Author: Lee Reynolds

Food for Thought….A Day at our Urban Farm Symposium

/ Lee Reynolds
This is a view of the lake outside of the cafeteria

A week ago today, D and I were listening attentively to all the speakers (there were 8 in total) at our local Urban Farm Symposium. The location could not have been better, as we were in the cafeteria at our local College, which is adjacent to Patchwork Farm. Patchwork Farm, is a community collective farm, where people of all ages and abilities join in meaningful activities that fosters personal growth, strengthens the local food system and enhances appreciation for land, food, health and community. The actual location for the College and the Farm is on the hillside above Kalamalka Lake, a tiny bit west of where our homestead is situated.

It was Patchwork Farm, along with all their supporters, that put on this Symposium. I thought it would have been better attended, however there were under 50 in attendance, which was disheartening when you think water and food are the basics of life and supporting both were discussed in detail throughout the day.

On the plus side, having a small gathering meant we had great seats and the group felt intimate enough where we were comfortable asking questions throughout the day.

Our first speaker, and host for the day, Keli Westgate is a Certified Permaculture Designer, a Director of the Sustainable Environment Network Systems, SENS, as well as a multi-media producer and marketing freelancer. She shared the many community and environment projects that the SENS group has on the go, including the Vernon in Transition Movement, Beesafe, a monthly speaker series, and my personal favourite topic, the vision for a Vernon Earthship Healing and Education Centre.

An earthship, is a unique type of passive solar house that is made of both natural and recycled materials, designed and marketed by Earthship Biotecture of Taos, New Mexico. The term is a registered trademark of Michael Reynolds.

Other than the fact that the original creator of this design shares my husband’s last name, D and I are intrigued by the idea of using recycled items, like tires and glass bottles, to create a totally sustainable housing plan. During our next short break we were bubbling with possibilities and our creative juices were flowing as we discussed  how we could create such a place for our family. When I came home from the symposium and did some research, I see a family in Alberta is doing just that, and here is a link to the CBC report on this Prairie Earthship home.  

Some earthship images,

Our next lecture was given by Jane Emlyn, who has a background in Soil Biology, is a co-founder in BeeSafe, is a master gardener and has a lifetime experience in self sufficient living. She brought her knowledge of natural farming practices and small lot design to the table. I loved how she started talking about her observations on how things grow when she was just a child. She shared her memories of living close to a richly forested area, where she was able to walk in nature, experience the changing seasons and notice how the trees and plants were growing without any help from man.

She also talked about her childhood being a time when everyone had a kitchen garden in their backyard and her neighbours, who came from diverse cultures with various gardening practices, all contributed to her learning and knowledge. She watched how in the fall, the hardest working gardeners cleaned their beds of all plant debris and placed it in a compost bin to be dug out again in the spring and spread around the garden. While these gardeners had beautiful productive gardens, she thought there had to be a more natural and efficient way that required less effort.\

Later in her life, she studied soil biology and learned how the earth is teeming with billions of organisms working in a symbiotic relationship to create the perfect environment for the continuing lifecycle of all things. The no dig philosophy was one she adopted and with great success. Her lecture was called, “Winterize Your Soil.”  The general premise of her talk was to encourage us to think about leaving gardening debris exactly where it grew. Whatever was left after you harvested your vegetables, etc, remained in place in the garden. Break it down into smaller, manageable pieces if you wish for quicker decomposition, but leave it in place.  She was also big on mulches, layering the garden with leaves, straw bales, whatever you have available and in the spring, she stressed that nothing be removed. You just plant right on top. She shared a few books that she highly recommended.

They were:

“Green Thumb” by Ruth Stout 

“The One Straw Revolution” by Masanobu Fukuoka

“The Zero Mile Diet” by Carolyn Herriot

The easy, relaxed way, Jane spoke about her gardening practices made me think about how hard I sometimes work in my garden, hauling debris to my compost and then working it back in every spring. I was going to really think about how, “I can let nature do most of the work to create the rich fertile soil I desire. The basis for growing all things.” (Stay tuned for my upcoming blog post on “Grounding, or another word, Earthing” which ties into this belief)

After a tea break, we were introduced to Cuyler Page who shared his expansive knowledge on growing wheat, particularly Red Fife Wheat. He had interesting history to share and stories to tell about growing Red Fife. All Red Fife grown for use today in artisan bakeries around our area can trace its ancestry to a half pound he and Sharon Rempel planted at the Grist Mill at Keremeos in 1989. He told stories about growing wheat and also gave us a demonstration on threshing and winnowing the wheat that had been harvested earlier from Patchwork Farm. It was all very interesting but to grow enough wheat to make one loaf of bread in my opinion, was too much for the urban farmer. I appreciated all the knowledge however and as I was eating my lunch of bun with veggies and hummus, I was appreciating what went in to make the bun. A lot of work!

Before Lunch was served, Bill Hickey, uncovered the secrets of growing cold hardy varieties of figs in the Okanagan Valley. Bill is a lifetime gardener with an adventurous streak. On hearing four years ago that a few people in Vernon had fig trees in the ground he decided to find the best suited fig cultivars for our climate. Over 20 varieties are candidates. Eight varieties are ripening in his yard currently. He went on to show us how to grow and prune figs for quick production but after the talk, although I admired his tenacity, I thought, that is something I don’t have time to entertain. I just want to feed my family and spend my time more efficiently. However, for those people, who want a hobby, growing figs would be lovely…and eating them even better.

Our lunch was rich with discussion and food. As D and I enjoyed a deliciously thick pumpkin soup and our choice of sandwiches or buns loaded with yummy veggies inside, we talked about the direction we saw our own homestead traveling and the dreams we had on the horizon. Before the afternoon lectures began, we took a walk outside to enjoy the day. I was thinking perhaps the real gardeners had stayed home to work in their yards on this Saturday, as although the day had begun cold and cloudy, by lunch the day had warmed and the sun was shining brightly. It was a perfect day to muck around in the yard. Here is a picture of the raised gardens at Patchwork farm and below is a picture of the view from the farm.

 

 
More pictures at Patchwork Farm…Kale still going crazy above

Before we went back inside, I snapped a picture of D…I was so happy he decided to join me and share in my passion. He has been so busy at his office and I think all these lectures opened his eyes to the endless opportunities available for our homestead.

All refreshed, we were ready to discuss some pretty serious issues on, “Food, Farming and Community.” Wendy Holm, is an award -winning resource Economist, Agrologist and Journalist. She has covered stories at the forefront of Canadian policy since the early 1990’s picking up eight national journalism awards since 2003. Wendy holds an honours B.Sc. in Business Administration, an M.Sc. in Agricultural Economics and a Masters of Management, Cooperatives and Credit Unions. She talked about world food and farming practices and how important the small family farm is to the world. Also, in great detail, she discussed the necessity of protecting our agriculture lands from corporations who want to profit without any care or consequence for the environment.

Check out the following YouTube video called, A Vision Of Agriculture with Wendy Holm

As Wendy left to leave for the airport, I thanked her for coming and giving me, “Food for Thought!” It’s people like this who help to change the way we think about growing food in the world. I felt really empowered and while I don’t have any of her credentials, she left me feeling that I could make a difference in the world.

As my head was still spinning from such a meaty lecture, our next speaker, Heather Clay brought 30 years of experience working in the beekeeping industry and recently co-edited a book on Honey Bee Diseases and Pests. Her topic, “The Urban Beescape” was exactly what I had been looking for as I tried to think about how we could become small scale beekeepers. I was thinking how wonderful it would be for our children to watch how the bees pollinate our crops and how they all work together to make an elixir for life. Honey! Check out the site, www.capabees.org

Our second last speaker was Curtis Stone, who owns “Green City Acres” in Kelowna, B.C. He talked efficiently for one hour discussing how to practically turn 2000 square feet of lawn into a productive garden which can earn a substantial amount of money…..my notes say, $18,000 dollars however this is all dependent on your crop and who is purchasing your produce. He discussed the technical process of converting a lawn into a mini-farm and the economics of production. Of course this was interesting to see how quickly he moved into production and also introduced the idea that just because you live in an urban setting, doesn’t mean you can’t become a farmer.  A profitable farmer turning lawn into food….and money. Here’s a Youtube video, “Meet an urban farmer….Curtis from Green City Acres.”  Gets one thinking for sure!

And finally at the end of a wonderful day of stimulating ideas and thoughts came a lovely speaker, Gordon Hiebert, of Element Eco-design, who is a permaculture practitioner in the North Okanagan. He uses his knowledge of ecological systems to create sustainable building, regenerative agriculture, water harvesting and waste systems to create unique integrated designs. His easy going, relaxed approach made me feel peaceful, believing I was moving in the right direction and it was comforting to know there was this wealth of knowledge in my backyard. His topic also brought me back to the speaker of the day that really inspired both D and I; the Earthship home, which feels like the perfect direction for us to move towards. Perhaps, D and I won’t live in such a place in our lifetime but perhaps our grandchildren will be so fortunate. We told our son Clark about it when we came home and you never know when you plants seeds if they will grow, as Clark is in his 4th year studying Evironmental Sciences and he hopes to become an architect in the future.

We ended our day feeling really blessed to be on this earth with other people so passionate about growing food, conserving water and caring for our planet. For healing our earth and healing our souls is going to require a conscious connection in our communities. It was just what I needed as the season of Autumn throws a blanket of leaves on the ground. It lays a blanket of possibilities at my feet. Endless and exciting.

Now I’m off to winterize my garden…….I’m just cutting up my corn stalks, my tomato plants, raking up my leaves and laying them on the debris. Letting it be still. Then I’m going to sit and drink a hot cup of tea and give thanks.

To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. ~Mahatma Gandhi

 

Will picking the perfect pumpkin at the patch this week.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Chicken Club Pizza and Urban Farming Symposium

/ Lee Reynolds

Rhode Island Red It’s TGIF day (thank God it’s Friday)! I feel like I have to spell out that acronym since my 15 year old didn’t have a clue when I said it this morning. He is always making fun of me for my lack of social media expertise and other computer tech skills but there are still a few things I can still teach him, like, silly end of the week acronyms and how to make a really good pizza.

Anyway, I’m so EXCITED that Friday is finally here. That means one more sleep and D and I are off to experience  our first Urban Farming Symposium.The symposium is being organized by Patchwork Farms, which is an organic community collective farm situated next to our local college. The purpose of this event, is to teach enthusiastic people like me, to learn more so we can integrate urban agriculture practices into our daily life. I’ve been putting this out into the Universe since last winter when I saw some cool workshops I wanted to attend in Vancouver, but of course the distance makes that difficult with a family in tow. But here it is, being taught in my own backyard. Well practically since I can see the farm from my back deck.

Some of the topics on the agenda are:

1. From lawn to mini-farm
2. The Urban Beescape
3. Grow your own bread
4. Winterize your soil
5. Sustainable Environment Network Society presentation
6. Figs in the Okanagan
7. Food Farming and Community…and more

I did not see the topic of raising chickens on the agenda but I’m going to network and see what I can find out with regards to changing our by-laws. I want to know what others are doing in our community to increase awareness on the benefits of backyard chickens.  Did you know that one chicken can eat a large amount of your kitchen waste which reduces landfill gases and the long term results are improved soil for the urban farmer?

The ironic part of all this, is our nearby city of Vernon allows their citizens to have 3 or 4 chickens per household. However, we rural residents, aren’t allowed the luxury of a few eggs every day, despite the fact our community motto is, “Rural Living at it’s BEST.” I guess they mean, the peace and quiet and quick boat access to the lake, but no chicken noise or smell.

Like anything else, I’m going to put my attention on what I want, “chickens” and know it’s just a matter of time before we have a few in our backyard. Bees too. Just like I attracted this symposium to occur. Don’t you just love the, “law of attraction!” I’m interested in learning more about keeping bees in our organic garden and of course honey would be a nice side benefit not to mention great pollination on our homestead. Our daughter Grace keeps asking for a bunny or two as well, which I understand produces excellent, immediate garden waste. A side benefit to this is she gets a pet she doesn’t have to walk. (Don’t get me going about my dream for a Golden Retriever, that wish comes with a country farm, lots of space and room for the dog to roam)

This picture reminds me of my sister C’s retriever Sunny….I’m holding the vision of a country farm and a new puppy

 

So tonight, I’m going to make enough pizza so the kids have lunch tomorrow since this is an all day event. Oh did I mention, lunch will be served at the symposium as well. For a mom who makes 21 meals for my family each week, PLUS snacks, well I can’t tell you how marvelous THAT IS! Our older kids agreed to care for the younger ones which is also another huge gift. They know how important growing my urban homestead is and also I’m sure they are planning to take turns watching the little ones so they can have some free time playing computer games, etc. without me nagging about getting outside, doing chores in the house or doing their homework. Hey, it’s a WIN/WIN.

Well, enough about what I’m doing this weekend, How would you like to join me in making an amazing pizza. I tell you, other than my pesto sauce pizza….this is a winner.

So if you want to grab your apron and join me in the kitchen, let’s get the flour out.

We started making these when my 15 year old son Harrison said he really liked my homemade pizzas but he missed the ‘ole chicken club pizza we used to get from Panago Pizza. So I started doing some experimenting and came up with, I think, even a better version of this particular pizza. (no offence Panago, IF I had to buy take out, it would be from you)

Okay, here is what you need to make this pizza. Of course a good pizza starts with an amazing crust. I can whip this up in my sleep now.

Hope’s Homemade Pizza Crust recipe

Ingredients

3 cups of flour
1 tsp of sugar
1/2 tsp of salt
11/2 cups of warm water
1 tbsp yeast (I buy the quick rising kind from Costco’s…it’s in a large box for around $5.00 dollars.)
1 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Non stick spray for the pizza pan

Directions

Add 11/2 cups of warm water to a large bowl
Sprinkle 1 tbsp of yeast on the top of the water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes
Mix the flour (and I like to use unbleached white with some whole wheat…the combination can be your choice…We like 1/2 and 1/2 but if you aren’t use to whole wheat flour use less at first) then
the sugar and the salt together until well combined.
Then take a fork stir the water and yeast really well, making sure the yeast has dissolved really well into the warm water…it should be frothy. Then add your tbsp of olive oil and mix well again.
Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine. When a ball has formed I put it on a lightly floured counter and turn it over and over, kneading it like bread with my hands. I continue to mix until all the flour is worked in. This usually takes about 2 minutes. Sometimes it’s still sticky and if that is the case, then add a tiny bit of flour to the mixture so your hands don’t stick to the dough but not too much or your crust will be heavy.
Then I let the dough sit in a warm bowl with a damp cloth on top for at least 15 minutes. The longer you let it sit the more it will rise but I’m usually making mine right before dinner so I don’t have time to let it rise higher. If you want a thinner crust you can split the dough into two balls but we like our crust thick so this recipe is used for one large pizza. 

Now for the fun part.

Pizza topping for the Chicken Club

Spray the pan or lightly grease with olive oil
Take the dough and spread it evenly over the pan, working out from the middle.
I find it easiest to have a 1/2 cup of flour handy, I make sure my hands are well floured and if the dough is sticky, then I sprinkle a little flour to make it easier to spread.

Everything you need, crust, mozzarella, cooked chicken, onion, ham, ranch dressing and Parmesan cheese, opt bacon pieces

Chicken Club Ingredients

About 1/2 cup of Ranch dressing…I use Hidden Valley we buy at Costco
1 cup of thinly sliced black forest ham
1 cup of cut of cooked chicken pieces (I pre-cooked 6 boneless chicken thighs) 
1/2 of a red onion thinly sliced….if I were making it just for me…I’d use a whole red onion
Parmesan Cheese
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
(opt) bacon bits

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F

1. Spread the ranch dressing all over the pizza crust until it’s well covered

 

2.  Spread the thinly sliced black forest ham

3. Scatter red onion on top of the ham

 
4. Layer the cooked chicken on top of the ham and onion

5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the ham, onion and chicken (note if you want to use bacon bits as well this is a good time to sprinkle it on top of the ham, onions and chicken)

6. Spread the mozzarella over the entire pizza

 Now it’s time to put into a preheated oven @ 425 degrees F…middle rack for 15 to 20 minutes or until it’s cooked to your taste. We like our pizza crust soft and chewy so we don’t cook it as long as someone who would want the crust a bit crunchier. Just watch closely after 15 minutes.

Ready for the oven and as you can tell, the crust has  risen quite a bit since I first spread it on the pan. This is the pizza for dinner but I’m also making a cheese pizza so the kids have something for lunch tomorrow as well.

Here’s their cheese before going in the oven.

The little kids like three kinds of cheese; Parmesan, cheddar and mozzarella on a basil tomato sauce

Here it is….TGIF Chicken Club Pizza…enjoy!

Happy TGIF day! Add a Caesar salad and dinner is served.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and it becomes a family favourite in your house.

Oh and stay tuned as I will take notes and maybe some pictures too at the farm symposium tomorrow. It’s going to be enlightening and anything I learn, you will hear about it first.


If you can’t see this YouTube video, click here, Jack Johnston’s “Home” song at a Farm Aid 2012 concert .I like how genuine he is…and isn’t it true, home is wherever your heart is…nothing has to be fancy, In fact the simpler it is, the better in so many ways. Love out to Farmers!

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

Blessings from Hope

The Upside Down of Raising a Special Boy

/ Lee Reynolds

 

 

I’ve been holding my breath ever since Will started kindergarten a month ago. Today I exhaled. There is a lot of history here which I could never start to share completely with you but I will give you a peak into the last 6 years. Well, actually it goes farther back than that. It goes back to June 2004 when D and I got surprisingly pregnant with our “Moonbeam” baby.

I say, surprisingly because this baby was conceived AFTER our daughter Grace was born, when I was in my 40’s. We had worked so hard to bring her into the world and neither of us thought we would ever get pregnant again. During the full moon cycle that month, another baby was conceived. I’ll never forget that night since I woke up in the wee hours to see a luminous full moon reflecting white light off the waters of the lake below our home. It was breathtaking and full of magic.

We were absolutely shocked when we found out I was pregnant. I mean if you knew how hard and what we had gone through to conceive Grace, then you’d understand our amazement. D walked around very quiet, his way of processing the news, and I just stayed busy with our other children. In my quiet moments I would think about our new baby and I was in awe.

Just as we were wrapping our heads around the idea of six children and starting to work with a contractor to design and build a bigger house for us, I miscarried. D seemed relieved as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. We had missed the bullet of sleepless nights, years of diapers, and of course a lifetime of caring for another child.  I was sad. Over the course of the weeks and months after the miscarriage, I couldn’t shake my grief. I felt like someone was lost. Someone was missing. Like a piece of me was gone forever. I started dreaming about a child and then I started to hear a soft whisper telling me he was patiently waiting.We came together in my dreams and danced with joy.

Even though I knew the odds of getting pregnant again were against us due to my age, and the risk of having a baby with health issues were high, I convinced D to join me in the journey of trying to bring our Moonbeam baby back into our lives.

Me in 2008 before Will was conceived

 

D in 2008

I won’t go detail regarding the efforts we went to conceive, in this short blog post because I’m actually writing a book on this journey, but when I finally found out we were pregnant again, I knew there was a very special soul coming to earth. I would breathe light filled energy, full of love into my womb and just smile. Of course, after experiencing several miscarriages, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop but my heart said to enjoy each day. I would blow my fears out into the Universe and recite my mantra, “all shall be well.”

