birthday to me!….I’m getting older…and yes a bit wiser.

And since I’m a fall baby, perhaps you want to share in cooking one of my favourite fall dinners, Vegetarian Chili…recipe is below. Can you believe that as of today, we still haven’t had any frost in our area and I still had tomatoes, green peppers, hot red peppers and carrots etc. growing in our garden. When you find abundant blessings this late in fall what do you do? Make vegetarian chili.

Can you believe we are still eating from our garden…and it’s November!

The little kids helped out in the garden today…it’s starting to get cold now but…

 

I’ve never picked anything in our garden this late in the fall…tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, swiss chard, parsley..all still going,,,,but tomorrow is bringing cold weather at last

 

While I was at it, I put some of my hot red chili peppers in the dehydrator for my next chili

If you are wanting something to lift your spirits, make this chili and think of me.

Hope’s Vegetarian Chili

It helps to get everything chopped ahead of time
Ingredients
  • 2 large 28oz cans of whole tomatoes and their juice or if you canned any of your own….a large jar of stewed tomatoes..also if you have some fresh tomatoes, chop and use as well
  • 2 can of beans, drained and rinsed (I used kidney..but you can use anything)
  • 2 cup of frozen corn
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 2 small peppers or one large pepper, diced (I used a green but you can use any colour)
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced…I used two smaller ones
  • 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1-3 tablespoons chili powder (more will be spicier)
  • ¼-2 teaspoons of chili flakes (I used fresh red hot chili peppers from our garden)
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Optional toppings: sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro,  parsley, diced avocados or green onion.

 

Instructions
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 1 minute. .Add celery and saute until tender. Add spices and cook stirring for about 30 seconds.
2. Add carrots, peppers and cut up fresh tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Once the chili begins to simmer, reduce the heat to a medium low.  
3. Add beans
4. Add corn
5. Add stewed tomatoes

6. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low. Continuing cooking chili for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ready to serve anytime you are ready to eat. 

We served our chili on a bed of rice, along with a corn meal muffin and kale salad. We also like sour cream and grated cheese on top but tonight we put a sprig of parsley…still growing in our garden. 

What a great, healthy fall dinner…..perfect for celebrating fall birthdays.

And to top a fall birthday dinner….chocolate cake of course…made specially by our son Harrison
This is the recipe from my blog post, “The Places that Scare You”

Thanks Harrison. I know I said taking Foods at school was a waste of time since we also teach these life skills at home, But you are turning into a really good cook and gee, since we have to eat everyday for our whole life this is a good skill to hone. I’m now a big proponent of these life skill courses in the later grades in school. Yummy!

Even May Ling is interested in cake

I listen to a wide variety of music but this week, whenever I got into my van…ha…Van Morrison sang to me. This particular song spoke to me this week, “When God Shines His Light.” (click on this hyper link if you are not able to see the YouTube below)…..I don’t know why but it lifted me up…I hope you enjoy it and know one of the blessings I count each day, is having you reading my blog. THANK YOU!

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

You’ve Got A Friend

/ Lee Reynolds / 1 Comment

 

“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor was right on. She must have had a really good friend to inspire her to write the above quote. Does that friend still send ripples of love out into the world now? What would we be without our friends?

I have had my share of friends over my lifetime, but only a handful have remained close, and only one has been with me through thick and thin in my adult years.

I met my best friend Tamara, 17 years ago this fall. Her oldest daughter, A was in a Piano Pathways class at our local music school, with our oldest son Clark. Some of the nicest people I have met, have been at our music school. There is something really magical that occurs everyday in this harmony filled heritage house.
Smith House; City of Vernon, 2010
The former Smith house in Vernon is now our community music school….magic happens here.

Although we were both busy with young families, I looked forward to our weekly connection in the waiting room. We discovered that Clark and A were in kindergarten at the same school and she was a neighbour as well. As the music year unfolded, I admired her nurturing manner as she cared for her younger children. She always spoke to them softly and treated them with utmost respect, as if they were precious jewels. Later, I witness this again and again and realized this was her nature with everyone. She is a precious gem.

As our friendship grew, we shared many of the same memories as we snapped pictures of our children at the music parties and all the various school functions. In addition, we shared a mutual interest in reading and for almost 5 years, we met monthly with our Thursday night book club. I’ll never forget getting to know her at a deeper level after discussing the book, “Vinegar Hill,” by Manette Ansay. 

There was something about the characters in that story which prompted T to open up and share a  glimpse into her life. It was then, I realized I had found a kindred spirit  and I started becoming more intimate with my life story as a result.

