Through the thorns to the stars

Yarn Along

2012-02-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

For months now I've been wanting to link up to Ginny's yarn along. There has been no shortage of knitting around here, but for some reason getting a picture of my current project has been a challenge. Right now I'm working on a blue Milo vest. This is the only boy coloured item that I've knit for the baby. Everything else has been pink, purple (I'm convinced it's a girl) or neutral coloured. My husband think that it'll be a boy, simply based on the fact that I've knitted the baby a pink Cassia Easter dress.

As for reading, I just bought A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. I'm really enjoying the book. I like that there's a saint for each week of the year and a relevant Bible verses for each day of the week. There are also saint-inspired activities and family prayers. It's a well rounded book and I'm happy to have it as part of my book collection. I'm also looking forward to getting a copy of Hallie Lord's (Betty Beguiles) Style, Sex, and Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter.

Most of my spare time and energy has been put towards preparing for the new baby. Compared to my last two pregnancies I haven't spent as much time preparing frozen dinners and muffins. There seems to be less time and less space in my freezers these days. Instead I've been focusing on cleaning and organizing one room each day. I was tempted to pick up Having a Martha House the Mary Way but I think it'll have to wait until this spring. If I have any spare energy I run an errand in the early afternoon or sit and flip through Orgasmic Birth. Most afternoons you can find me napping (or attempting to nap) on the couch. These last few weeks have been exhausting and I'm getting eager to meet our little one.

Stove Top Popcorn

2012-02-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

We had a popcorn machine, but I gave it away. It worked perfectly fine. The problem was that it was made of plastic and Teflon, two things we stay away from when food and heat are involved. After I gave away the popcorn machine our popcorn consumption decreased drastically. This made me sad because I really enjoy a big bowl of popcorn on a regular basis.

Then I realized that people made popcorn before popcorn machines were invented (imagine that!). If you do a Google search for "stove top popcorn", up pops up a ton of results (pun intended). And to make things even better, stove top popcorn is easy to make and tastes delicious.

To make stove top popcorn you need:

- a large pot with a lid
- 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
- oil (safflower, sunflower, peanut, canola) *I wouldn't recommend using olive oil because of it's low smoking point
- seasoning (melted butter, salt)

The directions are straight-forward:

Put the pot on the stop top and add a couple Tablespoons of oil. Heat on medium high and throw in a few kernels. When the kernels begin popping add the rest of the popcorn kernels and put the lid on the pot. Keep a crack in the lid to allow the steam to escape and shake the pot every couple few seconds to prevent the popcorn from burning on the bottom. When the popping slows down take the pot of the stove and pour popcorn into a bowl. Season and serve.

Well Preserved recently posted a recipe for Cayenne, Cheddar, Olive Oil and Lemon stove top popcorn. It has cheese so it must be delicious!

Valentine's Day Round-Up

2012-02-12T19:48:00.000-08:00

With Valentine's Day this coming Tuesday, there is no shortage of love inspired crafts, recipes and activities in the blogosphere. This year we will be keeping our Valentine's Day celebration simple, eco-friendly and filled with delicious "real food" treats. I want to share a few of my favorite ideas in this Valentine's Day round-up.

Valentine's Day cards are fun to give out whether you are a little or big person. I have come across four card ideas that are unique and can be made with recycled (or recyclable) materials.

I've been following Joel's bog for some time. He has some really neat craft and colouring activities and recently published a book called Made to Play. Here are some Valentine's Card Creatures from Made by Joel.

I came across these Paper Airplane Valentine's (pdf) (from Country Living) on The Write Start blog page.

I really like these Love Bug Valentines from Nature for Kids. Instead of buying plastic bugs you could use bug candies or draw a bug in the jar.

And here are some very simple Hand Shaped Valentines from Martha Stewart that you could make with little ones of any age.

Celebrating special occasions with food is a must around here. The are plenty of simple foods that you could prepare for Valentine's Day. Make a berry smoothie or cook some pink pancakes using beet puree or natural food colouring. Cute Food for Kids has a list of 50 Treat Ideas for Valentine's Day. I like the idea of making Homemade Valentine's Day Mints or heart sugar cookies.

Activities for little ones can be as simple as making homemade pink play dough and or doing some hand or foot print art. Handprint and Footprint Art has some cute ideas like this Footprint Love Bug Craft. Also, here is a round-up of various Montesorri inspired Valentine's Day ideas.

Feel free to share what you'll be doing for Valentine's Day this year.

Suffering

2012-02-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

The word suffering brings vivid images to my mind: tragic deaths, natural disasters, terminal and/or chronic illnesses, severe injuries, crimes. But sometimes suffering doesn't make headlines.

This winter our family has been sick with the influenza, colds and stomach bugs. It feels like we've been in survival mode since the end of November. I don't know why we've been so sick. We're careful about hand washing and eating well. And now that I'm getting uncomfortably pregnant we rarely go out in public. Yet, this very morning my little Sweetpea was sick to her stomach.

I want stomp my feet, cry and tell God that we've had enough already! We're sick of sickness. Having sick children is emotionally and physically exhausting and being a mom feels very difficult at times like this. Just a couple weeks ago when Monkey was sick at night, I turned to my husband and said "parenting is hard work!". Of course, I knew this already but it's during times of suffering that you really beging to understand the great responsibility of being a parent.

As I care for my sick little ones, I try to keep my heart open to what God is trying to show me through all this. Patience. Trust. Surrendering control. Accepting the reality of our human frailty and looking beyond that to our calling in life to receive God's love, love Him in return and love one another. I guess that's we're my blog title comes from. I'm trying to make the journey through the thorns of life to the stars of heaven. Sometimes the path is treacherous.

Hard Bites: A Chip Review

2012-02-08T20:49:00.000-08:00

When we go visit my parents, we have a habit of checking their snack cupboard for a bag of chips. Our eager anticipation of checking "the chip" cupboard steams from the fact that I don't buy chips. They're unhealthy and I'd eat them all. Two significant problems. So, I was surprised when my husband bought a couple bags of chips for our recent outing.

I ripped open the chips right away, feeling deprived and knowing that I would probably regret eating them. Chips are good, but usually in that "ugg I can't believe I ate those" kind of way. But these chips were different. On first contact I noticed that they were thick and rustic. When you put them in your mouth they're crunchy and have a well balanced flavour. Of the two flavours I've tried, Onion and Yogurt and Salt and Vinegar, I can say that they tasted natural and not overbearing. Generally, my favorite chip flavour is salt and vinegar but most salt and vinegar chips start to burn your mouth after a while. These don't, which is a nice change. These chips are in fact so amazingly delicious (says the pregnant lady = me) they put all other chips I've tried to shame. And, instead of eating them all at once I feel like the need to ration myself so they don't disappear too quickly. These, my friends, are real chips and they're called Hard Bites.

FYI Hard Bites are a Canadian kettle cooked potato chip made with British Columbian potatoes, cooked in non-hydrogenated canola and sunflower oils and seasoned with natural flavours. More facts here. If you come across Hard Bites give them a try and tell me what you think! Is this the raving of a chip-deprived pregnant lady or am I onto something here. My husband thinks there pretty darn good too so I'm banking that it's not just me.

Oh yes, this chip post is solely my own opinion and not influence by anyone or anything other than my thorough enjoyment of Hard Bite chips. Of course, boxes of Hard Chips donated to yours truly would never be a bad thing. And finally, I'd like to thank Christina, who made the bag of chips sitting beside me as I type.

Homemade Lip Balm

2012-02-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

If you want to try making your own bath and beauty products lip balm is an easy place to start. Today I whipped up a batch of Peppermint Lip Balm. I substituted avocado oil with jojoba oil because that's what I had. The beauty of lip balm is that you can experiment with it and if it doesn't work you can simply rewarm it and add a few ingredients to fix it.

Mountain Rose Herbs gives a general rule of using 3 parts carrier oils (sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, jojoba oil etc.) and 1 part beeswax for making lip balm. Butters (cocoa butter, shea butter) which are a nice addition are usually left out of the above equation because they are solid at room temperature.

The most difficult part of making lip balm is finding the ingredients. I collected my ingredients from a variety of sources. I purchase the beeswax from a local beekeeper. The carrier oils and cocoa butter came from soapcraft.ca. Mountain Rose Herbs also sells good quality oils and butters. I purchased shea butter from Serf to Surf Products and the rest of the supplies, like essential oils and vitamin E oil, were picked up at the local health food store.

Once you've gather your ingredients the options are endless and it takes very little time to make. The batch I made today took me no more than ten minutes from measuring the ingredients to pouring them into the tins.

Here are few more recipes that I've come across recently. I haven't tried them (yet) so I can't say how they turn out but they look promising.

Homemade Lip Balm @ Mindful Momma
Homemade Lip Balm @ Design Sponge
DYI Recipes (pdf) from Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Winter Adventures

2012-02-05T20:02:00.000-08:00

When I was little my father would take us on outdoors adventures almost every weekend. In the summer we might go camping, hiking, rock climbing, biking or swimming in a chilly lake. In the winter we'd go sledding, ice fishing or stomping through the snow somewheres. The highlight of our snowy adventures was building a fire and eating Habitant pea soup from cups and wieners off sticks.

Today was a nice mild day. A perfect day relive some of those memories with our little ones. We met family and friends at a local lake and ate some delicious homemade tomato soup, wieners, marshmallows and cheese (no meal is complete without cheese).

The little ones played on the sleds and some of the adults skied on the frozen lake. I sat by the cozy fire and ate cheese... and chocolate.

We knew it was time to leave when the little ones all started crying. So we packed our things and started to drive away... but then we got stuck in the un-plowed parking lot. Eventually we got out and made our way home.

A very distressed Monkey. He wanted to keep up to his grandfather skate skiing, but there was no chance of that.

Seven Quick Takes (no. 10)

2012-02-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

Should the US impose a sugar tax? Denmark already taxes foods high in saturated fats (butter, milk, cheese, fat and oils). Will taxing these types of foods really make people healthier? I'm not so sure. There are so many problems with our food system. Just look at your local grocery store. There are endless aisles of convenience foods, produce imported from halfway across the world, bland meat, ice cream that should be called "air"cream... I could go on. At heart, there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way we view and experience food. I am a fan of real foods, especially those that are local and organic. That includes things like butter, milk, cheese...mmm cheese.

--- 2 ---

I take part in a group of mothers that gather about once a week to share and study books and scripture. Today the lovely lady leading the group ended the study by asking us to join her in singing some worship songs. I really enjoy music and there is the saying that goes "the one who sings prays twice" (St. Augustine). When I returned home I picked out one of my favorite church songs. This song was also sung at our wedding by a group of our friends. The lyrics are very powerful.

--- 3 ---

It would be nice to get a hair cut before the baby is born. It's been at least six month, probably more, since my last hair cut. Something a little shorter, perhaps shoulder length, might be nice. I think I'll aim to get it done this week.

--- 4 ---

This weekend we'll be busy getting things together for the upcoming birth of our little one. I am 37 weeks pregnant now and can "officially" have a home birth. Of course, there are many factors that could result in a hospital birth but I'm fine with whatever happens.

--- 5 ---

I believe all women should have some basic knowledge of how their reproductive system works in order to protect their reproductive health. Over the last few years of teaching Natural Fertility Regulation I've noticed that some women disregard natural methods of fertility regulation because they believe that they would no longer be in control of their fertility. This couldn't be more further from the truth. I think that so many women have put their trust in the experts that design and produce family planning options that they are often unaware of the effects these have on their bodies and the environment. And sometimes they don't even work at all (contraceptive pill recalled in US)!

