Cinnamon Raisin Bread~Inspiration

January 25, 2016March 1, 2018 / Lee Reynolds

“Deep quiet encircles, covering us in a soft blanket of endless peace and warmth, but underneath, something is stirring, inspiration is growing and soon it will shine it’s light.” ~Lee Reynolds~

January is still very much with us, with it’s endless cold days and drifts of snow covering our world. We are out almost daily. Work, school, after school activities, grocery shopping, all do not stop, even though my inner voice says to be quiet, still, restore myself, and listen from within. Yesterday, I heeded that call, and thankfully, it was Saturday and the day was completely ours.

There was food in the house, no birthday parties to attend, no Saturday skating lessons, no basketball practice, and my husband David was out of town on business, and not beckoning the kids to ski with him. Besides, a few of the kids have had an annoying cough that lingers and lingers. I had kept Will home from grade one on Thursday and Friday to see if he would recover faster. A day relaxing, doing whatever our heart desires was appealing. And so we all went with it.

After Harrison”s successful bread making session the previous week, and our children’s quick consumption of said bread, I decided it was my turn to create some comfort food. I didn’t want to make plain ‘ole bread again though. I wanted something even more memorable. That is when my eyes found the cinnamon in the spice cupboard.

. “The spirit of delight comes in small ways”
~Robert Louis Stevenson~

Memories of Christmas holidays past flooded through me as I recalled baking cinnamon buns with our oldest daughter Alyssa, who for the last 2 years has been in London on her grand adventure. Ever since she was a year old and still small enough to fit in my kitchen sink, we have been baking cinnamon buns together on Christmas eve. Watching her delightful smile as she bit into the first mouthful of bun, made the day long baking effort worthwhile. When I think of her, I think of books, cats and cinnamon.

My mom Ethel was a lover of cinnamon too. I can remember as a teenager, mom taking plain old bread, spreading butter on top, sprinkling sugar and cinnamon and toasting the pieces in the oven until the house was rich with a spicy aroma. She would cut the bread in strips and I would dunk pieces of cinnamon toast into decadent hot cocoa. Those were the days we lived in a century old home in the Creston Valley. Some of my favourite childhood memories were from my days living in the Kootenays.

From experience, I know it’s those simple things that create a memorable childhood. Something I desire to create for my children. And so, while we don’t live in an historic house, just a 25 year old California rancher, that has been renovated to appear “old school” inside, we can make lasting memories.

I know we can still create that feeling with food, music, candles lit at dinner time, and old fashion entertainment, like playing cards, telling stories, curled up in bed reading books and something my kids did all day yesterday afternoon as I baked….building with blocks.

If you want to join me in making 3 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread, scroll down, but before we start to bake I wanted to share a few exciting events that have come across my path in the last week.

Moments of Inspiration

While at the little girls “Strong Start,” program last week, I was talking to the teacher and was asking her what she had planned for the upcoming Spring. One of the things she was excited about was a program called, “Hatch a Chick.” With funding money, she has arranged for fertile eggs to be brought into the class where they will stay warm in a table top incubator. The eggs remain in the class for 21 days, until they hatch. Once the chicks have hatched, they are put into a brooder box with a heat lamp and they remain in the classroom for 5 days to allow the kids to observe them. At that time, the farm from where they originate, takes them back. I had heard about this program last fall and I have been hinting, STRONGLY, that this is something I wanted to do. (our local Teach and Learn store provides these kits)

Later that same day, I went in to pick up William from school and I started chatting with his grade one teacher. During the conversation I happened to ask if she knew about the, “Hatch a Chick” program and she became very excited and motioned me over to her laptop computer. On the screen was a sticky note that said, “order chicks.” I had to laugh over the timing. It never fails to surprise me when the Universe presents an opportunity that will bring a dream of mine to fruition.