Isn’t it true, when we open up our heart, we connect with other people at a deeply satisfying level?
Slowly,  slowly I uncovered more of myself for her to see and was happy to find her embracing even my darkest fears.

As I had this outlet in real life, to allow my authentic self to be exposed, I found my dear friend appreciated me even more. She gave me the confidence to shine in other areas of my life and with other friends.  “A true friend accepts who you are, but also helps you become who you were meant to be.”

My deepest wish also was released. Although I was 40 years old and way beyond when most women close their womb service, I dearly wanted another child. T embraced this dream and encouraged me to listen to my heart. Other friends at the time, said I was crazy for trying to conceive at my age, so instead of bringing them closer I shut down. Oh yes, we remained friends but sadly it was with me covering up my heart’s desire with a mask.

When we are trying to manifest our greatest wishes, we need to surround ourselves with positive and supportive people. I was starting to grow as a person and while all my friends helped to create who I am today, it was T who loved me for who I was and inspired me to be even better. I felt like I was taking a deep breath when I was around other people and holding it until I was about to explode, but with T, I could exhale into her accepting arms.  She has been like a really good quilt that ages with you but never loses it’s warmth. And, I wonder today if all of T’s friends think she is their BEST FRIEND too. Hmmm.

T and I shared my tears and trials over trying to conceive. She listened as I cried in deep grief over a sad pregnancy loss right before Christmas 2001. That Christmas she brought me a beautiful Christmas ornament with an Angel that had a banner that read, “HOPE.” This word has held such powerful energy illuminating my path. Over the years and to this day, that ornament is the first one placed on the top of our holiday tree. It reminds me not to just have faith on this earth, but that our BEST friends have been sent to us, to keep us on our path. She has touched my soul and in many ways is my earth angel.


This is a picture of my Hope Angel given to me by T

Even though T, got pregnant with her fourth before I was able to conceive our amazing Grace, she never flaunted her pregnancy. She shared each month and her growing tummy gently with love and compassion and I was thrilled when her baby daughter V arrived. We had both dreamed of baby girls.

T’s daughter V….and Grace are good friends as well

She was the first one I told I was pregnant other than my husband D, and she rejoiced with me when Grace arrived safely the following December. It was a year almost to the the day since she gave me the HOPE Angel Christmas ornament. She generously showered Grace with delicate baby outfits and thoughtful gifts just for me. Then, over the next 10 years, although we were not living in the same town, she was beside me as we tried to complete our family. She was the ONLY one who knew the depth of my struggle but she never once suggested I give up my dream. She was there with a shoulder to cry on and also laughed when life was filled with happiness. Once again, she was the first of my friends to hear the news that Will was on his way, and then a bit over a year later, thrilled over the news of twin girls coming.

Until now, few knew what a tough journey it was to bring these Soulbabies to earth and none to the degree that T shared. I treasure the fact, she never left my side.

And so that brings me to now. Today, November 5,  a very special person was born on this earth. It was 40 something years ago but whose counting right T? We are ageless! I didn’t want the night to draw it’s curtain and for the stars to appear, without wishing my best friend,….

A very Happy Birthday T! May all your wishes and dreams come true! You deserve the best in life
Love you lots,
Always your friend,Lee/aka Hope

                                      
Although we no longer live in the same town, I always feel connected to her. She is forever more a part of me. Isn’t that what best friends do…they teach us to love really well and to open our hearts really wide. 

Thank you T, for being the BEST FRIEND I have needed on this earth. I wish you everything good you have bestowed upon me…..so watch out for a Universe full of Goodness coming right at you. 

And for my dear blog friends, may you be blessed with wonderful friends leaving footprints in your heart too. This is my deepest wish for us all. It’s hard enough walking this earth at times but knowing someone dear walks with you makes it bearable.

It’s because of my friend T’s unconditional love and support over the years, that my heart is open enough to send out this message, not just now but in every interaction I have on earth. Each of us can touch the world with this light filled energy. Each of us can be a BEST FRIEND!




 

                              Here is T with our new baby Will…remember he is the little guy who would cry when out of my arms for the first 6 months?………..Did I mention she is a baby whisperer?

To all BEST FRIENDS out there SHINE ON!…..and to T, thanks for helping me to shine!

Here’s a fav of mine, Carole King, singing, “You’ve got a Friend/” 

If you are using an apple product (and I know you have an Apple T) click on the hyperlink above to listen to Carole sing….about friends.

 Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

 

Halloween Sugar Cookies and Fruit Pumpkins

/ Lee Reynolds
This year I made a scary Farmer out of paper mache and surrounded him with pumpkin friends

 

Over our front entrance is a large spider made out of a stuffed garbage bag

It’s over for another year! Spooky memories and fun dress up moments are behind us. My camera packed with oodles of pictures remembering another tradition marking our little one’s childhood years. Our big ones too.

Harrison ready for the dance

Our Halloween celebrations started when I went to my Sacred Circle book club last Wednesday to discuss the book, “The Places that Scare Us.” by Pema Chodron. While we were talking about our fears, my 15 year old was at his high school Halloween dance. He pulled an outfit together after school on Wednesday,  don’t ask me what he was wearing, a cross between a Mexican Amigo and a prisoner. Notice his striped pants which I thought were odd but he felt it went with the ensemble. Who am I to judge?

I really miss our older son Mitchell, who is away at his first year of University. He always used to come up with the most creative outfits with minutes to spare. It used to drive me crazy since I’m a huge planner and a bit controlling, okay, who am I kidding, a lot controlling, but he seemed to enjoy the whole process of selecting his Halloween outfits.

Mitchell dressed up at his Campo Cello summer camp…..I think this was the year they were playing songs by The Beatles

On Friday I dropped the little girls off at their preschool where they were having a Halloween party.

 

 

As soon as I dropped the girls off at preschool,

Fireman William

I raced over to help at Will’s kindergarten class
where his teacher had planned a Scavenger hunt, Halloween bingo, a craft centre making Witch’s hands (plastic gloves, with candy corn for fingernails, filled up with popcorn, then tied with an elastic and the finishing touch, a plastic spider ring on one of the fingers, and an imagination
table full of Halloween stickers and stamps.

They had a great time and the snacks were yummy too.

Here’s a few pictures of his kindergarten party.

 

 

 I love, LOVE the fruit pumpkins that a few moms brought to the party…check it out!
Also, tucked behind, is the basket of sugar cookies I brought…notice it’s almost empty!

 

  After Will’s party, I raced home to relieve D of the little girl’s care. After preschool he picked them up and brought them home as the kindergarten party was longer than their time at preschool. He returned to work where they were having a Halloween social luncheon and the girls and I put the finishing touches on the outside decorations, see above, and dragged our old mini stereo outside so we could play scary music for the trick or treaters later.
Grace invited a friend over for a Halloween sleepover, so after an early dinner, they headed off first into the night….dressed up as flower children from the 60’s.  Again, no input from me, like her brother, she pulled the whole outfit together from our tickle trunk. I was really proud how sustainable and creative we were this Halloween, using what we had without consuming.
Not the best picture but the girls were so anxious to get out the door….peace out!
Then it was time to get the little people dressed for the night. Did I mention that it rained most of the day? Thankfully, the showers stopped long enough while they were out trick or treating, however it was a lot of fun avoiding puddles wearing long princess gowns.
Happy Halloween 2014, Will is a Ninja, Kate is a Fairy Princess, Victoria is a Queen, of course!
 Notice how bundled the little ones are….there are layers and layers under their dresses and Ninja Costumes….but hey, when I was little, our mom would put our coats on over our costume so I think this is so much better from a dress up point of view. At least we don’t live farther up north!
Well that is a few snap shots into our Halloween in case you were interested. What I am really happy to share with you is a long time favourite recipe for Sugar Cookies, which I make for every occasion. At Christmas, they are our fav cookie and we decorate trees, angels, stars and candy canes all out of my sugar cookie recipe, but at Halloween time, OF COURSE they are Pumpkins.
If you don’t have a great Sugar Cookie recipe, you have to try this one. The secret is in the nutmeg, not rolling them too thin so they are chewy and of course not over baking them.
So tuck this recipe away until next year, or save for the next holiday where you need sugar cookies. I hope it becomes a tradition for your family too.
Enjoy!
Hope’s Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
4 cups all purpose Flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional…but I never delete it)
11/2 cups of butter…I use half margarine and butter
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups white granulated sugar
4 eggs
 
Directions
 
Measure flour without sifting, add baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir well to blend.
 
Cream shortening in mixing bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and gradually add sugar mixing until creamy.
 
Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add dry ingredients. Combine thoroughly.
Chill dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours/ overnight is best
I break the dough into four packets…wrapping it in wax paper.
When you are ready to bake, roll out chilled dough on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin. 
Cut out cookies close together using floured cookie cutters….I use a Tupperware Pumpkin shaped cutter.
Place on lightly greased or sprayed cookie sheet 2 inches apart…for chewy cookies make sure they are thick…unless you like a crunchy sugar cookie then roll out thinner
Bake in a preheated oven 375 degree F. for 8 to 10 minutes…watch it closely. Put cookies onto a cooling rack until cool.
Frost with a butter icing and decorate with candies of your choice. I love the spearmint green chewy candies for the stems and then like candy corn for the nose although this year we couldn’t find them at the Super Store…all sold out…so I improvised. Chocolate chip pieces are great for eyes and mouths…although this year the little girls and I selected different candies for the eyes and nose…be creative!
And here is the basket of sugar cookies I took to the Kindergarten party.
my sugar cookies…they went fast!
Thanks so much for coming for a visit. Hey and before I go…don’t forget about Dr. Deepak Chopra’s meditation challenge...it starts tomorrow/ There is still time to register for this free guided meditation session. I’d LOVE if you joined with me….and I hope to write a few blog posts about meditating, and also creating the life we desire.
 I’d better get to bed as I’m going to get up early and connect with my soul. Here’s the link….or click on the hyper link words above if you are using an apple product.

 

 

Life is so good! I hope you join me in the meditation challenge called, “Energy of Attraction”…..let Deepak “mind the time” as you connect with the greater part of you. May all your dreams come true.

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

The Places That Scare You!~Chicken Casserole with Chocolate Cake

/ Lee Reynolds

BOO!

Okay, so you’re not scared. It’s only a picture of our twins, trying on the Halloween outfit they will wear to their preschool party on Friday. I couldn’t resist though as they were so darn cute. But going back to the word,”BOO!” Was I ever a bit scared four years ago this week, when I went in for my first ultrasound after finding out I was pregnant. I’ll never forget the ultrasound technologist telling us that she wasn’t a Doctor and therefore couldn’t tell us anything….but she said she could show us “something”, and then she moved her ultrasound wand across my lower belly and said, “here is one “thing”, and here is two.”

My husband who was casually chewing gum and holding Will throughout the exam didn’t stop chewing, instead he said,”look Will, there is your new baby brother or sister.” He hadn’t picked up on what the technologist was showing us AT ALL

I, on the other hand am an old hand at ultrasounds and was heightened to every word she uttered from the time she asked us to follow her into the exam room. You see, I had been spotting and was so scared  the first words I would hear were, “I’m so sorry there is no heart beat.” So when I saw those two flickering heart beats I was elated, truly excited, but yes also extremely scared.  We called them our Boo babies at the time.

When D and I left the building I stopped him before we got to the car and said, “you know what she was showing us don’t you?” And he just went, “Huh?” And it was then I uttered the words, “Twins!” He stopped chewing his gum and just went quiet. He was in that state for many weeks and although I was scared, I was just so happy to have babies with heart beats. When you have tried a long time to complete your family and you are finally pregnant, you just enjoy each day that comes and try not to be fearful about the future.

Thankfully, the pregnancy went well and the girls are thriving and healthy. Talking about my fear, reminds me of the fears of many women. The fear first that they may never find a partner in order to have a child, or the strength and courage to choose motherhood as a single person if they are partnerless. Then there is the fear of infertility, which can be devastating, debilitating and sadly, in many cases cause severe depression. As if infertility isn’t bad enough, often women then have to pull themselves out of the trenches of deep darkness to fight their battle for a child.  And even when that dream finally comes true, they then have to deal with issues from post traumatic stress while trying to find some semblance of happiness being a new mom.

Then still others have the fear of  not experiencing a healthy pregnancy, dealing with a painful labour, difficult delivery and finally having a living, breathing child.. And that is all before their baby arrives on earth. Don’t get me going about once the baby arrives as I will let your imagination take over from there, although I will leave you with this one story of  when our first baby slept through the night for the first time. I asked D to check on her as I was so scared we had lost her in the night. You see, our OB-GYN who delivered her, had just lost his infant son from sudden death syndrome a few months earlier and I thought, if it could happen to him well we are not immune. Irrational I know, but this is the stuff of life. FEAR!

Well, I could go on and on with regards to fears, but what I wanted to say was thisHalloween time of year reminds me of the day, 4 years ago that we found out we were having TWO BOO babies……and it’s been a wonderful experience. Yes, my hands are full as many people often comment, but they are full of multiple blessings. The biggest thing that scares us is often fear itself.