Will was born on June 25, 2009 after a quick but intense labour and delivery. When my Doctor lifted him up to place him on my tummy, I knew him instantly. He was the baby from my dreams. He was our Moonbeam baby. He was round and chubby and looked like a happy Buddha except he was crying loudly. When he was wrapped in warm cotton blankets and placed into my arms he quieted, wide eyed at the world around him.

From day one I sensed he was a bit different than our other babies. I couldn’t even put him down to go to the bathroom or he would cry bitterly. I thought this was a bit odd since our other babies would sleep a lot in the first few days on earth. He would rouse as soon as I would lay him down and start to cry, and so I hardly put him down. He slept with me and I wore him in a sling.

Will home from the hospital…just putting him next to this cake for a picture made him fussy….Grace is thrilled

 

When Will was just 7 weeks old we went camping…yes I look rough but I was so happy to have this baby…this is the sling he basically lived in for the first 6 months of his life

I thought once he settle into the rhythm of our household, he would relax but he never did.

 

He loved being near his siblings and would quiet when they were close. In this picture from L to R..Mitchell is 13, Harrison is 10 and Grace is 6

Since I’d waited so long to have him in my arms, as exhausted as I was with a newborn and 5 older children, I just didn’t put him down, literally. For six months he was always in my arms. When I had to put him  in his car seat to travel anywhere, he fussed and was always on the verge of really howling. As soon as he settled into my arms, he would fall asleep or just smile at the world around him.

 

I felt like I had to pinch myself…he was with me at last
I loved having our baby close

Something I learned with our other children was how fast the first year flies by and a good mantra to live by was, “this too shall pass.” Occasionally, at the Baby Mamas group I attended, I realized Will was an extremely high needs baby compared to others but he was so healthy, so beautiful, that I just chocked it up to him being an extremely special and unique soul.

This wise soul taught so much BEFORE he was even came to earth

Since we listened to his intense needs from day one, he grew to be a confident, trusting little boy. We found he attached easily to other people and had the ability to love deeply and give immense hugs. I had a few intuitive people comment on the light filled energy surrounding him and they told me he was a special soul.

A rare moment that he slept out of my arms…it never lasted more than 20 minutes

When Will started preschool, concerns over his social development became apparent. On the very first day he gave his teachers huge hugs which made me so proud but then I later learned, showing physical affection was discouraged.  If he was going to fit into acceptable parameters, then we would have to work with him. Encourage him to give his friends space and remember not to pop their “bubble,” and to ask if giving a hug would be alright. He had this huge personality. Most of the children were shy, some were not communicating well, others were having separation anxiety when their parents left them. He was living life large, confident, as if he had waited a long time to come to earth. He wasn’t going to waste another moment. Everything was great! Each day was better than before. The smallest thing would make his exclaim to me, “Mommy, this was the BEST day!”

Will with his preschool helpers

He was intensely curious and interested in everything. He would ask endless questions, even when he knew the answers. I do know he overwhelmed other friends at preschool with his intensity, his size, for he was big for his age. He was also a high needs child, in the sense that he demanded attention and was easily stimulated. If the teachers added a small touch in the playroom for instance, Will would be the first to notice it. Things that I had thought were brilliant seemed like barriers to his learning from his teacher’s point of view. It made me sad to think he had to limit himself to be socially acceptable and curtail his immense enthusiasm. Readying himself for school.

Will on his preschool graduation day, June 2014. His light is ALWAYS on.

As you know, I have qualms about the school system providing him what he needs but I have been hesitant in believing I am totally capable of creating a well balanced, rich learning environment for him to thrive as well. A part of me feels the educators know best and it is in Will’s interests to learn how to quell his intensity, be patient, resist his impulses and learn to moderate the way he responds to stimulation. The part that doesn’t feel right, is the feeling that we have bought a bag of used goods. That our education system in not keeping pace with children like Will. Well to be honest, most children, for each child is unique and special. Each learns at their own pace and it’s tragic that we have to hold those who are accelerated in their thinking back for others to catch up, or visa versa. Will still has social issues to deal with but he is flying with regards to his academic achievements. We all have “stuff” to work on and the fact that he remains so joy filled buoys me into believing he is still teaching me, not the other way around.

Will reminds me to slide through life with joy…here he is at Davison Orchard Farm

Last week at kindergarten, the children were playing a game called, “you catch me and kiss me” and Will was chasing girls AND boys and when he caught them, he tried to kiss them. He’s fast by the way, so this probably scared a few of the children as they were caught easily. They are all learning their limits. He and the other children were told that this was not appropriate and they were asked to stop playing this game. Will must have been taunted because he was caught doing it again and received time out. Then, a few days later he told me that the children were asking him to chase them again, he said, “Mommy, I told them no,” but he was obviously sad about it as he hung his head. He’s struggling to know how to make friends.

Then today there was another incident. The class was outside making apple juice and although I didn’t get the full story, I heard that Will had pushed another little boy and received more time out. When I picked him up after school he ran to me, clinging as if he hadn’t seen me in years. When I heard about the incident I was perplexed. I want him so fit in but not lose his own spirit along the way. It seems like once children start school they start losing their soul light. He’s struggling to find his place in his kindergarten class. His place in the world.

I just don’t remember this from raising our other children. Most of our children were quieter, not so intense. Their teachers always said they were very well behaved  and it was hard getting them to talk. They all did extremely well academically but were socially withdrawn compared to Will….although probably more the norm. So this huge soul energy is new to me. I just don’t want his spirit to be crushed in the haste to teach him socially acceptable behavior. Maybe we parents all feel the same about our children but because we waited so long to have this little guy, I just want everything to be easy for him now that he is here. I want the world to recognize the gifts of love and joy he has brought.

While we raced around after school today, driving Grace to piano, the little kids to the library, picking up Harrison and his volleyball friends from jazz band and driving them to their volleyball game, and finally, picking up our oldest son from the University bus, it dawned on me. No amount of worrying or concern was going to solve this but it’s no big deal. The mantra that I had used while I was pregnant with Will, would provide peace for me. No matter what, “all shall be well.” Will taught me to let go and trust before he was on earth and now, I have to remember this lesson.

I’m thankful that he is here. That I even have this issue to contemplate and that reminds me of the lyrics of a song I used to sing to our older children, “Who’s to say, what’s impossible, well they forget, this world keeps spinning and with each new day I can feel a change in everything.”

So I don’t know what you are facing in your life, but we all have fears and doubts, especially for our children. Or even if you are trying to conceive, you may have huge doubts and fears (whose to say what’s impossible)…..maybe this blog post will help you feel a connection. Remembering that it’s okay, all shall be well…..feel a change in everything.

Sing along with me in this YouTube video….Jack Johnson and Curious George…he reminds me a lot of my sweet boy….”where there is a Will there is a way.” My Moonbeam baby arrived almost 5 years  to the night I woke in wonder over seeing that magical June 2004 moon. Sometimes miracles are so subtle.

Allow Miracles to Happen….at every stage of your life

 

 (If you are unable to see the video below, check out this hyper-link to connect to Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down” song)
 

JACK JOHNSON LYRICS

“Upside Down”

Who’s to say
What’s impossible                                                          

My endlessly loving, enthusiastic, curious little boy

Well they forgot
This world keeps spinning
And with each new day
I can feel a change in everything
And as the surface breaks reflections fade
But in some ways they remain the same
And as my mind begins to spread its wings
There’s no stopping curiosity

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I’ll find the things they say just can’t be found
I’ll share this love I find with everyone
We’ll sing and dance to Mother Nature’s songs
I don’t want this feeling to go away

Who’s to say
I can’t do everything
Well I can try
And as I roll along I begin to find
Things aren’t always just what they seem

I want to turn the whole thing upside down
I’ll find the things they say just can’t be found
I’ll share this love I find with everyone
We’ll sing and dance to Mother Nature’s songs
This world keeps spinning and there’s no time to waste
Well it all keeps spinning spinning round and round and

Upside down
Who’s to say what’s impossible and can’t be found
I don’t want this feeling to go away

Please don’t go away
Please don’t go away
Please don’t go away
Is this how it’s supposed to be
Is this how it’s supposed to be

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

Blessings from Hope

Thanksgiving Vegetable Dishes and Liver Support with Beets

/ Lee Reynolds

 

 

Thanksgiving 2014 is behind us and while I missed two of our older children, Alyssa teaching in the U.K. and Mitchell, studying at the University of Victoria, there was still much to be thankful for.

For instance, I’m very grateful that there is such a thing as Skype. When my sister J traveled the world in her early 20’s, there was no such thing as Skype, or even email.  I know my mom was on pins and needles between letters. Additionally, 100 years ago when my grandfather, Robert Clark left England for Canada, my great grandmother Jane must have been beside herself with worry, since letters only came a few times a year, if that. I was able to “see” and talk with both of our children on the weekend and give them a kiss on their forehead. (via the screen) They are both happy and living their dream. What more can a mom want for her children?

Another reason to be thankful, is that I have a sister and brother-in-law who can pop in for a quick visit, or spontaneously join us for Thanksgiving dinner. Also, my oldest son Clark’s girlfriend, joined us as well. Times are changing and this is going to be a new normal as our children grow up, move away from home or come home with loved ones whom they have found out in the world.

When I heard we were having more than just “us,” I went into “company mode.” Which is what D calls it when I start to clean and cook rather madly. I want to make sure the dinner would be extra special. Although I probably would have done several of these new dishes for our immediate family, because I believe, to live a gracious life means making every moment special. We all deserve candlelight, linen napkins and clean glasses, even if we are alone. Maybe ESPECIALLY then.

I was so happy with the results of our dinner, I thought I would write a blog about it AND also include something my brother in law, B, sent me awhile ago after I blogged about making borscht. B’s ancestors are borscht makers from way back, so beets etc are in his blood. If you have read my blog you know about my morning green drink and how I like to support my liver by juicing lots of veggies, particularly green ones. I think it gives me the energy I need to keep up with our family. Also, it’s another way of balancing hormones and boosting immunities. I did not know that beets were so highly acclaimed so I thought I would pass this on to my viewers. Here are some thoughts from my blog guest, my brother in law, B.

He wrote:

We admittedly love beets, which not all people can say about themselves.

The lowly beet is gaining some respect lately as health consciousness rises
across the population. One point that caught our attention is it’s roll in
the secondary breakdown of nutrients in our liver. That aside, put some
colour in your life! Live it up!

There are as many borscht recipes as their are cooks. The key IMO is to get
it into those stomachs around us. My own family tradition would likely have
been related to my swede/Irish mother from my Georgian/Ukrainian father’s
childhood recollection. In turn our recipe is my own version of that
concoction. I will spare you the minute details and just say that we use
mega dill and beets, all the other usual suspects, and as can be seen from
the pic, chard or beet tops. Another key memory for me is the finish with a
tablespoon of butter and the same of vinegar.

 
 


B sent me a picture of his borscht and sadly I couldn’t copy and paste it here….but the picture above, gets your saliva juices going hey?….his picture had chunky beets in his soup…oh happy LIVER.

Thanks B. for sharing your thoughts on the lowly Beet and I hope it inspires my homesteading friends to plant a good portion of this unremarkable vegetable in their garden next spring. (don’t forget you can eat the tops too and they keep really well throughout the winter, making them excellent in your sustainable root cellar/garage/basement.

Now onto my Thanksgiving line up of new dishes, oh my, if you love vegetables like I do, hold onto your seats. Next year we may even say goodbye to Mr. Turkey, who sadly was only a side player this year. Don’t get me started on our movement towards being vegetarians. It’s a process.

Okay, here were the new dishes, drum roll please….ta, ta, ta, ta, ta,

Green and Yellow Beans with /Wild Mushooms
Candied Yams with Apples
Brussel Sprouts and Pancetta and Rosemary
Roasted Garlic Squash and Crispy Sage Brown Butter (yum)

My sister also brought homemade roasted carrots with maple syrup…(she must have just picked them as they were amazing!)

For my Canadian friends, making these dishes for Thanksgiving 2014 is too late, but maybe you can incorporate them into your December holiday dinner menu. For my American blog readers however there is still time. Source out your supplies and start planning a really special Thanksgiving feast. The nice thing about Canadian thanksgiving in mid October, is that a lot of the herbs etc are still growing in the garden. Also, my butternut squash supply is still intact. (Thanks J for the big one)

Also, I have to give total credit to the web site,”Delish.com.” As the name implies, these dishes are/were, they went fast, delicious. If you are looking to spice up your holiday table, I hope you try them out and add lots more vegetables to your meals. Any day can have a special vegetable dish…if we truly love ourselves…and want to support our liver etc.

Here is vegetable dish #1

Green and Yellow Beans with Wild Mushrooms

Serves 10
Total time 35 min
Prep time 20 min
Cook time 15 min

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 1 pound(s) green beans, trimmed
  • 1 pound(s) yellow wax beans, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 clove(s) garlic, minced
  • 8 ounce(s) wild mushrooms, such as chanterelle, oyster or porcini, trimmed and sliced (see Substitution Note)
  • 1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt, divided
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and wax beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. (Cook for another minute or two if you like your green beans more tender.) Drain well.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their juices and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
  3. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mushrooms for garnish. Add the cooked beans to the mushrooms in the pan and cook, stirring to combine, until heated through, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve topped with the reserved mushrooms.
  4. Substitution note: If you cant find wild mushrooms, use button or cremini mushrooms.


Vegetable dish #2

Candied Yams with Apples

Serves 8
Total time 1 hour/30 min
Prep time 15 min
Cook time 1 hr 15 min
Oven temp 350 degrees

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 3 pound(s) yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound(s) Granny Smith apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch wedges
  • 4 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup(s) honey
  • 1 teaspoon(s) salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Roast the yams: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl to combine. Transfer to a baking dish and bake, stirring occasionally, until yams are tender, about 1 hour. Increase oven to 500 degrees F and bake until liquid evaporates and yams are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Vegetable dish #3

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Rosemary

Serves 8
Total time 26 minutes

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • Salt and pepper
  • 3 container(s) (10 ounces each) Brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon(s) olive oil
  • 2 ounce(s) pancetta, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon(s) chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/4 cup(s) pine nuts (pignoli), toasted (I used almonds)

 

 

Directions

 

  1. In covered 5- to 6-quart saucepot, heat 3 quarts water and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling on high. Meanwhile, pull off any yellow or wilted leaves from Brussels sprouts; trim stem ends. Cut each sprout in half.
  2. Add Brussels sprouts to boiling water and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes. Drain. Plunge Brussels sprouts into large bowl filled with ice water to chill quickly. Drain well. If not continuing with recipe right away, place sprouts in plastic storage bags and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil on medium until hot. Add pancetta and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until beginning to brown. Stir in rosemary and cook 1 minute.
  4. To mixture in skillet, add Brussels sprouts and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook on medium-high 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently. Add pine nuts; toss to combine


 Vegetable dish #4….my personal favourite as it was so easy and I love garlic and sage

Roasted Garlic Squash with Crispy Sage Brown Butter

Serves 8
Total time 1 hr 30 min
Prep 15 min
Cook Time 1 hr 15 min
Oven 350 degrees

Ingredients

U.S. Metric Conversion chart

 

  • 1/2 cup(s) peeled garlic cloves
  • 4 teaspoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 (3-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3×1-inch chunks
  • 1 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
  • 5 tablespoon(s) unsalted butter
  • 24 fresh sage leaves

 

 

Directions

 

  1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss garlic with 1 teaspoon of the oil; wrap in a foil packet. Put squash on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with remaining oil, salt, and pepper. Place squash and garlic packet in oven; roast squash 1 hour, turning pieces several times, or until browned and tender. Roast garlic packet 45 minutes or until cloves are tender and soft. 
  2. Five minutes before the squash is done, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sage leaves and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until butter is lightly browned and smells nutty and sage leaves start to crisp. Remove the skillet from heat; transfer sage leaves with a slotted spoon to a paper towel; reserve the brown butter.
  3. Transfer roasted squash and garlic cloves to a large serving bowl. Drizzle with browned butter. Top with crispy sage leaves.

.And voila……

I dished up and then realized something was missing…I added some gravy, cranberry sauce and a dill from my stash…oh and one of my homemade dinner buns too…see my dinner bun recipe.

 

Sorry this was blurry…everyone was waiting for me to join them in the dining room…”are you taking pics for your blog again mom!”

Okay, I know this doesn’t look very pretty, but we did our dinner buffet style around the kitchen island and well, the cook (me) was the last one to dish up. Everyone was patiently waiting for me to join them in the dining room, I thought I had better just pile it on and dash. Do you skip lunch on Thanksgiving too? It all looked so good and was delish.

My personal favourite were the beans and the butternut squash ,but even the potatoes were whipped beautifully (thanks B) and the gravy was the BEST I have ever had at my house and that credit goes to my sister J who made it and gave me some tips for next time. (thank you…no lumpy gravy in the future) We were all helping out, while D carved the turkey. We pulled off another Thanksgiving dinner! Thanks to all who attended. It was a special memory for the little ones.

Will, Victoria and Kate (close up) enjoying their meal at the little table…does everyone do a little table?

The kids dashed off to watch Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving video, while we enjoyed our pie in relative peace and quiet…..but isn’t all that little people noise just the BEST! They were so excited and helped me to remember, we are always creating memories but the present moment is IT!

 

I made the pies. An apple and a pumpkin, the night before Thanksgiving, along with my ambrosia salad....Although they aren’t the most beautiful pies, they were made from scratch, Tenderlake lard, flour, salt and water, really easy but the trick is in the rolling. I will have to blog about pie making…a lost art in my opinion. I had an Auntie Geordie who was a master pie maker. I wish I had studied with her before she passed away. With it being so easy to buy pumpkin and apple pies at Costco for low cost, I think we are loosing the fine art of pie making but don’t you just love PIE?

As I leave you, I thought I would suggest a great Thanksgiving movie to watch with your family. Also, something for the little kids.

Check out the movie called, “The Old Fashion Thanksgiving” based on a short story by Louise May Alcott (she wrote Little Women) and of course the classic of all time, “Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving.” (if you can’t see the clips below, click on the highlighted video titles above for a connection link.

 

Well that’s Thanksgiving until next year.

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

Blessings from Hope

Energy of Attraction Meditation Challenge

/ Lee Reynolds

Is this a road you would like to walk?

Call it synchronicity or what but have I been talking about the law of attraction lately on my blog? Well guess what? My favourite teachers, Dr. Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey, are running a FREE “Energy of Attraction” meditation challenge that begins on November 3, 2014.

I just registered and wanted to share this link with you too. It may JUST be the path you have been seeking lately. If you are interested in attracting a big WISH into your life and getting into the gap, check out this group meditation program. See the highlighted link (Energy of Attraction) above.

I hope to be omming with you soon.

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

Blessings from Hope

Ambrosia Salad~Grateful Hearts

/ Lee Reynolds

Warm sunshine, blue skies and the scent of apples fills the air as we get ready to celebrate Canada’s Thanksgiving weekend. It’s been a busy week but truly glorious. Last Saturday, was the twin’s bike a thon fundraiser for their preschool. I was at a loss how to decorate their bike, yes, singular, since our other tricycle fell apart literally a few weeks before the big event and was unrepairable. We tried to find another bike for them second hand but was unable to find anything that fit or was in decent shape so they shared our old radio flyer. Hey it worked great and reinforced our family’s mission statement, to use what we have and not buy more stuff. And was good advertisement for my blog.