I went home and asked David if we could purchase the program for the grade one class (saving Will’s teacher from having to ask for funding and maybe being turned down) AND if we could keep the chicks for our urban homestead once hatched. He was not thrilled. Sadly, he doesn’t share the same urban homesteading dream that I do. Yes, he likes the idea of growing more of our own food, he likes helping our environment by using less water, less non-renewable energy resources, he likes us composted our garden and kitchen wastes and recycling materials. He likes when we really think about our needs from our wants and consume accordingly. But when it comes to living animals….he is a reluctant urban farmer. It’s true the kids want pets but they aren’t thrilled about cleaning kitty litters or feeding their animals.We don’t have a dog but I’m sure it would be a fight to get them to walk one. When I assured him that I would be responsible for the chickens, he agreed. Sometimes your inspiration may effect other people and you have to figure out what they need to make it work for them.

So dear blog readers….I am excited to say, we are going to finally move a bit closer to becoming even more sustainable by having chickens in our urban backyard. FINALLY! Our subdivision is actually in a rural part of our larger city and the motto is, “rural living at it’s best.” I don’t exactly know what that means. Bigger lots perhaps, more privacy maybe, but for me it’s going to mean space to have some CHICKENS.

I will blog about it more of course as we are now talking about chicken coops and appropriate chicken runs, cool automatic watering systems and feeders. I have about 50 books on hold right now at our local library and I’m excited to plow through them all. I had no idea there were that many books even written about urban chicken keeping. The chicks are due to arrive around the end of April to the first of May…hopefully plenty of time to get a home built for them.

Another moment of Inspiration

The other thing that came up last week, is a writing workshop that I read about in our local paper. Right away, I was intrigued and knew I had to attend. When I read the facilitator is from Hope, B.C. (where I was born) and her writing has been inspired from that locale, that clinched it for me. The current book I’m working on was inspired by my time living in HOPE. Literally and figuratively.

In addition, the premise for the workshop will assist me in getting down and finishing my novel. But you know in your gut when things are right and everything is lining up don’t you? I felt little bubbles of joy bursting forth as I read the day of the workshop is on the day when the little girls schedule is free. For 4 year olds they are very busy. Swimming, skating, ballet, kindermusik and usually a morning at their Strong Start program as well.

Now all I needed to arrange was someone to care for them. I forwarded the workshop information to my husband and when he came home from work that night, he had not only booked off work so I could attend the workshop, but he had signed me as well.

Then there was a hiccup and I thought it wasn’t going to work for a bit. I received an email saying I was on the wait list. The promoters had apparently received more interest than they had planned so they finally decided to run a second session but the day I was interested in was totally booked up. I was sad but hopeful and finally, I received word that one participant had decided to move to the other day, freeing up room for me. I was JUBULIANT! Things work out when they are meant to be.

Then there was one more moment when I knew everything was perfect. Why I still need this sign I don’t know but David and I had gone to Harrison’s basketball game mid week. We had dropped him off early and we had a 1/2 hour to kill before the game. I suggested we drive over to a local coffee place and pick up a coffee for him and a latte for me. Now, this may not be a big deal for most people but we don’t treat ourselves normally. I was thinking how we could better spend the money. It all adds up. I was thinking about the deposit I had put on the chicken program, on my writing workshop and frankly I was concerned about money.

With these thoughts swirling in my brain, David and I returned to the high school gym and looked for a place to sit on the bleachers. The first section was already full when we arrived, so I motioned where we could go with my latte cup in hand. We climbed to the top of the bleachers so I could sit against the hanging gym mats and that is when I noticed something silver and shiny, sparkling behind my seat. It was a dime. Of course!

For those of you who don’t know me or who haven’t read my blog, I have to tell you that when I was de-cluttering and on my minimalism path last spring, I was finding dimes, EVERYWHERE. I took them a sign from my angels that we were moving in the right direction and money was always flowing into our lives. When I picked up this dime and showed it to David he just smiled. The next day David found out that he would have to go out of town for work on the weekend and of course, that would mean extra money coming into our home. Again, I am never surprised by how the Universe is ALWAYS working for the greater good, sending me inspiration and signs along the way that I am on the right path.

Everything that’s created comes out of silence. Your thoughts emerge from the nothingness of silence. Your words come out of this void. Your very essence emerged from emptiness. All creativity requires some stillness.

