Recipes

“Happy Together”~White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

/ admin

My dearest friends and family,

Thank you so much for visiting today. There’s a lot going on in the world lately and I don’t know how you are responding to it. Are you drawn into this moment of history or are you minding your own business? Whatever road you are taking and wherever you live and call home, I hope you know we are better together. This post is a bit political so if you just want a great cookie recipe and hear a bit of music, scroll to the bottom. If you want to hear some of my thoughts and what has been happening around our household keep reading.

Whatever you choose, I’m happy you’re HERE!

February has arrived. The month of love. Winter if swiftly passing, although if you step outside today, you wouldn’t believe it as it’s minus 9 degrees celsuis. (15.8 Fahrenheit for my American friends) However you measure temperature, it’s REALLY freezingly, BRRRR, cold here. Yet, each day brings a bit more sunshine. Even on our our most frigid days I’m trying to remember we’re only a hop, skip and a jump away from our trees budding out in leaf and our flowers blooming brilliantly.

January flew by in a flurry since our kids were super busy in all sorts of activities. Last weekend we took our twin daughters to a basketball tournament out of town. They played one game on Friday night and easily won it. Before they got too big for their britches, I reminded them that the team they played against came from a town much smaller than our community. Hey context matters.

(Victoria (left) Kathryn (right) Their team is called the “Lakers,” and if you look in the background of their gym you can see a bit of the mural painted which depicts our Lake Monster mascot.)

The next game they played was with a school from a much larger community that ours. Also, I found out later that this particular school is known for their strong sports participation and they are often found at our Provincial play offs. Our girl’s basketball team is made up of ten girls, which is two lines. However, two of those ten are newbies. When and “if” they catch the ball, they look as if an Alien baby has accidently landed in their midst. Shocked! During one game I heard one of their moms yell out, “Dribble,” when their daughter caught the ball and had a stunned look on her face. (Having said that though, in every game they improve. They are valuable players!)

Also, I have to share our coaches philosophy that everyone gets the same playing time. (I love that!) That’s how you develop a strong team. Suffice to say, we really only have eight player who feel comfortable playing the game. With that context, I’ll take you back to the second game experience. This team was bigger. They had fifteen players, three full lines, and several of the girls were not only physically broader, but way taller than our girls.

Okay, back to the game.

Even though I was nervous, one always hopes the underdog (our team) has a shot, but early on my hopes were doused as the opposing team demonstrated a skill level superior to our girls. What made me sit up taller though was even though we were outmatched, our girls never gave up. They tried again and again to make plays and baskets, but by the last quarter they were down 15 to 50. A few of the opposing players were really tough too. I mean physically tough. We picked out a handful of them who shoved and pushed and once even purposely tripped one of our players.

Our girls had heart though, dug deep and played clean.

Then right in front of David and I, who were sitting centre court, about three bleacher seats up, we witnessed the opposing team’s, Number 25, viciously push our smallest girl.. This wasn’t a little push. This was a huge shove meant to hurt and take down one of our players. Also, Number 25 had this determined hate filled look on her face as she shoved with all she had. I was just so horrified that I yelled, “REALLY, really, you have to do that when you’re up 35 points!!!” Number 25 looked up at me and scowled. Her face was giving me the “FU” look. A foul was meted out, but when she went off the court I observed her two coaches giving her a big high five.

They had huge smiles on their faces.

I was disgusted.

Yes, I know basketball can be a rough game. It can get physical but this was above and beyond what I would call good sportmanship. I’m sure this team went on to win the tournament. Our girls came fourth out of eight teams. Victoria also won player of one of the games. On the drive home before our girls fell into a deep sleep, we rehashed the various games. We talked about this number twenty five player, and the general roughness and attitude of the coaches. We all agreed that winning at all cost wasn’t worth it.

Did this other team realize the optics? In the future whenever I think of this school I will remember this game and how they played.

Is that the reputation they want?

When our girls go out to play I always give them a pre game, mom talk on the drive. It goes something like this; “play hard, use your intellect as much as your skill. Be respectful of your coaches. Support your team with a positive attitude. MOST IMPORTANT, remember winning at all cost is not really winning.

Being a good sport is the sign of a true winner.

Victoria above with the t shirt she won for being best player of the game and the tournament she won it in

(below is a video I took of one of our girls first games earlier in the season. It’s in our gym and you can see a bit more of our lake monster in the background. Victoria is (number 12) the one grabbing the ball and getting 2 points. Kathryn (number 8) is right behind her giving her some support afterwards) That’s me cheering too!

It was getting dark when we started driving home from the tournament. The girls huddled together under a big fleece blanket and fell asleep like they used to do when they were little babes after a big day out. I was glad they were sleeping when we started climbing the mountain pass. Snow was driving hard towards us and while David didn’t say so at the time, he later told me he was having a hard time seeing the edge of the highway.

At the top of the pass we saw a semi truck jack knifed in the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. It was touch and go there for about one hour. I was hardly breathing. I was holding onto the edge of my seat and praying hard. Finally, we started down the other side of the pass and the snow started to let up. By the time we hit the valley no snow was falling at all.

When we walked into our house at last I just said, “thank you to God and my angels”

Throughout that trip I kept thinking about the airplane/helicopter accident in Washington (and the medic plane crash in Philadephia too) that had killed so many beautiful people only days before. Among them, so many talented young figure skaters. That tradegy just made me cry. What made me cry even harder though was the speech during a White House press conference Trump and his incompetent, unqualified, unkind, administrators, gave shortly after the crash. The fact that he brought DEI (Diversity/Equity and Inclusion) into the aftermath of this tragic loss made me mad. So mad!

Did he think of the optics? Did he realize he and his team just appeared hate filled? During his election he and his supporters would wear those red hats that said, “Make America Great Again.” Is this his idea of GREATNESS? Having no compassion for those who had died in the accidents or the families grieveing their loss. When he was talking about DEI etc, they were still searching for their bodies in the Potomic.

Nothing was more obvious to me while listening to this news briefing that America has lost her North Star of morality and good ethics. Where was the compassion? At least her chosen leader didn’t exhibit any. I was absolutely appaulled when Pete Hegseth, (the new Secretary of Defence) said, from now on only the BEST and the BRIGHTEST would be in command, I was thinking, “how in the heck did the Republicans confirm your appointment?” A former Fox T.V. host with a horrid past!. For that matter, how does someone who is not only a felon, a convicted sexual abuse offender and a businessman, who has bankrupted numerous companies, become the President?

If the new administration represent America’s best and brightest, I’m genuinely concerned for their future as a country.

ANYHOO…..SORRY for my mini rant but yeah, when we decided to travel out of town on wintery roads, those accidents were on my mind as were the reaction to those crashes from the President and his, shall I say it, “goons.”

When we woke up on Sunday safe in our beds I was still saying thank you. David made the kids waffles with berries and we turned on the news. That’s when we heard that President Trump, the “Make America Great Again” guy, had announced he was placing a 25% tariffs on all our exports to the States. (10% percent for our oil and energy products) We knew he’d threatened this move many times during his run for office. I think many of his MAGA supporters thought tariffs on another country meant it would hurt us.

They loved that! (this tells you a lot about the people who voted him in)

So yeah, that’s how we heard he was really going through with it.

As I watched the news, all I could think about was how much he was like Number 25,.

He wants to win at all cost.

People like this are bullies. They get their power from fear.

If you want to read the definition of a bully; “a person who habitually seeks to harm or intimidate those whom they perceive as vulnerable.”

Hmmmm….sounds about right.

What is the profile of a bully?

“Research finds that bullies have a distinct psychological makeup. They lack prosocial behavior, are untroubled by anxiety, and do not understand others’ feelings. They exhibit a distinctive cognitive feature, a kind of paranoia: They misread the intentions of others, often imputing hostility in neutral situations.”

What do you think? Does that sound like the current leader in the States?

And you know where bullies get their energy? From fear, and attention. Are we going to give him that? I’m thinking not, and that I need to stop watching the news! At least the biased news.

Anyway, back to our little household.

We had a long talk about the pending tariffs during our Sunday dinner. Even though our kids are only 13 and 15 they demonstrated intelligent thoughts and insights regarding the political situation in the States and how it may impact our country and the world. Also, their oldest sister is with us currently. She is well educated, and contributed in her own intuitive way to our converstation. During our dinner I wondered if they would look back at this moment in history, like I did when I was their age, and the Watergate affair was happening with President Nixon at the time. What I find interesting however is we covered those events in our Socials class when I was in grade eight. I can remember our teacher getting us to research what was happening and we had a debate where we all learned a lot. When we ask our children if they talk about anything going on currently in their world or particularly in the States they said it’s only “crickets,” from their teachers.

Times have sure changed!

Our children tell us that they do have classmates that think Trump is Great. They think our Conservative, Maple Magas are great. I’m sure they are learning these views from their parents and social groups.

I guess this is another reason we encourage our children to obtain a University Education where they can become critical thinkers. I want them to learn about history, sociology, psychology, science, to name only a few important studies.

The next morning the kids went off to school and while I was cleaning up from breakfast and folding a load of laundry I watched the news. (I know, not the best use of my time) Tariffs were the only thing people were discussing in Canada and in the States. What I was encouraged to see was Canadians were unified in their “Hell No,” thoughts and we were coming together. It reminded me in so many ways of our girls recent basketball tournament.

While watching the news…..

.

I heard some of our snowbirds who travel down to Florida and Arizonia for the winter were putting their condos on the market or coming back home in their motor homes. Others were cancelling their vacation trips planned for the States and choosing Mexico, Spain and Portugal instead. We certainly won’t be going to Disney World now!! Also, our son’s jazz band is planning a trip to Idaho this spring and sadly we told our son, “sorry, but we don’t support countires who bully their own people, not to mentiion put tariffs on friends.”

The tariffs hadn’t even begun and all over Canada people were sharing what to boycott and what to buy. For instance, no to Florida oranges and orange juice and yes to Okanagan apples. No to American alcohol and yes to Canadian beer and wine. And for those of you American readers, we dont all live in a cold climate up here….ha…. we happen to live in a hot and arid valley that grows amazing grapes. Wineries are everywhere. Also, I hear although Kentucky Bourbon is lovely, it’s now being shunned. Even more since it comes from a RED State which voted the DJT into office.

In our own household, ever since Trump was elected we’ve stopped shopping at Walmart, which is an American chain. Their reputation in our books got even worse when they were some of the first companies to get on the anti DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) bandwagon. Also, when I saw Steve Bezos standing in the front row at Trump’s inauguration I told my family we were done with Amazon. Ever since Covid we’ve been big Amazon purchasers but no more. Hey, the same with Mark Zuckerberg. I used to check my FaceBook daily but I’m done with that now and I’m going to figure out how to delete my accounts (I have two)

We are also down on anything Elon Musky related; Tesla, Twitter/X, SpaceX…..let’s just say Billionaires who just want more money and power are not in our most liked list. Especially when they go into the Treasury Department with their tech muskrats and shut down USAID which helps the poor and sick all over the world. (btw, if you Google the web site for this group, it’s currrently been deleted….so yeah, anyone who would hurt the innocent and needy in the world is not only a bully but is evil)

So yeah, we were digging in for the long haul.

Then Tuesday came. The Stock Market in the States started to plummet and Trump and his, “NOT the BEST and the BRIGHTEST,” caved. The tariffs are now paused for 30 days.

I could go on and on with regards to my feelings towards the new U.S. administration but in the blink of history this will go down as a low point for the United States, if you can call them that, as I’ve never seen a more divided country. They are facing a constituional crisis at the moment and I believe a coup is happening in Washington right now.

You know what’s really fascinating though, here in Canada ever since he signed that Executive Order to put tariffs on our country it’s maybe caused a reverse effect to what he was expecting.

Did we cower in fear? Hell No!

We are now, more than ever, TOGETHER! Happy together! And you know what else, while he hates DEI, we are a country built on diversity, equity and inclusion. Although we aren’t perfect up here and we’ve cause generational trauma to the indigenous peoples, they’ve taught us how to be better people and I’d like to think we are viewed as a good people in the world.

Further more, we aren’t going to “bend the knee” in FEAR, which is what bullies thrive on. No we are not going to let the lower energy of fear remain with the bullies and allow our love for our country and others guide us.

And one final thought before I share my White Chocolate and Cranberry cookie recipe with you, is a video I hold close to my heart from Kamala Harris who said, “the strength of a leader is who you lift up, not who you beat down.” I guess that says it all. Why the American people didn’t vote her to be their leader, I will never know. Was it because she was a woman? Was it because she wasn’t white? Whatever their reasons, I hope they are happy with the leader they have. Sadly, I know many Americans do not resonate with who is in power right now and to those I say, get out and fight for what you believe in. Be happy Together!!! Here are her inspiring words;

Beautiful words of lifting others up.

That is the Strength of a LEADER! and while Kamala may not be in power right now in the States, I’m holding onto her words. I hope you are too!

In my small way, that’s what this blog is about. And feeding you. HA! Last week my sisters and I had a video chat and as we were talking I was pulling these cookies out of the oven. My oldest sister Bonnie asked for the recipe so my dear sis, this is for you. Also, I wrote this post for ALL my friends and family. I’ve been keeping my feelings close to my chest ever since the election. I haven’t wanted to talk politics. I haven’t wanted to give it energy. I frankly have been so sad and let down by the people who voted Trump into office.

I keep asking myself why they didn’t see who he was. Maya Angelou said, “When a person shows you who they are, believe them!” And if they truly heard the hateful things he was always saying, why would they vote him in. Especially the Christian people. I will never understand how a Christian who follows Christ’s teachings about loving your neighbour and giving to the needy, could vote for someone who talks about rounding up illegal immigrants like they are animals or putting tariffs on your allies. (What I find most hypocrital is when the so called Christians wear crosses at their necks and talk about rounding up illegals or evicting the people from their own communities, “Gaza.”

There must be something so horribly broken in these people. Maybe they have generational hatred which they haven’t been able to work through. Whatever the case, there is no excuse for spreading hate and racism in the world. Especially after the horrors we witnessed during the Second World War with the Jewish people.

But I’m not going to dwell any longer in this place and give it energy. We need to rise above it and remember…..

Love overcomes everything.

Let’s make some cookies and go out into the world and share them. Take a plate to your neighbours. Talk to them. Find out what their views are. Find your community of like minded people. We are happy together when we lift each other up. Hey, and if you stay around to the bottom of this post, you’ll be able to listen to a bit of music. Our kids playing “Happy Together,” during another difficult time in history, our Covid pandemic which taught us a lot about how important it is to stay together to keep people safe and healthy.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

11/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 1/2 margarine or butter softened….I use 3/4 margarine and 3/4 butter

2 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

4 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ginger (AMAZING!)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 to 1 1/2 cups white chocolate

1 to 1 1/2 cups dried cranberry

Optional: Pecans or Walnuts to top the cookie

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

In a large bowl beat both sugars and butter until light and creamy.

Add eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add vanilla

In a medium bowl, Add flour, baking soda, ginger and salt. Mix well.

Add flour to the sugar and butter mixture.

Stir in the chocolate and dried cranberries until well combined.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto a ungreased cookie sheet.(2 inches apart)

Top with pecan or walnut.

Bake in 375 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes….I make my cookies larger so they take 12 mins until they are golden brown.

Yields 6 dozen….they freeze beautifully but boy they taste good frozen and they don’t last long!!!

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Below: A Flash into the past~ our kids, Will, Kate and Tori playing, “Happy Together,” (during our homeschool Covid year)

A final word, for my American friends, and I know I have a few who have followed this blog, if my words resonate with you and you are feeling fearful…… please stay strong, you are not alone. Find your people. Use your voices. Walk in peace sharing your views. Talk to your officials. I will be praying for you and our world.

Thanks again for visiting today.

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

Blessings from Hope

Planting Seeds in Silence~and Date Cookies

/ admin

Dear Family and Friends,

I don’t know about you, but January 2025 is quickly flying by. Some of you may know that I belong to a wonderful writing group. We meet every two weeks in my dear A’s art studio where we share our latest poem or prose piece. Usually we choose a prompt for inspiration. Our most recent prompt was, “Silence.” I sat with that word and what it meant to me for a whole week but nothing came. Hoping meditation would help, I sat some more. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It wasn’t until the weekend before we were to gather, while whipping up a batch of date cookies when a story finally emerged. I’d like to share that story with you now. Maybe it will ignite a memory from your past when a moment of silence planted a seed that grew in your life too. However, if you’re only here for my Date cookie recipe, ha! scroll to the bottom. These cookies are soft, chewy and oh so flavourfull. Healthy too! Perfect for sharing with my writing buds….or taking to a neighbour.

It’s 1964.  I’m four years old. My family and I live in a small town on the West Coast of Canada, called Hope, where everyone knows what day you change your sheets from the wispy ghosts flapping behind your house. Surrounding our sleepy town are tall, heavily forested mountains. They stand like sentinels protecting us while making room for B.C. longest river, the mighty Fraser, which steadily flows with a greeny gray grace of a water determined to be one with the ocean. 

Our two story clapboard house is never quiet. My three older sisters make sure of that. My oldest sister Bonnie is 17 and only comes home to change her clothes and sleep, as her world revolves around school sports, friends and a boy named Dick. Cherie is 15 and loves to read but she also enjoys turning our record player on to its highest setting. Dad often tells her and visiting friends that they are going to wear a hole in the carpet from all her twisting, jiving and doing the monkey. Joni, my sister closest in age to me, was born nine years ago, during a blue baby streak in our neiighbourhood. Needless to say, if she wants to play with her peers, she’s often running in and out looking for her baseball mitt, her frog collecting buckets, or begging our Dad to tweak her go cart, so she can beat the pants off all the boys in the neighbourhood. 

I like to play with my dolls. I have two soft bodied baby dolls named Sindy and Suzie. Although they are similar in size, they didn’t look alike at first, until I took my little yellow giraffe scissors and cut off all their hair.  Now they are both bald and are twins. Today, I carefully dress them, talking to them about our upcoming adventure. Sindy is in blue and Suzie in pink. With them dressed I put my attention to the drawer built under the stairs. I pull and pull. Wood on wood grinds but finally the drawer opens. My eyes are bright.

This is our treasure drawer. 

Dad is so clever. He built a set of stairs at the end of the bedroom I share with Joni. Under these stairs is our special toy drawer. The stairs head up into the attic where Bonnie and Cherie each have a bedroom with sloped ceilings and dormer windows. At the top of the stairs is a little alcove Dad built for himself. It’s his writing space. As I’m drifting off to sleep at night I hear him tapping away on his black underwood typewriter. Deep into the night I hear the typewriter’s rhythmic song, while from the kitchen mom’s Singer sewing machine steadily clicks, remaking hand me down clothes, given to us by our Auntie Lennie.  

Every space in our house is used. In our drawer I spy Joni’s baseball cards, her bag of marbles and her neglected Barbie. I’m not allowed to touch it, but my eyes feast on her blonde ponytail and sleek black and white striped bathing suit. I push down my jealous desire and reach instead for the little brown checked suitcase that holds my tea set. After that, I dig out my favourite dress up outfit. I’m getting really good at buttons and zippers and I grin when I successful zip and button myself into my purple silky dress. I like the swishy sound of the fabric against my leg. 

Into my little wicker buggy goes my blue and white tea set along with Sindy and Suzie. Then off the end of my bed I tug off the quilt my Grandma Clark made just for me. On each square, a nursery rhyme and picture is embroidered. I’ve now memorized all the words to each rhyme so as I start to push my buggy I sing, “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a big fall, All the King’s horses and all the King’s men, couldn’t put Humpty together again!”

(Below is a picture of the little ceramic Humpty Dumpty man I had for years in my bedroom. I don’t have him any longer but I was able to find a picture of exactly what he looked like)

I push the buggy out into the hall and down to the kitchen where mom is standing at her spot in front of the sink. She turns and asks,  “What are you doing Debbie?”  “Just taking my babies out for some fresh air.” I say. “Oh that’s nice,” she says, “Let me help you lift the buggy outside.” And she opens our back door and lifts my buggy with all my treasures inside. She places it onto our backyard grass. 

I stroll the buggy over to our lilac tree, next to our white picket fence and lay my quilt under the tree. The purple blossoms are starting to fall in snowy drifts and the scent is sweet and pleasant. It’s a perfect place for our tea party. I gently lift the twins and sit them together,  leaning against the tree trunk. Carefully I place a tiny teacup and saucer in front of each of them and then place one on the quilt for me too. I pour our pretend tea and then I hear the screen door slam. Mom is coming out with a little bowl. Oh goodie!  My face lights up as this will be more than a pretend day. “Here you go miss Debbie,” she says, giving me a small bowl with three date cookies inside. “Thank you,” I say, feeling my best manners are in order. She wipes her hands on her apron, smiles at me with her twinkling green eyes and heads back into the house. The screen door slams again. 

We munch on cookies and sip our tea. I look up and see shapes in the fluffy clouds passing by above us. Other than drifting clouds all is still.

Where is everybody? I stand up and start to dance, twirling and lifting my long dress to the music only I hear. Little do I know but in this moment of joy filled silence I’m scattering seeds.

My babies quietly sit on the quilt looking out into the yard.

Fast forward now. It’s decades later. It’s a winter Sunday and my husband David and our three youngest are up at the ski hill for the day.  After their noisy, getting ready to ski chaos, our house is blissfully quiet. I’ve spent the day in a state of delicious relaxation; reading my latest library book, relishing in a long hot bath and finally going out for a chilly walk in our neighbourhood. Only a few people pass by, their dog leading the way. Not wanting to break the silence, I only nod and smile as we pass by each other. I get back home feeling peaceful and with the cold still on my face I start brewing some late afternoon tea. It’s steeping when our garage door clicks and rattles open. Moments later David and the kids spill into the kitchen with rosy cheeks and stories of how our son Will’s spectacular wipe out on the run called, “Attridge,” was the epic moment of the day. Everyone laughs. Thankfully no one is hurt. David finally heads to his den and Will to his bedroom.  My twin daughters linger in the kitchen. Victoria asks, “what kind of tea are you making?” “Earl Gray,” I say, “Ohhhh, yummy,” she says, “can we make London Fog?” “Yeah! and have a few cookies too,” says Kate, reaching into the newly filled glass cookie jar.  

I start pouring three cups of steaming tea, Victoria brings milk, honey and vanilla. Kate brings a plate of cookies to the table. For a moment all is quiet and in that empty space, in that sacred silence, I’m whooshed back to a long remembered tea party. A precious time when seeds were planted.

Two magic seeds. The best seeds are planted in silence and joy!

~The End~

Below, my bald babies born, May 20, 2011, decades after that tea party under the lilac tree. In a little town called, Hope.

Above, Kathryn Mira (R) and Victoria Hope (L)…..inspired by Suzy and Sindy

and below Katie left and Tori right….

Victoria is left above and Kathryn is right…..this is their 1st birthday picture…..my sweet bald babies!!!

And below my babies are growing….Victoria (L) Kathryn (R) Their hair is finally growing, ha….Victoria’s is light brown and curly and Kathryn’s is blonde and straight

Above are a few pictures of Kathryn and Victoria….my sweet twins. Looking at these pictures makes me want to pinch myself because seeing them, having them in my life is a testament to seeds we plant, dreams we dream, visions of what we want in our life…all comes to pass in time. And that’s why it’s so important we plant good seeds. What seeds have you planted that have come to bloom in your garden?

What seeds are you planting now?

And now that you’ve read one of my stories, maybe it’s time for you to write your story. I’d love to hear if the word, “Silence,” inspires something from your past. And speaking of goodness, let’s make some cookies. I hope you enjoy the recipe below. I like to play around with it and add various spices and also top it with different nuts and seeds. Sprinkle it with a bit of icing sugar and it’s a special tea cookie!!!

On this Wintery day it’s the perfect time to make some cookies which will still be warm when my family comes home from the ski hill.

Date Cookies

Ingredients

2 cups chopped dates

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 cup margarine or butter/softened

1 teaspoon vanilla…also for flavouring I like to use grated orange peel

3 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon….this is optional but I like to add warm spices especially for winter baking

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

optional: 1/4 cup icing sugar for dusting

Directions

In medium saucepan, combine dates, 1/2 cup sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; (also orange peel if desired, blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt and spices; mix well.

Stir in date mixture and nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown. (I make my cookies bigger so they take 10 to 12 minutes)

Immediately remove from cookie sheets Yield 6 dozen cookies…optional…sprinkle with icing sugar….Enjoy them with a cup of tea!

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

Blessings from Hope

Happy New Year with Magic Wishes and even some Shepherds Pie

/ admin

Welcome dear family and friends. It’s so nice to have you back. I hope you join me in embracing a new year full of endless possibilities. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? Our family started a fun, possibly new tradition on December 21, 2024, which was the darkest day of the year, it was Winter’s solstice. Each of us took 10 little pieces of paper and wrote an “actionable” wish we desired for 2025. Then we all put our wishes into our own little red paper cup.

Each night, we would take one of the wishes out and without reading it, we would burn it in a pot. On New Year’s Eve, each of us had one wish left. This wish, we opened, and read out loud to the family. We all laughed over the ones that were left for us to read. (Mine was a wish to spend more time with each of my children!) Then we all trooped outside into the bitter cold and inky darkness; the last night of the year. As our final wishes burned, it was exciting and rather magical. I imagined the golden flames were transforming our wishes and handing them over to our Universe’s higher power, which I felt knew exactly how to help us bring them to fruition.

Dreams and wishes come true!

Also, there was something mystical and powerful about starting this ritual on the darkest day of the year and taking our wishes every day closer to the light. With this thought in mind,

New Year’s Day was truly a fresh start.

I plan to take all of the ashes from our pot and dig them into the garden. Perhaps, the secret to growing a bumper crop of vegetables is planting them above our wishes!

And so the New Year has begun. Harrison flew back to his new home in Vancouver. Alyssa returned to her relatively new job locally. And the kids returned to school. Life hums with music, bounces with basketball, and strokes by with swimming practices and running commitments at the gym. With the kids so active, it’s nice for me to make dinner earlier in the day. That way, all I have to do is put a casserole dish in the oven, make a salad and I know we have a nutritious meal to come home to.

Shepherd’s Pie has always been one of our family’s comfort foods so I thought I would share my recipe with you. I’m not surprised that our family enjoys this dish, since it originates in England and Ireland, which is where our ancestors hail from. I believe lamb was often their source of protein though, however I use ground beef. If you want to make a vegetarian version, you can easily use lentils instead of the meat. If I don’t have very much hamburger, I will also add lentils to extend the protein quantity, as I’m feeding three teens now. It’s nice to have these quick, easy dinners to make in the winter and I find it freezes well too. It’s also relatively frugal, which is one of my goals this year; to live more simply and mindfully with regards to our pocketbook.

Okay, ready to cook? Here’s my Easy Shepherd’s Pie recipe: I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Let’s hit the kitchen.

Shepherd’s Pie….a perfect winter meal

Ingredients:

Meat Filling/bottom layer

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 lb of beef hamburger/lamb or lentils

2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves

1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 garlic cloves -minced

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 cup frozen mixed peas and carrots or mixed vegetables….I love peas. I know weird hey as many people don’t but my Irish Grandma, Flossie Kilfoyle Clark said, “eating peas puts hair on your chest!” (I think this meant it made you stronger at least I hope that’s what she meant)

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels….optional….this makes the pie sweeter

Potato Topping:

6 Large russet potatoes or 8 medium

1/2 cup butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup of milk….the greater the fat the better

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried Parsley to sprinkle on top

Instructions

Make the Meat Filling and get potatoes cooked

(Cut the potatoes into cubed chunks and place into large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook until tender. When the potatoes are cooking, make the meat filling below)

Saute the onions in oil. Add ground beef/lamb or soaked lentils. Cook well. Add spices and cook until well combined

Add the worcestershire sauce and the garlic. Add the flour and tomato paste. Once it thickens add the broth and vegetables.

Bring everything to a bubbly boil and then simmer for around 5 minutes.

When the meat filling is simmering you can drain your cooked potatoes, mash them, add the butter, milk, garlic and salt and pepper. Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of sour cream too.

Finally, pour the meat filling in a large casserole dish and top it with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and if you want some parmesan cheese too.

Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 30 mins

While the Shepherd’s pie is baking, make a green salad. I often serve the casserole with a piece of my sourdough bread too…..of which I will be sharing an updated recipe with you soon as I’m getting really good at making it. See picture of a yummy loaf below.

Enjoy!

(I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for almost 2 years…..hence the date stamp on the photos, ha! Finally, finally have got it up on my blog…..see, some of my wishes are already coming true.)

Above is a pic of one of my sourdough bread loaves…..I promise I will get my latest recipe on my blog soon as there is nothing like sourdough bread to go with a plate of Shepherd’s Pie.

And along with a plate of comfort food, I thought I would include the “Happy New Year’s,” video I made today of our kids, Will, Kathryn and Victoria playing a celtic tune they learned last year. Since Shepherd’s pie heralds from the U.K. it seems appropriate to share it at the end of this post. So without further ado, here is The Second String Trio, our kids playing; “Si Bheag Si Mhor,” A Celtic Fiddle Tune, which they call, “So Big, So little.” We have to thank Will’s cello teacher for suggesting they play this. She even found the music for them. Thank you M for all you do!

Finally, they played this piece and several more at our little town’s garden tour last spring which raised money for the Hospice House.

I hope you enjoy it and the magic of wishes made at this time of the year allow all your dreams to come true. I’m a GREAT believer in wishes and dreams coming true. All I have to do is look at my three youngest and I know magic exists in the world.

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

Blessings from Hope

What Scares Us?…and Pumpkin Cookies for Bec

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(Above: Post Office 1915, in Greenwood, B.C. A story of my haunted experience is below but click this link to read more about Greenwood, B.C.)

The scary season is almost upon us. This past weekend, our twin daughter’s, Kathryn and Victoria, decorated our front door with stickers, a homemade creepy spider, a glouish demon that makes spine chilling noises when he’s bumped and to finish the scene, some corn stalks with threads of sticky spider web material, which the girls hope will entice trick or treaters to visit our house this Halloween.

Along with these decorations, a week ago we took the kids to our local pumpkin patch where they found six huge pumpkins. When they came home they scattered them along the path to our front door. As if this weren’t enough, they decided to put on a scary movie (Annabelle) and make a paper mache zombie in our family room.

As they jumped and screamed over the satanic antics in the movie, I was more horrified by the thick glue on their fingers and wondered what my family room was going to look like after they finished their craft project. But seriously, I hope the’re having fun creating these seasonal memories. What really scares me most this season is not the glue from their paper mache zombie getting everywhere, but the upcoming election in the States. After the last election when there was terrible unrest culminating in a riot at the Capital on Januaury 6th, 2020, I’m praying this year’s election will be more peaceful. I can hope can’t I? Along the lines of what scares me, I thought this was the perfect time to share a story from my past. So grab some popcorn, a cup of something spicy and warm and join me as I reminisce and tell a story from my chilidhood.

Maybe this story will prompt a question in your mind too….”What scares YOU?”

“When I was ten, my older sister Cherie and her husband David invited me to come and stay with them for part of the summer in their rented home in Greenwood, B.C.. Greenwood was once a booming mining town at the turn of the century. Copper, silver and even gold were found in that area, and it was once a thriving city. However, in 1970, it was just a sleepy, little community with ancient crumbling homes and remnants from long ago mining activity littering the valley.

(A tiny glimpse of historic downtown Greenwood, B.C.)

Cherie and David’s rented home was on the east hill above the downtown area. It was a tall, skinny Victorian with faded and peeling paint. It had seen better days. I’ll never forget how excited I was to see inside for the first time. “Cherie,” I said, “can I explore?” She laughed and said, “explore away.” Like a curious kitten I leaped from room to room. In the foyer, there was a steep, narrow stairway heading upstairs. Off to the right was the living room, which ran the length of the house. Cherie’s talent for decorating made this area feel cozy, with brightly painted second hand furniture and on the big comfy couch was a large, colourful throw. Some of Cherie’s paintings and sketches, an eclectic mix, hung on the walls or were leaning against them, making the room feel like an art studio. A well worn black, wooden rocking chair was in one corner. 

The old fashion kitchen was off to the left, and while the simple white cabinets and appliances weren’t exciting, Cherie had placed a vase of wild flowers in the middle of the kitchen table, making the room feel welcoming. Off the kitchen, to the back of the house, was another room.  When I entered, a icy blast of air made me shiver. Non descript, dungy wallpaper was pasted on every wall but was peeling at every seam. At one time it must have been a pretty room, as a large window looked out over an overgrown and weedy perennial garden. The room was starkly empty, except for one small, gold framed picture hanging on the wall near the door. Peering closely I saw it was an ancient picture of a dour faced Saint. Perhaps Russian in style, as the colours although faded, were bright blues and reds. A faint halo glowed around the Saint’s sad face. As I stood looking at this picture, goosebumps rose on my arms and a dank smell grew stronger. There was something not right in this room. I didn’t linger there long.

I never entered this room again.

The first morning I was there, David left for work  and Cherie asked, “Debbie, do you want some granola?” While Corn Flakes were my latest obsession, I wanted to appear grown up so I told her, “Yeah, tha’d be cool.” Munching on the oats, seeds and nuts, Cherie poured herself a cup of coffee and then casually walked across the kitchen to the back room door. Pulling it closed she shared over her shoulder, “Since we don’t need this room, we try to keep the door closed.” I just nodded my head as that made sense,  but later that morning when I went to the kitchen for a snack, I noticed the door was half opened. Before leaving the kitchen, I nervously went over and quickly shut the door. That was a regular occurrence; one of us would close the door and then later mysteriously it would open. 

My favourite activity that summer was drawing in the sketch pad Cherie had given me. I would sit on the big comfy couch in the living room experimenting with the charcoal sketching pencils and oil pastels she had encouraged me to try, while Cherie painted at the other end of the room, where she’d set up her easel. One afternoon, she joined me on the couch and while she played her guitar and quietly sang, I sketched. In our comfortable companionship we were relaxed and feeling at ease, until the air in the room suddenly shifted. 

My eyes popped open when the rocking chair started moving. I looked to see if the curtains were fluttering but there was no breeze in the room. I glanced at Cherie to see if she’d noticed too but she appeared to be acting normal. Unconcerned, she just uncrossed her legs, stood up and put her guitar down and then asked if I wanted to go for a walk to get an ice cream. Once outside, walking in the sun I let my shoulders drop. I never asked Cherie if she had sensed the energy changing in the room or witnessed the rocking chair creaking back and forth. Looking back at the summer and being with my big sister, I think I wanted to be treated older. Also, knowing her to be super sensitive, I’m sure she picked up on the ghostly energy in that house, but she obviously didn’t want to draw attention to it and scare me. Although we never talked about it, we had an unspoken code;

if we didn’t say anything, maybe it’d go away.

