Holiday Reflection and the Christmas Angels

/ Lee Reynolds

“Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous New Year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe that there is a loving Source~a sower of dreams, just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true.” ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach~

 

Happy New Years Eve!

I’m kind of glad to say goodbye to 2016. I don’t know about you but it was a year full of tumultuous emotions for me and I think for many others in the world. Peace is still not reigning around the world and terrorism has been far too much in the news but I hold onto to hope that happier times are ahead.

“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier’…..
~ Alfred Tennyson
and peaceful too.

Also, unusual for us, I had a long list of things I wanted to accomplish last year but many of those tangible dreams did not come true. I did at long last bring chickens to our homestead and they have been a delightful addition to our home/yard. The little girl’s dreamlike loft bed was built and they are happily settling in to their new beds and cozy space.

Our attic renovation has been stalled along with the below zero temps outside and the new retaining wall above the pool will have to wait until spring arrives.

And yet…..

I am optimistic about the new year and as a proverbial goal setter and list maker, I’m rather excited about what 2017 will bring to the world and our family. There will be goodness and movement towards a more peaceful and healthy world. I’m holding my vision and all my dreams have come true….eventually they always do. (One of the keys in manifesting dreams is to believe they are already here…the other is to be joy filled and grateful for everything, ALREADY, in your life)

Of course, the Christmas season is a wonderful way for the year to end in my opinion. It’s the season of love and light, the season of  joy and hope. Even if you don’t believe in the Christ Child or the spirit of Santa, to keep breathing and living in such a world, you have to have a seed of something….something in the way of faith.

“You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.
No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.” ~ that an excerpt from a response that Francis Pharcellus Church wrote back to Virginia O’Hanlon who wrote to the editor of the New York’s Sun in 1897.

 

When I look at our twins, they remind me in a very tangible way that holding fast to dreams is the key in life

And so I continue to believe and to HOPE.

What sort of things are you wanting to accomplish in the new year? If you are following my blog and are likeminded, you may want to shift towards becoming more sustainable and perhaps you and I can build a bit more garden space in our yards, we can produce more of our own food and process it, we can consciously consume less and create a life that is revolved around healing our souls, our fellow man and the earth.

Personally, our short term goals are reducing our waste, continuing on our minimalist path by donating or selling unwanted items in our home, reassessing our lifestyle with regards to activities and things we say yes to and the food we nurture our body with.

Our long term goals are still to find an acreage, not too far out of our community and build an energy efficient small home. We would like to transition to using an electric car that we can plug in via our solar panels. (with our size family we need an energy efficient larger vehicle) We want to be less reliant on “the man,” and more reliant on ourselves. No matter where you are on your journey, it’s all good and you….and I are exactly where we are meant to be.

What are some of your goals? Something that I saw on Facebook late this year really inspired me to start a gratitude jar. It’s can be as simple a mason jar in which you place little notes holding all the wonderful things that occurred throughout the year. On New Years Eve next year, you open up the jar and read all the notes. I love that idea….do you want to join me in starting a Gratitude Jar in 2017?

 

Let me start by thanking you for coming and sharing in my life

So the holidays are almost over, tomorrow we will take down our trees and other decorations and we plan to do a thorough de-clutter and continue to move in the direction of less stuff and more life. If we are going to eventually downsize to a smaller, more energy efficient home, we need to review each item we own and ask ourselves, “do I need this and does it make me happy?” Later in the day we are going skating….’cause everyone knows how to skate in our house now! YEAH!

It’s all about life choices.

As I write this post the snow is gently falling and our three little ones are outside adding to their snow fort, since they now have fresh material to work with. Oh, can I hear them…..they must be having a really good time!!! Each of us are creators and builders from an early age!

Before the New year begins though I wanted to share a glimpse into our home over the holidays. I have had a few friends who have smaller families than ours, ask me how we financially manage to celebrate Christmas with our 8 kids, so I thought I would take this moment and share a bit of what we do each holiday.

Again this year we went to the Mountains and brought home specially chosen Christmas trees….cost NOTHING……..but full of….abundant memories. (Next year, only one tree!)

The kid’s homemade ornament tree in the family room
Our living room had a larger tree full of keepsake ornaments from past Christmas memories

From the time our oldest was small we decided to focus on less stuff, although there always seems to be way too much. Each year we take time to really think about our values before we give gifts. We give our children new p.j’s on Christmas eve which they open while their Dad reads the classic book, “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” given to me when I was a baby.

Early on Christmas morning, a last look at the family room tree
Christmas morning, I got the turkey in early and the kids were anxious to see what Santa had left them

 

The kids checking out the cup of eggnog and cookie plate we set out for Santa the night before

The next morning we eat Cinnamon buns and mandarin oranges while taking turns opening up our stockings, which are stuffed full of things that are either consumable, (tea/coffee/chocolates) or useful, (toothpaste, toothbrush, new underwear). A highlight for a few older kids was receiving David’s tea and sugar free gum.

 

Since there are 10 of us, this can take 2 hours as we go around the room, youngest to oldest taking turns pulling things from their stocking…I know sounds excessive as I write this but it’s fun….and again, for the most it’s items we would buy anyway. At the top of the stocking there are usually fun things, little toys, craft items, for the little kids or new IPOD ear buds, beads to make earrings for the older ones, etc.

Alyssa made some earrings with her Christmas beads from her stocking

After getting dressed we meet again in the family room, make some eggnog lattes for the adults and cranberry juice for the little ones and take turns opening the one gift each we receive from Santa and the one gift from Mom and Dad. These gifts are commercially purchased but now that we are moving towards being more minimalists, they are the bigger things we need or have dreamed about for a long time.

The Kit and Molly doll were under the tree sitting on boxes….from Santa, Aka…older sister Alyssa who was happy to pass them down….Molly has glasses like Victoria who got glasses in the summer

While everyone appreciated these gifts, in my opinion the best gifts are yet to be opened.

William and Alyssa on Christmas afternoon making a puzzle that Will got in his stocking

 

On boxing day William enjoyed playing his new Zelda game on Wii U….his older brother is helping maneuver in the game

A delicious dinner of course……

And while the turkey was present on our table this year, our favourite dish, all around was the sweet potato casserole…hands down. I can see a future without a turkey…easily….and I think all of the kids are receptive to more vegetables and less meat

The best part of Christmas day in my books and I think the kids would agree is after dinner. We of course are stuffed but the kids pulled out their music books, stands, and instruments and put on a little concert for the family. Even the little ones performed this year; Kate playing the piano and Tori, singing two songs she learned at Kindergarten, “with dramatic actions and flair,” I might add.

Grace before the Christmas concert playing a grade 8 classical piece

 

Mitchell and Will played a few songs together on the cello….(note typical teenager in the background..on his phone)
Kate and Victoria have been taking piano lessons and they know a few Christmas songs this year
Clark and Harrison on violin, Mitchell on cello and Alyssa on piano played through their book of Christmas carols

 

We wish you a Merry Christmas……
A future drama star….Ho! Ho! Ho! Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, lean your ear this way…….

After that we make a circle in the living room and the kids open the homemade gifts they created for one another. I think these are the most treasured and appreciated gifts of all. As I wrote earlier, there were tie dyed t-shirts and peppermint fudge…a big hit for the guys, peppermint bath salts and peppermint white chocolate bark for the girls, a homemade board Christmas board game for William, CD’s of the little one’s favourite Christmas music, and caramel popcorn.

Clark with his new tie dyed shirt and tin of fudge and almond bark
Alyssa with her peppermint bath salts and peppermint white chocolate bark

 

William’s homemade Christmas board game….the Incredible Journey to finding Christmas, complete with the animals from the Homeward Bound adventure….also little gingerbread tokens and dice and cards…pop up trees..AMAZING! Good job Alyssa….you are so creative!!!

 

The highlight of the evening had to be when the little girl’s opened their Christmas angel dolls that I had stayed up late sewing.

It’s a long story, but when the little girls were newborn, I had made each of them a little pillow with their middle names embroidered on them.

 

Kathryn Mira (her pillow says Miracle) as a newborn
Victoria Hope when she was newborn

Over the years, with all the washing the stuffing had gotten lumpy in the pillows, so I decided to take the embroidered part of the pillow off and sew it on a larger pillow cover. I gave these to them on Christmas eve and they were so happy to have new, bigger pillows and  bonus…they coordinated with their new bedding nicely.

As I was making these new pillows though, I took out the old stuffing and wondered what to do with it…..hmmmmm…..! Then I remembered something I had seen in one of my Christmas craft books I had borrowed from the library and it was a beautiful homemade angel doll. I had ooohhhh and ahhhhed over it and thought it would be so great to make something like that for the little girls but I didn’t think I would be able to create something that elaborate……well…..as it turns out, it’s not hard to make little stuffed dolls after all. Okay, it’s hard to make their faces…but sewing their body, making little dresses, even making hair…. not difficult…just time consuming.

It did take a few late nights but with scraps from my sewing box, and the new stuffing from the old pillows, I had everything I needed to make the angels. Clark, who had drawn Victoria’s name happily wrote a story to accompany Victoria’s doll and I’d like to share that with you now.

The Christmas Angel by Clark Reynolds…..written for Victoria Hope Reynolds

Every Christmas angel has a child to look after, that’s the rule, after all. Before Christmas had come and gone, they all needed to find their child, and were only given one letter, the first letter in the name of the child they would be the guardian of. As Christmas Eve drew closer and closer, there was one angel who despite her best efforts, could not find her child. She looked around at her friends and saw them all smiling, busy bringing hope and joy to their little charges in time for Christmas. 

Looking down at the letter she had been given, she recognized it as a “V,”but had no one to match it with. The angel flew from house to house, but no matter where she looked all the children were under watchful eyes. She knew that if she didn’t find the little girl with the “V” name, she would be alone for Christmas, as all the other angels celebrated the holiday. Despairing, she began to cry. In the midst of her sobbing, however, she felt a hand on her shoulder. There was another angel, holding a heart with the letter K, also without a child. The other angel smiled at her and gestured downwards. 

When she looked down she saw a small girl with curly light brown hair playing with a dollhouse in her room alone. Suddenly, another girl burst through the door. “What are you doing Victoria. Come upstairs and play with me!” she insisted loudly tossing her straight blonde hair and the commanding little girl ran upstairs. Victoria gently put the little Victorian doll she had been playing with back into the doll house and yelled, “Wait up Kate!”


The little angel looked down at the heart she had been given with the letter “V” on it and noticed the angel who had comforted her also had a heart but it held the letter,”K.” It was now that the angel knew she had found her child and she wouldn’t be alone on Christmas, or ever again for that matter.  She smiled at her angel friend and looked down again.

Before Victoria ran upstairs to join her sister, she paused and looked up, she felt like she wasn’t alone as a joyous feeling settled into her heart and for every Christmas thereafter it would remain.

For Victoria,
Love Clark

Wasn’t that the sweetest story…..such a simple gift to give a little one. Knowledge that they are never alone and are loved.


And now my family and I are counting down to the end of the year but before I join them in the celebrations, I wanted to thank you for sharing in my journey this last year and allowing me to be part of your life too.

Farewell 2016

(if you are unable to see the above youtube video click on this hyper-link…Celtic Women sing, “Auld Lang Syne

I hope you come back to visit me and my family next year on this journey called, “life.”

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

Happy New YEAR! 2017

Blessings from Hope


Merry Christmas! Dreams Come True

/ Lee Reynolds / 1 Comment

 

I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it al the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”                                                      
                                         ~Charles Dickens~  A Christmas Carol

In the early hours of Christmas morning I wanted to take a moment and wish you a very Merry Christmas. I’m sorry that I haven’t written more posts this month as I had inspiration after inspiration flowing in and out of my life. I wanted to share them with you but December had a life of it’s own and I let it just unfold as it wanted. 



If you have read any of my blog posts though you probably understand a bit of my journey and some of my life philosophy as well but boy, this month the lesson of simplicity was reinforced….BIG TIME! It truly is the simple things in life that fill me up and restore me.

Paper snowflakes and paper chains decorate our Christmas tree from the mountains

Like going with my husband and our oldest two children and cutting down our Christmas trees in the mountains, or staying up late to make my youngest girls Christmas angel dolls even though the sewing machine and I aren’t the best of friends. Being creative and making things from the heart is so enjoyable.

I made these little felt stockings to put the Teacher’s gift cards inside
Going to the little girls group piano Christmas party…our plate of baking and tins of cookies to give teachers….shortbread, sugar cookies, peppermint fudge and little kids fav, Rice Crispie squares

 Another special moment was spent teaching the little ones to make snow flakes and paper chains for our family room Christmas tree and oh, another moment I savored, was taking time to read a Christmas novel….nothing of any literary quality but the sweet message touched me deeply and reminded me of the spirit of the season.

The moments at the mall were tedious and so I hope I remember next year to do less commercial shopping and more time just experiencing life with my friends and family. One night, David and I did go to the mall together and both were hit by the different energy we felt when we went from the bright lights and noise of the main mall and copy cat stores and then drifted into a tiny shop called, “The Lucky Bamboo,” where they have a lot of imported goods from around the world.

David and I at our family photo shoot….easiest photo session EVER…David zipped home for lunch and we were all ready to go

 The lights were dimmed, meditative music was playing and calming scents were in the air. We were greeted happily upon entering the shop but with a laid back peace. Instead of feeling pressured to spend and bombarded with sale signs, we were asked how we were and what brought us in to the shop. Ahhhh….I could have spent a lot more time shopping in that store and the items we did purchase felt more authentic.

Mitchell home for the holidays catches up with Will and what he’s learning on the cello
Harrison practices Christmas music for our family concert

Another thing that made me really happy was choosing to give our children some second hand gifts. I I found a book for one of our older sons by Robert Thurman called, “Infinite Life; Awakening to Bliss Within.” Absolutely perfect since we have been having some deep discussions about life’s meaning, and religious beliefs, especially lately. Our older two daughters chose to be Christmas Elves this year and pass on beloved toys to their little sisters; a Victorian doll house and American girl dolls, Molly and Kit.

Our amazing Grace….she was my Christmas baby 14 years ago
Our oldest Alyssa is a talented photographer and gladly agreed to do a family photo shoot….with older children you never know if this is the last year you will all be together for the holidays

The little girls saw these dolls in a magazine and have been talking about them all month and Victoria in particular was thrilled when she saw Molly with glasses just like her and has asked me again and again if I thought she would get Molly for Christmas. I’ve told both of them the story of when I was a little girl and how I had two baby dolls named, “Suzie and Cindy,” …in my heart of hearts I had dreamed of having twin daughters but never, NEVER in my wildest dreams thought that wish would come true and yet, here my sweet little girls are and so I have reminded them to hold fast to their dreams and believe with their whole heart.

                                  DREAMS COME TRUE

Victoria holding a Christmas teddy

Then the children also drew names and have been busy this last week making homemade gifts; peppermint bath salts, peppermint bark, for the girls and tie dyed shirts and fudge for the boys. Alyssa made a POP UP board game called, The “Incredible Journey Finding Christmas” based on the movie our younger children love, “Homeward Bound,” with the two dogs and a Siamese cat who are lost in the woods….similar story line but they are looking for their family AND a Christmas Tree. Then our oldest son Clark, who is an wonderful writer and we often tease him about winning the literary award in high school and yet he took the Science path….well, anyway he wrote a story called, “The Christmas Angel,” to accompany the little angels I made for the twins. It’s about a Christmas angel who is looking for a little girl to watch over at Christmas time. It’s lovely and sweet and I know the girls will want to read the story over and over. (made me cry!) 

Harrison, Mitchell and Clark waiting for our in house photographer to take photos
My sons taking a serious picture after I said they looked like an Old Navy or Gap line up

So the simple things are the best and often I make things so hard….ha….I had 8 kids didn’t I? But oh, I think it’s possible to walk life and always, always be asking, “is this the path of least resistance?” Because when you take THAT path, you truly are happier and life unfolds with ease and grace. 

There is also magic in that place……..

Victoria, Will and Kate….stop for a quick picture before heading out in the cold for our family photo shoot

While all our children were my best gifts ever…these three were Dreams Come True and completed our family

Will who this Christmas has reminded me of the real spirit of Christmas…it’s about love

 

So tomorrow, I’m going to remember my words and just try to relax a bit and enjoy the precious moments of watching my children unwrap their Christmas memories. I hope some day they know I’m leaving them the keys to a happy life. It’s not about stuff, or food, or even keeping traditions alive, it’s about letting go and moving with the flow of life. I think they have already learned by watching me do it the hard way. Be mindful of the experience and hold the joy of life in your hands. 

Merry Christmas from me to you….love Hope


So I will close for now but I wanted to send out a Christmas wish to you….may your holiday be filled with peace, joy and most of all love. 

Love is really what it’s all about…not just at Christmas but all year round.

Merry Christmas dear friends and family.

Back row left to right, David, Harrison, Mitchell, Clark, (middle) Alyssa, Hope, aka Lee, Grace (Front) Victoria, William, and Kathryn….and our cat Ryuuki who just happened to be strolling by and Mitchell scooped him for the picture…he’s our show kitty


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

Blessings from Hope

 

Falafal Wraps~Magic Meatless Monday #7

/ Lee Reynolds

 

The road to a friend is never long

My dearest blog family and friends,

Welcome and happy December!

It feels like weeks since we connected. How is life in your part of the world? The 2016 year is quickly coming for an end in my part of the world and I have so much to tell you. I went to pick my daughter Alyssa up this morning from her country retreat, where blissfully she is writing her novel, and I told her that I would give ANYTHING, to have endless peace and quiet in which to write.

Our daughter, Alyssa, thrilled to be starting her winter writing retreat in the country

 

Okay, mom, how fast can you go so I can start to write?

When you love to write, the words bubble gleefully to the surface, linking effortlessly into an exact image only the heart recognizes, and anxiously you search for a pen, pencil, ANYTHING, to capture that elusive essence into a lasting impression. If you are unable to, as I have been lately, those thoughts have to be suppressed. When that happens I am frankly, irritable.

In one breath, I would love to have the peace and time to write but then, if I didn’t live in the midst of chaos, life constantly flowing and changing, creating experience after experience, each one deeper and more powerful, I wouldn’t have anything to write about. Such a quandary, this life.

Are writers ever happy? Maybe that is why so many of them are internally tortured. And yet, at last when pen is in hand, we are blissful. So finally, I am here, sitting in my favourite chair, laptop waiting expectantly for brilliance to appear on the page. Then you know what happens?

Nothing of any significance.

My fav chair, although I rarely get a chance to sit down…today I got a new book from the library..don’t you love the library!!!

At least to my literary inward critic.

But here I sit and so I’m going to share some of what has been going on around Lakelin Reach. Did you know that is the name of our homestead? Years ago, I took a Feng Shui course at our local College and discovered the importance of giving one’s home a name. After all, it’s filled with energy just like people. And so, since our house often sounded, (and still does) like a music school, with our oldest playing piano and flute, and our younger boys playing violin, cello, guitar, sax and oh, you couldn’t miss the drums, we thought it would be an appropriate name. As you know from some of the pictures I post, our place sits above a beautiful lake and Lakelin, is Celtic and means, “Lake Song.” “Reach,” is a destination. Reminds me of the Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote that I love, “Life’s a journey, not a destination,” and so as a family we decided Lakelin Reach, would be a fitting name for a place where our much of our life experience occurs….in our home. Have you given your home a name? Do you ever leave the house and say goodbye…or greet it upon returning?

Today, as the afternoon wanes and soon, I will collect the children from school, I wanted to share a tiny glimpse into life at our home and also I really wanted, at last to share the most amazing, easy vegetarian meal. The last of my Meatless Monday meals….at least for now.

Falafals!

Have you tried them?

Do you love them?

I made these weeks ago for my meatless Monday final recipe but since then I think we have made them weekly as they are easy, healthy and delicious!!!

Alyssa had a friend from London visit and while Mark was here we made them, that is when I realized this simple dish is great when you have guests over as well. It makes a lot and you never have to worry if there will be enough food for everyone. (must be a big family thing)

Alyssa with her friend Mark, who she met when she was in London

As we move into the season of eating, I’m even more determined to feed my family vegetarian choices, for environmental reasons but also for health reasons. This is the time of year that most people indulge in too much sugar and other treats. so knowing my family are getting a lot of whole foods and vegetables makes me feel more comfortable with all the holiday baking we choose to do and partake.

But before we move into the kitchen, come and sit with me and we can chat a bit more. How was your November? Did it fly by as fast as it did in our house; a virtual blur of activities. The weather was mild for this time of year, so between several birthday celebrations, mine on the 8th, and then a few others scattered throughout the month, oh and then Remembrance day too, I was out in the garden performing my last bits of fall clean up. Having the chickens free range in our back 40, makes a bit of a mess but it’s so worth it.

Did I mention I love our chickens? We spent a bit of time getting them ready for winter….. all warm and toasty. David built panels for their run and we purchased a heated water bowl. We also hung a light to extend their day light hours and I strung a string of Christmas lights on the front side of their coop too. Chickens love Christmas too and this is their first winter on earth so I wanted them to enjoy this time of year too. Yes, decorations start early around here.

Since we have three children who have birthdays this month, Grace’s 14th, is actually today, I try to get our Christmas decorations done at the end of November.

Happy Birthday beautiful Grace….this year we made a candy cane ice cream cake

This year, David took a few days off to get some much needed work started on our attic conversion and I was able to convince him to take me up to the mountains to search of our Christmas tree. Clark took time off from studying for his LSAT exam, (which was on Dec 3rd) and Alyssa made some eggnog lattes and we headed up to a nearby provincial forestry site, where we had a permit to cut up to three trees.

We headed up the mountains but hadn’t traveled very far past the forestry permit area before we started to see potential trees. Lots of them. I think it helped that it hadn’t snowed much yet which made it was easier to see the trees, also to access them. David stopped the van and we all got out on an explore to find just the perfect tree for our holiday celebrations. As we searched, I trimmed the bottom of the large trees to collect fir and cedar boughs to hang around the house. They smelled so fresh and fragrant.

Me in awe….love trees, love the forest, love the country
Alyssa gathering greenery….oh so fragrant!

In the past I have felt bad about cutting down trees, and a bit worse after my daughter reminded me about all the carbon offsetting that occurs when one cuts down a tree. (Remember during my road towards minimalism a year and a half ago, I practically gave away our fake large, pre-lit Christmas tree?)

As we were touring the area, I felt better when my husband David said, “why don’t we take the little fir cuttings we receive each year from our rural district on Earth Day and come back to plant them close to where our Christmas trees are located. I felt a bit better and also it’s something we can do with the little ones. (When I was talking to my brother in law B about my feelings about cutting down trees, he did remind me that the trees are chipped afterwards and their mulch used to create new earth)

It was magical in the mountains. Quiet and peaceful, with only the sound of the occasional winter bird breaking the heavy silence blanketing us. This year,  not one vehicle past us, not even a logging truck, even though it was during the work week. Finally, we found a few serious contenders and we carefully assessed them, judging shape, colour and size of each tree. We narrowed down our choices and finally turned inwards, to connect with that intrinsic feeling you get when you know you have found, “THE TREE.” You know, like Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in the movie, “Christmas Vacation,” when his family finally comes upon their tree and a light is glowing all around it, proclaiming, “I’m the one.” Unlike Clark, we did bring a saw..

David and Clark, who are both way over 6 feet…and our TREES!

We ended up with two beautiful 10 foot trees and somehow, David and Clark crammed them into our Honda Odyssey. Did I mention we have 8 foot ceilings in our house, except for our vaulted foyer, but we weren’t putting our trees in that location.  (We would have to do some pruning)

As the last branch was tucked inside the van, Alyssa brought out the themos of eggnog lattes and we opened the box of Tim Horton’s Christmas donuts we had purchased for the event, and we raised our mugs to our two Christmas trees and to the occasion of being together this early holiday season. This is a special year for after two years away teaching in London, Alyssa is home for Christmas.

I know it is golden moments such as this that I want to create, as it may be the last year our older two children are in our house together. If all goes well for our oldest daughter Alyssa, she will be living in as seaside cottage in Ireland next year writing, or perhaps teaching and traveling abroad, which is her passion. And this time next year, if Clark’s vision comes to pass, he will be back East attending law school.