~Dr. Wayne Dyer~

Interestingly enough, I have been reading a book that my sister C had recommended last year. It finally came available from our local library and again, I couldn’t be more surprised over the timing. The book is called, “Big Magic,” and is written by Elizabeth Gilbert, who you may remember is the author of the popular best selling book, “Eat, Pray, Love.”

Image result for images of the book Big Magic by elizabeth gilbert

I loved that book. Recently, listening to CBC, I heard that some people thought it was too “navel gazing” which I thought was interesting. Maybe I’m not such an intellectual reader, as I thought it was uplifting and a sweet story.It made me want to cook authentic Italian food, and learn to speak the language, it made me want to meditate for long stretches and practice my yoga, it made me want to appreciate the love of my life a little bit more because, unlike Elizabeth who had to travel to Bali to find her love, mine has been walking closely beside me for most of my life. Sometimes we have to look into another person’s life to see what is in our own backyard.

Anyway, like “Eat, Pray, Love,” I am enjoying, “Big Magic”…..creative living beyond fear.” What is most timely about this book is that I’m currently reading it while living in the deep peace of winter, quiet and calm, but open to any and all opportunities the Universe is sending my way. Inspiration is always at my doorstep. Always knocking, asking, do you want this, experience that, adventure there? It’s up to me to be grateful for these opportunities and remember to always be thankful. To graciously say, “No, that isn’t for me,” or “yes, yes, YES, I wish to do or have that.”

I believe we are souls first, living an earthly experience. We have free will to make choices but if we stay connected to our soul, and shut out our ego, we are able to tap into the most creative part of ourselves while following life’s inspirations. We can be our best selves and live our greatest life.It’s all up to us.

Living IN SPIRIT is the true magic.

And now, it’s time to bake. Years ago, we had a bread maker which I thought was the cat’s meow….does that expression date me? It was great when we had a family of 4 but now that we have a family double that size and more, one tiny loaf of bread doesn’t go far. I gave our bread maker away years ago, as it was just sitting in my cupboard. I have learned to make homemade pizzas, homemade dinner buns, and over the years I would occasionally bake some bread, but I never found the perfect recipe, UNTIL recently. I have now moved into the realm of baking bread ever since Harrison made it last week for our family. Those four loaves of bread went faster than Will sledding down our driveway. .See my post called, “Sledding Soup and Homemade bread.” for the recipe.

Yesterday, I made something that I know will become a family favourite. I found the recipe on Foods.com website. When it was called the best Cinnamon Raisin Bread and received 5 stars, I thought that is exactly what I have been looking for. I was not disappointed……..here’s the link, “World’s Best Cinnamon Raisin Bread.”

I’ve written out the recipe on my blog with pictures so you can easily follow along….if you haven’t baked bread yet and want to make something that will surely be a winter comfort food, I hope you try this recipe….BE INSPIRED!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Ingredients Nutrition

Servings 36 Yield 3 loaves Units US

1 ¹⁄₂ cups milk
1 cup warm water (must be between 110-115 degrees)
2 (1/4 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 tbsp sugar
3 eggs
¹⁄₂ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup raisins
8 cups all purpose flour…I used 6 cups of white to 2 cups of whole wheat)
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted (approx.)

Directions

Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Let cool until lukewarm, about 120-125 degrees.

4. Dissolve the yeast in warm water with 1 tbsp of sugar…..yeast doesn’t activate without sugar) and set aside in a warm place until the yeast is frothy, about 10 minutes.

5. Then mix in eggs, sugar, butter, salt, raisins, and add the cooled milk slowly so you don’t cook the eggs.

6. Add the flour gradually to make a stiff dough.

7. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, until the dough is smooth…a bit glossy

8. Place in a LARGE, buttered mixing bowl and turn it to grease the surface of all sides of the dough.

9. Cover with a damp dish cloth and let rise in a place without drafts. I allow mine to rise on the counter next to our stove…under our upper cabinet lighting….they give off a warm glow….allow to rise for 11/2 hours until the dough doubles

10. Once it has risen…..roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a large rectangle, 1/2 inch thick.

11. Moisten the dough with 2 tbsp of milk and rub all over the dough with your hands.

12. Mix 1 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp of cinnamon and sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of the moistened dough.