This post though is REALLY about a book review I wanted to share since tonight is my Sacred Circle book club meeting and the book we are discussing is, “The Places that Scare You, a guide to fearlessness in difficult times,” by Pema Chodron. I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to read this book or not, (I invited you to be a sacred sister on one of my blogs in September) but in case you haven’t and in case you have your share of anxiety and fears, this book gives one many insights to  contemplate and incorporate  into ones life.

Front Cover

I have recently written about the terrorism that occurred in Canada on a prior post (Earthlings Get Grounded) and a thought that really rang home to me was on Page 7 of this book. The author wrote, “Hatred never ceases by hatred-but by love alone is healed. This is an ancient and eternal law.”

On page 42, Pema Chodron writes, “In cultivating loving kindness we train first to be honest, loving and compassionate towards ourselves.”

And on Page 52, she says, “As a result of compassionate practise, we will start to have a deeper understanding of the roots of suffering.”

It was quite timely to read this and so I thought, “I send love to all terrorists around the world.” I know many would not understand this way of thinking but if we truly believe we are all connected, I’m only hurting myself by thinking anything but love.

In Chapter three, “The Buddha taught that there are three principal characteristics  of human existence. They are, “impermanence, egolessness, or dissatisfaction.”

Recognizing these qualities, to be real and true in our own experience helps us to relax with things as they are.

I loved this concept since the theme of my life is all about surrender It’s a life lesson that runs through each moment of my life as I attempt to not attach to anything, instead, just notice what I’m reacting to and then letting it go. I’m not brilliant one day and a screw up the next. I’m not what I do, or what people think if me. IF I don’t attach to anything, then nothing, NO THING, can influence me or make me feel good, or bad.

It’s a journey for sure but something I’m finding easier as I’m getting older. Good thing too since one of the biggest fears most humans have is dying. Accepting that our earthly body is always in a state of change, and will eventually stop functioning is either a freeing idea or scary to some. Understanding that we ARE, not the human body, that this is only our vehicle while on this earth and eventually it will stop working, makes it easier to let go of even dissatisfaction, like aging, or a part of our body that appears not perfect to us.

The other main idea that was presented in this book has to do with the sweet spot in life. Is it when things are going great and all our dreams are coming true? Nope! It’s when things are really tough and difficult. When we are able to remain in that place and stand our ground, that is when we become true warriors. It’s when we really soften and become more compassionate towards ourselves, and others. It’s when we glimpse the idea that we are all connected.

On page 122, Chodron writes, “The fact we spend a long time in the middle, the juicy spot is  the fruitful place to be—resting here completely—steadfastly experiencing the clarity of the present moment is called, Enlightenment.”

I loved the quote at the beginning of Chapter 7 on Loving Kindness-

“Peace between Countries must rest on the solid foundation of love between individuals.”                                    ~Mahatma Gandhi~

“No matter where we are on the journey-we are always stepping further into groundlessness. Enlightenment is not the end-it’s just the beginning of fully entering into we know not what.”

The last words of that sentence….WE KNOW NOT WHAT….isn’t that our worst fear? That we don’t know what is ahead of us and that is something that is really hard for most people to deal with…letting go and trusting that ALL SHALL BE WELL.

Before I close my book review, I liked how Pema Chodron brought in stories of her experiences with her teachers. A few simple words they said to her in response to her training came back to me and resonated with my soul, they were, “It’s no big deal.” and “It’s Okay.”

Although this book was rich with wonderful ideas, at the end of it, I was just thinking to myself, I’m okay, and it’s no big deal. And that is what I’m taking to book club tonight.

As we are about to head into Trick or Treat season, when scary creatures are ringing our door bell, literal or figuritively, I thought I would leave you with a comfort food recipe that I made last night. PERFECT for making this weekend, “Country Chicken Casserole and Biscuits” and a recipe for a quick “Chocolate cake,” you can whip up really fast and delicious enough to impress your scariest guests.

Happy Halloween! if I don’t get the chance to post again…it’s really busy around here this time of year although I had hoped to get my famous sugar cookie recipe on my blog…stay tuned for my pumpkin cookie recipes. I have to make it for Will’s kindergarten class party so I will try to bring you in the kitchen for some fun creations. Enjoy this special time of year when we really have to look fear in the face and say, BOO!