You just never know what will be around the corner so it’s best to enjoy the journey….



I have lived long enough to experience many magic moments and know this time will never come again and “this is the only moment that exist.” We clinked our mugs again and warmed ourselves with the nog, savouring each mouthful of our gingerbread donuts and apple fritters, knowing this was a special moment in time.

I’ve discovered at least for me, that it’s these simple moments that make life truly special. Going to a Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree, and enjoying their hot cocoa or  hot apple cider, or taking the whole family to walk through a Christmas tree lot, oooohing and awing over trees, would have been nice, but that elusive wisp of of pure joy overcomes me when we do something that isn’t commercial. Being out in nature is certainly part of that feeling of peace and well being, but knowing we are going a bit farther; being creative, rather than just spending money, makes these moments even more pleasurable. As I’m experiencing that sense of contentment, I realize how breathtaking and mystical this extraordinary life journey is.

It was a great start to what I hope will continue to be a simple Christmas in our home.

This Christmas we are focusing less on the commercial aspect of the season and more on giving, being creative and just enjoying being together. When we came together a few weeks ago, to eat falafel wraps, Moroccan chick pea salad and sweet potato fries, it was another moment filled with good spirits..

Yes, my family knew I was taking pictures for you, my blog friends and family, but in a way, they have come to know you all as well and want to include you in our moments. It was interesting to discuss Middle Eastern food and culture and talk about what is street food to other people is really special to us.

Also, we had a chance to talk about what has been occurring is Aleppo, Syria and our thoughts and prayers are being sent to all the innocent people trapped in that battle. My heart goes out especially to the children and the parents who want more than anything to have a peaceful home to raise their families. (Also to those who have lost children this year)

Hopefully, soon, peace will come and again, Falafals can be their street food, sold in markets with children’s laughter ringing, like bells through the air.

With my mouth full of flavourful chickpea balls, I told my family, “my blogger friends are going to love this recipe.” They nodded in agreement, as their mouths were as full as mine, with tahini sauce at the corners of their lips. You may have discovered these balls already but I’m late in coming to the party. What inspired me to try these was again my oldest daughter who traveled to Greece and Turkey while in University. She decided to minor in Greek and Roman studies and boy was I glad. We have brought the other side of the world into our kitchen….in more ways than one.

I’d love to share this easy recipe with you as it was one of those meals that I thought would be complicated, ’cause I haven’t made them before, but they were a breeze to make. Don’t you just LOVE meals that are easy AND delicious?

So join me in the kitchen and we can whip up some falafel wraps.

Falafels

Ingredients (I doubled this recipe for my family and there was enough for 10…with some left over for the next day)

 



1 cup of dried chickpeas
3/4 chopped onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp lemon juice
11/2 tsp salt
Vegetable oil for frying
5 large pitas with pockets cut in half

Optional garnishes:
thinly sliced radishes
shredded lettuce
sliced tomatoes

Tahini yogurt sauce
1/2 cup balkan-style plan yogurt
1/2 cup tahini1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

In bowl, pour enough cold water over chickpeas to cover by 1 inch soak for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Drain well.

(I don’t usually shop at Walmart but since my son has been working there, when I dropped him off I often pick up this and that….I picked up some dried chick peas and what a deal….check it out for around $2.00 dollars you can make a boat load of falafals.

In food processor, coursely chop chickpeas, onion, parsley, and garlic, about 30 seconds. Add flour, cumin, baking powder, lemon juice and salt; pulse until blended, 10 seconds. Shape by heaping 1 tbsp into 11/2 inch balls. Arrange in single layer on waxed paper, lined tray, refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 12 hours.


Pour enough oil into wok, or Dutch oven to come about 2 inches up side, heat to 350 degrees using deep fry thermometer. In batches, gently drop falafels into hot oil. Deep-fry turning once, until golden and cooked through, 3 minutes. Drain on paper towel-lined tray. (To reheat, bake on greased baking sheet in 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes.


Tahini yogurt sauce; Meanwhile, whisk together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, parsley, oil, salt, and cayenne.

Stuff pitas with falafels, 2 to 3 for large pita half (one if you are using small pitas) top with radish, tomato, lettuce and drizzle with tahini yogurt sauce.

It’s that easy!!!

And the Moroccan  Chick pea salad….spicy and a lovely compliment. I was inspired when I went to our local health food stores deli…absolutely yummy and so I tried to replicate it.

Moroccan Chick Pea Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of dried garbanzo beans, soaked overnight
4 scallions or green onions (I still had these growing in my garden so I used the later)
1 large roma tomato
1/2 either cilantro or parsley finely minced
2 garlic cloves
1 cup of grated carrot
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch of cayenne 

Directions:…easy, mix everything together in medium bowl

And to round out this great dish, try making some……

Sweet Potato Fries...check out Cookie and Kate’s site for this recipe….yummy and healthy too!

I’m stuffed!

Want some tea?

Let’s go back to the living room and sit ’cause, before I go, I have to also tell you another story and it’s about our son William, who is 7 years old and is in grade 2 at school. One day when his class was out on a walking field trip, the kids noticed electrical outlets linked to the metal frames around the 19 trees planted a few years ago, along the sidewalk strip beside their school. The kids wanted to know if it would be possible to have Christmas lights put up on these trees. They thought it would make the strip more festive.

They found out that in order for this to happen, they would have to petition the municipal hall to request lights be purchased and installed. Before they took this next step however, they did a survey in their school to determine what the others children thought of the idea. They compiled the results and made up mathematical graphs and put all their gathered facts on a power point program.  They decided that since the majority agreed with their idea, they would contact the municipality and ask to be placed on the upcoming meeting agenda.

Will was selected to be one of the delegates from the grade 2 classes but before the presentation, there was much discussion about the pros and cons of putting the lights on the trees in our house. Since his older brother was preparing for his LSAT, and his natural inclination lately is to think logically, taking all the facts into consideration, he and Will had animated discussions around the upcoming presentation, how to present the case and conduct himself. Also, it came to light that William was concerned whether it was a good use of resources.

Of the 400 and some students in the school, only 7 thought it was not a good idea. One for religious reasons as the lights were being called, “Christmas lights,” and another child said “no” because it was, “boring.” Will was conflicted once he found out it was going to cost several thousand dollars. He knew that was a large amount of money and there was a big part of him that felt the money could be better spent feeding children less fortunate. Also, he knew in the winter, there were many children who were not dressed properly for our cold weather and also some who wouldn’t receive gifts at Christmas time.

Even though he had grave concerns, he moved forward with the grade 2’s and helped to be one of the presenters. Thankfully, the council were all wonderful with the children and it was a good experience for them to see how democracy is conducted in our community and our country.

(If you want to read the news article, click this link)

(If you want to read the news article about Will, in red above, and some of his grade 2 class, click this hyper-link)

The next morning I took him to school and he was absolutely THRILLED to see that the school had set out several large boxes around the Christmas tree in the foyer for collections of food and toys for children less fortunate. He turned to me with the biggest smile on his face and said, “Maybe we can do both things; bring light to the community and help the children.”

Tonight, as I was making our daughter’s birthday dinner, David came home from work early to take William and the little girls to the tree light up. They all came home in high spirits with stories of hot cocoa and each carrying candy canes.

Spirits bright at the tree light up this evening, Will and Kate with Tori up front left

Again, this little boy has come to teach me so much about love and compassion. He lives his life with such intense enthusiasm and joy for life but has the kindest heart. We can do both. It’s not one or the other and if we hold the vision of what is truly important to us, with focus, all of our dreams and wishes can come true, not just for us, but for the world. In our safe part of the world, where our biggest concerns are whether to put up Christmas lights or not, or in Aleppo, where the parents are just trying to keep their children alive.

Our house is a better place with this little boy in it, and the world is a better place for all of our children in it, for they all light the way for us to follow. They remind us to look inside and find that part of us that remembers how to love.

And with that, I will close my early December blog post to you.

I have so much to share but it’s a busy place around here, with Christmas parties and concerts, music theory exams and grade 12 transition interviews, so I can’t promise but I would LOVE to share a few things we are doing to keep this holiday simple. One is making homemade gifts so stay tuned as I have something for everyone.

Homemade board games
homemade blocks from leftover wood from renovation left overs…or from the forest …kids love to build
(cool tie-dyed shirts….our sons love them and they are so much fun to create

and finally something everyone in my family loves…..

and

 Caramel and spiced nuts

Thanks for coming for a visit today. I hope as December unfolds for you and your family, that you look for the magic in all the moments.

If you want more inspiration on keeping things simple this holiday season, check out the above video. Brittany Taylor  shares some great ideas for celebrating the holidays in a new way, with the thoughts of the environment and our well being in mind. If you can’t see the above, click on this hyperlink, “Keeping it Simple for the Holidays.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbHuihREij0

 

(Thank you Tamara for all the Hope filled ornaments over the years!)

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

Blessings from Hope

“Before the Flood,” there was HOPE

/ Lee Reynolds

 

” If we pollute the air, the water and the soil that keeps us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.” David Suzuki

Yesterday was my birthday. The day was sunny and warm. Truly beautiful and so unlike most November 8th birthdays I have experienced in my 50 something years. The weather is changing. I sent my children off in their hoodies and sneakers again this morning, odd for this time of year. I’ve been sending little ones  to school for 20 some years now and they are always in winter coats and boots by now. But not this year. Things are changing. The weather is changing.

Beautiful weather for my birthday yesterday but should I be concerned?

Usually, this time of year as I’m putting our Halloween pumpkins down at our compost bin, we may have experienced our first light snow days and all my leaves have been raked. But not this year, leaves are still intact on many of the trees in our yard.

A few of our chickens checking out their new compost friends.

And as I prepare our front door, with newly pruned fir and pine branches, our cat Ryuuki sits happily on the front mat. The weather is still nice enough for him to enjoy outside. He usually starts his winter hibernation at the end of October! But not this year.

The one wish I didn’t get for my birthday yesterday didn’t materialize. As my family and I gathered around the T.V. watching the election results from the States, I became more and more perplexed. I understand the majority of Americans want a drastic change with regards to their government, but really, how can they put their faith in a man who denounces global warming? Who has a senator in Florida, Marco Rubio, who believes the same, even while his State is being flooded with water?

I try to listen to their thoughts, their feelings their views.

I try to understand them better. I know they want good jobs and a decent standard of living but really, if there is no air to breathe, clean water to drink, or healthy food to eat, what kind of life will they have? What kind of life will any of us have? The earth and the animals in it, are telling us NOW, to make changes.

I’m a bit depressed this morning and yet, the day after my birthday, the day after the election, there are seeds of empowerment.

As long as HOPE (Helping Our Planet Earth) exist, miracles can happen.

Want to know what I wish for each year? I can’t tell you or it won’t come true but I think you can probably guess if you know have read any posts in my blog.

And the great part is I know, I’m not alone. WE can make a difference and a change in the world. Each of us has a choice to make. With awareness come wisdom. As Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, you do better.”

Oh, I know it isn’t easy, we live in such a fast paced world right now. We are all racing around, working hard to earn money for our families. We don’t have time to think about using our trips to town more wisely, or even if we really need to leave our homes at all. We don’t have time thinking about where our food comes from, or the packaging it arrives in. We don’t have time to be creative, making things from scratch or stretching what we do have, a bit farther. Heck, it even takes time to clean out our recycled cans, and bottles. Do we even have time to contemplate how we would like to walk the earth more gently. We are just too busy trying to live.

But most of us do know now that something has to shift. We can feel the frantic intensity around us. Sadly, many of us feel alone or that we are too small to make a difference.

What can we do?

Please join me in viewing the documentary called, “Before the Flood, ” with Leonardo DiCaprio. If you feel as I do, please share the link to this movie and watch it with your family and friends. We need to start talking about it, and taking steps to make changes.

We can do this.

WE are stronger together and I believe in miracles.

Here’s the link to the documentary, “Before the Flood,” if you unable to see it below.

This week has illuminated many insights for me, but the most important of all, and if you are following Deepak and Oprah’s meditation challenge on peace and connection you know where I’m coming from, it’s our relationship with our inner spirit. When we heal from within, then we are able to connect more fully with others. We also will be moving with the knowledge that money, power, notoriety, are not what this journey is about.

Can you guess what it’s REALLY about? What do you think? Well, my heart says it’s about love. When we come from a place of love, then healing happens. When we come from a place of love, we can do anything. ANYTHING! And so, healing the earth, making connections, yes they are all possible if we keep love in our heart.

So if you are like me, and feeling a bit overwhelmed, maybe even depressed about what has just occurred in the United States in the last 24 hours, go within, breathe, connect with that inner child, tell her or him that it’s going to be okay. The world will be okay. You are loved, you are worthy, and everything you are experiencing is perfect. Let your fears go and trust that the world is going to be okay too….with love, we can heal ourselves, each other AND the earth.

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

Blessings from Hope

Pumpkin Spice Latte~Simple Pleasures

/ Lee Reynolds

 

A beautiful fall day in my part of the world

Welcome friends and family.

November has arrived.

Even though October is one of our longer months, it flew by for me in a blur. With Thanksgiving celebrations, my husband David’s birthday, getting ready for Halloween (my love affair with my sewing machine making a costume, see previous blog post) and subsequent parties, it’s all over; except the lingering sugar high.

Our son Will as Pikachu and his friend Scream

 

Kathryn the butterfly, making a monster craft

 

Victoria, our garden fairy with her new, rockin cherry pink glasses!

After a week of cold and rainy weather, it was glorious to see blue skies again today. Of course it would be like this though. Yesterday, all the kids came home from school with wet and cold feet. So after ballet class, I took our 4 youngest on a hunt for winter boots of which they all needed. (have you ever shopped for winter boots for 4 kids in one hour?) I felt so happy driving home knowing they all had new felt lined snow boots, along with winter coats we had picked up a few weeks ago. They were all so thrilled to pull on their new boots and coats this morning before heading off to school on this grey, chilly morning, but as I write this, it’s lunch time and the sun is beating in through my kitchen window. (See picture above!) I’m sure they are all wishing they had their hoodies and sneakers on right now. Oh well…..

Murphy’s law!

Who’s going to complain about gorgeous weather though? Not me. I know, even with global warming, our days will turn bitterly cold soon and snow will be flying and those coats and boots will be appreciated.

Before the kids come home from school today, I’m going out to plant the garlic my brother in law B and sister J gave me. It’s such a simple herb to grow and one I use abundantly in all our meals. I cleared and added compost to several spots in my garden on the weekend and am excited to plant another crop of garlic. It’s little things, like planting in my garden that make me happiest.

The downside of having free ranging chickens, is they love to dig and scratch in newly planted areas. I may have to lay some hardware cloth over my garlic to keep them out but oh, I love seeing how joy filled they are digging for bugs and worms. My chickens make me happy.

Here are Sadie, Cocoa, Clara and Annie, helping me in one of my garden areas on the weekend.

The other thing that came with November was a new meditation challenge.

Did you start Oprah and Deepak’s 21 day meditation challenge with me on Monday? If not, here is the link and you can still join me in registering and hear the first 4 days of guided teachings.

I have LOVED this meditation topic. “Creating Peace from the Inside Out~the Power of Connection.”

If you read my previous post, you know I believe we need peace in the world more than ever right now, with only 5 days left until the US election, heated debates, anger and fear is prevalent right now. In so many parts of the world there is unrest as well.

So I was really looking forward to starting a new meditation challenge.

From day one I was hooked when the centering thought was, “Ideal relationships are my intention every day.”

Each interaction we have with each other has a HUGE, or as Donald Trump recently said, a BIGLY, effect on each of us.

How we listen, what we say in response, what we think, how we conduct ourselves, how we treat each other, ALL has an impact on the world.The vibrations either towards dissent or harmony ripple through the world. If we don’t believe it, all you have to do is plug into the social media to feel the energy…negative and positive.

The greatest lesson I’m learning and we are only 4 days into the challenge, is that the most important relationship we have is with OURSELVES.

I always forget that.

When we learn to love and care for our true self, we are then able to extend that love, compassion and peace to others. This has taken me most of my lifetime to understand. I always thought putting others first was more important, but I  understand now that when we neglect our true nature, we are unable to give fully to others BECAUSE we haven’t anything to give. We are empty.

When we learn to ask ourselves, “what do I want?” “what fills me up?” “what brings me unshakeable peace?” and we give ourselves what we need, it is then, when we tune in and learn to become attentive to ourselves that we in turn, can extend that same consideration to others.

When we take time each day to connect and build our relationship from within, give our authentic self what it needs, then we have the ability to really listen to those around us, make eye contact, respond appropriately, care about others and create peace in the world. It’s never been out there…no one else completes us or has the ability to make us happy or feel loved. We need to do it for ourselves.

Have you ever done a kindness to yourself and just felt buoyant? It makes us feel lighter and happier and when we are happier, then we are able to shine that light out into our other relationships and connections with others.

As a mom to 8 children, it’s a struggle to maintain a balance of THEIR needs and mine. There of course is endless work; shopping, meals to prepare, house to clean, yard work, laundry, laundry and LAUNDRY!

I knew having a large family would be hard but years ago, I felt that I wanted to really LIVE FULLY on this earth and not take the path of least resistance. I wanted to go into the areas that scared me and pushed me the most. Deep down, I knew I needed to learn the art of letting go and trusting. As an A type person, it would have been really easy for David and I just to continue to be career people, (two income, have anything material you want kind of lifestyle) and maybe we could have stopped building our family once we had the two token replacement children too, but oh, babies and children brought me such joy. Thinking about having more children was scary and quitting my job to be a Stay at home mom, even SCARIER!

I knew in the process, I could very well lose myself and definitely, what I loved to do (yoga, reading books, playing tennis, skiing, gardening) would take a back seat. Now looking back, I’m glad I lost myself for awhile, as finding myself has been such a joy. If you haven’t experience the depths of struggle, you never know the heights of joy. I now have this large group of people to connect with daily, my family. Little did I know, but our babies, and children would be my greatest teachers on this life’s journey.

The soul knows….

I’m glad I didn’t listen to my mother in law who said, “why would you want more than two children and why in HEAVES, are you quitting your job?” I’m glad I didn’t listen to a friend, who when finding out I wanted more children after 40 said, “Your crazy, you need to get a life.” If I had listened to them, I would have missed the most profound lessons of my life.

If you are a mom, you know what it entails to keep all the balls in the air daily and how easy it is to lose ourselves in the process. But at some point, we need to lay down those balls, take a deep breath and connect from within.

I’m thankful to Deepak and Oprah. They offer this 21 day mediation program for FREE and share wise, life changing lessons. Being inspired to take time, sit, breathe, contemplate my life, and connect from within is AMAZING!

Why don’t more of us do it?

IT’S SO SIMPLE.

Why do they not teach this in school? If we learned early, how to tune in and attend to our authentic self, our life path would be clearer and the world would be a better place. But it starts here. With each of us. And as a mom, I know this week has gone better with me Ommming on my yoga mat.

Blissful!

While I could easily dig deep into my to do list and believe me it’s LONG, instead this week, I’ve taken more time to say yes to me and no to other things. I said no to a Parent Adviser Meeting on Tuesday night and Yes to a meeting with me going to bed early one night with a good book. WOW!

Simple pleasures.

Also, even though our children came home from Trick or Treating with FULL bags of candy, we chose to say No to consuming any sugar during the school week. This, after a crazy, nutsy, bath time and evening on Tuesday, November 1st. They had had 3 pieces of candy after dinner on Tuesday and that was a mistake!!! Hence our new parenting shift, to save it for the weekend, when they can have a few pieces as a treat during family movie night.

I was really happy with that change in our parenting choice and so far, the kids are really okay with it. I think they were happy when we set limits because they consumed enough to know it doesn’t feel good to have a sugar flip out.

It will create simple pleasures for them as it will be a special when they do have a piece of candy and it also teaches them to to care for themselves first….being conscious about what they are putting in their body

Well, that is an update on what has been going on around here. Taking care of our inner selves, segue ways beautifully into the other reason for my blog post today.

And that is sharing something I love and made recently in my kitchen.

Pumpkin spiced lattes.

Yes, those lovely, spicy, nothing says fall better, drinks that only  coffee shops makes deliciously.

I’m not a coffee drinker but a few years ago, when David and I were out shopping, I think on an early Christmas foray, all by ourselves (which hardly EVER happens!), we took a moment to recharge and treat ourselves. I chose a Starbuck’s pumpkin spiced latte. Oh the rich, spicy flavour was delectable. The little kick of caffeine wasn’t a bad thing either. Maybe because I’m not one to entertain such a luxury on a regular basis made it taste even better, but since then, what says, “Welcome November” to me now is a Pumpkin Spiced latte.

As soon as the leaves start to fall,…..

I crave it!

What do I do when I really love something but don’t want to pay someone for it” Well, learn to make it at home of course. It’s a no brainer and part of what this blog is all about. Learning to make things at home, being more self sufficient. Why should I waste fossil fuel traveling down to one of the many Starbucks in our little town (Yes I think we have 4 or so and I live in a small town)

Anyway, making it from scratch is so rewarding.

I love knowing it’s as good, if not better than what I could get from outside the home too.

I enjoy these simple pleasures in life and know they are something I can treat myself to, without it having a huge impact on our family’s pocket book. After all, I have made a choice to have a large family, to stay home to care for our children and things like new boots, coats, gloves, hats for our little ones are needed. My obsession with pumpkin spiced lattes are not in that same need category.

But hey, I figured out how to have it all.

That’s the cool thing about having more time as well, you can be creative.

Also, when you make it at home you can share your love of something with those you love. It’s a win/win right?

So getting back to the theme of my post,  I was able to listen from within and ask myself, “what makes me happy?” “What do I want?”

And the answer was treating myself to simple pleasures, AND sharing that joy with my family.

Hey, and guess what? You don’t need a fancy espresso machine.

Nope!

Just a regular coffee maker that has an option to make a strong brew.

If one of the things you love in life is Pumpkin Spiced lattes too, then you have come to the right blog post today, as I ‘m going to take you step by step through the process. Welcome to my kitchen, let’s start by making a strong cup of coffee. We used Ethical bean, “Lush” from Costco.

While the coffee is brewing make up some pumpkin spice mix, unless you are able to find it already mixed for you in a local shop. We do not have Trader Joe’s in my part of the world. If I did, I think I would ask for a can of it for my birthday.

Here’s the recipe for Pumpkin spice mix

In a small bowl add the following ingredients:

3 tbsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp of ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp all spice
Mix well and using a funnel, pour into a spice jar/label “pumpkin spice mix”

Is your kitchen smelling of coffee and spicy goodness?

Great…we are almost there.

Let’s make our lattes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte~ recipe for 2 but double the recipe if you have big mugs or want seconds, yum!

2 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1 to 3 tablespoons sugar, depending on how sweet you like it
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, plus more for serving
1/2 cup strong hot coffee
Whipped cream, for serving
Sprinkle of cinnamon for topping

Directions

    • Add milk, pumpkin puree, and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat.

Heat until hot, but do not boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and the coffee.

 

 

Divide the mixture between two mugs. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice or just cinnamon.

Note: if you enjoy your coffee black (without sugar or cream), then you don’t need much sugar but since I don’t drink coffee at all, I used 3 tbsp for my recipe. Also, I have used it with Almond milk (vanilla) and it was great.

The older I get the more I realize I just need the simple things in life; a comfy home, good food on the table, (pumpkin spice lattes) and to be surrounded by the people I love.

It was nice sharing my passion with my oldest children, Clark and Alyssa
Our cat Ryuuki came up from his morning nap to say, “hey, where’s my cup?”

The school week ends tomorrow, and I’m looking forward to a weekend making lattes, raking more leaves, and guess what we started? David started working on our latest project…AT LAST…..a room over the garage for our 17 year old son, Harrison. I thought I would add a few pictures now and as we move along the process, I will share more. Maybe it will inspire you to look at your space in a new light.

Often, when we need more space in our homes, we will move to a bigger house but since we love our location, what we have chosen to do, is look at the space we have with new eyes and see if we can create more space or use what we have more efficiently. Here’s a few snaps of the first steps in this process. Using vertical space solves a lot of space issues.