13. Roll up tightly,…the long way.

14. The roll should be about 3 inches in diameter.

15. Cut into thirds, and tuck ends under and pinch bottom together tightly.

16. Place the 3 loaves into well greased pans…9×5 size and lightly grease tops of the loaves…..you can use Crisco or butter to grease the pans and grease the tops

17. Let rise in a warm place, uncovered, again for about an hour (This recipe can make 4 loaves as well….I just baked another batch and rolled it out a bit longer and cut the dough into 4 sections….it made 4 nice size loaves…great…..as it gets eaten REALLY fast)

18. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (the original recipe called for a 45 time but my new oven is efficient and did the bread perfectly in 30 mins….WATCH CLOSELY…if I had waited for 45 minutes my bread would have been really dry) or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped.

19. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack

20. Melt butter and spread on the tops of the loaves with a brush.

21. After about 20 minutes, lay the loaves on their sides and remove from pans.

22. Allow to cool completely before slicing….one loaf was almost gone by the time I remembered to take a picture for my blog…..these loaves go fast! and 22 steps is WORTH IT!

My older son said this bread reminded him of our cinnamon buns…..so I think we found a winner. As I write this, we are down to our last loaf….and the kids are looking forward to having cinnamon raisin toast for breakfast tomorrow morning. Wish you were here for breakfast!

Want future inspiration? Over Christmas I stumbled across a cool couple who are living with their family of 5 off grid. Recently, the homestead wife, Esther, made bread and you can watch her on their Youtube channel. Their site is called, “Fouch-o-matic Off Grid.” I’d love to introduce you to this lovely couple who make me happy and inspired whenever I watch one of their videos. Check them out and help support them by subscribing to their channel.

If you can’t see their Youtube video below, click on this hyper-link…..

The Homestead Wife makes bread

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

Blessings from Hope

Homemade Bread, Soup and Sledding

January 19, 2016March 1, 2018 / Lee Reynolds

Oh sweet January. In past years, I haven’t embraced it as fully as I am doing this year. Each month seems bittersweet and the days are flying by all too fast for me. I thought I would slow things down a bit and say yes more.

Yes, to staying in bed on Saturday mornings, luxuriating in the slow pace that I have created. Yes, to curling up in my favourite chair, sinking into a good book, while my little ones are engrossed in playing a game of their choosing. Yes, to letting all the kids head outside for one more play in the snow, even though they “should” be practicing cello, piano or doing home work.

I can hear them laughing and shrieking with glee as they slide down our driveway. It’s snowing too hard to stay on top of shoveling it. I can nest inside, making a pot of aromatic chicken and wild rice soup….and maybe there is still a loaf of homemade bread to accompany it.

This feels so good, savouring another winter month and experiencing all the senses of the season. Shorter days, full of white and dark. Magical moments watching the snow gently fall, feeling the excitement bubbling from our little ones as I bundle them up for another adventure making snow forts, snowman, and of course, their favourite, sledding in our yard. Does life get any better than this?

No matter where you live in the world, you can choose to make the days richer. Slow them down by saying yes to what you love.

Today, I made the most delicious chicken and wild rice soup. It was amazing. Now I make a lot of soups. Almost every week in the winter I make at least one big pot and lately, I have been experimenting with whatever we have in the house, THAT, is what goes in the pot. This makes for some interesting combinations. Today, since a few of our family members have had a persistent cough, I thought what we needed was an old fashion chicken and rice soup. Easy on the tummy and apparently, chicken soup is good for colds.

It was just what we all needed. I pulled out the last loaf of bread Harrison made on the weekend. He had made 4 loaves and there is one loaf left…. it’s only Monday. Then I threw together a green salad and voila…dinner was served. So say yes to sledding….or whatever you do in your part of the world and say yes to making a big pot of heart warming soup with homemade bread. It’s really that easy.

Hope’s Chicken and Wild Rice/quinoa Soup

Ingredients

*1/4 of extra virgin oil
* 3 chopped garlic cloves
*1 finely chopped onion
*1/2 cup chopped celery
*1 cup sliced carrots
*3/4 cups all purpose flour
*10 cups of chicken broth
*3 cups of wild rice/quinoa
*1 cup of cooked and cut up chicken
*1/2 tsp chili powder
*1/2 tsp cumin powder
*1/2 tsp mustard powder
*1 tsp dried parsley
*1 tsp dried basil
*Sea salt…to taste
*Ground pepper to taste
*2 cups of milk
Optional….I used what I had in the house….but had I had some fresh mushrooms and broccoli….I would have chopped them and put them in….use what you have……what you LOVE.