Hope’s Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits

Ingredients
  • 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups diced potatoes
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup sliced celery
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cups of vegetables whatever you have….I used brocoli, cauliflower, swiss chard and kale,
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • if you have some sage and parsley they make a nice seasoning that you can add when you cook the celery, onions and garlic

 Note: If you want a really creamy sauce double the sauce ingredients above

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
  2. Bake chicken pieces until lightly browned, no longer pink. ( it took 40 mins for my breast pieces which were quite thick) Remove from oven, cut up into small 1 inch pieces. Set aside
  3. Cut up potatoes into nice big chunks and boil until almost done, add carrots and the rest of the vegetables…cook until all are tender. Remove and drain water.
  4. In a sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp butter, cook celery, onions, garlic until tender. Add chicken broth and cook until boiling. Remove.
  5. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and then slowly pour in milk, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper if you wish.
  6.  Put chicken and vegetables into a a casserole dish along with the chicken broth and  white sauce, mix well.  

(Make biscuits  and put on top of casserole….bake in hot oven 450 F for 12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown)

This is what it looks like before adding the biscuits….since this was such a large pan though, next time I would add more white sauce…and also next time I’m going to do the English Pea and carrots….my kids aren’t crazy about peas but I LOVE THEM ..my Grandma Clark used to say, “they will put hair on your chest!”

Hope’s Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose Flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup milk

(For our larger family I double the recipe….any extra biscuits get eaten with jam the next day)

Instructions

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in shortening with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is the consistency of course cornmeal. Make a well in the centre of these ingredients; add liquid slowly. When all the liquid has been added, stir dough rather vigorously until it comes freely from the side of the bowl. Turn dough onto lightly floured board and knead lightly for a few minutes. roll or pat out to desired thickness–about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in a hot oven, 450 degrees F. Makes 12 biscuits

 

David loves it when I’m cooking for my “blog” because he often gets a glass of wine too….

Tonight we added a nice white wine that my sister J and brother in law B, gave D for his birthday. B says it is the best quality white wine for it’s price…we love B.C. wine! Thanks J and B!

 

Perfect with my Country Chicken Casserole with Biscuits….ENJOY!

And for another comfort food that will surely chase anything you are scared of, AWAY>>>>

Hope’s Comfort Food Homemade Chocolate Cake

Ingredients
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1½ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder (opt)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup boiling water…I had left over coffee so I added a cup of hot coffee

 

Instructions

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare two 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring or 1-13×9 pan.
  2. For the cake:
  3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk through to combine or, using your paddle attachment, stir through flour mixture until combined well.
  4. Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well combined. Reduce speed and carefully add boiling water(coffee if you have it) to the cake batter. Beat on high speed for about 1 minute to add air to the batter.
  5. Distribute cake batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans or in one large pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes, remove from the pan or let cool completely and ice in pan. .
  7. Frost cake with a Buttercream icing….I added a tsp of hot water with instant coffee for a mocha flavour to my icing
 I was in such a rush, taking kids to piano, picking up University kid, Skyping other University kid from a distance to see how his Mid term exam went, and texting high school kid to see when Volleyball practise ended that I was lucky to ice this cake…turned out really great although the decoration of coconut and almonds weren’t the greatest…hey but it’s life. I’m glad I don’t have all the time in the world to set up my blog posts looking perfect because you know, life isn’t like that…not real life and that is nothing to be scared of. It’s sometimes messy but tastes GREAT!

This cake was the perfect comfort dessert after the Country Chicken Casserole with biscuits…I hope you try it out on a day that you need some home cooking to comfort you.

If you are interested in hearing more from Pema Chodron, on Fear and Fearlessness.…check out this YouTube video.

 

And another one with Oprah…..why fear is nothing to be afraid of

Until we meet again, may you be well, happy, peaceful…and FEARLESS!

Blessings from Hope

 

Earthlings Get Grounded

/ Lee Reynolds

When you’re finally up at the moon looking back on earth, all those differences and nationalistic traits are pretty well going to blend, and you’re going to get a concept that maybe this really is one world and why the hell can’t we learn to live together like decent people.

 

— Frank Borman, Apollo 8, Newsweek magazine, 23 December 1968.

It’s been an action packed week and I’m sorry I haven’t been able to write any posts but as you may have read, it started with D and I attending an Urban Farm Symposium last Saturday and continued with a long awaited visit from my sister B and my brother in law J. Life has been rich with new ideas and insights and I’m thankful, since I wouldn’t have much to write about without the abundance of both in my life.

Before I move into the meat of this blog, I want to give you a bit of the back story so you can appreciate the whole picture and some history. My sister B lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island. Not too far from my homestead, only a days drive and ferry ride away but far enough so we only see each other a few times a year. And that is when she generously comes to visit. I remember our visit in the summer of 2013. She was chiding me for walking everywhere barefoot. I told her that putting shoes on was too much of a hassle since I was often running after the little ones. We were down to the garden, or play area,  or swimming in the pool, several times a day and it’s not like we have a yard with obstacles like chicken droppings or even dog waste. But still, she cautioned me on being careful walking in the dirt as there are pathogens that could enter through broken skin etc and cause infection.