Victoria was a shining example of green power at it’s best

On Tuesday, Will’s  kindergarten class had a field trip to the fire station near his school. That night, David purposely burnt toast so our smoke alarm would go off, while I read the little ones stories. As we escorted our excited bare footed children, wearing nothing but their jammies, out into the clear, cold night,  I was hoping our neighbours weren’t calling 911, as the sound of the shrill alarm rang through our cul-de-sac. Then if they heard shrieks they may REALLY think there was an emergency, well, maybe not, since that is a common sound coming from our home. It was lovely being out in the evening though as we marvelled at the full harvest moon.

Then on Wednesday, I accompanied the little girls and their preschool friends to the Pumpkin patch. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken THAT tour (with each of our older children, often twice, once in preschool and then in kindergarten) but it was really fun to see it through their eyes. As I bought a large box of apples and a big bag of pears after our morning at the farm, I was thinking how thankful I was to be able to experience this once again.

The tractor ride trip to the patch was a highlight, bumpy bump, giggle, giggle.
While very commercial, I am thankful for farmers who have a vision to create a place for children to see pumpkins growing, some were still attached to their vines and some were still flowering.
Victoria sits on her pumpkin, I was thankful for the big bag I brought
Kate and her new pumpkin “pie”friend

Of course, Harrison and Grace also kept us busy driving them to their jazz band, drum, piano and voice lessons, the later two being for Grace. And the week was also speckled with volleyball practices and games which thrills me to no end, since I played volleyball as a teen and so far none of the older children have taken to the game despite me purchasing a really expensive volleyball and net several years ago. The boys ended up using the end poles for weapons of battle and the ball is probably under one of our huge cedar hedges as we speak.

Thursday, Oct 9th, was D’s birthday so it was a quick dinner of fish and chips, coleslaw and cheesecake from Costco’s, which was delicious by the way. Have I mentioned I LOVE Costco? After dinner, cake and gifts, we went to watch another volleyball game. It wasn’t a total failure. Thankfully, our school team won ONE of the games. They are a school known for their honour and academic excellence, but not their athleticism, we are lucky to be mid way in the pack after a season. I love sports as it teaches us how to play in life and hopefully, with a detachment of the outcome. Still, you can hear me cheering with the best of them. I inherited that from my Dad, M, who was a brilliant hockey coach, assistance soccer coach and loved to cheer encouragement at my older sister’s basketball games.

Did I mention we also had a guest on Thursday? Will was so excited to introduce Fluffy, the bear, to me when he arrived home from school. Fluffy is the kindergarten mascot and each evening he is sent home with a lucky child to have a sleepover. The child is to draw a picture of what they do with Fluffy and perhaps write some words if they are able. After school we took Fluffy to the library and of course he was a birthday guest and then came to the volleyball game as well.  As Will clung to him at bedtime, I let go of the idea that Fluffy could also see the inside of my washing machine while he visited us.

Will, thankful for having his time with Fluffy at the library where we picked a book called, “Bears Day Out.”

After such a busy week, while the girls were at preschool on Friday morning, I picked up the Thanksgiving weekend groceries and then came home to throw a load into the washing machine and make beds. The day seemed to fly by though but was highlighted with a visit from my sister J and brother in law, B. They are doing some major projects around their homestead and it’s always exciting to hear about the latest. Building a pizza oven with their kids was a big addition and hopefully soon it will be cured enough to start baking some pizza and enough bread to feed their rural neighbours.

So here it is, Saturday morning. We took the turkey out of the freezer first thing, D made pancakes shaped, he said, like GHOSTS, and while I write now, he is getting our swimming hole winterized. We haven’t had any frost here yet but it’s around the corner. This morning we woke up to see leaves scattered everywhere as the fall winds blew overnight. I have to get out and cut the rest of my herbs and bring in the last of the tomatoes. YES, they are still growing but changing colour very slowly now as the hot days of summer are far behind us.I also want to cut a few stalks of corn to decorate our front entrance for Halloween.

Before the weekend grabs a hold of me and takes me on a whirlwind of gardening, cleaning, and cooking, I thought I would pause to wish all my Canadian blog viewer’s a very Happy Thanksgiving weekend. For those of you, (waving to my daughter in the U.K.) and to my other readers around the world, (Waving Hi to those in France and Trinidad…wow) each day is perfect for giving thanks. Greet the morning as you rise with, “thank you.” As challenging, stressful and full of suffering life is at times, knowing our heart still beats, we have another moment to make a difference and time to enjoy the abundance here for each of us, well that is something to embrace in our grateful hearts.

Something my mom, E was always thankful for was having a LARGE helping of Ambrosia salad at Thanksgiving, so I thought I would share the recipe with you in case you haven’t been initiated into this tradition. It’s a favourite for young and old and is extremely easy to make. I like how it lightens the palate and brightens the Thanksgiving plate too. So without much ado, here’s my family’s Ambrosia recipe. Dedicated to my mom E, my daughter Alyssa and my son Mitchell (in the U.K. and at University in Victoria). You are all in my heart and I’m thankful for the many Thanksgiving weekends we had together.

Hope’s Ambrosia Recipe

Ingredients

1- large bag of coloured mini marshmallow
1- 500 ml tub of sour cream
1- can (14 oz) of pineapple tidbits (drained…save the liquid and make a smoothie)
1- can (14 oz) of fruit cocktail (drained)
1/2 cup of coconut flakes, walnuts, dried cherries….whatever you have in your pantry

(optional)…you can always use a can of mandarin orange slices instead of the pineapple)

 

 Instructions 

Mix all ingredients together really well in a large bowl. Pour them into a casserole dish (with a lid) and top with the nuts, coconut and cherries. Put the lid on and place in fridge overnight. 

That’s it! Easy peasy…and if you are a family with little children and going to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving….perhaps this can be your contribution. It’s easy, it’s something your kids will surely eat AND I’m sure your host(ess) will appreciate it as well.

“Many will be the blessings and short will be the time, so let’s rejoice, let’s be thankful, for the abundance in our lives. ” 

                                                                         ~Lee Reynolds~

Before I leave you, if you have the time, check out this You Tube video clip on being thankful.
(If you have problems connecting with the video, see the highlighted words above..on being thankful)

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

Blessings from Hope

P.S. I’m thankful for my readers….we hit over 3000 views a few days ago….WOW for being up and blogging such a short time I just want to say, “thanks for sharing your life with me. ”

 

Crazy Bread~Law of Attraction

/ Lee Reynolds

L

Last Friday, I experienced another law of attraction experience. The day started much as it always does with a hurried scramble to deliver all the children to their various school settings. While the twins were at preschool, I spent the morning doing some birthday shopping for D, whose birthday is on October 9th. I went from place to place looking for just the right gift. He is difficult to shop for since everything he would REALLY want is expensive but there is always his favourite things; Starbucks coffee, a good book and socks. Everywhere I went though I saw things I would LOVE if it were my birthday, but it wouldn’t be my birthday for another month.

I collected the little girls who were all excited about their upcoming Pumpkin Patch tour and as we drove home they asked me what they would do at Davison Orchards. (the farm we would visit the following week) I told them that Mr. Davison would take them on a wagon ride up into his pumpkin patch where they could select their own pumpkin. They were thrilled. “REALLY mommy?” they asked. “Really,” I said. Their eyes were shining as they said, “Wow!”

Our pumpkin harvest from our little ‘ole pumpkin patch

I guess they would much prefer to travel across town, pay $7.00 each to have a tractor ride up to a field and choose a small pumpkin of their own, than head into our backyard homestead and choose one of our many pumpkins for their very own. We have been abundantly blessed with pumpkins this fall, even though I only planted one pumpkin plant. Regardless, I was pondering how excited little children get over the smallest things and how the smallest things makes them so joy filled. Hmmmm.

While the little girls ate their lunch and chatted about the things twins talk about (still often their own language in many ways) I flipped through our Friday edition of our Morning Star. (our local paper) There wasn’t really anything interesting in the paper but when I went to pick up the pile of flyers I had set aside before reading the paper, one flyer caught my eye. On the front of the flyer was a picture of the food processor of my dreams. I know, I know, REALLY, a food processor. Yes. That is one of the things that I dream about.

When I made my energy bars awhile ago, I wished I had a better food processor as the kids were complaining that the dates weren’t cut up fine enough, although I liked the chunky texture, but I knew even my hummus would turn out better with a higher quality food processor. I couldn’t even imagine how delightful my coleslaw would be with a new food processor. I try to live in a place of gratitude. However, there are days when I’m presented with something I REALLY want and when that occurs, I say, “yes THAT is what I want. I put it out into the Universe and let it go. Then I return to being happy in the moment TRUSTING it’s on it’s way to me.

Last Friday, was no different. I looked at the food processor in the flyer, which was on sale, 50% off it’s regular price, AND if you spent over a certain amount the store would give you a $20.00 gift card on top of that. This was a great deal. I went through how I could manifest this food processor NOW, but then remembered that D’s birthday was the following week and I still wanted to pick up a really nice gift for him. Something more than coffee, a book and socks. The food processor would have to wait. I looked at the flyer longingly one more time and put it on my desk.

As the afternoon wore on, I got busy making a homemade pasta sauce. The kids came home from school and I started to make my crazy bread recipe when the doorbell rang. As one of the kids opened the door, I heard familiar voices. My sister J and my brother-in-law, B, in for a visit. Oh yes! I brought them into the kitchen so we could visit, as I continued to work on my crazy bread. We caught up on the latest in each other’s lives and they mentioned  they were really stopping by to give me the last of our mom’s legacy.

My mom, E, died in February 2012 from a stroke. Although her death was sudden, we knew she was failing fast from dementia and her quality of life was quickly changing. She was becoming more fragile each day and it was really a blessing that she left the earth so quickly and with my sister J beside her as she took her last breath. Mom had been frugal most of her life but was generous to her family while she was alive and beyond. I wasn’t expecting anything in the way of monetary funds after all it was 2014 and all the earthly proceeds had been processed shortly after she had passed, but here J and B were with a final gift from mom. They left the bills sitting above my desk in the kitchen, J, telling me not to forget about the money.

My Mom, E, who taught me early on to count my blessings. She lived in a state of gratitude and grace.

After they left, I finished my crazy bread  and then took the folded bills and sat in my mom’s old wing chair in my family room. Gratefully I said, “oh mom, you continue to give.” As I unrolled the money and counted, I heard the words, “now you can buy the food processor!!!” Those words seemed to come from the chair itself and were spoken with as much excitement and joy as when our little girls talked about their upcoming pumpkin patch tour.

How fast does the Law of Attraction happen” F A S T!!! Well, in this case it was really fast. I have had other experiences that took what felt like a lifetime. I have learned that there is a process that needs to be followed. Mostly, it has to do with wishing, believing, trusting,and letting go. And then feeling the joy of knowing it’s on the way. Anticipating whatever you dream about is almost as much fun as having it in your arms. Whether we are aware of it or not, we are using the law of attraction all the time. Each moment of every day we are presented with choices, do you want this, or that?

I started studying it when I was trying to conceive our last few children and I’m a strong believer, especially when you can manifest something NOT of this earth and then it comes into your arms. If that can occur, then we are limitless and can achieve anything we want,

 

It’s lovely to dream but even better when it comes true. Thanks Mom!

And look what is sitting on my kitchen counter today? And the cool thing is along with the food processor, I also received a $20.00 gift card that enabled me to buy a little something more for my husband’s birthday. Bonus. The Universe always gives us even more than we can EVER dream!

So what do YOU want? Close your eyes and make your wish. Blow your dream out into the Universe knowing it is already on it’s way to you. Rejoice. When it comes to you, whisper, “Thank you.”

Now to bring you a piece of my Friday manifestation here is my Crazy bread recipe…perfect for any pasta dish.

My kids love this stuff! It has looked prettier but when J and B were here I forgot to cut it before I baked it so it was not in nice rectangles as usual….oh but I would MUCH rather have visits  than perfect food…next time J and B…you have to stay for dinner!

Hope’s Crazy Bread recipe

I make a large batch because it goes fast..and my kids like to snack on it the next day…but you can half the ingredients if you have a smaller family.

Ingredients

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

Topping;

125 ml (1/2 cup) melted butter
2 tsp garlic powder

 

30 ml Parmesan
sprinkle basil and oregano

Preheat oven to 425 F.

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and yeast.
2. Add hot water to make soft dough.
3. Turn 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. Cut into shapes.
7. Using a pastry brush, brush on half of the melted butter and shake on the basil and oregano
8. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
9. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Watch closely.
10. Remove from the oven.
11. Brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. 

 

Our Friday fun dinner, pasta, salad, crazy bread…and for D and I, a nice glass of red wine. Salute!

Another manifestation for me is this blog….I dreamed about it and every time I finish a post, I have to pinch myself, it’s really real. I hope some of the stuff I ramble on about touches your life and you remember to let go and let God. Enjoy your life.

(Noe, if you are having problems connecting with the YouTube videos below, check on the highlighted links below)

If you want to learn more about the Law of Attraction check out this YouTube video. It’s a story Oprah tells about a strong woman not giving up on her dream.

And if that story isn’t inspirational enough, check out Oprah’s story on the art of allowing, the key is in surrendering.

 

Absolutely amazing hey! Allow Miracles to happen.

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

Blessings from Hope

Saving Seeds for Tomorrow

/ Lee Reynolds

Lately, most of my blog posts have been about things that inspire me and I could write from this place forever, BUT I don’t want to give you the wrong impression about my homestead. Behind every inspiring moment there is a ton of work going on. I don’t know about you but I’m a list maker. I make lists every morning of the things I want to accomplish inside the house, with our children, out in the community and  in our garden. Each night, I fall into bed exhausted after a day of trying to finish everything.

As a gardener, nature shows us how to live our life. After the fertile seasons of Spring and Summer, thankfully Fall comes as our season to reap our harvest. A season to be grateful. Then Winter arrives blanketing us with time to rest and reflect.

When I planted our garden last May, I did so half-heartedly (is that a word?) It describes a person who doesn’t put 100% of their effort into a project and that was certainly me last spring. I wanted to grow food, flowers, and herbs, but my heart was out in the country. Out at the Christmas tree farm I wanted to buy.

Last May, D and I were working like crazy people trying to get our house de-cluttered, repairs performed, and the everything cleaned really well so we could list the house. When it came to the garden, I took one weekend, cleaned up the beds, amended the soil and planted my seeds and plants. I didn’t put everything I wanted in, nor did I take the time to space things properly. Case in point, I planted the corn far too close and never got back to thinning it so I basically had nothing of any consequence to harvest. (Big disappointment for my daughter Alyssa who could eat corn every day)

Despite my lack of planning, most of our garden flourished. As you know from one of my blog posts, I even had unexpected cantaloupe growing, though I hadn’t knowingly planted any seeds. Surprises from the garden are lovely.

Another distraction from my garden was my focus on our oldest daughter, Alyssa, who graduated from University last Spring and then was consumed with upcoming plans to go overseas to begin her teaching career in the U.K. As if that weren’t enough, our third oldest child, Mitchell, graduated from high school and we were caught up in all that event entails. Oh, and I almost forgot, I was extremely fortunate to have an 8 week full time job at a local garden centre. I LOVED it but my own garden suffered.

During last Spring and Summer, I may not have consciously realized it at the time but I was preparing the ground and planting the seeds so our older children could take off and bloom. As fall arrives, I’m happy to see some of that harvest as well, since they  have been sharing stories of  their respective adventures, experiences and inevitable growth.
 Seeds are magical.                   

This last week, I have been busy harvesting the last of our vegetables, clipping and hanging my herbs to dry, and saving all sorts of seeds. Since this is a crucial job in becoming sustainable, I thought I would share a few tips on how to save tomato seeds which is a bit messy but very rewarding. It always amazes me that from one plant we can obtain ALL the seeds we need to grow enough plants to feed our family next year.

With frost on our doorstep, this is probably the last of my tomato harvest

Saving tomato seeds is a snap. Choose the tomatoes that you think are the nicest specimens.

Find jars and label them with the tomato seed variety you plan to put inside. Today, I chose my larger tomatoes, my Romas, perfect for sauces and my cherry tomatoes, which the little girls like to pop into their mouths. I have also saved seeds from my Ox Heart and Mortgage Lifters (heritage) from another harvest. This is an on going process as I pick our produce and stay on top of plants going to seed.

Next, cut the tomato or if it’s really ripe, you can squeeze it and let all the seeds drip into your jar.

 

Once you have the seeds inside the jar, add a 1/2- 1 cup of water to the contents and put a lid on the jar, or a piece of wax paper  or cotton with an elastic band around the rim. Note, as the tomato seeds ferment, it will really smell.
Then let it sit for a few days until you see some moldy residue forming on the top. You can usually tell from the smell when it’s time to remove the seeds. It will be really smelly.
 
Fill the jar with clean water and let all the moldy residue etc run off. The fertile seeds will drift down to the bottom of the jar. When you have removed the debris, grab a strainer and collect the seeds that moved to the bottom of the jar.
 
 Then tap all the seeds onto a plate. (I use paper plates…see above)
     or you can use a coffee filter.
Set the paper plate/coffee filter in a place that can sit undisturbed until the seeds are totally dry. Once dry, put the seeds into little envelopes with the tomato variety written on the outside.
Some people put the seeds in the freezer but I find keeping the seeds in a cool, dark place works great. I put them in a box and keep them in my laundry room.

I was reading an article in our paper today where our local library is starting a seed lending library. It’s very simple, you check out seeds, record what you have taken and then replace the seeds after harvest the following year. I LOVED that idea and will be checking out the seed lending library to find some more heritage varieties to grow and share what I have collected. Our library also has some great books, (see below)

on learning how to save seeds. This is a wonderful way to become more sustainable and I find it interesting and fun as well. When I’m out in the garden, I always feel like I’m in the midst of a  science experiment. From a social aspect, I feel like I’m contributing in some small way to feeding the world.

Well that’s it blogger friends. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a season of dreaming, a season of rest. Before I know it, I will be planting seeds for our next year’s crop.

But not quite yet.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Chocolate Quinoa Cake AND Symptoms of Inner Peace

/ Lee Reynolds

My 5 year old son, Will woke up early this morning. TOO early. “Time to get up Mommy,” he sang out to me as he bounced around my bed. I cracked an eye open to peak at the clock beside my bed and groaned, “Will, it’s too early to get up.” With that he crawled into my bed and curled up next to me, wrapping his chilly bare feet around my legs. Oh to only have another 15 minutes of deep sleep would have been heaven, I thought.

As if he had read my thoughts, he promptly kissed me on my forehead, which is our sacred place for kissing one another. He has tried a number of times to kiss me on my lips but I always tell him that is where Daddy kisses me and I want my children to have their own special place to physically show love. We have chosen the third eye area which seems so appropriate since he is so much “in” soul.

That kiss, warmed my grumpy spirit and I started to think about the upcoming day. My monkey brain turning already. As soon as I wake up and am somewhat conscious, it likes to take over and run my life. It was going to be a busy morning getting Will and Grace ready for school and on the 8 am bus and then  since the high school bus no longer picks up in our area, (don’t get me started) I would have to drive Harrison to school. Then return home quickly, get the little girls ready, drive our oldest son to the University bus stop and then the twins to preschool. So much rushing in such a short amount of time.