But it didn’t.

The ultimate scare happened in the depths of darkness one night nearing the end of my visit. Normally a deep sleeper, I suddenly woke with the feeling that someone was standing beside my bed. I never opened my eyes and I couldn’t yell for Cherie and David, who were just sleeping in the next room to me. I was absolutely frozen. I didn’t even pull the covers over my head. I was terrified of whatever was standing beside me. I knew I had to pretend to remain asleep and hoped whatever was there would finally leave. After a few minutes, the feeling of being watched left me. I never felt comfortable in that room again and I hated going to bed.

That summer I discovered it wasn’t just Cherie and David’s house that was haunted. One day Cherie and I took a tour of the historic Greenwood Courthouse, which at the turn of the century had served as the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the County Court for the Southern County of Yale.  From that court, there had been many judicial proceedings, which included several death by hanging sentences being pronounced, as a result of murders in the area. At the time of our visit, it was being used as a musuem, where one could tour around at ones leisure.

(Greenwood, B.C. Courthouse. If you want to read more about it click on this link. )

During our self guided tour, we admired the extensive use of glowing cedarwood and stain glass works in the actual courtroom, where an old musty smell of leather and books was prevalent. Other than being impressed by the rich formality of it all, I didn’t feel anything unusual until we started heading down the cement stairs to where the jail had held prisoners. It was then I started feeling a heavy presence. With each step the air grew thicker along with the lack of light. My heart was thudding loudly in my chest when we peered into one of the cold jail cells and it was then I heard a sound of shuffling followed by a distant cry. I don’t know if Cherie heard it too but I know she shared my anxiousness because we didn’t remain in that basement long. I couldn’t climb those stairs fast enough. What a tremendous relief I felt to get out of that building.

There were so many fun moments that summer with Cherie and David but when it was time for me to leave, I was rather glad. I think I’d been holding my breath the whole time, worried I’d actually see something I didn’t want to.

Sometimes, not seeing anything, but knowing it’s there is scarier. “

BOO!!!!….and now, my dear readers, that is “The End”

Did you like my ghost story?

Did it make you think of things that have scared you? Or are scaring you?

Like this crazy time on earth when we seem to be battling against moving into the 5th dimension and so many fearful souls are trying to keep us back from progressing as we evolve into more loving humans. Now THAT’S a big scare to me. But we are getting there. I’m sure of it and I’m trusting that in the upcoming U.S. Election voices will unite and goodness will prevail. The only thing haunting me now is wondering what we have to endure over the next few years until everyone gets onboard. I’m concerned because the path the Americans choose will impact the world and certainly us here in Canada.

I was thinking this morning that what we are going through is a bit like moving out of that haunted house into the sunlight.

Hold onto Hope. Hold onto Joy!!!

Before I close this post though I want to share my Pumpkin Cookie recipe. At the beginning of last summer, (in time for our oldest son Clark’s wedding) our second oldest son Mitchell came home from Australia and introduced us to his partner Bec. It wasn’t easy for me saying goodbye to Mitchell five years ago, when he decided to move to Australia but deep down I knew an adventure was waiting for him. I also had a feeling that he would meet more of his people while there. You know, it’s hard to say goodbye to a child, even once he’s grown up, but letting kids go out into the world means you’ve done your job well. (this is what I tell myself) It means you’ve created global citizens who are strong and independent. Also, you never know how they will touch the world and who they will meet along the way. That’s why I was so excited to meet Bec. She’s everything I wanted in a partner for Mitchell; loving, kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. Getting to know her reminds me we have family all over the world, we just don’t know their names.

(Above, My beloved son Mitchell and beautiful Bec)

One thing I learned about Bec is that she loves pumpkin pie. Also, recently she asked Mitchell to see if I had any pumpkin cookie recipes and lo and behold, do cats meow? (she loves cats too) YES, I do. Shortly after he asked me about the pumpkin cookie recipe I whipped up a batch and took a few pictures.

So Bec, this post is dedicated to you.

Sorry it’s coming a bit late but Halloween season is pumpkin season here in Canada. I don’t know if you will appreicate the scary part of this post or not, but I hope you are able to try out this recipe and tell me what you think. Maybe you can tweak it a bit and make it your own. This is after all how the best recipes evolve, as do our families.

To all my other blogging family and friends, thanks for visiting today. As the season of scare unfolds, I hope you will join me in sending love out into the world. While we munch on pumpkin cookies and a few Halloween treats remember, we can do anything and we are stronger together.

And if you want to stay around to make some pumpkin cookies with me, steep another cup of tea or brew some more coffee and join me in the kitchen. Let’s make some…..

Hope’s Pumpkin Cookies

This is an “easy peasy” recipe as you just mix all the wet together first, mix the dry together together second and then add the dry to the wet and mix until well combined….I use my mixer but this is an easy recipe to whip up with a good wooden spoon and spatula.

This cookie batter will be very moist and does need a long time to cook to firm up but the cookie is lovely and soft…mouth watering.

Preheat the Oven to 375 degrees….get out a cookie sheet…ungreased or use a piece of parchment paper…see below, btw..we grew that pumpkin on the stool! I threw some seeds randomly in the garden and grew 3 pumpkins.

Ingredients

11/4 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup margarine or butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 can of pumpkin (15 ounces) (Notice in the picture I used a large tin…I use the left overs to make pumpkin lattes….yummy!)

3 cups of flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon/ 1/2 tsp nutmeg/ 1/2 tsp ginger/ 1/4 tsp cloves

Optional: 1 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of walnuts…. deluxe! Place a large piece of walnut on top as a garnish

Drop teaspoon size cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet and cook for 12 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let cool for a few minutes and then place on cooling racks. While still warm I sprinkle the cookie with icing sugar and then comes the BEST PART…….eat with someone you LOVE!

Happy Halloween 

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

Blessings from Hope

Above is a picture snapped when Mitchell and Bec were visiting….it’s the family hug we do…but you are right there with us…we are all family!!!

When there is love in the room nothing is scary!

A Friendly Village and Minestrone Soup

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Homelessness is a big problem in Canada. When I did some research recently, this is the quote I found on the Stat’s Canada’s website.

 “In 2021, we asked Canadian households if they had ever experienced some form of homelessness in their lifetime. Over one in ten (11.2%) Canadians or 1,690,000 people reported that they had.

Homelessness is often thought of as living in a shelter, or completely unhoused in an encampment or public space. This kind of homelessness in Canada is referred to as absolute homelessness, an experience shared by 2.2% of households at some point in their lives. There are, however, many more Canadians (10.5%) who have experienced hidden homelessness, like couch surfing, because they had nowhere else to live.”

https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/5170-homelessness-how-does-it-happen

These are scary stats in my opinion because if this can happen in a prosperous country, we know there are millions and millions of people all over the world experiencing the same kind of crisis. It’s traumatic not to have a home or a place where you feel you belong. What I think we need right now is the old Village mentality, where we all know each other and when one of us is having a hard time, instead of looking the other way, we all pull together and help our fellow villagers.

Recently our oldest daughter moved back home. She is well educated with two degrees. She has a wealth of experience on her resume. She is physically and mentally capable of working. What happened? Something that could happen to any of us at any time; she had a car accident which totalled her vehicle. Thankfully, she was not hurt but not having a car meant she was unable to get to her two jobs. Not being able to get to her jobs meant she could not afford her expensive housing in a big city. And how does one afford another vehicle if one isn’t able to get to work? It’s a catch 22 situation. The current economic situation in Canada, along with a lack of affordable housing and good job prospects means that many of us will find ourselves in a similar situation. Some may be working right now but are barely holding their heads above water. Many find their housing is held together by a thin string, that could snap at any time. About six weeks ago our daughter called home and basically said….

Thankfully we were in a position to move her and her two cats home but this has got me thinking about all the young people in her position who are a similar situation. I think of it as our modern day depression, like the dirty 30’s a hundred years ago. The only answer in dealing with this crisis that I keep coming back to time and time again is for all of us to pull together and bring back that old mentality of caring for others. Or is it too late? Has our society changed so much that we’ve lost a bit of our humanity? So much of our world now seems to be, Us Versus Them. I see it every time I turn on the news.

We are a society who don’t know our neighbours. We look the other way when we see a homeless person or someone with a sign asking for help. These people are falling through the cracks and we look the other way. In the old days our church groups used to help those less fortunate but church pews are empty these days. The younger generation is not finding what it needs any longer in a faith based society which makes me wonder, what kind of culture and mind set are we creating?

What are our values?

Are they only self based?

Last December, our violin teacher had a stack of Christmas cards and a list of seniors that she suggested our kids could write to during the holidays. Each week our girls would take several cards and work on them during their busy week of school, music, and swimming. They would return them and stroke the names of the ones they had completed off their list but looking at the list, it seemed like our kids were the only ones in the music studio doing any cards. I wondered why this was. Weren’t other parents suggesting that this was a small kindness that their children could perform for others? I realize that we are a busy society but surely if we can get our children to practice their instruments every day, we can get them to spend 15 minutes a week doing a small kindness for another person to lift them up and show they are loved.

When I was young, it was rare for shops to be open on Sunday. It was almost unheard of to have any kind of sports or child based activity happening. Rarely did people fly to Hawaii and Mexico and I didn’t know anyone going to Disneyland when I was a child. Now a days, people are shopping seven days a week, flying here and there at the drop of a hat. My kids are always telling me about friends who took a week off school to go away with their families on a week or two holiday. And it isn’t unusual to go away for a whole weekend to play in hockey tournaments, or even in our household, a swim meet, out of town last weekend. We are busy people and we are spending money…but what are we spending it on?

We are getting away from holding the seventh day of the week sacred. We are not stopping to think for even a hour about how we are living our life, or helping others. When I was a child there was always one day a week when I reflected and I had a Village reflecting with me. It was a day to hear a story of how we can live our lives better. while also thinking of how to help others. I don’t know about you, but in my world, we don’t have that any longer. There is no one shining a light on those less fortunate. Now when we see a homeless person on the street we look away because we think, “well what can I do? I’m only one person. I can’t make a difference in that person’s situation.” We’ve all lost that Village mentality, that sense of community.

And many of us have lost that older generation to guide us. That was the generation that lived in a Village and knew the power and hope it held. In those days there was no social safety net of Social Services or Employment Insurance. There were no disability payments or Worker’s Compensation. There was no Old Age Security or Retirement Benefits, and while there were soup kitchens, food banks didn’t exist. Our grandparents had family values and there was always a Village when times were tough. We relied on one another. Below are pictures of my Dad’s parents but I know my mom’s parents, particularly my grandma Herrling, was also kind hearted and there was always room at the table for someone passing through that needed help. Even if it was only one meal.

These are pictures of my dad’s parents, Flossie and Robert Clark. My mom and three older sisters are also in the picture below. I’m the baby.

So what can each of us do?

I guess that is the question for our generation and those of our children. In our family we have chosen to go and collect our daughter and bring her back home. I was mentioning to my older sister recently that our house is a bit like that Loaves and Fishes story from the Bible…there always seems to be enough room and food when we open our hearts.

And so that’s what each of us needs to do. I wrote a blog post recently called, “What would love do?” When that question is constantly on our lips and in our mindset, we know the path to take. We know what we must do. And for now, we squish over a bit, we make room in our home and we put another potato in the oven and then hold Hope in our hearts.

If you don’t know why I called my blog, Hope’s Homestead, it refers to the acronym, H.O.P.E, “Helping Our Planet Earth.” And I believe we need this more than ever. After all if we don’t have any hope, how can we go on? What propels us forward?

For now let that be enough. Move forward with hope, while always asking the question, “what would love do,” and remember that even though our world is big, we can choose to be just one Village. One Friendly Village where there is a place for each of us.

When we invited our daughter to move back home, we started preparing spaces where she could feel comfortable. Below are pictures of our little attic space where she can write and find retreat from our noisy household. There is also a T.V. up in this space if she wants to watch a movie.

This used to be an unused space above our garage that my husband spent one winter turning into a little hideaway retreat for our older children. When you have eight kids, everyone needs a place of their own to feel like they belong.

Above are pictures of what we call the “Harry Potter,” room. The closet is under the stairs so it seems like a fitting name, also, it’s super small. something like 7 feet by 13. (Before our youngest were born, it was our walk in closet but really, who needs this kind of space for clothes!!!) The mirror at the far end makes it seem bigger and also brings the light from the French door into the room. This is a cozy space. Probably the warmest in our house as it’s in the centre and has no outside windows. Perfect for welcoming our daughter back home. We would love to build a cottage in our backyard for a refuge for anyone that needs a home, but for now, this is a lovely space for our daughter and her two cats who love, the little loft space, above the built in day bed. (Below….my husband David and youngest son William, unload Alyssa’s worldly goods)

A few days ago, I posted a YouTube video about the dish set I found at the thrift store called, “A Friendly Village,” by the Johnson Bros from England. This is a traditional dinnerware pattern best known for its charming depictions of idyllic village scenes. First produced in 1953, this heirloom-quality pattern adds a timeless appeal to any table! Bringing it home reminded me of how life was when I was a child. We took care of each other. We were more family and Village centered then. I know it’s an ideal that is old fashion, but is it old fashion to care for one another?

It’s Sunday today. While yes, I’m writing this blog post, I’m going to take the time to go for a walk in nature. I’m going to come home and make a cup of tea and reflect on my life and how I’m walking my path. I’m going to think about how I can help others. And later, I’m going to make a big pot of soup and set my table with one more place setting for pur daughter. And if you want to see the new dish set I was able to find at the thrift store and check out my Minestrone soup recipe, check out the YouTube vlog I made recently.

Thank you for visiting today. Wherever you are, I hope you are caring for your Village too.




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Hope’s Minestrone Soup (recipe came from the book above that my older sister B gave me….she’s always caring for me and teaching me to reuse…thanks B!)

Ingredients

8 cups of vegetable stock

8 large or 12 medium tomatoes (I use my frozen tomatoes that I roasted with basil last summer…you can use a can of stewed)

3/4 cup kidney beans, soaked and cooked, makes about 21/4 cups. You can use canned as well as I did in my Vlog

3/4 chick peas, soaked and cooked…makes about 21/4 cups…dried beans and legumes is the frugal way to go

1 large onion

3 stalks of celery

1 small zucchini chopped and quartered

2 to 3 carrots chopped finely

3 tbsp tamari soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp sea salt

2 cloves of garlic….more if you are like me

cayenne pepper to taste

Opt: 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2/3 cup pasta…we use rotini

1 tsp parsley, basil, oregano….since this is an Italian Vegetable soup….all are recommended for authentic flavour (I added a bay leaf)

Directions

Saute the onions in oil and garlic in oil. Add the soup stock and vegetables Simmer about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the pre cooked beans, any herbs and remaining ingredients and cook for another 20 minutes. The parmesan cheese and noodles can be added if desired. Serve hot to your Village. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Above my Minestrone soup with my homemade buns (and we stopped at our local Super Store for a roasted chicken and macaroni salad to round out our Sunday night dinner. Enough to feed a Village. (all on my new dish set, “The Friendly Village”….feeling so blessed. I hope when I’m long and gone, one of my kids keeps this dish set and remembers to set an extra place for someone in need)

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

Blessings from Hope

Simple Sourdough Bread Making and Life’s Purpose

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Dear family and friends,

Welcome back to my blog. I hope you are all well. I know I haven’t been blogging for awhile now ( a l o n g while) but if anything can bring me back to writing, it’s the excitement I get when a loaf of my own sourdough bread comes out of the oven.

I know I’m rather late coming to the party. It seems like everyone and their dog, their Covid dog that is, was making sourdough bread during the pandemic lock down. Actually, I think people were making all sorts of bread, not just sourdough, because I remember how hard it was to find yeast at the time, not to mention toilet paper. For many people, making things from scratch was a bit of a novelty and people were embracing it while they nested. Not so much for us though, as we had been on the path towards living sustainably for several years before the pandemic hit. Still, one of the things that was on my “to learn list: was baking sourdough bread.

That’s why I was rather excited when last spring my sister J asked if I wanted a bit of her sourdough starter.

Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

Finally, I would learn the ancient art of bread making. She handed me a little yogurt container with verbal instruction how to keep it alive. I remember feeling like she was handing me a little piece of magic, which if I nurtured, would ensure we never went hungry again. And those around us too…’cause once I started baking bread, I was sharing it with everyone (and their dog) who would take a loaf. I was so excited to share it!

“My piece of bread only belongs to me when I know that everyone else has a share, and no one else starves while I eat.” ~ Leo Tolstoy~

While I was learning to care for my starter, I inhaled a few wonderful books. One of them was, “Artisan Sourdough Made Simple,” by Emilie Raffa

After Reading Emilie Raffa’s book I was hooked.

I had the starter, I had a bit of knowledge, and I was passionate to start baking. All I needed were a few things to get going.

I gathered together a scale, a cast iron pot/lid (crucial as you bake in high temps. Happily, it was on sale at my local Canadian Super Store.

Then I went on line and ordered everything else I needed: One of the many things the pandemic did, was develop my on line shopping habit. In the old days, pre-pandemic, I would spend a good while searching in our little town for desired items, often not finding them, using a ton of fuel to get there and then coming home with whatever I was lucky enough to find. I did try to find things locally but even finding banneton baskets in the size I wanted was difficult. Since I wanted to start using the starter J gave me right away, I turned to buying everything I needed from Amazon.ca and within a few days I was baking my first loaves of bread. If you have time though and also would prefer not giving Amazon your money, I would recommend looking at your local thrift stores, or perhaps your local Marketplace site, because I’ve since found all sorts of bread making products for a fraction of what I spent at both of these locations..

But since I was wanting to get going fast…this is what I ordered on line:

A scale to measure ingredients, 2, -10 Inch Banneton proofing Baskets with cloth liners, a stainless steel Dough Scraper, a Bread Lame+ 4 Spare razor blades. And finally, a Danish dough whisk with wooden handle.

Also don’t forget to pick up a bag of whole wheat flour, a bag of all purpose, unbleached, flour and a bag of bread flour. Optional: a bag of Rye flour. Sea salt.

While Emilie Raffa’s book was loaded with amazing Artisan bread recipes, I wanted a basic recipe to get me going. I finally found one on a YouTube site I often visit. Lisa, on “Farmhouse on Boone,” had the perfect video to follow. I’m going to share the recipe below, but please watch her video too as she shares all sorts of great tips regarding working with the dough and the benefits to having a cast iron pot, etc. Thank you Lisa. You inspire me with how gracefully you manage your home, while growing your beautiful family. Here’s the link to her video: “Sourdough Bread for Beginners.”

Okay….

Are you excited to start baking sourdough bread? Here’s the recipe so get a big bowl, your scale and all your flour out.

Simple Sourdough Bread (Makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients

500 grams of all purpose unbleached flour

250 grams of bread flour

200 grams of whole wheat flour (I play around with this. Sometimes I do 100 grams of w/w flour and 100 of rye flour)

650 grams of warm water

20 grams of sea salt (I play with this too adding 10 grams of white sea salt and 10 grams of pink Himalayan salt)

200 grams of mature, bubbly sourdough starter

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Directions:

Put a big bowl on the digital scale and choose the grams setting. Add all the various flours to the bowl. Mix well. Add the warm water and combine until it forms a shaggy dough. Cover it with a damp cloth or wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then add your starter and your salt. Mix well.

(Below is what my starter looked like before I was about to measure it out…light and bubbly…notice it’s dark…I often make my dough in the evening)

I use my hands at this point to ensure everything is thoroughly combined. Make a nice ball of dough. Cover the bowl once again and let it sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes you will start your series of stretch and folds. For the next 45 minutes you will stretch and fold the dough three times, (roughly every 15 minutes.) When you do your stretch and fold, you simply, very gently, lift one corner of the dough up and stretch it across the rest of the dough. Turn the bowl and lift another section of dough and do it again. I perform this lift, stretch and fold about six times for each stretch and fold session. The next stretch and fold series are 30 minutes apart and you do three of them. At the end of this period, I place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut the dough in half. I then shape each ball and let it sit for another 30 minutes uncovered. At that point, I turn over the dough, gently fold each corner into itself and shape it into two round balls. I place each ball in a “lightly floured” banneton basket, cover and let it sit overnight in the fridge. (Note, Lisa explains this last fold really well in her video above and also tells you that you don’t need a banneton basket. You can also place a cloth in a medium size bowl and use that)

After letting the dough sit for around fourteen hours I pull it out of the fridge and let it adjust to room temperature while I preheat the oven. At this point you can also place your cast iron pot, with lid in the oven. Get it good and hot (about 30 minutes) before you place your dough inside. In Lisa’s video above, she says she sets her oven to 500 degree but my oven runs very hot and when I tried baking at this temp it burnt my bread. Lesson here; you have to know our oven. I’ve played around with mine and setting it at 450 degrees works best. I also place a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack of my oven, otherwise, even at this temperature my bread will come out scorched at the bottom. Also, I like to add water to the cookie sheet , as they say the steam in the oven makes the bread even softer.

While the oven is preheating take your dough out of the banneton basket, turn it onto a piece of parchment paper. (the lightly floured side is now up) Now this is when you use your razor blade. FUN!!! I tried various designs but I usually come back to the wheat design that Lisa demonstrates in her video above; with a big curved slash down one side and little ones going off on either side. Be creative. This is one of the fun parts in producing your own artisan bread.

Once your oven is preheated and your cast iron pot is well heated through, pull it out of the oven, take off the lid. Carefully lift up the parchment paper with your bread dough and gently place it your cast iron pot. Cover it with the lid once again, and place it back in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Once the timer goes off, take off the lid, add a cup of water to your cookie sheet pan and then bake for another 30 minutes. As I said above, you have to know your oven. When I asked my sister J what temperature she cooked her bread at, I believe she said 425. Every oven is different. For me 450 degrees is the sweet spot. My bread comes out a dark golden brown. The crust is nice and hard, and the inside is light and fluffy.

While baking sourdough isn’t a hard process, it does take time. Choose to make your bread on a day that you are working around the house. After I take the kids to school, I come home and feed my starter around 8:30 am, so it has all day to ferment. While I’m preparing dinner at 5 pm, I start making the dough. Over the course of the evening I do my stretch and folds and just before bed at 10 to 11 pm, I place the banneton baskets in the fridge. I bake the bread anywhere around noon to one the next day.

There is nothing like the smell of baking bread in a home!

I snapped this picture to the right with a loaf of my bread on my new thrifted wooden cutting board. I was so thrilled to find this board and I absolutely have to write a future blog post about all the marvelous thrifted items I’ve found lately. It’s my new passion along with baking bread.

If you know me, I had to take off my sunglasses to have this picture taken. (see sunglasses on my kitchen island) Although I’ve been making sourdough bread for almost a year now, every single time I’m thrilled and amazed that this came out of my oven.

And I made it!

Here’s what one of the loaves looks like inside….nice and soft with lots of holes. Victoria below is enjoying a piece of sourdough with some soy cheese. My FAVOURITE way to eat sourdough bread is toasted in the morning with a mashed avocado and an egg on top. Yummy, yummy….although lately I’ve been eating this delicious feast at noon since I’m also into intermittent fasting, which I HAVE to blog about as well ’cause everyone around me is sick of hearing about how wonderful I feel eating only two meals a day. My first one is often at noon with the above mentioned treat.

Victoria above loves the days I make my sourdough bread. Here she is eating a piece with some soy cheese.

Well that is it my dear blogging family. I’ve finally shared my simple sourdough bread recipe. In a way, I’ve brought you into my kitchen, into my home and given you a piece of what I love doing; feeding my family and caring for others. It’s been such a long time since I’ve written and writing this post today reminds me that it’s something I enjoy too. I don’t know if anyone will read it but it was fun to share and I know our family often refer to my blog to to retrieve old family favourite recipes. I also feel like it’s a good way to record our family life. This can be thought of as the time mom learned to bake really great bread!

And what about you? What’s your latest passion? What have you been spending your time doing?

In going through your days have you been asking the big question, “what is my purpose in life?” Or maybe you’re asking, “what is this life all about anyway?” If you have, I want to end this post with something that resonates with me. I hope it helps you remember that the best way we can help each other on this earth is keeping things simple. Making sourdough bread may not be a life changing event, but it’s one way to show others that they are loved. I hope you like this little, “Note to Self,” piece and come back to visit me again.

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

Blessings from Hope

P.S. I want to thank my sister J for sharing her sourdough starter with me. Every time I make it I feel so blessed to have a sister like her!

(I actually have three so I’m triply blessed)

A Spring Inspired White Cake with Lemon Filling

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Happy May, my dear blogging friends and family. If Spring has arrived in your part of the world, I hope nature is doing her thing and providing a restorative balance for you. Ahhhh, there’s nothing like the feeling of warm sunshine on our faces, fresh air in our lungs and being surrounded by Spring’s beauty. It makes my heart sing and I have to confess to a few tears too, over the wonder of it all.

We are experiencing a lovely spring here and that saying;

has held true this 2022 spring season. That thrills me, as we live in an arid climate, which requires lots of moisture in the ground before we head into our usual, hot summer season. (But who knows with climate change what will come this summer) Last week was glorious though and I gleefully wandered through our yard snapping pictures of some of the blooms.

First I went down to our fruit orchard and snapped a few pictures of our larger cherry trees. I was absolutely delighted to see so many bees happily buzzing from blossom to blossom. Oh the joy of seeing bees is another glorious spring sign! The plum tree to the right in the above picture is also about to erupt in bloom,. In the forefront, you can see my newly conditioned strawberry beds. There are little white flowers blooming in that bed too so hopefully we get lots of luscious strawberries…that is if they make it into the house!

Then I strolled up the west side of our house to capture the last blossoms of our neighbour’s gorgeous Star Magnolia tree. Sadly I missed it’s peak of bloom as you can see from the petals lying on their garden shed roof, but it’s still a stunning sight in the spring time.

Another beautiful sight are the baby pink blossoms on our Flowering Plum tree. I pruned it back a bit last year as I wanted it to eventually have branches arching over our gate. You can’t really see from this angle but if you come from the other side you see that it’s starting to happen. In our summer climate it’s nice to have trees near our house to keep things cooler.

I snapped a few pictures of some flowers blooming too….

The pool is not open yet but the brilliant perennial, “Alyssum,” is brightening up our rock wall beds. We planted these three summers ago now.

Another eye catching perennial on display in our garden next to the bunnies is the gorgeous purple “Abrecia.” This is so easy to split and move…which is another reason I love perennials so much.

Are you looking for an early blooming Clematis? Check out our, “Niobe,” which has just given us two beautiful, fuchsia pink blooms to enjoy early this May.

Our lawn is looking great too and while some people are removing their lawns, since we still have kids that love to run, we still have a bit of lawn in our backyard. Also, I use the lawn clippings to mulch our garden in the summer which improves the soil and keeps the plants cool in the summer.

Yesterday we had a torrential rain storm. It felt so good after several days of sunny weather. Later in the afternoon, just after my sister J came for a quick visit, it really started to pour. As I looked out into the garden you could just see all the green plants shining with happiness as they danced in the showers. I even danced a bit when I went out briefly to plant some Lovage and Catnip in my herb bed. Our cat Ryuuki is going to love the Catnip. I plan to dry it and stuff a little fuzzy mouse toy with it next fall. He doesn’t catch the real things anymore!

Ryuuki is enjoying the beautiful Spring days too and after he does a tour through the garden, he often can be found on Grace’s bed full of furry blankets. Just like our garden helps to restore our energy, Yuuki reminds us to take little cat naps throughout our day.

“And hope, if it had a scent, would smell like spring, like rain, like something new and alive.” ~Jennifer Rush~

Well, I could chat on and on about plants, gardening and pets, but what I really intended to do was share a recipe with you. Since Mother’s Day is quickly approaching, I thought I’d share my latest fav cake recipe. And, (hint, hint) if you know anyone who might want to surprise their mother, or special woman in their life, this is the perfect dessert to do that.

It’s light, lemony, and speaks of all things blooming.

Before I jot down the recipe, I thought I’d share a few pictures of the cakes I’ve made this spring. The first one I made was for my sister J’s birthday in March. She and my mom used to share March birthdays together. (mom’s been gone 10 years now)

Mom used to say that my sister J’s arrival was the best birthday present she was ever given as she was born the day before our mom’s birthday on March 20th….the first day of spring. Also, whenever I see ladybugs (long story) it reminds me of our mom, so when I found a lady bug kitchen timer, I had to put it on J’s cake to remind her that mom was right there singing Happy Birthday to her too.

I used three layers to make this cake and filled it with lemon….it was so yummy! Also, I used a bit of yellow icing on the cake as J has recently renovated her kitchen and cozy living room and while I haven’t seen it in person due to Covid, I know she has splashes of yellow accents in her newly renovated house. Yellow is the perfect spring colour!!!

And then I made the cake again at Easter. My mom made Bunny cakes every year at Easter and I have continued the tradition. I made the same recipe above but split all the icing into two cake pans instead of three. Below you can see how you cut the cake up for the bunnies, head, ears and bow.

Kate, Will and Tori had such fun decorating this year’s Easter bunny cake. I’m glad I got a picture of it as that bunny was eaten in record time!!!

I hope these pictures inspire you to create your own Spring white cake and share it with your loved ones. Maybe take it outside to the garden and have a little tea party. Here’s the recipe that I used and hopefully it will become another of our family favourite recipes.

White Spring Cake with Lemon Filling

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 tablespoon cake flour

3 ½ cups sifted cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ¾ cups sugar

¼ cup softened butter

1 ½ tablespoons sunflower/ or vegetable oil of your choice

2 large egg whites

1 ⅔ cups milk

½ cup plain fat-free yogurt…I used vanilla yogurt and it was lovely

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract/ 1 tbsp lemon zest

———————————————————————————————————————————————————

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Spray 3 or 2 round cake pans with cooking spray and then dust with 1 tbsp of flour (some people like to use parchment paper cut to fit the bottom of the pan….you choose what you would prefer)

Combine sifted flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in one bowl. Mix well!

I used no name cake flour and it turned out great…flour is getting really expensive right now so watch for the sales and stock up.

In a large mixing bowl combine, sugar, butter, and oil and using an electric mixer; beat at medium speed for around 5 minutes. Add egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine milk and yogurt and place in a small bowl.

Now alternating between the flour mixture and milk mixture, add these to the sugar/butter and eggs. Do this alternating method until everything is combined really well. Finally, stir in the vanilla and lemon zest.

When everything is combined well, pour cake batter evenly into prepared pans. Give the pans a sharp tap on the counter to remove any bubbles.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the wooden pick inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans.

Cool completely on wire racks.

Just a thought as I’m looking at the two layers I cooked above….if your oven is hot like mine, a large cookie sheet on the bottom oven rack may prevent the cake from getting too hot and it will be a lighter brown on the bottom. We all have different ovens but I’m finding that this is helping my baked items come out a bit more golden brown. It really helps if you know your oven!

And now the fun part. Filling and Icing. While your cake bakes, you can make the lemon filling. (Doubling the recipe is a good idea if you want some on the top too. Also, if you are like me, you can eat spoonfuls of the stuff…. my mom used to put it on toast!)

Lemon Filling Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

1 cup water

1⁄2 cup lemon juice (fresh is best)

1 teaspoon lemon rind, grated (from the fresh lemon)

1 tablespoon butter (no substitutions)

Directions

Mix sugar and cornstarch together thoroughly

Combine the beaten egg, water, lemon juice and rind, add to the dry ingredients.

Cook in a double boiler about 15 minutes on medium high, stirring constantly…in that old figure 8 configuration we learned in high school foods class.

Take it off the burner when it looks like it’s thickening and then add the butter. Mix it in well and then cool completely before you spread it between the cake layers.

Make sure the cake and the filling are well cooled before you put them together. I often pop my cake layers in the freezer for 20 minutes before I start to put everything together. When the cake and the lemon filling are cooling this is a great time to make the frosting. What kind do you want on your cake??? I think a lemon, buttercream frosting is perfect for this cake personally. Layering the lemon is a bit like layering a favourite scent….perfectly luscious!!!

Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

1 cup softened butter

4 to 5 cups of icing sugar (depending on how you want it to spread….firmer allows you to use it for piping decoration)

1 tbsp lemon zest

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

A drop of yellow food colouring, depending on the appearance you want for your cake. While I used predominately white icing to make J’s ladybug and the Easter bunny cake, I did do some yellow icing to decorate J’s cake to make it look a bit more spring like.

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Directions

  1. In a mixer, add the butter and the lemon juice.
  2. Cream together on low speed until they are completely combined.
  3. Add the icing sugar, one cup at a time and continue to beat on medium speed until the frosting is creamy.
  4. Add the lemon zest and 1 small drop of yellow food colouring (if desired)
  5. Continue to mix.
  6. Tip…I like to add the icing sugar slowly… 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches the consistency I want for my cake

Now for the BEST part…put your bottom cake layer on your cake plate and decorate the bottom layer’s sides. Spread the top with some lemon filling, then add another cake layer. Do the same as above until you finally have the top layer on the cake. You can ice all of the top with buttercream icing but if you have any lemon filling left you can spread some of it in the middle of the top layer. I did that with J’s ladybug cake. This is where you can be as creative as you like. I put sweetened flaked coconut on the bunny cake and it was yummy! Look at the one I found below on Pintrest….that can’t be too hard to ice right?

Well that’s it my dear people. Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing this spring, I hope you take some time to get out in nature and let it fill your soul with all things beautiful. With all the crazy stuff happening in our world right now we need to do whatever we can to keep our spirits peaceful. And if you take a bit of cake out into the garden with a cup of tea I think you will find that all the sweeter.

Fruit Pizza and Surviving the COVID-19 Pandemic

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What is the right way to Eat Fruits ?

Welcome to my blog and Hope’s Homestead. It’s nice to see you. If you are new here, yah! If you haven’t been here in a while, you’re not alone as neither have I. Ha! You’d think that with the current state of the world, (everyone isolating at home due to the COVID-19 global pandemic) I’d have nothing better to do than write on my blog, but if you know me at all, that’s not the case.

We are b*u*s*y around here doing things we love. Home is where it’s at people.

What do you think? How are you weathering these times?

At first, I felt rather guilty when the whole pandemic started; as if my wish had caused it. You see all winter the mantra flowing out of my being went something like this; “we need to slow down, something needs to let up, life is going too fast.” It’s the craziest thing to think that the whole world came to a screeching halt just for me, but those were my thoughts in mid March.