--- 6 ---

I have a package waiting for me at the post office. What could it be? I'm excited to find out!

--- 7 ---

I can't believe that we'll be starting Lent in a few weeks. We'll be keeping things simple this year but I'll share a few of our past traditions in the next weeks.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Children and Nature

2012-02-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

I am surprised by how much a warm sunny day can lift my mood. Our daily rhythm seems to flow more smoothly and even the little ones are more at ease. Part of the reason could because we spend more time outdoors when the weather is nice.

There are many benefits to being outdoors, especially for little ones. There are books (Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle) and blogs (natureforkids.net and handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com) dedicated to this topic.

The Children & Nature Network is also trying to build a movement to reconnect children and nature. The website has lots of interesting information and resources.

One idea I liked was starting a parent and child nature club. We are surrounded by nature here in the North but as a mother of two (soon to be three) taking the little ones into nature can be daunting. Ideally, I'd like to spend at least half-an-hour outdoors with my little ones each day, no matter the weather... rain, snow, hail or shine. Of course, we're far from that goal these days. I blame the recent spell of freezing temperatures, the illnesses running through our home and the increasing largeness of my belly. Putting those things aside, I think that a group of nature exploring parents and children would help me out of my comfort zone of our yard-nearby park and into the vast forests that surround us.

What are your thoughts? Would you consider starting a Nature Club for Families?

Snowy Days

2012-01-29T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday there was a snowfall warning. Over 20 cm of snow came falling down. I love fresh snow. It's so pure and white. Magical. You can stomp through it, dig in it, eat it, sled on it. The options are endless. But most importantly you have to enjoy it because it can be gone in no time.

Asking For Help

2012-01-28T20:57:00.000-08:00

I don't like asking for help. It's not because I don't need it or don't want it. I do, especially these days. No, I don't like asking for help because I know that people are busy and I feel bad asking them to do more. Also, sometimes asking for help makes me feel insecure because I feel like I am admitting that I can't do it on my own while thinking that I should be able to.

It's silly that I have such difficulty asking for help. After all, we are called to love one another and one way to do that is to serve one another. That's what the corporal work of mercy are about, showing charity to each other by feeding, giving drink, clothing, sheltering, visiting and burying (the dead). The thing I'm realizing is, how can we serve each other if we don't know each others' needs? We are increasingly isolating ourselves, and the result is so many of us feel alone and abandoned. So while I don't like asking for help I know it's something I need to do more often. Not just for myself, but for those around me. I also need to ask others if they need help, and help in whatever ways I can. By being more open about our needs it allows us the chance to serve each other which may result in a deepening of friendship and love for each other.

Over the last year I have been discovering some things about asking for help.

Be humble. Admit you need help when you do. I have been surprised by how eager others are to help you when you ask.

Be specific. If I make a general call for help, I've notice that people get overwhelmed and don't know what to do. Fair enough. Do I need someone to watch the little ones for an hour or someone to help me shovel the drive way? It helps to be specific and it makes people see more clearly how to help out.

Be grateful and generous. Nobody likes feeling taken advantage of. Showing gratitude openly and generously is important. Perhaps share some freshly baked goods, a jar of homemade jam or an offer to return the favour in the future.

Do you find asking for help challenging? What are some things you've discovered about asking for help? Howe about offering help?

Seven Quick Takes (no. 9)

2012-01-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

This week I spent most of my time in pajama pants. Nothing else seems comfortable enough to wear. I know that I'm getting close to the end when my maternity shirts are getting too small and a bras seems like an instrument of torture. Since I don't want to be seen wearing pajama pants, my husband's shirt and no bra in public I opted to keep outings to a minimum this week.

--- 2 ---

Recently I met a lovely Slovakian lady that makes her own sausages, ham, and bacon from a live pig that she buys and butchers herself. We get our pork from a local farmer/butcher but I'm always curious about the butchering process. How much of the pig is used and how much is wasted? I just started reading Odd Bits and have become fascinated by all the odd bits of animals that can be eaten but that we never see in the supermarket. Things like check, tongue, tails, ears and yes even brain. From the sounds of it, this Slovakian lady that I met uses up most of her pig and that's something I'd like to learn how to do.

--- 3 ---

It's been a while since I've mentioned the rabbits. We still have our original four rabbits plus two more does (females). This last year we butchered and froze about forty or so rabbits. Not bad, but I still feel like there is a lot to learn. We've found that four does and two bucks is a good place to be for our rabbitry. Eventually, as our family grown we might expand or start raising chickens too.

--- 4 ---

Going to the library is a great way to find new favorite books. A few of Monkey's (4) favorites right now are The Pirate Cruncher by Johnny Duddle, The Jewel Fish of Karnak by Graeme Base, and 365 Penguins. Sweetpea (almost 2) is obsessed with anything Sandra Boynton, especially the Going to Bed Book.

--- 5 ---

Meals around here have been very simple. Even though I make a weekly menu I have been finding it difficult to find the motivation to make even the simplest of things these days. It makes me sad actually since I do enjoy cooking for my family. We have been enjoying lots of smoothies though.

--- 6 ---

After watching a bunch of documentaries on Netflix I've moved on to Bollywood shows. There are a few that are fun to watch like Aisha, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Di Bole Hadippa!, and Band Baaja Baaraat. Some of them are long but the singing and dancing interspersed throughout make for good knitting background music.

--- 7 ---

Tomorrow we are going to celebrate the French winter festival. I can't wait to eat lots of tire sur la neige (toffee on snow).

Monkey insists on giving me pirate looks as soon as I take out the camera.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Home Birth without a Husband

2012-01-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

For the next month, the last month of my pregnancy, my husband will be working out of town. Now out of town is only an hour in a half away, but when your last labour clocks in at 2 hours and 15 minutes it seems like a long ways away. When he told me about this development, which he has actually known about for a while and thought I knew about it to (clearly I need to become telepathic), I remembered that I was in my third trimester and acted accordingly. This means I turned off my ability to think logically and wailed and protested. I felt angry and abandoned and had vivid images of having a baby by myself in some cold and deserted place.

It would appear that I like to know how things will unfold. But control and labour are such an oxymoron that it drives me crazy. So will my husband be at my upcoming labour? I hope so, probably, but I'm preparing myself for the possibility of him not being there. I have two fabulous midwives and a lovely doula so this gives me some peace. Now I need to relax, let go and trust that things will work out in the end.

Child Friendly Nesting Dolls

2012-01-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

For Christmas Sweetpea was given a set of plastic nesting monkeys. She enjoys playing with them a lot.

There are few downsides to these nesting monkeys though. For one, the're plastic. I have issues with plastic. Yes, it's everywhere and that's part of the problem. I try to limit plastic toys in our home, especially cheap plastic toys that will break the moment Monkey looks at it.

The other strange thing about the nesting monkeys is the paint. When Sweetpea took them out of the box we all enjoyed the different faces on each monkey. They're so cute. A few days later I noticed the paint was starting to come off the monkeys leaving them armless, eyeless, mouthless or completely faceless. It was so disappointing but apparently other people have experienced the same thing. Unfortunately, these monkeys are going to be given away.

I've started looking for a set child-safe wood nesting dolls. Many wood nesting dolls are intended to be decorations so the paint and lacquer on them can be toxic or contain lead. That's not something I want my little ones to be playing with. I did find one online shop The Golden Cockerel that has a couple child-friendly nesting dolls.

Little Matryoshka Doll

Hansel and Gretel Gingerbread House Doll

These were the only two options I could find with their child-friendly stamp. Alternatively, I could buy a set of unpainted wooden nesting dolls and paint them myself. But, I don't think I have the patience for that sort of thing right now. I'm curious if anyone else has come across some non-toxic nesting dolls for children. Please let me know if you have.

Monkey Turns 4!

2012-01-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

Last week was busy for our little family. We celebrated birthdays, went to the dentist, saw the midwife and visited with friends. The week ended with a celebration of Monkey's 4th birthday. We invited over friends and family into our little home. The day was perfect for sledding and skating so Hubby met with them at the local park for some fun outside. I stayed home and visited with those that didn't want to go outdoors.

Sweetpea braved the hill all by herself and clearly enjoyed it!

Everyone came back to home for some snacks and cupcakes. Monkey wanted me to make him a cupcake train. The end result was something that looked part train, part caterpillar, but he loved it all the same.

Monkey received some lovely and thought filled gifts from his friends: books, a soccer ball, homemade play dough, pajamas (which Monkey always seems to need), wood building sets and a handmade car roll.

Monkey gave each buddy a candy and crayon roll that I sewed earlier in the week using this handy crayon roll tutorial.

This week we plan on relaxing. In fact I haven't made is out of my pajama pants since Sunday night, of course I have changed into clean pajama pants since then.

Preparing for a Home Birth

2012-01-18T14:47:00.000-08:00

My first two little ones were born at the hospital under midwifery care. Having a midwife was a choice I've never regretted. I really encourage all women who are pregnant to look into the possibility of having a midwife attend their birth. When I started seeing my midwife this time around, she asked if I wanted a home birth. My first labour was long and difficult but my second was fast making the ride to the hospital really stressful. Staying at home for this labour and delivery makes sense, as long as no complications arise.

Even though I know that home birth is safe, and that midwives are trained to identify situations that would require a hospital transfer, I've been anxious about the idea. I blame it one my nursing background and my personality. I bought into the system and didn't question it. Check out The Business of Being Born to get more insight into hospital versus home birth. It's available on Netflix.ca.

A few days ago I took one decisive step towards having a home birth. I got Hubby to inflate the water birth tub which a friend lent to me. I wanted to make sure all parts where in working order. When the time comes nearer we'll have it inflated and set up in the living room. Yes, if I'm going to have a home birth there is going to be water involved. Lots of water. There are many benefits to water birth.

And then, I bought home birth supplies from Mama Goddess Birth Shop. My midwife gave my a list of what I needed to have at home when the time comes. It's not a long list. She'll supply most of the medical supply needed. I'm sure it would have been less expensive if I drove around town and picked up the home birth supplies myself. But, with a pregnant belly and two little ones in tow, not to mention the freezing -30C (-22F) temperatures, there just no way I'm willing to run errands to save a few cents. I ended up ordering the Deluxe Home Birth Kit because I needed a hot water bottle.

Now, a lot can happen between now and when baby decides to arrive so it's possible that I might not be able to have a home birth. In the meantime I'll be reading some crunchy childbirth books like Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Orgasmic Birth: Your Guide to a Safe, Satisfying, and Pleasurable Birth Experience to get myself into the right mindset. I can't believe I'm almost there.

Quick Takes Friday (no. 8)

2012-01-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

With the craziness that comes with caring for little ones and keeping house, it doesn't take long before I wonder who that stranger is walking through the door at dinner time. Oh right, that would be my husband! What happened to the hours of gazing into each others' eyes and having the time to feel bored?

In the last four years, I've really come to appreciate the importance of date nights. Tonight, we have our fist date night of 2012 and hopefully there will be many more to come. Here is a list of 10 Romantic (Stay-at-Home) Date Night Ideas or check out The Dating Divas for some fun date night ideas.