Directions

1. Throw one chicken breast into the oven and cook for 45 minutes at 400 degrees

2. Cook 1 cup of wild rice/quinoa…equates to 3 cups once cooked

3. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot, stir in garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes until onions are translucent. (If you have mushrooms….add them next…saute for another few minutes.

4. Add flour to the pot and stir well. Gradually add the 10 cups of chicken broth.

5. Heat well, bringing almost to a boil…reduce heat and simmer while the chicken and rice and quinoa is cooked.

6. Add the cooked wild rice and quinoa, along with the chili powder, cumin, mustard powder, parsley, basil, pepper and salt.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, cut up into small pieces and add to the soup pot.

7. Add 2 cups of milk and heat through…simmer until you are ready to eat.

And now for the recipe for the bread that my 17 year old made on the weekend…..he is taking Foods 11 on line and this was his first foray into bread making….the loaves turned out beautifully!

Harrison’s Homemade Bread

Ingredients

Lots of flour….roughly 5 cups of white….1 cup of whole wheat…keep mixing until it’s the right consistency
5 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon salt
4 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup of sugar
4 cups of lukewarm water

Directions: (note these are Harrison’s directions)

Add 4 cups of lukewarm water to bowl, add ½ cup of sugar. After mixing water and sugar together add 4 tbsp. of yeast. Let proof for 10 minutes.

Once yeast is bubbly and frothy… add 1 tbsp. of salt, 5 tbsp. oil, stir, then add flour 1 cup at a time, until you reach the desired consistency of dough you are looking for.

Now turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until you get a smooth ball of dough that is not sticking to the table at all.

Next, grab your second bowl, lightly coat it in oil, and place your ball of dough into it. Cover, and let rise for 1 hour. You are looking for your dough to at least double in size. After the dough has risen, you will punch it down, and turn it out onto a floured surface again. This time we are going to divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll them into a log shape to fit in the bread pans.

Grease your bread pans with butter, place your dough in the pans, cover them and let rise for half an hour. Then put your bread in the over at 375F for 25 minutes. Flip them out of their pans, and apply a very light coat of butter to the crust of the bread. This is to keep it soft, and to not dry out.

The little ones came in from sledding and had their hot cocoa with Harrison’s homemade bread….January is SWEET!

Our oldest son said this was one of his fav soups…high praise!


While the soup was simmering, I made a batch of oatmeal/raisin cookies, full of spices. The house smelled marvelous!

Sledding in new snow, baking bread and making soup……..

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

Blessings from Hope

Homemade Eggnog and Miracles

January 2, 2016March 1, 2018 / Lee Reynolds

“Allow Miracles to Happen”

Happy New Year dearest friends and family. Today is a new day. Today is the beginning of a new year of endless possibilities. It’s thrilling to contemplate, especially if one is of the mindset of feeling limitless. What is that quote by Goethe? “Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” That is the place I choose to reside and the perspective I choose to take in life.

If you are interested in the Homemade Eggnog portion of my blog, scroll down to the bottom, but if you are interested in reading about receiving miracles in life, read on. Of course, I believe each moment we are on earth is a miracle but we are living a human experience and that often gets in the way of viewing our life as a sacred journey. We get caught up in the world and listen far too much to our ego. Dr. Wayne Dyer used to say our ego is our “earth guide only,” or our way to “edge God out.” Day to day, it’s easy to get sucked into what we think is reality and we forget the expansiveness the Universe provides. We just need to tap in.

Even though I live in a state of gratitude and have observed miracles happening all the time in my life, I still was amazed when another one happened on Christmas Eve. We have been having problems with our stove since our Canadian Thanksgiving in October. This is a big deal for our family, since we rely solely on homemade meals. It is a rarity that we bring in a pizza or go out to eat. So when an error code kept coming up and my oven was shutting down, or over heating whenever I would cook, it was a big concern. David googled the problem and thought he had solved the sensor detection issue and for at least the last 2 months, my oven has been working pretty well. Then I started to do my last minute Christmas baking.