Did I mention she is my BIG sister. She was just shy of 13 when I was born, so she has always been a bit protective and always nurturing towards me. This past summer, she and her daughter, T and two granddaughters, H and M, came for a visit. We had a lovely visit with lots of laughter and some moments of deep soul talk. The kind only sisters can share (and nieces). My sister always brings gifts that are useful and some that I wouldn’t go out and buy myself. For instance, on one of her shopping trips, she came home with a lucky bamboo plant in an elephant planter. Since I study the art of Feng Shui, I knew she was giving us a gift full of many blessings. She is always bestowing the best of life upon me and my family.

 

This is my lucky elephant bamboo, full of blessings that B gave this past summer

I’m also thankful, that she is highly organized and is often clearing clutter, another wonderful Feng Shui practice. There have been many occasions where I have benefited after one of her space clearing sessions. This past summer was another such time when she left a box of “things” for me to peruse after she left. Some of my most treasured pieces of clothing have come second hand from her, so with tears still in my eyes wondering when I would see her again,  I unearthed the contents piece by piece,  trying on this and that. When I came to the bottom of the box there were a familiar pair of shoes I had often admired her wearing. They are a pair of lovely brown, Josef Siebels.  They are what my  mother in law D would have called, “sensible walking shoes,” when she herself lived in Victoria watching women walking their dogs in such footwear.

WOW~ I was thankful to have a new pair of shoes. On the first day this fall, when it was particularly cold, I wore them when taking the little girls to preschool. I was chatting with J, our children’s preschool teacher. We go WAY back, since she taught our oldest son, Clark, 18 years earlier and every little one since then. She knows our family really well and we have been fortunate to have her in our lives.

I don’t really know how our conversation took off but I think it had something to do with the weather finally growing colder and I was having to ditch my sandals. I told her I had spent most of my summer barefoot and that my older sister must have felt sorry for me as she gave me these wonderful shoes to wear, as I motioned towards my new, high end shoes. J, said she knew someone who also enjoyed going barefoot and commented about it being very good for you.

My sister B and brother in law J arrived at our home last Monday. While the weekend had been gloriously warm, the weather had shifted on Monday which was decidedly colder. We hadn’t started the furnace yet this year, so after giving my sister a big hug and chatting briefly, I noticed she was uncharacteristically barefoot. I asked her if I could get her a pair of socks or something. She looked down at her very tanned feet, (did I mention they had been on holidays down the Oregon Coast etc for the past month?) and said, “no thanks, I’m doing the barefoot thing.”

We talked about their trip etc and then it finally came around to her feet once again and I asked what was up with the bare feet? It was then she told me about a book she and B had read while on their holidays. It was called, “Earthing.” They also had the DVD, which they had brought along for us to watch. She showed me pictures of her and J walking barefoot with my other sister, J and her husband B. (hey, just now I noticed that the couples share the same first letters…but in reverse)  They had been visiting with them for 2 days and they were “grounding” themselves at their acreage all weekend.

Grounding or Earthing is defined as placing one’s bare feet on the ground whether it be dirt, grass, sand or concrete (especially when humid or wet). When you ground to the electron-enriched earth, an improved balance of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system occurs.

The Earth is a natural source of electrons and subtle electrical fields, which are essential for proper functioning of immune systems, circulation, synchronization of biorhythms and other physiological processes and may actually be the most effective, essential, least expensive, and easiest to attain antioxidant.
 
Modern science has thoroughly documented the connection between inflammation and all of the chronic diseases, including the diseases of aging and the aging process itself. It is important to understand that inflammation is a condition that can be reduced or prevented by grounding your body to the Earth, the way virtually all of your ancestors have done for hundreds if not thousands of generations

I had to laugh at first. Here was my big sister first telling me to put my shoes on, actually giving me a pair of shoes and now she was telling me to take them off. In addition stressing that going barefoot was the way to go. I could have told her that.

Although I didn’t know there were any significant health benefits, I knew how I felt after being at the ocean, walking on the beach for a week or burying my feet in the sand while the children made crab castles. Also, walking in my garden barefoot or sitting and meditating on the earth felt restorative. When we listen to our body and how it’s reacting, we are never wrong.