--- 2 ---

Cheesemaking. I love eating it and I want to learn how to make it. This is one of my goals this year. I have been reading Artisan Cheese Making at Home and Home Dairy. The next step is to order some basic supplies from Glengarry Cheesemaking and then buy a cow. Ok, so maybe not a cow... at least not yet.

--- 3 ---

When did we buy into the idea that every person/family needed to have their own housing? It creates so much waste and overuse of the planet's natural resources. Plus, we become so disconnected from our community and live in isolation. After living in the same home for almost five years, I barely know those neighbors directly beside our home and have no idea who lives two doors down.

--- 4 ---

Yesterday I threw my vacuum hose outside in frustration (we have an internal vacuum cleaner). It's an old house and it refused to turn on yesterday. It wasn't until I pitched it outside did I realize a breaker had tripped and that was why the vacuum wasn't working.

--- 5 ---

A quilting machine or a serger? Or both? I've been sewing quite a bit lately and have been asking myself those questions. Of course the price tag to just one of the machines makes my stomach seize up. A quilting machine would be nice. Something simple but well made. Any suggestions?

--- 6 ---

I have to confess that I have a problem with contemporary Christian music (CCM). Phew, it feels good to say that aloud. My issue is that after a while the music starts to sound the same. It's as if there is a loss of originality and creativity. Now before the onslaught, I will acknowledge that there are are some talented and unique Christian music artists that I love to listen to. Here are a few I enjoy: Audrey Assad (Restless), Future of Forestry (Open Wide), Burlap to Cashmere (Anybody out There)... errr... there are others but I can't remember right now (pregnancy brain).

--- 7 ---

With my third little I am thinking about having a home birth. My labour and delivery with Sweetpea was very fast and I would have appreciated staying home instead of rushing to the hospital only to leave a couple hours later. I need to wrap my mind around home birth and get some supplies but I think it's a good option to consider.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Living in the North

2012-01-11T16:01:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago something strange happened to me. I was making my way around town and a thought came to me. I like it here. At first, I was disturbed by that thought. For the last couple years, I've wanted to leave this place. To go somewhere with shorter winters and longer summers. To a place where gardening wasn't about of outwitting the cool weather to make your "big" tomatoes grow larger than the size of a grape.

The truth is I grew up in Northern Canada, and have fond memories of living here as a child. As a child I explored the forests and streams, enjoyed the chilly lakes and climbed the rocks and trees that were everywhere. But after highschool, something changed, I felt ready to leave. So, I went South and love the excitement of the big city and the warmer weather.

While at school I married and both Hubby and I realized that we wanted to return to out home town (Hubby grew up in the same place as I) after finishing our degrees so that we could be closer to family and more affordable housing. Coming home was exciting at first. But, then it took us a long time to form a community of friends. And there was the long winters, and the cool summers, something that never seemed to bother as a child. Having little ones seemed to amplify my loneliness and cabin fever because I couldn't up and go as easily as I did before.

So why the sudden shift? I still don't quite know. Maybe it has something to do with my little ones getting older, or the building of new and beautiful friendships. Perhaps I see more clearly the blessing of being close to family. And maybe the winter doesn't seem as bleak when you have skis attached to your feet or you can walk to the park down the street and go skating or sledding. Maybe once again I'm beginning to realize how amazing it is to be surrounded by vast forests and chilly clear lakes. Maybe, it's all that vitamin D I've been taking. Who knows.

The Story of Clutter

2012-01-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Slowly and surely, it sneaks back into it's favorite areas. It conspires to take over and then suddenly it's there in all its glory: clutter.

The problem seems to get worse as the years go by. I have a feeling it has something to do with housing a growing family. Two pairs of skis turns into three pairs and ski sled. Little people clothing is stored in the anticipation that another little one will be using it in the future. Toys accumulate and books exponentiate. The house feels smaller and the temptation to move into a bigger home is real.

There is an undeniable connection between the story of clutter and the story of stuff. Wanting more instead of making do or reusing is counter-cultural. Going against the current of society requires changes in habits, some of which are so difficult to change. Today I was looking at my cluttered spice cabinet. I wondered what my cooking would be like if I only used spices that were locally grown. What would it be like to cook without cumin, bay leaves and curry? It's a scary thought, but one worth considering.

Over the next couple months, I'm planning on doing some early Spring cleaning and decluttering. Once the baby arrives things we'll be in survival mode for a while. I know that there won't be much time or energy for doing much at that point. I'll be trying out listmoz to generate a few lists of things I'd like done around the house.

Documentaries and Knitting

2012-01-09T15:53:00.000-08:00

Now that Advent and Christmas have passed by, I'm looking forward to next couple months to get some knitting, sewing and organizing done for before the baby arrives. At 33 weeks pregnant, that gives me about 9 weeks. I tend to have longer pregnancies.

I've discovered that watching documentaries and knitting go wonderfully together. In the last week I've knit my way through Blue Gold: World Water Wars and Tapped which are both available on Netflix.ca. We don't buy bottled water because of the negative impact it has on the environment but I had little awareness as to where the water in the bottles came from. It's shocking to think that bottled water is often municipal tap water taken from communities, resulting in disastrous consequences. It's also frightening to think that only 3% of the world's water is not saltwater and much of it is becoming lost as a result of pollution, hardscaping and over use. We are fortunate in Canada to have a significant amount of freshwater. We rank 3rd, after Brazil and Russia, for our freshwater availability. But, we shouldn't let this fact make us negligent. Freshwater water scarcity is a global reality. Anyways, I recommend watching the documentaries. Blue Gold has a broader scope, so if you only want to watch one I would check that one out.

I've been watching these shows, I've completed a few projects (minus the buttons, which I'm waiting to receive in the mail). I knit a sweet pair of newborn sized Konoko pants from some yarn in my stash and I've started on a project for an upcoming birthdays (it's a secret for now). There are also some soon to arrive babies (besides my own) that have added projects to my ever growing list. I'm loving the fact that it's winter and that I'm getting uncomfortably pregnant. At least I seem to have more time to knit these days.

A New Year and a New Word

2012-01-04T16:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

A new year has begun. It's time once again to pick a few goals for the upcoming twelve months. Hubby and sat down and discussed a few things we wanted to improve in a variety of areas. We shared our ideas and goals for spiritual growth, exercise, work and money. We reviewed our budget and talked about our little ones.

Last January, I chose a word to inspire my year. The word was cherish. When I began thinking of a word for this year I was surprised that one came to my mind so quickly: embrace.

I like that embrace encompasses a physical, psychological and spiritual aspect. The physical act of embracing is such a meaningful action. It shows affection, compassion, joy, acceptance and understanding without saying a word. This year I want to be more purposeful about embracing those around me, my husband, children, family and friends. I believe it's important to remember that we are physical beings and that a simple embrace can bring such joy and healing to the body and soul.

Embracing also means willingly accepting or gladly receiving. I like to be in control, or think I'm in control, of life. Often this delusion prevents me from being appreciative when things don't go as planned. This year, I want to work on embracing those things that are out of my control with a glad and joyful attitude.

For me the spiritual aspect of embracing means to delve deeper into the mystery of my faith, to open my heart to God's love and to be not afraid.

I'd like to find a way to place this word somewhere in my home as a constant reminder throughout the year. I haven't figured out a way to do this yet, but I'll share whatever it is I come up with.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

Just like the story Bear Stays Up for Christmas, today we popped some corn and brewed some tea. We prepared and rested. Now, like bear, we are staying up waiting for Christmas. The little ones are in bed but who knows if they will sleep when people arrive and the merriment begins.

Merry Christmas dear friends! I hope that your Christmas is filled with deep peace, joyful celebration and great wonder.

Quick Takes Friday (no. 7)

2011-12-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

As French Canadians, our Christmas begins on Christmas Eve: the Reveillon. We go to mass on the eve of Christmas and then make our way to someone's home (our home this year). We eat, exchange gifts and enjoy the merriment into the wee hours of Christmas morning. The little ones aren't forced to participate but if they happen to wake they are welcome to join in the fun.

--- 2 ---

Tomorrow will be a day filled with last minute preparations. A little cleaning, a bit more decorating and lots of food prep. This year we will be eating traditional tourtiere (meat pie) and home made mushroom soup. Simple but delicious.

--- 3 ---

I managed to complete and wrap all the handmade Christmas gifts in time. I did have to let go of a few projects but I'm fine with that. All our gifts are wrapped in handmade cloth bags with the exception of a few larger gifts which were tossed into pillowcases.

--- 4 ---

Because the little ones won't be participating in the Reveillon this year I'm trying to figure out when they should open their gifts. We will be going to mass as a family Christmas morning as Hubby will be playing music. I've thought about waiting to put the gifts under the tree just as we are leaving for church (while the little ones are in the car) so that they will be there for after church. When do your little ones open their gifts?

--- 5 ---

With all the sewing and knitting done for Christmas I've finally had the chance to pick up a book to read. I started reading The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I read her novel The Forgotten Garden and really enjoyed it.

--- 6 ---

December has been a month fraught with illness. First my little ones came down with a nasty influenza, then Sweetpea had an ear infection lasting two weeks! Now my poor Hubby has the sniffles which seem to have developed into a sinus infection. It seems like some years are worse than others for illness. I hope that all your families are in good health for the holidays :)

--- 7 ---

Today we had some lovely friends come for a visit. We went sledding and Monkey tried skating for the first time. The day was beautiful, even if the wind was a little nippy. It was such a nice way to get in the spirit of celebrating the birth of Christ.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

A Handmade Christmas: Crazy Crayons

2011-12-22T19:27:00.000-08:00

I had almost given up on this project because I couldn't find a mold for the crayons. Then I happened to stop at a local thrift store (just yesterday) and there I found the perfect mold, a small muffin tin. To make the crazy crayons I used these instructions.

Monkey enjoyed taking off the paper and breaking the crayon into smaller bits. I think its because he was allowed to do what I normally don't let him: destroy the crayons! The whole process took us a couple hours but he helped until we put them into the oven to melt.

These crazy crayons are going to be little gifts from Monkey to his friends. Tonight he selected each crazy crayon for his buddies and we packed them up.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Up here in the North we are surrounded by forests. A few years ago we started the tradition of hunting for our Christmas tree the weekend before Christmas. This tradition came after a lengthy conversation about the merits of a real Christmas tree versus a plastic Christmas tree. As a compromise we decided to cut down our tree from the wild.

Finding the "perfect" Christmas tree in the wild is very difficult. The trees never seem to have enough branches and don't stand quite straight.

Even if our Christmas tree looks like it was taken out of the Charlie Brown Christmas story, we've learned to love the quirkiness of it. In fact, this year Monkey declared our tree to be the "most beautiful tree ever". I guess there has to be something said about finding beauty in imperfection.

This year we have a few new additions to our Christmas tree. A little spider, which was a gift from a friend. In parts of Germany a spider is one of the first ornament for go on the tree. There is a beautiful children's book about this tradition called Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel.

There is also a new ornament that I won as a giveaway over at A Broken Fortress. It's a stamped metal snowman ornament from Stamped with Love.

The last addition is a knitted Christmas ball that Hubby picked from the piled that I knitted this past month.

Now that the Christmas tree is decorated we are all eagerly anticipating the celebration!

Christmas Baking

2011-12-14T20:14:00.000-08:00

When we lit the pink Advent wreath candle this Sunday, I had a moment of surprise. Advent is zooming along. I continue to make progress on our Handmade Christmas. I had to re-evaluate a few projects and simplify. There was just no way I could complete everything on my list.