Will interrupts my running silent dialogue and asks, “can I start the bath mom?” I look at the clock again and see now it is time to get up so reluctantly I say, “oh all right.” He pops out of our warm cocoon and a moment later, I can hear water running in the bath.

We have a morning ritual before the little girls wake up. Will and I like to have a bath together. We have been doing this since he was around a year old and sadly I can see the end coming since he is now in school and getting too old to bath with his mom. (Usually around kindergarten time, at least in our house, that is usually the signal for more modesty) But for the present time, he is still my bath mate.

One good thing we did when we built our house was install a really big, deep tub in our master bathroom and it has been delightful bathing with our  little ones over the years. I’m a bath person. I could spend hours in there and in the old days, before children, I used to read whole novels in one sitting, (or rather bathing) replacing the hot water every hour or so. I hardly think about those days now for having a sweet little boy to bath with and chat the morning away is so much nicer in my opinion.

Here is a glimpse into our master bath…you can get a tiny sense of the tub etc that I could while away my days…or chat with my little people while they are enjoying a ritual bath.

When I think the bath must be full enough I get up and see Will in his birthday suit and poised on the edge of the tub. He is deep in thought and looking out of our large bathroom window. It looks straight down the lake which is below our house. My husband always says, how many houses do you know where you can sit on the throne and look down a lake? Did I mention the back of our house is private too? So this is where I find Will this morning. I ask him, ‘what’s up Bud?” and he turns to me with a glowing smile and says with tons of enthusiasm, “Isn’t nature BEAUTIFUL Mommy?”

This is the view of the lake from our lower deck..outside the back of the house…it’s not exactly the view out of the bathroom window…which is even better…but gives you an idea.

I walked over to the edge of our tub to look down the lake. We have lived above the lake for over 20 years and although this was one of the main reasons we built our house here, I often take it for granted. It’s only when we have people at our front door and their mouth is gaping open as they look through our house, out to this panoramic view of the lake, that I stop to appreciate the view. But this morning I stopped to see it anew. White mist is lingering over the glistening grey/blue water and the sky is starting to glow lighter and brighter as the promise of another lovely fall day begins..

I looked down at my son’s blonde curls and was in awe at his coming. His BEING. At his ability to always bring me right back to the moment appreciating beauty of the here and now. This awareness reminded me of the 12 Symptoms of Inner Peace I used to recite regularly to ensure I was in that state. I haven’t looked at those signs in years because I am often reminded daily, through my children’s eyes, how spectacular earth is and how blessed I am to be alive.

In case you don’t have a daily reminder, check out the 12 Symptoms of Inner Peace. How many can you count occurring in your life lately?

SYMPTOMS OF INNER PEACE

 

by  Saskia Davis

 

 

 

Be on the lookout for symptoms of inner peace. The hearts of a great many already have been exposed;  and it is possible that people, everywhere,  could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what, up to now,  has been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

 

        

 

         Signs & Symptoms of Inner Peace

 

A tendency to think and act  spontaneously rather than on fears based on past experiences

 

 

 

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

 

 

 

A loss of interest in judging other people

 

 

 

A loss of interest in judging self

 

 

 

A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of   others

 

 

 

A loss of interest in conflict

 

 

 

A loss of  ability to worry

 

                                                         

 

Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation

 

 

 

Contented feelings of connectedness

 

with others  & nature

 

 

 

Frequent attacks of smiling 

 

 

 

An increasing tendency to let things

 

happen rather  than  make them happen

 

 

 

An increased susceptibility to love extended  by others  and  the uncontrollable urge to  extend it

 

 

 

WARNING

 

If you  have  some or all of the above symptoms, be advised that your condition of inner peace may be too far advanced to be curable. If you are exposed to anyone exhibiting any of  these symptoms, remain exposed only at your own risk.     © 1984
     
                                                       
Isn’t that GREAT?
And if you would like to add to your Inner Peace quotient, check out my recipe for Chocolate Quinoa Cake.
You won’t be able to contain your smile once you taste a bite of this moist, decadent cake.
This recipe was given to me by my soul sisters, Yania. She made it for one of our Sacred Book club meetings. She is one of the most conscious consumer of healthy food products I know, other than my oldest daughter Alyssa.  This is now a regular favourite in our house. I hope you like it too.
Yania’s Chocolate Quinoa Cake
You will need the following ingredients:
The only other thing you need, not shown is sugar and salt
 Ingredients:
 
2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
11/3 cups water to cook quinoa
1/3 cup milk (any milk will do but we use almond milk)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup butter melted and cooled (you could also use coconut oil which would give it a nice taste)

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 white or cane sugar (this was originally 11/2 cups but was cut in half and is still great)
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Bring Quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Keep moist. Turn off head and cool a bit.

Bring quinoa and water to boil, put lid on and then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes



Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease two 8 inch round or square cake pans. Line with parchment paper.

Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in a mixer/blender or food processor. Add 2 cups of cooked quinoa and butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Adding the cooked quinoa to the milk, eggs and vanilla



Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the wet ingredients and mix really well. 

Mixing the sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda together



Divide batter between pans and bake on centre oven rack for  40 minutes. The key is to not over bake. Our oven, like Yania’s whipped this cake up in less time than that…30 minutes for us until the toothpick came out clean. 

I just sprayed my pans with a cooking spray but next time I’m going to put down parchment paper



Let sit for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn cakes onto a rack to cool completely. I put our cakes into the freezer for a bit because I wanted to ice them quickly and serve the cake after dinner. It was great because it was easier to frost.

I put jam between the layers and frosted it with a traditional chocolate icing, topping it with dried cherries and a few almonds. The next time I make this, I’m going to make the cake with coconut oil and also make the chocolate icing with coconut oil as well…did I mention I love coconut. But let your taste buds be your guide. My husband would also like me to make a chocolate mocha icing another time as he loves coffee and then I would put a few chocolate coffee beans on top as a garnish.

I added little pieces of dark chocolate to the icing for a little extra something…topped the cake with dried cherries and almonds


This cake is so moist and wonderful. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

And when you eat it, think of a blonde little boy who loves life and who lives in a state of Inner Peace…he inspires me daily.

It’s all good!

 

And serving up my little man first who reminds me that chocolate cake adds to our Inner Peace

 

What a nice way to end a wonderful day!

I hope you try this healthy and yummy chocolate quinoa cake….and while you are eating your piece, enjoy a song that Will and I like to sing before bed….”I see skies of blue, clouds of white, the bright blessed day and the dark sacred night….la, la,la, la…la”.

(If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view the following but hopefully this link will bring you to the YouTube video, Louis Armstrong’s song, “It’s a Wonderful World.”

It’s a WONDERFUL world!

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

Blessings from Hope

 
 

What Can I Give?

/ Lee Reynolds

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”~Mother Teresa~

If we REALLY believe we are ALL connected on this earth and ripples of kindness can touch the WHOLE world, then what is stopping us from giving even a little each day.

The other day when I was at our Super Store shopping, ALL by myself, a very rare occasion since Will was enjoying his first full day of kindergarten and the little girls were at preschool, I had an opportunity to help another person.

Our grocery store offers a weekly free product if you buy over a certain amount of groceries. This was not a big shop week for me but in front of me was a man about my age with a little toddler in his cart and a TON of groceries. I knew from experience that he was going to be WAY over the minimum amount for his free item but I didn’t see the said item at the end of the conveyor belt.

The cashiers are told NOT to offer the free item unless the customer requests it, which kind of irks me, so when the cashier told him the total amount and the man was about to pay for his groceries, I piped up, “what’s the free item this week if you spend over $250.00 dollars? The man looked at me and then the cashier, who looked sheepish and said, “oh, it’s the FINISH dish washing detergent,” but you have to have the item so I can run the code through.

The man shifted, looked at his toddler in the cart and I jumped in saying, “I’ll go get it for you while you load your cart.” I flew off in a flash, forgetting  since the twins were born that occasionally when I run, I sometimes have bladder issues. Thank heavens though, this time there was no unfortunate incidence…maybe doing a good deed helps the bladder. Anyway, I got back in no time and gave the product to the cashier who thanked me actually really nicely. The man thanked me NOT once but several times and I told him that, “hey, I’m a mom and you can’t just leave your little one in the cart to run and get the free item.”

As he was paying for his groceries and continuing to load his cart, he opened right up to me telling me he had just come home after being up north working for two weeks and they had nothing in the house. He said they probably could use the dish washing detergent and he hadn’t even checked when he left the house. He further told me that he had 5 children and the little guy in the cart, his youngest, was stuck to him at the hip since he had arrived home. I had made a friend. It made me feel really great.

And that wasn’t all, the older couple behind me were beaming at me when I returned with the item and the older man leaned in to me as I was paying for my groceries and said, “that was really nice of you.”

NOW, I’m not trying to blow my own horn or anything but this incident just demonstrates how something so simple, as helping another person out really is, plus, I benefited, as I got a bit more exercise than I had planned. It was a WIN/WIN. We are all busy and get involved with our own dramas but if we can just take a moment to look into the next person’s eyes and realize they are US. If we can offer them something to make their day easier, even if it’s a smile or a compliment, (like the one the older gentleman gave ME) well don’t you think at the end of the day the WHOLE WORLD would run smoother.

JUST THINK ABOUT IT!

And check out this video if you want to be inspired further. (If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view this YouTube video below, and if so, you can click on this link to see this inspiring message.)

Let’s send a ripple of small things with great love into the world.

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

Blessings from Hope

Caesar Salad and Living Fully

/ Lee Reynolds

What does a Caesar salad and living fully, have in common? Very little, unless you look at it from my perspective. A few events and experiences in the last week have inspired this blog post and finally this morning everything is formulating clearly in my mind.

If you aren’t interested in the connection, then scroll down to find my easy and delicious Caesar salad recipe. If you have a cup of tea nearby AND the time to immerse yourself in one of my novellas, then I invite you to read on.

Our oldest son “Clark,” which interestingly enough is old English and means scholar, likes to watch our National news whenever he emerges from his room. We usually only see Clark at meal time and on the rare occasion he wishes to be with his family, which is usually only at mealtime. Now, I don’t want to give you the idea that Clark is anti social or anti- family. Far from it. After all he chose to stay home and attend our local University, even though he had been accepted at an excellent University a distance from our home.

Clark brought home dry ice from his day at the science centre

He can be quite an extrovert. He can talk to anyone about anything, anytime of the day.  For only being 21 he is quite accomplished, having achieved his second Dan black belt in Tae Kwon Do, became an accredited lifeguard, as well as excelling in playing violin and sax in our local youth symphony and jazz band. When he isn’t studying Science at University, you can find him in our local gym lifting weights, creating music and playing games with friends or working at the Science Centre. He is known as the Science guy in the birthday party set, as he can make a mean cup of flubber and give you a wild ride on the gyro chair. When he does come home, he is pleasant, regales us with a few interesting tidbits from his day and then he heads to his room to recharge. I also think he squeezes out his sponge, so when he re-emerges he is capable of absorbing more knowledge.

When he does make that entrance, it usually coincides with opening the fridge and turning on the T.V. to our news station. I suppose this is one of his many sources for knowledge but personally, I find the news too disturbing. Terrorism, countries fighting and killing their neighbours, and even our  own federal government politicians squabbling like little children. It all seems to unnerve me and put a damper on my daily enthusiasm.

Clark appears to be unmoved by the events transpiring all over the world. He is able to watch with detachment but with interest as he forms his own ideas about the world he lives in and perhaps too, how he would like to help it evolve. His is the next generation to create change and if Clark is any indicator of how they will manage, it will certainly be with conscious intent. He lives fully in the moment and makes wherever he is a better place.

Another source of news comes from our local paper. The “Morning Star.” It brings a piece of community into our homes and reminds us how closely we are all connected. Even though it’s only a few dozen pages in length, at most, I usually don’t have much time for this, published three times a week paper. Thankfully, while the little girls played, I took the time last Wednesday to flip through the pages as I would have missed out on something that has impacted me. Maybe this is how Clark views his obsession of watching the global news.

When I turned to the obituary section, I got hit in the gut with shock and sadness over seeing a friend’s picture. I say friend, because whenever I saw ” Erin,” I always felt good. She was the best sort of friend. One who always makes you feel happy that you ran into her. I met her for the first time when her oldest child was in preschool with my 3rd oldest, Mitchell. She had a lovely laid back attitude and a quick, light laugh that filled the air with joy. I loved that she didn’t bat an eye when her little daughter wore a tiara to preschool every single day throughout the year. I used to be more controlling and would have encouraged our child to leave the head piece at home, so when I asked her about it she said, something like, “well I’m going to let her be a princess for as long as she wants.” I LOVED that about her. I aspire to be more like that.

Over the years, I would bump into Erin at our local music school, where we would discuss the benefits of music lessons and how to encourage practice without pushing our children. Then there were the times I saw her at soccer games, me yelling my head off but her with a relaxed, “whatever” attitude. She was always interested in our ever growing family and would always say, “I don’t know how you do it!” Which made me feel stronger somehow and even though things may have been difficult the morning I saw her, after her comment, I would dig deeper and find the best of myself to mother our brood.

I haven’t seen her in a number of years as although our children attended the same high school, once children become teens they aren’t always accompanied by their parents. It wasn’t until I was helping out at the grad decorating afternoon last June when I heard someone say, “did you hear about Erin?” And I said, “no, what are you talking about?” Over the years I have been so absorbed raising our family and have not kept my ear to the community gossip. I had heard our family was often the subject, with our larger size and us having children well into our 40’s. I preferred to distance myself from people who were in the “know.” But this had put me at a disadvantage as well, since I wasn’t aware when someone was having a hard time.

I had no idea she had been battling brain cancer and was in the final days of her fight. Throughout Mitchell’s graduation weekend, I kept thinking about Erin, her two children, her family and how they were doing. It impacted me. D said he saw her not looking so great at the grad picture gathering but I had missed her. Mitchell too had been affected by this news. He knew all about it of course because of social media/Facebook, but he hadn’t ever said anything to me until I asked him about it. I know he was thinking in his teen terms something to the effect,”by the grace of God go I,” in that his mother was physically well and his classmate, he had known since preschool, was losing her’s.

Over the summer, I was on my guard every time I opened the paper wondering if this would be the day I would hear about Erin leaving the earth. The summer came and went and she presumably fought on. Then on September 18th, as we had just heard  the teacher’s strike was over and our kids were going back to school, she lost her fight. She was going home. I was so sad when I saw her face on the obituary page. She shouldn’t be there. Heck, we are almost the same age. Her youngest still hasn’t even graduated from high school. Do you ever wonder about life? How things don’t seem fair. Beautiful, kind, generous people, leaving the world while evil persists in all sorts of individuals.

Of course if you have read my blog, you know about my husbands co- worker, whose young teen son was killed in a boating accident this past June. And then, our oldest daughter’s high school friend dying in May, from complications after a double lung transplant. She had fought CF with hope and optimism her whole life and would have turned 24 last June.

While all these events touched me, I was thinking, the one thing we have in common is that we are ALL going to die.  This used to be a joke in my husband’s family since his Dad sold cemetary property and planned funerals. He used to say, “none of us get out of here alive.” The other thing we have in common is we have a choice how we are going to live?

My 11 year old daughter Grace had a sleepover on Friday night. Early in the week she had come home from her first days at school a bit depressed since her good friend had moved to Alberta. When I suggested a back to school sleepover party on Friday night she perked right up. I knew she was excited about it because when I went into her room to collect the garbage from her wicker basket under her desk, I saw a piece of paper outlining fun ideas for her party. “Dinner, 2 hours at our local rec centre pool, movie/popcorn, games”…it just made me smile.

As I was thinking about my friend Erin letting her little girl be a princess when she was small, I thought about my Grace and how I wanted her to enjoy her princess years too. She is going to be leaving childhood pretty soon and becoming a teen and I wanted her to have some wonderful memories of this special time.

I decided to make a homemade pizza, which is often our Friday night dinner anyway, and also make a caesar salad which is Grace’s all time favourite. When I was at the grocery store though I forgot to pick up the dressing we usually purchase. The old me, would have called D to bring some home after work (using more gas to drive to the store) but the new me, trying to be frugal while being more sustainable, with a can do attitude, decided to make it from scratch. I Googled a bunch of recipes and came up with a creation for our evening’s salad. It absolutely amazes me how empowered I feel when I don’t need a product….cross out caesar dressing off my grocery list. I can now make it from SCRATCH.  I know weird but I get a great sense of satisfaction from little things in life, like THAT.

Grace and her friends, I was admiring all the girl’s long hair and of course, I was seeing their invisible princess tiaras too.

The pizzas turned out delicious (cheese being the top choice for the girls but wow..the vegetarian I made was superb, if I do say so myself) and the salad was sensational. I made a large bowl but every last bit of romaine was eaten. A great sign of success! Especially among tweens, who don’t always like their veggies. The sleepover was smashing too. The girls liked the dinner, the pool time, the movies, the popcorn/licorice. In morning, D got up early on Saturday to make them pancakes with fruit, syrup and whipped cream and I made them a fruit smoothie. One of the girls had to get up early to go to her gymnastics class and then she said her family were off for an afternoon hike at a mountain about a 2 hour drive from our hometown. This family is always living life with “gusto.” They always are doing something physically challenging.

The celebration of life service for my friend was later that afternoon. I didn’t attend. I thought about it but then felt a better place for me to remember her was in my garden. So while D puttered around the garage, I mowed the lawn, cultivated around my still growing herbs and turned the contents in our compost bin. Once living grass, leaves, vegetable and fruit peelings are now rich, dark fertile dirt. Full of potential for new living things to grow in next spring.

We all are going to die but we also have a choice how we are going to live.What things can we grow in our fertile lives. What do we want to create,  how we can be a service to those around us, how we can help those who are struggling all around the world. It’s a reality check that brings me daily back to how I want to live fully.

A while ago, I did a meditation challenge with Dr. Deepak Chopra and I wrote down something on his web site that touched me.

“Today, and everyday, I give that which I want to receive.” I nourish the Universe and the Universe nourishes me.”

Yes, sometimes it’s just about making a great ceasar salad and letting my daughter be a princess for a bit longer but mostly it’s living life with gusto. Giving all of me to the world. I have a lovely quote on a book mark I use for my soul filled books and as I absorb new ideas and thoughts, I close my book on this idea;

“If there is light in the soul…..there will be peace in the world.” ~Chinese proverb~

Today, what I can share with the world is my caesar salad recipe and my light.

Buddha said~”Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.”



Today, I’m thinking of Erin. All the kind, encouraging things she said to me and all the laughs she shared with me. All the light she brought to the world. I hope she is at peace.

“Precious Lord, take my hand.
Lead me on. Let me stand.
I am tired. I am weak. I am worn.
Through the storm,
Through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord
and lead me home.”

~African-American Spiritual~

Please join me in lighting the world and living fully while we are here, for my friend Erin, for all the people struggling, and for the people whom you have loved and hold close to your heart.

.

AND now, finally here is my caesar salad recipe…..for after all, we have to eat too. This is part of living life with gusto, my dear Italian friend Jane would wholeheartedly agree!