The only downside was that our seventeen year old daughter, Grace’s spring break, school trip to the U.K. was cancelled at the last minute. She had worked so hard last summer to earn the money for the trip. In addition, she was taking an English course that totally revolved around all the sights they were planning to see, and all the assignments were geared to the trip.

At this point, although the trip has been delayed until later this summer, we obviously don’t know if international travel will open up. Only time will tell how life will unfold in the coming months but any sadness we felt over the loss of that trip, or not being with our oldest daughter as she celebrated a milestone birthday at the end of March, have been quieted over the news of so many deaths reported around the world. It always surprises me how grief and lose reminds us of what’s truly important.

It was one big wake up call for the earth in my opinion.

11 simple ways to care for each other during the COVID-19 ...

I could have become a dweller of dark places in the last two months but thankfully, I remembered why I sign off as “Hope,” at the end of my blog. I remembered my true nature and quickly chose to move towards the light. My oldest sister B says, “there is a silver lining in all of this.” My oldest daughter Alyssa, an English major, teacher and writer says, “it’s like a Dystopia novel!”

Whatever it is….

The silver lining for us, is that in the last ten years our family has been moving in the direction of becoming more sustainable in our day to day life. Last night at dinner our ten year old son, William, observed, “we make just about everything from scratch, except ketchup.” (Watch out Will, if we have a good tomato crop this summer, ketchup’s on the bucket list) Having learned to reuse, make do, grow our own food, cook from the basics, and live more simply, has conditioned us to thrive in a time when so many people are falling apart.

It’s been two months now since the world stopped spinning so fast and our family has a lovely, at home learning groove happen’in, our back forty is newly planted, and it’s time for me to come back to my blog, share a story, a recipe and maybe a bit of hope. If that’s what you are seeking, let this be a place of refuge. Also, I have to share a secret for our contentment and what’s helping our family handle this social isolating gig so well.

The secret can be found in:

Books

We are surviving and I’d like to believe thriving too, because we all love to read.

Well, almost all of us. It’s a process.

Ironically, the month before the kids were out on spring break, their school had a book competition. It’s a yearly tradition at their school to encourage as many children to read as possible. When our older children went to school. they were involved in something called, “The Battle of the Books.” It was a school district affair, where each school prepared teams, representing the various grades. Throughout the spring, there would be zone competitions to see who knew their books the best. Finally, the teams winning at the zones, would move onto the final district competition, which was open to the public at our local performing arts centre. It was quite an affair and a prestigious event to win.

Our son Clark’s Battle of the Book’s Coldstream team (Clark is the one in blue on the left…wish it was a better picture)

Our older children were “Battle of the Books,” champs. Alyssa’s team won the district award two years in a row and Clark’s team won it one year. We were so proud of their accomplishments. In those days, their school, “Coldstream Elementary,” was considered the school to beat. Then a few parents started to make waves. Their children had competed to earn a spot on the team but didn’t qualify, and they were annoyed. We personally didn’t understand their reasoning, since our school also competes in athletics, such as track and field, and only the best move on to compete in the zones and districts in that area. It’s the same if you ask me but they didn’t view it that way, so our participation in the local Battle of the Books ended and our school started an in house competition. Originally, it was called, “Gypsy Breath and Longstocking,” but over time it has been shortened to be just, “Gypsy Breath.”

At first, when our school stopped competing at the Battle of the Books, I was angry, as that was a place where our children who were book savvy, could shine. I didn’t encourage our next in line children to join the competition, which was watered down in my opinion, but then our daughter Grace joined one year without any encouragement from me. I watched her happily fly through the book selections for that year. When she came home with the first place award, I realized it it wasn’t about competition at all.

It was about reading.

Now, I’m all over anything to get kids hooked on reading.

So when…..

Our younger kids came home from school one day to say that they were all going to be on the same Gypsy Breath team, I was thrilled. They called themselves, “The Survivors.” That’s the ironic part; I feel like we are surviving this social isolating pandemic, partly due to our love of literature. When you can enter a book and become lost in another world, you can escape anything. What a gift. Also, while our family has quite an extensive library, we are also living in a time when we have access to any book written on the planet, within a tap on our computers.

It’s mind blowing.

Our children read some pretty incredible books since Christmas in preparation for the Gypsy Breath competition. Kathryn read the most. She read all, but one of the grade 6/7 books (Refugee) and of course she didn’t read the two adult selections. Victoria wasn’t far behind her; reading all the grade 3, grade 4 and almost all the grade 5 books. She also read a couple of the grade 6/7 books.

I was most proud of William though, first to join the team, bringing two of his (non reading) friends along to experience the event, but mainly watching him methodically working through book after book, that I know he wouldn’t have touched otherwise. This for a boy who loves to be active; bouncing on the the trampoline, swimming in the pool, or even playing his cello. To watch him sit quietly in our big, comfy chair in the living room, turning page after page, was a sight to see.

There is hope!

8 Quotes for the Ultimate Book Lover | Reading quotes, Book quotes

I’m also proud to say that the kid’s “Survivor,” team tied for second place on the night of the competition, out of at least ten or twelve teams. I never counted but the gym was full of kids dressed up in wacky costumes, all joining together with their teachers, to answer the questions that were posed by the “Book Wizard.”

I know you are probably here for the fruit pizza recipe but I want to share the Gypsy Breath book selections with you first, as in addition to great food, it’s the books that are getting us through this difficult moment in time. A time when we are sheltered in place, in order to beat this virus. If you REALLY want the food, (like my son William, who is growing crazy, fast lately) scroll to the bottom. If you can hold off, here are the 2020 Gypsy Breath Books, many of which our family read this spring.

You may have read some of them with your kids or when you were a child:

The Grade 3 Books

Image result for images of the book the mouse and the motorcycle

The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary

When the Soldiers Were Gone: Vera W. Propp: 9780698118812: Amazon ...

When the Soldiers Were Gone, by Vera W. Propp

A Boy Named Bat, by Elana K. Arnold

The Grade Four Books

The Lemonade War, by Jacqueline Davies

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia

The Chocolate Touch, by Patrick Skene Catling

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (I Survived #9): Tarshis ...

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, by Lauren Tarshis

The Grade Five Books

The following book, “The Truth As Told by Mason Buttle,” was my children’s all round favourite! They even encouraged me to read it. The main character, Mason, is an endearing child who shined a light on the colour of feelings and inspired me to try to be my best self. It’s a beautifully written book in Mason’s unique, sweet voice.

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle: Connor, Leslie: 9780062491435 ...

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, by Leslie Connor

Bud, Not Buddy: Curtis, Christopher Paul: 9780439402002: Books ...

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul-Curtis

The Night Diary: Hiranandani, Veera: 9780735228511: Books - Amazon.ca

The Night Diary, by Veera Hiranandani (Victoria loved this book but then she loves writing in her diary/journal too)

Septimus Heap, Book One: Magyk: Sage, Angie, Zug, Mark ...

Magyk, by Angie Sage (My older sons read this book…well the whole series actually, and if you are into fantasy, then this book is for you!)

The Grade 6/7 Books

The following book, “Save Me a Seat,” was William’s fav book. He said he could relate to the book’s main characters, Joe and Ravi, as he, like them , has been bullied at school too. As a mom this made me cry. I want to protect my children from these sorts of experiences. It’s when I hear this that I want to homeschool them full time when we get through to the other side of this isolation.

Except, I know it’s often the toughest things we go through in life that develops our character. No amount of reading or virtual experiences can teach us to be strong people. We need to step out of our comfort zones, become vulnerable, and learn how to relate to others. We need to build our own voice and our inner resilience muscle, to become confident individuals. That’s why, after this whole pandemic is over, I’m pretty sure I will encourage our children to return to school, whatever that looks like. I’d like to believe it will be a gentler place and my children will be beacons of kindness and compassion towards their classmates.

William made tons of connections while reading this book and told me that the ending was “fantastic.”

Will gives this book a *****stars rating and two thumbs up!

Save Me a Seat – Children's Book Council

Save Me a Seat, by Sarah Weeks

Firegirl: Abbott, Tony: 9780316011709: Books - Amazon.ca

Firegirl, by Tony Abbott

The following book, “Bridge to Terabithia,” has been around for awhile. I read it with my older children and it was a Battle of the Books selection during one of their competitions. We read it to our younger children, as a family, last summer and I would highly recommend it for the 8 to 12 year old set….and beyond.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

The final book for the children was “Refugee.” It’s on our “to be read list” but it sounds incredible and inspiring.

Refugee - Alan Gratz

Refugee, by Alan Gratz

The Adult Books

I loved the following book. The main character Susan’s view of the world was witty and refreshing. Also, after my daughter, Alyssa, spent two years living and working in London, with me vicariously living with her, I loved the whole English vibe, in this Debut novel by Sarah Haywood. I laughed all the way through this hilarious book, which is saying something for me.

Fiction Book Review: The Cactus by Sarah Haywood. Park Row, $26.99 ...

The Cactus, by Sarah Haywood

I read a lot, so when I say the following book, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” is the best book I have read all year, that’s really saying something. The book follows one Jewish Family’s experiences during the Second World War years. Even though I read this book months ago now, it’s helped me put this global pandemic into perspective.

It could always be worse, is my thinking, and this family and the Jewish people’s plight during the middle of the last century, has lifted me up and given me hope. If you only read one book this year read this. Don’t let the premise scare you….pick it up, allow yourself to be submersed into history and enveloped in great writing. You are one of the lucky ones, if you take the time to read this book!

We Were the Lucky Ones, by Georgia Hunter

I guess you now see the theme of this year’s Gypsy Breath book selection was all around war and diversity. I’m never failed to be amazed at how life prepares us for every eventuality. Reading these books, in the months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, helped us shift into the mentality of believing we can overcome anything. If the characters in these books, (some of them based on true stories) could overcome life most difficult challenges, we know we can do it too.

Together.

All we have been asked to do is shelter in place. How hard is that with a good book? If you aren’t into reading, then watch a movie based on a book. Last night, we watched part one, of the movie, “Stranded,” based on the book called, “The Swiss Family Robinson.” That book was written by Johann David Wyss, which was first published over two hundred years ago in 1812. Our kids can’t wait to watch the second part and are intrigued over a family shipwrecked on an island. I was telling them that in a way, we are that family now.

Here’s the link to part one if you are interested in watching it too.

Well, enough about books, isolation and even movies, now onto the part that you may be waiting for and the part that is also my son William’s favourite: yummy recipes. The next time you are in the grocery store stock up on fresh fruit and some cream cheese and you can make a……

Fruit Pizza

Fruit Pizza Recipe - Pinch of Yum

I actually can’t take total credit for this recipe as it was originally my brother in law D’s recipe. He’s been making fruit pizza for years, long before it became fashionable in the food world. That’s my brother in law D and sister C; they are always ahead of the rest of us. Earlier this year, we got together for dinner and the topic of fruit pizza came up. I knew I wanted to make something special for the Gypsy Breath snack table and thought D’s recipe might just be the thing.

I first tested it out at our kid’s group orchestra, snack table, one week, and it was inhaled in a flash. Those are kids who know good food, and by the way, it flew off the table and into their mouths, with sighs, I might add. I knew we were onto something that would work for book aficionados as well. Okay, so that’s the back story. Now let’s create this divine dessert, in celebration of books, movies, or whatever you are passionate about….anything to survive and stay well.

Fruit Pizza: easy to make & so gorgeous! -Baking a Moment

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup butter

2 ounces cream cheese

11/2 cups sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp vanilla

3 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

Spread

12 -16 ounces of cream cheese

1/2 to 1 cup icing sugar

1 1/2 – 2 tsp vanilla

(The ingredients range depending on the amount of spread you want on your pizza)

Glaze

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp lemon juice

Fresh Fruit

Anything goes but some ideas are:

Kiwi (the bright green is lovely)

Blueberries

Strawberries

Pineapple

Raspberries

Blackberries

Grapes

Instructions

Make the crust by mixing the butter, cream cheese and sugar. (An electric mixer works best) Add the egg and vanilla and combine well. Add the flour, baking powder and the salt.

Basically, you are making one big batch of cookie dough. Once mixed, let dough cool in bowl with a cloth over top for 1/2 hour in the fridge.

Use cooking spray and grease a large pizza pan or a cookie sheet (it doesn’t have to be round)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Bring dough out of the fridge and spread it evenly on the pan using fingers or you can use a rolling pin. I find flattening it with fingers and then rolling it with a pin works best. Bake for 12 minutes, (350 degrees) but watch closely as you don’t want the cookie base to over cook…a light golden brown is perfect.

We made enough for 1 large pizza and one small one which the kids enjoyed when they returned from their evening event…they were celebrating coming in second…and reading a pile of great books…that was the real success!!!

Once out of the oven, allow pizza crust to completely cool. I place it in the freezer for 30 minutes before spreading on the cream cheese mixture.

While your pizza is cooling in the freezer, cut up the fruit into small pieces, thinly slice the kiwi and strawberries. Cut up your pineapple, unless they are already in slices. Think about the design you want to create. If you are making it for a special event, you may be able to make a word with fruit for instance. ( Later, I thought I could have written “Books” with blueberries .)

Once the pizza has cooled and the cream cheese has been spread, you can add your fruit. Any combination tastes great, but this is where the artist in you can flourish.

Once the pizza has been topped with fruit, drizzle the glaze around for the final touch of yummy. Here’s how our pizza turned out for the Gypsy Breath event.

P.S. Serve soon after topping with fruit and glaze, although it’s still yummy the next day, albeit the crust is a bit soft.

Our Gypsy Breath pizza

Every time I make this pizza it turns out different but it’s always amazing!!! Here are some other pictures from our kid’s Gypsy Breath night.. Remember their team was called, “The Survivors.” We had ordered a bunch of buffs for the kids to wear for the event, which turned out to be great masks for them to wear in the early days of this pandemic, when we were just out for a walk in our neighbourhood in case they came across other people.

Their buffs and dirty looking and ripped t shirts completed their Survivor costume.

This is their team’s poster with their team name…showing pictures from the various books
The top three winning teams got to take books home. Here are Kathryn and Victoria looking at all the books to choose from.


Kathryn and Victoria with their teacher, Ms. Brianne Martin
Inspirational Quotes About Books Reading. QuotesGram

And so we may be sheltering at home right now, but we are not alone. We are all in this together and if we have books, then we have the world at our feet. Let literature take you wherever you want to go. Fly if you want to.

Thank you for coming to visit today. I hope, not to be a stranger here in the coming weeks. Since we just planted our vegetable garden this week, I do have some images and some gardening stories I’d like to share as well as thoughts on guiding our children at home with their learning.

Stay tuned, stay safe.

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

Blessings from Hope

Buddha Bowls~Be Safe, Have Fun

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The words “be safe, have fun,” keep reverberating through my brain. They were the last things I said to my two kids, who left on adventures this week. My son Mitchell, who will be off on a grand adventure to Australia at the first of March, left on a west coast road trip this past week. Seeing Portland, Oregon has always been on his bucket list and saying goodbye to his best friend in Victoria before he goes to Aussie land, was a must. Then our sixteen year old daughter Grace, joined her school jazz band this morning, as they traveled down to Moscow Idaho’s big jazz fest.

I hope they both enjoy their journeys.

Saying goodbye is never easy for me. If you have read many of my posts, I may have shared a bit of my past and how my Dad was killed in a truck accident when I was young. Who knew, as I sat on his lap, while he drank the last of his morning coffee, that I would never see him again. While that may be morose, the knowledge that we may never see our loved one after they walk out the door, has settled deep in my bones. I have to resist clinging, but with a quick hug and a jaunty wave I say, “be safe, have fun.” Inside, I’m tearfully praying, “Bring them back to me.”

But the truest part of me knows, they are okay. They will always be okay.

So…..

I let go and trust.

What else can a mom do?

Mitchell as he heads off on his Oregon, Vancouver Island/West coast trip

And what do Buddha Bowls have to do with all of this? Well, I was thinking about how Siddhartha Gautama, who was later referred to as, Buddha, the one who is awake, was born into a royal family in a small kingdom on the Indian-Napalese border. He left all his wealth behind to adventure into the world and discover what was the meaning of life. He wandered the country side, like a traditional holy man of the day, seeking the Truth. He became very adept at meditation under various teachers, and then took up ascetic practices. This was based on the belief that one could free the spirit by denying the flesh. He practiced austerities, to such a strict degree that he almost starved to death.

I wondered how his mom felt as he left home?

What words of wisdom did she impart?

Also, while I don’t know this for sure, I wonder if he too, like many holy men of his day, carried an empty bowl, trusting that he would be fed. There are certainly pictures of Buddha carrying a beggar’s bowl.

As my children head out into the world, on their adventures, I visualize light surrounding them and a full bowl in their hands. I’m trusting my gut, knowing that I can’t hold on to them. They are their own people. I must let go, to allow them to find their own truth; their meaning of life. And while they are away, I will prepare my Buddha bowls and smile, knowing that wherever they travel, they will be fed.

If Buddha’s mom knew that her son would become a spiritual teacher and become enlightened, would it have been easier for her to say goodbye I wonder?

And thinking of being filled and enlightened, I hope you will now join me in my kitchen. We can make a cup of green, or ginger tea, and you can help chop the vegetables so we can make a bowl brimming with goodness; a blissful thing to behold and eat. We need nothing more in our day. Oh and we can chat about what we really, REALLY need in life?

And as we chat I will tell you what I have learned about the Buddha bowl.

Apparently, I’m coming to the party late, or rather, for years now, I was throwing a party for my family and didn’t realize a Buddha themed party was going on around us. Years ago, I took a course called, “The Pursuit of Excellence,” which was a three part, intensive course, put on by the Concept Training Corp. The second part of the course was called, “The Wall,” which took place on Orcas Island, off the coast from Seattle. It was there, that I discovered, Tai Chi, Buddha bowls, and the power of vision boards. That was thirty years ago, long before the trend of Buddha bowls became popular. Then Seventeen years ago, I was invited to visit the Birken Monastery, outside of Kamloops, B.C. for a weekend with my sister C, and her whole yoga class. It was there that I discovered Buddha bowls again.

An image from the Birken Monastery near Kamloops, B.C.

Since then, I’ve been making Buddha breakfast bowls, and lunch and dinner ones; in the morning having oatmeal, fruit and nuts and seeds, and mid day and for dinner, mixing brown rice, or noodles, a bit of stir fry or fresh, raw veggies, pieces of avocado, or a few slices of orange, a sprinkling of nuts and seeds and calling it my “Wall,” dinner or my “Bliss” bowl.

Anyway, a Buddha bowl is comprised of ; something made of grains or starch, such as rice, quinoa, noodles, or sweet potatoes. Then a smattering of protein, such as beans, chick peas, tofu, or meat. (and no, as I will explain later, a Buddha bowl does not have to be strictly a vegan one, although that would be most Buddha- like) And then you add colourful vegetables, raw or lightly steamed, your choice. Finally, you top the whole works with seeds, nuts, avocado for some healthy fat, and some sort of drizzly sauce. Let your bowl be a thing of beauty. Many bloggers have done a piece on Buddha bowls in the last few years. I found one that I really liked called the “Healthy Maven,” and she wrote her Ultimate Buddha Bowl Blog, almost 31/2 years ago. Check out the link to her blog as her Buddha bowl is perfect with lots of greens in it. YUM!

Many people now, who do Instagram like to share what they eat. I know when my son Harrison made a Buddha bowl during the holidays, he was pulling his phone out. Who knew it would be hip to show what you are eating.

Here is a snap of Harrison’s breakfast Buddha bowl

So while making a Buddha bowl is easy, I think the hard part of it, and the thing that sometimes is lost in translation for many, is the idea to eat slowly, mindfully and with a grateful heart. Also, the bowl need not be brimming over. As I watch our little Kathryn eat, I realize that she eats so slowly that by the time the rest of us have finished our meals and are looking for dessert, she is full and has eaten only half of the contents in her bowl. She eats carefully and seems to relish each bite. Oh to watch her eat tomatoes and avocados with such a beautiful smile on her face, inspires me to chew slower.

Savour the flavour.

Kathryn, last summer, looking at a bowl of peach cobbler and ice cream

Certainly when I was on Orcas Island, hitting the proverbial wall, the facilitators from the Concept Training Corp, were ahead of their time, reminding us as we ate in silence, “to contemplate each bite and be grateful for the food.” I think many of the people at this work shop had big issues with the food over that long weekend, as it was sparse. Many pointed out, when we came out of the silence part of the course, that they had paid big bucks for the course, many traveled far, and they didn’t appreciate sleeping in frigid, boy scout cottages, on rough, wooden bunk beds. And the breakfast oatmeal and rice and veggies for dinner were not cutting it for many. Most people hit the wall with regards to their comforts in life. But not me. Nope! I was in my element. The limited food allowed me to think clearer and the silence allowed me to find deep peace. Trusting others however is when I hit my wall on Orcas.

Harrison making another Buddha bowl over Christmas
On a bed of rice, there was vegetables, chicken, and some avocado slices

Years later, when I traveled with C to the Buddhist Monastery, I found that the two healthy meals a day, inter mixed with meditation and yoga allowed me to focus on my inward journey. And when it was meal time, I was heightened to the food’s texture, flavour and colour. I was also intrigued later to learned that the monks, while they preferred to eat a vegan or vegetarian diet, were thankful for any contribution that people offered them. If meat was given, it would be cooked lovingly and eaten with the same reverence and gratitude they held for their vegan or vegetarian fare. They blessed all food that was given to them and they were thankful for each mouthful.

Ever since the Wall, I ve enjoyed a bowl of oatmeal each morning with some apples and cinnamon…..being ever grateful for each bite

While our older children may scoff inward at our habit of saying thanks before our meals, as they search for their own ideas of spirit and God, I know that being grateful for the food we are about to eat, is an important aspect of allowing it to be used well by our bodies; to nourish and to bless.

There is power in blessing our food.

My sister’s birthday party reminded me that less is more…beans, rice and veggies is all we need

Last November we went to my sister C’s house to celebrate her birthday. Her husband D put on a wonderful spread, even though we said we were just coming for afternoon tea. D had been simmering beans all morning and had a big pot of rice, colourful tortilla chips, and a vegetable platter all laid out beautifully in their kitchen. The meal was served in simple white bowls.

My sister J, and in the background is my husband David enjoying his Buddha Bowl of beans and rice…veggies
My brother in law B, who just celebrated his birthday a few days ago
my sister C’s family dog, Coco…I think they call her Coco bean….she was sleeping when I took this picture and she just looked up…isn’t she a sweetie…my daughter Victoria would say, “all you need in life is a dog!”
We made these crazy little instruments made out of wood and elastics and C is trying to blow the tune to Happy Birthday on her’s….happy Birthday C!
What a wonderful Buddha Bowl birthday meal we had at C’s party last
while this isn’t the greatest picture…if you look above C’s head, hanging above their fireplace is the windchime I made for C’s birthday…J and I were finishing it off on the car ride to their place…good memories!!!…the round bits are bracelets that C gave to me…and the header is from our birch tree.

Anyway, THAT meal, inspired me to pull out my mother in law’s old, brown, bean pot. Under my brother in law D’s suggestions, I now soak our beans, (usually pinto and black beans, but navy beans are great too) the night before. In the morning, I rinse and drain the beans and pour them into the bean pot. Then I saute onions, garlic, green peppers, and add a bag of frozen tomatoes, from our last summer’s harvest. Add a few cups of water, and some cumin, a few pieces of dried chili pepper, some barbecue sauce, a bit of apple cider vinegar and some brown sugar. I add that all to the bean pot and cook it all morning at 300 degrees in the oven. I check it every hour and stir often. As it thickens, I add more water until the beans are nice and soft. Later, I make a pot of brown rice, a big green salad, pull out a bag of tortilla chips and I have dinner and a lunch for the kid’s thermos the next day. Another Buddha bowl type dinner!

It’s all we really need in a day.

And although Victoria put her dinner on a plate, it looks great in a bowl!

So whatever you fill your bowl with each day, I hope your heart is filled with loving kindness and compassion. For without those, in my opinion we are truly empty. And the next time you see someone on the street, think of Buddha’s empty bowl and give something to that stranger, it doesn’t have to be much, even a smile, for that stranger is is my son, or my daughter.

And before I close, as I often do, I wanted to share a video of George Harrison singing, “Give me Love~give me peace” For some reason when I think of Buddha, George’s music comes to mind. I hope you like it as much as I do.

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

Blessings from Hope

Cinnamon Buns~Happy New Year!

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“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.”~ T.S. Eliot~

I started this post at the beginning of January but, alas, did not get around to finishing or posting it. Before I knew it. Chinese New Year had arrived, and once again, I lingered over the keys, trying to get this first post off the ground. Again, life swept me up and away. It’s not like I had nothing to say. I have been bursting with things to share, but until today, it felt like every moment was spoken for.

Finally, today, as fluffy, white flakes, fall gently on our still wintry landscape, the day feels peaceful. It feels empty. The perfect environment to write a blog post. As I type, I can hear the kid’s muffled laughter. After lunch they asked, “can we shovel the drive way?” I can just imagine what it looks like now; here and there cleared areas and crunched footprints of snow everywhere. My husband, David will smile when he arrives home.

I love Pro D days, when the teachers are in class, and I’m home with our children. I daydream about what it would be like to keep them home full time. We spent the morning doing more math, writing, reading and music, than they do at school in a whole week. Yet I know, for our children, school is an important part of their learning. Did you know that I started working as a lunch time, school supervisor last fall? Yep, that’s my new gig. It’s also one of the reason I haven’t had time to write. I’m needed, smack in the middle of my day. It cuts any hope of my creativity in half. But it’s been good.

I watch children during lunch hour and realize school is far more than teaching academics. I observe children making and keeping friends, thinking up games and negotiating rules, treading sometimes roughly on other’s feelings, and I help them consider their words and guide them towards saying a humble, “I’m sorry.” I’m there to advocate for those who need help speaking up and watch as they smile, with an obvious sense of accomplishment, when they have been heard. Who knew one hour a day would allow me to see our future, or what it could look like.

Kids are good!

And while I often have wondered if we should be homeschooling our children, (everyone has to find what is right for their children) I see that our children learn far more being out in the world, than I could teach them at home. But that is a blog post for another time. For now, this precious day allows me to have time to be creative, and for our children, to have time to delight in an endless, wintry day.

Bonus: our drive way is partly shoveled.

No, today isn’t on writing about the merits of school, teaching social skills, but about the New Year.

Happy New Year!

Is it still a New Year? Maybe not according to Western dates but based on the Chinese New Year date, it’s still relatively a new year. And According to the Chinese,

THIS IS MY YEAR!

It’s the year of the PIG!

Yep, that’s me! I was born in the year of the pig and I’m proud of it. Many of the traits a pig supposedly holds, resembles me.

” People with Chinese zodiac Pig sign are considerate, responsible, independent and optimistic. They always show generousness and mercy to endure other people’s mistakes, which help them gain harmonious interpersonal relationships. However, sometimes they will behave lazy and lack actions. In addition, pure hearts would let them be cheated easily in daily life.”

Hmmmm…….

  • Strengths
    Warm-hearted, good-tempered, loyal, honest, gentle
  • Weaknesses
    Naive, gullible, sluggish, short-tempered
  • Hopeful!

Okay, I added that last one, but I would say that describes me almost to a tee, especially the sluggish part, which sadly, describes my writing of late.

OINK!

Also, one of the pig’s lucky numbers is “8.” Since we have eight children, I’d say that is a very lucky number indeed. At least for me. Many would say two is good. And many these days would say zero is their number!

Whatever your number is, rejoice!

Eight is my number and without it, I wouldn’t have as much to blog about. So here I am, back to my blog, even though the New Year is well tarnished and my New Year’s resolution, “to write more,” is rather rusty. It is, however, still relatively early in 2019 and there is much to accomplish and experience this year. And so today is the beginning of a new year, and a new day.

And so it is.

What is your Chinese sign? Check out the link to this site.

And that is how I am going to navigate my days….all 312 Days — or — 44 Weeks and 4 Days until the end of this year.

Who’s counting?

Each one is a hope, filled, gift.

Speaking of gifts, before I plow any further into this year, I want to glance back to the last time I wrote, which was the end of 2018. I wanted to share a peek into our holidays, and also share with you the highlighted recipe of our Christmas season. Cinnamon Buns!

The first batch of the season!

Ever since our oldest daughter Alyssa was a baby, making Cinnamon buns has been a holiday tradition. I’ll never forget that first Christmas, when I plunked her into one of our double sinks, layered with a thick warm towel and gave her some sweet dough to play with. As I stood beside her, kneading the dough, Christmas music wafting from the stereo and the warmth of the kitchen surrounding us, little did I know as a young mom, I was creating a tradition that would continue for many years. It seems appropriate to share that tradition now and also the recipe for future generations to enjoy.

I felt really blessed this past Christmas, to have seven of our eight children at home for the holidays. So much so, that I made not one, but two batches of “sticky buns,” as my mom used to call them. Now I know these aren’t the healthiest thing in the world to eat, but another thing that I’m conscious of as I grow older, and that is, I’m not going to live forever and there are some things in life that are worth making and eating. Cinnamon buns are that for me. Besides, I’m going to be writing about making Buddha bowls next, and if you eat 90% healthy, and drink lots of water, then I figure some cinnamon buns are more than okay.

Here are a few snap memories of our holidays and my cinnamon bun recipe. I have to thank my mother in law, Doreen, whose been gone for over a decade now, for she gave my husband this cook book when he left home. This book, “Five Roses Guide to Good Cooking,” is well loved and ratty and has been a staple in my cook book collection for years now.

This book has been in my recipe drawer for years now and is always my go to book for those old classic home cooked meals…thanks Grandma Doreen
Merry and Bright was the theme for our holidays
  • Our Siamese cat Ryuuki waits and waits for his people to arrive
  • Thankfully the weather stays nice until everyone is safely home
The little girls read to pass the time until the big brothers and sister arrive home
Cards arrive and I start to decorate
And I decorate….our skimpy trees that we got from the mountains are BEAUTIFUL!

The angels bring everyone home safely…thank you Tamara for my newest Angel holding the Christmas wreath…she is called, “Magnolia,” and she brings a “gathering of blessings.” Thank you Tamara, for you are one of those blessings.

And then they start coming home….

Clark arrives home on his birthday, Dec 20th, in time to blow out the candles on his cake (2+6)= 2 decades and six years… and then we are off to attend little girl’s String Christmas concert…Clark even plays when the whole group gathers to play the classic Christmas songs.
And we get the attic ready for the next kids to arrive
Then more of our children return home; Alyssa from Victoria where she has been teaching and writing

And with Alyssa, Harrison arrives home. A belated birthday celebration kicks off the holidays. Harry turned 20 on the 19th of Dec. We are so happy to have you home Harrison!

The garage, aka, “Santa’s workshop” was non admissible ….but Finally it was Christmas Eve and time to pull out the ancient book that I’ve had since my childhood….yes now an antique! ha…and time for the tradition of opening up jammies on Christmas eve and reading, “The Night Before Christmas.” Take it away David!
And always, my parents are with me
I’d like to say the stockings were hung, but in our case they have to lie down as there are so many of us! Yes, I’m a minimalist…but in the stockings are underwear, new socks, tea, coffee, and a few toys for the little ones…oh and chocolate…can’t forget the sweets
And the little girls find what Santa was working on in his workshop. Santa made a fireplace too, and a kitchen island, and beds. Mrs. Claus made stockings for the fireplace and bedding for all the beds. There are hearts on the stockings and on the bedding. Two new little Chelsie dolls are wrapped under the tree, ready to be placed in the doll house.
Two Chelsie dolls, one with a puppy and one with a kitten, were wrapped for the girls under the Christmas tree…perfect for their new house!
Another Santa work shop project was.a new shelf unit so Alyssa can keep her writing organized….Alyssa, now you can put something you aren’t using out on the curb!
And we eat….thank you Mr. Turkey!


And the kids put on a Christmas concert
And we eat…..
And we play games…Harrison liked our new Monopoly Ultimate banking game…right down his alley as he’s studying business
And Eat!!!

The girls played and played with their new dollhouse
And played more Ultimate banking~~~
And we have friends over..Clark with his school friends, J and D…maybe someday they will have a law practice together?
And finally the snow arrived…and we were enveloped in peaceful white
Alyssa, always a resourceful photographer, pulled out the ladder and started our 2018 holiday shoot….of course outside, brrrrr! but it was fun!
Victoria Hope, is our youngest, but she would tell you only by 5 minutes but her twin Kathryn, would remind her that they were 5 LONG MINUTES!

Kathryn Mira was asking for her two front teeth for Christmas
If there was another name for Joy, it wold be William…our Will lights up the world with his smile and hugs
A few days before Christmas our just turned 16 year old, Grace Elizabeth said, “cut off my hair mom”…and that’s what I did. As sad as I was to see her long chestnut locks drop to the kitchen floor, I have to say, “Grace you are growing up more beautiful every day…inside and out!”
Harrison,”we miss you, we miss you, we miss you”….but we know you are loving being away from home and rocking it at University
Clark, what I just wrote above under Harry’s pic, ditto for you. We miss you! We are so proud of all you are accomplishing at U of A.
Alyssa is our oldest and ultimate creator in so many ways. Check out her latest blogs and videos on her own site. ARReynolds~writer~photographer~artist
Note: all the pictures here were from my camera, but I must ask Alyssa for her copies as she is a true photographer. Here she is working her magic.
There we are…the Reynolds gang. Although our son Mitchell is missing…..he is however next to my heart. For the holidays he remained in Victoria, where he was working and saving money for his upcoming trip to Australia. Merry Christmas Everyone!
Bringing up the rear in this photo shoot and protesting, “you don’t want to see my face!”, is my husband David…you are, the ultimate Santa!
And then there is me Hope/aka Lee…..I’m all about plaid this year and I dragged out this old scarf from the days we lived in “Hope,”…did it belong to one of my older sisters? If any of you are watching or reading the “Outlander series, you know why I’m mad for plaid. Sisters… how much Scottish do we have in our ancestors?

And that, in a nutshell of picture memories, was a bit of our Christmas 2018. When I think about it now, I feel warm. The love in our home, the memory of the laughter, the joy on the faces of our little girls, seeing their dollhouse for the first time, the smell of cinnamon drifting from the kitchen, the magic felt when cello and violins come together to play endearing Christmas music, eggnog latte’s….I want to thank my family for the best gift of all….staying connected!