With Christmas only 10 days away it's time to get started on Christmas baking. I've checked my list from last year and made some changes. The first item on my baking list this year is a fruit cake. When I mentioned that I was making a fruit cake Hubby was surprised. Why would I want to make something that tastes... awful? It's true that for some people fruit cake has a bad reputation. But, until I've baked my own fruit cake I wait to pass final judgement.

My cookie list comprises of a variety of cookies, some old and some new.

Cashew Caramel Cookies
Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Coconut Macaroons
Ginger Cookies
Hazelnut Jam Thumbprints
Pfefferkuchennusse (gingerbread nuts)
Rugelach

I will also be making some delicious French Canadian sucre a la creme.

What special things will you be baking for this Christmas?

A Handmade Christmas: Knitting

2011-12-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

Knitting has consumed most of my spare time these days. If I can squeeze in a knit here or a purl there, progress is being made. In November I made a list of potential projects. Sweaters, socks, slippers, hats, those were the sort of things I had planned to be knitting. Then I came across some knitting books and my plans were drastically changed.

The first book that I obsessed about was 55 Christmas Balls to Knit. These knitted Christmas balls are so unique and precious. Once I got the hang of knitting a ball it would take me a couple hours to finish one. I used a nice study wool yarn and stuffed them with wool batting. These will be perfect little gifts.

Our library brought in Knitivity and that cause a whole other set of distractions. I started to knit Mary and Joseph and still want to knit baby Jesus and the donkey. So far I've completed two doll bodies; they look a little odd without clothes or hair.

In between knitting Christmas balls and small dolls for the Nativity scene, I was knitting up dishclothes. Knitted dishcloths are quick and easy. In fact, it was one of my first knitting projects back in the day. They also make nice gifts when paired with some handmade soap (I don't make my own soap... yet).

Then I remembered that I wanted to make some knitted things for my godchildren (three of them). Enter Knitted Toy Tales. I knitted the Frederick the frog prince for one godchild and Eddie the elephant for another. Monkey was quite please by the frog and gave me some tips for which colours I would use when I knit his. It appears there might be some other knit frogs in the near future and perhaps a knitted bear for Sweetpea. For my smallest godchild I turned to a favorite: the Milo vest.

There are so many things you could knit to give to others. Do you knit? What will you be knitting or making for others this Christmas?

The Feast of St. Nicholas

2011-12-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Happy feast of St. Nicholas!

Last night I realized that I gave away our ugly polyester stockings. I couldn't remember giving them away, but Hubby pointed out to me that I did mention it to him last year. So instead, like true Canadians, we lined up our big bulky winter boots by the unfinished fire place last night. This morning they were filled with all sorts of goodies.

Hubby and Monkey each received a beautiful handmade top from Mountain Tops and I sewed Sweetpea a Hen and Chicks from Handmade Beginnings. There was also some fair trade chocolates and other items tucked into the smelly boots. Monkey was excited. Sweetpea was dazed. She has a bad ear infection, poor girl.

I printed some copies of the St. Nicholas paper doll from Paper Dali for colouring. Later we'll make some Candy Cane Cookies and eat them with hot chocolate. Perhaps we'll even watch Veggie Tales Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving.

Did your family do anything special for the feast of St. Nicholas? There's still time for a cup of hot chocolate!

This post is linked to A Ten O'Clock Scholar Nativity Carnival.

Weekly Menu

2011-12-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

Things have been somewhat chaotic with the little ones being sick with the flu. This past week we had no menu but I think we are all getting tired of eating Campbell's chicken noodle soup so I thought I'd write down a simple menu for this week.

Monday: Broccoli soup.

Tuesday: Bolognese sauce with pasta.

Wednesday: Chicken and vegetable quesadillas.

Thursday: Slow-cooker elk barley soup.

Friday: Leftovers or fried eggs and toast.

Saga of the Influenza

2011-12-04T21:07:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I have seen the influenza wreck havoc in our home. I went to nursing school, the knowledge I gained through my experiences there can be and have been very helpful at home while caring for my little ones but other times makes me a little (okay a lot) paranoid. Generally a high fever lasting more than a few days makes me suspect something but a fever going on for five days makes me nervous, unable to sleep, and begging for coffee in the morning (I don't drink coffee but I did this morning).

And the coughing is awful! It keeps Monkey up at night. Last night, he slept on the recliner and was soothed by never ending Diego episodes on Netflix (Diego drives me crazy). Just as he appears to be improving... (wait haven't I been saying that since Friday?) my little Sweetpea decided to join in on the fun and spiked her own fever today. I am feeling exhausted and can't sleep deeply because I'm worried. Hubby on the other hand... well we won't go there...

Clearly I need to relax a little (can you tell I'm on edge? maybe it was the coffee) and trust God to take care of our little family. Please say a little prayer for us.

Never fear Frog Prince is here!
The picture is a little blurry but he does look a little better.

Seven Quick Takes (no. 6)

2011-12-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

--- 1 ---

Sickness has forced us to go back to the basics. Pajamas, Campbell's chicken noodle soup, Netflix, Popsicles, water, tylenol and ibuprophen. Monkey seems to be finally improving. It's been three long days of high fevers, coughing and other not so pretty symptoms. The rest of us continue to be relatively symptom free but I know we aren't safe yet. Hopefully, the extra doses of vitamin C and D will pull us through.

--- 2 ---

Advent is here. Our Jesse Tree is up (join the Jesse Tree Link-Up!) and our Advent candles are out. The Advent wreath is another matter. I'm embarrassed to say there is still no wreath surrounding our candles. Maybe this weekend, if we are feeling well, we'll make a trip to the forest and gather some evergreen branches.

--- 3 ---

I'm moving into the third trimester of my pregnancy. It surprises me to think that there are only three months left and another little one will join our family. We're excited and a little nervous too.

--- 4 ---

The many projects for our Handmade Christmas are coming together. I still have a few larger projects to start like the quilted table runners for my mother. I don't have much quilting experience but luckily I have a a lovely friend who's an a talented quilter and is kind enough to help me out.

--- 5 ---

I started taking violin lessons a again in the fall. I've only taken a year and a bit of lessons so I'm quite a newbie but Hubby and I really enjoy playing music together (he plays the piano). We hope that our playing together will inspire our children to plays their own music one day.

--- 6 ---

Despite trying to keep things simple this month, it has already filled up with various activities. Looking at the calendar leaves my feeling overwhelmed. When I feel overwhelmed, I start writing lists and eating cheese. Mmmm cheese.... when I'm really stressed I'll take a bite out of a block of Parmesan.

--- 7 ---

Hubby and I have been enjoying listening to this particulalrly beautiful yet intense Beethoven sonata.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

That Time of Year - Virus Crisis

2011-12-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

A few days ago I was bragging about how Monkey had never been sick to his stomach. Of course, bragging isn't nice and it seems I've learned my lesson quickly. The influenza has reared its ugly head in our home. Monkey is the first to succumb. Fever, coughing, vomiting... poor little guy. It makes my heart ache seeing him so sick. While everyone else appears to be healthy, I know each of us will succumb eventually. I know we aren't the only ones suffering with this nasty bug. Please keep us and others who are unwell in your prayers over the next few days.

Jesse Tree Link-Up

2011-11-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Last year I hosted a Jesse Tree Link-Up. It was neat to see how others use the Jesse Tree tradition in their homes. The picture below is what our Jesse Tree looks like so far. We started putting up our ornaments on the first day of Advent and then realized that we only have twenty-four ornaments. We decided to continue putting them up since there are always a few days in December that we forget or are not home.

For those of you interested in joining the Jesse Tree link-up, please make sure to link to a post about your Jesse Tree. I will leave the link-up open until the feast of the Epiphany (January 6th).

Advent in our Home

2011-11-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

Advent is here. So is more snow. On Sunday we set up our Jesse Tree. This time we placed it in our dining area along with the Advent wreath (or candles... the wreath is yet to come). Before bed we light the Advent candle(s) say a simple prayer and then talk about the symbol for our Jesse tree. We keep the discussion short. For example, the first symbol (the earth) we mentioned that we live on the earth and God made the earth. That's it. As Monkey gets older we'll include Bible readings and more discussion. Meaningful traditions don't need to be complicated.

We also put out our nativity scene, minus a few characters (baby Jesus and the wise men). In all the excitement Joseph lost his staff but a little glue did the trick. As the weeks go by we'll move Joseph and Mary closer to the manger. Baby Jesus will appear on Christmas day and the wise men won't come until after Christmas, after which they will journey to the manger and arrive on the Feast of the Epiphany which is celebrated on January 6th.

I took out our Christmas books and borrowed a few more from the library. If you are looking for Advent and Christmas book inspirations check out Jessica's link up over at Shower of Roses. There are so many beautiful books out there. I'll share of few of my favorites soon.

This post is linked-up to A Ten O'Clock Scholar: Nativity Carnival.

Just Around the Corner

2011-11-25T22:58:00.000-08:00

This Sunday marks the first day of Advent which means Christmas is just around the corner. Things may appear quiet, but I've been hard at work. I still have a few Advent preparations to finish and many Christmas presents to make for the Handmade Christmas Challenge. In the last couple weeks there has been a lot of knitting and sewing around here. But the more I accomplish, the most it seems there is to do... perhaps because I keep on adding things to my to-do list.

Once Advent begins I will start sharing with you some of the Christmas gifts that I've made. Please, don't get the impression that all my gifts will be handmade. I don't think I have the time or talent to write books or make movies, but dishcloths I can definitely make. So keep posted.

If you are thinking of celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas (December 6th) here are a few more ideas, but be sure to check out the St. Nicholas Center. Also, I will be hosting a Jesse Tree link-up starting next week for those of you that would like to share your Jesse Tree set-ups and ideas.

Weekly Menu

2011-11-22T13:43:00.000-08:00

Another weekly menu. Soon we will be receiving our yearly beef order from the butcher so we need to finish up our beef from last fall. Unfortunately, the last pieces of beef are buried at the bottom of our deep freezer and require some technical maneuvering to get out. I managed to yank out some elk that a friend just gave to us and a prime rib roast.

Tuesday: Italian baked chicken.

Wednesday: Elk stroganoff with egg noodles and broccoli.

Thursday: Lentil soup and homemade bread.

Friday: Prime-rib roast (cooked low and slow), mashed potatoes and baked acorn squash.

Saturday: Leftovers.

For more weekly menu inspirations go check out Elisa's Weekly Menu Plan.

An Eco-Friendly Advent

2011-11-17T15:56:00.000-08:00

When planning and preparing for seasons and celebrations, there is a war within me. I want to create beautiful traditions for our family while still keeping things simple and environmentally friendly. Sometimes accomplishing this can be difficult.

Advent is a time of joyful anticipation but it is also a time of preparation and repentance. Despite all the noise of Christmas around us, Advent should be a time of quiet reflection. When we focus on quietness and simplicity during Advent, there seems to be a natural tendency to become more aware of the environmental impact of holiday consumerism. There are plenty of suggestions for reducing our impact this Christmas, but Advent itself is often overlooked. So, I'd like to offer a few simple ways to make Advent traditions a little more environmentally friendly.