Here are the stairs David built going up to the attic space over our garage. You can also see the new skylight in the roof which we had installed when we had our new roof put on in the summer

 

Here’s the attic space that we are working with. It will make a great room for our teenager. Stay tuned

Well, that’s a wrap. I hope you take a moment and go inward and ask yourself, “What do I want”” and you figure out how to create that for yourself. I think for most of us, it’s the simple things in life that makes us the happiest.

Enjoy the experience, that’s why we are here.

Before you close, check out Bobby McFerrin’s song, “Simple Pleasures,”  

It’s so catchy…the phrase, “I am so happy” is a wonderful mantra as we move around the world.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Vegetable Lentil Gardener Pie~Meatless Monday #6

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Happy Halloween!

Welcome to my Meatless Monday #6 blog post.

Today is not just the day my little candy hunters will head out in search of loot, but also my first day doing another 21 day meditation challenge with Dr. Deepak Chopra and Oprah. This one is called, “Creating Peace from the Inside Out~ the Power of Connection.” 

Have you had a chance to do one of their meditation challenges yet?

Do you want to join me?

There is still time.

Click on the hyper-link above. It’s easy to register and it’s FREE! It’s also something we can do together and is just one more thing we can do to create a better world.

What I love about the idea of meditating on mass, creating peace from the inside out, is there was never a better time. With everything going on with the U.S. election, and the war on terrorism, nuclear testing in North Korea, etc, we need to tune inward to find peace,  to shut out fear, which inevitably will touch each and everyone of us in the world, as we make connections with each other.

I need it right now too, as in my particular part of the world, with a house brimming of 7 children of various ages, developmental levels and personalities, if WE can live in peace, then I know there is hope for the world. It’s a constant, conscious choice and believe me, a daily challenge to be a mom and mentor of our group. I fail terribly some days…but

My greatest wish is that there be peace in my home.

That there be peace in the world.

 

 

For me to do this however, it takes inner reserves and abundant energy. I also need to shut out what society tells me daily with all sorts of messages that plunder my being. I need to shut out the fear that I’m not good enough, I’m not rich enough, I’m not brilliant enough, I’m not young enough.

I need to remember that just BEING, is enough.

Also,

at no other time in the world can fear spread as fast, and at no other time in the world, can light shine out from all of our souls. It’s our choice to choose love over power, courage over fear. Knowing we are enough just as we are. We are more than enough, we are perfect as we are, and so is everyone else.

What kind of world do you want to create?

Are you with me as we “om” daily for the next 21 days?

I’m so sorry I missed my last week’s meatless Monday. Oh, we enjoyed another great vegetarian meal. It was amazing and I wanted you all at my table. I made a middle Eastern dish; “Falafel wraps” with a Moroccan Chick pea salad and sweet potato fries.

You can bet I’m going to write a blog post about it but it will have to be for next week. Stay tuned. I have to tell you why I missed writing last week. I was having a love affair.

Ha! Well, it was more like a love/hate relationship.

With my sewing machine!

As I worked my way through the Pokemon Pikachu costume pattern, I kept thinking how I was making memories for my little boy William. Last year, he was a slurpee cup, which was a no sew costume, so this year I felt like I owed him a REALLY great costume. How many more years will he be 7 and want to dress up as a big yellow character?

Each night, once the kids were tucked away, lunches were made, school clothes were ironed,  and yes, I still iron clothes. Probably because I leave them in the dryer too long and they are beyond wrinkled when retrieved. My sister B, knows all about my laundry woes…waving to you B. Thanks for all your help folding clothes over the years! Anyway, sorry I got sidetracked, after everything was ready for another busy day, I would bring out my sewing machine and with the T.V. on in the background, work my way through deciphering the pattern instructions. By the way, it was an EASY pattern, but for me it took ALL week.

Hence missing last week’s meatless Monday blog post. But hey…here is the completed costume.

At last!

 

 

And here it is on Will….at the Halloween party he attended on Saturday afternoon. He loved being Pikachu and if you don’t know about Pokemon, Pikachu is like a fluffy, Thor-like character…sending lightening and thunder to bad guys.

Doesn’t he look happy in his Pikachu costume? So it was ALL worth it.

So it’s Halloween tonight and if you know me at all, I really love the whole dressing up part of the occasion. The idea of being something or someone you admire, or desire to become, appeals to my creative soul. Often little ones can feel small and insignificant in our world, (big ones too) so this gives them one day of the year, they can be something that makes them feel brilliant and brave. We all need that experience in life.

 

It’s a time when they head out after dark, dressed in their finery, daring to be the person they most desire in the world. Plus the beauty gifts and prizes of treats doesn’t hurt either!

The part I don’t like about Halloween, and I think I blogged about it last year, especially since I’m a mom, is the sugar part. I spoke with several moms at our daughter’s kindergarten Halloween party this morning and they were all bemoaning the sugar aspect of the day. I was sharing a few tips I have learned over the years to minimize the negative experience. Personally, I think kids should experience the hunt….and maybe also what it feels like to have a sugar high…’cause it’s often a sugar low.

I mean really, it’s their one and only day of the year to head out and fill a bag full of treats they often are not allowed to eat (in most households now we know the downside of sugar)  We have chosen to embrace the evening and use it as another teaching moment.

Of course in the days leading up to Halloween we do talk about the tradition and also about the treat aspect of the occasion. How we are not thrilled with how sugar negatively affects our health and well being. Also, it gives children the opportunity to make healthy decisions and choices.

But in the end, we parents do have the control.

I have heard some people choose to exchange the bag of candy for a longed for toy, or to allow children to eat all they want in the first night and then the treat bag goes away.

What we have done in our family over the years, is when our children come home from trick or treating, we have them spread all their loot on the floor and we check it over. Then we encourage our children to categorize and count their treats, if they choose. Kid’s naturally do this in most cases. You know, put all the chocolate bars together, bags of chips etc. This is great for using their math skills and at this point, they often negotiate  a trade with their sibling.

Then we tell them to pick about three items, which they can enjoy while watching the fireworks put on by our local  Fire hall. The fire fighters were down at the public lake dock early this morning, setting up all the various fireworks and when 8 o’clock strikes you can hear your first boom of the evening, as the light show begins in our part of the world. We are fortunate to have a wonderful view since our house is right above the lake and situated directly in front of where the fireworks explode.

The kids eat their treats and enjoy this display.

After that, we put the kid’s treats into the kitchen cupboard and each night after dinner, they are able to select something from their treat bag. This feels good to me, since I remember going trick and treating and recall how precious that candy was to me, but now from a moms perspective, I also know right after eating said candy, our little ones will be off for their evening bath and have their teeth brushed.

Knowing they go out before Trick or Treating with a healthy dinner, makes me feel great too with regards to the upcoming sugar dump. Tonight is no exception and it’s kind of cool that it’s Meatless Monday.

Tonight we are making a Vegetable Lentil Gardener Pie. It’s like a Sheperd’s Pie..without the meat..YUM!

I found it in a wonderful cookbook I borrowed from the library. It’s called, “The Vegetarian Collection,” written by Alison Kent and the Canadian Living Test Kitchen.

Love, love, LOVE, this cook book and I’m definitely going to find a copy to purchase.

 

 

I think this may be a Halloween traditional dinner since it’s something I can make ahead of time and just pop in the oven late in the afternoon so we can have an early dinner and get the kids into their costumes. It gets dark really early here, like at 5:00 o’clock this time of year, so they are out in their costumes walking up steps and knocking on doors REALLY early.

Are you ready for a dinner that is delicious and nutritious?

Okay,

Here it is:

Vegetable Lentil Gardener’s Pie

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion diced
1 carrot diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 and 1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed and drained
1 pkg (375 g) precooked soy protein mixture (I used Yves Veggie Ground Round)
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1 can of crushed tomatoes (I used a bag of frozen, already seasoned tomatoes)
2/3 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
2 zucchini, diced
2 lbs of russet potatoes…about 4 large ones
2 lbs sweet potatoes…about 4
1/3 cup milk (almond, rice, or cow)
3 tbsp butter
11/2 cups of grated old cheddar cheese
2 green onions sliced thinly

A few of the ingredients gathered together.

Directions

In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; fry diced onion, celery, carrot and garlic until softened, 6 minutes. Stir in lentils, soy protein, cumin, oregano and half each of the salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes

Stir in tomatoes, broth and wine, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add zucchini, cook, covered and stirring often, until thickened and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, peel and cut russet and sweet potatoes in 2 inch chunks. In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook potatoes, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to dry saucepan of boiling salted water, cook potatoes, covered, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and return to dry saucepan; mash together with milk, butter and remaining salt and pepper. Stir in 1/2 cup of cheese.

 

Scrape lentil mixture into 13×9 baking dish; spread mashed potatoes over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and green onions. Bake in 375 degree oven until bubbly, about 30 minutes

 

 

I took a really quick picture of this plate for the purpose of my blog. Frankly, I’m always so shocked that I have time to take ANY pictures because when my family knows dinner is about to be served it’s chaos in my kitchen. My oldest daughter said, “mom, do we really need a napkin?….and I assured her that in blog post world, yes I needed a napkin, when in real world, our kids often use their sleeves or the cushions on my window seat. No, I’m just kidding, but often we don’t use a napkin as that’s just creates more laundry. ha!

But for you, I have placed a napkin on the place mat.

Someday I will have to VLOG about a typical dinner being served at my house. “Crazy” could be one adjective or maybe more like an adverb. I’m hoping always for calm but it’s often a bit chaotic as everyone scrambles to dish up their dinner.

I did plate this quickly but afterwards, added a country bun to this dish, which was PERFECT and the little kids loved this addition to the Gardener’s Pie.

So there, another Meatless Monday meal for my repertoire and maybe one you too. This made a nice big meal so if you have a smaller family that I do, it’s great for 2 nights and what mom doesn’t love THAT! Or better yet, invite another family over and break some bread together.

So dear ones, my best wishes for a Happy Halloween. I hope the light of the season shines brightly, fear is shut out and love remains glowing in your home. That’s really what this season is all about don’t you think?

I hope you join me in meditating over the next 21 days. Perhaps it will help us remove the mask many of us wear much of the year and become more in tuned with our authentic selves.

All shall be well in our world.

Peace out!

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

Blessings from Hope

P.S. I’m not paid or receive anything for endorsing the 21 day challenge. Like everything on my blog, it’s done with the intention to inspire others to move towards the light.
~ Namaste~

Spanakopita and Greek Salad~Meatless Monday #5

/ Lee Reynolds

“As I embarked down the road, the path seemed endless, but with each footfall, the fresh, crisp air filled my lungs, allowing my feet to lift higher, my eyes rose to the trees above and the beauty from the coloured leaves gently falling along my path, overcame my senses. Suddenly, the road was not long enough.”~ Lee Reynolds~

Well, Thanksgiving is over for another year.

I found it humourous that the crafts and stories our children brought home from school last week were “turkey” related and here we are talking about another Meatless Monday dinner.

Helping our family be inspired, to live a mostly vegetarian lifestyle appeared to be a difficult journey at first, but now that we have developed a collection of  family favourites, with  a long list of recipes still to try, it’s now fun and exciting. Why we didn’t do this years ago, I don’t know. I suppose it was just easier when life was busy to fall back cooking meals that we were comfortable making and eating.

I love watching our older children relish eating healthier meals and I’m thrilled our younger ones have developed a diverse and sophisticated palate. I remember going to visit my Aunt and Uncle one summer for a week when I was around the same age Will is now, 7 years old. Their house was lovely, their children were perfect and my Aunt cooked gourmet type meals all served in their formal dining room. One evening my Aunt served spinach. I don’t remember how she prepared it, but even knowing Popeye the Sailor Man, loved spinach, wasn’t enough for me to eat it. My one and only bite made me gag so bad and if memory serves, I believe I fell asleep next to my plate, since that was the way you taught children to eat their dinner when I was young, or at least how my Aunt and Uncle taught their children to appreciate good food.

Guess what I made our family for dinner tonight? Greek Spinach pie, or Spanakopita.

Eating Greek food was inspired, when our oldest daughter went to Greece in her 3rd year of University for a month several years ago. She came home with a light tan, glowing skin and raving of all the colourful and flavourful dishes. Tonight we didn’t have anyone falling asleep next to their plate, (not that we do that in our house) instead, they were all vying for seconds. The only negative comment I heard from our kids was from William, our 7 year old son, who doesn’t care for tomatoes or red onions. While I encouraged him to try to bite of everything, when he shook his head over the tomato and onion in his salad, I remembered that spinach dinner many years ago and I gladly told him, “I’ll eat your tomato and onion,” of which he gladly relinquished. The repertoire of foods he WILL eat is immense compared to most kids his age and I know in time, he will learn to love all kinds of vegetables like the rest of us.

It’s all good!

What I really like about this meal is that it can be made ahead of time, put in the freezer and brought out when you want a really special dinner. I did make it after school today as we didn’t have anything going on. Laying phyllo dough, sheet by sheet, layer by layer is time consuming but worth every bit of work.

So if you want to blow your family away, with a yummy vegetarian dinner, try making this dish. Throw together a Greek salad, play the Greek music I have linked below and enjoy a delightful dinner, creating happy, healthy, vegetarian food memories.

Thankfully, some of the items are still growing in our garden. The chickens had left some spinach in our garden but it wasn’t enough for the whole dish, so I had to break down and buy some at Costco….but they DID give us the eggs for this spinach pie. The green onions are still glorious and crisp and the oregano and parsley haven’t been touched by our chilly nights yet. It’s such a joy to be able to go out into the garden and still find food to put on our table. (Now we just need a goat for the feta cheese)

As we cook, let’s listen to some relaxing Greek music…..and here we go…OPA!

Spanakopita

So many lovely flavours in this dish

Ingredients

Filling:

2 lbs Fresh Spinach
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large green onions (cut up even the bulb)
1 medium onion (I used a yellow onion from my garden)
2 cups cut up feta cheese
1 cup of ricotta cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fresh oregano (can use dried oregano)
1/4 cup parsley (can use dried)
Fresh dill sprigs or dried
1/4 cup nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil for brushing; may want more if you are brushing each piece of phyllo dough

1 package of phyllo dough…ensure you keep a damp towel over the dough as you are working with it.

Directions:

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan on med/high heat, and slowly add the washed and dried spinach until it wilts. (2 -3 minutes) Take off the heat, let cool.


Saute green onions, medium yellow onion in 1 tbsp of olive oil until the onions are translucent.



Add the feta, ricotta cheese, the 3 lightly beaten eggs, the oregano, parsley, dill, nutmeg and salt and pepper to the spinach. Add the onions. Mix well.

Grease 13×9 pan with a light brush of olive oil.

Open the phyllo dough and spread it out fully. Cut it in half. Make sure you have a damp cloth to cover over the phyllo sheets as you work with it.

Take one piece of phyllo dough sheets at a time and brush it with olive oil. Continue laying the dough down piece by piece and gently brushing olive oil on the complete sheet. When you have used 1/2 of the package of dough, spread the spinach mixture over the complete pan.



Continue adding the second half of the phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with olive oil.
When you have used all of the phyllo dough, brush the top with the last bit of olive oil.
Score the top sheet of phyllo dough with a sharp knife, not cutting through the dough, in the shapes you want to cut when it’s cooked…..a traditional way is in triangles. 


Cook in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes, until it’s golden brown.
Let it sit for 15 minutes before cutting and serving. This allows the pie to set up before cutting.



Greek Salad

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce- rinsed, dried and chopped
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 can of pitted black olives or kalamata olive
1 green bell pepper, chopped in large chunks (can use red or orange too)
4-6 tomatoes, chopped into large segments (best choice are the Roma with fewer seeds)
1 large long English Cucumber
1/2 – 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese (if you are using a salted feta…be wary of adding more in dressing)

Dressing

6 tbsp virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice (or juice from a lemon)
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper

Directions

Mix all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Make and pour the dressing, tossing well. Serve

I have to laugh as I post these pictures, thinking back to when my family was circling our kitchen  island at dinner tonight, where we do a “dish yourself up fashion,” and it was really hard for me to take a moment, dish up and snap a few pictures. I’m lucky I have any BEFORE EATING pictures!!! I’m sorry, my blog is just so homey, as you can tell from my pictures and set up… etc…. if you do any reading around the blog world you will see how basic it is…but hey, it’s real.

I hastily spread a bit of tzatziki dressing (which my oldest made from scratch) on top of my salad and poured a glass of red wine, left over from Thanksgiving (Thanks C and D) before the family swooped in and were swarming over this absolutely delicious and flavourful dinner.

Grateful hearts!

Happy Meatless Monday!

 

If you haven’t added a Greek dish to your family favourites yet, let this one be your first. 

Thanks for joining me today, and for making the world a better place.


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

Blessings from Hope

Sweet Potato Casserole~Meatless Monday #5

/ Lee Reynolds

I missed writing on Monday. I’m not one of those uber organized bloggers, who have their posts written weeks ahead of time. I didn’t even know that is how things worked until recently, my oldest daughter Alyssa, who knows these things, informed me that most professional bloggers do all their writing on one day and then set their blog to publish their posts on subsequent days.

Wow!

sadly,

that’s not me.

Nope!

At least not yet. I’ve been too busy raising children, working in my garden, caring for our chickens and creating the life I want to live, to be THAT organized.

I’m living in the moment and blogging that way too. I hope you are cool with that. For now, that works for me as I try to keep things real.

Our Thanksgiving weekend flew by but I’m still glowing happily with the memories we made and how this year the emphasis was less on Turkey time and more on family, friends and enjoying these early fall days.

There is something magical about fall. How the leaves on the trees, turn from varying shades of green to jeweled tones of yellow, gold and oranges, then in their final glory, dry upon the branches and swirl to the ground, covering the earth in a blanket of warmth, finally fading away to create a layer of rich, organic soil for new growth to thrive in spring.

I’ve said this before but nature gives us clues on how to live our own life. How to let go and surrender to the changing seasons, knowing everything is connected and created for the greater good of all.

We are busy right now in our urban homestead; harvesting the last of our winter squash, picking and processing tomatoes, digging up sweet, crunchy carrots and making our last batches of kale chips. Our compost bins are bursting and leaves are dropping faster than I can rake them. Since my compost bins are overflowing, I’m gathering leaves and storing them in a galvanized garbage can to be used in next year’s compost, but I’m also trench composting in the garden with the leaves and kitchen scraps.

I’ve noticed our chickens, Sadie, Cocoa, Clara and Annie, are all getting big and fluffy. When I picked them up the other day though, I realized they are not any heavier, it’s only their feathers that are growing and their bottoms are full of downy, soft fluff. This weekend, David is winterizing their larger run, in preparation for the winter season ahead, when we are likely to get lots of snow. They will need a cozy place to hang out together on those coldest days. As I write this, I’m making them a late morning gruel of oatmeal, cooked grated carrots, broccoli, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Yes, our chickens are spoiled but gee, it was really cold outside this morning so I think they need a little something. We had our second day of silvery frost on the ground and when I took the kids to school, we could see our breath in the air.

Cocoa is one of our chickens who lays beautiful greenish eggs…she loves the camera too!

So life is busy around here. But not too busy, that when the alarm went off early this morning at a still dark hour, I didn’t jump straight up, but snuggled deeper under our down comforter, listening to the voice from within.

“Rest more,

be gentle,.

slow down,

be thankful for everything in my life.”

There is always, ALWAYS, something to be thankful for.
 
This last Thanksgiving weekend was different from others in the past. I had fully intended to cook a complete vegetarian meal but our older sons protested, LOUDLY, when they heard those were my plans. And then, when I learned our oldest daughter would be taking care of our neighbour’s children, as their parents left on a MUCH needed vacation, I thought, maybe they would appreciate a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, and so, we bought a turkey, and a ham too.

But this year, the emphasis was not on a “turkey day.” The focus was on family, friends, on slowing down and being grateful. I cooked the turkey on Saturday and David carved it while watching Saturday Night live, and stored it in the fridge over night. That freed me to sleep in a bit on Sunday (normally I’m up early, making my cranberry stuffing and putting the bird in the oven) and it was easy as I relaxed listening to music, sipping tea, peeling and cutting vegetables, savoring the diverse colours of the veggies, the fragrant spices and the textures of the different nuts I used for the various dishes. Everything was so alive, fresh, and I was giving thanks to the produce from our garden and other farmer’s bounty.

I’d love to share the meatless dishes we prepared this year, and hey, if you are living in the States, even though I’m too late posting to inspire my Canadian reader’s for their Thanksgiving dinner, it’s not too late for you down south to think about how you may want to celebrate your Thanksgiving this year.

Before I get to the dishes though, I wanted to just chat about our other focus this Thanksgiving. I hesitated on whether I wanted to blog about this topic a few times, going back and forth, but finally I decided that if my blog is truly about H.O.P.E. which is my blog acronym for, “Helping Our Planet Earth,” then I want to speak up and share my thoughts with you. If you do not agree, let my words go, but if you are on the fence regarding what you think, maybe my words will resonate and for that I will be thankful.

I want to talk about what is occurring in the country south of us, after all we are cousins to the United States and what happens in their country affects us greatly, with regards to trade, travel, our economy to a degree, but with the bigger picture in mind, it affects world peace and the health of our shared planet. Also, since my mom was born in California and was originally an American, I do feel a bit like a cousin from the north. (and really aren’t we all related and connected on earth?)

Of course, you would have to be living off grid, in a yurt, without cell or internet service, and never leave your property (and probably not even then) to not know what I’m about to talk about….can you guess? Well, I’m wanting to chat about the Trump/Clinton run for the Presidency in the States.

I wonder if they know the world is watching as much as we are and making HUGE judgements which will have a lasting effect for years to come.

After our Sunday night Thanksgiving dinner, our family and friends headed to the family room where we watched their 2nd political debate. Every time I see how polished and poised Hillary Clinton is, how reserved she is able to conduct herself, with calm eloquence, and then I see Trump looking red faced and a bit slovenly,(despite his expensive suits) his hair frizzed around his head, and his contorted mouth spewing hatred and negativity, I’m at a loss to understand how he got so far in this race. Sadly, pathetically, he represents a good portion of citizens and they actually agree with his rude behavior, over the top racist remarks and disregard for common decency. I feel really sorry for those conservatives who do not share his views and even sorrier for the Clinton supporters who have to contemplate how their country would change if he were elected president.

Last night, I watched a clip of a speech President Obama gave recently referring to Trump’s words and behavior as, “not okay.” After the most recent scandal over released footage of him bragging about how he can do anything with beautiful women because he was a star, I thought, how can anyone support him now. But sadly, he still has supporters. What are they thinking, or are they in so deep that they don’t want to say that he is wrong. that they are wrong.

For some reason, many people in the world have lost their filter regarding what is an acceptable and respectful way to conduct themselves. They have also lost the basic sense of decency toward how to treat other human beings.

Why this is, I don’t know, but we need to have this discussion for the sake of our children. Would we like it if our children acted like bullies threatening others, throwing racist remarks loosely around and talking about how they touch others in personal and inappropriate ways? I don’t know about you, but I would be having a SERIOUS, face to face discussion with my children, if I thought they were even, THINKING in this kind of fashion. I’m perplexed as to how “some” Americans still think this type of person, would be the BEST candidate to represent them in their highest political office in their land???

I just can’t fathom it and I would be remiss, if I didn’t speak my mind, for the greater good.

The interesting thing is I believe the energy is shifting in the world right now and we are at a pivotal point for people to really look from within and ask a few poignant questions.

“Is this the world our fore fathers fought so hard for in the first and second world wars?

“Would they be proud of our behavior and conduct”

“Are we kind and living in a society where we think about our neighbour with love, kindness and acceptance?”

My belief is that when we lose a piece of ourselves, the part of us that has common decency, respect and kindness towards others, it creates an unbalance in the world. It’s up to each of us as part of our society to speak up when we see or hear in appropriate actions or words and say, “This is not okay,” and call instead for some basic kind, decent, respectful, behavior. We CAN return to working together for a better world.

The turning point is upon us and thankfully people like the current President of the United States is sharing his wisdom, and his wife Michele Obama is inspiring us to rise up saying such things as, “When they go low, we go high,” Also, prominent actors like Robert De Niro with his intense brown eyes and resonating voice, shares his feelings about Trump.

And while I winced at a few of his harsh words, I thought, well, someone had to say it and although I’m sure the Trump supporters didn’t blink an eye, as they seem to be conditioned to this kind of talk, it was needed to be said.