And now without further ado, the recipe that I want to share to all who read my blog. My recipe for:

Doesn’t this one look heart shaped!

Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients for the sweet dough

2 packages of active dry yeast (each pkg is a little less than 1 tbsp….so if you use bulk yeast like I do…just under 2 tbsps)

1 cup of lukewarm water

2 tsp sugar

1 cup of milk

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

6 cups of Five roses All purpose flour (or whatever you use)

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp grated lemon rind

Opt: 1 cup of raisins or currants…we opt out as some of the kids don’t like them

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Instruction

Sprinkle yeast into lukewarm water, add 2 tsp sugar; let stand for 10 minutes, then stir.

Scald milk; add butter, sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm and add softened yeast; mix together.

Add half the flour, 3 cups, to make a thick batter, add the 2 tsp of cinnamon and if you are using the raisins, you add 1 cup at this time. Add eggs and lemon rind and beat well.

Stir the remaining flour, using only enough to make a soft dough that does not stick to hands or bowl. Turn out on a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny~about 10 minutes.

Me kneading for 10 minutes…really hard on the hands
But well after Christmas the kids still wanted to have their sticky buns with some hot cocoa when friends came for a play date

Place the ball into a greased bowl; turning it over to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. About 11/2 hours.

Thank you to my niece T and my older sister B for the tea towel you brought me last summer….”we must all RISE to the Occasion”

Punch down and knead lightly. Shape with a rolling pin into long rectangular pieces. (I find I can get two long rectangles with this recipe) Brush tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon.

The little girls like doing the sprinkling of sugar and cinnamon…next year I’m getting them to knead!

Starting at the long side, tightly roll up, pinching the seam to seal. Then with a serrated knife, cut 11/2 inch pieces and lay them on a prepared pan. (I lightly spray with cooking oil) Brush melted butter over the buns and cover and let rise in a warm place for another hour or until they double in size.

The little girls top the buns with butter before they start their second rise

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes and then lower to 350 degrees, and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. My oven is hot and I find that I need to watch the buns closely. I bring them out when they are golden brown.

I frost them while they are warm using a cream cheese icing and sprinkle them with chopped pecans, walnuts or as we did at Christmas time, crushed peppermint canes.

And our kids enjoyed them so much at Christmas time, that I’ve been making them every couple of weeks since then…once when they had friends over after school and you would think I was a genius as their friends told them, “your mom is an amazing” I’ll take that!

Nothing says Christmas to me more than Cinnamon Buns…the gooier the better. One final note, years ago, I made these with my hands but now I use my kitchen aid mixer for most of the dough mixing, although the 10 minutes of kneading is all me. The next time I make them, I’m handing that task off to my younger kids and get them into the art of making this sweet dough. It’s a new day after all.

The little girls head off to school after Christmas break with their new scarves I made them for Christmas….they turned out not bad for a rookie knitter….watch out…everyone is getting a scarf!

Well dear ones, that is my long, held post and I can’t tell you how glad I am that it’s now written and ready to publish. So much has been going on at the homestead since the holidays. I started into New Year decluttering big time, inspired by Marie Kondo’s Netflix show on that subject. Then once we started to declutter, I realized our walls were really, REALLY beige.

I think this picture shows the clear definition of beige and graceful grey…I love the new grey…in some lights it looks almost greeny and then in other’s bluey….whatever, it reminds me of the lake colours in the winter.

Alyssa’s been telling me that for years. Funny, I didn’t see it, but suddenly, “Naturally Calm,” was driving me crazy. I asked Santa to take off his red hat and replace it with a painters cap. The next time he visited Home Depot, he brought me Behr’s palette of greys. As I type, Santa, aka, David is in the process of painting our interior. “Graceful Grey,” for the most part…don’t you love the name?

Stay tuned!

Also, I want to tell you about my latest discovery, “Buddha Bowls.” Yes, I know, I know, those of you who are hip and urban say, old news, but hey, we’ve been doing them all along and I want to blog about it. Who knew something we’ve been doing for years now would be so cool! They are the one stop meal for all your daily nutrition and when you are a busy mom, you need one stop and few dishes. I will be blogging about it soon, so I hope you come by for another visit. As your New Year unfolds, one joyous day at a time, may it be full of peace and love.

And to close my post, here is Will.I.Am singing, “It’s a new day.” Even though this video was from 10 years ago and our political environment is much different, I believe with a positive attitude and holding the vision for how we want our world to look, we can change much. It starts with you and me, teaching our children well…all of us together. So come on and start singing with me, “it’s a new year…it’s a new day!”

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

Blessings from Hope

Triple Berry No Sugar Muffins and Five Easy Things to Help Our Planet

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Have you ever noticed when you do one thing, several other things fall into place at the same time? It’s kind of like the above quote, “A Manifesto for a Simple Life;” when we stress less for instance, we laugh more.  Recently, it occurred to me that by becoming a more sustainable family;  growing our own food, making our own meals from scratch, concocting our own cleaning and household supplies, that we are naturally moving in the direction of becoming a zero waste family too.  And going in the direction of zero waste, melds perfectly with a vegetarian lifestyle and minimalism. And all of these things naturally move us in the direction  of supporting our earth.

Now I don’t want to give you the wrong impression; we are still far away from where Bea Johnson’s  family, is at, check out her book called, “Zero Waste Home,. But we have come a long way from the days of ordering two large pizzas every Saturday night and putting out two cans of garbage each week. (P.S. even though those pizza boxes went into the recycling, you know darn well, that anything with cheese stuck to the lid is going to end up in the landfill.)

If you are reading this blog, you  are probably like- minded and jive with what we are doing and like us, have stopped using plastic water bottles long ago, in favour of reusable ones. You probably have invested in a good quality hot beverage cup, and  even take it when you visit your favourite coffee shop; ’cause most places give you a discount when you bring your own cup now. You probably bring cloth bags when you shop and have ditched the tetra juice containers for your kids too. They were never the healthiest choice anyway. But I’m wondering if you have taken your zero waste to the next  level? (I know some of you have,  as I spied my sister C’s bamboo toothbrush on a weekend retreat last fall. She has always flowed in the green stream)

I thought I would share a few things that our family has chosen to do, which are not drastic steps but easy- peasy ones that anyone can incorporate. You may already be doing them. Bravo! They do make a big difference in our garbage output.

Five Easy Things to Help Our Planet Earth

Stop using paper towels. Instead, cut up old bath towels and kitchen clothes and turn them into rags to clean with. I use old socks that have lost their partner, (if you are a large family, you can relate) to dust with and I have some great micro fiber clothes my  sister B gave me. You just wet them, wring them out and clean; only elbow grease is required.

My little yellow plastic stacking set up for my cleaning rags. (This stacking bin was my mom’s and is ages old) As my oldest son Clark says, if you have things that are plastic, just use them! Notice the black socks…great for dusting and remind me that I should do it more often~

 

Get rid of the kleenex boxes. We use homemade handkerchiefs instead. I actually feel so pampered when I have a runny nose and use one of my beloved hankies to blow my nose with; like I’m a princess. It’s such a relief on the pocket book and the recycling bin, not to fill it with empty kleenex boxes. Remember, just because something is recycled, doesn’t mean it’s the greenest way to go.

Beloved hankies make me feel like a princess.

Paper Napkins are a thing of the past. We only use cloth napkins now, or as my eight year old says, “my sleeve works great too!” This was an easy first elimination and several years ago, my sister J, gave me some lovely cloth napkins that we use all the time, but you can easily make some from fabric scraps.

Paper lunch bags and Plastic Sandwich wraps. Again, this was an early change for us. Each family member has a reusable lunch bag, and when I have old sheets, I whip up a new batch of snack/sandwich bags. In the old days, or so I have been told, a hard boiled egg,  or baked potato etc, would be wrapped up in a cloth napkin and tied and that would be lunch. When I help out at my children’s school, I’m always so surprised to see so much packaging; granola bars, goldfish crackers in little bags; and don’t even get me started about the packaging involved with the lunchables! We can do better, all it takes is some planning and some reusable containers/bags.

Made out of an old cotton sheet, little bags make great sandwich and snack bags

Like an assembly line, the children all have their own thermos, water bottle and sandwich holders. The cotton bags keep their wraps from getting mushy next to their veggies.

No more plastic garbage bags; You know those white ones that we put in our household garbage cans? I don’t know what your set up is, but we have a black   garbage bin attached to the cupboard under our kitchen sink. When I open the door, it swings out and I dropped my garbage inside.

 

I know too easy and eventually I want it gone/empty, but until then, just getting rid of the plastic white bag is an easy first step in eliminating some plastic. Every day I just dump the contents into our main garbage can in the garage and put the pail back under the sink. Did you hear about the story of the young sperm whale that washed up off the coast of Spain in February? The whale was found to have 64 pounds of garbage in his digestive system; including plastic trash bags. If we all just stopped using plastic bags in the world that would be a huge step in saving our planet…and the animals we share it with.

As EARTH DAY approaches (April 22nd), join me in thinking about five more things that we can give up in favour of a healthier life, a healthier planet and a richer experience on earth. On this journey, I’ve discovered that I still have far to go before I’m living the life that I have imagined, however living mindfully inspires me to do more.  I feel empowered knowing that we all vote with our consumer dollars and I’m consciously aware that change happens only when we start using those dollars wisely.

And before I close I wanted to share a recipe that I made recently for a healthy, triple berry muffin, without SUGAR! Talk about doing something and then there being another spin off. I love baking for my family but I’m passionate about eliminating crack , oops, sugar from our diet. I think we can do one thing and allow something even bigger to come into our lives. Good health! Happy Children! a Blessed Planet!

Triple Berry, No Sugar Muffins

2 1/4 cups flour…I like to use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole wheat

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp orange rind grated

1 cup mixed frozen berries

2/3 cup butter melted

2/3 cup liquid honey

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk…I use almond milk

Directions

In a small bowl mix the berries with the cinnamon.Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the rest of the dry ingredients, along with the grated orange rind. 

In a medium bowl, mix the butter and the honey. Add the slightly beaten eggs and the milk. 

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture.

Now fold in the cinnamon and berries.

Remember to only mix until combined…muffins do not turn out well when over mixed

Spray muffin tin…and for regular sized muffins, spoon the batter filling each tin about 3/4’s. ….however I like mine bigger.

Finally, if you want a bit more of something….try a sprinkle of cut up walnuts…a healthy addition too.

Bake in preheated oven 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes

Although this recipe makes 12 regular sized muffins…I like them big so I double the recipe and it makes 18 muffins for our family….but oh, they go fast so get ready to make another batch soon.

I used the triple berries from Super Store and some honey that I’ve had in the cupboard for ages….what a hit!

I made these muffins last Thursday, on wear a sports jersey to school day, in memory of the Humboldt Bronco’s. The kid’s didn’t bat an eye when I told them they were no sugar muffins….”can you make more?” is all I heard.

Since I will start work later this week at  my seasonal gardening gig,  and this will be my last blog post for the week, I thought I would share a YouTube video called, “Earth Day.” I hope it inspires you to  take a moment and look around your part of the world…and bless it. This is our home, let’s take good care of it, if not for ourselves, for our children and their children, and all the creatures great and small who we share the world with.

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

Blessings from Hope

Making Almond Milk~The Art of Surrender

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“It is the first mild day of March.  Each minute sweeter than before…There is a blessing in the air.     ~William Wordsworth~

Guess what?

As I knock on my wooden desk, I have to tell you that the last three days have been sunny and glorious. The snow is slowly melting and the birds are starting to sing.

 

Dare I say, winter is on the threshold of bidding me goodbye?

This a picture from our deck this past weekend

This past weekend,  I donned my country sweater. The one my step dad Bud used to wear with the brown, wooden buttons and pictures of horses in the knit. It’s too big for me, but I like it. I smell old spice when I wear it and feel him walking next to me. It reminds me of a simpler time, when we lived as a family together in Creston, in our big heritage house up on the hill. In spring, shovel in hand, he used to head out to the garden and double dig the well rotted horse manure he had dumped on it in the fall. I would wave goodbye, leather bridle over my shoulder, heading out to the fields where our horses were boarded. As I rode “Blondie,” my big Palomino horse,  I would sing at the top of my lungs, John Denver’s song, “Country Roads,” and Blondie’s long ears would flicker back and forth and she would step out alert and bright.

 

 

With these memories floating through my brain, and Bud by my side, I headed out to clean the chicken coop. To me, that’s the first rites of spring. Weird, but I like to do it. The very first thing I did was unplugged their heat lamp and their water font. I wrapped up the electric cord and dropped it into my husband’s work bench drawer with a determined plop and went back to the coop, clomping in my black winter boots.

As I started to scoop out the old wood shavings, I laughed watching our four hens tip toe across the frozen, still snow covered tundra of our back yard. They gratefully hopped up onto the exposed dirt of the garden.  The little kids came out to join us and gleefully started bouncing on the trampoline, which was no longer weighed down by a pile of snow. They started taking turns having rolling and crazy jumping contests, while the sun glinted off their shiny heads. As the kid’s laughed, I could hear the chickens happily “pluck, plucking,” while they gleefully scratched in the quickly thawing earth.

In this atmosphere,  the seeds for this post  started to germinate.

You may remember me mentioning in a few of my past posts how over and done I was with winter. It was only after one of our last snow falls that I finally conceded, dug deeper under my winter comforter, allowing the cold season to follow it’s natural course, without further grumbling on my part. It’s not like it was going to leave any faster, and being depressed  was making me miserable.

And so I surrendered.

Surrender is a funny thing. You’d think once you wave your white flag and give up, that what you want most of all moves farther away from you and yet, the reverse is true.

 

William brought home this little snow man on Friday. I’m thinking it’s the last winter craft that will be coming home

I learned this lesson early in my adult life, although I didn’t start putting it into conscious practice until I was over forty. I’ll never forget falling in love in my early twenties with someone who I thought I could easily spend the rest of my life with. Rob and I dated the fall and winter when I turned twenty one. I was enamored with  his intellect, humour, and his kindness. One of my last memories I have with him, was skiing at Lake Louise in the Rockies. It had been a blissful day, gliding down the runs, but by the end, every muscle in my body screamed for a hot bath. As we were driving home though, it started to snow heavily and when we spotted a car pulled over with it’s hood up, instead of passing like everyone else, Rob pulled his truck over, got out and went to help the driver. I don’t remember what he ended up doing; something mechanical. He liked solving mechanical problems. It wasn’t long though, before he jumped back into the truck with a smile on his face.  In that moment I fell deeper in love with him.

A long term relationship was not to be however and we broke up. The next thing I heard, he was dating a classmate back in my old hometown. The year after they were married. I was devastated after we broke up and my heart was hurting. As spring unfolded though, and the beauty of the season with it, I decided to swear off men, letting go of any thoughts that love was in my future. I planned to make a good life for myself. I had a job I loved, a comfortable place to live and friends who were good companions. I didn’t need men in my life.

There is some miracle that flies out into the great Universe when we let go. It’s like a bird, light and peaceful, drifting higher and higher until you can no longer see it in the sky. And when you have forgotten all about it, when you have started to laugh again, that bird gently finds it’s way back to you, settles on your shoulder, and when you glance at it, you notice it’s feathers are dusted with grace and glisten with a golden orb of hope.

After my relationship with Rob was over, my best and dear friend Lynne and I joined the Calgary Ski club. While spring is maybe not the best time to join a ski club, that group organized fun events all year long. The  Friday night socials were a highlight, with something fun being planned every week. Of course, at the club there was great music, the drinks were cheap and the evenings were spent laughing with friends. It was there, when I was decidedly single, and happily proclaiming my status, that I met my future husband, David.

I was not in the least bit interested in getting involved with another man.  He had other plans though and my mom’s words, “you can never have too many friends,” rang in my ears. Slowly we got to know each other. He became a friend and eventually, he wooed me back into the idea that love was worth it. He was the man that I was meant to be with for this lifetime. The rest is history, as they say.

The point of that little story was to illustrate how the law of attraction works in our life. When we want something so bad, no amount of pushing and pulling will ever bring it closer. It’s not until we let go and surrender that a void occurs, allowing what is really meant for us to move into our life.

And as this quote below illustrates, the law of attraction and the wisdom in surrendering, has been recognized for centuries.

“Let your mind be quiet, realizing the beauty of the world, and the immense, the boundless treasures that it holds in store.

All that you have within you, all that your heart desires, all that your nature so specially fits you for–that or the counterpart of it waits embedded in the great Whole, for you. It will surely come to you.

Yet equally surely not one moment before its appointed time will it come. All your crying and fever and reaching out of hands will make no difference.

Therefore do not begin that game at all.”

~English Poet, Edward Carpenter~(1844-1929)

And so, Cheryl married Rob and together they had four children. They were married for 32 years until he sadly died of cancer in 2014.  I will never forget his smile or his kind heart.

In my forties, the art of surrender finally came home to me in a conscious way. David and I had been trying so hard to have our fifth baby, one that I thought would complete our family, not knowing something even bigger was destined for our family.  It took a long time to get pregnant. Then finally, we did and I was jubilant.  All too soon, we discovered that our “soulbaby’s” heart beat had stopped.  I eventually miscarried  at the end of the first trimester. That winter was full of pain and grief. As I let go of the idea of ever having any more children, with it came a moment of grace. The following Spring, as the world was waking up once again to the warming earth, and me with it, I got pregnant again. Our daughter, Grace Elizabeth, was born just after I turned forty three, the following December. I often call her my surrender baby.

Even after her birth though, and the true understanding of the power of letting go washed over me, I sometimes get caught up in the act of pushing life, only to remember that no amount of gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands will bring what I want into my life. All I need to do is open my hands, palm side up and offer myself up to the great good of the Whole.

And once again, the early days of spring are almost here. Was it me finally surrendering to winter that made it appear?

Is there something you desire more than anything right now? Are you working hard to create a life or bring something into your world? Stop and think about how you are trying to manifest your dream and surrender your desire. MOVE INTO THE FLOW OF ALLOWING and watch it whoosh into your life. (often it comes even better than anything you could EVER dream)

A great mantra that I have used many times since Grace’s birth is “Let go and let God.”

When we let go, and live in a state of gratitude and appreciation, good things always flow our way.

And that finally brings me to my final story and a lesson in making almond milk.

On the weekend, as I started working outside, close to Mother Earth, cleaning the coop, picking up crinkled and dry leaves and digging them into the garden, sweeping up the sidewalks and drive way, I started to get frustrated. I have so much I want to do to create a richer, more sustainable life for myself and my family.  At times, it feels like I’m walking a tight rope, holding all the things I want to implement into our lives, while below is a  consumer driven society that beckons us to live a different way than our heart’s calling. I work hard at not falling.

I came inside the kitchen fuming over my thoughts and exhaled them all over my oldest son, who was making a pot of tea. Now Clark, as you may know, has a Science degree. An Earth and Environmental science degree to be exact, so he gets where I’m coming from. He cares about our planet But he’s also been marinaded in the art of surrender and allowing for years.

He’s been exposed to quotes like the following one by Rumi, on our large kitchen chalk board; and of course we have had many great philosophical discussions on the merits of a soul driven life.

Although he comes from a Science base belief system, he understands the art of surrender.  At times, I think he’s even perfected it. A demonstration of such is recently, it was me  not him, who was wringing her hands, wondering if he would get into law school next fall. He sent off his applications and then calmly went about his life, doing things that made him happy.  Spending time with his friends, working out at the gym and making a difference at our local Science Centre. So the other day, I should not have been surprised, when he made an astute observations and brought me up cold. I was talking a mad streak about some of my zero waste ideas,  while pouring a cup of raw almonds into a large canning jar and filling it with water. I set the jar on the counter to soak and continued my frustrated vent with him.  He listened to all my thoughts and when I took a breath and was silent for a moment he finally said…..

“Mom, are you making almond milk?” I glanced over at the canning jar and said, “Yeah?” “Well, mom,”  he said, “maybe you can’t solve the big environmental issues on the earth, but it’s the little things you do each day that make a difference; like making almond milk from scratch.”

“Hmmm, ”  I said and smiled.

I rinsed the soaked almonds this morning and made almond milk. While doing so I remembered something I often tell my oldest daughter but I forget to do so myself;

I remembered to, “breathe, relax, trust and enjoy,” and made a note to myself to talk with David about my idea to cancel our weekly garbage pick up. Stay tuned on how the process of surrendering THAT, goes in our life.

And if you’d like to stop buying almond milk from the store, and take little steps with me towards living a more sustainable life, then come on into my kitchen and let’s make some almond milk. You can make it as creamy as you like, you can even add a  vanilla bean or any flavouring you like. The best part is you don’t have to drive to the store to get your almond milk. You save fuel, and also the packaging that is used for the almond milk. If you are able to buy your almonds in bulk, using your own jar, or reusable bag, all the better.

Ready to surrender?

Let’s go and make some almond milk….it’s ALL GOOD!

Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients
 
1 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight in cool water
5 cups of filtered water, (adjust this according to desired thickness
Pinch of sea salt
Optional: 1 tsp vanilla extract or one vanilla bean, scraped
Optional: Sweeten with 2 pitted dates
 
Instructions
1. Add your soaked raw almonds, water, salt and any additional options into a high speed blender until creamy and smooth. Keep it running and milk the almonds for 1 to 2 minutes.
 
2. Using a strainer or a nut milk bag, or even a thin dish towel, let all the liquid run into a jar, and squeeze or press the remaining nut pulp, until all the liquid is extracted. (you can use the remaining pulp for any baked goods)
 
3. Cover the jar and place in the refrigerator but we like to make smoothies out of it, or drink it fresh, or my personal favourite is to add it to my morning oatmeal, and my Earl Grey tea, making a slight London Fog. Yum!
Note…if you do put it in the fridge, make sure to shake the jar well before using as it does separate.
And that is a simple thing we can do today, while singing our hearts out. Join me in  singing with John Denver, “Country Roads,”

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

Shepherd’s Pie, Cornmeal Muffins, Berry Coffee Cake

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Does this post’s title make you hungry?

I know it’s a lot of food all in one place but we need serious comfort food around here.

It snowed last night.

Again!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I appreciate living in a climate where there are four seasons, but this year, I’ve had enough snow. I’m done with winter.  I want the snow to melt, for the sun to warm the air,  and for some buds to start forming on our trees.

Anyone that isn’t buying into global warming, and the fact that we may have gone too far damaging our Mother Earth, isn’t living my reality. Nor are they recognizing what’s going on all over our planet; sea levels are rising, there’s unusual flooding, the glaciers are melting, storms are raging, and then there are the droughts. In my part of the world winter is going on and on.  We are ALL experiencing extreme weather conditions.

At least where we live, we only have to deal with snow storms and icy conditions in the winter, flooding in the spring, forest fires in the summer and then comes fall. That’s the season where we  pull up our socks, so we can do it all over again.

Yeah, it’s much worse in other parts of the world so I shouldn’t complain. But watching this winter go on and on, when in the past I would be doing my spring garden clean up,  just gets me thinking about how fast things are changing climate wise.

As I popped another chew-able Vitamin D, I picked up our  local newspaper. Reading the article on the front page, made me smile and brought a tear to my eye.

I love living in a small community where the big story is “Men brave icy waters to save deer.” As it turned out a group of Okanagan men jumped into action just in time, to ensure a deer didn’t meet her demise in the icy waters of Okanagan Lake.

That story warmed my heart and while I’m still annoyed at the lingering winter weather, I’m happy that I live in a little town where first, a story like this makes front page, and second, there are good citizens who will risk their own lives to save a helpless animal.

I think I can endure winter a bit longer. Maybe this is yet another letting go moment. I mean there isn’t anything I can do about the weather conditions. I can either be grumpy about it, or find something good about it and today, I’m going to smile. It may be winter but there is goodness here.

With that perspective,  I looked out at the snow gently falling, like soft angel feathers and I felt sheltered. I took a deep breath and relaxed a bit more into this season; a bit more into this moment.

Besides shifting my perspective, I  also am choosing to make our family a warm meal so when they come home tonight we have some comfort food. Since it’s Friday, there’s not a lot in the fridge but with some creativity I can come up with something. (Lately, I like to stretch as far as I can before going shopping;  to see how inventive I can become with what we have in our fridge and cupboards and you know what?–there is always something to make to feed our family.

Tonight,  in an effort to eat Vegetarian, which helps our planet , I’m spinning our normal meat based, “Shepherd’s Pie,” and using some “Yves Veggie Ground Round.” This is a hamburger- like product and is a good source of protein and low in fat. It’s also really cheap compared to hamburger. I buy a large package, which has four small packages inside. We get three or four dinners for a total of ($10.00) which is amazing. The big news is that eating vegetarian meals helps our planet…see link above.  It’s also been known to fool meat loving individuals in our family. When they have to ask me, “is this meat, or your soy thingy,” then you know it’s good.

If you are looking to drop hamburger from your family’s repertoire, but want to ease gently into a plant based, I’d recommend trying the Veggie Ground round.

Come on into my kitchen and we can whip up dinner tonight. I’m thinking the menu will be “Shepherds Pie, a spinach salad, and some cornbread muffins. And for dessert, a mixed berry coffee cake. My sister J brought a bag of frozen raspberries from her harvest last summer, and I have a few blueberries still in the freezer. Making comfort food in the winter, makes me happy.

Let’s get cooking….

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

2 packages of Veggie Ground (The package I buy has four small packs and I use two small packs)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion chopped

4 tbsp of flour

1 cup of beef broth, (you can substitute this with a vegetable broth…I buy the organic jars from Costco)

11/2 cups of mixed frozen vegetables

Ground pepper

3 cups of mashed potatoes, (I make mine with lots of garlic and some dill)

Garnish with paprika

Directions

(Peel potatoes, cook them and mash them)

In an large iron skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil until lightly brown, add the veggie ground and break it up, cooking it well. You can season here with pepper and a bit of salt.

Add the flour and mix well, cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the beef broth, frozen vegetables and season again with ground pepper.

If your potatoes are mashed, don’t forget to add a nice seasoning…we like to add some dill or garlic to our potatoes.

Now fill a large casserole dish with the veggie ground round mixture and top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika and bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbling hot.

This recipe feeds 4 to 6 people but when I add salad, and cornbread it feeds eight. If our older kids are home, I would just add a bit more ground round and mashed potatoes.

Cornmeal Muffins

Ingredients and Directions

Mix 3/4 cup cornmeal with 1 cup of milk and set aside

Sift together, 11/4 cup flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/3 cup sugar, set aside

Stir into the cornmeal/milk mixture, 2 beaten eggs, and ½ cup of melted butter(cooled) or vegetable oil and 2 tbsp of liquid honey. Now add the liquid to dry ingredients.

Don’t over mix, it’s okay if there are a few lumps.

Fill prepared muffin pan, filling each cup to ¾’s

Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges

Eat immediately with some butter….yum….or later with some jam.

And now for dessert:

Berry Coffee Cake…this is a recipe that I’ve made for years and it’s always great but lately, I’ve been making it with coconut oil and I’ve noticed there are never any leftovers. It is a bit more dense but worth the flavour.

Ingredients

1 cup of frozen berries….blueberries or raspberries work best

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup butter…or coconut oil

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

11/2 tsp vanilla…or you can use some coconut extract and some vanilla…it’s great together

11/2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

2/3 cup milk…I used some almond milk and it turned out great

Directions

Toss Blueberries with cinnamon and set aside

Mix coconut oil or butter with sugar until creamy, add eggs one at a time.

Mix dry ingredients

Add alternatively the milk and the dry ingredients to the oil and sugar mixture, then fold in the berries

Put in a prepared bundt pan

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden and toothpick comes out clean

Cool in the pan to allow the berries to set before removing from pan

Once cooled, flip the bundt pan onto a rack and allow it to cool further.

Finally, place it on a serving dish and sprinkle with some icing sugar, or a lemon glaze.

On Friday nights we like to watch “Planet Earth” episodes with our kids on Netflix but I’m thinking they might like to see the following video first. We can make a difference on this planet by the choices we make every day. Today, I’m choosing to settle into the season a bit deeper, to make a vegetarian meal for my family and to get our family talking about the ways we can walk the earth a bit more gently.

Check out the video below. Maybe you can share it with your family and it will generate some meaningful discussion.

Here’s the link to the video,  “The diet that helps fight climate change.”

Until Spring comes, may you be well, happy and peaceful.

Blessings from Hope

Lemon Meringue Pie and Just Smile

/ admin / 1 Comment

My mom loved to smile. Even though she was a child who lived through the tough depression years, even though she was a young woman during World War Two,  even though she became a widow at  39, and was left to care for her daughters,  she learned the art of smiling.

Random Fact:

If you smile, even if you’re in a bad mood, it will immediately improve your mood, because the simple action of thinking about smiling and using the muscles is enough to trigger happy chemicals in the brain.

As a child, if I woke up grumpy and wandered out of my bedroom with a frown on my face, my mom would tell me to go back to bed and get out the other side with a smile on my face. At the time, it often made me grumpier; I felt like my real feelings were being ignored. In time, I learned the wisdom of this advice.

(Above: My mom, dad, and three older sisters…I’m in mom’s lap)

After my Dad was killed in a truck accident when I was five, my mom moved our family away from our small town of Hope, (yep, I was born in Hope. I like to say literally and figuratively) and moved us to the nearby big city of Chilliwack. People there did not know our story. As a single parent and sole provider, mom took a typing course and got a job as a front desk clerk/receptionist, at one of the larger hotels in Chilliwack.

Mom greeted all the guests with a friendly face and would smile at everyone she met. All this cheerfulness however annoyed one of mom’s co-workers. She apparently hated mom’s  smiling countenance, and snarled her negative feelings of mom’s attitude to another co-worker saying, “what does she have to be so happy about?” This other co-worker knew a tiny bit of mom’s history and took a moment to share this with the  annoyed co-worker. Nothing further was said, until one day that angry woman approached mom and said, “I know a bit of your story, but what I don’t understand is why you smile so much.”

Mom looked at her seriously and said, “If I don’t smile, I will cry.”

After that, this co-worker became a friend and even she was found smiling from time to time.  Also, years later, mom’s brilliant smile and warmth, attracted a man who came to the hotel one day. That man became my step father, “Bud,” and for many years my mom smiled and laughed until Bud had a heart attack and passed away. Mom was just 59 years old. Despite being widowed once again, after grieving another loss, she showed us all how to spread joy with her generous smile.

 

A Happy Birthday moment…mom would light up the room with her laughter

She taught me much about smiling

It’s been a tough winter for me. As you may know from previous posts I’ve written recently, I’m trying to find a new groove in my life. Our family is changing and I’ve never been great with change. Three of our eight children have left home and  each time one of them leaves, it feels like an earth quake has shaken our home.  My heart quivers with after shocks for months afterwards. Our oldest son, Clark will be next,  as he’s heading off to law school in the fall. Even our youngest, our six year old twins, Kathryn and Victoria, don’t seem to be need me  quite as much now that they are BIG grade ones.

Then there is the fact that I don’t do well in the winter. At least not where we live. I think I suffer from “SAD”, (seasonal affective disorder)The Okanagan Valley, in the southern part of British Columbia, Canada, is known for these great inversions. The winter clouds roll in sometime in November and we rarely see any sun until March. Oh, and then there is the bitter cold, and dumps of endless snow. I think I could bare both, if they were accompanied now and then with some sun. Snow is truly magical and I do love this season of bundling up and hibernating, but it’s the sun that gives me the daily lift to feel happy and hopeful.

(Above is a picture from my kitchen window…a break in the clouds finally)

But today, I’m thinking about my mom, thinking about her smile, and also about winter, and this day; February 28th. Six years ago today, my mom had a massive stroke and died. We knew she was declining but I had hoped she would be with us longer. Once we moved her into an extended care home, after a hospital stay, I think she said to herself, “I’m outta here!” Thankfully the weekend before she passed away,  (Februrary 28, 2012) there were many golden moments where her light shone.

I brought our twin daughters, who were just starting to crawl over to her new home. As they explored under and around her bed, she smiled at them.

(Above are Victoria and Kathryn, our twins…they made mom laugh with their antics during our last visit with her)

My sister C and her husband D, brought their beautiful golden retriever, “Sunny,” for a visit. As Sunny rested her head on the edge of mom’s bed, looking up at her with compassionate brown eyes, mom smiled.

And when mom would wake from one of her drifting dreams, she would smile gently, saying she had been at the beach with her brother Dick, who had moved on beyond this mortal veil.

When I think of my mom, I smile. I’m thankful I had her for so many years. I’m thankful that I still feel her presence in my life now. Even on my darkest days this winter, she has been close, whispering into my  ear, “find something to smile about.”

Something to be grateful for.

And that brings me to the point of this post. So many people in the world, seem to be searching for simple joy and certainly something to smile about. With the recent school shooting at the  Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and the bombing continuing in Syria, even though the UN has tried desperately to get a cease fire, there isn’t much to smile about in the world.

And yet, I think of mom. I think about all those who aren’t here on earth any longer. If they could come back for one day,  what would they say to us? Maybe, “be thankful to be alive? “Be thankful to have the choice to smile.” “Maybe, try to make a difference in this world.” Mother Teresa isn’t here any longer either, but her acts of kindness and her words live on……

Yes, let us  meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. And I think peace too. And don’t we need that in the world right now?

And so today, I force the corners of my mouth to go up, instead of down. I think of ways that I can help those who are dealing with serious issues and I ask myself, “what can I do today for them?”

I can smile.

And what else can I do?….well, I can bake a pie and share a family recipe.

Thinking about my mom, makes me think about lemon meringue pies.

OOOOLALA….Delish!

She loved them. Well, she loved anything lemon and so do I. Especially at the end of winter; when I need something tart and zesty to lighten my palate and remind myself that spring is just around the corner.

So I think a good closer for this blog post is to share my recipe for lemon meringue pie, and the homemade crust recipe as well. I made two of these recently and my family inhaled them, literally in two sittings. They must have inherited my mom’s love for lemons. And they too must be starved for sunshine.

So on yet another snowy winter day, please join me in my kitchen and we will start to make the crust which is soooo easy, you won’t believe it. I’ll do the crust and you can start cracking some eggs, separating the yolks from the whites. And we can chat about other ways to help change the world….starting from our own home.

LET’S BEGIN with the…..

Pie Crust Recipe... I can’t take the credit; this is the Tenderflake recipe which is perfect every time!!! Who wants to mess with perfection?

Note: The recipe below makes 6 crusts…which is a lot for most families but I freeze the extra pie crusts and use it for other pies or  for my chicken pot pie recipe, which I have to blog about…coming soon… I promise.