Ten Thousand Villages Advent Calendar

Advent Calendars

For Advent, it's all to tempting to purchase those cute inexpensive chocolate calendars from the supermarket. But those calendars are made of paper and plastic and filled with poor quality chocolate. If an Advent calendar is important to you family, a better option would be to get a Advent calendar filled with fair trade chocolate Ten Thousand Villages Advent Calendar or to make or buy a reusable Advent calendar like this Nativity Advent Calendar or a Waldorf Advent Spiral.

Advent Wreaths

Advent wreaths are a beautiful tradition. Making an Advent wreath out of real evergreens will fill the room with a lovely scent and can be composted at the end of the season. Plastic evergreens are reusable but eventually, after a few years, they need replacing and are sent to the landfill. Another option is to go wreath-less by using a Trinity Knot Advent Candle Holder or something similar.

When choosing Advent candles purchase some that are made of pure beeswax or are vegetable based. Petroleum based candles (paraffin) cause pollution when made and burned in the home.

The Jesse Tree

Again try to find or make something that you can reuse every year. You can buy ready made Jesse Tree Ornaments or make you own out of felt, fabric, modeling wax, or another material.

The Feast of St. Nicholas (December 6th)

There are many different traditions for this feast day. Some children put out a shoe or hang a stocking the night before in the hopes that it will be filled with goodies the next morning. If this is part of your tradition (it's part of ours), try to fill the shoes or stocking with meaningful, healthy and package free objects.

Jessica over at Shower of Roses give each of her children a new picture book. Try reviving the past tradition of giving fruit. Try special fruit like mandarin oranges, kiwis or pomegranates if apples are already a daily staple. Fair trade chocolates or naturally sweetened treats are also a nice touch.

The St. Nicholas Center suggests a variety of ways to celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas. It's a good place to start if you are considering starting this tradition in your own home.

If you have any suggestions for an eco-friendly Advent, feel free to post your suggestions in the comment section below.

Dyeing Play Silks with Kool Aid

2011-11-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

A year ago, I purchased six 35" x 35" Habotai silk scarves from Dharma Trading Co. to dye into play silks. The silks got stowed away only to be discovered by my son last week. Today I got around to dying the silks. I was surprised by how easy the process was and want to share a few of my discoveries.

What are play silks?

Play silks are pieces of dyed silk that little ones can use for imaginative play. A piece of blue silk can become a river when laid on the ground or a piece of red silk can become a cape. Purchasing play silks can be quite expensive. They can cost around $15-$20 for one 35" x 35" silk. Dharma Trading Co. sells their 35" x 35" Habotai silk scarves for $5.19 USD each. Even with the cost shipping and dye (Kool Aid) it is much more affordable.

How to dye play silks?

There are many blog posts on the topic of dyeing play silks with Kool Aid. I used this post as a guide. Here is an abbreviated walk through of how to dye silks with Kool Aid.

Gather:
silks
Kool Aid pouches (2-3 pouches per silk depending on size of silk)
white vinegar
a medium saucepan (3-4L)
wooden spoons
large plastic Ziploc bag
clothes rack

1. Wash silks to remove residue and oils. You can wash them in the washing machine or toss them in a sink full of warm water with a little dish soap, swish and rinse.

2. For one 35" x 35" silk, fill a sauce pan with 4 cups of water 1/2 cup of vinegar and two pouches of Kool Aid powder (same flavour). You can double or triple this to accommodate the size or number of silk you'll be dyeing.

3. Mix and heat until boiling or quite hot. Add wet play silk to pot and stir around to disperse dye into the fabric. Boil for 10 minutes. The silk will absorb the dye. Continue to stir and shift the silk around to ensure an even dye.

4. Place the dyed silk into a large plastic baggie or microwave safe container with lid and place in microwave for 2 minutes. This helps set the dye.

5. Remove silk when cool enough to handle and hang to dry.

That's it!

A couple notes.

Some colours absorb better than others. Red, orange and pink transferred well, while green did not. I didn't try purple, blue or yellow but I've also read that yellow can be finicky.

Don't trust the package colour. As you can see above I bought blue Kool Aid but it ended up being red! Both Monkey and I were disappointed.

I have also read that the certain colours will fade over time.

What Happened to the Weekly Menu?

2011-11-14T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have been asked by a few people why I stopped posting my weekly menus. I still write up a weekly menu on our kitchen whiteboard. But for some reason the menu stopped making the jump to the blog, I can't figure out why. I was reading the weekly menu over on Elisa Loves and really found it inspiring. It's nice to read what others make during the week, especially when you find yourself getting tired of butternut squash soup. So, for this week I thought I'd share my weekly menu:

Monday: Duck (cooked by a friend), roasted butternut squash and quinoa.

Tuesday: Roasted cauliflower soup and homemade bread.

Wednesday: Pizza. Three-cheese pizza with pancetta and mushroom.

Thursday: Slow cooked pork roast, scalloped potatoes and broccoli.

Friday: Braised rabbit, rice and stuffed accorn squash.

Saturday: Leftovers or a simple homemade tomato pasta.

Sunday: Feast of Christ the King!

More Advent Goodies

2011-11-12T19:11:00.000-08:00

As I've been checking out other blogs I've come across some fun Advent things. This post is hardly original. Jessica over at Shower of Roses has recently posted about many of these items. I've added a few of my own finds too.

Jesse Tree Wood Ornaments from Jesse Tree Treasures on Etsy.

There also a beautiful set of O Antiphons ornaments.

The feast of St. Nicholas takes place during Advent, on December 6th. There are so many ideas for celebrating this feast day. Last year we did this. Jessica has some neat traditions too (Feast of St. Nicholas - 2010). Here are a few fun St. Nicholas figurines for little ones.

St. Nicholas wood peg doll made by StAnnePixies and St.LukesBrush

Saint Nicholas and Angel by Playmobil

St. Nicholas finger puppet by Sanctus Stitches

How about Advent music? Advent music albums are not easy to come by, but here are a couple that I came across:

You can get A Season of Hope: Rediscovering Our Advent Heritage by Brotherhood of Hope on iTunes, amazon.com or you can listen to samples here.

The Feast of Seasons by Steve Bell also has some Advent songs (numbers 1 to 5) .

Each Advent we set up our nativity scene and slowly fill it up as the Advent progresses. This year I wanted to find a nativity scene that my little ones could play with.

Nativity set made by Playmobil.

There also some nativity sets made by HABA, Kathe Kruse, and Holztiger. These sets are quite pricey but beautiful and well made.

These nativity magnets are neat. You can get them from Wee Believers or make them yourself by following these simple instructions.

A few Thoughts on a Handmade Christmas

2011-11-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

Last night I fell into a restless sleep. I was thinking about a handmade Christmas. In the last couple weeks I've come to a few realizations.

First, I won't be able to make all my gifts or get them second hand. Inevitably, there will be a few things that I will buy brand new. Gasp! Yes, but I think the point here is not get drawn into the consumerism of Christmas. Purchasing a new gift here or there, especially when it is well thought out is fine.

The next thing I've noticed is that time is going by all too quickly and I've barely put a dent in the few projects I have picked out. This has put me into a bit of panic mode. The other problem is that there are some people that I have no idea what to make for them or I worry that they won't appreciate a handmade gift. This is a tricky thing.

I did come across a helpful free e-book for planning a simpler Christmas. It has helped put a few things into perspective for planning my handmade Christmas. If you have a moment it's worth taking a quick look. Also, I picked up a stack of books on the library on a handmade gifts. My plan tonight is to flip through them and get inspired.

Preparing for Advent: Advent Wreaths, Jesse Trees and Other Ideas

2011-11-08T20:59:00.000-08:00

People are already counting down the days until Christmas. As of today, there are 46 days left. It's coming quickly, which means Advent is just around the corner. November 27th marks the first day of Advent, that's only 19 days away!

Advent takes place during the four weeks preceding Christmas. During these weeks, we are called to prepare and anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. There are many different ways to observe Advent. For inspiration I've linked to various Advent traditions, recipes, and crafts in this post. If I've missed a particular Advent tradition that you observe feel free to post about it below.

One of the most common ways to observe Advent is to use an Advent wreath, a circular wreath made of evergreens with four candles (three purple, one pink). The Advent wreath has pre-Christian origins. It was used to celebrate the return of the sun after winter solstice. For Christians, the Advent wreath represented the coming of Jesus, the light of the world.

Learn How to Make Your Own Advent Wreath.

Try teaching your kids about the Advent wreath by making Edible Advent Wreath for Kids.

If you are looking for a toddler friendly Advent wreath consider purchasing or making a felt or fabric Advent wreath (one option) (another option).

Here are some simple Advent wreath prayers (scroll to pages 2-3).

The Jesse Tree is a fun way for children (and adults) to prepare for Christmas. A couple years ago I was crazy enough to make a Jesse tree and all the ornaments by hand. It took me a long time but I love them. There are many different ways for making a Jesse tree.

You can buy a Jesse Tree kit or make your own out of felt.

Or you can host a Jesse Tree craft swap.

A simpler option would be to download and print some free Jesse Tree paper ornaments and hang them on some branches. Paper Dali has printable ornaments here.

For more ideas on how you can observe Advent check out some blogs. Jessica over at Shower of Roses has compiled a list of Advent Activities which is worth checking out. She also has great list of Advent and Christmas books. Catholic Icing also has some suggestions to kick-off Advent. And for Advent inspired recipes check out Catholic Cuisine.

Phew! So hopefully that gets you inspired and thinking about Advent.

When Children Break Things

2011-10-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

After having my first little one, I became very aware of how easily things break or get wrecked. At an early age Monkey would tear books, break toys and managed to destroyed most things he got his hands on. Even these days it seems like something gets broken on a regular basis.

At first, I felt frustrated. Yes, I believe that we shouldn't attach ourselves to material possessions (Matthew 6:19-21). However, we should still take care of what we have and teach our children to do the same. In our throw away materialistic culture it becomes too easy to be careless about our possession because everything is easily replaceable. We often don't think about the environmental impact of throwing away broken items and buying new one.

To be honest, I struggle as to how I should respond when Monkey wreaks something. Most of the time, he breaks the item "unintentionally". Perhaps he was being careless, curious or too rough, nevertheless something broke. When this happens I try to match my response to his. If he feels upset about breaking the item, we talk about how it broke, how he could avoid such a situation in the future, and how we could fix it (if we can). If he doesn't care that it broke (the more common scenario) then it makes my job a whole lot more difficult.

Over the last three years, there are a few things I've learned that have helped me deal with the reality of children breaking things.

1 - Start by getting good quality, hard to break items. This is especially important for items that are handled on a regular basis by little ones. Think toys. After realizing that plastic cracks much too easily, I opted for wood. Wood is good. It's durable. There are many beautiful wood toys available. Some of our favorites are made by Plan Toys, Soopsori, and Grimm's. The thrift store is a good place to look for wood toys since they can be pricey to buy new. Cloth is good too. Dress up clothes, play silks and nice stuffed toys like these Folkmanis puppets make nice toys.

2 - Fix it. If it breaks try to fix it. Some things cannot be fixed but many things can. Books can be taped back together, clothes sewn, and toys glued. If you can't fix it ask around. Someone you know might know how.

3 - Place special items out of reach. Before having little ones, I didn't understand why you would change your home to accommodate your children. Now I enjoy being inspired by books like The Creative Family and Playful Learning to create areas in my home that allow my little ones to play and imagine. I still think children need to learn how to handle special objects but there is a time and a place for this. There's no sense tempting fate by leaving your beautiful china at an easy reach. I find this true also for toys with many small pieces like puzzles and marbles that can easily be lost or act as a chocking hazard far babies if left around.