On the night before Christmas eve, with a fridge full of sugar cookie and gingerbread dough, and right in the middle of baking a batch, my oven started to emit that loud annoying beep, and on the stove top panel, a familiar error code was flashing in red again. I wasn’t so concerned about my cookies, as we could live without them. What was a bigger issue, was early the next morning I would have to decide whether to take the turkey out of the freezer to thaw for our Christmas day dinner. I didn’t want to be in the middle of cooking the bird and have my oven shut down, or worse over heat.

Throughout the evening of the 23rd, Grace and I put batch after batch of cookies in the oven. Some came out under cooked and then as I continued to bake, the remainder came out well done. At the end, as I opened the oven, a flood of smoke filled the kitchen, setting off our piercing smoke alarm. Then the oven didn’t cool down, even though I had turned it off. Our sweet daughter Grace, who is 13, told me later that she thought our house was going to burn down. She also told me that she was sending forth prayers for all to be well.

Our sweet daughter Grace, who is learning a lot about faith this year

Image result for praying hands

David, who had been doing our last bit of grocery shopping, came home to the chaos and said the sensor panel would probably need to be replaced. Who in the world had that part and would be able to install it on Christmas eve? We went to bed with heavy hearts the night before Christmas eve. We had worked so hard getting ready for Christmas. David had gone out of town the month before on two separate occasions, which meant long days and no breaks, as both times he worked 10 day stints. The extra money was making Christmas possible for our family but there wasn’t any extra.

We were almost there. In the last month, I had bought a few gifts and done some baking that would be sent with my sister J, who was going to the U.K. for Christmas and had generously agreed to take them to our oldest daughter in London. We had celebrated 3 of our children’s December birthdays with thoughtful gifts and special dinners for each. The kids had participated in donations to the local food bank after raiding my lazy susan, and had also happily put together shoe boxes for children less fortunate in other countries. We had dropped money into our local Salvation Army kettle at our grocery store for local families. Finally, the children had participated in all the year end Christmas concerts, recitals and parties, of which there were many and of course, something was always brought as a contribution, usually my baking, and a small gift for each teacher.

A few nights before the stove incident, David and I had spent the whole evening wrapping and labeling the gifts we had squirreled away for our children. I had spent a lot of time looking at their wish lists, reading the flyers in the local paper and doing on line comparison shopping. David and I had battled the shopping crowds on several occasions to select the perfect gift with equal fairness in mind for each child. Then there was the grocery shopping which seemed endless. I was done. But happily done. The only thing left to do was a bit more baking for our family and attend our church’s candlelight service on Christmas eve. But what to do about our oven.

With my venture towards minimalism, a desire to live a more sustainable life, and move in the direction of eating mostly vegetarian meals, I thought it was interesting that a broken stove was in front of me. I felt blessed to have a working microwave, and although I personally try not to use it to heat food, much preferring the slower stove top method, it WAS in our kitchen. Also, if we filled our propane tank, we had a working barbecue, although David didn’t think it would be an effective way to cook a turkey with our plummeting outside temperatures. Still, we had options and I wanted to focus on that. Also, maybe this holiday we could eat a plant based diet. All these thoughts and ideas swirled around as I went to sleep that night but my final thoughts were, I put it in your hands God.

Now, some of you may have wondered why we didn’t just go and buy a new stove, but with two children in University and others to care for, this isn’t an easy option for us. Also, we haven’t used our one credit card in years…I don’t even have one in my wallet any longer. We save it for life emergencies only and a broken oven doesn’t factor in that category. This is where the miracle comes into play though, because if we had been able to just go to the store and throw down our plastic or even had the cash, God/the Universe/, whatever feels comfortable to your ears, wouldn’t have been able to show his hand.