Ingredients for Pie Crust

  • 5½ cups or 850g of all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp or 10 g salt
  • 1 pound or 465 grams Tenderflake® lard , rendered lard, or 1/2 lard and 1/2 butter, cubed
  • 1 tablespoon or 15 grams vinegar
  • 1 egg , lightly beaten
  • Ice Water

Instructions to make pie crust

  1. Whisk flour and salt; cut in ice cold fat until it is pea sized or looks like slow cooking raw oats
  2. In a 1 cup liquid measure, combine vinegar and egg; add ice water to make 1 cup
  3. Gradually pour liquid around the edges of the mixture, mixing by hand, adding only enough for dough to cling together
  4. Form gently into a ball; divide into 6 equal portions on counter

  1. Wrap and label portions
  2. Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes if you are using right away, or
  3. Freeze for future use by placing wrapped pastry dough in container, tightly sealed
  4. When ready to use, roll out each portion on lightly floured surface; If pastry dough is sticking, chill for another hour or two
  5. Transfer rolled pastry dough to pie plate
  6. Trim and flute shells or crusts and bake according to your pie recipe

When making crust for lemon meringue pies, you just use ONE bottom crust,  , use a fork to prick the sides and the bottom of the pastry crust and place it in the oven at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until it looks golden. (watch closely)

When done, set it aside to cool on a rack

Lemon Meringue Pie Filling….this is where you will use the separated eggs!

Ingredients/Filling

1-1/4 cups sugar

6 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups boiling water

5 egg yolks, beaten (set aside the egg whites to sit at room temperature)

2 tbsp of butter

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tbsp grated lemon rind

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a heavy saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt, mixing well. Stir in boiling water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, translucent and just starting to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir for 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Whisk a little of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks; whisk back into the pan with half of the butter. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining butter, lemon juice, rind and vanilla; stir until uniformly thick and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside, partially covered.

Ingredients for the Meringue

5 egg whites at room temperature

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

Directions for Meringue

In a bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. (I use my electric beater) Add lemon juice, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Combine 1 tbsp of the sugar with cornstarch; set aside. Beat in remaining sugar 1 tbsp at a time, then cornstarch mixture. Beat until stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes. Pour filling into pie shell. Spread merigue over hot filling right to the edge of the crust; swirl into peaks. Bake in 325 degree oven for 15 minutes or until lightly brown. Let cool for at least 2 hours for a clean slice.

Smile and Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wasn’t that easy?

And before I close, in memory of mom today, I wanted to share a video link to Jimmy Durante singing, “Smile.” I love you mom!

If we can do nothing else, let us smile.

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

Blessings from Hope

 

Banana Muffins ~ and Why We Don’t Homeschool ~

/ Lee Reynolds / 2 Comments

Welcome February and welcome you.

“Kids and Education”

That’s what this post is about.

If you’re not interested in listening to some of my thoughts, and just want to make some great banana muffins, then scroll down and I’ll meet you at the bottom of this page.

If you ARE interested in hearing my reasons for NOT home-schooling, then continue on.

Warning though, it’s a bit of a novella. You may want to get a big cup of tea.

Let’s chat.

If you’re in this parenting gig too,  you may be able to relate to some of my thoughts on the topic. If you are trying to decide how you want to educate your children, this post may give you a glimpse into what has worked for us, is continuing to work for us, and why we chose to make the choices we did/do.

What prompted this whole post, was partly my last post in January. It feels so long ago now. I shared feelings of floundering, ever since our twins started grade one last fall. After almost twenty eight years of raising children, having the house empty was a first for me.

I’m afraid I’m not one of those parents that sings, “hallelujah,” when kids go back to school after the summer break.And on the last day of school in June, I’m one of the first parents to be standing outside the school, arms wide open, a big smile on my face, gleefully welcoming summer AND our children back home for two glorious months.

I’m waving at my dearest friend Tamara, who has stood next to me waiting for her kids too.

Choosing to send them to school is hard for me.

Every day.

This morning, when I went into William’s still dark bedroom at 7 am to rub his back and whisper, good morning, he told me that he hadn’t slept well last night. “Oh really,” I said containing my excitement. “Do you think, maybe, ….you need to stay home?” I asked, silently hoping he would agree. “No, I want to go,” he said, with a stretch and a yawn. “We are making some stuff for ground hog day.”

~Sigh~

“Okay, cool,” I said, feeling a bit deflated.

Then later, as the kids sat around the island, eating their fruit and oatmeal and I was warming up some baked beans for their lunch thermoses, Will said something totally out of the blue. “Mom, if you knew this was the last day that you had on earth, what would you do?”

WOW!

Where did that come from?

But looking at my son, his blonde curls messy from sleep, wearing his, “Happy New Year” pj’s with a dog blowing a horn on the front, I’m not surprised. He lives in a state of light and often asks deep questions.  I looked into his questioning blue eyes and told him,

“If this was the last day I had on earth, I would want to spend it with my kids.”

That must have touched him, he got up, reached his arms around my neck and pulled me in close for one of his smacky kisses.

Oh YEAH!

I don’t like sending them to school.

I would rather spend every day of their childhood with them.

Right now, as we move forward raising our last four children, I’m reevaluating my life. I’m trying to figure out who I am at this stage in my life and decide how I want to spend my spare time when our children are at school. Part of me wants to return to work full time. After all, the kids are gone for almost seven hours every day, five days a week. I can only clean the house so much; and I’ve discovered that in this tale end of my life, scrubbing floors and dusting is not how I want to spend my time. But as I type this post, I realize that educating our children isn’t just about sending them off to school each day.

 It’s about being there when they get home and continuing the learning….in all ways.
  
Another reason this subject came up, is that recently one of my favourite vlogging families uploaded a video that spurred my thoughts on the matter. Like a dog that needs a walk, my thoughts have been mulling around my brain, words trailing like a leash, anxious to be picked up and allowed to run.

PLUS, this blog isn’t just about becoming more sustainable, being environmentally aware, and earth friendly. It’s evolving into a place where I can submerge my thoughts to a deeper degree and plunge into the ground, reflecting on how, a mom like me can really help our planet. A light bulb recently exploded and the notion of educating our children is where it’s at. After all they are the next guardians on earth. Also, I like the idea of connecting with other moms.

Moms like me.

Darci Isabella, is such a mom.

She has a large family; like me. She grows her own food; like me. She juices and eats healthy; like me. She has chickens; like me. She is on a minimalist path; like me,  She has a soulfull faith that guides her; like me. And she home-schools her children.

Not like me.

She is also, much funnier than me!!!

And can use power tools!

She recently uploaded a video titled, “Developing Positive Self Esteem,” but the seeds of  this vlog, deal with her choice to home-school her children. As I watched it, I started thinking about why we chose NOT TO home-school. If you want to have a peak at the video, click on the hyper link….or click below.

Here is the YouTube video that prompted this post: Darci Isabella’s video titled, “Developing Positive Self Esteem.:

Isn’t she the greatest!!!! I really love watching her videos. They are fun, upbeat, and EDUCATIONAL. Also, her children are lovely in every sense of the word and she shares them generously with the world.

Before I go further into my post, I have to say that I don’t want this to be a debate about home-schooling versus public education. Not at all. Each has it’s merits. Each family is unique, as are their children and their learning needs. Also, I realize that we all have different ideas and goals for our children. For instance, my mom just wanted her four daughters to just graduate from high school, since she had been unable to do so.  Our over all goal, is to keep enough doors open, so our children can decide which one to enter when they become young adults. The big is that they be happy, well, and peaceful.

So our answers to the question…….

Are we going to home-school?

Are we going to use public school?

Are we going to use a private school? 

will be different for each of us.

IT’S ALL GOOD!

In Darci’s case she shares a rather humiliating experience that happened to her as a teenager in public school. What made this event worse, was she felt that she didn’t have an adult to confide in.Then, she shared another experience when her first daughter was bullied in preschool and the teacher didn’t react in a proactive manner. How unfortunate. I’m sure, she had other reasons and experiences too but after that last one, she said she decided to home-school her daughter and her subsequent children. It worked for her.

And is continuing to work for her, as she has older children and younger ones; like me.

Watching her video, got me thinking about how our own life events/experiences influence us and how we choose the various paths we take in life. For instance, my father was killed in a truck accident when I was five years old. I’m terrified when my husband has to travel by vehicle on business. But I let go and trust. When our older children got to driving age, my instinct was to sell our vehicles (my mom did that when I turned 16) and prevent them from driving.

But again, I let go and trusted.

Do I like letting go?

No!

Was it scary?

Yes, absolutely!

But it’s part of this parenting gig.

I wasn’t going to let my fears dictate which path our children would take. Although if you were to ask our children, there have been several times where I have been overly protective with regards to them driving with other parents, other teens, etc and that fear raised it’s ugly head. Hey, we can’t be perfectly brave all the time.

Trusting and letting go starts the moment our babies are born and continues as our children learn to walk, talk, and head in the direction of an independent life away from us.

Isn’t that what we want for them?….an independent life?

But hey….before our kids took off driving, we made sure they had professional driving instructors prepare them for the road ahead.

And in a way, that’s why we are choosing NOT to home-school. We feel that public school provides them with the experts in every field of study, who will teach them everything they need so they don’t crash in life.

Just like Darci, our oldest daughter had a lot to do with the education choices we made. Alyssa, arrived in March 1990, and was born with a congenital brain abnormality. She had an agenesis of the corpus callosum. When we were released from the high risk maternity hospital in Vancouver, where she was born a month early, our pediatric neuro-surgeon, told us there were no studies with regards to our daughter’s potential. He planned to follow her case and see her in the first year,  but the last words he said to me on discharge were:

“take her home and treat her like normal.”

WHAT?

I’ve written about this experience in another post, so I won’t go into detail, but you can imagine, with that diagnoses hanging over our heads, the last thing we did was take her home and treat her like we hadn’t heard…missing corpus callosum.

Hence, my foray into the world of science and all it knew AT THE TIME, regarding stimulating brains.

AND this was BEFORE internet!

In every way Alyssa developed beautifully as a baby, but not having children before meant we didn’t know what was normal development. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Alyssa often calls herself the”experimental child,” but isn’t every first child that? In our case, not only were we ignorant regarding normal baby/child development, we didn’t have a clue what to expect from our child. It was a whole new world for us, and scary at times.

We, therefore decided to try a bit of everything to stimulate her brain and expose her to all sorts of learning situations. We will never know for sure but I believe all the years of swimming, piano, and Irish Dancing, played a large role in rewiring her brain. All that movement between the right and left hands/arms and feet stimulated the right and left part of her brain.

Alyssa the summer before Kindergarten when she was five. She was developing normally in every way

By the time Alyssa was ready for kindergarten, she had been exposed to a multitude of activities and experiences. At times, I felt like we were overwhelming her. She was a gentle and peaceful little girl, who quietly went along with our game plan. From early on, I knew some of her favourite moments were when we curled up together in bed at night, reading  about fairies and make believe lands.

 

Alyssa on her first day of kindergarten in Sept 1995

We thought the sun rose and set on her and she was brilliant. But that diagnoses, lingered above us always. To us, every decision we made was generated from a place of moving her forward and helping her to reach her full potential.

If I had been a trained teacher, I may have contemplated keeping her at home but I knew others, some with masters in their fields, were waiting at the school and ready to teach her. How could I not provide the best education for her in every area of study. Also, the area where we lived (we are still here)  had/has an excellent elementary and high school, with high academic success. Keep in mind too, this was twenty two years ago, home schooling wasn’t as big as it is now.

So with the decision made, we said goodbye, let go and trusted and she entered public school.

 

Alyssa waiting for the school bus with her little brother Clark. It’s not always easy going to school!

And she didn’t look back.

She THRIVED!

In kindergarten she met her best friend. Even though those girls have moved to different parts of the world, they remain BEST friends to this day. I often think, had I not put her in school, she would have missed out on having Brianna in her life.

Sadly, Brianna and her family moved to Mexico when they were in grade 5 but they kept in touch over the years and in the summers when her parents would return for a visit, the girls picked up exactly where they left off. Two years ago, Brianna married and Alyssa was her maid of honour. Soon she will have her first baby and I know who will be a special Auntie to this wee one.

Sometimes our friends, especially our girl friends, are as close as a sister would be and for years, Alyssa only had brothers so her friends were really important to her.

From left to right…Brianna, Alyssa, Ameila, and Maureen….Alyssa needed her girl friends with no sisters for many years…now she has three sisters although they are way younger than her

And by the time her little brother Clark was ready to start school, we were convinced school was working well for our family so we registered him too for public school. Alyssa set the tone. Clark was bright lad, an early reader, curious about everything, and educators recognized this quickly. He was placed in the high potential learning program early on, where further stimuli was provided to challenge him.

We did not however leave the education solely in our school’s hands. We feel that they can provide a well rounded base for our children but we wanted them to be further stimulated.

When Alyssa, and her subsequent siblings came home from school, and it’s something we still do today with our youngest children; we have a snack, we chat about our day and then the children go and spend about another hour to an hour and a half, working on their music, their math and any homework they have from school.

If you want to see how Canada’s education ranks in the world, check out this National Post article which ranks Canada number 7 . Great! but in the area of math, we still need to work harder….or smarter.

Here are a few tools I use daily to have our children practice their math skills.

We use the IXL math site, and the Xtramath program to stay on top of their basic math skills.

Also, if we are going to be out after school and there may be any waiting time between activities, I make sure to provide age appropriate material. I often print off a few of these math sheets which the children whip off quickly from the K5 learning site.   

I know, I know, you would think they would learn enough math during the day but they don’t. Even though math is everywhere from telling time first thing in the morning, to baking with mom, to estimating how much snow fell overnight, it’s something we need to keep working on. Practice, practice, practice, is what I have found in creating success in math for our children.

After dinner, it’s bath and then we enjoy reading with our children, one on one and then we read in group settings. The little kids and I just finished reading, “Little House on the Prairie,” and now I’m reading, “Little Women,” to the twins. David and William cuddle together and are currently enjoying reading the “Harry Potter,” books.

Grace followed in her siblings footsteps by loving books….Alyssa used to say, “she’s a genius!” of her baby sister

In the summer we always have a family book on the go. I remember reading “Lord of the Flies,” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” with our elementary age children and was happily surprised to realize they understood the underlining meaning of each book. You can never underestimate children’s ability to  discern complex issues. Sometimes they get it easier than we do as adults. We complicate things and our judgments get in the way.

Clark far left with his battle of the books team…he should be smiling BIG…’cause they were the district champs, Alyssa also participated in the Battle of the Books competition and her team won for the district two consecutive years

So yeah, math and reading, ARE huge in our house.

The other decision we made early on was to ask our children to pick one physical, and one fine art activity, outside of their school hours. Although they often did more than that, as they were passionate about several things and didn’t want to give anything up. For instance, Mitchell loved cello and guitar so he had lessons in both, as well as being involved in a guitar group and the music school’s string orchestra. As if this wasn’t enough, he was also on the rep soccer team. This wasn’t uncommon for any of our children. They all learned to balance and time manage from an early age and several of them have told me that learning to do well in school, while juggling extra curricular activities, conditioned them to be able to take on a full course load at University, as well as working part time. Alyssa worked on her ARCT in piano while doing a full course load at University.

Alyssa is all smiles after a piano festival…here is a certificate for first class honours

Alyssa danced all through her childhood starting with ballet, tap and then she Irish Danced for eight years. I will miss watching her ringlets bounce to the an Irish Reel.

Above she is with a few of her Irish dancing group at a community event
Alyssa on piano, Clark on violin and Mitchell on cello…later Harrison would join them as the second violinist in a few years…here they are playing at a school event. The song was “peaceful day”….but practicing this piece had been nothing but…still good memories!!!
Over the years the kids were in various skiing programs but I think they still loved skiing together the best…except the year Alyssa hit and tree with her head and had to be taken off the mountain in an ambulance!
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If you are wondering how we as parents juggled it all, financially anyway, we had the mind set that there was no do over. Our thought was that our children would have one childhood only to explore their interests and passions and figure out what they loved, and we would have to be creative paying for it all. It’s interesting how when you commit to something, all sorts of material assistance comes your way. I also became a master at time management and organization. Some years, we were literally flying from activity to activity and we made a lot of financial sacrifices. It wasn’t easy living on one income and yes, there was stress some days but when we reevaluated with our children at the beginning of each school year what their goals are, those were the choices we made.

 

Mitchell juggled playing cello and guitar, and all sorts of sports. Above he’s holding an award from a cello festival and below, he’s trying out a new guitar…I miss hearing him play both

 

Achieving success in these areas, built self confidence and  strong positive self esteem, for all of us.

An unexpected bonus to these extra activities were that our children developed deep and lasting relationships with some of their teachers and coaches. These were valuable mentors in our children’s lives. Life lessons were taught every day. For instance, when our oldest daughter was preparing for a piano festival one spring and starting to get really nervous about it, her teacher said these words,

“Alyssa, you have worked hard on these pieces and you are ready to perform them. What you need to do now is just relax and let the music out.”

We have been fortunate.

Grace graduating from preschool above. YES, I did think this was a bit much but it’s something they do at this preschool. She will graduate next from high school in 2021.

I understand why some parents choose to home-school their children so they can protect them from what could be perceived as negative experiences, such as bullying or peer pressure. Maybe they would prefer their children also aren’t exposed to ideas and concepts being taught that they may not agree with. But at some point we need to let go don’t we? At some point we need to let our children figure out how to manage in the world and also decide what ideas resonate within.

I believe it’s these moments in life, these negative, not feel great at the time moments, that teach our children the most. I WANT them to experience these too. How else are our children going to learn to cope in the world? These moments provide a rich opportunity for them to think about how they are feeling, make choices on how they will react, and how they are going to solve the problem, whether it be a bullying situation, or a social issue as a teen, or learning to advocate for themselves with a teacher.

We experienced that last one with our son Mitchell when he was 10 and 11. He had a grade 5 teacher who had a notorious reputation for being a strict, control hungry bully. We would have preferred that he be placed in a different class but our thought process at the beginning of the year was, “well, in life we have to learn to get along with all sorts of people.” It certainly was a year of growth and it had an ending that was unexpected.

Mitchell had good self esteem going into grade five and he was a straight A student. His teacher told him that he didn’t give anyone straight A’s out of principal, no matter how hard they worked…and Mitchell worked hard. His teacher was unfair, not respectful of the children and ranted on for what felt like hours to Mitchell about insignificant issues. He wanted to get on with learning.

One day Mitchell had enough when his teacher again was harshly critical of a classmate and he finally spoke up. The teacher was shocked that anyone would challenge him and a power struggle ensued. Mr. P fired back using intimidation and threats, but Mitchell kept calling him on his negative actions pointing out inequity. It was a rough time and at one point Mitchell came home telling me he had had enough. He wanted to be home-schooled. Believe me, I thought about it but in the end I’m glad that we encouraged him to hang in there.

We tried to talk to the teacher but he just denied his actions and blamed it all on an unruly class. Not getting anywhere with Mr. P. we had no choice but to take our concerns to the Principal, who I’m sure was aware of the nature of this teacher. Although this teacher had been at our school for years, he did not return the following fall and we never heard officially if our complaint prompted his removal. Many parents thanked us for stepping forward but it was really Mitchell.

Our sweet boy was always quick to recognize inequity and stand up for what was right

The point of all of this is our son learned a valuable lesson from a difficult public school situation. He learned that he could stand up and speak his truth. He also demonstrated to his classmates how you can do so respectfully and in the end make a difference.

Would I have liked for Mitchell to have had a better teacher that year.

YES!

BUT it taught me an important lesson too. That negative situations teach us more than we think and we shouldn’t be fearful of them. I have a rock that Mitchell painted that year that has the words, “respect,” “kindness,” and “hope,” on them. It a door stop in the summer time and as I whoosh in and out with my kids in my glory months, I’m reminded about a little boy’s courage and perseverance for justice.

If he hadn’t gone to school, he wouldn’t have had that in his education pocketbook.

Who knows when he will cash in on that experience.

As I write this post now, our first string, as our basketball loving son, Harrison, likes to call our first four kids, are out the door. They have now graduated and have moved off to University and beyond.

Grace, William, Kathryn, and Victoria are still on the court.

Our oldest daughter, Alyssa, graduated in 2008. She now has a bachelor’s degree in English and in Education. She was our first teacher and taught us how to be parents. She is now a qualified teacher, world traveler, writer, photographer, pianist, and so much more. She’s brilliant! (you are my sunshine and daddy’s sweet feet)

Our oldest son, Clark, graduated in 2011. He now has a Bachelor of Science Degree and plans to attend law school in the fall. Clark was given my surname, which means, “scholar,”which I find interesting as he is always on the quest towards learning. As a little blonde headed lad, he picked up every stick, rock, and bug for observation. He now teaches at our local Science Centre and encourages kids to ask hard questions and find the answers. (he was my little monkey..always curious)

Mitchell, graduated in 2014 and will obtain his Bachelor’s of Science Degree, majoring in Psychology, later this spring. Mitchell has always been a happy, looking for fun kid; wanting to try out everything. He’s also been the kids who has gone to the emergency room more than any of our other kids from all his sport related injuries. When he was little he had a commanding presence, and moved through his life knowing exactly what he wanted. When he was three years old and I was telling him to do something, he looked up at me and said, “you aren’t the boss of me.” Thank you for teaching me that I was only a caretaker of your body, until you could head out into the world on your own. You also taught us a lot about “respect, kindness and hope.” (you will always be my “bear”)

And that brings me to the end of our first string. Harrison, who won the most sportsmanlike award in basketball in grade 12. He learned a lot about being a good sport being the middle of our pack of kids. As a young child he always wanted us to play board games with us but would cry desperately if he lost. In high school though he learned a lot about the value of winning and losing during his years playing on the high school basket ball team. Our kid’s high school is well known for their strong academics but let’s just say, if you develop character more when you lose, then Harrison and all his basketball teammates are abundant in character, for they lost just about every game they played….okay, maybe not every game but it sure felt like it at times. Harrison graduated in 2017 and is currently attending his first year of Science at University, heavy to the business courses since he plans to claim that as his major in year three. One other thing I want to tell you about Harrison is that a few years ago, we got a new cherry red “LG” washing machine that played a jaunty tune when the cycle ended. When I would ask Harrison how his day went at school he would say, “LG Mom!” which translated meant, “life’s good!” Yes l’lil Piggie, life is good with you in it.

Before I close, I did want to say that our parenting started with a strong foundation and the belief that one parent should stay home. Also, we adopted an attachment- parent type of lifestyle, ie: breastfeeding, allowing self weaning, co-sleeping, wearing our babies, keeping them close and listening to their cues.

William in a rare moment  where he wasn’t attached to me in his sling. The words above his head couldn’t be more true. “To our children we give two things, one is roots, the other is wings”

We found that by the time our children were ready for preschool/kindergarten, they had a good sense of trust and confidence and were ready and happy to head off to school. It’s our belief that when you provide a strong base for kids and maintain it throughout their childhood, it gives them the trust and confidence to explore their world.

Now I have to say that when William was about to start school, four years ago,I did revisit the idea of home-schooling. Interestingly enough, it was my fear that prevented me from doing so. Public school had worked for all our other children and I didn’t know if I could provide him with everything that he needed to be ready for life. He was intensely curious and extremely social and we felt that keeping him at home would limit him. I admire the families who do choose to home-school, because they are brave and in a way they are taking the roadless traveled, which I have always admired. I know that this can inspire the next generation of children to forge new avenues in life. Times are changing and this world needs the next generation to be free thinking and open to new ideas and ways of working in the world.

My final thought on the matter is:

Whatever choice we make for our children, as long as it comes from a place of love, it is the right one. ~Lee Reynolds~

I’d like to dedicate the following YouTube video, called, “Light~Sleeping at Last,” to my eight beautiful kids. 

         “I’ll will always hold you close, but I will learn to let you go.”

 

 

And now, as if this blog wasn’t full enough, I want to share my banana muffin recipe with you, which in my opinion, is the perfect snack to go along with a fruit smoothie when the kids come home from school.

The children took some of their muffins to share (more on the side) to their violin group class last Monday

 

Here are Will, Kate and Tori trying out my Banana muffins and a fruit smoothie which are a perfect after school snack

Hope’s Banana Muffins

Ingredients

3 large mashed, (ripe) bananas
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 slightly beaten eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil or margarine…melted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour 
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut 

(Topping: walnuts, coconut and brown sugar)

In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add the sugar and beaten egg. Add the melted coconut or margarine. Mix well

Set aside.

In a medium bowl,  add all the dry ingredients and mix them well.

Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until only just combined….do not over mix.


Spray muffin tins and fill with mixture,  3/4 to the top. 

Top with a sprinkling of walnuts, coconut and brown sugar

Place in preheated oven at 375 degree for 15 to 20 minutes. I like mine only until the toothpick comes out clean…the aroma in the kitchen as they are cooking is delectable!!!

Enjoy.

Thank you for coming to visit today.

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

Blessings from Hope

Carrot Muffins and Blessing Today

/ Lee Reynolds

What does the wisdom of Gandalf, blessing today and carrot muffins have in common? Well hang in there and I will try to tie them all together. I’m sorry that I haven’t been writing more on my blog. I have been rather depressed since Christmas. Ever since everyone went back to their own lives full of wonderful experiences and interesting activities. I’ve also been sad over the state of our world.

On a personal note:

Our oldest daughter, Alyssa, (also a passionate LOTR fan…for those of you who are not, that stands for the “Lord of the Rings” which are books written by J. R.R. Tolkien) is back living and working in Victoria as a teacher and a writer. (Check out her latest post on her blog, A.R. Reynolds)

Our oldest son, Clark is working at our local Science Center and patiently waiting for law schools to knock on our door. Fingers crossed that he will be returning to school in the fall; not that I’m in any hurry for him to leave home but I know the next chapter of his life is beckoning.

Our son Mitchell, who just turned twenty two yesterday, (Happy Birthday dearest son) is in his last year of Science at the University of Victoria, and later this Spring he will graduate with his bachelor’s degree. Who knows where he will go with his Science/Psychology degree but there is a need for mental health professionals in Canada ( in the world really) right now, so I’m sure he will find this an exciting and flourishing field to continue to study, or work in.

Our third son, Harrison, who just turned 19 before Christmas, is in his first year of University and he seems to be handling a full course load of Science/business courses. I never hear from him so I know he’s staying busy with school. When I run into his friends, some who have remained in our little town to attend our local University, they tell me that from the snap chats he sends out, “he’s having a very good time away from home!”

Hmmmm…..a mom letting go moment here. I’m happy you are enjoying University life Harry.

Grace, who just turned 15, is probably the busiest of  us all. While maintaining straight A’s in school, she is also working on her grade 9 piano, her grade 7 voice, she has a voice festival coming up, sings in the school choir, and plays on the school basketball team. The later came TOTALLY out of left field, when she told us back in November, that she was going to try out for the junior girl’s team. (never having played before!!!) Shockingly, she is following in her older brother Harrison’s footsteps with adept ability. During their last tournament she won, “most valuable player,”and was given a t-shirt/Gatorade as a prize. She strongly played her post position, made several baskets, including two back to back free throws and assisted numerous times. Who knew? (Goes to show we all have unknown talents and gifts)

Our son William who is eight, is no couch potato either. He plays cello, and is involved in the group string orchestra at our local music school. He is also swimming in our local swim clubs “grassroots program.” Last night he came home smiling and waving an upcoming swim meet registration form. He also enjoys being a part of the chess club at school.

Finally there are our twin daughters, Kathryn and Victoria. For six year olds, they are busy in their own right, learning to play piano and violin. Next week they have been invited to join the beginner violin group at our music school.Although we didn’t register them for another round of swimming and skating lessons, which they were doing all fall, (me smiling as that was a bit much) we have been getting them out to skate at our new and improved outdoor skating rink. I think they like it even better than lessons as they can free skate, doing whatever they want while racing their Dad and older brother Will. (Next time I’m joining them)

Kathryn

 

Victoria

Then there is my husband David, who doesn’t share much about his work except to say, “more projects have been pouring in,” with a grin on his face. I guess that is why he heads out the door to get to the office for 7 am each morning

David, truly my better half

So you see, everyone is busy with their own lives.

Then there is me.

I’ve kind of been floundering since the twins started grade one last September. I think I understand one aspect towards parents who choose home-schooling. It’s really a delight keeping them close and watching them learn and grow. I truly admire these families.I’ve been asked a few times lately if I home-school our children and I think I will write about our education choices in a future post and perhaps give you some links to tools and resources we use to support our children’s learning but for now suffice it to say—-

AFTER I waved goodbye to the little ones, who took the bus this morning, I decided that I HAD to break the monotony of my daily routine.

As you can see from the distant hillsides, we still have tons of snow

OR I was going to go crazy!!!

INSTEAD of coming in and cleaning up the kitchen, which was a MESS from a whirlwind morning of cooking oatmeal, making a fruit smoothie, and making lunches, (yes I should have made them last night), picking up bathroom towels and pj’s off the floor, throwing my first load of laundry in for the day, unloading last nights dishes from the dishwasher, gathering up garbage from everyone’s bedroom, and making beds; that is just a snippet glimpse into my morning routine,

I chose to feed the cat, not really a choice since he was loudly meowing that he was hungry, AND I took the chickens their breakfasts. (those chickens eat better than most people in the world, just saying) After that, I disregarded the mess and made a BIG cup of black tea, with a splash of vanilla unsweetened almond milk, took a bowl of leftover oatmeal, and headed back to bed.

I never do this!!!

Take the gentle path.
                                                              ~ George Herbert~
Nope!

That has not been my path………

My oldest sister B often says to me, “be gentle on yourself.” I don’t know if she meant for me to crawl back into bed after the kids left for school but I know when she says this, she means she wants me to take life easier.

That is not in my DNA!

For some reason, the mantra I hear lingering years after my Dad died, when I was five years old is:                    

                                                          “Work hard!”

But…..

 I think there is great wisdom in my oldest sister’s words. Thanks B! I wished I listened to them more.

But today, I’m all ears.

I am here, laptop in hand, sipping comforting tea, eating oatmeal loaded with nuts, seeds and fruit, and cuddled under my cozy comforter. Ryuuki, our Siamese cat is doing his front paw kneading routine, getting ready to curl up for a good sleep. He looks at me with his big blue eyes and says, “it’s about time you joined me in the good life.”

Ryuuki is a good teacher how to live life gently.

We should all listen to our big sisters, and our pets.

I’m pondering my depression. Looking at it as if it were a ball of darkness in my hands. Like the “palantir,” which was the crystal ball in J. R. R. Tolkien’s books, “Lord of the Rings.” Mine is black and heavy. As I gaze into the depths of the ball, instead of seeing a blazing evil eye, as the small hobbit, “Pippin,” in the Lord of the Rings saw when he picked it up, I see the United States president, Donald Trump telling the North Korean dictator,  Kim Jong-un that he has a bigger nuclear button on his desk.

With their hateful words and actions, they draw us closer towards midnight on the doomsday clock. Thanks to these two leaders, (can they be called that???”) a panel of scientists and scholars said just yesterday that the world is as close as it has ever been to a so-called doomsday scenario. A nuclear war which will end life as we know it on earth. For some reason, I think about the Lord of the Rings trilogy set in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, when I read or hear any news about Trump and the Korean Dictator. At times, it’s so bizarre that it feels like a fictional nightmare. But this is really happening on our earth right now.

I try to look away but then my crystal ball shows me an image of my children. Small and sweet like the hobbits in the LOTR’s. William’s laughter is light and tinkling and his eyes shine with joy, and the little girls respond with giggles of mirth. Their images replace Trump and Kim Jong-un and the doomsday clock. I can see our children playing music together and hear the harmony flowing out of the ball and into the world.

Clark playing violin with his little sisters, Kate on the left and Tori on the right

And I wonder, how can a depressed, middle age mom, help to change the world, when I don’t even have the energy to clean the house today. How can I shift the darkness that hovers over my heart, over our planet, and threatens to invade my home? As I asked these questions of myself, I thought of the words of Gandalf.

“It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folks that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”

And that is where my small acts of kindness and love come in….and I start to tie in the whole blessing aspect of my post.

“Bless a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you…if you bless a situation,it has no power to hurt you, and even if it is troublesome for a time, it will gradually fade out, if you sincerely bless it.”                                         ~Emmet Fox~

Blessing the circumstances we are living with in the world, is our pathway to changing it. Accepting the situation and WHAT IS, doesn’t mean we are complacent towards it. No! But it is the first step in the path towards moving forward and changing our circumstance.

In my own personal life, things are changing. My children are growing up and moving out into the world. They don’t need me quite as much. That’s a good thing. That means David and I are raising strong independent people. This is a blessing.  Lately, I’ve been thinking about getting back into the work force but when I think about trying to balance everything again; work and home life, I cringe.

Is that the right path for me”

After seeing two career opportunities that interested me recently, both of which I’m qualified for, I shared my thoughts with my husband. He looked at me for a long time, contemplating my words and my desire to move down a new path but after what felt like a long time, he said,

“You underestimate your value in our home.”

Huh?

He further went on to say that everything I did at home, enabled everyone else to accomplish great things.

Wow!

I do that!

Really?

As I was in the kitchen pouring a second cup of steaming tea just now, I dropped the job ads in the recycling bin. I must admit January is a slow month. I need more sunshine. Also, I know my garden will be calling to me in a short while. I have great plans for expanding our vegetable garden. Adding a few more chickens to our flock and maybe planting a mini grape vineyard. Once spring comes, David and I will be working on our second rock wall above the pool and getting it planted. In the meantime, we have to finish the attic renovation before Harrison returns in late April. And then there is always the opportunity to work at my gardening gig from late April to mid June. My boss did invite me back at the end of last season.

There is a lot to bless today.

I sit up a bit straighter in bed, that dark ball slips further from my fingertips. And yet, that heaviness holds on like a tight strap around my heart, squeezing any happiness I may feel.

I know I’m not the only one feeling this way.

Judging from all the protest marches occurring in the States, and various places around the world, I’m not alone in wanting positive change in the world.

But what can I do about it?

So many questions….

And then something I heard recently on the CBC radio hits me. I wish I could remember the name of the guest speaker,  but I was driving at the time and I couldn’t write his name down. He was a spiritual teacher who said, there is power in sending a different message out into the world. One most people wouldn’t think of but has tremendous power.

                                       Loving kindness

Hmmmm.

During that CBC radio segment, seeds were planted in my heart and I know that by taking the time to be gentle on myself today, it loosened  the straps of darkness holding me hostage. Although, I’m personally not in a place to send loving kindness to men who move through the world as ego, power hungry lunatics, I AM willing to send them a blessing.