4 - Switch it, get rid of it and live without it. When my Monkey gets tired of a toy he starts to find "creative" ways to play with it... usually this lead to its destruction. Once I notice that a toy isn't being used anymore I take it away for another day. Some items that are bound to break, because they aren't particularly durable, are given away to children with a much gentler dispositions than my own. Other items aren't necessary and we can live without them so don't rush out to replace something broken. Wait at first and see if you (or your child) can live without it.

5 - Things will get broken. No matter how durable the toy or how high those china cups are, things happen and stuff breaks. Try to remain calm (I'm still working on this one) and remember that it's just stuff.

What do you do when your child breaks something? I would love to hear your opinions on this topic.

Technology Ruins Roman

2011-10-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these videos? I saw them for the first time today.

It gave me food for thought. Technology has made such a huge impact on the way we interact with each other. I've noticed this especially since quitting Facebook. Of course, I know couples who have met online and are now happily married. But I wonder if technology has ruined romance or simply changed it.

What are your thoughts?

A Handmade Christmas

2011-10-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Inspiration has set in, thanks to some fellow bloggers, and I've started thinking about a handmade Christmas. Now, I'm not one of those people that get into Christmas months before the day. No, in fact, we don't set up our tree until a couple days before Christmas and I cringe when I see Christmas stuff invading stores at this time of the year.

But, this year I want most of our family's gifts to each other and to others to be handmade. Handmade gifts will undoubtedly take more time which is why I'm thinking about it now. I've decided to join the Handmade Christmas Craft Along Challenge over at Crunchy Catholic Mama. The challenge is to move away from the mass consumerism of Christmas and to give gifts that are unique and have meaning. For the challenge, gifts can be handmade, handmade by someone else (craft fair, Etsy) or upcycled (thrift store, antique store, garage sale). I'm really excited about this challenge and I will be sharing my ideas of a handmade Christmas as we get closer to the date.

So here is my official pledge :

I, Josee, pledge to:

To take a political stance against mass consumerism of Christmas
To give gifts that are unique, meaningful and full of love

If you are interested in participating in this challenge check out Crunchy Catholic Mama.

Preserving Notes

2011-10-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

Last year was the first year I preserved a large amount of food using a water bath canner. As I went along, I kept a record of how much was canned, how much it cost, which recipe was used, when we ran out of the canned food and if it was enjoyed or left on the shelf. As I started canning this year I made reference to last year's record on a regular basis. It was extremely helpful to remember that we didn't like apple chutney but that we ran out of pears in the early spring.

This year I focused on canning fruit in simple syrup, jams, salsa, and applesauce. There were some items that we enjoyed last year that I did not preserve this year simply because I didn't come across the right produce at the right time. The cool wet summer also affected what was plentiful and what was not.

A record of what I grew in the garden also made it into my planning binder. Although, the entry was pathetically small. All I could boast about was that we had a lot of borage, parsley, marjoram, thyme and sage. Yep, that's about it.

I also make note of areas we foraged for food, berries in particular. Finding a great patch is wonderful, as long as you can remember where it is next year.

As I made a record of all that we canned, dehydrated and foraged for the last six months, I found myself surprised by what was accomplished, especially considering how exhausted I felt this summer (first trimester woes). I have my husband and sister to thank for all their help. They were there while I persisted to peel mountains of pears and pick rosehips in the pouring rain with my little ones.

Swiftly Moving

2011-10-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

If someone asked me what I did yesterday, I would have to think for a while before answering. The days seem to pass quickly, even details of the morning slip away by the time the sun goes down, which is early these days.

One day flows into another and already a week has passed by. In the last week we've had visits with friends and family, some anticipated and others joyfully unexpected. There have been adventures to the park and surrounding forests. There has been sunshine and rain, wellness and sickness, joys and sadness. There has been exciting announcements of births and sad news of friends leaving town.

Some things stay the same. The knitting continues. The latest completed project has been A Noble Cowl and I'm searching for the perfect cowl pin to accompany it. Now that canning has slowed down, quilting has made it's appearance once more. It has been a while since my last quilting project and now I'm hoping to complete a quilt made up of men's used cotton dress shirts. My husband thinks it won't be completed for a least six months so I have a goal of finishing it before then.

My sourdough culture from the spring died. I was too tired to take care of it. Luckily, my mother shared a bit of her culture with me and I started making some lovely sourdough bread again. Cinnamon rolls have also been consumed in unhealthy amounts around here, thanks to the Pioneer Woman and her delicious recipe.

With no shows or movies we've been spending a lot of time reading. Sweetpea has mastered the phrase "Maman, read a book?" while clambering onto my lab with a copy of Time for Bed. Monkey has been captivated by The Hungry Caterpillar and Ten Apples Up on Top. I've just started reading The Help.

The next week will probably move as swiftly as the last, but I thank God for the blessings of each day whenever I can catch my breath.

Enjoying Fall

2011-10-12T19:34:00.000-07:00

Summer left much to be desired. With trepidation, I accepted that fall had arrived. Yet, I began to notice beautiful fall changes taking place around me. Right now, the yellow hued trees stand in contrast to the dark green evergreens surrounding our home. It's a sight difficult to miss, it's so striking.

In the morning, the cool fog swallows our street. It's heavy with the sweet scent of the plants rotting. Soon as the sun pierces the fog we make our ways outdoors.

The little ones are amazed by the fall changes. Monkey notices the colourful leaves and yellowing grass. Sweetpea tries to keep up to her big brother. We are enjoying fall.

Off The Needles: Ear-Flap Hat

2011-10-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

I find knitting relaxing. Most evenings, I spend a little time knitting. Now that Fall is here, my attention has turned to knitting cozy accessories for the chilly months ahead. Recently, I knit a Lyon Hat for Monkey. The hat has ear-flaps which is a must for the chilly North. I used Noro Kureyon yarn and finished it off with lovely wood handmade buttons from The Woodlot.

Feast Day: St. Francis of Assisi

2011-10-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. He is one of the most well known saints. Many people, religious or not, have heard of him before. St. Francis was a radical guy. A man of joy, simplicity, humility, peace, and nature, he loved Jesus, and showed goodness towards others (Pope Benedict, General Audience, January 2010).

As a child and youth he was rich and spoiled. Everyone loved Francesco. Francis joined the military and aspired to take part in great military conquests. Things changed for him when he was taken prisoner. During this time he had a dream that God told him that his priorities were wrong and that he should go home. He did return and his life changed radically.

Today, our home is going to remember and celebrate this "giant of holiness". I've taken out a selection of books about St. Francis to read with the little ones:

Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Saint Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures by Katherine Paterson
The Song of Francis and the Animals by Pat Mora
The Song of Francis by Tomie dePaola
Saint Francis and the Wolf by Richard Egilski

Francis also had a deep respect for nature and animals so tonight we are bringing one of rabbits to church for a blessing. It should be fun.

For more ideas on celebrating the life of Francis check out Catholic Cuisine for food ideas of Shower of Roses for crafts and such.

Pears: Canning and Memories

2011-10-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

As a child, I have distinct recollections of eating canned pears that were preserved by my mother. Sweet, soft and totally irresistible. I am always amazed how food can affect emotions and stir up memories. When I began canning, naturally I started with pears. Store bought tinned pears do not compared to a jar of preserved pears put up with care at home. As I've journeyed through canning these last few years, canned pears continue to be the the star of the canning show. They aren't fancy, only canned in a simple light sugar syrup, but sometimes the simplest things are the most delightful.

Yesterday, it was a beautiful day. I wanted to spend the day outside enjoying the Fall colours. Instead, I spent the whole afternoon peeling and canning perfectly ripe pears. At first, I felt a little annoyed at being indoors on such a lovely day. Of course, it was my own fault for buying over fifty pounds of pears. As I started peeling the pears, their smell reminded me how they will bring shouts of glee and happy thoughts during the cold winter months. Soon I found myself humming Christmas carols... strange, I know. With the help of Hubby, I managed to put up twenty-seven quarts of pears. What a success but what a lot of work!

Bodacious Beet and Cabbage Soup

2011-10-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

The last time I made borscht was during my university days. I can't remember what inspired me to make the soup but it tasted awful. Hubby claimed it was wonderful and ate the whole pot. We were newly married. Since that fateful pot of borscht I have never tried to make it again... until recently that is...

Last week, I opened the fridge and found cabbage and beets. Borscht came to mind, but the thought of making borscht made me nervous. I checked the internet for ideas. This needed to be a soup packed with flavour. The Ukrainian Red Borscht Soup on allrecipes.com became my source of inspiration. I chose to cook my soup in a slow cooker because it was a busy day. The smell was tantalizing but I remained cautious. Before serving the soup I had a taste to adjust the seasoning. It tasted pretty good. We had some guests unexpectedly drop in, my sister and brother. To my surprise, the soup was a hit and I became a believer in borscht.

This soup uses many vegetables that are making their appearance at the farmers' market in the Fall: cabbage, carrots, potatoes and beets. Try to select the freshest ingredients you are able to get.

Bodacious Beet and Cabbage Soup
Serves 4 - 6 very hungry people

2 large fresh mild Italian sausages, casings removed
1 onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 Tbps. tomato paste
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 large carrots, grated
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 large beets, peeled and grated (grating beets by hand is messy business, check your face for beet juice before going out)
1/4 (large) or 1/2 (small) head of cabbage, thinly sliced
3 (or more) cups chicken stock
3 (or more) cups beef stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
sour cream to serve

Putting It Together:

You can cook this soup on a stove top or in a slow cooker. The choice it yours. The directions here are for a slow cooker but adapting the recipe to stove top shouldn't be difficult.

1 - Start by heating up a frying pan on medium heat. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the casings into the pot. Break up the meat. Toss in the onions. Cook until meat it browned and onions are translucent. Toss in garlic and tomato paste. Stir until garlic smells fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add canned tomatoes. Let simmer for a few minutes. Add mixture to the slow cooker. Turn slow cooker on high.

2 - Add a splash of olive oil to pan and fry up grated carrot until slightly tender. Add some chicken stock to the pan and bring to a simmer, scraping off the bottom bits as you go. Toss the carrot and stock into the slow cooker.

3 - Add a splash of olive oil and fry grated beets and cabbage until cabbage starts to wilt. Add some beef stock and bring to a simmer, scraping off the bottom bits as you go. Toss the beets, cabbage and stock into the slow cooker.

4 - Toss cubed potatoes into the slow cooker. The slow cooker might be quite full, depending on the size of your cooker. Add the remaining stock until you like the consistency of the soup. You might need more than 6 cups of stock. Season with salt and pepper.

5 - Cook on high heat for 2 - 3 hours or low heat for longer... 4-6 hours? I've only cooked it on high heat so I'm not sure how long to cook it on low heat.

6 - Taste. Adjust seasoning. Serve with sour cream. Enjoy!

Seven Quick Takes (no. 6)

2011-09-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

--- 1 ---

I am 19 weeks pregnant. We had our ultrasound this week and our little one is growing well. No, we don't know if it's a boy or girl; we like surprises. My due "time" is the end of February, beginning or March. It feels like there is lots to think about and prepare for before this little one joins our family.

--- 2 ---

With the weather cooling, I seem to be spending more time in the kitchen. Keeping everyone supplied with a fresh bread, muffins and cookies is a task I enjoy doing at this time of year. Right now I have a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies from Chewy, Gooey, Crispy, Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies in the oven. Yum!

