Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. ~Neil Postman~ (The Disappearance of Childhood (introduction), 1982) Mitchell and Emily, his grad date and guitar partner In a blink of an eye our children grow up. In a blink, the bike is still Yesterday was my son …
Yum! I love basil pesto. One basil plant growing in my garden…I have lots! I discovered my love for pesto when my new friend Susan, whom I met while working at D.S. Gardens this past spring, brought it to our employee luncheon party. Although the picnic table was loaded with delicious and healthy food, …
Welcome to Lakelin Reach Urban Homestead. It’s late August and everything is over flowing and some things, like our tomatoes are requiring daily harvesting and processing. Now I’m questioning whether 16 plants was too many for our family of 10, well actually, soon to be a family of 8 living in our home now …
“Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.” ~ Jackie Windspear ~ This evening my day 16 meditation was titled, Radiating Grace. As Deepak spoke on the definition of Grace, I was thinking how I have experienced it deeply in my life. Our daughter, aptly named …
One of my fav songs….Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (If you can’t view this video above, check out this link to the song, “Teach Your Children, by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young”) One of my web board friends just wrote a post on our parenting support board regarding how scared she …
This plaque in my bathroom reminds me daily to “Count My Blessings” For a few weeks now a blog post has been composting inside my head. It started when our 18 year old son Mitchell came home after being out really late, to tell us that there had been a little mishap with …
Last night I finally got back to my “Expanding Happiness” meditation challenge with Oprah and Deepak and guess what the theme was for where I left off? “Hope” of course. In case you are not following along with the meditation program, I thought I would share this one with you. If you are, then you …
When our now 5 year old son, Will started preschool 2 years ago, I thought there may be some serious adjustment issues because on day one, when he was introduced to his new teacher he immediately gave her a huge hug. I thought it was loving and kind and watched with joy but I …
As I grieve over the fact that our oldest daughter has moved to the other side of the world and I miss her terribly, I realize that I can’t just lay in bed and be sad. The thing about having other children is that you have no choice. You have to get up and …
Life around the homestead has been busier than usual this past week as we have been helping our oldest daughter prepare to leave home. Although she has been in and out of the proverbial nest for the last 6 years while she has been attending the University of Victoria, this trip is the big take …
What makes you happy? For me, chocolate is right up there. Up there with eating chocolate, is making something chocolatey for someone I love. So on the heels of expanding my happiness quotient, I decided to share my recipe for Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies, CHOCOLATE, ice cream sandwich cookies. Just for you. Expanding happiness everywhere. …
Are you ready for a big boost of joy? Today is the beginning of another meditation challenge with the Chopra Center. Have you participated in group meditation before? I did my first meditation with Oprah and Deepak a few years ago and it was life changing. I have meditated “solo-fully” many times before however receiving …
It’s Friday fun night and I’m planning to make a pizza or two for my crowd. We have chicken left over from last night so I’m thinking my weight lifting teenagers will opt for that instead of “peasant food” which is what our oldest son calls pizza. Then he regales us with the history of …
I often get asked by friends and acquaintances, “how do you do it?” I know what they are talking about when they see me out with our twin daughters and our youngest son, knowing we have a household full of kids at home as well. They make an additional comment that usually goes like this, …
What to do with all the stuff that families accumulate? I was a little kid in the 60’s and a teenager in the 70’s. What I remember of those times were that peace and love were big (a couple of my older sisters were “hippies…one even had a Volkswagon bus) and in the 70’s …
Hello, how nice to see you, please come in as I was just making some refreshing Sun Ice Tea. Here is everything I need to make my tea: I have this large old pickle jar that I fill with boiling water. I then add whatever tea that I’m craving. I’m showing David’s tea summer sampler …
Okay, maybe it was crazy to start a blog and start writing about my homestead right in the middle of summer. I mean, gesh, as though I’m not busy enough with my 8 kids, summer camps, having family come to visit, agreeing to take care of the neighbour’s flowers (and I’m not talking about …
Zucchini Bread~Zucchini Chocolate Cake~Summer’s Bounty Read More »