A blessing of kindness.

If I really want to be about helping our planet earth, then it starts from a place of accepting these men are in power, understanding that we are on the brink of a pending apocalyptic event, and fear and hatred is not an effective emotion right now. These feelings never solved anything.

Blessing others and sending loving kindness is the answer. And if enough of us take a moment to bless our earth and all that is happening within it, and especially those who vex us, I know this is the key to the positive change I want to see in the world.

Who knew that the most effective form of protest was a blessing.

This is where I need to be right now.

My family needs me at home…even if I am in bed writing this morning.

Maybe it’s the way out of my depression too.

There is GREAT wisdom in choosing to take a gentle path in life. Maybe more of us need to cuddle up in bed with our cat or puppy by our side, sipping hot comforting tea. I’m blessed to have this option. But most of us can incorporate some kindness towards ourselves into our day.

No matter what path we are on, we need to take gentle steps. Steps that aren’t fraught with rocks, easing ourselves towards more joy, more kindness, and definitely more love.

Bless today!

And what does all of this have to do with Carrot muffins you may ask. When we bless our day and those in it, we bless what is. We accept our circumstances and in doing so there is a exhale of surrender. We let go. And with that letting go moment, trust whooshes in. You know that saying that the Universe can’t abide a void. When we let go, trust flows into our life and goodness follows it.

And like the law of attraction, when we live in a state of goodness, we attract more of it into our lives.

Goodness comes!

And THAT is where the carrot muffins come in.

My Goodness!

Because after a morning of writing, sipping tea, and generally, being kind to me, I filled my cup up. I’m able to give back. I’m able to send blessings out to the world and particularly to two men that I feel need a whopping bowlful of  it for how they have been behaving. And for my family, well, when my kids come home from school this afternoon, they are going to smell warm spices wafting out of our kitchen and find a large red plate loaded with carrot muffins waiting JUST for them.

Yes, as Mother Teresa said, “I can do no great things, only small things with great love.” And so today, I can write about being sad, about blessing my situation, about blessing those who vex us, and about moving in the direction towards change with an expectation for only goodness.When we send love out, we are really loving ourselves.

Because if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times; “We ARE, all connected!”

Please join me in a sec in my kitchen and we can make some muffins. I need to get up now, bath and get my house whipped into shape. Gee, who knew I would have so much energy after a morning in bed! While we bake let’s listen to the following YouTube video. As I was writing this post and talking about the spiritual leader I heard on CBC earlier this month, I remembered an email I got from my sister C. (I know, I’m blessed to have THREE wise and gorgeous sisters) Anyway, I guess the Universe REALLY wanted me to get this message. The link to the YouTube video she sent is a guided loving meditation from Ajahn Sona, who I met many years ago during a weekend retreat at the Birken Monastery.

No matter what your beliefs or faith, when you come from a place of love, there is great healing.

The first time I listened to Ajahn Sona’s video and sang along with him, “All I ask of you is forever to remember me, as loving you,” I cried and cried. Tears just flowed. I was thinking about my mom, my dad, about my sisters and their families. I thought about each of our children and hoped that they ALL know, that if I said nothing else to them in this lifetime, that they hear THESE words, from me. It”s such a healing message. Then as I said these words to my loved ones, I was hearing them say these words back to me.

My sister C, I heard you gently singing them to me. Thank you!!!

And get ready to sing, and cry……if you can’t see the video below, click on the hyper-link.

“All I ask of you is forever to remember me as loving you.” 

I know I wove in and out of various topics today in this post, but if you remember nothing more, remember my love for you and my intention to contribute to the world in a loving way. As always, I’d love to hear from you. If you are unable to comment directly on this blog, you can always send me a message on my Facebook page.

            Love is where it’s at people~the rest is just filler.

And speaking of filler…..here is my carrot muffin recipe.Let’s bake!

Hope’s Homestead Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup of carrot/apple pulp (when I made my juice yesterday I saved the pulp but if you don’t have any pulp from left over juicing use 1 cup of applesauce instead)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
2 cups flour (I like to use 1 cup whole wheat/1 cup white flour…using just wheat makes it heavy)
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of grated carrots

Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a medium bowl mix the 2 eggs, 1 cup of carrot/apple pulp and/or 1/2 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup oil,  1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup almond milk and 2 cups of grated carrots.

In a large bowl mix the 2 cups of flour, the 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar,  1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt and the spices. (1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp allspice)

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients but only until just combined. Over mixing will create a heavy muffin….and we want light muffins with nice texture

Place into greased muffin tins…..I fill to the top as I like big muffins. This recipe makes 18 nice size muffins.

Sprinkle the topping, sugar, spices and walnuts on top of each muffin.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes to 20 minutes…or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool slightly and then turn onto a cookie rack to cool….but only long enough to EAT!

A couple muffins for me to go along with my tea…while I edit this post
And a plate waiting for the kids to come home

As you munch on muffins, I hope you contemplate how you can take a gentle path. And as you move through your day, say your blessings.

Blessed be my blogging family!

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

Hugs and much love from Hope

Pumpkin Cake Roll and a New Year, a New Day, a New Chapter

/ Lee Reynolds

“New Year’s Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today, carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.”            
                                                                                                           ~Sarah Ban Breathnach~

Happy New Year!

It’s taking me a bit of time to get rolling this year. Our holiday celebrations took a toll on me. I thought I was doing amazing. The house was sparkling, (and decluttered!!!) the tree and Christmas decorations were up, most of my baking was done, and all the presents were wrapped and hidden safely away from curious little ones asking questions like, “is Santa real?” and “how does he get through the glass that covers our gas fireplace?”

I was pretty proud of myself. We got this Grand Fir and the huge poinsettia that’s in the living room with points from the  Super Store. Little things like that really helped so we could stretch our dollars at Christmas time.

Then on the Thursday before Christmas, during our twin daughter’s violin recital, I started to feel hot and dizzy. That was the beginning. Even though I pushed through the few next days, buying a horde of groceries on Friday and then on Saturday doing all the final things to ready our house for our returning, out of town children, I knew some kind of virus was taken me hostage.

 

Victoria before the December recital
Kathryn a bit before the recital…the recital when I started to feel ill…..but the concert was GREAT!

And sure enough, as Christmas loomed, a roaring headache took hold, my body was feverish and I started to cough. I had contracted a respiratory flu virus. I think I could even trace the moment it flew into my mouth. The weeks before Christmas, our three youngest took turns being sick and one evening, as I was reading with Victoria, she turned to me and coughed right in my face. In slow motion, I could feel the invisible virus laughing and jeering at me. I think I may have staved off the illness too as my immune system has been really strong but in December I was burning the candle pretty low, and it pushed myself beyond even my limits.

And those limits are far.

I have built a strong endurance muscle over the years. I think a lot of women with large families have this muscle. It’s called, “if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.”

Since I have three Christmas babies, (Clark born on Dec 20th, Harrison born on the 19th, and Grace was born on Dec 5th. She was actually due on the 18th. Can you imagine having children’s birthday’s on the 18th, 19th, and 20th and then doing Christmas!!! Thankfully she arrived a few weeks early. Suffice it to say, I have had a few holiday seasons were I was nursing a newborn, throwing birthday parties, caring for older children, buying and wrapping presents and then stuffing and cooking the turkey; WITHOUT ANY HELP..

Yeah so my limits and ability to get through difficult times are tremendous.

But this year, that virus really took the edge off things.

Being sick while trying to push through teaches valuable lessons. That there are times in life when you have to really listen to your body, slow down and do just what needs doing.And sometimes you have to ask for help.

Hmmmm, imagine that….asking for help.

There is a certain sense of strength that comes after pushing through a tough time and finding yourself on the other side. But being able to ask for help teaches us to be humble enough to realize that we can’t always do it all.

And it’s okay.

Somehow I made it through the holidays. On Dec 23rd, I had to ask my oldest son to cook the rib roast and pull together dinner and he did an amazing job. On Dec 24th, Alyssa and Grace iced the dozens of gingerbread and sugar cookies I had made. Even Will trudged through the deep snow and fed the chickens a few times.

As Alyssa was combing through her books and belongings and deciding what to take back to her new home, she tossed me a book that she had already read.

Guess what it’s called?

“The Art of Asking.” by Amanda Palmer

And while I have not read this book…yet…. I thought it was pretty remarkable that our oldest daughter, who is just in her 20’s, has already contemplated something that I have taken a lifetime to learn. Maybe we do build our own endurance muscles when we do it ourselves. I know Alyssa certainly has since she picked herself up and flew off to London to teach for two years without hardly knowing a soul. She had to move several times, schlepping her suitcases onto buses and trains and got herself all over London on various teaching assignments.

There are times in our life when we push our limits and build our muscles and there are times when we hit a wall and have to ask for help. She learned that when she was over on the other side of the world she could rely on herself but she also knew that having a support system of friends in place was crucial if she needed to ask for her. I remember in one instance, her apartment flooded and she needed to find a place to stay and her friends were there for her.

Anyway, aren’t our children sometimes our BEST teachers?

The holidays glittered in so many ways.

We made wonderful memories. We had a lot of laughs. We had some delicious food and drinks. With our children growing older, I realize that they can help and have strong muscles too. If you never ask, you will never receive and so part of the joy of this holiday was receiving. Our older ones were more than happy to help me and even our younger ones, built a bit of muscle too. We realized that being a family means helping each other, especially when times are tough.

When mom is sick.

William is learning to play chess at school and got a chess set for Christmas….not this one….his new one is in a lovely wooden box and actually has other games included with it.

 

On Christmas night the kid’s put on a Christmas concert for us. William literally lights our family up with joy….I’m so glad that we pursued having our last four children. It wasn’t easy, and we certainly didn’t have support of our family and friends. Our society also doesn’t value large families and certainly having them later in life is frowned upon.  But when you are writing your own story, you need to listen from within and follow your heart. JOY COMES…and in our case, it came in the form of a beautiful boy named Will. And before him we were given a piece of Grace when our daughter Grace Eliabeth arrived in time for Christmas 2002. Then in 2011 we were given a miracle and a reminder that hope is the key when Kathryn Mira and Victoria Hope were born. So Grace, Joy, Miracle and Hope are present each holiday now.
This is our son Harrison’s 1st plate of food on Christmas…..hey, where’s the ambrosia? Each one of the kids were in charge of a certain part of dinner….it was a family affair.

That was the real magic in the air this year….along with my barking cough.

Alyssa took some wonderful pictures with the old Canon camera we gave her many Christmases ago…….and here are just a few of our Christmas memories.

 

Kathryn and Victoria are 6 this holiday and always have each other’s back. They are the BEST of friends

 

Grace just turned 15 and has been one busy girl this year. She is working on her grade 9 RCM piano level, working on her grade 7 in voice, sings in the school choir, andt completed her bronze cross in swimming. For some reason she didn’t think she was busy enough so she signed up for Junior girls basketball team. As I type this she is leaving for a tournament out of town.She laughs when she hears about what most teenagers are flipping out about….boys, or social stuff. The typical teenage drama doesn’t faze her. She recently told me that she thinks focusing on her extra curricular activities and getting straight A’s in school is keeping it real.
Alyssa and Grace are almost 13 years apart, like my oldest sister and I, and like B and I, they too are the best of friends. They share many of the same interests. Piano, swimming, and over Christmas they enjoyed just hanging out, baking, icing cookies, and they even spent a bit of time in our Hobbit’s hollow crawl space where they caught up on a few of their fav Netflix shows….”Stranger Things,” being one of them.

 

Harrison was happy to be home and eat food this Christmas. He says the food at the University is not always the greatest….and he really missed his friends as well and spent a lot of time catching up and, ahem….partying…but hey, he just turned 19 he’s legal to drink now. One of the gifts he got for his birthday before Christmas was a small bar fridge for his residence room. Hopefully now he can get a few healthy snacks to supplement those cafeteria meals.

 

Mitchell is going to be finishing his Science (Psychology major) degree in a few months. I found it rather funny that considering he works part time at the downtown Victoria, “Serious Coffee,” that he wasn’t sick of the stuff….but over Christmas he could often be found with a mug in his hand. He’s such a cool guy and so fun to be with. He tells the greatest stories too and has a very interesting perspective on life….an old soul for sure!

 

Our oldest son Clark just turned 25 before Christmas and really enjoyed hanging out with the family and seeing friends over the holidays.He can always be counted on to shovel the drive=way, help out with the little ones and amazingly….he learned to make a wicked rib roast dinner…the BEST I’ve ever tasted and I’m not much of a beef eater.
The little kids love hanging out with their big brother. Clark helps the little girls with their violin, and he sometimes reads in animated voices to William…..I loved hearing him read Harry Potter to him before Christmas. The BEST is when he comes home with treats after a day that he has worked at the Science Centre. The one sad thing about having a large family is often the older kids are out of the door while the little ones are growing up but it’s been nice that Clark could attend University in the Okanagan and continue to share in his little siblings daily life. What a great bond and many memories they have shared together. After Clark’s personal pictures were taken, I asked the kids if they wanted a picture with their big bro and they flew to be at his side with big smiles on their faces.

 

 

Alyssa told me that when she returned to Victoria after Christmas, a remarkable thing happened. It felt like she was going home. After years of traveling back and forth to University, and then her two years teaching and adventuring in the U.K. she is happy to settle down and find a cool groove where she can teach and write….and yes travel. Sometimes you have to leave home and experience elsewhere to realize REAL home feels like to you. We are so glad you found your place by the sea Alyse….and now we can visit!!!

 

Honestly, I felt like death warmed over in this picture but somehow David and I pulled off another Christmas with our family

 

And I give you the Reynolds family Christmas 2017….thanks for pulling the pictures together Alyssa!

My husband David was his usual super dad self. He drove to the coast and back on the 23rd, picking up the kids from the Vancouver Island ferry terminal. He swung by Ikea to pick up a new mattress for the attic we have been renovating. Then to top things off, over the Christmas holiday, he made our oldest daughter a few furniture pieces for her new digs by the ocean in Victoria. And finally, he took the kids back on New Year’s day. Driving them home all the way to Vancouver Island in one day. Getting them food at Costco the next day and returning back to the Okanagan in time to return to work on Jan 3rd!

Alyssa was given an espresso machine and coffee maker for Christmas but of course now David had to make her a beverage table for her new appliances. He used this cool grey barn wood for the top and the lower shelf and painted the legs etc all black….it was so amazing! I WANT ONE! (what a trooper ’cause the garage was FREEZING!!!)
Alyssa took a ton of books back with her and of course, if you give a mouse a cookie…she needs a bookcase to go with all those books…here is her new bookcase in calla lilly white with a beadboard backing…very old school and perfect for her blue, white and grey decor at her oceanside place in Victoria
Okay and if the beverage table and the bookcase weren’t enough, our birch tree is dying so David used some of the old wood to make her a lamp for her bedroom. This birch tree was planted when Alyssa was just a little girl so there is some history there and a nice piece to take back to Victoria…..I’m going to get David to make more of these lamps for the other kids….I think it’s neat for them to have something off the our property….and a memory from Lakelin Reach, our homestead

AMAZING Man!

 

And woodwork talent must run in the family since William, Kathryn and Victoria, made these cute barn board snow men for their Christmas gifts for us….these are keepers!!! Thank you to their wonderful school teachers. They are so blessed to have the BEST teachers in the world.

 

And just so we don’t forget, Christmas 2017 was very snowy. Thanks to our three strong sons, they kept the driveway clear

So Alyssa, our oldest is back to her high school English gig in Victoria, our son’s Mitchell and Harrison are back to the University of Victoria, and all the younger ones are back to school. Clark our oldest son did his second LSAT before Christmas and he just found out that he did extremely well. He received a 166, which is in the 93rd percentile, so Whoo hoo! a little celebration happy dance happening here. I know he would tell me to knock on wood, but hopefully he will be accepted to law school next fall, and as his best friend who is already in his 2nd year of law said, he would be absolutely shocked if he didn’t get in with that kind of score. Time will tell but that is exciting news for the new year. Maybe all those debates we had will finally pay off! Great work Clark!

So life is humming along here to a degree. Although if I’m being truly honest, I’m a bit bummed. Today my writing group started a new workshop session and I will not be attending.

BUMMER!

I knew it might me iffy, since despite being really careful and choosing the best, most useful gifts for our children at Christmas, we did go a bit overboard. Then there was the expense of bringing them all home and getting them back with food in their cupboards.

And to top it off, during the trip to he Island, even though David was driving extremely carefully in the snowy, winter conditions, a car flew by them and a large rock flew up and shattered our sun roof on our van. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Well, thank heavens no one was hurt and the impact didn’t startle David to lose control of the van and crash, but well, in the end that was an expense we hadn’t counted on. Interestingly enough the deductible we have to pay is exactly the same amount as my writing workshop fee.

Isn’t it interesting how that works out!

How life gives you choices and you have to pick a path.

Hence,  I’m at home writing, instead of sequestered with my writing mentor and buds this morning.

BUMMER!

I was really looking forward to digging deeper with my group and getting some meaningful writing accomplished in the next three months. As I was straightening up the house after the kids went to school this morning, I was kind of depressed that I wasn’t getting ready to head off to join the group. How in the heck am I going to get my book finished if I don’t have the guidance and support of my group of cohorts.

And then I gave myself a kick in the butt.

“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”                                                              ~Helen Keller~

Or wrote a book!

And with that quote in mind, I realized that as marvelous as my writing group is, as inspiring as my mentor L is, nothing can prevent me from writing what is often bursting from my soul. Unless I allow depression and pessimism to take hold.

This is a new year, a new chapter in my life and I can write whatever I want in my book. And damn, by the rich smell of my life’s compost, this will be a fertile year. Not just for my writing, but for us finishing up the attic renovation, the second wall above the pool, and more garden space built in the back forty.

“When you lay the seeds of your dreams in the rich hummus of optimism, abundance grows.” ~Lee Reynolds~

We are due to have another dump of snow in the next day or so and while we are still hibernating indoors to a large degree. This is a good time to get some words written, some borscht soup made, and print out the goals I want to accomplish this year.

 How about you? Have you written the first few lines of your new chapter? 

This is my latest mantra. A mantra that my Traditional Chinese Medical doctor used to say to me before my acupuncture sessions years ago, when I was trying to till the fertile soil of my body so we could conceive another baby…..as it turns out….our William….. And that mantra is: 

“This is a new day!”

 How do you want to live it?

Maybe reading a book, or making my Pumpkin Roll cake below. If you are spending a lot of time tucked under a quilt like me this winter, I’d love to share a whimsical novel I read over the holidays. If you enjoy a bit of fantasy, you are a homesteading fan, and love children or yearn for them, (and if you are a reader of my blog, I imagine some of that interests you) then you probably will enjoy this beautifully, lyrical book.

My winter, must read recommendation is: “Snow Child,” by Eowyn Ivey.  

 
 I hope you love it as much as I did.

And now for my sister B’s recipe for:

Auntie Bonnie’s Pumpkin Roll Cake

She gave this to me years ago and my kids love it. It’s super easy too so I don’t know why we don’t make it more often. Okay
 without further ado, here it is.

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup of granulated sugar
2/3 of a cup of canned pumpkin
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients

6 ounces of cream cheese
1 cup powdered icing sugar
4 tbsp of butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Beat 3 eggs on high speed of mixer for 5 minutes; gradually beat in 1 cup of granulated sugar. Stir 2/3 cup canned pumpkin and 1 tsp lemon juice. Stir together 3/4 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp salt. Fold into pumpkin mixture

Spread on greased and floured 15x10x1 inch pan. Top with 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts

Bake at 375 F degrees for 15 minutes. Turn onto a towel that is sprinkled with powdered sugar. Starting at the narrow end, roll the towel and cake together; Cool

Unroll. for filling combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, 6 ounces of creamed cheese, 4 tbsp of butter, or margarine, and 1/2 tsp vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread evenly over the cake; Roll; chill; slice and serve…..makes enough for a large family of 10….US! Perfect!

I whipped this up while I was still feeling very under the weather but boy was it good!


This is a lovely, light dessert, absolutely perfect after a winter dinner….or even after a light soup, salad and bun dinner. The spices are yummy and so warming. Absolutely perfect to take and share during a winter potluck.

Enjoy!!!

As the new year unfolds, I hope you open to the idea of writing the first pages of your 2018 book with optimism and joy. Let it be one that you can look back, turn the pages and smile.

Write it well.

And remember, today is a new day and anything is possible.

If you can’t see the link above, check out the Celine Dion song, “A New Day.” I remember hearing that this song meant a lot to her as she went through a lot of pain and struggle to have her first son. When he finally born, it felt like a new day had come. I can relate as you know, that was a mantra that I used when we were trying to conceive and it gave me hope daily that each day holds new possibilities in our life.

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

Blessings from Hope
 

Shortbread Cookies ~Magic in the Air

/ Lee Reynolds

Our valley has once again been covered in a sparkling, blanket of white. Driving my kids to school this morning, I uttered the words I have said several times in the last two days. “Isn’t it breathtaking?”

It’s so stunningly, beautiful, it makes me cry.

As I write this post, it’s snowing again lightly. You can’t even see the lake below our house. Magical!

Although winter has it’s draw backs in many cases; the biting cold and it took us longer to get going yesterday morning, as both David and I had to clear the drive way, but what it brings to my life is well worth it.

We are forced to slow down a bit more, take our time as we move out into the world. In that pace, a beacon of light shines into my soul and insights often occur. They are light houses, guiding me safely on my journey. Inspiring me to keep going.

As the snow lightly fell as I was shoveling yesterday, I was thinking how each of us is like a precious snowflake; unique and stunningly beautiful. We have the ability to change the world by the choices we make every day. And yet, many of us squander that time. We rush around with our to do lists running through our heads like a chiming mantra.

Do we feel joy?

Do we feel peace?

Do we feel hope?

and most important of all…..

Do we feel love?

I can tell you the answer to that, at least from my perspective, and that is a resounding, “NO!”

While this is a magical time of year in so many ways, many of us are driven by the lists running in our heads. We are stressed and burnt out. We get sick easier, as we are not sleeping long enough to get a good rest. We are generally feeling unwell. It’s like a vicious circle that keeps us down.

One of my sons, dealing with University exams and deadlines, was recently finding the stress debilitating. When he would call me in a panic, I would simply remind him to fill his lungs deeply and slow down to get grounded.

Stop and

BREATHE!

Are exams life and death?

Let’s put things in perspective here.

We have a choice how we want to feel.

We have a choice how we impact the world around us too.

The other day when I was walking around the grocery store, list in hand, trying to get out as fast as I could so I could pick up the kids from school, I saw a neighbour in the produce department. I think she saw me too out of the corner of her eye and she quickly moved on…. probably with a similar list in hand. Just as well, I thought as I moved into the bread section, as I can get out of here more quickly.

Then we literally ran into each other in the dairy section. We had to STOP and talk to each other. I’m so glad too as that short little, sweet interlude, catching up on each other’s lives; each other’s Christmas holiday happenings,propelled me forward, reminding me why we are on this planet together.

We are here to support each other and make life more pleasant. I left the store with a smile on my face and I hope she felt some warmth too.

We can make a difference in each other’s lives by caring about each other, by smiling and giving a hug, by wishing each other all the best in life, not just at this holiday time, but ALL year through.

My kids get this. They don’t move through their days with lists in their heads or their hands. Nope…but if there was a list running through their little brains, its would be for them to experience

fun,

fun

and

more FUN!

And they are naturally kind too. They don’t need to slow down because they are already at a perfect, in sync pace with the world. They live in the moment. They breathe deeply. They laugh from the belly, and they hug without restraint.

Huh!

I can take a few lessons from them….oh and dogs and cats are good at teaching life lessons too.

So I hope that you are able to take a moment this holiday season.

STOP!

be still,

listen to the silence

and

BREATHE!

Chat with a neighbour, hug a child, sit with a pet.

Listen to the bells of silence,

They are ringing with magic.

Let it resonate deep into your soul.

Let the beauty of the season make you weep.

Rejoice.

This life is so precious.

You are so precious!

And speaking of magic…..I want to share my whipped shortbread with you. Yes, they are magic in a little cookie. I got this recipe from an dear, dear, co-worker, Elaine, years ago. She gave it to me when I was in my twenties and I’ve been making it every year since.

Now it is part of our Christmas tradition. Each time I make it, I think of Elaine and smile.

If you don’t have a great shortbread recipe, let this be part of your tradition too. Plus……it’s so easy!

Last night, I stayed up late making these cookies and watching, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” “Yawn!”, but it was worth it. This movie is also a yearly tradition. It reminds me how deeply each of us touch each other. Instead of giving gift cards to our children’s teachers this year, we decided to give them a piece of our Christmas tradition….a tin of these cookies and some tea and a little snowflake ornament, reminding them how unique they are.

I hope you try making these cookies and years to come, and as you make them, you will think of Hope and smile.

Hope’s Whipped Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

1 lb of unsalted butter
3 cups of flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Opt: package of Toblerone chocolate
Christmas sprinkles or glazed cherries

Directions

Cream butter, add remaining ingredients and beat until fluffy. Roll into balls, press down with a fork.
Decorate with little chunks of Toblerone chocolate and Christmas sprinkles. You can also grate the Toblerone and add it to the cookie dough. A classic for this cookie, is decorating them with red and green glazed cherries.

Bake on an ungreased pan at 325 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes

This morning I was getting the tins ready…glade I stayed up late and did my baking!

I

Magic is in the air.

Can you feel it?

Merry Christmas my dear blogging family.

You are a precious snowflake.

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

Blessings from Hope

Almond Cookies ~A Simple Christmas~

/ Lee Reynolds

My favourite month has arrived!
                                     Welcome December!

Fa la la la la, la la la la!

Oh the joy of season with the twinkling lights and carols playing, fills me with happy anticipation. I’ve always had a quiet faith in the magic of this season and this year is no different. But with only three weeks until Christmas, I’m also feeling a bit stressed.

 


My husband, David and I have decided that this year, the holiday season will be different. Even though we have eight children, we are on a minimalist path. Oh, I know, it’s a bit of an oxymoron, to have a large family and be minimalists but it wasn’t always that way.

In the beginning, our four older children were raised in a very consumer driven household and they have been used to having most of their wishes and dreams wrapped up in fancy paper and put under a glittering tree. Over the years though, as our younger children arrived, we have become more concerned about the state of our planet. Even though, yes, we are guilty of over populating the world, we now hope to set an example and teach our children to be conscious consumers; walking the earth as gently as possible.

Still, their Christmas wish lists are spread out before me and I struggle to know what would be the best gifts to give them this holiday. Some of the lists were emailed from University, with detailed pictures of tangible items desired. Although there’s a post script at the bottom, relaying extreme appreciation for their parent paid, post- secondary education. Then at the other end of our family spectrum, we have pencil written lists that begin with, “Dear Santa, I hope you are well.” Do I want to burst these innocent bubbles of magical expectation?

 Victoria holding up a Christmas card that says BELIEVE….you can see the window seat behind her and our view of the lake and mountains

“Oh,” what will we give them this year?” I ponder, as I fill my  red tea pot with boiling water to steep some Earl Grey tea. I look around my cozy kitchen with the old school charm.  David renovated it himself a few years ago and I love it. He took off all the cabinet fronts and stained them a calla lily white and then brushed on a tea stain, so they look old and worn. Perfect to weather our large family!

My favourite part of the kitchen is the window seat, which frames the lake view below our house. I take my big tea cup and curl up on the red checked cushion and look out the window. Kalamalka Lake is a slate blue grey this morning and the hills surrounding it are covered in white, as if Mother Nature took icing sugar and sprinkled it liberally while we slept.

Looking out at the new snow, takes me drifting back to a Christmas over 50 years ago.
It was1963 and one of the last Christmas’s my Dad was alive. A year and a half later he was killed in a truck accident. That holiday, in our sleepy, little town of Hope, B.C. which was guarded by tall, forested mountains, we received a huge dump of snow. What a magical appearance it was to wake up and find a sparkling world of peaceful white, beyond my frosted bedroom window. 
I don’t know what day of the week it was. I had just turned four years old. My days and years blended into one another, like mom’s endless laundry blowing stiffly in the winter wind on our backyard clothesline. Dad probably had worked that day. I’m sure he was tired after a full day driving truck for the Esso oil company but after dinner on the night of that big snowfall, with a glimmer in his grayish green eyes, he suggested we go and play in the snow. My sister J,  eight years old at the time, whooped with joy and was the first out the door, having perfected the art of winter dressing. My older sister’s C and B who were both teenagers, stole furtive glances at each other, to see who would proclaim they were too grown up for such childish play. Surprisingly, they started layering on sweaters, coats and hats while jabbing each other playfully. Perhaps they sensed this moment would ring in our memories for years to come. 
My mom bundled me into my red, one piece snow suit, asking again, if I wanted to use the bathroom.  I shook my head, impatient to get outside and she sighed. She put on my wool hat and tied the bow then wrapped a red plaid scarf tightly around my neck. I could barely breathe. The final touch was stuffing my hands into the mittens that were tied to the ends of my sleeves. I waddled outside like a penguin, barely able to walk. 
My Dad was artfully throwing snow balls at my sisters, who were laughingly, dodging them, as they busily worked together making a snow man. By the time I came outside, the bottom half of him was already built and his lower half was not just one big ball, but a large bottom with a wide lap to sit upon.
The air was biting cold. The sky was ink black and looking up, it felt like we were covered by a heavy quilt of quiet stillness that went on forever. The snow was wet and perfect for packing. Our snowman grew quickly into a giant. I looked at our little white clapboard house to see mom moving around, through the glowing kitchen window. Occasionally, she would peek out and I would wave my snow covered mitten and she would wave back. My Dad and sister’s voices were muffled and seem to come from far away and yet my vision was crystal clear. Everything was sharp and in focus.
Me with our magical giant snowman
Mom brought out shriveled apples for our snow man’s eyes and walnuts for his mouth. Completing his look she reached up high to stick a black top hat on his head. We stood around our snowy creation and mom, wearing only her indoor clothes and an apron said, “brrrrr,” as she snapped a picture of us. In the picture, I was nestled between our snowman’s knees, surrounded by my sisters and my Dad. Although the picture was in black and white, the colours are vivid in my memory. 
Dad had never smiled so brightly.
Me with my three older sisters and my Dad in Hope, B.C. over 50 years ago

 

We piled into the house, with mom clucking over the fact that her grey, linoleum kitchen floor had more snow on it than our yard. With red cheeks and good cheer, we sipped the hot cocoa and nibbled the cinnamon, sugared toast, waiting for us on the kitchen table. Out of the radio, strains of Bing Crosby crooning, “White Christmas,” flowed into our warm kitchen, with the white cabinets and red checked curtains. Oh, nothing had ever tasted better or sounded so perfect, than sitting in our little home in Hope that night, surrounded by my family. 

My dad left a legacy. Even though we didn’t have much in terms of material possessions,it was the magical moments of simple living that allowed the notes of our days, to create the music of our life. These moments played a rhythm that rooted us deeply as a family. Now that I’m a parent, it’s my turn to make these musical moments for our children.

Thank you mom and dad for bringing simple, magical moments into my life
I am consciously aware that we only have so much time with our children and then we are gone. Whatever imprint we want to leave on them, whatever wisdom we want to share, the moments are ticking by. 

Coming back to this time, I sip the last of my tea and look at my children’s Christmas wish lists laid out on the kitchen table. With a smile I wash my tea cup and start to hum, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.”

                           I know exactly what I want to give this year.

I hope you enjoyed that little piece I recently wrote for my writing group. I regret not finding more time to write on my blog this fall. But there are times in life when I just need to live the experiences ….do you know what I mean? I think it was Rainer Maria Rilke who said, 

“be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.”

So that has been what I have been doing…living everything and not stopping to ask anything.

But oh! I love this season and want to share that joy with you. I hope with only three weeks until Christmas you take some time to truly enjoy the magic of the season. Let it seep into your soul and let the simple moments of life bring you the greatest happiness.

Speaking of simple moments; I have to share my recipe for snow topped almond cookies. With vanilla extract being so expensive, I have been baking with more almond extract. I forgot how much I love it. I hope you enjoy it too. When you frost these cookies with a white glaze, you can sprinkle them with red and green sparkles….or with toasted almonds to make them even more festive.

Come into my old school kitchen and let us whip up a batch to share with our family and friends.

This snowman was given to me by my mom, who loved Christmas and Christmas music…he plays the piano and sings

Snow topped Almond Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup margarine (I find the texture better when I use 1/2 margarine and 1/2 butter)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

 

Glaze:

1/2 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 tbsp water

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a medium size bowl, cream butter/margarine and sugar. Add almond extract and mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine well. Now scoop up teaspoon size cookie dough and place it on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Place in hot oven and cook for 8 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Glaze with icing sugar mixture and top with toasted almond slices and if making at Christmas time, add some sprinkles of your choice to make them look even more festive.

I made these for my writing group and took them in on our last day together…hope to see you all next year!

Now make a cup of tea and sit in your favourite place and munch on a few cookies. Don’t you think it’s the simple things that make us happiest in life? As you listen to the youtube video below, “Bing Crosby, singing; White Christmas,” think about how you can create some magic this holiday season. Sledding or skating with the family?….or cuddled together watching a Christmas movie? Whatever it is, I hope peace, joy and love settles into your heart and stays for the whole year through.

 

From my family to yours……may the light and love of Christmas find you this season!
In the front row are from Left to right, Victoria, William and Kathryn/ in the middle are Alyssa, me and Grace and in the back are David, Harrison, Mitchell and Clark…and our cat Ryuuki

This blog post is dedicated to my Mom and Dad……and to our daughter Grace Elizabeth, who was born 15 years ago today. What a Christmas blessing you are!