--- 3 ---

Our raw milk herd share has been cancelled. It was sad news to receive. There is an interesting article on raw milk over on well preserved: Raw Milk No Longer Legal in Ontario – History of Canadian Dairy and a Global Perspective. If we lived in the country, I would love to have a cow of our own.

--- 4 ---

Tomorrow, October 1st, is the feast of St. Terese de Lisieux. I'm planning to make a fancy French feast to celebrate the life of this amazing woman of God. Elisa is also hosting a St. Terese Link-Up!

--- 5 ---

I started taking violin lessons again. I took lessons for a year but stopped after Sweetpea was born. I really enjoy music and like the challenge of learning a new instrument.

--- 6 ---

It has been a while since I've linked up to Ginny's Yarn Alongs. I'm knitting like a lot but over the last few months I have been so tired with being pregnant that blogging has taken a hit.

--- 7 ---

The month of October is an exciting one. So many feasts to celebrate and such beautiful Fall changes to see and explore.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Fall Kindling and Baby Rabbit Rescue

2011-09-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

We keep our rabbits outdoors. This limits us to when we are able to breed them. When we are in the dead of winter, no rabbits breed. The risk of losing a litter, no matter how well built the nest, is too high and the stress incurred by the does and ourselves is not worth the risk. The last litters are born in September or early October. Unfortunately, the weather is already getting quite chilly.

Our four does kindled last week. Two of them made beautiful nests, thickly stuffed with hay and lined with a lovely layer of pulled fur. Their kits (baby rabbits) have done well. The other two does didn't prepare well enough and kindled their litter in the middle of the night right by the nest box door with no fur to cover them. The litters died. This is a reality of raising rabbits. It's frustrating.

The two does that lost their litters were re-bred. They will be due at the end of October which will be colder I'm sure. We do have a heated shed so they will be moved there to kindle. Normally, we don't do this but one of the does is getting older and we really want to get a couple does from her to breed next spring.

One thing we've discovered in the last few years of raising rabbits is that some does aren't good moms. We give a doe three fair chances. If after three breedings the doe continues to scatter or eat her young the she will become dinner. It may sound harsh but the cost of keeping a doe and the space she takes is significant when your have a small rabbitry.

Another problem we've encountered is our nest boxes are flawed. The door for the box is too low and occasionally a kit will fall out. This has happened twice in the last two days. We lost one little kit yesterday. This morning when I looked out the window I saw another small black form on the cage floor. My heart sank as I ran outside. Luckily, it was still alive, but barely. I took the kit and plunged its body in a sink full of warm warm. After it warmed up, I dried it off and placed it on my skin sort of like kangaroo care. It was a successful baby rabbit rescue!

Autumnal Equinox

2011-09-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

Today is the Autumnal Equinox and it marks the first day of Fall. Cooling weather, falling leaves and the sweet smell of autumn make me rush to finish up projects that are frost sensitive. A variety of herbs from my garden have been drying inside, while I've been busy at work preserving apples into juice, applesauce and dried apple rings. My Husband has purchased and stored hay for the winter and our rabbits are kindling for the last time this year. Since snow can arrive early and unexpected in these parts, winterization has already begun. There are still many tasks to do but eventually some plants will get dug up (dalias and gladiolus) and brought it while others will get planted (garlic, lilies, tulips), the rabbit shelter will get walled up, gardens will be cleared, compost spread, and a host of other tasks will get finished.

As I think of all the tasks that need to be accomplished, I've been reading The Rhythm of the Family by Amanda Blake Soule and Stephen Soule. For each month of the year, the Soules share stories and ideas for recognizing and celebrating the changing seasons. The book inspires families to explored nature and be creative. It's a beautiful book and I'm hoping to get my own copy (I'm reading a library copy). For the month of September, the book offers the idea of making a harvest journal. Last year I recorded what I put up in jars (canning) which was very helpful for this year's canning. This year, I'm inspired to take it a step further, and make note of what was harvested from my (very small) garden as well as what was foraged, and preserved by dehydrating and freezing.

As Fall begins what sort of activities are happening around your home?

About Pressure Canning

2011-09-22T15:41:00.000-07:00

To most, pressure canning seems like a dangerous and complicated task. Something like detonating a series of fireworks without getting singed. There are stories that feed the fear of pressure canning. My husband's aunt suffered serious burns after a canner exploded in her face. My friend's canner bulged out while under pressure and started rocking back and forth on the stove - eek!

For those interested in canning, water bath canning is a good place to start. But more experienced canners might meet their quota of fruit, pickles, jams, preserves, jellies etc. and start wondering about canning low acid foods. Canning foods low in acid, like vegetables (without acid i.e. pickling), meats, and seafood, must be done using a pressure canner. This is the only safe way to ensure that harmful bacteria, such as botulism spores, are completely and utterly destroyed. The National Center for Food Preservation has reliable instructions for pressure canning a variety of foods.

The first time I used my pressure canner was to can chicken stock. Walking carefully through the process of pressure canning demystifies the task. The key is to read the instructions and become familiar with your canner and the guidelines around canning food.

It's also important to invest in a good canner. Something reliable and well made. I invested in a 21 Quart All American Pressure Canner. It can pressure can 7 quarts or 19 pints at a time. A friend of mine purchased a pressure canner with other family members. This is a great way to split the cost as long as you get along with your family.

Pressure canning creates many new opportunities to can food. Unfortunately, the cost of getting a decent pressure canner isn't cheap. It's an investment. A particularly handy investment for the "end-of-the-world" scenario. Not I'm a doomsayer... but consider a pressure canner a personal, portable bunker... for your head. Until that day our pressure canner will mostly be used for canning homemade soup, stew, stock, and tomatoes. Note: Tomatoes can also be water bath canned provided a little lemon juice is added to each jar to ensure the tomatoes are acidic enough.

Teaching the Alphabet

2011-09-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sometime between the age of two and five, your little one will start to show interested in learning about letters. There are many different ways of teaching the alphabet. Some say that you should teach upper case letters before lower case letters, others claims learning lower case first is better because most letters children see are lower case. Learning both upper and lower case at the same time is an option too. There are discussions about whether the little one should learn the alphabet in order, or learn letters randomly or in a non-traditional yet significant sequence. Montessori teachers might use Sand Paper Letter Cards to teach letter sounds. Those of the unschooling philosophy might not teach their little one the alphabet at all, but rely instead of a lot of reading exposure to teach their little one letters. Who knew there were so many options to learning the alphabet!

Some little ones will have no problems learning the alphabet and might self-teach themselves at an early age. Others not so much. Every child is different. Monkey is now 3.5 years old. I reflected on whether or not I should start teaching him about letters. I don't think Monkey would benefit from structured teaching for quite a while. But, I've noticed that he's starting to show some interest in letters.

I decided to go through the alphabet with him very slowly and to use fun interactive activities and books to learn about different letters. I'm using Along the Alphabet Path as my source of inspiration. It's a Catholic alphabet adventure for little ones. To learn more go to A Tutorial for the Alphabet Path. There are some wonderful alphabet resources on this site. To be honest, I haven't delved into all the information and resources that there are on the website. Some suggestions seem too complicated for Monkey but there ideas for all levels of alphabet learners. As we go along, I'll try to share with you our alphabet journey.

What are you thoughts on or experiences with teaching your little one the alphabet?

Why I Left Facebook

2011-09-18T13:38:00.000-07:00

I recently made the decision to deactivate my Facebook account. I had been considering deactivation for several months now.

Facebook. Social networking giant. Home to over 750 million active users that spend 700 billion minutes a month interacting with friends, events, group and various pages (reference). When I joined Facebook, I just did. Everyone does. I added friends, joined groups, updated my profile and posted pictures and updates.

Facebook is a tool. It can be a great tool for organizing events and staying in touch with people. Moms can join groups to sell or buy used baby or children items, learn about local events for little ones or meet other moms for play-dates. Thrifty people can learn about deals and get coupons. Facebook can be really helpful for people new to a city. I meet another mom on Facebook and started a book club, through which I've meet some lovely people. With all the advantages of Facebook it's easy to see why there are so many users. But, do all these advantages have a positive enough impact on day-to-day life to justify spending so much time on Facebook. After some reflection, I've decided no it does not.

Negativity. Most of the time I go on Facebook I read status updates on my newsfeed. Over time I've found that a large percentage of Facebook status updates (from individuals) have a negative tone: ranting, complaining, bragging. Sure, those kind of status updates are interesting to read and everyone needs a rant every once in a while. But, constant negativity starts to affect the way you view people. Yes, many status updates are neutral, useful and even positive (birth announcements) but the negativity seems to overshadow the positive. At least, I find this true for myself.

Artificiality. Snooping. Looking into someones life without them knowing. It's thrilling, and disturbing. Privacy settings can restrict some snooping, but not all. The problem with snooping is that you start to feel like you are spending time with someone and that you are getting to know them. This can create a sort of artificial relationship that can stand in the way of developing a real relationship with a person. When I first joined Facebook I touted the benefits of "reconnecting" with people. The reality is I can't think of one person I truly "reconnected" with. I have meet some new people though Facebook but not as many as you might expect.

Addiction. The first things I do when I sit at the computer are check email and Facebook. I get sucked into Facebook by aimlessly browsing my newsfeed. For the most part, I don't glean anything that I will remember the next day, or the next hour for that matter. Not every moment of the day must be productive, sometimes we need to unwind and Facebook can be great for this. But, there are many other things that I could do instead.

Misunderstandings. People can read into status updates too much or sometimes not enough. Sometimes people write things they would never say in person to the crowd of people they call their Facebook Friends. Feelings get hurt. People get stressed. Real life already has enough of this, why do we need more of it in our lives.

For me, sans-Facebook will be better. Our relationship is artificial and unhealthy. Spending time away from Facebook will allow me more time to invest my energy into cultivating real relationships with people while sparing me the stress of the negativity and misunderstandings that can accompany Facebook.

What are your thoughts? Is Facebook a wonderful tool or leaves something to be desired? Am I crazy for leaving Facebook or right to take a second look at this social networking giant?

Apple Picking Time + Preserving Apples

2011-09-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Around this time last year we were hard at work picking and pressing apples to make apple cider. With the recent passing of my Hubby's grandmother our apple picking plans got changed. We did gather several large buckets of apples from our own apple tress, but it wasn't enough to justify renting an apple crusher and press. So, for this year I'm preserving apples in other ways.

Apple Juice: You want to start with apples of course, but the paths you can take to turn your apples to apple juice are many. You can cook the apples, then strain them (instructions here), use an electric juicer, an apple press or steam juicer. This year I'm using a steam juicer. It's great tool for smaller batches of fruit but a little slow for juicing buckets of apples. I wish I had my own apple press. Once your apples are juiced you can freeze the juice or can it. My freezers are full and I dislike thawing bags of frozen juice so I opted for canning this year.

Apple Jelly: The great thing about apple jelly is you don't need to use pectin to make it. Apples are already quite high in pectin. Simply add sugar, boil away until you get to the gel point and you've made jelly. Granted it takes a little time and patience but it's worth it. I use an apple jelly recipe from The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Sweet Preserves.

Apple Sauce: Start by cooking your apples with a little water to prevent scorching. Once cooked pass the apples through a food mill or a China Cap. You can keep apple sauce in the fridge, freeze it or can it.