Those of you who are living in the States and can make a difference in the world, please get out and vote for Hillary Clinton. Make sure Donald Trump is not elected, for if he is, we will have turned in the wrong direction and world’s peace, kindness, and the health of our planet will be at stake. You have it in your hands to shift the balance to the greater good. I believe my cousins to the south are strong, brave and free and will rise to be their best selves. America already is great….but in your actions on November 8th you will be greater by ensuring Clinton is elected.

Personally, as I watched Trump move through the ranks to be the Republican candidate, I could only shake my head, but I was also listening from within, trying to figure out why I was so angry and bothered by words. I realized, even the most annoying and difficult people on this earth are here to teach me. He has shown me EXACTLY how I don’t want to be and is a guidepost to offer my children as a person not to admire or follow.

I’m sure, even he has some redeemable qualities, however I have never observed them over my lifetime of watching him in the news, on his reality T.V. show or at this time in history. Every time I see him, he shows me who is he with his words and his actions. And you know what Maya Angelou said, “When someone shows you who they are, BELIEVE THEM.” Sadly, somewhere along his journey, he lost a piece of his soul. Maybe that happens to some people who live with great wealth, property and notoriety. Their EGO (earth guide only) gets so big that they lose touch with who they REALLY are…..love.

When we were talking about his negative qualities after eating a lovely Thanksgiving dinner on Monday, I apologized to my family for speaking poorly of him and my brother in law D turned to me and said, “don’t apologize, ’cause he’s an ass.” But still, this is a hard thing to talk about on my blog as I want to  lift people up, and inspire, always moving with light filled energy. But maybe, we need to gently guide others and remind them to listen from within. Each person we come in contact with on earth are gifts…..and some give more than others.

Okay, I have to take a second here and breathe, maybe I will go outside and feed my chickens.

I’m back! It’s glorious outside. The air is crisp but the sun is warm. I’m going to wrap up my blog sharing my Thanksgiving recipes and get out and work in the garden. There’s still a lot to do in the garden; dig more carrots, and I see parsley is still looking great so I’m going to cut it along with some sage, lemon balm, and peppermint, before the cold nights kill them for the season. In the winter, it’s so nice having homegrown herbs drying in my laundry room.

Well, let’s move onto happier topics…FOOD and get talking about Meatless Thanksgiving Monday.

First, if I were NOT doing a turkey, I would have cut up a large squash, like a Hubbard, and dig out the seeds and stuff it with wild rice, quinoa, nuts, herbs, salt and pepper and roasted it. That would be my main dish. Sadly we didn’t do that…….NEXT year! Maybe you can do it though.

And to compliment that main dish here are a few of the vegetable dishes we made this past Monday.

The biggest hit with EVERYONE was the  Sweet Potato Casserole, then the Green beans and Mushrooms, the Butternut Squash with Maple syrup and rum was my fav and everyone loved the Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Thanks B for giving them to me) Even the little kids enjoyed them. Finally, what would be complete without our family’s Marshmallow Ambrosia. (My mom would consider this the ONLY thing she wanted for Thanksgiving…miss you mom!)

Clark was in charge of making the mashed potatoes and he does a brilliant job….yummy, garlic, dill and sour cream! Yum! Thanks Clark!

 

So, without any further ado, here are the recipes. Grateful Blessings for sure!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

4 to 5 cups of sweet potatoes cubed (I used 4 large sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp real butter
1/2 cup milk…I used almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour…I used whole wheat
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven for 350 degrees. Place cubes of sweet potatoes into a saucepan, cover with water and cook on medium high heat until they are tender and soft.

2. Drain the pot and mash the potatoes.

3. Add white sugar, eggs, salt, butter and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Pour potato mixture into a 9×13 baking dish.

4. Mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter with pastry cutter until the mixture is coarse. Add chopped pecans and mix well.

5. Add this brown sugar, flour, butter and pecan mixture over the top of the sweet potato mixture.

6. Bake in oven on middle rack for 30 minutes until the topping is lightly brown.

 

Green Beans and Mushrooms

Ingredients

6 tbsp of butter
1 cup mushrooms
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups of long green beans
2/3 cup of vegetable broth

Directions

1. Saute mushrooms in melted 3 tbsps of butter in a skillet for 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a medium size bowl.

2. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in same skillet. Add onions and garlic and sauté until they are  tender, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans and toss to coat them well with the butter. Pour veggie broth over green bean mixture. Cover and simmer until liquid evaporates and green beans are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

3. At this point, add the mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place on platter and cover with tinfoil until other veggies are ready to serve.

When I’m cooking in the kitchen, Ryuuki, likes to hang out, usually he’s sleeping on our window seat but on Thanksgiving he wants to be OUTSIDE, so he’s trying to get my attention by sitting on the stair railing outside the kitchen…I’m so thankful for our cat….something about having a cat in the house makes it homey in my opinion

Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup and Dark Rum

Ingredients

1 whole butternut squash~peeled, seeded, quartered and cut into 1/2 inch slices or cubes
2/3 cup water
1/4 maple syrup



 or dried cranberries

2. Reduce heat and simmer on low, stirring until the squash is tender…about 15 minutes

3. Remove the squash and place into a casserole or glass pan. Allow the liquid to simmer until it is reduced and it thickens…about 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Pour over the butternut squash.

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon and walnuts or cranberries, if you wish

Cover until the rest of the veggies are ready to be served

 
Thanksgiving this year was also my husband’s birthday so we had a lovely cake after dinner. HB David!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups of Brussels Sprouts
3 tbsp virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Add the above to a resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly and shake to coat.

2 Pour Brussels sprouts mixture into a glass pan.

3. Roast in a preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring the sprouts every 5 to 7 minutes to ensure even browning

And for the finale of dishes to accompany the veggies for Thanksgiving, our family’s favourite Ambrosia dish.

Ambrosia Salad

Ingredients

1 package of coloured mini marshmallows
1 tub of sour cream
1 can of pineapple tidbits
1 can of fruit cocktail
Coconut to sprinkle on top

Directions

Mix marshmallows and sour cream into a large bowl. Add the pineapple and fruit cocktail. Mix well until all are combined. Sprinkle coconut on top and cover. Chill in fridge overnight at at least 8 hours.

The lovely part of cooking all these dishes is that they really were all done about the same time, so within a short amount of time, you can prepare and then eat. WOW! That’s huge, from a woman who used to spend the WHOLE day in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day. That has to be another bonus for having a meatless thanksgiving.

Light the candles on the table and…..say Grace.

Thank you for coming today.  As the season of fall teaches us to gracefully let go and accept the changing season, may we all surrender to the greater good and allow it to prevail.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Homemade Salsa and Mental Health

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Okay, so you’re probably wondering what homemade salsa has to do with mental health. Well, if you hang in there, I hope I can make the connection by the end of my blog post but first, I want to tell you what’s been going on around here. Did you know that October 2 – 8th is Mental Health Awareness week? Tomorrow is the last day for the heightened focus of this issue, but for me personally, it’s going to be a permanent fixture inside of my brain.

I’m a pretty typical person, in that yes, I’ve had  bouts of anxiety and some depression in my life but it’s never been anything that is so dark, or debilitating  that a certain amount of time and learned coping mechanisms didn’t solve. I really haven’t thought too much about mental health in the past, until this last year that is, because like cancer for instance, where there is only a 6 degrees separation from anyone affected, mental illness is the same.  In fact, in my own family we have several members who are affected and suffer in varying degrees, and for each, it manifests differently. When I started thinking of it, are any of us truly immune from mental issues to some degree or another?

So when I heard about a Mental Health talk being given at one of our local high schools (Seaton) on Tuesday night, I was motivated to attend. Any further light that could be shed on this topic was only an asset in my opinion.Thankfully, a few of our older children were home and agreed to help with their younger siblings, so my husband David and I were both able to attend.

As it turned out, it was an inspiring evening but not in the way I had expected. I walked into the high school theater feeling still at arms length from mental illness and was stunned to realize I was walking out, not only better informed but realizing it was closer to home than I had thought. If I truly believe we are ALL connected, then this is right on my back door and knocking to be heard.

The main speaker, Sam Fiorella, was the father to Lucas Fiorella, who killed himself after suffering from depression in secret for a number of years.. Lucas was just 19 years old when he died. His passing was a great shock to his family and all who knew him, because Lucas was the most unlikely person to end his own life. He had three passions in his life: being a friend to those in need, snowboarding, and robotics. At the time of his death he was studying Robotics at one of Canada’s Ivy League Universities, Carleton in Ottawa. You would think that he would be in his glory studying at such a prestigious University doing what he loved, but the fact was, he had been silently suffering from depression for years.

 

After he died however, several high school and University students came forward to share with his family, how he had taken the time to recognize that they were suffering with mental illness and helped them in the process. In one instance, a high school classmate was contemplating how she was going to commit suicide. She decided she couldn’t do it at home since she had a stay at home mom, instead, she went to school and was just sitting in silence, trying to sort out what she was going to do when Lucas approached. He offered a simple hello and sat down to talk, but mostly listened to her. After she poured out her feelings and how she was planning to kill herself he said, “how about we go and tell your mom.?” Which was the beginning of saving that girls life. It started with “hello.”

 

“One’s life is not measured in years but by the positive contribution made to the lives of others.” ~Sam Fiorella~

The organization that was inspired by Lucas’s loss is called, The Lucas Fiorella Friendship Bench. 

Here is what the organization is trying to achieve:

“1: The Friendship Bench

Our efforts are built around this iconic yellow friendship bench, which is installed at secondary and post-secondary schools. It serves as a permanent, physical, and year-round reminder to students to take a moment out of their day to sit, breathe, and talk (or think) about their mental health and that of their friends. It’s intended to inspire peer-to-peer conversations about mental health in order to reduce the stigma and encourage more students seek help.”

The Seaton high school had arranged for Sam Fiorella to come and speak, in conjunction with this  Mental Health Awareness week but he was also there to present the school with a bright yellow bench that the 1996 Alumni group had fund raised for, in memory of their classmate, who also had committed suicide after struggling with mental illness.

The realization that this story could be mine, (Grace of God and all that) since we have a son who is also a top student, a high achiever in all areas of his life. Everything always seemed to be easy and natural for our well liked, straight A son, but little did we know  he was experiencing episodes of anxiety, even as a young child. I always thought when he would wake up in the middle of the night, hyper-ventilating and unable to catch his breath that it was his allergies. We even took him to the Doctor to discuss allergies, because mental illness wasn’t even on my radar.

Over the years, he has learned to cope and he deals with his episodes of feeling disoriented and anxious by taking deep breaths and meditating, which helps to calm him. There have been times though where he’s told me he’s isn’t happy and he is just going through the motions of doing what he must do. Oh, my heart just breaks when I hear this, as I’m just like any mom, and my biggest wish is for my children to be happy. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? I’m glad he has been able to talk to us but it scares me at the same time. Even though he says he’s okay, when does it stop being okay and will we be there for him when it’s not?

Thankfully, the stigma against mental illness is breaking down, opening up and coming to light since mental issues does affect a lot of people and we are starting to talk about it. To break the down the wall further, we need to teach our children from a young age to recognize their feelings and share them. Thankfully, in our children’s kindergarten classes, they are teaching the Zones of Regulation, which is a huge step in self awareness and communication.

Our son has been telling us for awhile now that he’s not always doing great and after Sam Fiorella’s talk, we finally really took it seriously. (Although I have to say, we did encourage him to talk to someone, which he did. On his own, he went to speak with one of the  school counselors but it wasn’t a very effective meeting) Why it took so long for us to actually take the reins and get directly involved, I can’t tell you. If our son had been suffering from a physical ailment, we would have made sure he saw a medical physician, so why is his mental state of health any different. The day after the talk we contacted our son’s University, and booked an appointment for him to talk to a clinical psychologist. Hopefully that will be the first step to help him deal with his mental issues.

If you can’t see the above YouTube, click on this hyper-link, Mental Illness: What you see/what you don’t see

All this week, I have been talking to people, via Facebook, friends, family, teachers, and now I’m blogging about it. I hope like a pebble in the pond, I’m doing a small part in changing society’s ideas about mental illness now, for I believe there is still a stigma. Why else didn’t I see it before now? I’m really sad that Lucas had to suffer in silence, and others like him who finally felt they had no option but to take their own life. I’m going to do something about it now….because you know what Maya Angelou says?

And now you are wondering what Salsa has to do with mental health….well……along with talking about mental health all this week, I’ve been making salsa. And while chopping tomatoes I’ve been thinking about my own mental health and the things I do personally to try to stay healthy. I was thinking how fortunate I am to be able to quit my career as an Insurance/Employment Officer with the Federal government and now be able to do what I love; raise children, care for our home and garden. It’s not always easy and we have had to make a lot of financial trade offs but I swear, digging in my garden, working in my compost pile and creating beauty in my yard, has saved me a number of times over the years. Those and the great hugs I get from my kids.

The most difficult thing about living in today’s society, in my humble opinion, is many people are not able to do what they love. We have set the world up for our children to have a certain expectation of what’s considered a successful life. Accumulations of wealth and property, is still the benchmark considered, for the measure of success. As parents, we try to give our children the best education and we expose them to all sorts of after school enriched activities, so they can compete to get into the best Universities, obtain the best jobs,  and all the while, we have forgotten to look at them as individuals.  Hey, I’m guilty of it ALL!!! But I’m hoping, with some conscious awareness, like Maya says, I will do better now.

Thankfully, our new school curriculum is moving in that direction. Recently, in our Province teachers have been trained to move in the direction of “inquiry based learning,” which allows children to follow their interests and the teachers act as facilitators in guiding them. There isn’t any score card or level of attainment. The children are the judge on what is individually successful. Yes, we all have a long ways to go, but with any journey, it takes a vision and the goal to create a healthier, happier society.

And back to my gardening, growing tomatoes, and making salsa…well, gardening has been my therapy.

A cute quote…but seriously, if you need a mental health check up…GET professional help!

Digging deep into the dirt, allowing some of my daily problems and concerns to be dug in and turned over, so I can contemplate my life and put my issues into perspective has been crucial for me, along with knowing the tiniest seeds I’m planting are growing into beautiful plants.

This is a heritage Brandywine tomato plant I put in the ground last May (plant your tomatoes deep is my advice)

 

In this picture you can see my tomato plants next to the pool fence which works great as a stake. I have just added grass mulch which improves the soil as it decomposes, keeps the weeds down and keeps the soil moist

Observing how graceful the changing seasons flow, also teaches me to look at the bigger picture in my life and know that this too shall pass when problems that may overwhelm me take hold.

Even when I’m stressed with house stuff, kid stuff, financial stuff, world stuff,… when I come back to the simple tomato harvest, picking, cleaning, chopping and cooking, it allows me to let go and realize how great a few jars of salsa feels to create. In the process of growing my tomatoes and peppers, my body received some exercise, some Vitamin D, and now will benefit from the Vitamin A, Vitamin C, potassium and lycopene that my spicy salsa provides.

If you have an abundance of tomatoes right now or want to buy some from your local farmer (I noticed in our local paper, farmers have U pick fields and the prices are great) and want to join me in contemplating mental health, while providing your families with a spicy salsa, check out how easy it is and yes, while it’s cheap to buy salsa….does anything compare to homemade?

Homemade Salsa for Canning

Ingredients

20-30 med to large tomatoes…if you can use the Italian Roma variety, they have less seeds
3 onions (I used my homegrown yellow onions…..but you can use 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 white)
3 sweet peppers and again, if you use one of each green, red and yellow, that is a nice variety
3 to 4 hot peppers
1/2 cup of lemon juice
3-4 minced garlic cloves
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp of chopped cilantro or if you don’t like the taste of cilantro..some people, like my oldest son think cilantro is soapy…you can use parsley

Directions

1. Sterilize your canning jars, lids and rings. I put my jars in the dishwasher and time the cycle to end when I’m ready to fill the jars so they are still hot. The lids and rings I put in a saucepan, cover completely with water and boil for several minutes and then set aside to dry

Modern canning advice says you don’t have to sterilize the lids and rings if you are using a water canner for over 10 minutes…but I’m old fashion and still like the idea of sterilized everything. Here’s a link to Modern Canning advice.

2. Clean tomatoes and place them whole into a large pot of boiling water for a couple of minutes. The time really depends on how ripe they are. The riper your tomatoes, the quicker the skins will start to split. Remove and place them in a colander, when drained well, place into a large bowl. I found I had to do this process about three times before I was able to boil and loosen the skin of all my tomatoes.


3.Now the big job of removing the skin on all the tomatoes and cutting and chopping them into chunk size pieces. Place all chopped tomatoes into the same large pot you used to boil them in.

4. Cut the onions and sweet and hot peppers into a large bowl. (Just typing about it now makes my eyes water and I start to cough. Something I find helpful is putting my onions in the fridge...there is something about them getting cold that helps to reduce the watering of eyes.) Add the chopped cilantro. (Some people use a food processor but I like to therapy of cutting up everything with a knife.

5. Add the lemon juice, the garlic and the salt and pepper.

6. Now add the onions, peppers, lemon juice and spices in the large pot with the tomatoes and heat them up. Bring to a boil and then simmer until ready to put them into jars. Stir really well. At this point, I do a taste test to check the spice level. If you want it hotter, add more pepper, or garlic but keep in mind that the processing of canning will increase the heat and intensify the spice.  

7. When the jars are done in the dishwasher, fill them with the salsa mixture, leaving 1/2 inch space at the top of the jar. Wipe the top edges of the jars before putting the lids on, finally screwing the rings on tight…but not too tight.


8. Place filled jars into the boiling water of the water bath canner, making sure the water covers all of the jars by a few inches. Cover and boil for 15 minutes.

9. Remove the jars from water bath canner and cool them on the counter.

10. Before storing the jars tighten the rings and make sure the lids have sealed by pressing down on the middle of the lid…if they don’t move, it’s all good.

So that has been my week.

Whew! Big stuff!

Now the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend is upon us and I can only think, “how grateful I am.” Grateful for my family, my friends, for a peaceful country to live in, but mostly for the freedom to express my thoughts and ideas. Also, I’m thankful for Canada’s health care system, as we can get help and all it takes is a visit to a physician for a referral to a mental health professional.

I hope you share with me in spreading Lucas’s story and ensure the loss of his life was not in vain.

I’m also thankful to you, my readers for coming to visit me here. Thank you!

And before I leave you, I wanted to share a song that the little kids like me to play when I pick them up from school….”Ain’t no Mountain High Enough,” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. 

I open up the sun roof on our van, and we crank the tunes….and we all sing really loud, “Ain’t no mountain high enough, ain’t no valley low enough, ain’t no river wide enough baby…to keep me from getting to you.” I hope they are taking in the words really well…and we are singing loud enough that their big brother away at University hears them and knows, we are there for him.

 

Listen baby, ain’t no mountain high,
Ain’t no valley low, ain’t no river wide enough baby
If you need me call me no matter where you are,
No matter how far; don’t worry baby
Just call my name; I’ll be there in a hurry
You don’t have to worry,
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Remember the day I set you free
I told you you could always count on me darling
From that day on, I made a vow,
I’ll be there when you want me,
Some way, some how
Oh baby there ain’t no mountain high enough,
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you babe
Oh no darling
No wind, no rain
Or winters cold can stop me baby, na na baby
‘Cause you are my goal
If you’re ever in trouble;
I’ll be there on the double
Just send for me, oh baby, ha
My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand,
I’ll be there on the double
Just as fast as I can……..
Let’s be there for one another and start talking and LISTENING….. That is my HOPE!

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Vegetarian Lasagna~Meatless Monday #3

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Hi! Welcome to my blog and thanks for joining me for my third Meatless Monday meal. This week, I thought I would make an Italian classic, but when I did some research, I discovered that Ancient Greeks were responsible for making this pasta out of long strips of dough they called, “laganon. Fast forward, several more centuries and Italy claims they perfected the delicious layers of meat, vegetables with these long pasta strips. To complicate the origin of this dish further  however, the first cookbook with a lasagna recipe was found in Britain in 1390.

So wherever this recipe originated, I’m sure over the centuries each country contributed their own flair to the dish and while I used to stick to a classic meat lasagna recipe, in the last 10 years my family has enjoyed my vegetarian twist. Maybe that is how in this day and age, we are re-shaping the classic lasagna. As we contemplate eating less meat for many reasons, health, environment, ethical treatment of animals, I personally find this recipe more delicious than my old meat version, as the vast array of vegetables contributes to a layer of delectable flavours.

This is also a meal that can be prepared in advance and frozen if you wish for a small gathering or a large. Or better yet, make one to eat now and one to freeze.

Join me out in my garden where I have to dash to pick some tomatoes, some carrots and basil and oregano.

While this isn’t my large Roma (Viva Italia) tomatoes, which are perfect for this dish, it’s a picture of my cute Juliets…definitely needed in any tomato garden

 

This year, I planted carrots all over my garden, wherever I had a spot ’cause you can never have too many carrots. They get even sweeter with the crisp fall days and are delicious fresh from the garden

 

Go outside and our girls are ALWAYS wanting to get in a photo shot…here’s Cocoa cruising in the kale

Are you ready to cook with me today? Okay, let’s go inside.

 

Find your cutting board and a sharp knife because the biggest part of making this dish is in chopping of vegetables. Here we go…..

Homemade Hearty Vegetarian Lasagna

 Ingredients

Lasagna Dry Noodles (I prefer whole wheat for the higher fiber content) I’m using a large Lasagna pan and I cook 14 noodles (I use 12 for the dish, 6 on each layer, but always cook a few extra…great for dipping in the sauce, yum)
1/2 tsp salt  
3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion chopped finely
3 garlic cloves
1 small green pepper
1-1/2 cups of  sliced carrots
1 cups of sliced mushrooms
1-1/2 cups of sliced zucchini
5-6 large tomatoes cut into quarters (if you don’t use fresh tomatoes, you can add another jar of sauce)
1 large jar of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil and oregano or 1-2 tbsp of dried herbs
4 cups of lightly packed fresh spinach or 2 packages of frozen spinach
454 grams of  partly skimmed Ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 -3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (add more if you want a really cheesy top

 


Directions

1. Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of salted, boiling water for 7 to 9 minutes. Drain water and rinse with cold water, drain again and set aside.


2. In a large pot, saute onions, garlic and green peppers in olive oil. Cook several minutes. Add carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook several minutes allowing vegetables to soften. vegetables are soft. 

 


3. Add fresh chopped herbs to the vegetables, then add the jar of sauce stirring and cooking for several more minutes. If you are wanting a rich taste, you can also add some dried oregano and basil. When I cook this in the summer when I have fresh herbs, I use fresh AND dried herbs. Let simmer for at least 15 minutes.


4. In a large bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, the Parmesan cheese, the eggs and the spinach.


5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

6. Now layer 1/2 of the tomato/vegetable sauce in the bottom of your pan…most people use a 
13×9…but mine is a bit larger


7. Lay 1/2 of the lasagna noodles on top of the sauce.

You need two eggs for the ricotta/spinach layer…here is Victoria with our new egg basket, which we had to start using since the girls like to collect the eggs and bring them in IN their hands…but earlier today we had a slip up and lost two eggs, ooops! hence our new egg basket


8. Lay the ricotta cheese/spinach/egg/Parmesan mixture on top of the lasagna noodles


9. Lay the other half of the lasagna noodles on top of the ricotta cheese/spinach mixture

10. Now spread the 2nd half of the tomato/vegetable sauce on top and finally layer this with all the mozzarella cheese…..if you want a lot of cheese use 3 cups but I found 2 full cups enough and then I sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese on top


11. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. I place some tin foil on top to keep it hot…..and allowing it to sit helps it to firm up when you are serving the pieces.

Note: If you want  the sauce to be hearty…you can use even more vegetables than the above….I know when we have served this to some of my children’s friends, they have not appreciated the mushrooms but they really do help to make the sauce thicker and heartier. 

 

Sorry for the glare…the rear of our house faces south and on a nice day, at 6ish the sun shines right into the back of our house…lovely but not great for pics
The little kids love lasagna

 

We are missing Alyssa and Harrison tonight. Alyssa has agreed to do some childcare/house sitting for our neighbours who are gone for a week, and Harry is at his part time job….Lasagna warms up really well and is better on day 2


And you know what seems to go really well with lasagna?…Carrot Cake. Have you tried my recipe?…well it’s actually my sister C’s recipe, which is awesome and we have tweaked over the years. Try it and see what you think.

