this moment

From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

this moment

From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Winter wedding

It was magic. It was family. It was Christmas spirit. It was love. It was a Christmas wedding.

This princess married her prince and she couldn't have looked happier.

Except for maybe Finn, who was about to go over the top on the Bride's homemade gingerbread!

Or maybe these little ones who couldn't believe Santa was crashing the party.

Or these five who were celebrating being together again!

No, wait, she takes the prize in the end for the being the happiest of them all...

and she rocks it like nobody's business!

Congratulations Anne and Brendan!

What will you do today?

Today I will embrace the white stuff that has blanketed the area and head out for a little winter fun with Nate and Finn. 

I will be inspired by how much joy they find in shaping the snow into forts...

and how a passing snow plow can stop them in their tracks and capture their full attention as it rumbles past.

I will remind Finn that eating snow recently pushed up onto our yard by said snow plow is probably not a good idea! What will you do today?

The count down has begun!

We've all excitedly begun the official count down to Christmas! And we are so thankful for Aunty Kelly who organized this ambitious Advent calendar craft for 7 nieces and nephews to help them count down the days!

 Envelopes had been cut in half, taped together on the cut side, and each child decorated the outsides which were then numbered and stuffed with a little treat! They were then hung with clothes pins on a length of yarn. Nate's and Finn's now hang in our kitchen, constantly reminding them of the coming holidays...

and tempting them to dig into the treat that awaits them each morning. 

Oops! What happened to Day 8??

What better way to start the 4th day of Advent than with a chocolate Kiss!?

Just because...

it was Sunday. No special Sunday in particular. Just one of those ordinary, blah Sundays in November that called for cheesecake! Vegan chocolate cheesecake to be exact. With raspberry sauce. Takin' the ordinary to extraordinary in under an hour! Just because. 


Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce
Crust:
1 1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1/4 C melted vegan margarine
- Press into a spring form pan


Filling:
1 12oz package of silken tofu
1 8oz container of soy cream cheese
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C vegan milk
1/4 C cocoa
1 tbsp potato starch
1 1/2 C melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Using a hand mixer or a blender, blend together tofu, soy cream cheese, sugar, milk, cocoa and potato starch. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and mix into the tofu mixture. Pour into a graham cracker crust and bake at 350F for about 45 mins. or until firm in the centre.


Raspberry Sauce:
2 C frozen raspberries
2 tbsp rice syrup
1 tbsp potato starch
- Place raspberries and rice syrup in a sauce pan and cook on medium heat until raspberries have melted. Mix in starch and set aside until ready to top onto cheesecake. 

Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?

It was a dark and rainy November evening. The house was now pleasantly quiet with the boys tucked snuggly into their beds. Looking forward to catching up on the news of Prince William's engagement, and other such celebrity gossip, I had barely loaded up dlisted when I heard a noise coming from the kitchen. Was that the fridge door? I knew what those thieves were after - they were trying to steal my freshly baked batch of chocolate chip cookies! Batches of cookies have been disappearing without a trace lately and I was determined this night to put an end to this cookie-stealing crime spree! I could see the glow from the refrigerator light from the top of the stairs. I tip-toed down the stairs as quietly as I could. I peeked around the corner to get a better sense of what I was dealing with here! Hey, wait a minute - I recognize those socked feet peeking out from under the fridge door! Busted!

*this photo is a re-enactment of the crime

"But I didn't get a bedtime snack!" whined the ginger-haired cookie thief. My cookies never stood a chance of making it to next day's lunches with hungry bedtime tummies! "Oh alright! You can have ONE - but first you have to let me take your picture recreating the crime!"

All was quickly forgiven as the cookie thief and I sat down together to enjoy a still-warm chocolate chip cookie. But like all good cookie thieves, in blink of an eye he was quickly grabbing for more! I want to share the recipe with you, but it comes with a warning - may attract wee cookie thieves! The recipe can be found at beautythatmoves - super yum! I added a few extras - like 1 mashed up banana and 1/2C soy nut butter which made them even more nutritious and delicious for a bedtime snack!

this moment

From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

What will you do today?

Today I will savor my morning bike ride to work for I know these are rare days in November. Today I know that I will soon be storing away my yellow bike for another season, for while we have been enjoying the last lovely days of fall, the snows will soon fly and I have yet to find winter tires for my sweet ride! What will you do today?

this moment

From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

What will you do today?

Today I will dress up the boys for an early round of trick or treating at Goderich's annual Spooktacular Halloween event. I will enjoy an afternoon stroll around the town square and take in all of the smells and sites and sounds of the season - including seeing some pretty amazing Halloween costumes and the feeling the buzz of sugar-induced energy! What will you do today?

Happy Halloween everyone!

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see

What will you do today?

Today I will let my children be my guide on a rare weekday adventure.

I will let them lead me off the beaten trail...

to discover an unexplored river off-shoot. 

I will enjoy the snacks they carefully packed...

and get dragged up and down and over and through the forest trails...

to finally bask in the sun along the river bank.

What will you do today?

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Autumn's here

Well, almost! And I'm super excited about it! Pull out the sweaters, cook up some soup, take me hiking along my favourite trail so I can spy the early changing colours of the leaves. This particular spot along the Maitland River is my favourite this time of the year. The waters have become shallow, exposing the river's rocky bed which gives us plenty of room to explore on a Sunday afternoon.
"I think that ghosts like
The cooler weather
When leaves turn colour
They get together
And walk along
These old back roads
Where no one lives
And no one goes...
...Autumn's here."
~Hawksley Workman (gives me chills everytime I hear this song!)

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

What will you do today?

Today I will take my freshly painted toes for a refreshing dip in the cool waters of Lake Huron. Awww, instant relief from the heat wave that is gripping the area! What will you do today?