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

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds~Winter’s Arrival

/ Lee Reynolds


       Winter arrived on my doorstep today

 

                 With a frigid, magically stare,

 

                         She danced on brilliant autumn leaves

 

                                at her feet,

 

                                      And proclaimed she was the season

 

                                              most fair
                                                                  ~ Lee Reynolds~
After a difficult summer, where we endured smoke filled skies, from all the forest fires raging in our province, I was reluctant to greet Autumn. I hadn’t had enough summer. So I dragged my feet, as the new season emerged. Slowly, ever so slowly, I greeted the brisk mornings, fresh with the sweet smell of apples ripening on the trees. Ever so slowly, I greeted the changing colour of leaves, rich in jeweled hues of red, orange and yellows. I sadly said goodbye to my garden; pulling up tomatoes plants still heavy with green fruit. cutting back my raspberry canes, and was even gifted with one, perfectly red, delicious strawberry. A final farewell from the passing season.
When our oldest son Clark came into the kitchen late one afternoon, gratefully sniffing an aromatic stew, and saying how happy he was to greet warm and hearty fall meals once again, and our youngest three, started chatting excitedly about what they wanted to be for Halloween, I felt a tiny bubble of joy come to the surface, over the arrival of the autumn season.
I really must share the recipe for this stew…..it was delicious and although it was meat filled, you could exchange that for vegan sausages and lots of pumpkin seeds….read more about that later in this post
I had a few days where time flew, as I raked leaves with abandoned delight. I pruned shrubs and swept walkways, I stashed away our summer furniture and patio umbrellas, starting to anticipate the long, cold days of winter.  I was looking forward to spending the early parts of November continuing on this theme and believe me, there was still lots to do; plant garlic, do some trench composting, pull the last of the spinach, kale, leeks and lastly winterize our chicken coop.
Then two days after Halloween, as I was sitting with my writing group in the historic 100 year old, former home of the artist, Sveva Caetani, it started to really snow. It had started on my drive over but it really started to dump as we all shared our writing. Warmly, sequestered inside this old home that had viewed many winters, I felt encircled and safe. Glancing outside the windows, framed in rich wood, I was swept away by the beauty and timelessness of it all. That was, until I went out and tried to drive in it.
A picture of Caetani house BEFORE, all that white stuff started to magically fall
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one to greet winter unprepared; as our city snow plows and sanding trucks were nowhere to be seen. They didn’t make their appearance until the wee hours of the next morning. I did make it home from writing group, although the roads were horrendous. I was hardly able to drive up the hill into our snow laddened cul-de-sac, I decided it would be prudent to just stay put. I spent the better part of the rest of the afternoon, calling our piano teacher, cello teacher, violin teacher, and emailing a swimming coach; to let them know, our children would have to miss their lessons due to the dire weather situation.
 BUMMER!
That’s my latest new word and the other day, when I heard our little Victoria say it, after she was majorly disappointed about something, I had to laugh. It also made me aware that I had better come up with a more appropriate adjective. At least one that sounds more fitting coming out of a six year old. When I think of language, it does define a person. And when I think of the word, “bummer,” I have a vision of a woman with wavy hair to her waist, wearing a long peasant type skirt, serviceable ankle boots, a thick, knitted sweater and a wool hat to match or not, but homemade for sure, all wrapped up in a thick wool shawl. That’s the image I aspire to portray, but until my hair grows longer and I find some funky clothes,  alas, I must search for a new word to describe my annoyance of the season.
 By the way…..anyone want to teach me to knit this winter?
The miracle of knitting is turning a simple ball of wool into something remarkable…kind of like the seasons of our life
Anyway, the point of it all, is that I was annoyed about the arrival of fall coming and now, just as I was getting into the season of being thankful, November has arrived, dressed in a heavy, white wool coat, looking a lot like winter.
DRAT!
But then, maybe there is a lesson to be learned from all of this. Ha! That’s me for sure;” Hope.” I’d like to believe that this word defines me better than all others. I’d like to believe I radiate, maybe not always, but for the most part, a childlike sense of faith in the goodness of this world.
I’m always trying to glean something positive from my emotions. My negative ones hold the most promise for enlightenment. And as one of my writing buds said to me recently, if we don’t have darkness, there can be no light. Yes, this is so true.  The world is full of contrast and it’s up to us to decide what colour we want to paint our life with.
As reluctant as I was to welcome the season of fall  into my heart, I realize, I’m doing it again. Not accepting the change of season with grace and ease. Always trying to make things harder for myself with a touch of angst. When William and the little girls came home from school last Friday night all excited about the abundant snow and the endless weekend ahead, they asked with expectant shining eyes, if  they could go sledding. I growled, “NOOOOOO, too cold.” And yes, it was something like 14 below freezing that night and I wasn’t looking forward driving to our sledding hill, but the bigger reason was that I didn’t want to embrace the season fully.
I didn’t want to open my door in greeting, even a crack.
Every morning for the past five days, I wake hoping I have dreamed it all. I stumble into my bathroom with cold feet, “brrrrr” and hope, I will see fall colours and blue sky…… but nope.
It’s a frosty world of blue, grey and white.
I guess I am coming around to accepting winter weather is here, early November or not, I captured this image last night from our lower deck
My husband David, says, I better get use to it ’cause winter weather is here to stay for the next 4 to 5 months.
After driving the kids to school this morning, all bundled up in snow pants, coats, hats, and mittens, which took FOREVER to put on, I returned home and decided that THIS morning I would get into the spirit of the early winter weather by making myself a cup of steaming, “London Fog.” Our oldest daughter Alyssa, who spent two years teaching and adventuring in London recently, introduced me to this Earl Grey tea concoction. Recently, my husband David took me out on one of our date nights and and we stopped at Starbucks for a treat,…..you guessed what my selection was; a London fog. Of course it was delicious there but it’s really easy to make at home and you know that’s what this blog is all about…..doing things I love in a sustainable way.
Here’s a link to one of my new fav blogs; Kara Newman’s, “the Tasting Table,” where she helps us make a London Fog:
To accompany that aromatic tea, I also made a steaming, hot bowl of oatmeal, loaded with almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, cranberries, and PUMPKIN seeds. (more about that later) and sprinkled with my homemade pumpkin spice mix. If you want to read my blog post about making pumpkin spice latte’s…interestingly written this time last year, click here to read my Simple Pleasures post where I share my pumpkin spice mix recipe. Oh how the weather was different then.
My London Fog, made from Early Grey tea, steaming almond milk and vanilla…and oatmeal loaded with pumpkin seeds and other healthy additions…perfect for a snowy Autumn morning
Now back to this year’s blog post…..
Time is a funny thing. If we take too long processing the changing seasons of life, our life is over before we know it. I don’t want to live like that; dragging my butt into one season after the next. I want to be excited, like my children who were thrilled with the prospect of snow arriving. They still remember how to live in the moment, excited and grateful for all the beauty and gifts of each season. And like the word,”Bummer,” which Victoria recently adopted, my children have influenced me.
My children have been my best TEACHER’S in life.  I am going to learn this lesson well and allow it to translate into other areas of my life. Instead of warming up to any occasion and carefully dipping my toe in, I plan to enthusiastically take a run and dive in with abandoned glee. As I come to the surface, I will ask my friend, “the changing season,” what do you have planned for us this year?”
So cheers!….lifting my red mug full of my homemade London Fog. Here’s to another winter season!

And before I close I wanted to share a bit of what I learned recently about the power of Pumpkin Seeds.We were blessed with a lot of pumpkins this year. We grew four small ones in garden. Then around, Oct 9th, my hubbie’s birthday, we took the little kids to our local pumpkin patch and got four more. Then as if we didn’t have enough, our twins went on a field trip with their grade one class to a local farm orchard and selected two more pumpkins. We were abundantly wealthy in Pumpkins!

David’s birthday where I made him a chocolate zucchini cake with the last of my fresh zucchini’s from the garden
Children of the corn…..at our Anne’s Road Pumpkin Patch
Oh I’m wishing upon the GREAT Pumpkin said William with his sisters, Kate and Tori
When David and the kids were carving them last week, for Halloween, (was it just a week ago?) I made sure that they set aside enough seeds to replenish my seed supply for planting next spring but also, I wanted some to roast. I knew the seeds were a good source of zinc but after a bit of research, I found out even more and I thought, what a good blog post to share with you.
The night before Halloween the kids drew up pictures and David carved their pumpkins
Kathryn, Victoria and William, all dressed up on Halloween morning….ready for the School’s yearly costume parade
Our front door with corn stalks from our garden, a homemade spider over head, wisps of spider web, and pumpkins….we had pumpkins all down our drive way too….we also play scary music coming from our garage. Sadly, we only got 19 kids this year!

 

My princess, Darth Vadar, and our Witch, heading out with their dad for an evening of trick or treating…it’s a bit rainy tonight and our spider leg’s are really moving….scary~~~

 
Groovy Grace heading off with her Elf fairy friend….this may be the last season of trick or treating for her…BUMMER!!!
All I learned about pumpkin seeds……
Did you know that those little kernels are loaded with way more than zinc? They are particularly beneficial to vegetarians and vegans, as they are packed with protein as well. Further, the seeds are an excellent source of vitamins and essential omega 3-6-9’s as well and have an unparalleled payload of minerals. A quarter cup of the nutty kernel has 73 per cent of the recommended daily amount of manganese, 47.7 percent for magnesium, 16.8 per cent for zinc and 15.7 per cent for iron. There is compelling research as well, that this little green seed, may help you side step Alzheimer’s,(something we should all be concerned about as we age) cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, (something that happens to me in the winter) immune dysfunction and osteoporosis. Do I have to say more?
Well if you insist, this little seed boasts a dizzying array of carotenoids, polyphenols, and plant sterols that have been shown to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties.
WOW!
So if you already threw out all your pumpkin seeds after carving your jack-o-lanterns, you can always pick them up at your nearest bulk store and toss them in your salads, in your oatmeal, like I do, or even throw them on top of your winter casseroles and toss them in your stews. Who needs meat!
If you did save them,…yahoo!…. let’s roast some and have a stash in our pantry. It’s easy to roast pumpkin seeds.
How to Roast Pumpkin seeds:
Simply, remove them from the pumpkin and let them dry on a cotton dish towel. Pat them dry and remove any lingering pulp off of them. Then spread them evenly on a baking sheet to let them dry for about 48 hours. Once they are dry they are ready to roast. Simply pop them into a pre-heated 200 degree F. oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Watch carefully that they don’t burn. When you pull them out you can sprinkle them with some sea salt, or some garlic powder, or cumin…great if you are using them for snacking. Since I put these seeds into everything, I wait to season them depending on what I use them for. In my oatmeal today, I sprinkled my homemade pumpkin spice on top and it was so yummy.
Tasted like the best of fall and WINTER!!!
So my dear family and friends, that’s the latest from the homestead. As we travel through the last days of fall, I hope you relish each day wherever you are in the world and whatever weather you are experiencing. Mother Nature is always filled with delight and goodness. Sometimes we just need to look under the snow.

Saying goodbye as I dive into the season with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, and Vera Ellen singing “Snow,” from the 1954 White Christmas movie

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

Cheese Enchiladas and Reflections from Summer

/ Lee Reynolds

“Whoever hath a seed time of grace pass over his soul, shall have his harvest also of joy.”
~William Gurnall~

I won’t lie, the first day of fall was not a joyful one for me. It’s not that I don’t love the autumn season, for I do. Ah, the cooler days with the fresh smell of apples ripening in the air, the crunch of leaves under my feet and the scarlet reds, brilliant yellow and oranges, are normally a welcoming delight for me.
 It’s just that this year, I didn’t feel like I’d had enough summer.
Forest fires burned relentlessly, throughout our province, without any sign of abatement due to the hot and dry weather we experienced. For most of July and August I would wake early to the acrid smell of smoke, drifting through my slightly opened bedroom doors. I knew before even rising, from the dim light filtering through the curtains, that instead of crystal blue skies, I would find a grey and white blanket heavy above me, choking me from the beauty of summer, making me feel like I was swimming under water, unable to catch my breath.
Grace sitting on a picnic table during our camping trip…you can see the haze of smoke hovering over the lake
And what made it even worse was being imprisoned with our young children, in fear of damaging their lungs due to the poor air –quality, we spent our days pent up inside our often blistering house. The air conditioner, which we had installed after the staggering hot summer of 1998, the summer I had been pregnant with our now 18 year old son, decided to work intermittently this summer.

Usually on the hottest of days it would decide to freeze up and we would be left sweltering, like hostages in the worst of prisons. Purchasing a new one was out of the question, since we were about to send that same 18 year old off to University and like some rich parents (we’re not!) of entitled kids, (he’s not) we had agreed to pay for his school expenses.

One night in summer I woke to the smell of burning wood and when I glanced outside, the moon was full and almost orange from all the smoke in the air
So on those days when the fine particles in the smoke were most toxic,  the kids and I spent hours inside playing every board game in the house, reading countless books until our eyes were red and sore and figuring out which puzzles had the most missing pieces. Occasionally, feeling trapped and isolated, I would turn on the television and catch a bit of National news, and that’s when a heavier oppression hit me; our interior region was making National headlines.
News stories, showing forest fires ablaze and people fleeing their homes for safer ground, not knowing  if they would have a home to return to drifted into our family room, like the smoke in the air around us. Compounding my depression over the conditions we were living under, a thick layer of guilt grimly covered me.
We were having a good summer compared to them.
Then if I clicked the remote just five channels over to capture images rolling from CNN, real fear encompassed me. Concerns that, “Rocket Man,” whom the United States President, Donald Trump, called the dictator, Kim Jong-un, of North Korea, would catapult one of his intercontinental ballistic missiles, this one armed with nuclear weapons, and our world would erupt into war, ending life as we know it.
 Well, let’s just say life period.
So yeah, summer wasn’t great and I’m not greeting fall with higher expectations, since fall leads to
winter, when our valley is immersed in inversion type weather systems, where we are permanently

 trapped under dark cloud and experience bitterly cold days.

I’m not ready for that yet! I didn’t get enough sun yet to keep me going through our darkest months.

 Wait though, our eight year old son William, and his six year old twin sisters, Kathryn and Victoria,
 have all come running into the house now and are excitedly calling my name. “Mommy, Mommy,
 you won’t guess what we found in the raspberry patch?” Pardon me as I put down the lid of my
 laptop and see what they want.
 Sliding my reading glasses down my nose, I peer at their animated faces and see that my curly,
 blonde headed Will is holding something cupped in his hands. The little girls, are glued next to him,
 as if they are all one unit, holding this single item up for perusal. “Remember how you thought there
 was a squash growing under the raspberries?” Will said, and I answered “yeah?” “Well,” they all
 chimed in together, “it wasn’t a squash.” And then they extended a perfectly round, luminous, orb,
 circled with tiny rivers of green towards me.
Suddenly, looking at our children’s shining, exuberant faces, and then down at the round and glowing

cantaloupe they were holding, I was reminded of the goodness of earth and the abundant lessons
always springing forth; from the ground and from the innocent joy of our children.

Behind the children and to the right, you can see the cantaloupe plant..which I thought was a squash, growing out under the newly planted raspberries….the seed must have been in the compost mixture I used to top up the raised bed….unexpected gifts from the earth and answers to a prayer to bring hope to dim season

Maybe this fall is going to be better than expected

 

Please join me in saying goodbye to summer, as we sip the last of the ice tea and make some cheese
enchiladas. If you want an easy meal, this is it! At this time of year, I’m really busy roasting and
freezing tomatoes, making apple sauce, blanching and freezing the last of the beans so this quick and
easy type dinner, fits the bill perfectly. Also, as you may know from reading my blog, our
son Harrison recently left for University. While I’ve been sad to see him go, since he was a meat lover
and would often groan when I would make a veggie dish, it’s nice to be able to make something
more of us love without the negative vibes. Sorry Harry….but something good comes from every
season in life. (we miss you in every other way!)
Our vegetable loving Victoria next to her garden…the bees love her zinnias!
I hope you too are looking forward to fall and the goodness that comes from each season.
Now let’s make some enchiladas…….
(Years ago, I was an accredited La Leche League leader and this recipe was found in one of their books, “Whole Foods for the Whole Family.”)
Cheese Enchiladas
 
Ingredients
Sauce:
3 tbsp of oil
1 to 2 tbsp of chili powder 
2 tbsp of flour
2 cups water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
Bean Filling:
2 cups cooked pinto beans
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup chopped black olives
Tortillas
8 flour (see recipe below to make from scratch)
2 tbsp oil
Toppings
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp chopped onion
Directions:
If you really want to stretch your budget, use dried beans. To make 2 cups of cooked pinto beans you need 3/4 of a cup of dried beans. This little bag for $2.00 has enough dried beans for MANY meals!
Combine sauce ingredients in saucepan; mix well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 5 minutes
Combine filling ingredients in bowl, mashing beans and mixing well. Fry tortillas briefly in oil in 
skillet. spoon filling onto tortillas; roll to enclose filling. Place seam side down in shallow baking
 dish. Pour sauce over enchiladas; top with 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 
minutes, spooning sauce over top occasionally. Serve with topping of yogurt and onion. May
 substitute shredded sharp cheese for cottage cheese, sunflower seeds fro almonds or green olives for 
black olives. Or if you wish omit olives, wheat germ, yogurt, or onion.
 
This is a quick, nutritious, and EASY meal, not to mention inexpensive for a crowd. Make the sauce
 and filling ahead of time and you can make it easily when your family gathers. Put some rice on, 
add some tortillas chips and you have a delicious meal for those you love.
The last watermelon of summer, and a smattering of summer corn, all adds to this change of season meal…well this is a meal for all season but boy did it taste good sitting outside on the last of summer

 

Will and his corn. While this crop would probably do better directly in the ground, we still harvested many ears of corn from this little 4×4 crop space…plus we now have seeds to try it again next year

 

 
 
If you want to take it to another level of being sustainable, make your own flour tortillas. (also from the recipe book above)
 
Flour Tortillas or Chapathis
Ingredients
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder (opt)
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter or oil
1 cup warm water
Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Work in butter or oil…this is optional as well. Add enough water
soft, pliable dough. Knead lightly on floured surface.Divide into 6 balls, let rest, covered for 15- 20 
minutes. Roll into thin circles, between sheets of floured, waxed paper. Bake in ungreased, heavy 
skillet, or griddle, until brown specks appear on cooking side. Cook over and cook on the other side. 

These store well in fridge or freezer. Makes 16 servings.

Sadie and I… aka Sweet Girl at the end of summer

“You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your
environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the
earth, which is the highest form of prayer.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh~

Thank you for coming to visit me today.

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

Blessings from Hope

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Peanut Butter Flax Cookies~Saying Goodbye

/ Lee Reynolds

 

I’ve had him for eighteen years. You’d think that would be enough, but it’s not. And yet, I’m ever so mindful that I have been blessed. I am a blessed, beyond measure mom. I’m blessed, because I know there are women out there, who would have given anything for just one day holding their baby.

There are women out there, who will never know the joy of watching their baby take his first step, say mama for the first time, watch him turn back with a smile and a wave as he heads off to kindergarten and finally say,  “I love you,” as he leans down for a hug and a kiss before heading off to University.

And so with that awareness and with tears in my eyes, I say goodbye. Not just for me but for those women who will never even have the chance to say, “hello.” It’s a knowledge that fills me up with abundant gratitude and humbleness, it spills out of my heart with vast appreciation for all I’ve been given, so that on days like this, I remember, it could have been different.

I could have been that other woman.

Also, Harrison was a baby that almost wasn’t.

I was in my late 30’s when he was born. Very late. In fact, I turned 39 a month before he was born and in those days, well even in these days, there is this belief that once you hit 40, it’s game over as far as fertility goes. He made it in what most would call under the wire since most couples choose to have their families before they hit that “Four oh” number.

Another reason Harrison was almost not on earth was because well, I had a husband who was content and happy with our three children. We had our lovely daughter Alyssa Rae, and our son Clark Douglas (named after my dad and David’s grandfather) and even had a “bonus,” baby, “Mitchell David,” who was born when I was thirty six. (David was 37)

When I watched our three kids have their snacks around the colourful, little Tykes picnic table in our kitchen, it always felt like someone was missing. I couldn’t explain this to anyone, but it felt like a deep void in our family. Our best friends at the time, all felt that a two child family was perfect and they often referred to our family of five as BIG, and they were in awe as to how we managed it.

Also, my in laws felt we had pushed the limits when we had had three children. Certainly, my mother in law didn’t understand why I would give up my career and have a third baby. She shook her head and said, “if we had had a choice, we would have only had two children.” Hmmm, I often wondered how their daughter and son, who were number 3 and 4 felt about THAT! Maybe they didn’t even know that these were her feelings, or did they? Even my mom, who loved babies, felt like I had my hands full with our three and when I tried to share my dream of having one more baby, she didn’t understand, even though I was HER number four baby.

But life has a way of flowing and finding it’s natural progression and like a river, whose destiny is to meet the ocean, Harrison glimpsed an opening and quietly slipped through the curtain to find his way under my heart.

He was meant to be.

That was a tough pregnancy for me emotionally, since most of my support system didn’t understand my desire for another baby. They were all perplexed as to why we would have one more. Also, David spent most of those nine months very quiet. At first, he was concerned that with us being older, there would be health issues for the baby or myself but even after the amnio results assured us that our little one was perfect, he remained detached from me. I suppose in hindsight, he was trying to come to terms with having a larger family, one bigger than he had ever dreamed of, and of course, now that he was the main breadwinner, he was probably feeling stressed.

The moment Harrison was born though, two weeks early just before Christmas in 1998, it felt like he had always been with us. He was the sweetest baby and made these soft mewing noises as he settled into my arms. And if David had any misgivings of having another baby, they vanished when holding his son for the first time for he realized that he looked, EXACTLY like him.

Harrison Drew, finally in my arms. I knew this baby was meant to be!
The most peaceful, yet powerful thing is watching your strong husband sleep with your tiny baby..David and Harrison

 

Harrison with his classic pooh bear. I used to sing a little song to him, “Harrison Drew, Winnie the Pooh, what a sweet, sweet little babe.”

In retrospect, little Harrison Drew’s babyhood and childhood flew by. When you have many children, the focus is always moving and although it lingers on which ever child needs the most attention in the moment, or which ever child is shining the brightest, Harrison always found a way to lighten our household with his quick wit and brilliant humour and we paused to admire this lovely child as he grew. He was strong minded as well, so in that regard he was an easy child to raise because we knew exactly what he liked and did not like….and his stubbornness meant we couldn’t sway him.

When Harrison arrived, he just completed our family nicely….four was our number for a long while

I’ll never forget picking him up from preschool one time and he looked up at me and complained, “they made me do a craft today!” he wailed. And over his head, me with questioning eyes found his teacher Jennifer laughing. She explained that, “well, yes, we had him make a finger puppet today so he could participate when we read a special book at story time.” I looked at his big blue eyes (they are now more green like mine) with their long lashes and had to laugh. Yes, this little boy knew exactly what he wanted in life and it was not doing crafts!

In this picture you can see that colourful picnic table in our kitchen…it always felt like someone was missing until Harrison arrived. Here are Harrison and Mitchell with Harrison’s new birthday gift…fire engine

But he moved through his childhood with a determination of knowing what he wanted and that made it easy. When David picked him up from ski lessons another time, the ski instructor said, “your son doesn’t want to follow the group or me for that matter,” so David pulled him out of formal lessons and just had Harrison ski with him and his older brothers. Those boys were thrilled to teach their little brother how to find the best jumps and it was always a competition to go fast and see who had the highest air time. And even though his older brother received his second Dan is Tae know do at age 16, Harrison was happy with his black belt that he got when he was 12 and said, he was done with marital arts.

And when summer came, even though he had older siblings who were lifeguards and swim instructors, when I asked him if he wanted to finish his Red Cross program, (he only had one more level to complete) he said, “save the money, because I can swim well enough.” He was always questioning the value of things, both in time and in money.

When it came to music, after playing violin for six years he knew definitively that he wanted to study percussion, even though my heart was set on him continuing to play the strings with his older brothers. He would tap on everything he could get his hands on until we switched him over to drum lessons which he took most of high school. And he knew soccer and basketball would be the only sports for him, even though he tried volleyball one season and said, “nope, not his sport.” I think he would have really loved to have played Rugby too, but he was aware of the physical risks involved …thank heavens he listened to that brain injury rant of mine!

He always had a thing for athletic shoes!…wearing his big brother’s shoes!

And when it came time for him to decide which University to attend, it was no contest. He knew he wanted to take business and the University of Victoria, which is his older sister’s Alma mater, and where his older brother Mitchell currently attends, was the best choice for him. Even though, there is a perfectly great University just down the road from our home, he was going to go away to attend school.

Some of our best family memories were on Vancouver Island…why am I surprised that he wants to attend University there?

 

Harrison on his graduation day, June 2017

I’ve known for 18 years that this day would come. I’ve known all summer that it was almost upon my doorstep. Why is it always so hard to say goodbye when the time comes? This summer, as I would drive him to work, or on the return journey home, or when he and I were just hanging out in the family room, drinking some ice tea and chatting, I would tell him everything in my heart.

I asked Harrison to go and get a cabbage from the garden for coleslaw one night and he came up holding it like it was a basketball….had to take a picture of that ’cause this is another thing I will miss…watching him shine on the court

Things like;

How to live life fully, experiencing everything and being your best self, but being mindful of others along the path. To appreciate the gift of a post secondary education and to not squander the opportunity by wasting time and fooling around. Work first, play second. Be kind, be respectful, be polite. Respect and honour women and elders. Use everything you have to leave this world a better place and take care of our planet for the generations to come.

always with love…

I’ve been lecturing all summer and in hindsight, I wished I had been loving more, but I have always felt like I had to be the tough parent. You know the strict one. I play the bad cop often and my husband plays the good cop. That makes me mad sometimes, ’cause I want my kids to love me the best, but it’s okay in the end. As long as they grow to live up to their potential, and if that means that I’m the one who rants on and on and pushes them further, and my husband stands by as a quiet supporter, often moving us quickly from a hard subject with a witty retort or joke, well so be it. I hope when Harrison has some time away from the family and takes a moment to reflect on how he was parented, he knows, I always had his back and I was the one who wanted him long before he came to earth.

One thing I did this past summer, to keep our connection strong, was make sure he had a few treats. When I picked him up from his job at the Home Depot and then his landscaping job, I always had some frosty ice tea waiting in the car for him. On several occasions I made some yummy blueberry muffins (see a later post) and there was ALWAYS thick slices of zucchini bread for his lunch time snack. He recently informed me that he doesn’t really like cookies any longer but there is one that he still enjoys and before he left I made sure to make a big batch of……

my peanut butter flax seed cookies.

If there is one cookie Harrison enjoys…it’s one with peanut butter in it…the flax is a nice nutty touch

I know a lot of people are allergic to peanuts (so sorry!) but thankfully, none of our children have been and that is a good thing because we all love peanut butter in our house. I know our kids really love to be able to have peanut butter cookies and sandwiches all summer long since they can’t have them during the school year.

So if you are like us and love a really good peanut butter cookie, you will love this one and hey, it’s pretty healthy too, well relatively healthy anyway.  And maybe if there is someone in your life that you have to say goodbye to, make some cookies, and as you are hugging them, slip them into their backpack with a note that says, “you are LOVED!”

Not a great picture as the sun was sprinkling it’s light, but this was Harrison and I saying goodbye at 8 am this morning
Instead of goodbye, I think I will just say, “see you soon, I love you!!!” David and Harrison off to University…kind of a tradition now for my husband to take our kids to school….while I stay home and cry while writing a blog post pouring it all out!

 

I hope you join me in the kitchen to make these soft, chewy cookies. and while we mix, we can listen to this song. Maybe you will cry with me as I sing  “How to say goodbye,” by Michael W. Smith.

This song is dedicated to my sweet son Harrison.

Shine on!

If you have a child who is still at home, yes we have to provide a strong foundation for them to grow, and if you are like me, maybe a lecture or two along the way, but a plateful of cookies now and then is another way to remind them they are loved. Although we are moving more and more towards eating less sugar, I think my cookie jar will always be full as long as I have children at home

Love them while you have a chance to…’cause saying goodbye reminds me they are with us for only a blink of an eye. 

 If we have to say goodbye, let us unwrap this time, and see it for the gift it is; a lesson in living more fully and awake.

Hope’s Peanut butter Flax seed Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup of butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter…we use the organic peanut butter from Costco
11/4 cups all purpose flour….can use half whole wheat for a healthier cookie
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a large bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy. Add the egg and vanilla.
Add peanut butter until well combined
In a separate bowl, add all the remaining ingredients.
Stir dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix well.
Spoon tablespoon and roll into balls. USING A Fork (Harrison likes flattened cookies) flatten cookies using a criss cross pattern. I like to sprinkle a bit more flax on top of each cookie…a single whole peanut is a nice touch too.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

Makes 24 cookies…of course I double the above for our family….these cookies go fast!!!

Thank you for visiting today. Please come back soon. It’s been a funny summer for me but this fall I hope to spend more time talking about moving towards a simpler life…minimalist posts, more posts on raising children and more time out in the garden. Come back again…

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

Blessings from Hope

Broccoli and Three Cheese Quiche, New Chicken Run and a Family update

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Welcome to my homestead! Gates are a big things around here lately. They keep things in and they allow others to move through them with ease. I hope your summer’s gate is opening gently.

Gates allow us to enter an new experience…sometimes that experience is AHHHH! the chickens got out!

I don’t know about you, but summer is flying by in my part of the world. Before August arrives though, I thought I would give you an update on what’s been going on around here and also share what may be around the corner. If you dropped in for a piece of my Broccoli and Three Cheese Quiche, scroll down to the bottom of the page, but I hope you come back for a longer visit next time.

If you can stay….

Come, let me pour you some sun ice tea and join me for a visit.

 

After this picture was taken, David secured our wobbly front yard chairs, finally ’cause we have been eating outside a lot this summer and these are my fav chairs to sit in, the arm rest holds a glass of ice tea perfectly!

Well, back to the visit,

I have to ask you,

do you like chickens?

We love our chickens!

Sadie, (always in the middle of all the pictures) and Clara and Annie check out some lavender which I put in their nest boxes

“Sadie, (aka, Sweet Girl), Cocoa, Clara and Annie,” are a huge part of our family, much to the dismay of our Siamese Cat, “Ryukki.” Ever since they moved into our back forty last year, he doesn’t meander as often into the back garden. No, now he seems to prefers sitting on the deck, perusing their activities from above, like a king on his cushion. When he does venture passed their coop,  he haughtily holds up his head, his tail flicking, as he ignores their existence.

But, just like us, I think he finds them intriguing.

And while we love our chickens, the challenge with chickens is that they don’t co-habit well with a garden. At least in an orderly fashion.

Oh no!

Their favourite activities are digging holes and having dirt baths, scratching up worms but in the process preventing seeds from germinating, and then there is the bathroom issue, ahem, they go WHEREVER they want.

Our girls digging along our cedar hedge. In the summer time they love sleeping under these bushes

No chickens are not ideal if you are wanting a well groomed garden and certainly not a good idea if for instance you enjoy walking barefoot in your yard.

The other thing about chickens are once you get them, it’s a bit like that book I read to my kids, “If you give a mouse a cookie, he will want milk to go with it,” etc.

Once we finally decided to get chickens, we had to have a brooder box, a little water font, a small feeder, then a coop, then a larger run, a bigger feeder, then a water font, and then it’s winter and they need a heated water font, and a heat lamp, well, you get the idea.

Who would have thought that they are high maintenance critters.

ALSO,

If you have chickens, and a garden, you may need a fence, or a larger run for them.

All through winter as I kept my chickens alive in our back forty, despite our very cold, often 20 and 30 below weather, I thought about the challenges they pose as I trudged through the snow with their fresh water and food. What to do about my love of chickens and my love for a garden?

So this spring before we planted the veggie garden, I knew we had to do something to keep everyone happy. Especially after reading the book below last winter I knew we had to set things up differently.

(The book above, “Free -Range Chicken Gardens,” by Jesse Bloom, is an informative book with beautiful photos. Reading it last winter made me think chickens and gardens go together harmoniously, but setting both up takes some planning.)

You see, I wanted to let them have some freedom and exercise but knew they would mostly need to be “cooped” up so I finally came up with a plan to add an extension to their current roomy coopy cottage.

The only other big problem was that I started working at my gardening gig the day after Earth day (April 23rd) and our family was extremely busy with various family commitments and activities. Then the kids got sick, which I wrote about a few posts back, “layering faith.” Add to that, I also wanted to build additional raised beds and get my little kids involved in gardening this year.

After David and the boys ripped up the plants above the pool this spring, since the retaining wall is falling apart and has to be rebuilt, he got working on building new raised garden beds. While he did this, I prepared the garden spaces I did have, I moved my strawberries to two of the new raised garden beds and then I planted my garden.

 

DAvid putting his new chainsaw to good use

 

Some of the stumps weighed several hundred pounds

 

And this project is NEXT now that the chickens have their new run

 

The little kids and their garden beds

 

Sadie likes to get into every photo…it’s uncanny how she creeps into pictures!

 

Early July, the raised beds are just starting to grow

The whole time we were out doing projects in the yard our girls/chicks were looking out through their hardware cloth walls and saying, “Bok, Bok, Bok.” I would let them out for short stints to run around the yard, nibble grass and dig where they were allowed. I always had the garden hose, with a dynamite spray head on hand if they got into my newly planted garden.

I let my green onions return for the 2nd year and as you can see  in the foreground they are turning to seed….I love collecting seeds. This is a picture of the garden next to the pool in early July…things are just coming up

Did you know chickens are smart! They knew exactly where they were allowed to roam and quickly caught on that mom’s garden beds were OFF LIMITS. And yet, they could be found glancing at me to see if the rules had changed as they tried to casually wander, “pluck, pluck, pluck,” into garden territory, only to be shocked and offended when a spray of water hit them. I would be standing there, garden hose in hand, yelling in my mom voice, “No chickens in the garden!” They are just like my kids, I don’t know how many times I’ve told them to close the gate after themselves so the chickens don’t get out! and they always act like they never heard this request before as we are madly chasing the chickens around our side and front yard.

Finally, most of the projects were completed and David bought some framing lumber, some hardware cloth and got down to framing. But it was slow going. (THE cool thing is that Harrison, our 18 year old has been working at Home Depot so we are there a lot dropping him off and picking him up)

 

The plan was to build another 6′ by 6′ run at the end of their current coop and you would think, no big deal.

I didn’t think it would take long but it took forever to find a few free days to get the framing done.

This spring….

We had birthday parties.

On May 20th the twins turned 6 years old

And we had concerts….

Victoria and Kathryn playing at their year end concert
The theme for the Country Fair was Fiesta so Will wore a Canadian flag and a Sombrero…since we are celebrating Canada’s 150 year old birthday this year…and well a Sombrero says…party like nothing else…the little girls had Mardi Gras beads and fancy glasses for their Fiesta costume…Grace went as a teenager…enough said

And then there was the Country Fair at our cool historic music school. Will played cello, the little girls played piano and Grace sang beautifully with her choir.

Then there were…..

Visits from family. Auntie B and Uncle J…and puppy, Dugan. Wish you were closer~

Soccer games, this is Harrison’s last year playing with the North Okanagan soccer group

And more soccer….

Victoria hamming it up for the camera

All the little kids played soccer this year.