And I think our cat Ryuuki must have known it was Meatless Monday, ’cause as soon as our son Clark got up to go and get something from the kitchen, our sweet little guy jumped up into his seat and settled in, soaking in the rays from the sun. When Clark came back, he let him hang and he pulled up another chair. Our pets remind us to go where there is love and FOOD.

Are you still on the fence regarding choosing a vegetarian lifestyle? If so, check out Graham Hill’s TED talk video, “Why I’m a weekday vegetarian.” Any steps we can take in the direction of choosing meatless meals, helps our planet earth. (if you are unable to see the link below, click on the hyper-link above)

Well, thanks for joining me and my family today and I hope this lasagna recipe inspires you to choose it as another vegetarian meal for your repertoire.

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

Blessings from Hope


 

Smoked Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry~Meatless Monday #2

/ Lee Reynolds

Welcome back to my second Meatless Monday. It’s a gorgeous day in the Okanagan and what I want more than anything is to get outside and harvest some more tomatoes. I have been doing that almost daily and after the kids are in bed at night, I’m either cutting them up and putting them in the freezer, or I’m making salsa and canning it. It’s been a GREAT tomato gardening season! We eat a lot of tomatoes in the winter, as I add them to so many meals. Stay tuned for my Salsa making/canning experience later this week and let’s get cooking with an Asian inspired dish, for our Monday Meatless dinner. Do you have places to go too?

Stay tuned….and join me in making some salsa later this week

You know what I love about “Smoked Tofu and Vegetables?” They aren’t just a healthy, MEATLESS, combination, but they are SUPER EASY TO PREPARE. Perfect, if your Monday is like mine and kids are flying in and out of the house, off to after school activities. I like them to have something filling either coming or going.

The little girls are off to ballet after school which makes dinner time more hectic

For years, my kids, especially my older ones, would protest when we had a meal with tofu. As soon as they arrived home after school the question, “What’s for dinner Mom?”  would be asked, with hopeful anticipation and I would reply with dread, “tofu,” knowing a groan would be their response. What about tofu makes kids groan? And why did I always reply to their, “what’s for dinner question,” with the protein choice of the meal? Why didn’t I say instead, “we are having, Squash, Carrots, or Broccoli?” You know why, because in many parts of the world, meat and potatoes is still the way people want to eat, choose to eat, like to eat. They probably don’t know any better. We used to not know better. It was the way I was raised to a degree, and also many comfort foods were associated with meat centered meals. Meals like; meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and pork chops with orange slices.

“Sigh,”……that’s me.

I know 20 some years ago, when I started cooking with tofu now and then, my kids felt TOFU was synonymous with vegetarianism ,and anything with the word “vegetables” in the title, was not good in their books. KIDS!

Thankfully~

Times change~

Palates Evolve~

And I have grown up too~

I have a more discerning desire to feed my family healthier choices and as a side benefit, it helps the earth. (Although if I was really smart, that would be my number one reason to become a vegetarian, since, if I help the earth, I help ALL the children in the world)

Whatever my children’s perception was, the bottom line is that tofu is a good source of protein when choosing a meatless meal and maybe it didn’t hurt that I found a yummy smoked tofu that everyone likes. It’s meaty, savory, and of course, it has a great smokey taste. It just adds another flavour dimension to our meals.

If you have a busy Monday, or any day of the week, the biggest part of making a stir fry is cutting up the vegetables but make it easier on yourself, and do it the night before, placing the veggies into a large container and store them in the fridge until you are ready to WOK with them. Okay, poor pun, but speaking of woks, you don’t need one to make this meal, just a large frying pan will wok, I mean work. (sorry, I couldn’t resist)

Having said that, once you have used a wok and experienced how fast it cooks, while maintaining the texture of your food, you will want to purchase one for your kitchen. I have an electric wok, but I have always wanted to do the hanging wok from the ceiling thing, which says to me….

dinner in a sec.

and good cooks live here!

Okay, ready to start chopping? by the way, you don’t have to limit the vegetables to what I have chosen. You can add anything you have in your fridge, the more the better, the brighter the colour, the healthier. I have chosen kale as my main green vegetable, as that’s whats in the garden right now but broccoli works great and would be my other number 1 choice.

Meatless Monday #2 – Smoked Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry

Ingredients

Rice, thin egg noodles or Spaghetti Squash (we chose the later for this dinner as it’s in season)

Marinade:
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 Tbsp of low sodium Soy Sauce….my number one choice is the Bragg’s variety when I have it
1 Tbsp  honey (or sugar)…this is optional
3 teaspoons of cornstarch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp powered ginger
Opt: 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Now for the rest of the ingredients –  vegetables, etc: Note: If you cut the veggies in strips, more of the vegetable can absorb the spices and it will improve the flavour of the dish

2 tbsp of sesame oil
3- 4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1 chopped white onion
1 stalk of celery sliced
1 red hot pepper cut finely (optional…even our kids are starting to like things SPICY and even though I also have red pepper flakes in the marinade, I like layering my spices)
1 orange, red, or green sweet pepper, sliced
2 to 3 carrots sliced
2 cups of  red cabbage..sliced
2 cups of kale or broccoli, cut up
1 sliced small zucchini
1 cup of mushrooms, sliced
1 package of smoked tofu cut up in cubes
Garnish of green onions, sesame seeds or almonds

Directions:

Cook the rice, noodles or spaghetti squash, as we have done, before you start your stir fry, as that part of the meal takes the longest to cook. Once you start cooking with the wok, dinner moves fast!

I had this cooked in the afternoon and Harrison just scooped the spaghetti squash and put it in a casserole while I stir fried…I also had rice cooking on the back burner..I use brown rice which takes 40 minutes

1. Heat  oil in wok, then add, onions, garlic, ginger, celery and red hot pepper

2. Add tofu and mix well with the above spices and vegetables, Cook for several minutes
3. Add the vegetables that will take the longest to cook, saving the softer veggies for last 

 

 

 

Cook these for a bit, stirring well, then add the last of the vegetables, in this case the mushrooms and zucchini….leave the more tender veggies until the end to avoid mushy veggies

4. Add the marinade to the vegetables and mix well with vegetables. If the heat is too high, turn down to medium low, and cook with cover on, stirring occasionally, checking often to see if the vegetables are cooked through, don’t let them get too soft, not a nice texture in my opinion.

 When the kids start circling the island, (that’s what they do in my house when they are hungry) then serve on a bed of rice, noodles, or like we did today with rice AND spaghetti squash. I topped it with green onions but you can garnish it with sesame seeds or do what we do often, a handful of almonds



Wished I had cut up my green onions a bit smaller, but hey, you should see them in my garden..they are HUGE…also, this dish is for William and he likes his food separate…so it’s not plated for an adult…but he eats like one in amount!


 

 

 For my blog sake, and because Will has to head off to swimming right after dinner, I dished him up first.
 

He told me to tell my blog friends that the spaghetti squash was a nice touch

 

 Well it’s that easy.

Sometimes we make things so hard in life but choosing to adopt a vegetarian lifestyle is quick and really perfect if you are a busy mom too. I’d like to think that when my grandchildren ask their parents, “What’s for dinner?” someday, and my kids tell them, ” Grandma’s Tofu with Vegetable Stir fry, they will say, “Hooray!” I’m holding the vision for someday having grandchildren AND a world where everyone has food on their dinner plate. and peace in their heart.

Join me as I end this blog post with one of my son William’s fav songs. In the evenings, after bath time, teeth have been brushed, stories are read, after I have said goodnight, sleep tight to his twin sisters, Will often asks, “can you come and lie with me for awhile Mom?” When I shut out the evening work of making lunches and cutting up and processing more tomatoes, and accept his offer, it’s the BEST time of my day. “It’s a choice to make a better day…”

Will starts singing the first song on the CD with his sweet, clear little boy voice. Sometimes he talks about his day with me and sometimes he asks me about my day….he’s very mindful that way. He asks about children all over the world. As his body relaxes and his breathing slows, we both drift on the wings of the music. 

I remember a time, being little like him. A 7 year old in the 60’s. My Dad had died in a truck accident 2 years before and I can recall feeling so small, so insignificant in the world, and yet, there was this tiny part of me that was BIG. I didn’t know it then, but I believe it was my shining soul energy. Even though times were often tough, I held onto that golden cord connected to this loving part of me, and I knew, if I had the opportunity to grow up, I would try to make a difference. 

I’d like to think with my writing I make a dent on this earth, and by raising children who are conscious of their own golden cord, that we will all weave a thread of love and peace around the world. IT’S MY HOPE. Here’s the song that Will sings from his, “KIDS FOR PEACE, ”  CD, called, “We are the World.” It’s a good song to sing on Meatless Monday!

If you can’t see the youtube video below, click on this hyper-link, We are the World.


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

Blessings from Hope

Clam Chowder and Transformation

/ Lee Reynolds

I love the beach, the ocean beach to be precise. The waves, rolling in and out, with the clock-like tide, the screech of sea gulls overhead, and the endless sand all beckon me to come and sit in peace.

My family used to go to Rathstrevor beach in Parksville, Vancouver Island, B.C. every summer for years, when our older children were younger. We would rent a cabin at “Tigh Na Mara,” with 2 bedrooms and a large open family area with a cozy wood burning fireplace. The cabin was in the woods, well back from the beach, which created a deep and quiet refuge in the evenings, but was only a short walk until one could hear the rhythmic, rumbling of the waves, crashing onto the shore.

Vancouver Island, is also home to some of the oldest trees still standing on the planet. Each summer, our holiday was not complete, without a visit to the old growth forest called, “Cathedral Grove,” or our long and winding trip across to the most western side of the Island where Tofino and Long Beach are situated. It was there, when standing on the edge of the ocean, with toes digging deep into the sand, that my whole being would exhale releasing pent up energy, and inhale all the beaches negative ions, restoring me with the grace of nature. I would be transformed into a relaxed, peaceful woman, if not until the next yearly trip, at least for many months after our holiday.

We would end our day trip with a delicious dinner at the Sea Shanty in Tofino, which has been run by the same, First Nations couple since 1994. The view of Clayoquot Sound from the patio (perfect for kids!) is intoxicating. At the end of the day, I would drink in the ocean, like the landlocked woman I was and know my soul was being restored. There is something poignantly special, about sitting amongst your family and knowing, life doesn’t get any better life than this. The fact that the food was AMAZING didn’t hurt either.

I’ll never forget our first trip, our oldest son Clark was around 5 years old. A precocious 5 year old, I might add, who was already reading with a larger than life personality. “Mom, there is nothing on the kid’s menu that looks good. Can I see your menu?” Passing it over, he carefully read all the dishes and then declared, “I’d like the Seafood Platter please.” Of course he would I thought, it’s the most expensive dish on the menu. “But Clark,” I said, “that dish is for adults, do you think you can eat it all? “I’d like to try, besides I want to taste every kind of seafood on one plate.” His Dad and I exchanged looks over the table and finally we both nodded in agreement.  He was so happy to dig out meat from the crab legs and dip his lobster in the butter, relished over the grilled salmon and enjoyed the scallops with a “mmmmmm, this is so good.” He even shared as I recall. He STILL remembers that experience to this day. (Mind you, he usually remembers every adventures in relation to what we ate along the way)

There is also something so pristine about that part of the world, that propels me to promise to care for the earth and do EVERYTHING I can to honour it, by keeping it clean and healthy.

 

This summer we took our younger children back to Vancouver Island for an end of the summer holiday. Part of the reason was to get our son Mitchell, who was starting his 3rd year at the University of Victoria, stocked up with food before the semester started. Personally, I really needed an ocean fix. Every pore of my being was dehydrated and needed to be refreshed, BEFORE we started a new, endlessly busy school year. It was delightful watching our younger children experience the ferry ride with all the ocean sights for the first time. I was reminded yet again, we are always creating pathways for our children, teaching them to walk the earth more gently and be TRANSFORMED with grateful hearts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recently, I wrote a blog post about choosing a vegetarian lifestyle, and if you are unable to do it full time, then starting with one dinner a week is a great first step. After writing that post, a friend of mine asked me how I have gotten my family converted to eating mainly vegetarian meals. I thought about how we have been moving in that direction for a long time and what the process was and realized, we are STILL not where I would like to be, fully vegetarians, but we are in the process. In order to achieve your goal, taking steps in the direction of that goal is sometimes what’s most important and also appreciating how far you have come and being okay with it. I tend to be too hard on myself, so looking back on what used to be on our dinner plates was an awesome realization for me.

Each day that we consciously choose to buy food that is not just healthy for us, but good for the environment too, has to be enough right now. At least we are moving in the direction of change and many days I can say we are there. (One of these days, we will totally stop eating bananas too, since it takes a lot of fossil fuel energy to bring them to my part of the world) That reminds me of Barbara Kingsolver’s book, called, “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” where she and her family chose to eat local, LONG before it was cool. In that book, she chronicled their experience. If you are wanting to be inspired, I recommend reading this beautifully written book.

Anyway, back to my friend’s question.

“How does one move in the direction of becoming a vegetarian?”

Well, first, you start making one vegetarian meal, then two meals and then three meals and before you know it, you have a complete repertoire of food your family loves, or will grow to love. Something we have done for years now is reduce our consumption of meat in the meat meals we eat. For instance, when the recipe calls for 1 lb of meat, you cut that in half. For more inspiration, here is what another blogger wrote about how to become a vegetarian.

Just like when we are trying to sneak more vegetables into our family’s meals, (you know hiding carrots, broccoli and zucchini into everything), you do the reverse with meat and slowly, you have cut out the amount of meat you add to your meals, until you replace it with an alternate source of protein; tofu, quinoa, beans/rice, almonds, etc.

Another way to move in that direction is to give a vegetarian alternative for the family members that do choose to eat solely vegetarian. It’s that old, try a bite of everything and before you know it, your meat eating family members have acquired the taste buds for a fresher, more alive, healthier choice. Their bodies will tell them what feels better after they have eaten a vegetarian choice.

I’d like to share a delicious soup I made recently for my family last week, when we had another cold and rainy day. It’s a long time favourite of my oldest son’s who was the one who ordered that Seafood Platter years ago. It’s my Clam Chowder Soup but instead of adding three cans of clams, like the original recipe calls for, I only use two. It tastes great, and no one notices the lack of clams. Actually, my “totally vegetarian” daughter asked if I would be offended if she picked the little clams out of the soup…and her brother gladly said, “I’ll take them.”

Okay, so it’s a life time process, especially if you raised your children to be meat eaters. I try also to not talk too much about food in general, no sermons about how eating meatless is better for our world. I call everyone to dinner and part of the enjoyment of the food is knowing we are only together for a short time. I know better than most moms since I have grown children and still little ones, how fast childhood flies and before we know it, our children are out in the world and making their own food choices. I hope they will have some favourite, comfort foods that will continue to nurture them with fond memories of home and holidays, long after I’m gone.

If you are cooking with me today, join me in listening to this great song, full of flowing harmony and easy beachy rhythm, “Tofino,” by Old Man’s Beard. 
(If you can’t see the link below, check on the hyper-link above to hear this cool song)

And as we are groovin, here’s my Clam Chowder recipe

Hope’s Clam Chowder

Ingredients

2 cans of baby clams ….(the recipe originally called for 3 cans of clams)
4 strips of bacon    (this recipe also originally called for more…you can use vegan bacon)
1 minced white onion
1 minced celery stalk
3 minced cloves of garlic 
8 medium cubed chunks of potatoes
2 medium sliced carrots
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
3 tbsp of whole wheat flour
6 cups of vegetable stock 
2 cups of whole milk 
2 tbsp of dill (if you have fresh, chopped and add…..the more the better)
Salt and pepper to taste
garnish with parsley

(Note; adjust the stock and milk based on how much liquid you like in your soup and also how creamy you would like it)

Directions

Cook bacon in large soup pot, drain off the fat, add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook until translucent. Add the chunks of potatoes, sliced carrots, flour, salt and pepper and mix really well.

I  am always amazed when I grow potatoes, beneath that dirt, it’s always a bit of a miracle to see food appear.


Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender. 

Drain the clams and put the reserved juice in the potato mixture, bring back to boil, and add the corn, the clams, and milk. Season with dill. Heat well and then serve with parsley and a nice big bun. (link to my homemade bun recipe) 

(Tip…..We often have a bit of left over Salmon or other fish in the fridge. It’s not enough to feed my family so when this happens I will add it to this soup, making another whole meal…if doing this, you can reduce the clams to just one can…and call it a Seafood Medley)

 

It’s ALL good!

Thank you for visiting today. I try to give my blog content to share with my readers some of the things I stumble upon in my day to day life moving in the direction of living on this earth more consciously and of course being mindful to care for our home. If you want to listen to an awesome Youtube video on caring for our oceans, which when you think about it, is really the earth….since land is actually on top of the ocean….and most of our planet is water…anyway, check out Sylvia Earle’s prize winning, Tedtalk video called, “My Wish.” Click the hyper link if you can’t connect to the video below.

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

Blessings from Hope

International Peace Day

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Yesterday was “International Peace Day.” Ever since I was a little girl, peace has always been important to me. Maybe, being a young child in the 60’s, when passionate peace marches were happening, or opening my school lunch box everyday with a psychedelic peace sign stamped on the lid, all had the effect of etching the importance of peace into my being.

Or maybe the knowledge that peace is a truth that just resonates with my soul. Now that I’m older, I understand  how truly important peace is in the world. It’s so simple and yet so hard for us to achieve. Why do we humans take the harder path in life? Because we want to be right and we want to win. But really, if the world is in a state of peace, then we all WIN. What can be better than that?

It starts with basics like, respect, kindness, compassion, non-judgement.

Here’s a link to an article by Andrew Martin who wrote, “The 6 Traits of People who live Peaceful Lives.”

Here are the highlights and the 6 things you can do to live more peacefully;

1. Let go of Ego and just be yourself.

2. Learn From the Masters

3. Bring Awareness to your Life

4. Realize we all Experience Conditioning of Some Kind

5. Understand you Create your Own Experience

6. How do you live your life, through fear or love? 

Often when my young children aren’t sharing, or they are bickering, I will ask them to stop and face each other, asking themselves if the thing they are wanting so badly, or the point they are wanting to make, is more important than the love and relationship they are wanting to experience and create with each other.

Inevitably, they drop the treasured toy, or stop shouting and simply reach for each other, sometimes telling each other they love each other. You can feel the energy shift and the anger dissipate if you are an observer. It’s quite remarkable. Teaching our children when they are young, is a good start towards peace.

Being aware and asking, “what is my intention?” is a HUGE step towards peace.

A little over a year ago, a little 3 year old Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi lay drowned on a beach. He, his mother and older brother died trying to find a more peaceful place to live in the world. Yesterday, I was thinking of him. I was thinking about all the Canadians and others in the world, who want to close off the borders, for fear of terrorism entering their country. And almost like synchronicity, last night before I went to bed I watched a bit of the CBS 11 o’clock news. They did a story on another Syrian refuge family, who has recently come to Canada, and were hitting the ground running after arriving in the country last year. They are growing a successful business making what they know best, chocolate, (who doesn’t LOVE CHOCOLATE!!!) and they are already starting to give back to the country who welcomed them.

This makes me cry with happiness but also with dismay. How many of us are already living in a beautiful part of the world, in a peaceful country, and we take it for granted. We take clean water, food and shelter, ALL for granted. For most of us, there are opportunities for us to become successful and give back to our communities. There are opportunities for us to extend our hand and say, “Welcome, come in peace.” This family inspired me today, and has me thinking about “what I can do in my community RIGHT now?” to make the world a more peaceful place.

Eat chocolate of COURSE!!! but…..

maybe I can do little things, like writing this blog post and the few people who read it, may be inspired, sending ripples of peace out into their part of the world. I can assess some of my other strengths; I love to read and I love children. Maybe I can go in and be a parent helper in my younger children’s classrooms, maybe reading with children, or at least helping out the teacher so she can offer the best education possible for all of our children.

I do believe education is one of the foremost steps we can take to live peacefully.

Hey and don’t you think if someone handed you a piece of chocolate, AND a book, you would feel happier and more peaceful? Works for me.

AnYway, this was just a quick blog post as I wanted to give you the link to the news report about the Hadhad family in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. (click on the hyper-link if you can’t see it below)

I hope it inspires you too.

Thank you for coming.

Until we meet again, “peace out!”

Blessings from Hope

Mexican Casserole~Meatless Monday #1

/ Lee Reynolds

Image result for making a difference in the world going vegetarian

Mmmmmm, I love black olives. They fill me with thoughts of sunshine, earth and balmy breezes…and my mom, who could eat a whole can in one sitting, although she also liked to share, hence my love of them too. As I was chopping up whole pitted olives just now, to put in the Mexican Casserole I’m making for my family tonight, I was thinking how much I love humid, warm ocean climate foods. Foods from Mexico, Greece, Italy, oh anything Mediterranean, Indian, Thai, well, you get the picture.

This is what the weather looks like outside my kitchen window as I cook. September has certainly not been warm and sunny this year. More like cold and rainy. I even put a tarp around my chicken’s covered run, to give them relief from the wind and rain. (see blue in right corner of our lower back yard.)

And here are a few pictures of the little ones as they took the bus for the FIRST time, brrrrr, early this morning (except for William, who is an old hand at this form of transport)

 

(And off they go for the W H O L E  day….inside I head to have a cup of tea and decide, what’s for dinner?….I like to get it out of the way early so I get sink into a few projects…decluttering is on the list)

And you may ask, why in heaven’s name, am I not living in a warmer clime with some yummy cultural dishes???? What is Canada’s cultural dish anyway? Well, I guess we are a diverse, hodge-podge of many countries. The only thing off the top of my head as I type is, Smoked Wild Salmon, Maple Syrup and Bacon. Oh and of course in Eastern, particularly French speaking Quebec, Canada they love poutine, but when I think about French Fries, covered in cheese curd and gravy it makes my arteries cringe.

Anyway, chopping up the olives just now got me thinking, I would really like to do blog posts that makes a difference in the world. I know it’s been said before, but what if we did start making veggie dishes every Monday? Imagine…. if everyone in the world did that? Choosing to start the week with a vegetarian meal is delicious, may help you continue the week on a healthier note, and of course by taking that one step helps to decrease your environmental footprint on the earth.

So, stay with me, what I was thinking is that every Monday I’d like to write a blog post, highlighting a vegetarian dish from around the world. At least for 7 weeks which would give me/us a vegetarian meal for each day of the week and get my family, maybe yours too building a repertoire of meatless meals as we head into fall.

The side benefit for us obviously is this is a healthier, greener choice and who knows, maybe we can lose a bit of weight. Another BIG reason for me is that I have little ones who are learning to make good food choices. I’d like to share my love of eating vegetarian meals with my children, so like my mom, sharing her beloved can of olives with me so many years ago, my children will grow up and have fond memories growing vegetables in our gardens and eating favorite dishes from all over the world. This is another way of helping the earth and staying connected to other cultures, feeling connected to everyone on this earth.

I hope you will join me in choosing some around the world veggie dishes for your family.

Image result for making a difference in the world going vegetarian
Since I’m making a Mexican Casserole, let’s start with that dish. I know on a chilly September day, it’s a great way to nourish my family. Hey, and a side benefit, is this meal is relatively inexpensive, especially if you are harvesting your peppers and tomatoes from your garden, as we are doing right now.

Hope’s Mexican Casserole

(Makes a large 9×13 casserole dish….great for a large crowd of 8)

Ingredients

3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
1 large minced onion
1 stalk of celery
1/2  cup of sliced black olives…more is you like them like my mom and I
1 Red hot chili pepper  (I’m using a “Hot Portugal” from my garden) but if you only have dried, use 1 tbsp of chili powder
1-1/2 tsp of dried cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of pinto beans (I’m using dried and cooking them)
1 can of black beans
4-5 large tomatoes chopped or you can add a large can of drained tomatoes
2 cups of salsa
4 tortilla wraps
1 cup of crushed taco shells or taco chips
1 cup cheddar cheese (I didn’t have a cup…so I used 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 mozzarella)


I cooked my pinto beans early this morning, you don’t have to soak them overnight, Rinse them, bring them to a boil, then continue to cook them on low heat for 2 hours. Finally. let them sit until you need to add them to the pot)



 Directions:

Heat oil in large pot, saute onions and celery until translucent, add garlic and red pepper, cook for a few minutes. Add the rest of the spices, stir well. Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for about 5 minutes to 10 minutes, and finally add the cans of beans and the 2 cups of salsa. Cook and heat through well.