The next morning, David got up early as he had a number of projects to complete at the office. I awoke to our younger ones, excited for Christmas voices. We had breakfast and then we got dressed. After that I decided to call David to see if he had come up with a solution. He told me to leave it with him a bit longer. A short time later, he called back and asked me to take the turkey out of the freezer and also if I could meet him at Parnell’s Appliance store, which is a small appliance retail outlet in our little town. I hurriedly asked our older children to get up and get dressed so they could watch the little ones and I flew out of the house with expectation.

When I arrived David was already talking ovens with a salesman. He had a big smile on his face and as he greeted me, I sensed a lightness about his shoulders. We talked about the various benefits each stove featured and finally, I settled on the one that really excited me. It had a convection oven, which meant I could cook on all three racks at the same time and there was also a warming tray. Another bonus, was the moveable griddle that could cook pancakes, etc on the stove top. Our old electric griddle was ready to pack it in. Another bonus, was all the stoves were marked down with boxing day special prices. When Brad, the salesman, went to see if this stove was in stock, I whispered to David, “but how are we going to pay for it?” And that is when he smiled, telling me he had been given a bonus at the office that morning. It would cover the cost of the stove.

We weren’t expecting any bonus since the company had just started a program which would reward staff members with accumulated safety points and various products could be purchased with the redeemed points. Safety, is a big theme right now in all industries but especially the electrical industry where David works. In past Christmases, the company had thoughtfully given gift cards from Walmart, the Super Store, Boston Pizza, the Movie theatre, etc. but with the new safety bonus program, we thought that would be it for Christmas. What makes me believe in miracles is that this bonus was totally unexpected and it couldn’t have been timed more perfectly.

Miracle!

What is an even bigger miracle, is Brad came out of the back room to say, they not only had the stove I wanted in stock….but they could deliver it a few hours later. Wow!

Merry Christmas!

We called home to tell the older boys to clear the drive way as we had had another snow fall throughout the night and flakes were still softly falling off and on. When I got home they had cleared the drive way and the steps going down to our house too.

The boys have shoveled a lot of snow this holiday season….Christmas eve was a big dump

I came into the house and everyone was so excited. A new stove would be arriving soon and we would be eating our turkey with huge gratitude.


Saying a sad goodbye to my old oven…all the memories of past Christmases, birthday cakes, soups, pizzas travel with it.

A few hours later, two delivery men wearing Santa hats arrived at our door. Nothing was sweeter than seeing our new stove.

The delivery mat was still in place and I had to capture the moment….joy filled

And while this oven is very much of this earth, it represents a tangible miracle this Christmas.

I couldn’t have been given a better gift this Christmas. It came first as a miracle wrapped in a much needed stove but continued after that with my eyes wide open. Later, when our family filled a whole church pew and I looked down to see them all singing,”Silent Night,” with candles glowing in their hands, I was over whelmed with the miracle of the season. When the clocked struck midnight on Christmas eve and I was able to connect, via Skype, with our London based daughter, again the feeling flooded through me. Even though we are so far apart, I could wish her a Happy Christmas, see her beautiful face, listen to her voice. Someone had to dream BIG to be able to make it possible for us to connect in such a way.

As my pumpkin pie cooked on Christmas Eve, David read the book I have had since I was small, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” to our little ones but our big ones were listening too.

It’s not Christmas without my classic pumpkin pie….I use the recipe on the “Libby’s” Pumpkin pie can…and use the Tenderflake pastry recipe for the crust…the star is my personal touch…of HOPE

David with the book, “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”….it was given to me on my 2nd Christmas.

Harrison and our Siamese cat Ryuuki listen to the classic Christmas Eve story…..this after hearing the one about baby Jesus at church an hour before

Then a few hours later, I was up early, preparing the dressing and stuffing the turkey. This year I was in a state of pure gratitude for the turkey and for the oven that would roast him. For everything that fell into place perfectly.

It’s going to be a beautiful Christmas day!

Christmas morning….me up early getting the turkey in….I used all my dried baby’s breath on the tree this year…simply beautiful and even though last spring I did a mass declutter in the name of minimalism, I cut our holiday decorations in half….we really didn’t miss anything….some greenery, some fairy lights, a few memorable tree decorations….oh and a poinsettia…the house was lovely

Then, holding the little ones back no further, they stopped for a picture and rushed to see what Santa had left them in their stockings and under the tree.