Here’s are the main ingredients you will need

You will also need croutons, bacon bits,

Grace’s Caesar Salad 

Ingredients

1 head of romaine lettuce
1 cup of homemade croutons
1/8 cup bacon bits (you can purchase vegan bacon bits too)
2 cups of croutons (easy to make)
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese


Dressing:
1/4 cup vegetable_oil
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp white_wine_vinegar
2 tsp Dijon_mustard or 2 tsp of dried mustard
2 tsp  anchovy_paste (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 tsp Worcestershire_sauce
3 tbsp light mayonnaise 

Preparation

1. Dressing: In bowl, whisk together oil, cheese, vinegar, mustard, anchovy paste, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in mayonnaise until smooth.

 

 

 

 2. Tear lettuce into bite-size pieces to make about 20 cups (5 L); place in large bowl. Add dressing, croutons, bacon bits and cheese; toss to combine.

 

And here is our Friday night, sleepover dinner. A dinner fit for princesses!

 

 

We loved this so much, that I made a lentil soup on Saturday night and ANOTHER caesar salad, this time, adding roasted chicken pieces to the salad. It was sooo yummy, and hopefully it will go down as one of Grace’s childhood favourites.
As for me, “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.”

~John Burroughs~And all the blog posts I want to write. Thanks dear family and friends for sharing in my life, reading my novellas and lighting the world with your love.


Live life with your heart wide open

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

      Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

      / Lee Reynolds

      Tis the season. Soup season that is. Nothing says home, more than coming in the house after a long day to smell a delicious aroma drifting from the kitchen. Knowing it’s healthy and satisfying makes it our family’s fall comfort food. After a season of raw vegetables, salads and fruits, it’s like putting on a wool sweater to warm your body.


      I was inspired to make this soup when Harrison woke up feeling under the weather. He had had his braces tightened, was feeling headachy and on top of that, felt like a cold was on his doorstep. I knew I had to make something easy to chew and filling. I went out into the garden to be inspired and when I saw the butternut squash, gleaming in the sun amongst the dying vines, I thought PERFECT!

       

      (I planted 6 butternut squash plants in an area that wasn’t ideal. I had pulled up yucca plants from this area and I didn’t get all the roots up so I had little yucca plants growing up all around my squash this summer….but despite the competition for water and sun, the squash prevailed. Sadly, we won’t have any to store for the winter as we LOVE squash and have eaten almost all of it. Next year, I’d like to plant twice the squash for our size family.)

       

      I probably focus on our 15 year old Harrison’s growing needs the most lately, since he literally grows a 1/8 of an inch every night. Okay, maybe that is an exaggerations. Let’s just say, his basketball coach is going to love seeing him this year! Anyway, I get worried when his braces are tightened as his food consumption drops a lot.

      Then I came inside to rummaged around the pantry (noticing that many of my bottles needed to be topped up and it’s generally disorganized….another blog post for sure) and found some ginger root. I had purchased the ginger to make some tea but had forgotten all about it. Another PERFECT ingredient. I also dug some boneless chicken thighs from the freezer and although this soup is lovely with just vegetables, I find adding some pieces of chicken and broth very satisfying, especially for our son who basically lives on smoothies for days after he has his braces tightened.  If you are a vegetarian, of course please disregard the chicken aspect and use vegetable broth.

      So without further ado, let’s get cooking.

      Hope’s Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup

      Ingredients

      • 1 butternut squash (peeled, seeds removed, and cubed)
      • (note, you can use 2 butternut squash instead of the carrots
      • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
      • 4 large carrots 
      • 3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
      • 3 tsp cinnamon
      • 2 tsp nutmeg
      • Salt and pepper
      • 1 cup thinly sliced onion
      • 3 large garlic cloves
      • 1/8 cup brown sugar
      • 1 lb chicken
      • 8 cups chicken broth
      • 2 cups cooked rice (I used a Basmati because Harrison loves that…but personally I prefer a nutty brown rice
      • Chopped fresh parsley
      • Sour Cream for a topping, (opt)



      Directions:

      Put the rice on and while it’s cooking;



      Peel, the squash, remove the seeds and cube. Peel and chop the carrots. Mince the ginger, set aside 1 tbsp for later, and then crush 1 garlic clove.



      Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil on a baking sheet and add the squash, the carrots, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tbsp of ginger, 2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and sprinkle with sea salt with freshly ground pepper. Coat all really well in the oil and put in the oven to roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

      If you are using chicken, you can cook it on a separate pan while the vegetables are roasting.

      While the vegetables are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add 1 cup of chopped onion, 2 of the remaining garlic cloves (minced). Cook onions and garlic until translucent. Add 1 tbsp of minced ginger, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp of nutmeg and 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar. Cook until carmelized. 



      Transfer the onion mixture to a soup pot, add the chicken and cook well until both are sizzling, add the chicken broth at this point. Bring to a boil, then add the rice and the roasted vegetables.


      Add the chicken to the onions
      Add 8 cups of chicken broth…less if you want to puree it
      Add your roasted veggies and your rice




      The magic in this soup is layering all the seasonings, otherwise it will be bland. Finally, if you aren’t using chicken, if you wish, you can puree the soup in your food processor. I wanted our soup to have soft chunks for a filling main dinner soup. It would make a delightful fall soup prior to your entre. For our family, soup, salad, a rosemary dinner bun and old fashion rice pudding for dessert was perfect.




      Ladle your soup into a bowl, add a sprig of parsley and a dollop of sour cream which is refreshing and a nice complement to the ginger. This is a warming soup full of flavour. Enjoy!

      As if that wasn’t good enough….finish it off with some old fashion rice pudding. Oh my, talk about comfort food or WHAT!

      This was the creamiest rice pudding ever! Harrison ate his portion and before bed he sat down to finish off the rest of the casserole dish.

      I don’t know if it’s more enjoyable to eat all this wonderful homemade stuff or to hear my family’s contented sounds as they consume it.

      This to me is one of the best parts of nurturing my children. Watching them appreciate food and grow.

      If you are also interested in making the Rosemary dinner buns here is the recipe.

      Rosemary Dinner Buns

      Ingredients

      *1 tbsp white sugar
      *1 cup warm water
      *1 package active dry yeast or 1 tbsp (I buy Red Star active dry yeast from Costco )
      *1 tsp salt

      Our rosemary plant next to the Kale
      *2 tbsp softened butter
      *2 tbsp rosemary….I went to the garden and picked it fresh
      *1 tsp Italian seasoning
      *3 cups bread flour…although you can use an all purpose as well
      *1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
      *1  beaten egg (opt)
       
       

      Directions

      1. Dissolve the sugar in warm water in a medium bowl, and mix in the yeast. When yeast is bubbly, mix in salt, butter, 1 tablespoon rosemary, and Italian seasoning. Mix in 2 cups flour. Gradually add remaining flour to form a workable dough, and knead 10 to 12 minutes.
      2. Coat the inside of a large bowl with olive oil. Place dough in bowl, cover, and allow to rise 1 hour in a warm location.
      3. Punch down dough, and divide in half. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper. Shape dough into 2 round loaves, and place on the baking sheet. I like to shape my dough into balls and put on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining rosemary. Cover, and allow to rise 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
      4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
      5. Brush loaves with egg. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brow

      The Rosemary buns were such a nice flavour, next to the warming squash/ginger soup.

      Finally, if you are a lover of Rice pudding, then you have to try this recipe. I actually had Harrison make it while I was making the soup and the buns. (he wasn’t feeling that bad) We have been working in the kitchen together for years. I like to encourage all of our children to help me in the kitchen from the time they are small. We like to  make muffins, pancakes, cookies; things they are excited to eat.

      Once they are around 11 or 12, I like to get them working on main dishes and of course teach them to cook the foods they love. Harrison was more than happy to make this dessert for this meal and ended up eating the majority, which was good since he hadn’t been eating much since visiting his orthodontist the day before. This is an excellent recipe to make if you have left over rice. I just made extra rice, when I made the Butternut Squash and Ginger soup.

      Okay, get ready for comfort food extrordinaire……

      Old Fashion Rice Pudding

      * 3/4 cup uncooked white rice,
      * 2 cups milk, divided
      * 1/3 cup white sugar
      * 1/4 tsp salt
      * 1 egg beaten
      * 2/3 cup raisins
      * 1 tbsp butter
      * 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
      *  2 tsp cinnamon
      * 1 tsp nutmeg

       

      Directions

      1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; stir rice into boiling water. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
      2. In a clean saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

       

      After cooking the rice pudding on the stove top, pour it into a casserole dish, sprinkle it with cinnamon and nutmeg, put a lid on top and put it in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until it thickens. Pour into dishes with a little piece of mint on top. It’s a wonderful finish to this evenings meal.

      We doubled the recipe for our gang but this is perfect if you have a family of 4, unless you love rice pudding. Then there is never enough!

      Put in a fancy dish, add a sprig of mint and it looks like something from a restaurant

      I hope you try this delightful trio of recipes. Thanks for coming today, it’s always a pleasure having you in our kitchen.
      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

      Blessings from Hope

      Welcome Fall

      / Lee Reynolds

      Welcome Fall! Will started his first day of kindergarten today. If you can call it that. It was more like a few moments in class, as it only lasted long enough for me to go to the grocery store for a quick shop with the little girls and to the library. He was excited all the same.

      Will on his first morning of kindergarten….so excited!

      I was going to launch right into my latest creation from our kitchen, (Butternut Squash and Ginger soup with rosemary buns and real old fashion rice pudding) but my gosh, we had some real excitement around the ‘ole homestead tonight. The kind of excitement I was anticipating should we move to the country.

      As I was cleaning up the dinner dishes and talking to our daughter Grace about her first full day (a REAL full day) at school, our doorbell rang. It was our neighbour from 2 houses over saying he had just seen a bear.

      It was a blonde bear and it had just jumped his fence with ease and was in our direct neighbour’s back yard. He thought we would want to know as he knew our little ones were in the hot tub. (another reason I want to move to the country as our kids are incredibly noisy, although our neighbours have never said anything. I can ONLY IMAGINE what they think)

       

      I digress. I told him that in all the years we have lived here, (21) we have only ever had one bear incident that didn’t end well. I had come home from a lovely fall walk with our little little boys (now big ones) and was shocked to see two men on our deck, one with a rifle. They were conservation officers. When I asked them what was up, they said our neighbour had called them. Apparently, she had seen a bear off and on in her yard for a day or two and she thought it was now in the neighbour’s yard below us. They have large apple trees and don’t pick them regularly. The officer asked me when the school bus was due and I looked at my watch and told him any moment now.

      With that information, they nodded, left our deck and walked over to the yard where they had spotted the bear. I stood on the deck with our 2 little boys, all excited about THE gun which was a big thing because the only guns we allowed in our house, were ones they made out of duplo blocks, despite the fact that their Dad used to be a champion trap and skeet shooter. Before we knew it, the conservation officers were in the next yard,  and there was a loud explosion. We saw the bear drop from the tree. At first, not knowing my guns, I thought the animal was just tranquilized but then I saw the blood, oozing from under it’s body. A moment later the school bus drove up, stopped, and the neighbourhood kids, plus our oldest two, spilled out, none the wiser.

      So that was our last experience with wildlife. Our children’s school is further out, more on our valley bottom and often there are cougar sightings and occasionally the odd bear travels through as there is a creek near the school. Nothing of any consequence though.

      Anyway, back to my story tonight.  I zoomed downstairs and told D to get out of the hot tub because of the bear sighting. As he got himself and the little kids out, he was telling me that Barbara, our direct neighbour yelled something over to him about a “bear” but he thought she was making a joke about their bare butts (the kids, not D’s) in the tub and he just laughed it off. As we quickly got the little ones into their jammies, we talked about how rare it was to see any wild life. We told the little ones if  they hurried, they may be able to catch sight of the bear from our upstairs deck.

      They were bubbling with excitement as they hustled upstairs and onto the deck. The evening was quickly closing in and dusk was settling. They purveyed the area but nothing materialized. Being cold and disappointed, they came inside still talking excitedly about the bear. As I looked out our kitchen window into the darkening sky, I saw a large owl perching on the top of our 40 foot birch tree. The kids were ooing and awing over this huge owl as our oldest son, Clark and his girlfriend walked in the front door.

      As we talked over each other, sharing snippets of what had just transpired, the owl flew off. WOW! It had an amazing wing span. We then went out the front door to see if we could catch a glimpse of anything. As you have probably seen from my pictures, our front yard is really quite secluded. Our drive way comes down to the front of our house and on either side of our property, there are tall pyramid cedar trees giving us total privacy from our neighbours. As we cautiously looked around, calling for our cats to come in, Clark’s girlfriend said, “oh look, a deer.” There on the ridge of the mountain behind our house was the silhouette of a deer.

      Wow!

      Then before heading off for stories, Will and Grace decided to look for the bear one more time from our upstairs deck. A moment later they were shrieking for us to come and see. When when we got there, the bear had dropped down into the bushes. They said, they had watched him lumber along the pool deck (yes, all of our neighbours have watering holes too) swatting at something in the bushes and then he dropped out of sight. As we continued to watch for while, hoping to catch another glimpse, twilight settled and a curtain finally fell, leaving us to wonder.
      .
      A bear, an owl, and then a deer. Do we have to move to the country after all? This was one of the reasons I had wanted to move. I wanted to see the wild aspect of our world on a daily basis. I’m sure having deer eat my flowers/veggies or having bear get into our fruit trees would get old fast. Also, having hawks and eagles, (both of which we see regularly) pick up my little chicks and maybe even larger chickens too, would be a pain. But, to get up close and marvel at wild life, well that is pretty amazing.

      Our subdivision’s motto is “Rural living at it’s best,” and tonight I was thinking how fitting that was.

      So sorry if you had wanted to read about my delicious Butternut Squash and ginger soup recipe, you will have to stay tuned…….I got side tracked with real life happening here tonight.

      Look deep into nature,
      and then you will understand everything better.
      -Albert Einstein 

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Summer Ends on this Soul Sunday

      / Lee Reynolds

      Goodbye summer!

      It’s been sweet. There have been so many wonderful memories and special moments to hold close to my heart.

      Summer ends today on this sacred Sunday.

      Yesterday, after working really hard around the house and yard, me cleaning the house, then mowing our lawns and working in the garden, while D cleaned the pool and cleared the junk lying around in the garage, we popped our kids into the van, picked up the LAST slurpee of the season, dropped some books off at the library and went for a drive into the country.

      We drove past fields of corn still growing, farmers mowing their final cut of hay, and cows fattening up, lazily eating late summer grass. As the kids slurped the last of summer’s sugar, we in the front seats, talked about how 2014 hadn’t gone as we had planned, We started talking about what we wanted our future to look like.

      We looked at some acreages (just land) that were for sale. Some too small, others too steep and tree filled, and then we drove past the BEAUTIFUL old fashion (but new) farm house, I have fallen in love with. It’s too far out for D to commute. Too far from the high school and University bus, and well, although it has an abundance of land, 78 acres, we’ve aptly named it, “the ON the grid house.” It has a high power electric line, (138 k.V.) I think D said, running down the middle of the huge hay field. While I LOVE this house and can imagine our family living there, having all my innards humming, isn’t my idea of living off the land. Plus, in our opinion they are asking too much money. So we drive on.

      When we came to a side road, D asked if I wanted to take it, knowing full well we would eventually come to another road. A road I had dreamed would lead us to our new home. I just nodded and for the longest time we drove silently thinking of what was ahead. Then we started to chat, admiring the farms with quaint houses with matching red barns, or making a comment about how some people don’t care for their precious land and allow debris to clutter up their property. We are envious.

      Eventually, we came to the road that would take us past the farm we had dreamed of living in this fall. Interestingly enough, the name of the road didn’t ever dawn on me until now. It’s called, “Hurt Road.” Do you ever think about the power of names? D smiled at me as he turned right and we meandered along the road, drinking in the beauty of the late summer glory. We were seeing this road for the first time  in late summer, since we found this property late last year when snow was almost on the ground. Everything was so green, rich and beautiful.

      Finally, we came to the Christmas tree farm’s first drive way,….it has this lovely 1/2 circle drive way that you enter from one side and leave from the other. I rolled down my window and the crisp scent of fall filled the air. You could hardly see the house, although it’s only situated 100 or so feet from the road. The deciduous trees are so thick with leaves but here and there are colours of yellow, orange and red. The trees know fall is coming.

      For a few seconds, I let myself daydream about turning into the drive-way and going home, then reality hit. This is someone else’s house now. The pain hit. Sheepishly, I asked D if we could leave a note on the front door, asking the new owners to contact us if they ever wanted to sell. He reminded me the house had sold at the top of our price range and they would want more money, IF they ever were to sell. I slumped into my seat for a minute as we slowly drove down the road and then sat up a bit taller to admire a horse we were driving by. I was sad. We turned around at the end of the road, as it is a dead end road, (just what I wanted) and this time as we cruised by the farm, an insight came to me.

      It dawned on me, until I say goodbye to the dream of THAT farm, I will never have my heart open to find another just as wonderful. A place for all my family to grow, to learn, to connect. A place where we can sit around the dining room table, like the Walton family from my favourite childhood T.V. show. A place where we can become even more sustainable and independent. A place where we can become not just farmers, but be soul FILLED people.

      And that is also the way it is in life. If we are always hanging onto a time, a place, or things, our hearts and minds aren’t open for new experiences. As time travels and we continue on our path, we need to open our arms and our hearts for the joy that is waiting. As I say goodbye to summer, I say Hello to the unknown of fall and the memories to come. Abundant blessings to be sure.

      This post also reminds me that right now, RIGHT NOW, is all that matters. Right now, is the gift given on this last day of summer. On a Soul Sunday. I’m going to go and have a relaxing bath, get dressed and join D and the kids who I can hear are in the kitchen laughing while making pancakes. There is fresh fruit and maple syrup too. Ahhhh the luxury of living in the moment. The bliss of it all.

      As I leave you, if you haven’t checked out Oprah’s Soul Sunday interviews to help you connect with the sacred, I would highly recommend them. They help me remember we are all connected and living our dream, right now!

      Note: If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view the video below. If so check out this link that should connect you to the video with Dr. Brian Weiss and Oprah talking about grief and living)

       

      Join me in welcoming Fall!

      It’s going to be the BEST season yet!

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

      Blessings from Hope

      Sacred Circle Book Club

      / Lee Reynolds

      Another year of reading has begun. Last night was my first book club meeting for the year. Our book club year starts in September and concludes in June. We take the summer off to read our own material. Most of my summer reading was on the subject of homesteading. I LOVED the book called, “Chickens in the Road,” by Suzanne McMinn.

      This author was living my dream of building a homestead with chickens and many other animals, all while raising children. Apparently Suzanne had a successful blog while she was building her homestead which further endeared her to me as I know how much time writing consumes. She has moved to a new farm and I’ve been meaning to look her up to see if she still blogs. If so, she has a future follower. She writes from the heart and her journey touched me deeply.

      e.

      Another book I REALLY enjoyed this summer was, re-reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book called, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle…a year of food life.”

      If you haven’t read this book and are madly interested in living sustainably by growing your own food and living healthier, this is THE BOOK to read. I liked listening to the audio version too as Barbara, her husband and her daughter narrate the story and bring the stories to life. They feel like family now.

      And finally, I cried when I finished reading, “The Dirty Life,” by Kristin Kimball. Have you ever been so absorbed in a book, you felt you were one of the characters? I especially loved how they used horses to till the soil and prepare their fields. (I’ll mention here that I was  madly in love with horses when I was a teen and I spent many blissful days on the back of my horse, Blondie) I grieved as I read the last page of Kristin’s book and I hope someday to have a farm so full of life as they enjoyed on Essex Farm.