Prepare a 9×13 pan by laying two tortilla wraps on the bottom.









 Add 1/2 of the above bean and tomato mixture over the wraps. (at this point, if you wish, you can layer some cheddar cheese on top, if you want the dish really cheesy, but I didn’t do this as I didn’t have enough cheese today)





Now like a lasagna, add another layer of 2 tortilla wraps and finally top with the remainder of the bean and tomato mixture. Top with crumbled taco shells, or taco chips and finally sprinkle the top of the whole pan with cheese.

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes



While the casserole is baking, make a green salad of your choice.

My garden is abundant with kale, red cabbage, carrots and tomatoes….make what you have on hand, anything green is great

 



To plate, place a large square of the casserole, top with sour cream, add the salad and some taco chips of your choice. Serve with a “Provecho”….enjoy!

 

This is a favourite of our family as it’s easy for me and the kids think it’s a “fun” meal.

This is what our cat Ryuuki thinks of this gloomy Monday…but the family is going to LOVE dinner tonight

Oh, and did I mention one of the BEST things I can think about when making it a meatless Monday? If you love animals like I do, this is just a humane way to walk the earth. Here’s a great link to the Vancouver Humane Societies page and an article on “Meatless Monday.” Have a look and I hope you join me in eating this way, if not all the time, then at least once or twice a week. We can make a difference!!!

Before I say goodbye, I’d like to tell you about my little guy Will, “Will I Am, Where there is a Will there is a Way, Will Power.” He’s got a powerful, and peaceful name. He loves people. He loves the earth. He loves animals. He also has this strong belief, that we can all do something to make the world better for everyone. The seed is in each of us, but we all have free WILL to make it grow. Yeah, maybe Meatless Mondays are just a humble step, but with each little thing we do, we do make the world a better place.

Here’s a link to one of his favourite videos. Interestingly, William was born on June 25, 2009, the same day Michael Jackson left the earth. I sometimes wondered if Michael didn’t whisper something to Will in passing. When I tuck Will into bed at night, lately he’s been playing this CD, (Peace in the World) and he likes to drift off listening to songs like Michael’s, “Man in the Mirror.” 
Click on the hyper-link above to see this Youtube video.

“If you want to make the world a better place, then take a look at yourself and make the change.”

 

 

Thank you for coming today and joining me in my kitchen.

I’d love to hear what your favourite veggie meal is for your family. Drop me a comment below.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

 

Touching the Sky~today is the day!

/ Lee Reynolds

Image result for Dr. Seuss quote about being up and away

“Wake up sleepyheads,” I whisper to my twin daughters. Victoria rolls from her tummy to her back and smiles sleepily at me, her hair a jumble of curls swirling around her chubby cheeks, the last vestiges from babyhood. She yawns and stretches her arms over head and says, “I had the best dream EVER!”

“Mhmm,” I reply as I pull out socks and underwear from their respective drawers under the bed. Kathryn pops her blonde head down from the upper bunk and says, “What was it about Tori?” “Oh Kate, you will love it ’cause we were swinging so high that we got blue on the bottom of our feet.” said Victoria with a huge grin on her face. “Oooh,” Kate answered, “I do like swinging big.”

“Okay sweet peas, time to get up and get ready for school.” Thankfully, there has been a gradual entry into kindergarten this September. I think it’s been more beneficial for me than  the girls, who have been ready for school to start all summer. Me not so much. I need time to adjust to a quieter house and endless hours all to my self.

Life is bittersweet right now. I’ve been at this mothering gig for awhile now. For the last 21 years, every three or so years, I’ve sent another of our children off to start kindergarten. Finally, the day has arrived when our last two start their formal education journey. Of course, I’m thrilled for them to begin an exciting new adventure, but I’m sad that this time in my life is over. No little ones sitting on my hip as we say goodbye to their bigger siblings heading off to school. It just feels weird, almost surreal.

I have a best friend who commiserates with me each September, as we say a sad goodbye to our kids heading off to school. I don’t know if we are a rarity but it just seems like so many parents are driving up to the school and saying, here’s your coat and backpack, how fast can you exit the car so I can get to the gym, or to work, or whatever. We linger over that last hug and stand back, waiting to see if our kids will look back just one more time before they head into the school. Anyway, thanks Tamara for being there all these years with me. You get me. It’s been nice to know I’m not alone in being a bit sad at the beginning of September

David and I have worked consciously, with a clear plan to prepare all our children for school, well for life in general for that matter, and this last year is no exception. Maybe I held onto our last babies a bit longer than I should have, but I believe by allowing them to move forward when they were ready, instead of pushing them, allowed them the space to find their own time to become the confident little people they are today.  For instance, it wasn’t until the girls turned 5 that we moved them out of their cribs and into a beautiful 2 level loft bed.

Their tiny and sweet room is from my dreams. When I was pregnant with our 5th child, Grace Elizabeth, I knew I wanted a very special place for her but our house was maxed out. Not wanting to move, as we love our location, one night I was lying in bed and looking into our cavernous walk in closet and a nursery suddenly materialized. We created a cozy little space for her and I will never forget stenciling pink hearts and blue ribbons on the walls when I went into labour with her two weeks early, just before Christmas 2002. (She just started high school this September!)

When we got pregnant with number 6, our son William, we renovated this little space, expanding it, changing the entrance so there was a door from the main hallway, instead of from our master bedroom and another doorway into the bathroom from the nursery. This room is a clear french door and gives the room its light and air flow. It was a delightful room with dragon flies and lady bugs on his peaceful sage green bedding.

Little did we know that he would have “lady bug” sisters (our names for them when we awaited their late spring arrival in 2011) join him when he wasn’t even 2 years old. When the babies arrived, William moved into our room for like, FOREVER. He had his mattress on the floor in one corner of our master bedroom. It may not work for most people but it worked for us. I liked him close and he grew to also be a confident, happy little boy. Eventually he moved in with his older brother Harrison when our son Mitchell left for University. (Brothers sharing rooms is a whole other blog post!)

When the girls were about 31/2 years old and in preschool, we asked if they wanted to move out of their cribs but they weren’t ready. They had a little step stool they used to safely get in and out of their cribs on their own and they said they loved their comfy beds. Of course they had the loveliest Laura Ashley bedding that was so cozy. They would sleep every night under a comforter that said, “Love.” Who wouldn’t want this for as long as possible?

 

I knew when they turned 4 though, that we would have to do something drastic, as they were getting to be tall little ones, and gee, I didn’t want their feet to be hitting the ends of the crib and their growth to be stunted. Just kidding, but I knew we had to do something and so again I dreamed of a special space for them. I did a few sketches and right after they turned 5, we took down their cribs and started building their cottage chic loft space. Part of the idea came from all the tiny house shows I liked to watch. I figured if we used the vertical space in the room it would feel bigger and it does.

As September unfolds, we currently have 7 kids in the house and somehow our home just continues to stretch and meet everyone’s needs. Yes,we could have found a more suitable house with more than enough space for everyone but every time we have talked about moving, or I start looking at the MLS listings, our kids say, “but mom, we love our house.” And so, we figure out a way to make it work for our family.

In so many this is what I’m proudest about with my family. It’s all about being creative. Using the space you have and making it special. Also, in many ways it’s the most environmentally friendly option, opposed to building another home, or moving to another home. In addition to using the space we had, I used items in our linen closet to make some new bedding as well…the body pillow cover was Grace’s old pink sheets from when she was a toddler.

Our next space conversion is over the garage and a place for our 17 year old son Harrison. Hopefully we can create a cool space for him to hang out with friends and play his drum set…up and away from the main family space. I hope after we get through some yard projects we are onto that so he has that space for most of his Grade 12 year. (maybe it will entice him to remain home to attend University too)

Well, here are a few pictures of the process we went through as we said goodbye to our little girls cribs and sweet nursery and hello to their big girl room. We turned it into a lovely space that they love to play in, read in and hang out in. There is even a secret, under the stairs closet, (we call it the Harry Potter room) that fits the girls dresses beautifully and gives them another hide away to read and relax.

I grabbed this picture just before we were about to take down the cribs….you can see how narrow the width of the room is in this picture. I still love the wall colour….it’s Soft Earth and the Beadboard is painted with Calla lilly
The girls loved watching each stage of construction take place. This was just after we found the quilts, the mattresses and some of the pillows for their beds. The mattresses we bought at Ikea….love that place…thanks for the idea Auntie B!

 

I don’t know who was more excited about the new beds, the girls or their big brother Will

 

And finally, here it is….the first night in the BIG/little room (The paint colour of the loft is Calla Lilly by Ralph Lauren)

 

We built the bottom bed with lots of head space so we could all cuddle together to read books under the great lights David installed…we are still looking for fairy lights for the inside of the bed frames…but the chandelier has a dimmer on it and it’s magical at night time.

 

The three bunnies over the bookcase was something I picked up from Winners when I was pregnant with William…little did I know we would have three babies in 2 years. Three has been such a magic number!

 

The globe was given to me from a friend when I lost a baby before Will was born…it’s an angel holding a baby and the little twin fairies were on our daughter Grace’s 3rd birthday cake. She wanted a baby sister and was blessed with TWO.

 

More twin decor; Mom with twin babes and sisters talking…these are Willow Tree Angels

 

The end of the room is all mirror making it seem bigger and a great place for the girls to dance. The door to the left goes into the master bathroom which is perfect for little girls in the middle of the night….the other door to the right goes out into the hall…we are just next door which is great, as even though they are big girls now, they do like to be close to mom and dad.

 

Here’s Victoria checking out the little reading spot in their Harry Potter room under the stairs

 

Kathryn’s reading has taken off Big time!!! Who knew all this time when she was quietly watching me run my finger along the words while Will learned to read that she was picking up the words too. One day when Will stumbled over a word, she supplied it with ease. We realized then that she was reading at an advance rate for a little one about to head off to kindergarten. She loves to read to her stuffies and dolls…well anyone who will listen actually

 

The girls love fairy stories the best

 

Each girl has a deep drawer under the bed which is perfect for p.j’s, socks and underwear and this dresser gives them each two drawers, one for tops and one for bottoms. We are REALLY working hard on continuing our minimalist theme and trying to have clothes that combine to make many outfits.

 

All ready for the first day of school…thank heaven it’s just a couple of hours

 

The girls love to hang out in Kate’s bed as it’s so cozy. It’s so funny how there was no discussion about who would get which bed either….but they have decided that they are going to have sleep overs in each others bed on weekends.

 

I embroidered the Hope pillow for Victoria Hope before she was born

 

And did one also for Kathryn Mira….which is short for Miracle…our Hope and Miracle babies

I picked the girls up at lunch time today. I found the whole class out in the school yard. I scanned the playground and finally found our girls on the swings. Victoria was trying hard to get on the swing which was higher than her bottom. I watched as she finally stepped up on the seat, pulling her whole body up to standing position and then she plunked herself onto the seat. Smart Cookie! She lifted her little legs and pumped them behind her, moving her body forward and back, trying hard to get some momentum.

I started walking towards her, thinking that I would give her a push but Kate got off her swing and gave her sister a push. As Tori pumped higher and higher I heard Katie say, “Touch the sky Tori!.” Those words made me tear up because dreams come true. A long, long time ago, I wished on a star for these babies to come into my life and now they are taking off and flying, getting blue on the bottoms of their feet. What makes it even better though, is that they are doing it together.

Lately, I’ve been ending most of my blog posts with a recipe (’cause I’m always cooking or baking around here) but today, I just wanted to end it with a Youtube video by Israel Kamakawiwo’Ole called, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I’ve loved this beautiful song and his rendition, which combines the two inspiring songs, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World.” (If you are unable to access the video below, click on the hyper-link above.)

My little kids love to sing “What a Wonderful World,” and I’ve loved the theme song from “Wizard of Oz,” my whole life. In fact, my fav line from that movie is when Glenda, the good witch tells Dorothy, “You had the power all along my dear.”

It took my whole life up to now, to realize we are “all” more powerful than we know. I hope as my two little ones head off into the world, they will experience what a wonderful world this is and also know  they don’t even have to click their ruby heels three times; that they have the power to create the life of their dreams.

Oh, and hopefully they will remember, “There’s no place like home.” Thanks for sharing this time with me. Gee and do you think that now that I have 6 whole hours a day to myself, I can write a few more blog posts, or finally get my book finished? One should hope….so stay tuned.

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

Blessings from Hope

Homemade Ice-cream~What I AM

/ Lee Reynolds

    For there is no friend like a sister in calm and stormy weather. To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray. To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands ~Christina Rossetti~

 

The above piece was written by an English poet, who lived during the Victorian era in London. Christina Rossetti was ahead of her time, being born almost 200 hundred years ago, she became a leading feminist, as she was able to support herself with her craft, when class and gender bias was rampant. When I read about women such as this, it inspires me to keep going. It’s not always easy to be a mom to a large family. It’s not always easy to be an older mom to young children. People have such huge judgments about what is right, ethical and proper. If she could overcome society’s ingrained beliefs back then, then I can keep going in the 21 century, trying my best to open people’s eyes to our true nature.

We aren’t our gender, our colour, our religion, our class, our marital status, our sexual preference, our religion, our political party membership, or our  age. We aren’t the house we live in, the car we drive,  what we do for a living or how much money we earn. We are, what is deep inside each of us. And for each of us, the journey within can take a lifetime. Some never discover their true self.  

 

Summer was flying along on the wings of butterflies and was carrying me breezily through my days. The children were busy going to camp, taking tennis and swimming lessons, and I was happily in the garden, digging in the dirt, laying mulch and tending to our new chicken flock. Every spare moment was gloriously full. I lose myself outdoors, in the garden, in a forest, on the beach or in the country. Being close to nature keeps me grounded and connected to all things. It feeds my soul, allows my heart to sing and makes me feel peaceful.  

 

 

My lazy summer reverie was shattered two weeks ago.

After having a busy week at home, I stopped in for a visit at my cyber parenting board and discovered a horrendous tragedy had happened to my dear board bud and her family. I have been fortunate to share my parenting path with a group of wise and intelligent women for several years now and I never thought anything negative would occur being actively on the internet. Yes, naive on my part but the need to connect with other women who are walking a similar path, was a strong pull. 

 

 

Don’t we all feel more comfortable when we find “our people.” You know a bosom buddy who just gets us. Someone who shares many of the same things in life and understands how rocky and wonderful the path can be at times. Living in the 21 century affords us the technological luxury to connect quickly to like-minded friends all over the world. It’s such a blessing and now I also see the negative side as well.

I am not going to go into the tragic event that occurred, as it’s not my story to tell. What I want to share is what happened to me and my other board buds who were shocked and grieving for our friend and her family. This is the side tragedy that often accompanies painful events. Anger is one of the first emotions that rises up after a horrific loss and the reaction often is “who can I blame.”

 We had unwelcome guests coming on our board (which has always felt like our safe, private living room) spewing hate and horrible judgments towards our board friend and us as well. It shook me to the core, as I have not experienced that level of hatred and abuse in my life. I always look for the best in others but sadly, I see that there are those who do consciously choose to harm with intent. The fact that they feel their judgment is the righteous one, does not make their hateful remarks justified or above reproach.  

These people lurk in the shadow of anonymity and must derive some sort of satisfaction from stirring up controversy. It gives them a sense of power, perhaps and also feeds their ego when they create havoc. “Sick, and perverse,” is all I can say about this kind of behavior. All the things that they “claim” are wrong about everyone else, is something they should recognize in themselves.

 

I am not going to get caught up in this drama though, since I have a life to live and I have children to lead. At the end of my days, I hope I can look back on my life and say, I didn’t waste any moments by being negative or intentional mean. What is gained when we travel that path? There are going to be great times of grief, that is part of life, but knowing how to observe the feelings without reacting is a powerful tool and then flowing through the emotions with the least amount of resistance is key to healing. Yes, things will never be the same again, but with each experience we grow wiser.

What prompted this blog post today was watching nature and realizing it has much to teach me. Recently, we had a summer storm. The sky became dark and the clouds opened up, spilling torrential rain, like the tears I’ve shed for my cyber-friend and her children. Winds whipped up, filling our house with penetrating cold air. 

 

The kids were transfixed, sitting safely on our window seat in the kitchen watching the changing sky, and the swirling lake below our home. They watched as buckets of water rolled off our decks to the gardens below. It occurred to me they were still young enough to have not experienced this kind of extreme weather pattern in their life. Certainly not too many summer storms since first, they have only lived a few summers and 2, we don’t experience this kind of weather disturbance in the summer in our valley.

Suddenly, I heard them get excited and as they opened the french door and raced out to our deck, I followed them. There they were, ooohing and ahhhing over the double rainbow in the sky.

 

  Mother nature is always teaching me how to walk this earth and my children are reminding me to live in the moment, to enjoy the experience and always, ALWAYS look for beauty and joy. 

This morning I woke up to another beautiful summer day. The sky couldn’t have been more blue. I’m still grieving for my friend and her family, I still feel tremendous pain and hurt from the recent personal attacks towards my board buds and myself, but I’m not going to spend precious life moments being concerned about what others think of me or my friends.

 

I know judgments are largely fear based and if you know anything about me, I try really hard not to live in that place. It’s too dark and it’s also only a matter of perspective. What we don’t understand, what we have been taught to believe, we are scared of. It’s human nature. I think about Christina Rossetti, the poet who lived in a time when women didn’t choose to remain single and work for a living, doing what they were most passionate about. What did her peers say during that time?

 

With the advent of the latest tragedy, and the attacks on the internet, instead of breaking me down, I have been inspired to rise up and be the best “me” that I can be. Can ANY of us ask anything more from ourselves? or others in our lives?

And so today is a day of healing. A day to move forward, for even though I’m grieving, (and some days grief is continuous on this earth don’t ya think?) I need to help all my children continue to stay in a place of being conscious and in the moment. I don’t want them to lose this gift from childhood. It’s a choice…I will keep getting stronger, despite grief and sadness and I will follow my children’s lead and look for the beauty in our world. And perhaps I can help others move through life always with hope in their hearts.

                  

  And what do children love more than fun….it’s when it’s fun and SWEET. Join us in making some old fashion ice cream. It’s easy and delicious.

Our oldest son has worked at the local Science Centre throughout his University years. (he recently received his Science degree) He was originally hired as a summer student to plan science programs for kids but they kept him on throughout the year and he’s been making ice cream, flubber, mento rockets, etc  off and on for 4 years during Saturday Serious fun at the centre. Our younger kids are so lucky to have this Science geek big brother as he LOVES teaching and experimenting with his younger siblings.  It’s the joy of having kids all sorts of ages in our house.

 

Here’s what you need to make Homemade Ice-cream

 

The kids with ice, cream, salt, cocoa, freezer bags….oops where is the vanilla?

 

Ingredients and Supplies

1. 1 Large Freezer Bag

2. 1 Medium Freezer Bag

3. 1 cup of half and half/whipping cream (or even whole milk works)

4. 1/2 cup of salt

5. 2 tbsp of sugar

6. 1 tsp of vanilla

(to make chocolate use 2 tbsp of cocoa)

7. Big bag of ice

Directions:

Add the half and half, the sugar, vanilla and the cocoa into the medium freezer bag. Zip well, making sure most of the air has been removed

Put the medium freezer bag into the large one and surround it with ice and salt. Zip the bigger bag, again removing excess air.

 Now the fun begins and you can pass the large freezer bag around, shaking and turning the larger bag while pressing the medium bag around inside of it. Keep checking the bag with the cream until it becomes the consistency you want your ice cream.

 

Here’s Clark checking to make sure the excess air is out of the bag

 

 

While the kids were taking turns making the ice cream, I was finding toppings…..the skies the limit but we used raspberries, chocolate chips and crumbled chocolate cookies we had made the day before for our toppings. This was just simple fun and again taught another sustainable lesson. Now we just need the cow!

 

On my journey to growing our family and becoming an older mother, I had lots of moments to think about who I am and what I can offer my children. It was while I was sitting in quiet contemplation when most of the insights came to me. Sitting on my yoga mat and thinking, “Be Still And Know I AM.” 

If you are experiencing a tough time right now, or everything in your life is dark, take a moment, sit quietly and just BE Still. Stay present with your breath, allowing it to move in and out, in and out. In time, you will discover you are a piece of everything; loving, limitless, ageless fearless. And peace will come.

  As the last days of summer close, join me in singing a song my kid’s (especially my William (Will I AM) loves to sing in his clear, sweet voice.) Click the hyperlink if you can’t get to the video below. Here’s Will i am, singing, “What I am.” 

 

Want to sing along with us? Here are the lyrics….keep on reaching high!

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

Blessings from Hope


“What I Am”
If what I am is what’s in me
Then I’ll stay strong – that’s who I’ll be
And I will always be the best
“me” that I can be.
There’s only one me, I am it
Have a dream I’ll follow it
It’s up to me to try.
Oh! I’m a keep my head up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit
I’ll be getting stronger.
And nothing’s gonna bring me down (no!)
Never gonna stop, gotta go.
Because I know
I’ll keep getting stronger.
And what I am is thoughtful
What I am is musical
What I am is smart
And what I am is brave
What I am is helpful
What I am is special
There’s nothing I can’t achieve.
Because in myself I believe in oh…
Gonna keep our heads up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit
Just keep getting stronger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

For there is no friend like a sister in calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands. Christina Rossetti
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/christinar165077.html?src=t_weather

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble~Hello New Chickens

/ Lee Reynolds

https://wordwaltzer.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/images-7.jpeg                                        ~There is always enough, when love is present~

The long, lazy days of summer are still with us but our roosters are not. It was a sad day when we had to say goodbye to our three roos. Knowing they were going to a good home in the country made us feel marginally better.

Our two remaining hens, Sadie, (aka, Sweet Girl) and Cocoa seemed to breathe an audible sigh of relief as the three rambunctious boys left the coop. I thought they would be sad to see their brothers go. I felt so bad, so on the following day of saying goodbye to the boys, I finally let them out of their coop/run to free range our yard for the first time. If they felt any sadness, it was soon forgotten as they explored the yard, nibbling on fresh kale and jumping at butterflies.

 

We happily watched them become brave adventurers. Each day they ventured farther afield, to the playground, under the trampoline, up the stairs to our kitchen garden where sweet herbs and a few lettuces were trying valiantly to grow despite the mass families of quail visiting our yard this year. I had to laugh one day when our sweet Sadie chased some quail out of our yard. As she ran with her wings straight back, she seemed to say, get out of MY yard. (There really is enough growing for all)

Sadie and Cocoa check out the playhouse

And that got me thinking about adding a few more hen friends. One of the reasons for adding to our flock was that chickens are social creatures and they do well in groups of at least three. In fact, I don’t think you can say you have a flock of chickens unless you have three. Also, even though the nights are balmy now, I know in the not too distant future, it’s going to get very cold in our part of the world and we are going to need several chickens huddling together in the coop to stay warm through the winter.

It took a week for us to find new sisters for our girls. I put the word out on Facebook with a chicken loving friend who is also into sustainable living. Also, we tried to contact a local hatchery but after several phone calls and even an email, our request for two hens must not have been enough to warrant a call back. Finally, I found a Kijiji ad offering 6 month old Rhode Island Red hens for sale.

Perfect!

I contacted the owner and he was happy to sell two hens to us. I gathered together my laundry basket and D secured some hardware cloth to the top and we headed out to the country. A lovely flock of 10 Rhode Island Hens were happily scratching and clucking in a shady run. How does one go about finding two hens from a group of constantly moving chickens?

I told the owner, we would like hens who are in the middle of the pecking order so we don’t bring home two bossy boots. Also, I was hoping to get the darkest red hens I could find as I LOVE this breed of chicken and I thought they would fit in nicely with our girls. Our beautiful girls are both a rusty dark red and although I’m not a chicken expert, since they both came from greeny blue eggs, they are what is called Easter Eggers. This is a mixed breed with one parent carrying the coloured egg gene.