Well, throughout the week that B was visiting, when we had a moment we would go out into the yard barefoot. The little people were thrilled because they knew intrinsically what felt good and were baffled at why I had been harping at them to put their shoes on since the weather turned cold. As long as they were bundled up with a sweater etc, they felt great barefoot and surprisingly enough, the earth still held a lot of heat from our long hot summer.

Our little girls, Victoria and Kate grounding with their Auntie B.

And so, my dear blog friends, from my big sister, now to you I say, “to shoe or not to shoe?” that is the question. Maybe, if more of us went barefoot on the earth, communed with nature, our whole world would be healthier and more balanced. At the very least we would be connected to our roots and care for Mother Earth as she cares for us.

AND

That brings me to another insight I had during the week. As you probably know, unless you are living off the grid without any contact with the outer world, during the past week there were several acts of terrorism in my country, one which occurred on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. A lone gunman, Michael Abdul Ehaf-Bibeau, who was a recent convert to Islam, killed an unarmed soldier, 24 year old Cpl. Nathan Cerillo, who was standing guard at our National War Memorial. He then went on to enter the Parliament building and after a round of gun fire was shot and killed himself. My heart just weeps and I know this sounds crazy, but I am so sad for everyone involved…even the shooter.

There have been so many horrific events of terrorism around the world but I think for many reasons this latest was particularly disturbing since Canadians are known to be peace keepers and this act occurred in the heart of our political system…close to where our Prime Minister and MP’s were debating choices we as Canadians uphold. Freedom, justice, equality, etc.

With the thoughts of growing food swirling in my head from last weekend’s Urban Farm Symposium and the idea of  grounding/earthing and its benefits, along with this news story settling in my heart, I have to wonder if most of the world has its head in the clouds. For many on earth being in a dream state is how they maneuver through life. Asleep to the fact that we are all connected and unaware that if we don’t wake up now, our precious Mother Earth will be destroyed and humanity along with it. Cracks are forming all over the earth.

For many humans the light is being turned on and through their environmental concerns they are starting to see the bigger picture. As if they are out in space and looking with awe at the beauty and peace within our grasp. Understanding that we can’t heal the earth and all the damage we have done to it, without addressing people’s suffering at the same time.

Something I read this week in a book by Pema Chodron called, “Taking the Leap,” resonated with me and I wanted to share it here. She wrote,

“Working on ourselves and becoming more conscious about our own minds and emotions may be the only way for us to find a solutions that address the welfare of all beings and the survival of the earth itself.”

She further shares this,

“There was a story that was widely circulated a few days after the attack of September 11, 2001, that illustrates our dilemma. A Native American grandfather was speaking to his grandson about violence and cruelty and how it comes about. He said, it was as if two wolves were fighting in his heart. One wolf was vengeful and angry, and the other wolf was understanding and kind. The grandson asked his grandfather which wolf would win the fight in his heart. And the grandfather answered, “the one that wins, will be the one I choose to feed.”


She continues,

“So this is our challenge, the challenge for our spiritual practice and the challenge for the world~how can we train right now, not later, to feed the right wolf?”
                                                                                        ~Pema Chodron, from “Taking the Leap”~

I want to thank Pema Chodron for that. I finished reading my Sacred Sister’s book club selection earlier in the month. It was called, “The Places That Scare Us” by Pema Chodron. I enjoyed it so much that I started reading more of her writing and it has settled in my heart. She is right on.

I know the wolf I want to feed.

How about you?

Every day we make choices to wake up. Sending understanding and kindness into the world seems the only way to heal.

Another way to stay awake though is being grounded and so, that ties in to the benefits of EARTHING….it just feels like a constantly flowing circle, we keep coming back to ourselves and the answer seems so simple. Take care of the earth, and the earth will take care of us.

If you want to learn more about Earthing, I thought I would give you a link to the YouTube full movie. It’s called, “Grounded.” (click the highlighted word) and it is a light, easy to watch documentary of one man’s story and how Earthing changed his life and the little town of Haines, Alaska.

Well that was my week in a nutshell. As I said a sad goodbye to my sister, I wanted to share a picture she took of D and me with Will. I’m wearing another of her gifts…..what she called, “grandma’s apron” and you know what? There could be a revival of these lovely things as it’s really useful. A blog for another day. Hey, and notice my fantastic shoes in the picture below. Thanks B! I’m blessed to have cool sisters!  Also, so very grateful that I have people actually reading my blog so thank you to you…my dear blog readers!

Peace out!

D, and myself, with our sweet William…saying goodbye to my sister B and brother in law J

Until we meet again, may you be well, peaceful and happy.

Blessings from Hope