After my stove was delivered, everything was just as bonus and it got me thinking about life and how I walk my path. Over the holidays as time allowed, I was able to connect with some of my cyber friends, some whom, are still trying to have their first baby, or to complete their family. One of them said something really impressive to me, considering all she has endured on her path. She said, “One of my mantra’s I hold close is ” my life is none of my business” I try to remember to just show up and let life just take care.”

I loved that because I think we get too caught up in what seems like the BIG things in life and we try to control too much. In doing so, we block the flow of miracles into our life. If we just remember to show up, that is all we really need to do…..and if we show up with gratitude, I think that is the key in living a miraculous life.

So we are at the beginning of a new year. A time when dreams are fresh and our heart is strong. If we listen to our heart, and trust it is life’s rudder, we can’t go wrong. I don’t know about you but I have big dreams, and little dreams. My little ones are by becoming more sustainable and also environmentally conscious. I want to use less packaging and rely less on other people to make what I love. One thing I love at Christmas time is eggnog. I have always wanted to learn how and this year my dream came true. I didn’t buy one eggnog latte while out shopping…..instead, I learned to make eggnog from scratch and made my own lattes.

It was so easy and delicious. I don’t know why I haven’t made it before. I learned to make eggnog latte’s last year, which accompanied my cranberry bliss bars (inspired from a trip to Starbucks) but this year, I’m happy to say, that I made everything from scratch and while it is more expensive to make the homemade variety…the taste is well worth it. Absolutely no comparison, so if eggnog is your thing….maybe try making a batch.

Chances are you already have everything you need in your home…. all you may need to buy is some “whopped” (our little girl Kathryn calls it that) cream, and some sweetened condensed milk.

So grab a pot, an apron and come join me in the kitchen…….for

Hope’s Homestead Eggnog

“Eggnog may have originated in East Anglia, England; or it may have simply developed from posset, a medieval European beverage made with hot milk; eggs were added to some posset recipes. The “nog” part of its name may stem from the word noggin, a Middle English term for a small, carved wooden mug used to serve alcohol.|”

Here’s what you need to make egg nog…behind my cinnamon is the “whopped cream”

Non-Alcoholic Eggnog

Ingredients

4 cups of milk

1/2 tsp of cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sweetened, condensed milk…I use the light one if I can

8 egg yolks…the fresher the better

1 cup of granulated sugar

2 cups of whipping cream….full strength, the heavy stuff

2 tsp of vanilla

1 tsp of nutmeg…plus more for garnish

Opt: 1 can of whipped cream…and a few cinnamon sticks for stirring….kind of old fashioned too

Instructions

1. In a large sauce pan heat milk, cloves, cinnamon, and the condensed milk over low heat. Slowly increase heat until mixture is just about to boil….be careful not to boil.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine the 8 eggs with the 2 cups of sugar, then using an electric mixer, combine mixture until it’s light and fluff….it will have a lovely soft yellow colour.

3. Slowly add the hot milk mixture, 1 spoonful at a time to the sugar and eggs……(I ladled the last little bit)..once about 1/2 of the hot mixture is introduced and it has tempered, add it all back to the sauce pan and cook over medium heat for about 3 to 5 minutes. When the mixture thickens it is done.

3. At this point, slowly add the 2 cups of whipping cream, nutmeg and vanilla and heat through. do not bring this to a boil. You are getting close now to tasting a delicious, thick, nog…yummy! I really love being able to choose how much spice to add as well.

4. At this point, you can either use the mixture to make eggnog lattes, or you can find a jar with a sealed lid…..I put my eggnog into several mason jars with screwed lids and cool well before serving.

We made lattes when the eggnog was still hot. Use some canned whipping cream and sprinkle some nutmeg on top for a garnish…serve with a cinnamon stick.

This batch of eggnog made enough to make four eggnog lattes and 4 cups of plain nog for the kids

I don’t mind if I do

When I called, “eggnog is ready,” everyone came for a taste test

I was so engrossed with making my eggnog and then drinking it that I never noticed my Santa apron was inside out….as David said is doesn’t matter, either way, it says, “the holidays are here.”