I’d like to say we chose our two new girls, but really I think destiny chose them. We took the first one I picked up and the owner’s daughter, Haley chose the other one. I would have loved to have brought all 10 hens home, as I knew the owner was moving and needed to find homes for them all but two was a good number for us and our urban setting. It’s a good idea, if you are introducing new hens to bring at least 2 from the same flock so they have a friend as they adjust to their new surroundings and new coop mates.

David carrying our new hens into our backyard and the kids are beyond excited

So here is what I have learned about introducing new chickens to an existing flock. 

You can’t just let them run loose with your existing birds, due to potential health issues and also of course the whole pecking order has to be rearranged in a controlled situation. Thankfully, we have a hardware cloth door that can be closed to create two runs and we let the new girls have the larger run. There is a nice roost in this run and I put a pet carrier inside for their nesting box since the new chickens are laying eggs. (Yipee)

After three days we had 1/2 dozen eggs from our new hens

Our girls, who were free ranging when we brought their new sisters home came running over to see what we had in the laundry basket. They were very interested and excited but I’m glad we had them separated as the new girls were larger and I was worried about our 15 week babies/adolescent birds. After all, these new girls were used to being in a larger flock and dealing with the pecking order, and our girls had put up with 3 big brothers but no big bossy hens. Another tip, in introducing new chickens to the flock is to make sure they are all about the same size as the smaller ones will get picked on for sure.

 

Here are the new girls moving into the run for the first time.

 

In the first week, I made sure they had a lot of greens and lovely things to eat to make them feel welcome

After a week of keeping the new girls, who we finally named, Clara and Annie, in their run/coop, one beautiful afternoon, I let them out to join Sadie and Cocoa. Since there was lots of space to explore, there was no confrontation, although both sets were wary of each other. That night I separated them in the coop/run again but the next day I let them out and they have been free ranging and sleeping in the run/coop without any barrier. The new girls did stay on the run roost each night up to now but tonight when they were all starting to settle into their respective places, I picked the new girls up and moved them into the coop with our younger girls. There was some unrest but then they settled down obviously too tired to worry about who was sleeping where. I will get up nice and early and let them out to avoid any issues.

I have heard that there can be vicious attacks but so far, there has only been a move towards a peck, which has been avoided since there has been the space for all to roam. I think that is the key with adjusting new chickens into an existing flock; to give them space so they don’t feel stressed. If there is no stress for food, or roost space, or places to scratch and move, then there really is no issue. They can easily transition into a comfortable pecking order without any violence.

Reminds me a bit of bringing home a new baby  to join an older brother, sister, or more. If the existing child, or children feel that they are not losing anything, just gaining a sweet brother or sister, then the adjustment is easier. In fact, our children all felt we had given them something very special instead of  anything being taking away. That shocked me as I had never thought of it that way. I was worried they would feel as though they were losing a bit of their relationship with their mom and dad and then I realized, they were being given a new relationship that WE were not a part of in any way. I’ll never forget our oldest daughter oohing and ahhhing over her baby brother the first time she met him.”My baby brudder,” she said as she held him in her tiny arms.

Here’s  our daughter Grace feeding one of her twin baby sisters. She was so excited to finally have not just one baby sister but TWO
Here’s Clara, one of our new hens exploring her new yard..so far she is the BIG SISTER and realizes there is enough to go around for all the hens, food, room to explore, attention, and companionship
Victoria getting to know the new girls, Clara in front and Annie in the back
There is a lot of room for the hens to roam on our 1/3 acre urban lot, here you can see the two separate runs/coops we have set up. The one on the right is the one our older girls lived in as we adjusted our new hens to their surroundings. The new girls lived in the run on the left. There is a nice roost and a nest box in that run. Hopefully, after tonight they will all sleep together in the little coop space in the upper run

All of this has been going on at our homestead while we were also saying goodbye to our oldest son, who left for London mid July to spend the summer with his sister traveling around the U.K. The same sister who taught me there is always enough love to go, when we introduced HER baby brother to her. Now they are all grown up and are traveling partners in life.

Before Clark left though we harvested our strawberries and our rhubarb and made a delicious crumble. I’ve been  waiting to write a blog and share this recipe with you but it’s been a really busy summer. Are you finding it’s flying by too? Our second big crop of rhubarb is about ready to harvest again.

Btw, the crumble is the British term for the American crisp, which I thought was appropriate as our son headed off for Britain. Here’s my recipe for a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble (adjust the sugar depending on how sweet you would want it)

Hope’s Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble

Ingredients

3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or toasted almonds
3 cups of cut up strawberries
2 cups of chopped rhubarb
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions

Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix in with a pastry cutter. Add nuts and mix with a fork. Set aside this topping for the crumble.

Mix the strawberries, rhubarb, white sugar, and vanilla and place in the bottom of an 8×11 inch pan. 

Sprinkle the topping on top of fruit mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 40 minutes 

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top…delicious

Although this crumble went fast in our house…it’s easy to make so there is always enough!

 

Saying goodbye to our oldest as he heads off for his summer adventure to the U.K.

 

 
 
                           ~There is no lack. There is always enough~

I hope to see you again soon,

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

Blessings from Hope


P.S. The girls slept together well last night and seemed to be even closer this morning as they roamed around the yard together rather in two separate groups. Also, BIG News, there was the usual two eggs, one in the coop area they slept in last night and one in the old nesting box which is still in the run. The BIG news though is that I found two shelless eggs which means our younger girls, Sadie and Cocoa are revving to lay REAL eggs soon. Exciting day and a big step towards having a harmonious flock.

Lemon Squares~Raising Chicks

/ Lee Reynolds

       

Before you were born I carried you under my heart. From the moment you arrived in this world until the moment I leave it, I will always carry you in my heart. ~Mandy Harrison

What devoted blog readers you are to come and visit today.

Thank you!

I’m sorry I haven’t been posting much this spring and early summer. As you may know, if you are a follower, I was blessed again to be rehired back at my gardening gig for 8 weeks this spring. Between work and my mom/homestead duties, my days have been blissfully, abundantly full.

As much as I enjoyed every single moment of my time at the gardens, (I have amazing work buds, waving “Hi”if any of you are reading today) it’s nice to take a moment to contemplate life, my dreams and the summer ahead. Before another season flies by though, I wanted to take a moment and tell you about our baby chicks.

News Flash! Chickens grow up REALLY fast.

They are not sweet, fluffy ‘lil chicks any longer. Nope! But they are sweet big pullets and cockerels. Yes, that’s right, it looks like we have cockerels, as in roosters. I was pretty sure a few were turning boyish, as they were growing alarmingly fast and getting red combs and wattles. Also, having raised 8 kids myself, I know the chance of having boys is usually a 50/50 chance. In my case, for many years an 75/25 chance, until Grace and our twin daughters evened things out. Anyway, we took the risk that we may have a few roosters, as we did the “hatch a chick program” at my son’s grade 1 class. As far as I know there isn’t a way to determine the gender before the egg has hatched.

The inevitable happened this past Monday morning. I was half asleep, pouring breakfast cereal for my three little ones when, “Cock a doodle Doo” floated in loudly from our open kitchen window. Now, this wasn’t an adolescent learning to crow. Oh no, this was a full blown doodle. For a moment I smiled as this is what I would love to hear IF, I were living in the country but no, the reality is that I don’t live in the country. I live in an urban type yard and I needed to muzzle that sound or we would quickly be discovered as having chickens. Even hens are not a welcome backyard pet in our area….yet.

Ahhhh! I quickly, pulled together an enticing tray of yummy food for our chickens; rolled oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, some left over brown rice from our dinner the night before and then as I flew down to the coop wearing nothing but my nightie. I gathered a few strawberries along the way and some herbs; parsley, lemon balm, oregano, thyme and finally sweeping by my lower garden gathered up some of their fav grub; kale leaves. I was figuring a chicken eatin’, ain’t a chicken talking. When I arrived at the coop all in a flap, my 5 chickens were all gathered at the door, looking innocent. No one particular was fessing up over calling the alarm for breakfast. Every day since, our roos voices are growing stronger, thankfully never at the same time. Sadly, it looks like we are going to have to say goodbye to our three beautiful boys. I will not be able to keep them in our urban backyard much longer. (Thankfully, I may have a country gal willing to take them)

Bittersweet really.

I have wanted chickens for so long. I’ve read everything I could get my hands on regarding their care, that I thought I would enjoy the experience but I had no idea, I would LOVE just being close to them. They are meditative of sorts and funny to watch as they have big personalities in their little feathered bodies. It’s interesting as they go about their day eating, socializing, scratching, being curious about the world and what is going on around them.

The little dark one we called Coco Chanel and it looks like she is going to be one of our hens

 

Aren’t they the cutest! Here they are all 5 of them, spending some morning time with the kids in the family room…they are getting their little feathers

 

Will just loves holding them and it has been interesting to see how the various fluff balls matured over the last 3 months. They really do grow up FAST! Those aren’t droppings on the paper towels, just little pieces of parsley.

Our little fluffy feathered babies remind me why I love being a mom to little kids so much ’cause little ones are the same in so many ways. They love to experience eating new foods, socializing, making new friends, and are curious and interested in everything happening around them. Watching babies grow is like discovering the world for the first time through their eyes. Magical!

Here they are at last out of the house and into their new home. It’s been such a ride. They lived in our laundry room in the brooder box for about a month as it was cold outside when they came to us at the end of April. Then we moved their brooder box into the garage for another couple of weeks and finally at 6 weeks old we moved them out to the coop. They were fully feathered and getting really big at this point.

Here’s a picture of the two roosters enjoying their new coop with the cool birch branch roost my husband D made for them…the white one we called, “Pearl” but it looks like she is Captain Pearl now.
Here’s the new coop and run. Since our yard is sloped we had to build it in two sections. The first section holds their coop which is really cool and has some easy to clean features. This was put in place first and then D built the run to the left. For those of you who are interested, I am going to do a post soon ALL about the construction of the coop, as when I was in my quest for chickens, where to put them was a biggie You can see how big they are now

 

As our chicks turned a month old, our twin daughters, Kathryn Mira and Victoria Hope turned 5 years old on May 20th (The Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada). As I write this they are 5 years and 2 months old yesterday. I’ve been meaning to write this blog for 2 months! I can’t believe my babies are growing up and will be off to kindergarten in the fall. It just seems like the other day I was carrying them around in each arm.

Sadly, I’ve lost a lot of baby pictures of the girls (on a flash stick somewhere) but here is one sweet picture. Victoria is on the left and Kathryn is on the right…back then they were almost identical

 

Here’s Victoria still snuggling into her twin. Kate is on the left here and Tori on the right 5 years old

 

Kathryn and Victoria on their birthday….a kitty for Kate and a puppy for Tori are in their new bike baskets

So this blog is really about how fast our chicks grow up, enjoying the journey and celebrating the moments.

When my family celebrates an occasion we usually do so with a dessert and I thought this was the PERFECT time to share my lemon square recipe. I started making this years ago when our older kids were in our local Carriage house string Orchestra. The moms would take turns bringing snacks for their “break bread” and socialize aspect of their practice.  When it was my turn to feed the 20 something group of kids, I always brought healthy veggies, hummus, fruit, taco chips and various dips but the big hit was always when I brought my delish brownies (stay tuned as I don’t think I have posted this recipe) AND these lemon squares.

I’ve had so many people over the years ask for this recipe so I thought I would finally include it in this blog, even though it’s not the healthiest of desserts. Sometimes dessert is just SWEET. Summer time is also THE perfect time for lemon desserts don’t you think? Light and tart….goes great with Greek type food. If you are looking for an easy dessert square for a special occasion, check this recipe out.

Lemon Squares

(This recipe is from the Company’s Coming Cookbook by Jean Pare)



Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated Sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine

2 eggs
3 tbsp of lemon juice
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut
1/4 tsp salt

First layer: Crumble first 3 ingredients until mealy. Press into un-greased 9×9 pan Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes

Second Layer: Beat eggs slightly. Stir in remaining 6 ingredients. Spread over first layer. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until set in the center and light brown in colour. Cool and frost.

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp butter
4 tsp lemon juice and if you like you can add some real lemon zest



Directions:
Combine all together in small bowl Beat well, adding more lemon juice a bit at a time as needed for easy spreading. Spread over cooled bars. Allow to set. Cut 36 small squares.







Thanks so much for coming by for a visit. Before I close though, I wanted to share a song/vid that I have loved for years now. 

WAY back before our daughter Grace was born, I wanted another baby. Hopefully another daughter. We had our oldest, a daughter and then were blessed with 3 beautiful boys. Our oldest daughter asked for a baby sister for every birthday and holiday. It was a LONG journey though, as I was over 40 at that point and my fertility had taken a nose dive. We lost a baby along that journey and after that loss, I realized ANY baby would be welcome, not just a daughter. So many people have preferences over gender and having a loss made me realize that boy or girl, it doesn’t matter. Our babies are precious gifts and teach us so much about life. (And I guess that is why I love my Roosters so much too) I just wanted to be pregnant again and hold another baby in my arms. When I heard this song by Leanne Womack before we finally got pregnant with Grace,  I cried and cried.  I was surrendering my dream of having anymore children and yet the Universe had other plans.

Now I am the blessed mom to 8 children. Four beautiful boys and four lovely girls and all I want for them is to live fully and experience all this world has to offer them. I want them to dance.

Our girls dancing together through life

 

 

The girls had their very first ballet performance in June. The theme was circus and they were dancing ponies

 

 I hope the experience I went through losing a baby, trying to conceive for years, also influences all of our children. They know they were wanted long before they ever came to earth. Hopefully, that energy flows from me and feel deeply loved and wanted.

So before you close my post, check out Leanne Womack’s video, “I hope you Dance.” If your dream is to have chickens, get chickens….best experience EVER. And if your dream is to have a child but you are facing infertility, hold your vision and move in the direction of your dream, staying positive and trusting the Universe to show you the way. WHATEVER your dream, “allow miracles to happen,” move in that direction and most of all, I hope you dance. That is what I wish for you today. (if you can’t see the video below, check out the hyper link above)

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

Blessings from Hope

Brooding Chicks~Happy Earth Day!

/ Lee Reynolds

Yes, I know, April 22th, the official earth day was several weeks ago but don’t you think everyday should be Earth Day?

A day to celebrate our home. It continues to give us clean water in many parts of the world and enough food to eat. The earth continues to amaze us with its’ beauty and reminds us to flow with ease, through the seasons of our life.

Spring came early in my part of the world; the North Okanagan valley. It’s just early May and people have had their tomato plants in the ground for several weeks now. Normally, the Victoria day long weekend, (3rd week in May) has been the time when we safely plant our gardens.

But this year, we are hitting record high temperatures. Global warming? My oldest son, who will be graduating from University this June, with a Science degree majoring in Environmental science, would say climate change is real. Some people don’t agree with that. I started working at the Garden center on earth day and while at the check out, several of us were chatting with our customers about the unusual warm weather and an older gentleman came by, over heard our conversation and scoffed at the idea of global warming; saying it’s not unusual to have an early, hot spring, quoting another similar season 100 years ago.

A co-worker of mine, is big on reusing items and reinventing them in the garden…see unique planters above
A view of the garden center from the veggie section

I know scientists, like David Suzuki, has been trying to educate the world for over 40 years on the damage we are creating using fossils fuels etc and although we are still driving around using gas powered vehicles, I hope that in growing more food in our backyard it is one step towards our independence from outside sources. ( Check out the David Suzuki Foundation’s 30×30 Nature Challenge for the month of May.) The more we become connected to the earth, the more we realize we can make a difference. We just need to get down and connect.

Victoria and Kathryn spend time observing a snail on our front walk….they wanted to feed it to the chicks!
Then decided, it too had a special place on the earth

Image result for earth day quotes

Guess what is happening, FINALLY at our homestead?

My dream to have chickens has finally come true and as I write this blog post, two sweet little balls of fluff are dozing in their brooder box in our laundry room. They are wrapping their little newly feathered wings around each of us and their peeps are endearing.

It all started when I heard about the Hatch a Chick program put on by our local “Teach and Learn,” store. They provide 7 eggs in an incubator and all the necessary equipment you need once chicks hatch. Our family decided to sponsor this program for our son Will’s grade 1 class. Once the chicks hatched the class kept them for a week. The whole school was excited over the hatching chicks. Even the BIG grade 7’s came in and lost their cool over the baby chicks. We were able to bring home the chicks that hatched. It was an exciting April around here and at Will’s school.

 

 

Will checking out the eggs….21 more days!

All good right?

Well not quite.

The downside is that in our rural sub-division the current by-law does NOT allow chickens. We have decided not to wait for the slow moving political system to grind it’s gears. We are moving ahead and if anyone protests, I’m going to write our local paper’s editor and start ruffling feathers. (Holding the vision that it won’t come to that) We do have a 1/3 of an acre and we will position our chicken coop on our property in such a way that it will not affect our neighbours. Our baby chicks have been in our house for 24 hours and even our cat hasn’t clued in. Hopefully, our neighbours will not hear a cluck once they are in the yard.

Our province’s capital city of Victoria (which is a beautiful city if you haven’t visited) allows chickens, our largest city in our province, Vancouver (which is becoming a role model for one of the greenest cities in the world) allows chickens, and even our nearby city, Vernon, of which we are closely connected allows chickens.

The motto as you drive into our area is “Rural Living at it’s Best.” I don’t know what this is suppose to mean but if our chickens become an issue, I’m ready to educate people on the benefits of having chickens.

As far as I’m concerned they are pets with benefits. They of course will provide my family with delicious, organic eggs but I get rather excited thinking about having some help in the garden. Turning over the soil and readying it for the garden season. Nature’s rototiller, ridding our yard of pests, weeds, etc without doing any harmful spraying. (which affect our bees…we are all connected) Also, I know this may sound funny, unless you are grooving in the garden too, but chicken droppings are excellent for amending  soil….and I LOVE improving my garden fertility. ALSO, did I mention we are thinking of dropping our cable T.V?  I’ve heard chicken T.V. is way more interesting.

This was Victoria today….she spent a long time sitting and watching the peeps

Then there is the whole locavore and being sustainable movement. (Which I’d like to think I support by my actions) Keeping chickens is the next natural step, after growing our own food. Several winters ago, the highway to the coast was shut down due to winter weather conditions and our grocery stores were pretty bare after 3 days. I know in my neighbourhood, which is affluent, there may not be the heightened concern over food security, but no matter how much money you have, if there is some sort of energy crisis, or weather emergency, we are on our own as far as feeding ourselves. I’d like to think that taking steps to grow some of our own food, along with keeping chickens may assist us to weather that kind of crisis and become a stronger community.

If you are thinking of keeping chickens too, here are a few great books I would recommend.

and

and finally,

In the last several years, I think I have read every book written about chicken keeping, and there are a lot of books out there. It’s been a bit of an addiction to keep growing my knowledge. So when we decided that we were going to move ahead with the hatch a chick program at my son’s grade one class, I started gathering stuff for brooding our babies.

Of course the number one item was a brooder box. Which can be a simple as a rubbermaid container but baby chicks grow really fast and they would quickly outgrow this so I thought we would start off with the right size brooder box. I gave my husband a sketch of what I wanted and here is what he came up with. (This box can also be used if you ever need to separate chickens short term, due to illness or if one is being picked on)

My husband D, making the brooder box
The kids got in the box and started peeping. The top lifts off and the front door opens too

Then, like gathering things for the arrival of the newborn, I visited Buckerfield’s, a farm store, and picked up a chick feeding dish, a water dish, a heat lamp and red bulb, some chick starter, some grit, (’cause chickens don’t have teeth and grit is needed in their crop to grind their food) and of course, some paper towels and some pine shavings for the bedding,

Out of the 7 eggs in the incubator at my son’s grade 1 class, only 2 hatched at 21 days. One came from a green egg, and one from a brown egg. One is yellow, and one is a beige. I’m hoping one is a Rhode Island hen.  We were sad that the success rate was so low but happy with our two little ones who are currently without names. They are still being called, “the peeps.”

The Teach and Learn Store says there may be some other chicks hatching at other schools and we may be able to add a few more to our flock. (Is two a flock?)

Here are our peeps,  the day they had hatched.April 27th, 2016

 

Since our garage is still quite cold, we put the brooder box in our laundry room
I thought this was a cute quote above our chicks….especially since they have wings
Here are the peeps, safe and sound in their new brooder box. 1 week old, they are getting their little feathers on their wings
Kathryn and Victoria LOVE their peeps

Well, that is the latest around here. It’s going to be a busy spring with me working full time and we have a lot going on, soccer, golf, music, swimming, ballet, and I’m trying to build a bigger garden area.

Expanding my veggie garden, digging up more grass and edging with stones

 

I hope you follow along on our chicken journey. It’s such a small thing but something as little as keeping chickens can help to heal our earth. We all play a symbiotic part on this planet.

I am the Earth
And the Earth is me,
Each blade of grass,
Each honey tree,
Each bit of mud,
And stick and stone,
Is blood and muscle,
Skin and bone.
And just as I
Need every bit
Of me to make
My body fit,
So Earth needs,
Grass and stone and tree
And things that grow here
Naturally.
That’s why we
Celebrate this day.
That’s why across
The world we say;
As long as life,
Is dear, is free,
I am the Earth
And the Earth is me.
~Jane Yolen~

Image result for earth day quotes

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

Blessings from Hope

Raspberry Yogurt Pie~Grandma and the Faeries

/ Lee Reynolds

The light is changing in my part of the world. The days are getting longer, warmer and I am opening gently, like the first blossoming flowers in spring. I’ve watched the changing seasons for many years now, the lines on my face etched like a wrinkled road map, showing all the places I’ve traveled, but it never gets old. There is something magical about the in between times.

 

And as I dream and plan about my garden, and dream and plan about my life, I remember another time, when the smell of lavender evoked memories long buried. Memories now lifted, like the new earth in my compost bins and ready to be laid creating a rich and fertile life.


Summer mornings are my favourite time to be out in the garden, as the air is fresh and moist, after waking from slumbering under a blanket of cool darkness all night long. My flowers are heavenly scented, with a sweet romantic perfume, their heads a profusion of vibrant colours and drops of  glistening dew lay peacefully on their verdant leaves. As they see me, with watering can in hand, they joyfully nod in anticipation of receiving their first drink of the day. I brush against my blooming English lavender and the calming, woodsy scent fills the air, taking me back in time.

 

It was the summer after my dad died and I was 6 years old. I went to visit my Grandma Clark, for a few days. Grandma was my Dad’s mom. I felt very special, since I had never been alone with her before, as my 3 older sisters and hordes of cousins were always at her house when we visited.

 

Grandma came out from the porch when our car pulled up, her arms out stretched towards me, long before finally sweeping me into a warm embrace, smelling of clean linen and fresh lavender. After mom bid us goodbye, thanking grandma, making me feel even more special, since I was the object of all that gratitude, Grandma smiled at me, her blue eyes twinkling and asked, “Do you want to help  pick some raspberries for our dessert tonight?.”

 

 I nodded shyly, forgetting the correct response but I knew “you bet, ‘cause I love dessert,” wasn’t right. Grandmother had been a school teacher and I had heard mom say, she liked to hear the Queen’s English, whatever that was. Mom had reminded me before dropping me off, to remember my P’s and Q’s, so I felt stilted, the words, like fluff in my mouth, and my brain all fuzzy, searching for the most polite response.

 

Grandma and I walked quietly side by side, her carrying a small bucket and me trying hard to resist the urge to skip. My sister J, a real ballet dancer, had recently taught me this joy filled way of moving but I suppressed it and we continued to plod along.

 

I stopped dead still, forgetting all about dessert, engulfed by a floral potpourri aroma, lifting me into an euphoric state. Grandma’s perennial garden was a profusion of jewel toned colours and rich textures. The array of blooms was overwhelming, but the smell was transcendent, taking me delightfully back to another place and time, long forgotten. 
                                                  

 

“Debbie, would you like to meet a faerie?,” my grandma asked as she knelt next to the edge of the garden. Wide eyed, I dropped down to the ground and watched as she gently picked a happy looking, purple flower with a bright yellow center. “This is a pansy and is the home of garden faeries,” she said, as she slowly picked off the petals and put them into my hand. When the last petal had been lifted, she held the stem towards me and said, “Faerie, I’d like to introduce you to Debbie.” Mesmerized, I marveled over the tiniest little girl, wearing a crimson red bonnet and a soft yellow flowing dress. Tentatively I said, “Hello?”