      Well those are my summer reads and we haven’t even talked about my Sacred Circle book club yet. Are my blog posts mini novellas or WHAT!

      In the fall of 2012, as I waited for the world to end on Dec 21, 2012, (Mayan Calendar prediction) I realized I wanted to start 2013 on the path of connecting deeply with my soul.

      During the last 10 years from 2001 and 2011, when I was trying to conceive our last four children, I experienced profound moments of insight and felt touched by many miracles. Now that our Grace, Will, Kathryn and Victoria were safely on the earth, I knew that I wanted to delve into my authentic self and continue to grow as a soul. Not just for me, but for our children. All our children.

      The older I get, it seems like the life lessons are on fast forward and I wanted to keep learning at a rapid rate, so I thought joining together with other like-minded women would create that environment of experience and enlightenment. At the end of 2012, I mentioned my desire to a few friends, who wouldn’t look at me like I was CRAZY and before I knew it, we were having our first Sacred Circle meeting.

      My sisters and I take turns choosing selections, then once a month we meet in our hostess’s home and discuss the book choice for the month. These are a few of the books we have read in the past.

      Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander

      The Field by Lynn Mctaggert

      Living in the Light by Shakti Gawain

      The Four Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz

      The Fifth Agreement by Don Miguel Ruiz and son

      The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

      The Untethered Soul by Michael A Singer

      Well that gives you a glimpse into what we have read in the past. Do you think this genre interests you? Are you intrigued? Are you a student waiting for the teacher to appear? If so, I invite you to join us and read our future selections.

      I’m sorry, I didn’t get my act together enough to get this out before now as I was busy blogging about making Borscht (hey, nourishing bodies is important too) etc. but if you want to join us here is a look into this year’s selections so far. This month, (Sept) we read the book called, “The Hidden Lamp, Stories from 25 centuries of awakened women” by Zenshin Florence Caplow

      The consensus from those who read this book was, this is the type of book that one needs to read over the course of a year, instead of as a monthly book club selection. The stories evoked some strong reactions in some of our sisters, as women over the centuries have been suppressed and abused as  many of the stories were on this theme.

      When we were discussing some of the stories, the thought that being born on this earth as a specific gender is part of our growth as a soul, …..but wouldn’t it be great if we could move beyond our gender? I like the following quote from a spiritual teacher:

      “When a human being becomes so still that they begin to lose awareness of their gender, and they are simply looking into that abyss where there is no notion of self whatsoever, the world disappears. And that’s really the only place to go. It’s the only place to remain.”

       

      Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/andrewcohe271068.html#gXRsR9C2CDhwxmPe.99

      Ideally, that is the direction we humans on earth are moving.
      Anyway the conclusion with regards to this read was,  if you are interested in delving into these stories at a deeper level and are interested in Buddhism, this would be the book for you.

      And now for our NEXT selection……………………………..drum roll please,

       

      Next month, October 2014, we are reading the book called, “The Places that Scare You: A guide to fearlessness in difficult times” by Pema Chodron
      Here’s a quote I relate to by Pema,
      “…feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.”
      ― Pema Chödrön
                                                        

      I’m looking forward to reading this book by Pema Chodron. I’ve listened to a few of her audio books and her voice emanates peace and wisdom. Perhaps you too, will resonate with her words.

      Will you join me and my other sisters in reading? I’m going to do a blog post after our next meeting and would love to hear your comments on the book….or maybe you have read a wonderful book that has touched your heart and impacted your life. Please share what you are learning. This was one of the reasons I wanted to start this blog, to connect with other like-minded people. All over the world.

      The Mayans were right, the world as we know it has ended.  We are now flowing in the direction of living consciously and tapping into our sixth sense, living mindfully with love and compassion in our hearts. We  realize we are connected to all people, all things, to Mother earth and our vibrations are moving in the direction of creating harmony. I personally, believe that one of the reasons we are seeing such evil all over the world now are because there are pockets of fear in the world. Anger and hatred are always the result of great fear. It’s my belief that love will prevail. I trust we are rising to live from our highest self.

       I hope reading books, like Pema Chodron”s book above will guide  us in the direction we need to
      travel.

         
       

                                              

      If all this interests you but you want to hear more about it…check out Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Youtube video called, “The Shift.”  Dr. Dyer was one of the first teachers I sought and even D enjoys his thoughts and wisdom….. he knows how to reach people from a human level.

      Here’s a link to Ambition to Meaning, “The Shift”

      (If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view this video, if so check out the following link to watch, Dr. Wayne Dyer’s, “Ambition to Meaning, The Shift.”)

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

      Blessings from Hope  
      . 

      Vegetable Borscht~Grateful Gardens

      / Lee Reynolds
      Look what I have found in my garden this summer?

       

      This was the first one I found in my garden. EVER!
      And look where I found it.
      I know hey, a jumble of pumpkin, raspberry bushes, somewhere under there are also potatoes growing in containers …but then cantaloupes have been discovered too.
      This mysterious cantaloupe appeared in my pumpkin/raspberry/potatoes in container/ garden this summer, …next to one of my compost bins.
      Yes, I know, it’s lucky I found anything in this mess but one day, when I was out hand watering this patch, I was counting pumpkins and boy was I SHOCKED to find a cantaloupe.
      I didn’t plant ANY cantaloupe seeds. I’m actually surprised too that anything grew in this patch down by my compost bin.  My sister J says raspberries grow anywhere…thanks btw J, for the new raspberry plants. I’ll put them in as soon as I clear out this mess this fall.
      After I planted my main garden, I still had a few plants left and I just randomly planted them in this bed, not thinking anything would come up at all. After all, it isn’t on our underground irrigation system and the dirt is terrible.
       For years we had a weeping birch planted in this space. Although I really like birch trees, that one was always needing pruning and well, it also absorbed a ton of water and wasn’t producing anything for us to eat. When I started thinking garden sustainability, one of the first things to go was that birch. Before I planted down there this year, I meant to remove the stump and improve the soil but I never got around to it/ Was I ever surprised ANYTHING grew down there. One of the reasons I had the compost put in this area was I was wanting to build up the soil in this location. Smart thinking on my part to place my compost bin, where I wanted the new, improved garden area.
      So SURPRISE, surprise, surprise….I grew a cantaloupe.
      And boy was I feeling like a real farmer when that happened.
      But then, on another occasion, I found another one, again surprise! Did I mention this area gets little sunshine (no water, unless I get down there with the hose) and from what I have read melons love the hot sun.
      And I wasn’t the only one surprised at our bounty. Harrison who is always happy to see food even posed with our new melon friend…to be eaten forthwith.
      Then it happened two more times.

       

      From a plant  I didn’t even “knowingly” plant, we received four glorious cantaloupes. YOU can bet  I saved the seeds for us to plant in this same spot next year. I know four melons isn’t a lot in the big scheme of things and even eating but hey…when you have bonus food that you weren’t expecting, and it’s fruit that your family loves to boot, well you are GRATEFUL!
      Then there is the produce you did plant that turns out beautifully. I have never planted cabbage before as I was concerned about the notorious white cabbage butterfly infesting our garden but this summer our first cabbages turned out beautifully. I planted two varieties this year, a green and a red. They grew to enormous sizes and 6 plants of each fed our family all summer. Next year I’m doubling that as I want to put some away for winter. Cabbage keeps great I hear.
      All summer we ate coleslaw and I added cabbage to my kale salad but I was hoping that there would be one cabbage left in September so we could have our first pot of Borscht of the season.
      And look what was waiting for me in the garden the other day. Another reason to be grateful.
      Isn’t this Red Dynasty Cabbage a sight for sore eyes…..something my grandmother would have said…but it’s beautiful.
      And that wasn’t all. Down in that infamous pumpkin patch, I tipped over one of the containers I planted with Yukon Gold potatoes and I was happily surprised to find enough potatoes for several meals. We can go through 10 pounds of potatoes in no time if all the older boys are eating.
      Potatoes grown in one of the containers down at our pumpkin patch
      If you live on an urban homestead as I do, I would recommend growing your potatoes in a container. It was so easy and  as I was pouring my lawn clippings into the compost bin, I would top up my potatoes with a bit of mulch and throw a bit of dirt as well. By the end of summer the container was topped up and it was full of veggies. I was surprised by how many potatoes we received.
      With  our newly dug potatoes and this beautiful cabbage, I’m going to make a vegetable borscht. Come and join me as I cook.
      Pour a cup of tea and let’s get cooking. We can chat about being grateful as we go.

      Let’s see, where is my recipe, oh here it is:

      Hope’s Homemade Vegetable Borscht
       
      Ingredients
      • 3 medium-size beets, peeled and grated
      • 2 large carrot, peeled and grated
      • 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
      • 2 large tomatoes, diced
      • 2 tbsp of water
      • juice from ½ lemon
      • 2 L of water/vegetable broth
      • 1 tbsp of salt…or salt to your taste.
      • 6 medium-size potatoes, or the equivalent, diced
      • ½ cabbage….you can use green or red
      • 1  onion, diced
      • 1 tsp olive oil
      •  black pepper/pinch of salt
      • 2  bay leaves
      • 1 tbsp dried parsley or fresh finely chopped.
      • 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced as you desire
      • 1 tbsp of dried dill or a large bunch of fresh finely chopped
      Directions
      1. Heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add grated beets, carrots and diced tomatoes.


      2. Add 2 tbsp of  water and lemon juice to the vegetables and stir.
      3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
      4. Meanwhile, boil 2 L of water in a kettle and add to the shredded vegetables, that have been on simmer for 20 minutes.
      5. Bring to a boil and add salt to your taste
      6. Add diced potatoes and shredded cabbage to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes


      7. While that is cooking, saute the onions and garlic over medium heat until golden


      8. Add onions and garlic to the pot and combine well.
      9. Add freshly ground black pepper, salt, bay leaves, parsley and dill to the soup. Cook for 15 minutes. 




      10. Now the best part, pour into bowls, add a big dollop of sour cream and a sprig of parsley.


      Serve with salad and dinner buns (recipe below) for a complete and delicious meal.

      This recipe feeds 12-14 people. It fed us for 2 nights which I’m grateful for as the second night was after being at the dentist with the whole gang and we were hungry when we arrived home. If you don’t need a whole pot full, please know it freezes really well. Perfect for a cold fall night.

      Let’s say Grace….

      Don’t you think when you come from a place of gratitude, even more gifts are bestowed. Let’s say grace.

      And before I close this post, I just wanted to jot down my dinner bun recipe. I used this also for my black bean burger recipe…but I make the buns a bit smaller for dinner.

      Ingredients:

      Serves: 12-15
      • 4 1/2cups flour
      • 4 1/2teaspoons dry yeast (2 8g packages)
      • 1 cup milk
      • 3/4cup water
      • 1/2cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup of oil
      • 1/3-1/2cup  white sugar
      • 1/2teaspoon  salt

       

      Directions:

       

        1. Mix 2 C flour& yeast in a large bowl.
        2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar& salt to lukewarm in microwave.
        3. Add all at once to flour mixture and beat till smooth. (Approx 2 mins in a Kitchenaid stand mixer).
        4. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough (2 – 2 1/2 Cups).
        5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 15 minutes.
        6. Shape dough into 12-15 small balls and place on greased baking sheet to rise until doubled in size. (approx 45 Mins).
        7. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes.
          I add some ground flax seed and oatmeal to the tops of the dough as I’m making the buns

           

          For some reason, making bread and buns is such a nurturing experience

       

       

      So there it is my blog friends. A home cooked meal, nothing extravagant but when the ingredients come from your garden, you are even more thankful. I have to tell you our kitchen smells heavenly between the borscht and the buns cooking.

      Our cat, May Ling, a blue lynx point Siamese, has snoozed the whole afternoon away on the window seat in our kitchen. There is nothing like homemade soup, buns and a cat dosing in the kitchen in my books.

       

      When she hears my camera click, she starts slightly but only just…in a second she is dreaming about mice and quail again

      Thanks for coming today……..

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

       

       

       

       

      Hummus~Growing Healthy Children

      / Lee Reynolds

      Hi! Come on in and let’s talk about hummus and growing healthy children.

      As you may know from reading my blog, I’m currently homeschooling but perhaps for not much longer since it looks like the Province and the Teachers may have struck a deal. Only a vote away will tell whether I’m a home-school mama much longer.

      It’s been a lot of fun. Overwhelming at times managing different age groups and certainly challenging to stay a step ahead of everyone but rewarding to see the kids light up as they learn. I’ve decided to shift my perspective with regards to education. Yes, the teachers have our children for 6 to 61/2 hours everyday, but they are all mine after school and on the weekends. We can continue working on things  they have shown an interest in and continue our homeschooling in that fashion. So while the school bus may be coming next week, (Will is excited about that) I will look at the time they are gone as prep time for when they come home.

      In the meantime, we have been working on all the major subjects with our older children but with the little ones, we have been practicing following a simple set of instructions and accomplishing small projects. Sitting still and keeping their hands on their own work is a journey unto itself but we are making progress. I try to have some baroque music on while they work, to stimulate their brains.

      Of course we are doing lots of reading and sounding out words while remembering our sight words. We count all the time, from the moment they wake up from how many buckets it will take to rinse the shampoo out of their hair, to how many apple pieces are on the plate and calculating how many each child receives.

      I found a great web site I wanted to share with my blog friends, who have young children and want to print off simple sheets for their little ones to colour, perhaps cut out and paste.There are also many activities and even a Whiz kid math program if you have older children. (This is a U.K. site…waving Hi to my oldest daughter Alyssa teaching in the U.K.)

      Here is the cool web site, “Activity Village”     I have found and these are the sheets that I have printed off for the kids. Every day we do a new letter and when completed we put it their own individual books to look at throughout the day.

      I found these under printable alphabet sheets….on the Activity Village web site

      And while the kids are happily colouring, cutting out and pasting their pictures, I like to take a few moments and make one of our favourite snacks. Hummus.

      A few of my friends have asked how we encourage our children to eat their vegetables since their children won’t touch anything in the veggie category. This is so simple that I don’t know why other parents haven’t figured it out. “We” are the ones who do the shopping and prepare the food. If the kids want to stay alive, and they do believe me, they will eat anything you put in front of them, EVENTUALLY!

          Having your children help you in the garden, growing food inspires them to try all sorts of vegetables.

      There have been studies done on healthy eating showing children who have been given a wide range of vegetables from early age develop a desire to eat those same foods later into what would normally be their picky years. Plus, here is another benefit; they achieve higher IQ’s.

      Now I have to tell you we have had our fair share of picky eaters out of our 8 children. It was frustrating at times but we just kept offering them healthy choices and encouraged them to try a little bit of everything. Sure, there was a time when they resisted foods that mixed together, like soups and casseroles but those same (older children) are food cultured now.

      So be persistent and positive with your little ones and I hope you try my hummus recipe

      .Here’s what you need to make hummus.

      Do you have chick peas, garlic, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice?..you have the makings for hummus

      Hope’s Hummus recipe

      1- 19 ounce chick peas drained and rinsed
      2 tbsp tahini
      1 or 2 garlic cloves….I prefer my hummus really garlicky
      2 tbsp of virgin olive oil….maybe more if you like your hummus really smooth
      4 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

      Now, for the easy peasy instructions. Into your food processor, put your chick peas, tahini, garlic and lemon juice and mix it really well, then slowly add your olive oil until the hummus is the texture you desire.

      Well that’s it…now decide what you want to eat your hummus with. Today I cut up some vegetables and served them for snack time. My oldest daughter likes to put her hummus on a piece of celery and put a line of raisins in a row…yes she is 24 but some of us never truly grow up.

      The old ants on a log is great with hummus

      The cool thing about making it today is I have some hummus for the twins preschool snack tomorrow
      .BONUS!

       

      Come and get it!

       

      Dig in girls

       

      Will has loved hummus since he was a toddler

      And on the topic of growing healthy children, if our children are going to watch T.V. or videos, I like the message they are receiving to continue with the theme we are trying to teach at home. Like the following as it just emphasizes my thoughts about junk food.

      My kids are obsessed with The Berenstain Bears books and videos lately. Check out this one below however note if you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view it…check out the link below.
       
      D and I have been reading these books and watching Berenstain Bear videos with our little ones for over 20 years now. They never get old
      I hope you enjoy the hummus recipe. A great source of protein and lovely as a snack with veggies.  And as far as growing healthy children, whether we have them ourselves or not, we can all contribute to raising the next generation of healthy children.  I believe that statement Hilary Clinton made about it taking a village to raise children.
      It does.
      I’m glad my village is close to getting our kids back into the classrooms.
      Until we meet again, may you be well, happy and peaceful.
      Blessings from Hope

      Homemade Energy Bars

      / Lee Reynolds

       

            

      What is energy? Have you ever thought about that? How is your energy depleted and how do you refill your tanks? Don’t you think when you are doing something you love, the energy just comes even though you may be physically exhausted.

      This reminds me of when our twins were newborns and I was physically fatigued all the time but somehow, the energy I needed to care for them came. I was madly in love with those little people and just caring for them each day, helping them to grow stronger, gave me energy I needed. Caring for my family gives me energy.

      I think our children are inherently active and they know the secret.

       

      Grace is a fish and loves to swim

       

      Mitchell passionately plays the striker position in soccer…he’s on the left side of the picture, in blue.

       

      The little girls love to jump
      If  I’m ever looking for Harrison, I just need to listen for thump, thump, thump and then a pause, swish
      And 9 out of 10 times, it goes in.

       

      And then there is Will, who is non stop action, I’d love to harness his energy source

      Well if you have read my blog at all, you know I’m all about energy. While I believe we are energy at it’s source, it does get depleted and we need to recharge. Whether that is from rest, meditation, or food, I want to get my fuel from a source that is as healthy and positive as possible.

      Along with my morning green drink, I thought I would share a recipe I made recently for our family. Particularly for our two older sons. (Sorry Mitchell, I will have to send you some in your next University care package)

      Our oldest son, Clark, has been working on building his body for over a year now. He counts calories, ensures he is getting a broad range of foods and it’s important that he has some sort of protein source right after his strenuous work outs in order to build the muscle he desires. Now I would love it, if he were doing “crop fitness,” on our farm, but on our small scale urban homestead there isn’t the extensive physical work required, so after a day at University, he heads to the gym. When he comes home he likes to eat something full of protein right away.

      Since we are moving slowly in the direction of becoming vegetarians, (for environmental and ethical reasons) I have to really plan and ensure we are getting the requirements all of our children need based on their activity levels, brain and physical development. My mother always taught me that moderation of anything was the key and I believe she was right. My advise to our children is that energy creates more energy, so stay active and eat foods as close to whole as possible, as fresh as possible and as colourful as well.

      These protein bars are really delicious, so I thought I would share the recipe with you. I have made energy bars before but I always follow a recipe closely, to ensure they turn out. I’m becoming more adventurous of late and our kids will even eats things that don’t turn out all that great. It’s a WIN/WIN.

      Today, I just looked in my pantry to see what we had and made the bars from what was there. You can be as creative as you want. Personally, if I were making these just FOR me, I would have put the dried cranberries in them, but I knew the boys wouldn’t eat them, (OR at least been reluctant to, all the while complaining saying, “these would be soooo good without the cranberries, mooom”) so here is what I came up with.