Oh, then there was a graduation. Our son Harrison completed grade 12 and is off to University in September.

Alyssa and Mitchell (our older kids on the Island) sent their best wishes and our oldest son Clark was working on this day but the rest of the gang was here, David and I with Harrison,Grace, Will, Kate and Tori

Congratulations Harrison!

And as if this weren’t enough, we had more birthday parties….William turned eight!

And wanted to go and climb some walls for his birthday experience

Oh and then there was the year end ballet recital….

Victoria and Kathryn danced to the song, “It’s a Small World.” (Year two of dance)

Then there were the final year end school activities….

At the beach…I relented and bought them a ice drink with vanilla ice cream in it

 

Bittersweet…the year end wrap up for the kindergarten class. Welcome Summer! When they return to school they will be big grade one kids

And around this time was also Grace’s grade 8, RCM piano exam, my gardening gig wrap up, somewhere in all there was Mother’s day and Father’s day and at the beginning of July, my grad reunion back in my hometown of Creston and FINALLY, a BIG 150 birthday celebration for Canada.

Happy 150th Birthday Canada….our flag on our deck

.

It was a activity rich spring and early summer, hence my lack of blogging. I find it hard to live life fully, and blog about it. I would REALLY like to meet real life bloggers who are actively writing. I would ask, “Where in the heck do you find time to write?”…and then live the life you are blogging about?”

Did I mention that during this entire time I was also writing with a group of lovely women at the historic old Caetani house…which is a mecca for the arts?

Yep! but hold your breath for my memoir or first novel.

FIRST…..

We need to build a chicken run.

Throughout all the activities and projects we had on the go, our beautiful chickens were patient.

Of course they ARE spoiled chickens, even if they are mostly cooped up. I bring them treats from the garden; kale, lettuce, swiss chard, spinach, lemon balm, and now that we are into berry season they are eating luscious strawberries and raspberries.  Then every night they get a bedtime snack which varies but their fav is sunflower, pumpkin seeds, and Cocoa LOVES raisins.

When David and I returned from Creston, and my grad reunion, he finally got down to business. Once he starts rolling with a project, he puts every waking hour into it and recently he was able to attach their addition, which he mostly built and painted in the garage.

It would have been easier had our property been level but everything is on a slope and he had to build up the area with landscape ties before securing the addition.

Okay, drum roll please…..

And here is how it turned out….

Here is their new addition…the roof is a lovely lattice work top which allows the sun to shine on our chickens….and offers a bit of shade too (the wood parts are white washed so they are protected and the top was a sage green stain)

Now they have extra space and  yes I wish I had pictures of their expression when they checked out the expanded real estate. Did you know chickens can smile? “Bok, Bok, Bok.” In the mornings I find them enjoying the first rays of the sun and digging their beloved holes in the dirt.

One of my raspberry bushes hedges is beside them and then I’m also growing some pumpkins next to their run.
Here’s a peek through the plum trees at the new run. In time the trees with give them more shade which will be lovely on a hot day

Well, now that the run is built, our next project is to take down the old landscape tie walls above the pool. Since we have chosen to build a river bed rock retaining walls, like many of the other walls throughout our yard, it’s going to be a big project. When it’s done, I can see herbs, perennials, and vegetables all growing lushly. I even have a day dream of watermelon and cantaloupe growing in this bed, since it gets full sun and there is good irrigation. Wouldn’t it be cool to be down at the pool and have guests over and ask them if they wanted some watermelon and then just going and picking one off the vine?

I will keep you in the loop on our progress. It’s going to take the rest of the season to accomplish this wall and probably well into fall too.

But getting back to summer and chickens. We have been really lucky to have such great layers and what to do with all those nutritious eggs? Well, vegetable quiche of course.

 

Every day we usually get 3 or 4 eggs which is not tons…but keeps us in eggs for baking and the occasional quiche

I have made several quiche over the last few months and they are delicious. The texture is beautiful and I find the combination of broccoli and cheese perfect. Who doesn’t like cheese with broccoli? Also, they are such an easy thing to make the night before and you can easily warm them up for dinner the next day. Perfect for summer. Just add a salad, some fruit and you have a wonderful meal. But here is my warning. Don’t expect……

ANY

leftovers!

Wahhhhhhh!

But it’s all good, since everyone is smiling before dinner and it’s a light meal when it’s boiling hot outside, like today and you want something but nothing too heavy.

The only thing a bit time consuming is making homemade pie crust but I have found a no fail, always flaky recipe for pie crust.

Come on….

Want to join me in the kitchen and we will make some pastry? I use the Tenderflake lard and the recipe is on the box.

It’s perfect every time!

Pastry for two pies (You can always freeze one of the quiche if you want to as well)

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 pound of Tenderflake lard
1 egg, stirred slightly
1/2 tbsp of vinegar
A bit under 1/2 cup of cold water

Directions

1.  Mix the flour and salt
2.  Cut the lard in with a pastry blender until the shortening is pea size pieces
3. Crack an egg in a measuring cup, stir, add the vinegar
4. Add cold water to make 1/2 cup
5. Stir the liquid into the flour mixture, but mix until the dough is forming a ball, don’t over mix
6. Take ball and break into 2 portions. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour
7  Pull it out and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, being mindful not to use too much
flour, sprinkle it on a flat surface and roll the dough evenly. When rolled out transfer to your pie
pie plates

 

Broccoli and Three Cheese Quiche

Ingredients (double for 2 pies)

2 tbsp of olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped onion
3 – 4 cups of broccoli
4 eggs
1 cup of half and half or whole milk
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp of dried dill
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Saute garlic and onions in oil in a frying pan. Add broccoli, salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes

While broccoli is cooking, stir eggs and half and half together in a bowl

Once broccoli is lightly tender, place it in the bottom of your prepared unbaked pie crust.

Add the egg and half and half mixture to the broccoli, then sprinkle with the cheese. I put the cheddar down first, then the mozzarella, and finally the Parmesan on the very top….add then sprinkle the dill and you are ready to bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Ta Da!

That was easy hey? And it’s a good thing as it gets eaten in a blink of an eye around here.

Dig in!

Well that wraps up my update. Before you go, want to hear an old song that I remember being played on the radio when I was a child? Warning, it may linger with you…. It reminds me of long days, warm sun and lemonade. I hope you enjoy listening to “A Theme from a Summer’s Place by Percy Faith.” Click the hyper-link if you can click below.

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

Happy Summer!

Blessings from Hope

 

 

 

Lasagna Gardening and Layering Faith

/ Lee Reynolds

 

Welcome! So nice to see you….

Thanks for coming to visit today. I’m sorry I’ve been in ex-communicado. In the last month, A LOT of stuff has been going on at the homestead.

Of course, Easter came and went. The kids above, William, Victoria and Kathryn with their eggs they decorated and my classic bunny cake in the fore ground….this was coconut though so it was even yummier than usual. (I will do a blog post about my coconut cake baking of late)

Then,

A month ago, on Earth day, I started working at my gardening gig.

I love it!

I love being around the plants, the people and the staff who work there.

It’s a perfect fit for me since I’m a green ambivert. I get a real high being and talking with people, especially about growing plants and helping them select flowers and veggies for their garden. It takes me into a BLISSFUL state.

You know you have found your calling when time flies and you are in BLISS.

But I also love when we have time at the garden centre to meditatively maintain the plants and the crowds have slowed down. Making the garden centre look great is also a blissful process.

These cute planters are made by one of my co-workers…she’s very creative and they were perfect for Mother’s Day!

Yes, all was well at first but ya know, when you are running the ship all year round and you take a bit of a leave, the balance shifts and the ship starts to list. When at I’m at work, the house work isn’t kept up, groceries aren’t purchased, healthy meals aren’t produced AND eaten. Then we are scrambling to take kids to school or pick them up at the end of the day and take them to their activities or in our older kids cases; THEIR jobs.

Yes JOBS.

Now it feels like our whole family is working outside the house. So grateful for the work!

Of course, like Murphy’s law the week that I start working, our oldest son Clark, who has been working part time at his Science centre job since finishing his degree last June, also gets another job. And this landscaping gig is full time and GREAT. Also, it will provide the financial boost he needs to start law school, which hopefully he will start in the fall. Fingers crossed, still waiting to hear if the ONLY law school he applied at will accept him. A whole other story! But hey, I’m holding the vision and having faith… that everything will work out there.

Anyway we are happy and excited to see more money roll in but of course my number 1 helper for driving little kids around and pitching in around the house and yard is GONE now 7 days a week. Yep, he’s been working now over 21 days straight since he has kept his weekend job going as well.

Clark helping dispose of all the stumps and roots from the plants we dug up in our beds….some were 200 hundred pounds….here are only a few

Oh, and yes, then there is also our 18 year old son, Harrison, who will graduate from high school soon and decided  he needed to start looking for a job a bit before summer and beat the hordes of kids who will all be looking for summer employment. Thankfully, the first place he applied at hired him but interestingly enough his job started just a bit before I started working too. OF course! His dad is thrilled though since his part time job is at Home Depot. This massive store has to be my husband David’s favourite place to shop.There is something about being around tools, lumber and all that hardware that puts a smile on his face.

So we were happy for Harrison, even though now that he is working, it adds another twist tp our already busy schedule. But since he will be off to University soon, and can use the money from his job to offset school expenses we will be thankful. With the gain there is a loss and in this case my lawn mower, and number two cook and bottle washer in the kitchen has left the building to carry lumber and plant material to people’s cars. BOO!

So with everyone working, and our usual busy list of  kid activities and school affairs, the ship was listing badly and although we weren’t drowning, I had my eyes on the lifeboats.

                              Then the storm came.

It was three weeks ago when I woke up out of the dead of night to hear a seal barking. Odd. Was that in my dream? As I came more fully awake, I realized it was coming from the twins room. I grabbed my robe and went to investigate. I found our tiny Kate,one of our 5 year old twins sitting up in bed barking with a terrible croupy cough.

Oh, I have heard that before. Funny none of our older children ever had it but when our 6th little one was a toddler he had several very scary croupy sessions. One night we flew him to the emergency room extremely worried we would lose him as he was turning blue trying to catch his breath. I kept thinking that I had worked so hard to finally bring him to earth and then we lose him at 18 months….. but in all the in and out of the car and the cold night air flowing, by the time we got to the hospital, while he was still coughing his colour was better.

Kate turned to me with panic in her eyes and I knew it was critical. I swooped her out of her upper loft bed, wrapped a big comforter around her  and flew out our master bedroom door to our back deck and into the cold night air. Please let her breathe, was what I was thinking.  As I held her close, her little body wracked with a loud barking cough. I could hear tiny gasps of breath wheezing through so I told her to take little breaths. “Little breaths Katie, little breaths.” The night air hit me like a freight train and I shivered as I held her close, pulling the comforter around her shoulders and neck. I was praying and praying that the coughing would ease and she would be able to breathe easier.

If you have ever experienced such a moment with your child, you know you pray with all your being. In my case, I was just thinking, let her live and I will be a better mom. It’s scary out there in the dark night air and not knowing if this will be enough to open up her airways. Thankfully, after what felt like hours and was really only about 1/2 hour her coughing eased but I kept her out for another 1/2 hour more until the coughing was just intermittent. Finally, I stood up with her bundled in my arms and took her to my bed. My husband hadn’t woken up at all but he has been known to sleep through all of our 8 babies crying, even the twins, so I wasn’t surprised.

I got the vaporizer set up beside my side of the bed and putting Kate on the outside of our bed, I  had her face in the flow of cool air. I crawled in beside her and held her close. Somehow we drifted off to sleep. When she woke up, while she was extremely tired, the worst was over.

Or I thought!

Although she recovered, a few days later William came home coughing from school and for about a week he was under the weather but he pushed through school for a few days and then seemed to recover over the weekend. Then he returned to school but while at his first day of swimming lessons with his class, he crashed and that day his fever spiked. When I picked him up after school at the end of the day he was laying in the school office’s sick room, burning up with a fever. He kept saying to me, “I had to push through” I felt so bad because he was one sick little boy.

For two days I nursed him with Tylenol and fluids but when he didn’t improve we took him to the Dr. It was then that we discovered that his virus had turned into a bacterial infection and he was promptly put on antibiotics. Also, they wanted a chest X-ray. The next morning, I got my sick little boy dressed and I took him down to the X-ray clinic only to find out their power was out and we would have to come back.

Do you ever feel like the world is against you? Well, this was one of those times. Everything felt like it was ready to collapse. Later that day I roused him again and finally we got his x-ray done but you know your child who has TONS of energy normally, is really sick when he is quiet and listless.

Of course William wasn’t the only one sick at this point. Grace, our 14 year old was battling what we discovered was the same virus which by the weekend had worsened and when we took her to the Dr. we found out she had a throat infection and was also put on antibiotics….and William’s x-rays confirmed our worst fear; pneumonia!

I still find it interesting that Will’s infection manifested in his lungs and Grace’s in her throat. Sadly, she had been chosen to sing for a voice scholarship at our music school and she could hardly talk, let alone sing so she missed that opportunity. Why do things like this always happen?

The other kids also had varying ills; sore throats, runny noses, tired, and over all we were all falling apart.

Oh, on top of all that, did I mention that my husband David had to go out of to work for a few days AND our washing machine decided to stop working. Yes! Don’t you love it when things really fall apart?

Because that is when your faith is really TESTED!

Thankfully, my employers were so understanding and even though it’s their busy season my boss kept saying to me, “babies come first.” I was able to focus on nursing my children, making sure they took their medication, they were hydrated and once they turned the corner which was days, I was able to ease them back into eating food. Mostly smoothies at first and I made a chicken and noodle soup with ginger and on another day a minestrone.

I must have traveled from the kitchen to their rooms about 50 times a day but by the end of the week they were able to get out of bed and lay on the couch in the family room.

When I wasn’t nursing sick kids, I was sterilizing our house. I went around and washed down door handles and bathrooms and I scrubbed our house with sudsy soapy water with vinegar…everywhere. When the kids finally were feeling better, I was exhausted but I went to work for the weekend as David was able to take over. Our washing machine was still broken though, so we had to take loads of wash to the laundry mat….oh that weekend was fun.

Minestrone recipe coming soon….it was sooooo good!!!

Although I felt like I was fighting something, there is power in having a purpose, and also being out in the fresh air, albeit mostly cold as it’s been such a rainy and wet spring, (I think this has been part of the problem as we need to all dry up!!!) that kept me going.

So while I did have to put my family in their life jackets and we got in the life boats for awhile, we
never drowned.

 

William starting to mend and was very hungry….check out the quote on his shirt…empowering our children with their own mantras and building layers of faith is an important way to give them life long tools

There was even a day at the end of the week when the kids were watching movies in the family room that I was finally able to get out and fill my two, newly made raised beds with the LASAGNA gardening method. David had built one and then another 4×8 raised garden beds and it was my job to fill them.

It’s really a fun way of creating lovely garden soil for your plants and instead of just bringing in a truck load of top soil, it’s a lot easier and more in line with how Mother Nature makes rich hummus.

I started by laying a thick layer of newspaper in the bottom of the bed to cover the grass and then I laid large pieces of heavy cardboard on top of that. I made sure to water each layer as I went. On top of the cardboard I put about 6 inches of chicken bedding. The last time I had cleaned out the chicken house was at the end of November. All winter we used the deep litter method; where you just keep laying down a fresh bed of pine shavings and the chickens dig that in with their manure.

After laying down the newspaper and cardboard I watered it really well…note nearby hose…

 

Time to really clean out the chicken run and coop…here is Sadie in the run, she loves to get underfoot and get a pet

I thought I would be cleaning out their chicken house long before May but it had been so cold that I kept putting it off, plus the bedding helps to keep the chicken’s warm. Cleaning the run and coop was perfectly timed with building the raised bed as this dirt/ pine shavings/ chicken manure, although not composted, was good fill for next to the cardboard.

After that layer, I mowed our lawn which was really long with all the rain and I added the lawn clippings on top of the chicken run material. Then I added the dry leaves I had kept from last fall and after the leaves, I added another layer of newspaper, just ’cause I had it and I wanted to bring the worms to the surface…..since they love wet newspaper. To top off the bed I had some aged compost and finally I added a few bags of organic dirt since I would be planting right in this bed.

You can see some of the layers in this picture

Although the ideal time to make a lasagna bed is in the fall, you can do it any time as long as you make sure you are planting in aged compost or soil as I did this spring.

Here’s a great video from the “Garden Fork,” showing Lasagna Gardening in action

Once my beds were ready, it was time to dig up my old strawberry bed that was getting old and needed to be refurbished. Plus, with my cedars growing tall beside the old strawberry beds, they really needed more sunshine so moving them to an all day sun location will allow the strawberries to produce sweeter and more abundantly. So I dug up the newer plants in the bed, (which were created from the runners from the mother plant) and moved them all over to the raised garden beds.

I was able to get 32 plants in each bed so with two raised beds we now have 64 strawberry plants. Although we will be taking off the blossoms this year to allow the energy to go into the plant, next year we should be able to get .5 to 1 lb of strawberries from every foot of garden…which means 32 to 64 pounds of strawberries next year. So worth the effort to make these beds!

(Note; strawberries like the soil a bit more acidic so adding some peat moss and digging it into the final compost is ideal) Also, if you have some hay or wood chips you can mulch around the strawberries….this will keep the weeds down, keep the bed evenly moist and prevent the strawberries from getting wet and going moldy.

As I was layering in all the garden waste, and planting the beautiful strawberry plants on top, I was thinking about life. Being out in  the garden always gets me reflecting on my life and how I walk my path.

I was thinking about the last few weeks and how I have had to draw on my layers of faith that I have been laying down my whole life.

From my childhood, I learned many Bible stories and how to love God. I learned how Jesus came to earth to be able to experience this human condition (really tough at times even in 1st World countries) and how God so loved us that he was willing to let Jesus die on the cross for us. (If you are turned off by words of God or Jesus, hang in there ’cause I’m making my point…this for my daughter Alyssa and others who may feel the same)

On the days when I think I can’t go on, what keeps me going is a bible verse  I found as a child on a bookmark in my mom’s Bible. It read,

“I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13 of the New King James Version

Surely, as a young widow of 40 with 4 daughters to watch over, my mom had to use that verse daily to get her through the first few years after my dad died and I have found great comfort and inspiration in using it as well. On my darkest days, I recite it with each breath. Just as my little Katie was gasping for air when she had croup, I breathe it into my soul and it sustains me.

But for me, my faith is multi layered and I often think of my Buddhist teachings as well; reciting more wise words;

“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”

Knowing that my mind is powerful, when I stay present and focus in on what I’m thinking, what I’m experiencing, what I believe and what I want to achieve, it moves me forward with intent.  I am grateful that I learned early in my life that I am not alone, that God always walks with me, and I have been given powerful tools to create  a rich and meaningful life.

But the inspiration does not end there.

Oh no!

I think of Mother Teresa and her endless compassion when I parent my children and her loving words come to mind,

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

When I recite those words, I think of the peace that emanated from Mother Teresa and how her kind, love and compassion still vibrates on this earth. Those vibrations touch me and fill me up.

Then there is my admiration for Mahatma Gandhi and his humanitarian heart. He was the one who said,  

“Religions are different roads converging to the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goal …”

Throughout history and even now there are wars being fought against people’s varying religions and beliefs. Each person thinking that their way of looking at the world is right and just. I think this is one reason I have layered my faith because there isn’t just one right faith. (in my humble opinion anyway)

I think this is also the reason a few of my older children have chosen to turn away from religion as they see so much contradiction in the world. How can people who claim they are religious, hurt others, or make judgement calls. They just don’t get it…and I see their point of view but it’s sad ’cause having faith is a powerful tool in life but we don’t have to use it against each other. We need it to lift us up.

Why can’t we all just come together and make one big lasagna, full of delicious ingredients, creating a diverse and fertile soil for everyone to thrive in. Anything to get us through our days and to keep us connected with each other. Anything to bring peace to this earth. Let peace,  hope, faith, and love be the layers we need to build humanity’s soil.

In the last month, with sick kids, a broken washing machine, and everything else, it all adds weight to our boat, somehow I was able to get through it all and I can only say that it was my faith that pulled me through.

Somehow I’m able to reach down to my gut and my heart grows immensely, like the Grinch’s heart once he realized the true meaning of Christmas, it expands and I become a super person with endless power, knowing ANYTHING is possible.

 In the end, AND IN THE END,…...all shall be well.

And while we are all still feeling like we are fighting a virus, I hope the worst is over. I hope the sun shines soon, that we all warm up, that the floods that are plaguing many parts of our country abate. That the people in power leading our countries wake up and realize that we aren’t playing a game, the only people who win in the end are the ones who, like the Grinch realize it’s all about sharing and being loving.

I have to hope and pray, and hold the vision that I have the power to change the world. At least in my little part of it anyway.  For now in my homestead the kids are healing, the washer has been repaired (albeit is leaking…another issue for another day) summer is only around the corner. To keep me going though, something I have dreamed of for several years has come into my life.

I worked late on Mother’s Day, so when I came home the kids had already eaten their dinner and were in their jammies. When they heard my car drive up they yelled, “mommy!!!!” I settled in the living room and while I ate my dinner, Grace played a mini concert for me on the piano and then the kids brought me in a huge big gift wrapped box in paper they had decorated with flowers and hearts. Each child had taken a side and were thrilled to show me their creations. It was too pretty to rip through but they really wanted me to open the gift so finally I tore through the paper and found……drum roll please…..

A VITAMIX!!!!!!!

Finally, one of my long held dreams has come true. Oh, I know, it’s a material thing but if you put me in a tiny house tomorrow with only a few items, this would be one of the only things I would want in my kitchen.

Plus the side benefit is that we get to make smoothies and rather than juicing and losing all the good pulp fibre…we can eat it.

The next morning after I returned from driving the kids to school, I speedily ready through the quick start instructions and figured out how to make a green smoothie…. which I promptly did.

Yum, yum, yum!

When the kids came home I had a berry/banana/yogurt smoothie ready for them…….with a ton of spinach too and they didn’t even notice it!

So in the end, some valuable lessons were learned this spring. That anything is possible if you hold onto your faith. That dreams come true, and that sometimes you have to ask for some help. Not an easy thing for me. The circle of people outside of my immediate family were there for me; .my employers, my co-workers, the kid’s teachers, our family Doctor, my sisters.

All shall be well!

And before I close my blog I wanted to share a song by George Harrison, “Give me love, give me peace on earth.” The lyrics from this song lift me up, “give me hope, help me cope, with this heavy load, trying to touch and reach you with heart and soul.”

I’m grateful for faith!

 And if you watch that video…hang in there and watch the subsequent one that follows, another fav of mine, I cry when I hear George singing, “My Sweet Lord.”

I hope your life is good right now. That your days are easy, that the sun is shining and you are well, but if you feeling like you are drowning, you are not alone. Be gentle on yourself, eat well, get rest when you can, count what blessings you have in your life, connect with others and layer a little faith into your days.

 All shall be well!

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

Blessings from Hope 

 

Banana Bread, Hope and Me

/ Lee Reynolds

                                         What I Know For Sure, is that HOPE sustains us.

Have you been joining Deepak, Oprah and me in the 21 day, “Hope in Uncertain Times.” meditation series? If so, I’m so HAPPY! You are probably heightened to how the feelings of hope sustains you in your life. I can’t imagine life without it. Doing this meditation series has inspired me to write a little piece on “Hope and Me.” (And then share my banana bread recipe with you)

Maybe it will get you thinking about times in your life when hope kept you going.

I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s; a time when peace marches were common, and a book called, “Silent Spring,” by Rachel Carson, ignited the environmental movement like nothing since , “Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden’s Pond,” which had been published over 100 years earlier. Suddenly, like a tidal wave changing an idyllic landscape after World War two, protests erupted all over the world regarding social issues, environmental concerns and race equality. What lay grounded beneath us all, was a thread of hope that if we all pulled together, we could evoke change.

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will ensure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” ~Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring”

John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” was a powerful song for that era, “I hope someday you join us and the world will live as one.”

Has a lot changed since then?

Is there still hope in the world?

If you asked my son who has a degree in Environmental Science, you would think all hope is lost.  I think David Suzuki shares his opinion and yet, without hope, what remains? We need to keep believing that what we do makes a difference on this earth.

Is there any other way to live?

“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost‘s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster. The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth.” ~Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring.”

There was a time in my life that felt hopeless but as long as there is life, there is hope. At least we can keep moving in the direction of being conscious of our choices and deciding how we want to live our life. With hope, or without.

So, without further ado, here is my piece called, “Hope and Me.” It’s a jig saw memoir piece and if you linger afterwards, what goes really well with a little bit of hope? well of course a steaming cup of hot tea and a slice of banana bread still warm from the oven!.

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

Hope and Me


Using a well- known quote of Oprah’s, “what I know for sure,” is that, hope sustains us. Somehow, lying, quietly under the surface of my childhood, the seeds of hope survived. A childhood filled with neglect and loneliness. After my father was killed in an Esso truck accident in 1965, when I was five years old, my mother, also left this earth. Oh sure, she was present physically. But my memory of her is as an empty shell, moving gently with the tide of our days. After Dad died, I also lost my safe and comfortable life.

Adding to the grief, a year later we left the only hometown I had known, ironically called, Hope. We also left two of my older sisters; one who was finishing high school and the other who had just started her banking career. My mom, older sister J and I moved to a nearby city called Chilliwack, which was named for the indigenous tribe who originally settled there and in their language it meant, “quieter waters.” I’m sure mom wanted us to make a fresh start in a city that didn’t know our sorrow, on the shores of a bubbling brook, instead of a river flooded with pain and pity. But a black cloud followed us wherever we went, always threatening to rain tears.

The dark oppressive worry of money hovered overhead as well, and when most children are ignorant of the weight of money, I was acutely aware of its lack. I will never forget when our hot water tank burst and we desperately needed to have it replaced but there was no money for that. My mother’s worried brow covered me in a heavy coat of anxiety. I can remember going to school wondering if others could smell poverty on my skin. Then one night my mom left my sister J and I, to go to bingo with my Auntie Geordie, who was also a struggling single mom. The next morning I found mom humming in the kitchen. She had won the exact amount needed to replace the hot water tank at bingo.


Mom used all her energy to keep the roof over our head, working hard at her hotel front desk clerk position. She often worked the shift that started at 4 pm so she wasn’t there for long when I came home from school and I didn’t see her in the mornings either, since she was sleeping after working the night shift. When she was home, not knowing any other way to engage with her, I would act out or be whiny. It must have been like fingernails on a mother’s chalkboard back. She would put up with it to a point and then suddenly without warning, she’d fly out of her carefully, controlled shell and yell, “Debbie, go to your room and don’t come out until you’re going to be happy.”

As a result, I spent most of my childhood in my bedroom. I would draw pictures of perfect families; starting with a tall Dad and then a bit smaller mom and finally, I would draw children, lots of children; boys and girls and babies, lots of babies. In many of my drawings, looking back at them years later, for my mom saved just about everything, I noticed there was often an angel floating above the families. Was I even conscious of drawing one hovering above at the time?

I remember on several occasions, being sent to my room rather violently, my mom grabbing a piece of my hair and hurtling me towards my bedroom door, which prompted intense feelings of anger and sadness.  Feeling unwanted, I would write long, drawn out goodbye letters, hoping my mom would feel remorseful about pulling my hair once she discovered me gone. Then I would stuff my pillowcase with books, my favourite Suzy Q doll and a small, shabby pink blanket. I would escape through my open window and crawl over to the hydrangea bush in our front yard.

 It was there, in the shelter and shade of that large shrub, that I would sit on my blanket, with Suzy Q by my side and we would be swept away to other worlds reading books. The ground smelled earthy and comforting and when the hydrangea was in bloom, with its large blue lacy like blossoms, I could spend hours under such graceful beauty. Eventually though, hunger would win out and I would crawl back through my window and notice my goodbye note undisturbed. 

 No one has missed me at all.

And such was my childhood. Books helped me escape my loneliness. Sara from, “The Little Princess,” Mary from “The Secret Garden,” and my all- time favourite, “Anne with an e, from Green Gables,” became my closest confidants. Anne said, “Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It’s splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.” And reading outside in the garden restored my soul, so I could endure life. I hoped that like the delicate hydrangea bush that sheltered me, that my life would one day blossom beautifully.


As I pen this childhood memory, a lifetime has elapsed allowing me to draw on many experiences. In hindsight yes, my childhood was sad and lonely but it’s always been during the darkest moments in my life that I have grown the most. Losing my dad, taught me more about life than a lifetime with him in it. And spending my darkest days under the hydrangea bush inspired a love of gardening. When I’m sad all I have to do is go out into nature and I can find my way home again.

 If I had one of those childhood drawings to show you today, you would see that I am the smiling mom in the picture and beside me is a strong and tall man. My husband David is my oak tree, his branches reach out wide, sheltering me from life’s wind and rain. Above his deep roots, I blossom and thrive and together we provide a safe home for our family to grow. He is dad to our 8 incredible, deeply loved children.

They were with me when I was small, little seeds of hope just waiting underground, lying dormant until the sun warmed the earth. They sustained me.



And my mom you ask, who knew, she was with me always, in the only way that she could be and hope sustained her too. And since she has been gone for 5 years now, I’d like to believe she is the angel watching over me.

What I know for sure is that hope sustains us and I wouldn’t want to live any other way.

 

 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..The End
Well, that is one of my life pieces and someday, who knows, maybe I can put the whole picture together. Writing this blog has been not just a way to inspire others to look at ways they can live their life more mindfully, but I hope when I share intimate stories like the one above, it also gets others thinking about the dark days in their life and despite it all their roots burrowed deeper, looking for the nourishment of hope, allowing them to blossom into the person they are today…. beautifully.
And what else sustains us? Good comfort food. For me, banana bread has always been right up there on that comfort list. How about you? And recently I made loaf after loaf of it and it was consumed as fast as it was on the cooling racks, so I think I’m not alone in my feelings about it.
The base recipe I use is from my, “Pillsbury Complete Book of Baking.” Although I have tried many banana bread recipes, I keep coming back to this one. It always gives me THE PERFECT TEXTURE, that I love in banana bread. A good tip for making great bread is to wait until you have REALLY ripe bananas for great texture and taste. Not always easy in our house as we eat our bananas as fast as they come in but occasionally they do get a few brown speckles on them.
Banana Bread (Note: I double the recipe below and make two loafs as it goes FAST!!!)
Ingredients
 
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter (or sometimes I use coconut oil)
2 eggs
1 cup (2 ripe bananas) mashed bananas
1/3 cup milk (I use almond milk but coconut milk would be great too)
1 tsp vanilla (since I double the recipe, I use 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp coconut extract)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired…I use walnuts and you can throw a handful of coconut in as well
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease bottom only of 9×5 or 8×4 inch loaf pans. In large bowl, beat sugar and margarine/butter or coconut oil until light an fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add bananas, milk and vanilla. Blend well. In small bowl, combine flour, nuts baking soda, and salt. Mix well. Add to banana mixture; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into greased pan.
Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes then remove from pan. Cool completely, then wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. 
Yields 1 loaf…16 slices. 
(For a variation you can add 1 cup applesauce instead of bananas,and add 3/4 tsp cinnamon with the flour)
These were the first loaves I made recently

 

I can deal with anything when I have a cup of tea and a slice of banana bread, how ’bout you?
I made so many loaves that when I made the loaves in this picture, I hardly had any flour left. I only had enough for 2 cups but since I was doubling my recipe, I put 2 cups of oatmeal in the food processor and made 2 cups of oat flour and although it was still delicious…the loaf didn’t rise as high.

And for a peak into the homestead; 

What’s been happening around here lately?

Lots of juicing
Lots of drinking said juice…almost forgot to snap a picture of this drink…it was so good and almost gone when I remembered to share it with you…the ginger, apples and carrots make it ZING!
The little kids have been building bridges with spaghetti at the Science Centre…I know, William Einstein!

 

More bridges..this time with marshmallows…Victoria Einstein!
A future structural engineer for sure…less marshmallows, more angles for strength, Kathryn Einstein!

And then the real work of late:

David starting to chain saw our 25 year old plants. If you are wanting to know what the best chain saw is for your homestead, check out this article from Mother Earth News

 

We are ripping out 25 year old plants from the beds above our pool since the landscape tie wall has deteriorated. Last week, David was chain sawing all the plants and those who were able, (the older boys and I) were hauling them down to our lower lawn area. Since then, we had a wonderful company in to chip the whole works and now this week it’s been all about digging up the roots and monster stumps.

Even though our son Harrison had started working at Home Depot part time, he also came out to help every chance he had. The weather has been cloudy, cold and rainy for much of April (In the picture above you can see the wall collapsing.)
Wish I couldn’t have kept all chippings from this pile…it would make great mulch for our new beds

 

Every thing is up, except the stumps…now the real work begins

Our oldest son Clark has been an amazing helper with regards to this project. (I’m thankful he’s been going to the gym and lifting weights all winter long!) The next step is taking down the old wall and rebuilding a new one. Then comes the fun part….replanting. This time though we will be planting herbs, some flowers and LOTS of food. I’m probably the only one planting edibles around my pool in our subdivision but it just makes sense if we are going to water anything, that it will be food. Since this area gets hot, hot sun all summer long, I think we will try to grow watermelon, cantalopes and maybe some grapes up the deck support posts.

My sister J came for a visit today, (waving Hi J…you always make my day) and asked what I will use to amend the soil since it’s currently not great. I’m going to use the “Back to Eden” gardening method and plan to mulch it heavily with wood chips, amending the soil only around each hole I dig for my plants. The cedar will eventually decompose and thereby improving the soil. Click on the hyperlink above if you want to watch the Back to Eden film.

The next project is also building some raised garden beds in our lower lawn area. The goal is to lose the grass and increase the garden space.We plan to also build 4×4 raised bed for each of the little people. One of our twin daughters, 5 year old Victoria, recently told us that when she grows up she wants to be a farmer so she can feed children all over the world. She heard that children go hungry all over the world and she doesn’t understand how that is possible. The solution seems so simple to her; just grow more food. Seems simple to me too. If we all did our part, even in our small backyards, no one would go hungry again.

What are you growing in your back forty this year?

Thanks for coming to visit. I hope something you have read here lifts you up, brightens your day and keeps you focused on your dreams. I told my sister J that I would REALLY like to write happier, more light filled posts and my next one will be that. In my next post, check out the amazing coconut cake I made recently in honour of my sister J’s birthday.

Now that is something to be happy about! Sisters and cake. Oh, there is so much good in the world!

 

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