 

Grandma, the faerie and I sat peacefully for a long time, rocked gently by the hum of the earth. Beneath the sweet scent of flowers, we were enveloped by wisps of freshly mowed grass and pungent, decomposing matter, giving birth to new dirt. Butterflies lightly danced on the stage of rose petals and birds swoops to join the performance, gleefully chirping their songs, while the insects clicked and buzzed to the beat. The whole world was filled with the rhythm of life.  A magic I had forgotten.

 

“Mom, can we pick some raspberries?” I turn from my reverie, to see my three youngest children, still dressed in their summer cotton jammies, holding bowls expectantly, looking like bright eyed faeries, and said, “ Sure I’ll race you to the patch.”   

 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..


 That is a glimpse into my time capsule, which I recently unearthed of my grandmother, teaching me to love the world again after the death of my Dad. Reminding me that magic is everywhere and often unseen by those who don’t take the time to look. 

 

My Grandfather Robert and Grandmother, Florence Clark in their garden

The next time you are in the garden, gently pick the petals off a pansy, and if you are attune to magic, you too will meet a garden faerie. 
                                               

And no memory is complete without the sense of taste to accompany it. Raspberries also remind me of my Grandma Clark, and so I thought I would share my recipe for Raspberry Yogurt Pie. I found this recipe YEARS ago from the La Leche League’s, “Whole Foods for the Whole Family,” cookbook when I was involved with our local LLL chapter. I hope you like it and add it to your repertoire of desserts.

                      Image result for whole foods for the whold family cookbook by la leche league

Raspberry Yogurt Pie

Ingredients

1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1/2 cup honey
1 recipe of graham cracker crust…recipe below

Directions

Blend cream cheese and yogurt in a bowl. Add dry milk powder and honey; mix well. Spoon into pie shell. freeze until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before servicing. May top with 1 cup of raspberries. This is a very quick and easy dessert.

Yields: 8 servings
Note: Any berries can be substituted…or mix them up using a strawberry yogurt and top with blueberries.

Graham Cracker Crust

Ingredients

2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cups wheat germ
1/4 dry milk powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup of melted butter
1 tbsp of molasses

Directions

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl; mix well. Stir in melted butter. Add molasses, mix well. Press firmly over the bottom and sides of a greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes. cool before filling. May substitute honey for molasses. Yields 8 servings

Take a piece out into your garden and in joy!

                    

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

Blessings from Hope
                                     

Lemon Pound Cake~Mothership

/ Lee Reynolds

We all experience pivotal moments in our lives. Moments we cross the threshold of believing a certain way, and suddenly an event occurs in our lives and we are inexplicably changed forever. One such event occurred in my life, four years ago today, on February 28, 2012.

I was at my son Harrison’s grade 7 basketball game, cheering loudly, when my cell phone rang. My 16 year old son, Mitchell said, “Mom, I’m so sorry, but Auntie J just called to say, Umma has passed away.” This was the moment I had dreaded my whole life, ever since my Dad had been killed when I was 5 years old, I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop; losing my mom. My heart was hurtled through the abyss of no return and yet, like any preordained destiny, I continued through that black hole towards inevitable pain.

On the drive to my mother’s new care home, where she had been moved only 4 days prior, after being in the hospital for 2 weeks due to a fall, memories of her, like the vintage 8 mm family movies my Dad would play on his clicking Kodak projector, ran through my mind.

On the screen, Mom was the star, moving faster than real life time. The scenes flashed, showing a beautiful woman with a slim body and long legs dancing and laughing, then another, was of her, surrounded by children, smiling proudly, like a mother hen all puffed up over how smart her baby chicks were at finding juicy worms. In all the pictures she moved gracefully,  even when she was peeling potatoes. She was stunning, with soft, wavy brown hair circling her head, her eyes were hypnotic green cat’s eyes and her face had hints of Slavic ancestry, from the invading Mongols centuries before. Her smile was gentle and kind but often sad, as she moved on a trajectory of grief, loss and struggle.

 

 

 

My mother was raised, smothered in fear by her parents,, who had lost two babies before she was born. They hovered over their princess, Ethel May, and panicked each time she uttered a cough or had a fever. As a result, she came to view herself as delicate, perhaps she was, I’ll never truly know, but that shadowed her whole life and mine too. She was encouraged to play quietly, developing a rich, creative dream life, cutting out whole families from the Sears Roebuck catalogue and spending hours reading books. She loved animals and told stories of her pet bunnies disappearing, coincidentally around the same time the family had enjoyed a Sunday night Chicken dinner. Sadly, her childhood was layered with scarcity during the Great Depression and as a young woman, she perfected the art of worry and anxiety, while living through the Second World War.

Her face remained unlined for years, despite becoming a widow with four daughters at age 39 and then again at age 59. Even though hardship and depression had been her companions in life, she strove to be happy and looked for opportunities to help others with a kind word, or encouraging smile. She was  generous and loving to all who knew her, and you never left her house empty handed.

Finally arriving at the Care home, I drew closer to the looming precipice of my existence, tightly wrapped in that of my mother’s, and consciously noticed my senses were heightened, as the automatic doors to the Creekside Extended Care Home whooshed open and I entered a building, quiet as cotton batting in the ears and smelling of stale air.

When I walked into mom’s room, she was lying peacefully in her bed, her arms crossed over her stomach, her eyes were closed and her face was relaxed. She appeared to be lost in a deep sleep, however, I knew my Mothership was empty. The vessel I had arrived on earth in, was broken and I would have to find a new way to return home.

My sisters were standing, like protective sentinels next to her bed. They turned to greet me with  sad smiles, and I joined them, standing next to my mother’s left shoulder. As my sister J, who had been with mom when she had taken her last breath, started quietly sharing mom’s final afternoon, I began stroking the hair off mom’s forehead.

J told how mom had been on her way to thank someone for a kindness, so like her, when she had suffered a massive stroke in the hallway and died suddenly.

As I had been listening to this story, my senses were acute, every fibre of my being alert, as I knew I was experiencing something that would alter me forever. J finished the story of mom’s exit scene but I said, “She is still with us. Come and feel her head.” Light, tingling waves of energy emanated, haloing her head and I was in awe, swept up in the current of her ultimate vibrating message, “I am still here and I love you.” She had waited to say goodbye.

Instead of falling off the cliff that day, my mom birthed a new belief in me. I woke and started to really live for the first time in my life being freed by so many fears and earthly concerns. Feeling her energy in that moment gave me the realization that death is not the end, it is simply the casting off of a beloved overcoat that has served its purpose, allowing us to move onto the next stage of existence. I had dreaded this moment my whole life and although yes, I was sad to know I would never hear her gentle voice again, I was also buoyant with joy and gratitude. I was so proud over how regally, like a queen, she had traveled the last bit of her life on earth, giving us time to settle into the idea that the end may be near, and also the easy and graceful way she left.

If there ever was a life lesson she taught, and she taught me many through the years, about over coming difficulties with dignity and integrity, this had to be the most illuminating lesson. She had released me from an old way of being, of thinking about life and dying and who we truly are.

That was a turning point for me in so many ways, with regards to my spirituality and my life goals. It really was the moment when I knew I had to start writing too; something I had put off, thinking I was too busy raising our family.  This blog is just one way that I’m living my new life.

But back to the story and my last memory of mom.

Since I knew mom was still very much with us, she gave me one final gift and that was the chance to whisper, “goodbye and, I love you too.”

                                             

Join me in hearing the song “Smile” by Nat King Cole.…my mom loved music, she loved to dance but most of all she loved to smile and make people feel happy.

 

 

And before I leave you, hopefully uplifted because you know, there is no such thing as dying…which seems to be everyone’s worst fear…so funny really….what we should be most fearful about, is not really…. living. Being creative beings full of love in this lifetime.

Part of living is eating, and boy my mom loved anything lemon, so today, in honour her I thought I would make my lemon pound cake that she enjoyed when she came to visit. It’s easy…which she would appreciate, never wanting to make work for anyone.

And so delicious.

It’s perfect to take to any event, or when you have loved ones coming for tea. So without further ado….here is my Lemon Pound Cake recipe, dedicated to my mom, Ethel May Herrling, Clark, Finch. A wonderful mom, a beautiful person, and a delightful spirit.

  Hope’s Lemon Pound Cake
 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup oil
2 tsp lemon extract, or concentrated lemon juice and grate some lemon zest 
4 eggs

Glaze 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan. In a large bowl, combine all cake ingredients. Bend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into greased and floured pan.

Bake at 325 F. for 40 to 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Remove cake from oven. With a long tined fork, poke deep holes every inch. In a small bowl, blend glaze ingredients until smooth. Spoon half of the glaze over the hot cake in the pan. Let stand upright in pan for 10 minutes; invert onto serving plate. Spoon remaining glaze over the cake. Cool completely, and serve.

 

 

And enjoy!

I’m so happy you came to visit today….life is so good and I’m thankful I have been able to record some of my life stories on this blog and also share some of our family’s recipes with you.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

 
 

 


 

 

Living an Inspired Life

/ Lee Reynolds

Following up to my post which I wrote a few weeks ago on inspiration, (Cinnamon Raisin Bread and Inspiration, or is it the other way around?)  I wanted to share a few additional thoughts and also a link to a TED Talk I recently found, which further inspired THIS post. Have you ever wondered where creative inspiration comes from? I know you know what I’m talking about because we have all experienced it in life. Even those people who are very analytical, and have a black and white belief system and say they don’t have one creative bone in their body. We all have that golden connection to the divine, whether we want to admit it or not. Whether we want to be open and allow it to settle within, filling us with brilliant light to shine out into the world. Our Bravo moments!

I have experienced those timeless, uplifting moments when I parent, cook, garden, but lately they erupt like a geyser to the surface of my consciousness, not able to be contained below ground any longer. They spill forth and I either have to grab a piece of paper and write down the flowing words, or they evaporate into the heavens. If I do capture them in time and I start to fill my bucket with ideas,  thoughts, feelings of expression; the words pour out of me and I KNOW, I am but a vessel of divine creativity.

Those moments, when I have captured pure love, and passed it on to my child, or put it into my soup, or my garden, or allowed it to flow onto a page, I know that is eternal soul speaking through me. That is the little piece of GOD that shines within me. I live for those brief, elusive moments. They are the things that get me up in the morning and I hold my breath for all day….always looking to be taken, swept away and allowed to soar on the wings of inspiration.

We are all given these glimpses, but for some of us they appear more readily or for longer stretches of time so we can produce great works of art. Some of us have to just show up as Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in her book, “Big Magic,” and say, I’m here, ready to do the work and just hope that “creative genius,” will come to the table. That is our job, to show up, to not lose hope, to trust that we will be lifted by creative genius to have a baby, write a song, paint a picture, or write a book.

Sometimes, we just have to keep breathing, keep experimenting, as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in the quote that started this blog post.

“All Life is an Experiment, the more you experiment the better.”

Because the more that I do what I love to do, parent, cook, garden, practice my yoga….and write….the better I get and sometimes that is enough. It has to be,…..but I’m still holding out for the moments of pure Grace that come in the early morning hours while the house lies in deep stillness.

If you have 18 minutes and want to be further inspired, check out Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED Talk called, “Your Elusive Creative Genius.” It’s interesting that she gave this talk quite awhile before she wrote the book, “BIG MAGIC.” The ideas for that book, were obviously starting to stir and  alighting inside, ready to settle and allow her to write another great book.

We all have it in us, we just have to BELIEVE and keep showing up, being open.

If you can’t see the video below, check out this hyper link to “TED talk, Your Elusive Creative Genius.”

I hope this post and the Elizabeth’s TED Talk lifts you up and moves you in the direction of your most creative self. So you can live your best life.

Lately, I think that is what my blog is evolving into. I started it while on the road to becoming more environmentally conscious, more sustainable. My intense appreciation for Mother Earth, (H.O.P.E. is my acronym for “helping our planet earth”) but there are other ways to give back. Helping those find their link to the divine is truly coming home. Surrendering fear and filling the space with gratitude, is the first step. Always letting go and trusting, holding the belief we are souls first, living an earthly existence and we are limitless as a result. If we can assimilate that belief system into our lives, not just for seconds but  mindfully throughout our lifetime. It’s then we will be filled up with love and creative genius will alight within us to help us create a better world. Each of us contributing the beauty of our soul.

And while yes, I’m going to be talking about building chicken coops, gardening for a more productive vegetable yield, baking a healthier cake, raising a kinder, more conscious child, and more, I want to tap into why we are all here on this planet at this time in history. I know the world is shifting, the vibration towards pure consciousness is speeding faster and faster. That explains why in many pockets of the world there is chaos, because many people are driven by fear and that creates anger and hatred, but if we remember from where we came and who we truly are, our time on earth will be remembered as the shift in mass consciousness towards spiritual awakening.

It may feel unsettling but any change, even a positive change can make us feel shaky. As one final link, check out this piece written by, Jim Malloy, “How The Consciousness Shift May be Affecting You.” We just need to let go and trust and peace will reign. Hold the vision with me…H.T.V….maybe that will be another new acronym for my blog…sounds like a new T.V. network.

Stay tuned for more from this network….more to come on H.T.V. as the inspiration is flowing nightly. Thanks for being my co creators! I love you all!

Here is a quote from Choquash – a Native American storyteller – which captures the essence of all this…

“The elders have sent me to tell you that now is like a rushing river, and this will be experienced in many different ways. There are those who would hold onto the shore… there is no shore. The shore is crumbling. Push off into the middle of the river. Keep your head above the water, look around to see who else is in the river with you, and celebrate.”

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Homemade Shampoo~Coming Clean

/ Lee Reynolds


As I write this blog post, January is waving goodbye and I can feel the promise of early Spring. A few days ago, I woke to a brighter light, making me strip layers of winter warmth off my body. I felt more invigorated and buoyant saying goodbye to my school bound kids which normally, is a bittersweet moment as a large part of me wants to keep them close. Using some quick child psychology on the little girls, suggesting with my head nodding vigorously and a huge smile on my face, that it would be the perfect day to play hookie from their preschool program, (playing hookie is good for the soul too) of which thankfully, they happily agreed to.  I started planning my day.

The advantages of having twins as our youngest children is I never feel a need to set up social engagements for them. They are each others best friend and so I quickly perused the|”Activity Village” web site for inspiration to keep them busy for the morning. I often use it to generate some structured project/craft and again, I was not disappointed. Gathering the supplies I needed and also the homemade play doh we had cooked a few days earlier, I arranged a few stations around the kitchen. First a colouring, cutting and pasting project and then colouring a large heart, cutting it out and then using a paper punch, sewing the edges with a shoelace. Finally, the play doh station to really round things out. They are off to kindergarten next September and as sad as that makes me, learning to work independently is part of that preparation.

The little girls and I had made play doh and also used some SAJE (Yoga) essential oil…not only does it smell great but it works as an anti-bacterial product as well…and let’s just say….play doh needs that!

I figured I had a good hour or so to dig into a few projects.

Over the years, as each child has arrived and our family has grown, I’ve let a bit more of my, A type personality go with regards to a clean house. Just keeping us in groceries, everyone fed, in neat and tidy clothes and having a some what orderly house was my main objective. For instance, I used to change our sheets every Monday like clockwork, but currently with seven beds to change, that chore is now performed twice a month. And even then, I stagger laundering everyone’s bedding over several days. It’s just not practical, nor is it environmentally friendly. The kid’s go to bed, often freshly bathed each night and so that is one weekly duty that is superfluous.

As the little girls got down to their crafts, I put on their Kindermusik music CD and as I whipped around the house, I could hear them chatting and singing in their high pitched voices.

Cleaning house is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle to me. You pick up a piece and recognize where it might go and while doing so, you identify another piece that you are looking for….it can be rather thrilling as more and more pieces come together forming a beautiful picture. I know, call me weird but I like doing what the Persian people call, “khounch tekouni,” which literally means, “shaking the house.” In late spring households there under take cleaning every space in their homes in anticipation of their spring festival called, “Nowruz.”  By the time the 12 day festival starts, the homes are clean and the people feel lighter and happier as they feast and visit family.

My mother’s birthday was on March 20th, which is the first day of spring. My goal each year has always been to have our whole house cleaned, de-cluttered and organized, not just so I could have the family over and throw a little party for her, but it was to welcome a new season. To shake things up, move things that are longer serving us out, and refresh our home in anticipation of a new chapter in our lives. Although my mother is no longer on earth, I am going to do some khounch tekouni again this year to prepare for spring.

Also, last week, I started seriously writing, using my Tuesday morning, “Oak Table Group” at the local Caetani house, as a catalyst for coming clean with my past.  Pulling stuff that has been laying under the carpet for years is not an easy task. As I move around, room by room, clearing clutter, emptying garbage, cleaning deeply, the emotions pour out of me and with it, words, phrases, thoughts. Nothing works better for moving chi energy and the creative process,  than cleaning house.

After a morning of cleaning, since the little girls were still in their jammies, I asked them if they wanted to have a warm bath and try some of the new lavender/peppermint shampoo we had made together the day before. Katie looked down at her sticky hands, still covered in paste and play doh and gave me a big smile…..she likes nothing better than being really clean– probably knowing intrinsically there is something restorative about cleaning our bodies.Kids are so good at listening inside and knowing what they need.

I’ve been wanting to make shampoo for awhile now but often my consumer choices come down to time or money. In the past, it’s just been easier to pick up the Kirkland shampoo (no sulfates etc) when we are in the Costco warehouse but during our last visit, I resisted and instead took the time to purchase the items I needed to make homemade shampoo….namely Castile soap, jojoba oil, which I found at my local Super Store. Since one of my favourite essential oils is lavender and I use it in many of my homemade cleaning products, I already had it in the house. Peppermint grows like crazy, next to my compost bin in my herb garden and I always have bunches of it drying in the laundry room.

Image result for images and quotes about the herb peppermint

I planted it years ago directly in my garden, before I knew how invasive it was (I recommend putting it in pots when I sell it at the garden centre) but I actually don’t mind finding it popping up all through my herb garden…so hence I have an abundant supply for tea and now to make shampoo. I love lavender and peppermint together, calming and restorative, yet uplifting as well. I also put a sprig of  dried rosemary from my garden when I was steeping the peppermint and it’s known to stimulate your energy level. Such a lovely scent rosemary!

Here’s the lowdown on the wonders of these scents on our well being.

Lavender. This essential oil has calming properties that help control emotional stress. Lavender has a soothing effect on nerves and can relieve nervous tension and depression as well as treat headaches and migraines.

 Peppermint. Try peppermint when brainstorming. An energy booster, this scent invigorates the mind, promotes concentration and stimulates clear thinking.

 Rosemary. This is the perfect Monday morning pick-me-up. In addition to improving memory retention, rosemary has stimulating properties that fight physical exhaustion, headaches and mental fatigue.

As the girl’s bath was filling, I quickly organized a few of our bathroom drawers. The best way I know to tackle doing spring cleaning, is take advantage of every spare moment and look for opportunities to tackle the little projects in those moments. Also, since I’m working on my writing, I find it’s easy to keep a small voice recorder nearby so when the perfect phrase or idea comes to me, I quickly record my thoughts…….otherwise they are gone forever. Some people write whole books on their voice recorders and then transcribe them.

Maybe the peppermint and rosemary are stimulating my brain too.

If you have been wanting to rid your bathroom cupboards of shampoos loaded with sulfates, parabens and DEA, to name a few, I hope you will consider trying to make your own shampoo…it’s easy, cheaper in the long run, but more importantly than all that, it’s better for our bodies and our earth. I’ve really been thinking about how valuable our water is lately and since I wouldn’t put grey water with residue from store bought shampoo directly on my vegetables growing in our backyard, why would I put them down the drain and into our water system.

Here’s what I dug up on some of the additives in our shampoo….. and if you want to read more about the dirty dozen check out this link to David Suzuki’s newsletter.

Sodium laureth sulfate

Used in foaming cosmetics, such as shampoos, cleansers and bubble bath. Can be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, which may cause cancer. Look also for related chemical sodium lauryl sulfate and other ingredients with the letters “eth” (e.g., sodium laureth sulfate)

 

Parabens

Used in a variety of cosmetics as preservatives. Suspected endocrine disrupters and may interfere with male reproductive functions.

DEA-related ingredients

Used in creamy and foaming products, such as moisturizers and shampoos. Can react to form nitrosamines, which may cause cancer. Harmful to fish and other wildlife. Look also for related chemicals MEA and TEA.

Yuck! Toxins we don’t need on our heads, in our water system, or on the earth. Enough said about coming clean.

Here’s my recipe for homemade Lavender/Peppermint Shampoo.

Hope’s Lavender and Peppermint Shampoo

Ingredients

31/2 cups of water
1 cup of dried peppermint/…I also used a sprig of dried rosemary
1 cup of Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap…lavender scented…but you can use plain as well
1 tsp of pure jojoba oil….this makes the shampoo lather
30 -35 drops of pure lavender essential oil….since I used a lavender Bronner’s Castile soap this was  just another layer of scent added

Directions

1. Bring water to boil in a small pot, add the dried peppermint/rosemary and let it steep for 15 minutes….cool well.



2. Strain the peppermint and rosemary tea and using a funnel, add it to a clean container of your 
choice. 

 

3. Add 1 cup of pure castile soap, 1 tsp of pure jojoba oil and finally the lavender drops.

4. Put on label…either write with marker or you can make a few cute Lavender Shampoo labels and cut out a piece of clear report divider and glue it on top of the label to keep it waterproofed.

When you are using, shake the bottle really well and pour out a tiny bit into a little cup, as it is quite watery compared to store bought shampoo. It lathers beautifully, as you can see from our little one’s first bath time using it and is wonderfully fragrant…..my bathroom smelled amazing afterwards.

 

After their bath, I set up a hair salon appointment for each of them. One thing, I learned to do YEARS ago, was to cut hair and of course style it as well.  I can remember feeling so scared,taking a pair of scissors to my children’s hair, worrying I would give them a terrible cut, but ya know, cutting hair isn’t rocket science, AND, hair grows. If you make a mistake, you learn from it and you can always fix it in no time on the next cut. This has not only saved us thousands of dollars in hair dressing fees/tips,  but time making appointments and going back and forth, oh then there is the gas and energy getting to and from the salon. When you start cutting your kids hair, it just makes sense to also start thinking about their hair care products as well…..now that’s being sustainable in my books.

Here’s a picture of the girls, AFTER washing with our new shampoo and their Mommy Salon visit.

 

The little girls have very different hair. Kathryn’s hair is fine and straight and Victoria’s hair is curly and has more body. This homemade shampoo worked well with both of their hair types.  There is nothing I like better than kissing the tops of my kid’s head….no matter their age.

 

Tomorrow brings a new month and more shaking up the house, shaking up my soul, and cleaning up our act towards becoming more earth friendly and sustainable. Each step we take is freeing and makes me feel so light. Joy can’t help but follow and what better way to greet spring than with pure joy, oh and delightful anticipation for what is coming next. For me personally, CHICKENS…I’m reading everything I can on raising chickens and who knew it would be so interesting. What is your spring dream?

And since I’ve been talking about INSPIRATION lately, I thought I would include a wonderful You tube video of one of Oprah’s life classes. This one on inspiration and our belief system. I miss my time with Oprah at 4 pm every afternoon, but I’m glad I can still spend moments with her whenever my heart needs her wisdom.  If you have some time and want to be INSPIRED in following your dreams,  to come cleaner with your life and how you are living it, check out this video. Here is the link, if you can’t see it below click on this hyper link….Oprah’s life class on believing in your best life.

Visualize your life daily, believe you can manifest your biggest dreams and then be open, allowing them to come.
Image result for images and quotes about lavender fields

Be still….and be inspired.

 

And dearest blog friends and family….

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

Blessings from Hope

Cinnamon Raisin Bread~Inspiration

/ 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

  • 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

  1. Warm the milk in a small sauce pan on the stove until it just starts to bubble, stirring occasionally.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. 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.

  1.  

    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

/ 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