      Hope’s Energy Bars

      1 cup of dates
      1 cup of almonds
      1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
      1/4 cup ground flax seed (I grind them freshly every time I use them)
      1 cup of whey powder
      1 cup of organic peanut butter

       

      What’s in your pantry? Thank heaven I had some whey left from Christmas. Is it still good? The kids did a gift exchange and the boys had made energy bars for each other along with tie-dyed t-shirts, so I still had enough whey for these bars…yeah!

      I just went into the pantry to see what was available and came up with this mix…you can be as creative as your pantry is full.

       

      Add the dates, almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and the whey powder. into a food processor and mix them really well.

      Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and add
      your peanut butter….sorry if you are allergic…we would die around here if we couldn’t eat peanut butter!

      Mix until well combined.

      I made the balls into 2 biters…big biters that is….now put them in the fridge or freezer to firm up

      At this point you can either form them into balls as I have done above, or you can spread them out in a pan and flatten them to 1/2 an inch high. Put parchment paper underneath and lay another piece on top. Put it in the fridge overnight and then carefully cut into desired shapes the next day. I personally like the ball shape as they pop into your mouth in two bites….or at least that is how many it took my kids to eat them today.

       

      “Mom, are you taking this picture for your Blog?” said Harrison on the right.

      I think these energy bars are going to go pretty fast by how well received they were before they even went into the fridge to set up. That’s okay though as they were quick and easy to make and next time, I’m putting some cranberries in them….for me.

       Clark works out at the gym 6 days a week and will enjoy these energy balls

       

      As for me, I get energy from feeding those I love. I hope you enjoy this post and make some energy balls/bars for your family.

       

      I do believe we’re all connected. I do believe in positive energy. I do believe in the power of prayer. I do believe in putting good out into the world. And I believe in taking care of each other.
                                                                                                                                    ~Harvey Fierstein~

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Homemade Laundry Detergent

      / Lee Reynolds

      It’s Monday and laundry day around here. While everyday is laundry day in our large household, Monday is my BIG laundry day.

      It’s the day that I try to strip as many sheets off beds as possible. The older kids love Mondays as it’s the day that they don’t have to make their bed. They do have to bring up their comforters and hang them out on the deck and bring me their sheets and pillow cases though. I love Mondays because at the end of a long, tiring day, I fall into bed with crisp, clean sheets and if I have worked really hard, my pillow cases have been ironed with a spritz of lavender water. Oh heaven!

      Since we do so much laundry, loads around here and we use tons of laundry detergent, this was one of the big things I wanted to address by becoming more frugal and certainly more green.

      The products I use to make my detergent are simple and the bonus is, I don’t use a new plastic jug of laundry detergent every 2 weeks. Yep, that’s right. I normally go through a large jug of detergent every 2 weeks, so finding an alternative solution was important for our family. Even if you don’t use as much detergent as we do though, you may still be wanting to find a less expensive alternative and one that isn’t filling up our landfills.

      Over the course of the last year, I have been playing around with a detergent recipe that works for my family and the level of clean I insist upon. Also, we have hard water to consider as well as an HE laundry team. I’m really happy with what I have come up with and I thought, this being laundry day, I would share my homemade detergent recipe with you and maybe if you aren’t already swayed to make your own detergent, this blog post will entice you to try it out.

      It takes literally 10 minutes to make this recipe which will last my family 2 months and costs peanuts compared to buying jugs of detergent from the store.

      Here is what you need to make:  Hope’s Homestead Laundry Detergent:

      1 cup Borax
      1 cup Washing Soda
      1 cup Oxi Clean product
      1 bar of Ivory soap or other
      pure or natural soap
      Essential oil (opt)
      4 cups of water
      40 cups of hot water

      Now if you are like me and you haven’t been able to locate washing soda, it’s really easy to make your own, which cuts down on more product and packaging because what you are going to use is a staple in your kitchen and in your natural cleaning supply shelf. It’s baking soda.

      Take 1 cups of baking soda, (I usually use 2 cups so I have enough for my washing soda jar since I also use washing soda to make my dishwasher detergent) and put it on a baking sheet.

      I spread it nice and thin and pop it in the oven at 400 to 425 degrees (everyone’s oven is different) for an hour. When the timer goes off your baking soda has transformed into washing soda. Voila! Cool hey.

      Once you have all your ingredients laid out, (Step 1) start by grating your bar of soap and the skies the limit as to the kind you use, but I would recommend a pure soap and one without colour.

      I personally love the smell of ivory soap but the scent is also something to take into consideration. I noticed when I was at the grocery store the other day that there were bars of sunlight soap for sale which would be cool if you want that lemony scent in your laundry detergent but a 3 pack of ivory soap was the same price as the 1 bar of sunlight, so I went for frugal. Also, ivory soap reminds me of my babies.

      Step 1, grate your soap

      Step 2. Boil 4 cups of water in a shallow pan and add your grated soap. I add mine slowly until it is evenly melted and the water is foamy. This can boil over and make a mess so watch it closely.

      Step 3. Find a large pail, preferably with a lid and pour 40 cups of hot water in the pail.

      I found that an ice cream bucket holds about 10 cups of water, so I would add 4 buckets of HOT water to my larger bucket. I use an old diaper pail, which is the perfect size and fits nicely in my laundry room. Our little girls are still in diapers at night but we go through so few now that the pail is redundant. One thing about growing children, this is ONE area that I’m not feeling bittersweet about, saying goodbye to diapers.

      It’s important you find a bucket with a lid because if your kids are like mine, they will drop things inside, plus there is always the concern of children drowning in buckets with liquid. (or animals)

       

       

       

      Once you have filled your large bucket with 40 cups of HOT water, (Step 4), you can add 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of washing soda and 1 cup of your oxi clean product. Mix them in the water until they have dissolved really well.

      Step 5. You can now add the foamy soapy water mixture from you pan. Be careful as this can easily splash and burn you. My little one is looking on so I was being very slow and careful as I poured it into the bucket. I normally make this after the kids are in bed for the night. It takes even less time and it’s all ready to go in the morning when I start washing all over again.

      And now for the final step, (Step 6) mix it ALL really well. I use a long wooden spoon to stir it.

       

      That’s it! Close the lid and leave it over night to set up.

      In the morning you will find that it has thickened considerably and has a layer of gel like soap on the top. I mix it again really well and at this point I add my essential oil to the mix. Lavender is my all time favourite as it’s also a disinfectant but you can choose whatever you would like…or nothing at all. Personally, I love the ivory along with the lavender but let your nose be your guide.

      The final thing I do, is put some detergent into a reusable jug above my washer and dryer. If I have to pre-soak some extra dirty clothes before washing, the jug makes it easy for me to grab. I have a sink next to my washing machine and I keep a bucket there for any items that need to pre-soak. I have to tell you that I use this detergent to clean our children’s all in one, Kawaii’s cloth diapers without any problem. They have never lost their absorbency and they wash up beautifully. I always pre-soak the diapers before washing as well in this mixture.

      For my HE washing machine, I just add whatever amount needed depending on the load of clothes I’m washing.

      Two scoops usually does the job. The scoop I use is shown above, next to the jug of detergent.

      Happy Washing! I’m grateful to have a laundry basket full of dirty clothes. When my kids come in from outside dirty, I know they have been having fun.

      Well, that was a good days work and boy am I ready for those clean sheets tonight.

      Thanks for joining me today. Let me know whether I have converted you to the cleaner/greener side of life.

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

      Blessings from Hope

      Black Bean Veggie Burger~Homemade Burger Buns

      / Lee Reynolds

      It’s around the table and in the preparation of food that we learn about ourselves and about the world.
      ~Alice Waters~

      It’s a gorgeous September Saturday here in the Okanagan. Welcome!

      View of Kalamalka lake from our deck

      I’m thinking it’s the perfect day to prepare my black bean burgers so they are all ready to barbecue tonight.

      Please come in and join me in my kitchen and we can prepare them together.

      The first thing we need to do is saute 1 large onion in a skillet with about a tbsp of oil.

      Once onions are tender and translucent, place in a large mixing bowl and let them cool.

      When they have cooled, add the following ingredients:

      1 clove garlic, minced
      1 tbsp cumin
      11/2 tbsp chili powder
      1-19 ounce can of black beans, drained, rinsed and roughly pureed
      1 tsp oregano
      1/4 cup parsley or cilantro, chopped
      2 tbsp sesame oil
      1/2 cup almonds, roasted and chopped
      1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and chopped
      3 cups of fine bread crumbs
      1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
      5 eggs
      2 cups grated carrots
      2 cups of oats

      Mix all ingredients really well,

      I like to add my eggs one at a time and mix really well.

      then shape into patties. Dredge lightly in flour.

      These burgers hold their shape really well and make enough for my large family plus lots to freeze for another night

      You can cook these burgers a number of ways. You can bake them in the oven on a greased pan at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or you can heat vegetable oil in a large pan and brown them on each side until they are heated through and ready to eat. We like to barbecue them. They keep their shape and often I’m grilling zucchini, corn etc to serve along with the burgers.

      Tonight, since I have some red dynasty cabbage still in my garden, I’m making a coleslaw to accompany them.

      We like to slather guacamole on our buns, along with  tomato and lettuce…I like mine totally loaded with everything I’ve listed plus some red onion. Let your imagination with toppings inspire you.

      Since the burger has cumin and chili powder in it, it’s got a southern flair and I like to serve some tortilla chips on the side with lots of guacamole for me, some of our kids like salsa

      It is so rewarding making the burgers, the buns and the slaw all from scratch…Delicious too!

      If you want to make your own buns like we do…here is my easy to make burger bun recipe..although I also use this recipe for dinner buns all year round as well…with my burger buns I just make them a bit bigger and the recipe below makes about 10 BIG buns.

      Hope’s quick and easy burger buns

      Ingredients:

      Serves: 12-15
      • 4 1/2cups flour
      • 4 1/2teaspoons dry yeast
      • 1 cup milk
      • 3/4cup water
      • 1/2cup margarine or butter
      • 1/3-1/2cup white sugar
      • 1/2teaspoon salt
      • (opt: cheddar cheese, dill, rosemary, or any herb you would like)

      Directions:

        1. Mix 2 C flour& yeast in a large bowl.
        2. In a separate bowl, heat milk, water, oil, sugar& salt to lukewarm in microwave.
        3. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough (2 – 2 1/2 Cups).
        4. Add grated cheese or herb of choice is you wish here…
        5. Mix well until dough is soft and slightly sticky, then turn out onto floured surface and let rest under a large greased bowl for about 15 minutes.
        6. Form into balls, top with sunflower seeds and ground flax and let the buns sit on a baking sheet for a further 45 minutes to rise.
        7. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 12-15 minutes.
          Side note, I like to add a mix of ground flax seed and oats and sprinkle them on the top of these buns before they start to rise…you can you any combination of seeds etc of your choice. My kids also like a cheesy bun so I will also put grated cheese on top as well as in the mix. The smell in the kitchen is fragrant and homey. I’m so glad you came today and joined me in preparing food for our families.

      Finally I should say if you have a large gang like I do this recipe makes enough for one meal AND another to freeze for another night. (which we busy moms need) I made 16 large burgers from my recipe today and they are BIG, the little kids just eat 1/2 a burger each.

      I made some homemade lemonade to accompany the dinner tonight. It’s an end of summer celebration

      I want to thank my friend Alison  for inspiring me to make these burgers. When the twins were newborn, she came over with a large container full of delicious food, along with freezer bags full of black bean burgers and lentil burgers. Lemon pound cake…oh it was absolutely the BEST gift a new mom could receive.  I know I phoned her to thank her but I don’t  think I ever told her how AMAZING it was to receive. Since then, black bean burgers are our regular summer fare and take me right back to when the babies were tiny and I needed to eat A LOT to keep my milk supply strong.

      So this post is dedicated to her and other generous people who go out of their way to give of themselves. Don’t even get me started about my best friend Tamara, who brought me tons of healthy muffins, even though she lived a days drive away from me when the twins were born.

      These are the earth angels surrounding me and they inspire me to give back. How can you help another person as the summer ebbs away? Maybe you can make a batch of black bean burgers for your family and give the other 1/2 of the batch to a new neighbour, or friend in need or invite a new family to join you for dinner.

      To Alison and Tamara, you are earth angels!  Thank you for being there and helping me stay healthy when our twins arrived. People like you are the light workers we need on earth.

      Thanks to my blog readers for joining me today.

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

      Blessings from Hope

      We May Never Pass This Way Again

      / Lee Reynolds
       
      Will takes his sisters safely across the parking lot to preschool….me snapping pictures and weeping over how bittersweet this moment truly is. This is the last time I take any of my children to their first day of preschool
      When we arrived at preschool I could hear this weird booming sound and it wasn’t until we got across the parking lot and passed some parked cars that we saw the source. These two beagles were howling for their humans…probably their little humans who were starting preschool for the first time. The girls thought they were enchanting as the dogs wagged their tails madly. What a great greeting on the first day of preschool!
      Although our children’s preschool has changed a lot in the 20 years since our oldest attended,
      this sign has never changed but reminds me how many firsts and lasts I have experienced and how much I have changed

      Our youngest daughters, Victoria Hope and Kathryn Mira, started preschool this week. When did they grow up? It’s hard to believe this will be the last time I experience the “first” day of preschool with our children.

      Victoria and Kathryn are so “BECITED” to start preschool…that is Victoria’s word btw

      “This time will never come again,” is a mantra I have been humming to myself lately. Although we have two years of preschool stretching out ahead of us, with pumpkin patch field trips and all sorts of parties and special events. Before I know it, our little ones will be moving on to big kid school.

      (Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.  ~William Butler Yeats)

      The first day of preschool is now behind me.

      I remember when they were tiny, coming home from the hospital at 41/2 and 5 pounds.  I hovered over them, watching their eyes open for awhile, take in the world and then close with exhaustion. It took so much of their energy to just eat. As I fed them, I marveled over their delicate fingers and the down on the tops of their heads. I breathed in their sweet scent and as I fed them, I wished them to grow stronger and bigger so that this day would come. And now it too is past.

      As you know many of my blog posts of late have been about our older children moving away from home and many would think our twin daughters are still years away from that and what’s the big deal, but having that experience allows me the perspective of knowing how fast time flies. With me, it’s always about LETTING GO! Is this only me or do we all experience this?

      I do feel like I have been given such a gift to have raised a whole generation of older children and now I have the wisdom of hind sight, which I hope garners me wise enough to parent our last children with this knowledge. I will try to be more gentle on myself and on them.

      So as I settle in to the fact that all of our children are out in the world, in one way or another, I’m going to treasure all these firsts and lasts and be really conscious each moment knowing, we will never come this way again.

      When I was pregnant with the twins I used to call them my little ladybugs babies. They were due on June 14th 2011 but came a month early on May 20th..the Victoria Day long weekend….Ladybug season!

      When I was thinking about a life philosophy I could pass onto my daughters (actually all our children) it would be in this poem called, Desiderata. Have you read it? It was popular when I was growing up. Many times over the years as I wondered why I was here on earth. I would recite, “I’m a child of the Universe, no less than the trees and the stars and I have the right to be here.”

      I want my children to head out into the world with this belief in their heart, or at the very least in their back pack, so they can dig it out now and then and find something that speaks to them.

       Desiderata
      Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
      As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
      Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant; they too have their story.
      Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
      If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter;
      for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
      Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
      Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
      Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.
      But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals;
      and everywhere life is full of heroism.
      Be yourself.
      Especially, do not feign affection.
      Neither be critical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.
      Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
      Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings.
      Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
      You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
      you have a right to be here.
      And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
      Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be,
      and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
      With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.
      Max Ehrmann 1927©

      Sigh…..isn’t that GREAT!

      When I was loading my itunes the other day I came across an old Seals and Crofts song (yes I’m dating myself here) I loved growing up. Little did I know how profound it would be to say goodbye to our children, whether they are starting preschool for the first time, heading off to University in another city or flying to the U.K. to start their new life. Knowing how precious the time is makes you stay right in the moment and yes, sometimes weep but often rejoice in the beauty of it all.

      Fly little lady bugs! 

       

      Our Little Lady bugs, Kathryn and Victoria

       


                For we may never pass this way again

       

      (If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to connect with this YouTube video, if so, please click this link,  .it’s Seals and Croft’s song, “I May Never Pass This Way Again.”

      Thank you for sharing in more of my letting go moments.

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

      Blessings from Hope

      The Magic in the Music

      / Lee Reynolds / 1 Comment

      We only have so much time with our children and then we are gone. Whatever imprint we want to leave on them, whatever wisdom we want to share, the moments are ticking by.

      I remember when our first baby Alyssa Rae was born and I was alone with her day in and day out. All alone. After years of working in an busy office setting, surrounded by co-workers, clients and daily expectations, all of a sudden the days stretched out like an eternity.

      There was just she and me, I and her, sharing our days. I wished I had told her more what a beautiful baby she was, how special she was, how proud I was of her. I wished I had told her she was perfect just as she was and I hadn’t felt so driven over the years to register her into every activity available for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school age, teens, etc. just so our days would be full and busy. I wished we had done nothing but enjoy the simplicity of her childhood and all the magic that was held within. That we had cuddled in bed lost in books, that we had gone on more nature walks and eaten popcorn for dinner, that we had sat dreaming together over tea, toast and jam.

      Sadly, my childhood imprinted on her. The loss and grief I had experienced, settled on her heavily without any words spoken. I wanted her to experience everything I had desired as a child, yet little did I know the message she was receiving was, “she wasn’t good enough, bright enough, talented enough.” Without the extra curricular activities that she was registered in, she somehow felt less than as a result. My childhood fear filtered through her and she felt unworthy.

      I wished I had taken the time to listen to her and what she wanted. I wished I had taken the time to tell her that just being my baby was enough. She wasn’t even my baby after all, I was only her caretaker for awhile, but oh, she brought so much to my life when she arrived. It was immeasurable.

      The moment she was born was the ONLY life lesson she ever needed to teach me and yet even now here she is, still “teaching” me by being out in the world, so brave and strong. Thanks Alyse, for sharing this beautiful YouTube video clip (blog friends see below) and inspiring me with your shining soul.

      Alyssa, ready to take off and fly  

       
      The hourglass has turned and my daughter is off to start her own life in the U.K.

      I love this video. (see below)  Not just because of the powerful message, BUT I also love violin music. So much so, that I registered two of our sons in violin and one in cello and encouraged them to play for YEARS, just so I could be surrounded by my favourite instruments playing all the time. (My father played violin too) I like to believe that they appreciated learning to play these beautiful classical instruments but they have also told me to a degree, they continued to play to make me happy.

       

      To my sons I say, keep playing your beautiful music,  let it spill out of your luminous souls and guess what, you never have to worry about your bow hold again!

       

      The last day the kids were all together before Alyssa left for the U.K.

      To all of my children, I say,

      “YOU
              are 
                    LOVED “

      Knowing that will echo out into eternity……………………………………………………………………….

      And here now is, “The Maker”

      (please note, for my blog friends who are using an Apple product, you may not be able to view this video, if so try the link above to the YouTube video, “The Maker”….I hope you can view it as it’s AMAZING!)

       

      To my dear blog friends, you ARE loved too.

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Green Energy Drink~Elixir to Radiant Health

      / Lee Reynolds

       

      Yummy kale in our garden

      As you know from my last couple of posts, I’m a homeschooling mama now and since I know many of my friends are also in the same boat, I thought I would do a post on the energy elixir I discovered a number of years ago.