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

What will you do today?

Today I will wish I was a kid again and was able to have nary a second thought about wandering over to the neighbour's yard for a quick cool-down in the sprinkler. To have no concerns about what the gawking passers-by were thinking as they watched me shake my butt into the refreshing spray. To have not a care in the world about getting my clothes wet and feeling cold. To have something so simple put a smile on my face that spread from ear to ear. What will you do today?

this moment

From Soule Mama: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

What will you do today?

Today I will look no further than my own backyard for inspiration for dinner. Lettuce from the garden for salad. Tomatoes and basil from the patio planters for a quick pasta dish. Sitting down together under the cool of the maple tree to enjoy the fruits of our labour. What will you do today?


Garden Pasta
1 onion
4 tomatoes diced
a handful of fresh basil
1/4 C parmesan cheese
1/2 bag dried pasta


Caramelize onion over medium high heat with 2 tbsp. olive oil and a spoonful of sugar. Stir regularly until golden brown. Cook noodles. Drain noodles and coat with onions and leftover oil from pan. Toss with tomatoes, basil and parmesan cheese. Serve up and enjoy! Dinner in 15 mins.!

Summer hats and haircuts

I haven't been doing much sewing this summer. It's just been too stinkin' hot out. Just the very thought of sitting down at the machine and plying through layers of fabric was enough to make me break out in a sweat. I'm not a fan of the heat, in case you were wondering...it tends to make me cranky and pretty darn lazy. I tend to do little more than whine when the humidex reaches +35C and it seems that has happened more often than not this summer. So the projects piled up...I'd already given up on getting everyone's summer pjs finished...who needs pjs in this heat anyway! But this morning I had had enough...my project pile was begging for my attention and I had been promising Nate all summer that I would make him this hat. I used a pair of old patchwork shorts that seemed to have mysteriously shrunk since I wore them last summer...they look much better as a hat anyway!

The hat has not left his head since I finished it this morning. It's gone out in the rain (sweet relief!!), ventured around the block, and has visited the workshop to tighten the screws on this made-by-his-hands toy. What's up with that ginger-haired moppet below, you ask?

Well, I'm not sure what to say that hasn't been said before. Thought we had kept all of the scissors out of reach...I never dreamed the finger nail scissors could be such a deadly weapon for hair. He says he was trying to make himself look cool. I was annoyed that I had just paid to get his hair cut professionally the week before. Looks like my next sewing project is a hat for wee Finn.

Nine

Nate turned nine recently. And I failed to document this occasion due to pure laziness. I blame it on the heat...or perhaps I am just in denial about being old enough to have a nine-year-old. Either way, nine is here and I have to say it has brought with it a few pleasant surprises. Here are a few things I have noticed since nine walked through the door:
Nine is the growing awareness of self and the desire to express that self through cool new looks like blue hair (but being a little self-conscious about having said hair photographed!).
Nine is the desire to journey alone on that expanding path away from home. 
Nine is a surprising new level of maturity and an eagerness to take on new responsibilities.
Nine is an increasing awareness of a world that lies outside of this small town.
Nine is admired by little brothers who want nothing more in the world than to be nine.
Nine is a growing patience (if ever so slight) for little brothers who want nothing more than to tag along and do what nine can do.
Nine still snuggles with blankie and still clings to the comforts of a childhood that seems to be moving at lightening speed.
Nine asks for blueberry muffins instead of over-the-top chocolate birthday cake.
Nine is pretty rad!


To welcome nine, here is that birthday muffin recipe I developed just for nine!

Nate's Blueberry Birthday Muffins with Lemon Glaze
1/2 C margarine
1/2 C sugar
1 egg substitute (I used 1 tbsp. ground flax seed mixed together with 3 tbsp. of hot water)
Zest of 1 lemon (reserving 1/2 for the glaze)
3/4 C soy milk mixed with the juice of a 1/4 lemon (reserve rest of lemon for glaze)
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour (for this recipe I used a gluten-free blend of 1 1/4 C rice flour, 1/2 C chickpea flour, and 1/4 C arrowroot starch)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 C blueberries
Lemon Glaze
1 C icing sugar
the juice of 3/4 lemon
remaining lemon zest


Mix together the wet ingredients making sure to really beat together with margarine and sugar. Mix in dry ingredients before gently folding in blueberries. Pour batter in muffin papers about 3/4 full and bake at 350F for about 20-30 mins. Mix together glaze ingredients and drizzle over muffins once they have cooled.

Camping...I think I like it!

I've never been fond of camping. Don't get me wrong, I love being in the outdoors, but to actually commit to a weekend of sleeping in the woods has always caused me a little bit of anxiety. I don't like sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag that never seems to stay free of dirt and sand and creepy crawlies. I don't like the smell of campfire that embeds itself into everything. And what if it rains? And what if I have to pee in the middle of the night? And what about the mosquitos and skunks and bears? Oh my! So I always chose to vacation in the city with hotels and restaurants and climate-controlled rooms. Then my very bossy determined sister gave me no choice. "I've booked us two campsites in Benmiller for a weekend in July...you're going...it'll be so much fun!!!" You have no idea how much I hate to admit it, but she was right! I surprised myself with how relaxed I felt all weekend! Time seemed to be of no concern at all - we woke up when we wanted to wake up, we ate when we felt hungry, we enjoyed just sitting around the campsite indulging in trashy magazines and roasted marshmallows. Never mind the pure joy that was written all over the kids' faces - they were in their element building forts in the woods, swimming in the falls, and buzzing from the marshmallow-induced sugar highs. Seeing how happy camping made my kids made it all worthwhile to me - and I have promised that I would go again...next year, when the campfire smoke finally washes out of my hair I'll be ready for more!