      I started thinking about this being the perfect blog post last night as I was plugging in my cell phone to charge it for the evening and I was thinking, “wouldn’t it be cool if we mamas could re-charge our batteries so easily.” Cell phones are a crucial way of staying connected in our fast paced lives but when they run out of charge they are useless.

      Mothers are useless as well when they run out of steam. They are the back bone of society and are true warriors as caring for children and the family is a 24/7 job. Being a mother is daunting and overwhelming at times and often all that keeps us going is coffee and sticky kisses. Personally, I don’t partake in coffee, so the kisses have to be REALLY good. At the very least we need respite care to re-charge our drained batteries.

      Yes, sleep is one way to rejuvenate and restore ourselves but I only get a really deep sleep every now and then these days as there is always someone up and about in the evenings. If it isn’t an older child waking me as they come home late, (I sleep with one eye open until all my chicks are in the nest) or a little one with a night terror, it’s me, getting up to attend to my urgent bladder of which has never been the same since the twins birth. So, yeah, me and sleep, let’s just say we are passing strangers in the night.

      Then there is something to be said for meditating.


      The practice of which helps us reconnect with our soul, which is eternal and when we connect with the deepest part of ourselves, which is creative energy at it’s core, we can fill the tanks nicely. You have to get in the groove though and seated meditation isn’t the easiest thing to do when you are a mama as it requires sitting STILL, and you either have to get up earlier than your kids (in my house that means I’m up before the birds) or stay up late at night which I do, do…but often I’m writing or reading. Still, this is a great way to re-charge at the soul level and I think people who meditate a lot look ageless.

      Then there is always doing something outside your comfort zone which stimulates and excites you. Have you ever taken a course even though you didn’t think you could find the energy and somehow you  are walking on air and looking at your life through new lenses?

      Well those are all great ways to energize yourself but what I’m proposing is giving your body some juice (literally and figuratively) to boost your energy.

      I don’t know about you but we ate really healthy this summer. LOTS of different salads and various veggies from our garden. Most days our treats were all the summer fruits available in our area of the world. We did however eat our fair share of ice cream and baked treats. I knew Alyssa and Mitchell would be leaving home in August and I wanted to give them all their fav desserts. We had carrot cake, brownies, lemon pound cake, date squares, oh the list goes on and on. I know as I was waving goodbye to our beautiful children I was feeling sluggish and it wasn’t solely a deep sadness but was my body saying I had to let go of a few pounds and find balance again.

      Now we are all different but what I discovered 10 years ago was when I indulge in any dairy products, anything processed and definitely sugary type foods, my body reacts strongly and I feel exhausted. When I was trying to conceive in my early 40’s, I had read when we assist our liver by clearing toxins out of our diet, our hormones balance and work more efficiently. A side benefit was having great skin, glossy hair, beautiful nails and hey, I looked younger too. I think I have found the green elixir to ageing gracefully.

      So if you are in need of an energy boost, want to lose a few pounds or even look younger, head out into your garden (or check out your local farmer’s market) and gather as many colourful vegetables as you can find and join me back in my kitchen.

      When you start your homestead, plant your fruit first because it takes a number of years for them to produce. This is the first year that we allowed apples to grow on our three year old trees…This is our Spartan apple tree.

       

      A bowl full of energy, carrots, parsley, kale, swiss chard, and apples.

      Now if you know me or have read my blog at all, you will know that I’m not a high maintenance type of gal. Last fall when D gave me a new compost bin, you would think he had given me a diamond ring for how ecstatic I was, so when he gave me a Champion juicer for my birthday a number of years ago, I WAS BEYOND thrilled. Plus, our family has benefited with greater health.

      If you don’t have a juicer (yet…I hope my post convinces you to buy one) you can certainly buy some green powder, or go and become a wheat grass junkie at your local health food store (like I used to be) …that is the next thing I dream of…a wheat grass extractor with a fridge in the garage to store my wheat grass trays….it will come.

      I found a great powder by Webber Naturals at Costco for a great price ($25.00) and often this is what I start my day with. I shake up a cupful and drink it about 1/2 hour before I eat my oatmeal which aids in the digestion and jump starts my day. Below my breakfast of choice.

      When I make my oatmeal, I also add a scoop of 8 grain cereal to the cooked oatmeal, along with some ground flax seed. Then I go crazy with walnuts, almonds, cranberries, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or frozen fruit I keep for my smoothies. I find that when we are in a rush and if I’m wanting the little kids to eat their oatmeal fast, then I add the frozen fruit and it cools off the oatmeal quickly…although I like to savour my oatmeal before I start my day.

      Oh I like adding all sorts of things to my oatmeal…today there was soy yogurt, walnuts and bananas

      So if you don’t have a juicer, check out all the powder greens to give your liver a boost and help with your digestion. This one addition will give you a big boost.

      If you want to see what you are eating however, gather your vegetables, the skies the limit.

      Today, I gathered kale, apples fresh off our tree, parsley, swiss chard, cucumbers, carrots, and ginger. What I forgot, but I usually put in all my juices is some celery…but this is what I love about juicing, each time it’s a bit different. The ginger is a warming herb and great for digestion, plus gives it a zing.

       

       

      Parsley is a diuretic and great for your liver

      Here is my Champion juicer in action….you can put the pulp in your carrot muffins, yum!

      Oh look at that beautiful green colour!

        Cheers!
      To make silly cracker people, spread some hummus, add a cucumber slices, 1/2 a cherry tomato for eyes and a slice of apple for the mouth…the kids were moving the tomatoes around and laughing like crazy…food is fun!

      And voila! my afternoon snack with the kiddos. I drank the green juice but we all ate the crazy WASA cracker/hummus people. Our kids will drink a carrot, heavy to the apple and a tiny bit of ginger juice (apple/carrot zinger) but when I add too much of the green stuff they scrunch up their little noses. That’s okay. They eat their greens by way of broccoli, beans, cucumbers, etc. Their little bodies regenerate so fast and they haven’t the toxins built up from years of damage yet so they don’t have to eat pounds of organic vegetables to re-charge. We are certainly mentors when they see us chug our green drinks and chase them for a messy kiss with our green moustaches afterwards.

      I wish you could come over for a juice.  Although I think my friends Tamara, Jane, and Laura have partaken and certainly my sisters B and J have caught me juicing. They all know I have to stay young and energized to keep up with Will and the twins. Hey, and if you think that this may be too much, just try each day cutting up a bunch of veggies and over the course of the day munching on all that raw power. You will feel GREAT!

      Life is so good and needs all our enthusiasm and gusto to enjoy it.

      Here is a YouTube clip I found on juicing…if you are wanting to learn more check it out.

      (If you are using an Apple product, you may not be able to watch this video below, if so I hope this link works for you, “The Benefits of Juicing.“)

       

       

      Wishing you a radiant, energetic, life.

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Swimming in Water

      / Lee Reynolds

       

      On the heels of my blog post about homeschooling our children, I have been sent an inspiring message on what is the MOST important thing we can teach our children.

      To teach them to be conscious in the moment and to make choices on how they want to think about ANYTHING.

      If we can do that, well, we have done a BRILLIANT (a word recently picked up by my U.K. residing daughter) job.

      As we head into week two of the teacher’s strike, I’m going to relax and maybe hang out more in the pool, enjoying the last of the summer’s sunshine.

       

      Victoria and Kate, “Enjoying being together”

       

      Being Brave and jumping in the deep end even if you don’t know how to swim

      Victoria and Grace, 1, 2, 3, jump!

      Exploring the tools that can help you in life

      Kate, paddling around the pool with her noodle

      Wanting to see everything as you travel your path

      Will and his fav goggles

      Knowing you are surrounded by lots of people who love you

       

      Kate, Will and Tori
      I hope you find the following  YouTube video, “This is Water” as inspiring as I have…..and  thanks Alyssa (our oldest) for the link. You are a beautiful swimmer.

      (If you are not able to view the video below, I hope the following link will take you to the wonderful YouTube, video message, called, “This is Water.”)

      Have a nice day!

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

      Blessings from Hope

       

      Homeschooling Adventure

      / Lee Reynolds

      What is that saying? Watch what you wish for, or it just might come true.

      Well my wish has come true. Yes, I have been wishing for a farm for a few years now. I want space where we can grow enough food for our family to be sustainable. Land for animals to roam and enjoy life. Real farm animals that can provide things like eggs, milk, cheese. I have even day dreamed of homeschooling our children and wondered how they would develop if we allowed their innate curiosity and inquisitive minds to take the lead in their learning.

      Our Siamese cat, Ryuki thinks, “he’s animal enough!”

      It looks like my second wish is coming true and I’m currently homeschooling our young ‘uns. I hadn’t quite pictured how this would unfold or even come about. It wasn’t like this was my BIG wish either. But still, I had sent it out into the Universe and here it is. This is the cool part about putting your wish out there…wherever “there” is. Once you send it out, the vibration of that dream is picked up but you have NO CONTROL over when it comes to pass, or how it will transpire.

      Case in point, I had no idea that the teachers would go on an extended strike with the Province in order for my wish to come true this September.WOW!

      But no matter how things manifest, my dream has come true. I’m a homeschooling mama! Albeit without the farm, without the cool farm animals. (Although Ryuki, our Siamese cat…picture above would say, he is animal enough!) I know it’s coming. If you don’t know me by now, here is my daily mantra….”trust and let go.”

      So yeah! We are on day 2 of our homeschooling foray and I’m EXHAUSTED!

      I have to start reading some homeschooling blogs to figure how in the heck they do it. This is the hardest thing I have ever done. It’s right up there with keeping our newborn twins alive in the first year of their life, while taking care of the 6 older ones, without any outside help.

      After that I thought I could do anything. And while yes, I am a warrior, this homeschooling gig has it’s limits. I’m on day 2 and like my daughter said this morning when she woke up, “do we have to still do this?”

      First of all, just getting up at 7 am, after having had a summer of sleeping a bit later (like 8 am with our three little ones) has been really hard. Of course it doesn’t help that I often stay up into the wee hours to read or write. But, gesh a mama has to have a life. Getting up an hour earlier is a killer. Do you think regular homeschoolers sleep in?

      Then the other issue is, while I’m homeschooling, I’m not attending to any of my chores, like working in the garden, cleaning the house, doing my laundry, AND my little work crew are not assisting with any jobs either. Thank heavens, it’s rained off and on the last two days so I haven’t been stressed about watering the garden, harvesting or collecting seeds.

       

      Dill seed is just one of the herbs I want to save

      While the rain and cooler weather has been a good thing in that the kids feel like fall is coming and returning to structured learning is part of the package, I cringe to think of the weather changing back to a warmer trend since they will probably want to have friends over to our swimming hole.

      Anyway, that is my rant of the day and right now I’m not too thrilled with our Provincial government because they just don’t get how tough teaching our kids is. One of the big issues on the table is class size and classroom support because in any given class there can be a 1/3 of the students that have various learning challenges.

       

      Grace working on a math worksheet but she also likes the IXL web site for math

       

      Practicing flute and piano

       

      Grace looking up flute music on the computer..which makes homeschooling so easy

       

      Harrison plays drums, ukelele and violin…I know a weird combination right?

      After spending two days with my crew, who are all like little sponges and as far as I know not even dyslexic, this is a huge task. So right now, I’m on the side of the teachers but if they stay out for much longer, yeah, yawn!, I may be swayed to side with the government.

      The biggest part of homeschooling is keeping the little ones busy and occupied.

       

      What I love about homeschooling though is you can drop everything and just paint.

       

       

      I like the level one readers as they learn their sight words easily
      Also, the Leap Pad  Explorer has been a great tool for introducing math and reading to young ones
      Another side benefit to homeschooling is all the great bonding that happens

      Enough said about all that, you know what I’m doing, so if I’m not writing regularly, it’s ’cause I’m SPENT at the end of the day, when I normally have some time/energy to hit the keyboard.

      What I REALLY wanted to talk about was my initial title, “Watch what you Wish For,” and all that THAT, entails.

      If you have read much of my blog, or know me in person, you will know that I fell in love with a piece of property that is about 30 minutes from our current homestead. The house was absolutely PERFECT for us. A large Cape Cod style home with bedrooms for everyone, or space to renovate to create that. The interior was decorated in my favourite colours and the flow of the house was well suited for our family and their various ages and genders.

      The property was perfect too. Almost 18 acres, some in pasture, some in woods, some garden space. They even had the kind of chickens that I wanted already living in the back yard! The thing that resonated with my heart was the fact that this was an established Christmas tree farm. An environmentally friendly farm at that. Could it get any better than that!

      Now if you don’t already know me, I have to tell you that Christmas is MY fav season. I love Christmas trees most of all. We have four Christmas trees in our house every holiday season. We have one in our Hobbit’s Hollow play room/media room, (sometime soon I’m going to tell you about our Hobbit’s Hollow and creating unusual space) then two fancier ones on the main floor. The kids even have one, in the hall, outside of their bedrooms.

      The first time we toured the farm, I walked amongst the trees, stretched my arms to touch their branches and smelled the forest filled scent, I knew I had found my new home. For some strange reason I thought the house would just wait for us, until we could prepare our house for sale, list it and then sell it. Well it had been on the market almost a year when we first toured it and it was not cheap so we thought it may not move as fast and my husband thought also they may be more motivated to sell once we finally made an offer. Everything seemed right about it and things for the longest time seemed to be falling into place for us to move in that direction.

      The week, we were going to list our house, was a week full of trials and tribulations. Something always seemed to be going wrong. Our older children were extra needy with their commitments to their various summer jobs, the fitness gym and their social life. So while we drove them around to fulfill their commitments and desires, it just made it harder to complete that last bit of painting, repairs, final de-cluttering projects etc. around our house. Also, D,  my hard working husband, found out he had to go out of town for a few days which added more stress to the whole mix. I felt like I was doing it all but hey, it was my dream to sell and move
      .
      On top of all that, our neighbour, who has lived across the street from us for 17 years, and has never asked us to help her with anything, came over and asked if we could care for her plants and yard while she was gone for a week. I just smiled and said yes but gesh, could the Universe throw anything more our way. I was having enough problems keeping my yard looking great during our heat wave and now I had her yard to care for as well. Yikes!

      As it turned out, her outside potted plants were all over the place and in little pots which meant they dried out really fast in our Okanagan heat. Also, although she had an “automatic” sprinkler system, the automatic part was that you had to turn on and off the zones manually. It was taking an hour and a half every day to water her plants and yard. More than I could afford, but what could I do?

      On top of all that, several of our children didn’t want to move at all and were putting up protests as the listing date got closer and closer. Almost daily, I would hear a complaints from each one but at different times asking, why do we have to do this.  Then I would have to stop and address their individual concerns, explaining my case for moving and how it would benefit our whole family.  It’s tough to convince kids, who have lived in the same house their whole life, that moving away from neighbourhood friends is a good thing. I felt like I was hitting a wall each day during that time.

      As the week progressed, I was becoming more stressed. I wasn’t eating properly, I was hardly drinking water as I ran around taking care of our neighbours yard and our own. (I won’t get into my kidney stone condition too much here but suffice it to say that drinking water is crucial or I end up in the emergency room) On top of that I was just trying to keep our house clean, let alone get it staged for the listing agent’s arrival. (have you ever tried to stage a house with 8 kids?)

      My gut was telling me that something wasn’t right. When there is so much tension, so much stress, nothing good can ever come in that state. It isn’t the state of allowing. So when our real estate agent came to list our house, he forewarned us that there were negotiations underway on our farm as we spoke and although there was no offer accepted, there was an interested party.

      We wouldn’t know for a week though as that was the closing date for the offer on the table. We decided not to list our house though until we knew for sure whether the farm was still available. After all there was nothing else that we were remotely interested in that would house our large family and meet my farm dreams. We waited.

      Everywhere I went that week I found feathers. Will even found a few for me and since he too believes they are messages from our angels, he would get really excited when he found one and say, “look mommy, let’s make a wish.” I had pockets full of feathers that week. Now I have to share a back story on the feather thing. Several years ago, when I was trying to conceive and hitting walls, I read a book about connecting with angels.  In that book it mentioned one of the ways  angels tell us they are near is by sending us feathers. So whenever I see feathers now, I know I’m not alone. As I pick up the feather, the first thing that pops into my head, is their message to me, then I whisper “thank you.”

      Have you been finding feathers?

      (I thought I would share the above Youtube video on finding feathers… I’m an angel believer. If you are an Apple user, you may not be able to view the video so I hope this link will help you, click on,“Finding Feathers, signs from your angels”)

      That week, I found an inordinately large amounts of feathers. They were everywhere! What I heard from my intuition/heart/soul/gut, from my “my angels”… was it was going to be okay but that my farm was not going to be mine after all. Sure enough, a week later our real estate agent called to say, after a year and half on the market, our farm finally received an offer and it was accepted. It would not be mine. Interestingly enough, it sold for the amount that we were thinking we would be willing to pay for it.

      Anyway, the story doesn’t end there, oh no, sorry, you know me and novellas. When our neighbour returned from her week away, she brought over this big bag. I was at a loss as to what she had wrapped up as it was large and heavy. As I opened the top of the bag and looked inside, I could not believe my eyes.

      Inside was a beautiful blue spruce tree in a glossy red ceramic pot. A Christmas colour for sure. When I told our neighbour all about losing the Christmas tree farm and how receiving this tree was like a sign not to give up “hope,”  she was rather amazed, since as she was thinking of what to give us as a thank you, a tree popped into her mind and seemed to be the perfect gift. It made me cry because my farm was gone and I had no place to plant it but the tears flowed also because someone was listening to my wishes and wanting to send me comfort. Just knowing “that” was EVERYTHING.

      This is the blue spruce gift our neighbour gave us.

      The meaning of the blue spruce tree is, Trust God

      About a week later, we hosted a “long in coming” family re-union at our house with my three older sisters and most of their families. My sister C heard how sad I was about losing the farm but also of how our neighbour had given us such a beautiful gift. She told me that trees all have their own meanings. I had no idea. She said when she was in Scotland, she purchased a tree for each of her sons which were planted in an environmentally enhanced farm that provides a space for people who want to plant meaningful trees, who don’t have the space. Also, now her sons have trees planted just for them in Scotland. She chose trees with unique meanings for each of her boys.

      The next day I looked up, “Blue Spruce” and found that it means, “TRUST GOD.”

      Wow! It gives me shivers just thinking of it now because that was another message along with my feathers. To not give up hope and to trust God.

      Yeah, I didn’t get my Christmas tree farm but I am homeschooling my children right now and I know the farm is coming. I just don’t know what it’s going to look like or how it’s going to come to us. Have you ever felt that anticipating something is even more fun than finally getting it? That is how I’m choosing to look at my big WISH now. I know it’s coming but while I’m waiting, I’m going to be grateful for what I have been given, (oh so very much!) and be joyful in the moment. Life is so good!

      And that reminds me of a quote that I love:

      “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
      ― Eleanor Roosevelt

      The only thing I’m thinking now and maybe the Provincial government and the teachers have not factored this into their extended dispute, is that some people like me, who were on the fence with regards to homeschooling, may now have the opportunity to try it out and grow to love it.

      Day three awaits.

      I think we are all going to sleep in tomorrow!

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

      Blessings from Hope