Dried apples: When I get tired of juicing, saucing and canning I turn to the dehydrator or oven. Drying apples doesn't take much prep, which is nice, but it does take a while before they are ready. Once the apples dried they disappear fast, so be warned!

Any apple preserving ideas you'd like to share?

Canning Peaches

2011-09-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

In my perfect preserving world, everything I'd preserve would be organic, locally grown and cheap (or free). Living in the North makes it difficult to get certain fruit locally, never mind organic or even cheap for that matter. I was fortunate enough to can some locally (to my friend's home) grown organic apricots a few weeks ago when we went a little ways South to visit our friends.

But when I go to the grocery store I gaze longingly at the cases of peaches waiting to be canned. Usually, I stop myself from buying them when I think of how pesticide laden they must be. Last weekend I could resist no longer. I bought just one case (for now) figuring that if there was any sort of disaster canned peaches would be a valuable asset to have on hand, pesticides and all. Canning the peaches was a labour of love. I got burnt a few times, no surprise there, and I created a sauna in my house, but those peaches look so darn good in their jars I'm happy that I decided to do it after all.

Returned

2011-09-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

We have returned. Our family had some vacation time. We made plans to go South and visit our friends and family. Unfortunately, my Hubby's Grandmother had a stroke and passed away so we found ourselves driving North instead of South.

Before going North we did sneak in a quick visit with a couple dear friends and then restocked our bags at home for the long trip North. But, when we returned home for this quick stopover we discovered a little critter had moved in - a mouse. Thanks to a peanut butter trap the little mouse moved out of our house.

Up North we spent our time with family celebrating the 80th birthday of Hubby's uncle and mourning the loss of dear Grandmaman. Grandmaman lived a long and beautiful life. She had ten children and has many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Hearing about her life made me think about many things and how so much has changed in the last century.

While Hubby still has some time off we were too exhausted to continue on so we returned home. Travelling with little ones is worth it but can be very draining. Now that we're home, I'm thinking of all the project I want to start or continue... more about that later.

Canning Raspberry Jam

2011-08-24T16:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to the local u-pick and scrounged up 4 lbs of raspberries. The bushes were pretty picked over by the time we arrived. Some deep bush diving was necessary and scratches and thorns were endured, but we filled one ice cream bucket. Even Monkey joined in on the fun. I made a batch of raspberry lavender jam from Canning for a New Generation which came out nice and not cloyingly sweet.

As I prepared the jam, my mom received a call from her neighbour who needed someone to come pick her raspberries before they started falling to the ground. Raspberries have been scares this year so I was thrilled to pick more. Within a half hour we filled our buckets and we would have kept going if it wasn't for the rain beating down on us. There were still so many raspberries begging to be picked. Fear not little raspberries I will be back in a few days and then you too will become delicious raspberry jam.

My little raspberry.

I use the neighbor's raspberries for a batch of quick raspberry jam from Put 'em Up!. It was my first time using Pomona's Universal Pectin and I had some fruit floating issues. Maybe I didn't stir the jam off heat long enough. Anybody else have experience using Pomona's pectin?

Seven Quick Takes (no. 5)

2011-08-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Is it Friday already? Actually I thought it was Saturday this morning but when Hubby slipped out of bed for work I realized that it was Friday.

1 - Why are puffed wheat squares so addicting? I could eat a whole tray. I've only ever made the recipe my mom used when we were children. Do you have a special recipe that you use?

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 butter
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
8 cups puffed wheat

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until butter melts. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and then pour over puffed wheat in a large bowl. Mix until all the puffed what are evenly coated. Press into a 9 by 13 inch pan. Let cool and enjoy!

2 - World Youth Days is happening in Madrid, Spain but apparently 1.5 million Catholics gathering to see the Pope isn't as newsworthy as those protesting the Pope's visit.

3 - Canning has been a struggle this summer. The cold rainy weather has significantly affected crops so there hasn't been much locally grown produce to preserve. When we go South for our holidays I plan to bring my canning gear along and have a few canning sessions.

4 - Tomorrow is rabbit butchering day. We have 18 rabbits to butcher and luckily a few extra helping hands.

5 - Borage flowers taste like cucumbers and go very well with this Asian Cucumber Ribbon Salad. Borage plants also get three feet tall and are taking over my very small raised garden bed. Next year, I'll need to plant them elsewhere.

6 - The fruit flies in our home are very annoying. Any suggestions? I've tried a jar with apple cider vinegar and a funnel on top. I caught a few this way but not enough.

7 - I am craving authentic Japanese ramen and Korean BBQ. We don't have restaurants that offer this kind of cuisine around here so I'm making a list of places to check out on our trip.

Homemade Toothpaste

2011-08-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today we ran out of toothpaste. I had a brief moment of sadness when I ditched the empty bottle of Green Beaver Green Apple Toothpaste. Why? Well, I had finally gotten use to the flavour.

Making my own toothpaste has been on my DIY list for some time. I came across a non-toxic toothpaste recipe over on Crunchy Catholic Momma and picked up the ingredients months ago. Most of the items I already had on hand. Mixing everything together took five minutes, at most, and I was optimistic about my jar of homemade paste. It smelled nice.

I carried the jar to the washroom, took a picture of it, and decided to give it a try. I put a good dollop on my toothbrush and stuck it in my mouth. Have you ever eaten a muffin and unexpectedly got a chunk of baking soda that didn't quite mix in with the rest of the batter. Yes, well, the way your taste buds revolt in that scenario is about a fraction of what they do when you stick a glob of homemade toothpaste in your mouth. For some reason I failed to register that the main ingredient was baking soda and I was over optimistic that xylitol and peppermint would mask the BS flavour.

I got through the brushing session by holding my breath, effectively numbing my tastebuds. Granted after a thorough rinsing my teeth felt very clean and there was no weird aftertaste. I have a cup of this toothpaste to contend with. Should I force myself to use it (it's non-toxic) and hopefully get use to it? Or should I go and pick up another tube of Green Beaver toothpaste?

Seven Quick Takes (no. 4)

2011-08-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

1 - Everybody has to suffer. The one thing about reading the news or even reading other blogs that I find difficult is hearing about all the suffering that people are experiencing. Everybody suffers in one way or another. Fr. Stan Fortuna captures this reality in his funky monk rap song Everybody Got To Suffer. Hearing about others' suffering makes my heart ache. Today I read about a lady, Jennie, that recently and suddenly lost her husband to a heart attack. To remember him she has asked that people make her husbands favorite creamy peanut butter pie. I've written down the ingredients and plan on making it this weekend.

2 - Pretty things make me smile. At little while ago Banner Boutique on Etsy had a sale and I splurged on a couple headbands for Sweetpea. They are adorable but I'm not sure how I'll convince my little sweetie to keep them on her head.

3 - My husband enjoys computer games and today he bought a couple for me. He quickly reassured me that he only spent $3 for the two games he purchased. The first one is called Machinarium and the second is Broken Sword 3. I tried the first game tonight. It's a puzzle type of game and quite fun. This is significant for me to say because I don't play computer games, at least not for long, and I'm very picky about what I do play.

4 - Tomorrow I must go to the farmers' market. After saying this for three weeks and not going I must go tomorrow. The problem is we've had so much rain that there really hasn't been much produce at the market.

5 - Washing the floors is my least favorite household task. Everybody has a task they shirk away from doing. For some it's laundry, others can bring themselves to clean the bathroom but for me it's washing the floors.

6 - We lost over 75lbs of frozen pork earlier this week. Monkey turned off the freezer. He must had done it over a week ago. We didn't even realize that you could turn it off using the temperature control gauge. They say not to cry over spilled milk, but rotting pork is a whole other matter. I did cry as I cleaned up the stinky mess and lugged the garbage bag full of pork I had just purchased a few weeks ago to the garbage dump.

7 - It's coming up to a year since my friend Rachael and her boyfriend Jonathan went missing while hiking. Recently Rachael's family set up a memorial for her on the mountain she was hiking. Jonathan's family has organized another search effort for the next couple weeks and hope that they will discover the remains of Rachael and Jonathan. Please keep Rachael and Jonathan and their families in your prayers in the next coming weeks.

Delightfully Sunny

2011-08-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

Times flies by when you are having fun! The weather outside has been beautiful and sunny. We've been taking advantage of it as much as we can. We've been spending time at the lake, soaking in the rays, eating Popsicles on the grass and jumping through the sprinkler.

Today I met up with a friend and her little ones at the city's annual exhibition fair. It was Monkey's first time on rides and he loved it. We had such a fun time.

Hello Horsey

2011-08-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

This morning we went to visit Mamou while she took her horseback riding lesson. She has been taking riding lessons for half a year but she isn't new to horseback riding. She grew up on a farm and was fierce barrel racer, or so I've heard. I think most of her riding experience was Western, but she seems to be enjoying the challenge of English riding.

Her goal for this morning was to introduce Monkey to the idea of horseback riding in the hopes that one day her grandson might become a high horse jumper. Whoah! Wait a second! That sounds dangerous... and wasn't I was the one that wanted to ride horses when I was young.

Now Monkey is only three and won't be taking horse riding lessons for a while. Mamou hopes that he will visit her at riding lessons once a month to get him used to seeing and being around horses. I think it's pretty cute and honestly I like the idea of horseback riding over many other popular sports.

Today I was surprised that Monkey was eager to climb on top of the huge (and beautiful!) horse. He didn't want to get off. He even helped to brush the horse afterward with little prompting. We'll see what the future holds.

Seven Quick Takes (no. 3)

2011-08-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

1 - We've had more sun the last couple days. Enough sun that I was able to hang some clothes to dry... and it actually dried. Imagine that! We're enjoying the sunshine immensely!

2 - Since I've already confessed my enjoyment of Asian dramas I might as well admit that I want to eat the food that I always see on the shows. Maangchi has a good collection of Korean recipes but getting some of the exotic ingredients up here aren't easy. Any Koreans out there that read my blog? Can you send me some ingredients? Just thought I'd ask. Tonight I settled for Japanese food, which was very tasty.

3 - I finished knitting my shirt. Well, almost. It just goes to show how much time I've spent watching Asian dramas lately. No I'm not neglecting my children or husband or home. I just go to bed much too late. I still need to figure out how to attach the I-cord edging on the shirt. I'm a little lost on this one... but I've got two episodes of My Princess left to figure it out.

4 - Tomorrow is farmers' market day. I'm hoping to return with some goodies to can. Some apricots would be great!

5 - Do you ever look at your little one(s) and think "I have the cutest kids in the world!" and really believe it. It's funny how that works.

6 - My husbands vacation time is coming up. There are so many places that would be fun to visit. I'm torn about what we should do. We'll be definitely going South... but how far South that's the question.

7 - I recently came across a line of certified organic makeup called Zuii that our local health food store started to carry. I haven't tried it. I don't wear much makeup these days. But, it sounds interesting. Interesting enough to try?

Addicted to Asian Dramas

2011-08-04T20:53:00.000-07:00

I have become proficient at knitting while reading subtitles. Yes, I've had a lot of practice. I don't even notice the subtitles half the time and I've picked up a few Japanese and Korean words along the way. I'll tell about some of the dramas I've watched. You can click on the link to watch the shows for free over on dramacrazy.net.

I started watching Asian dramas while our first Korean student was staying with us. She introduced me to the South Korean drama Boys Over Flowers (꽃보다 남자). This show is based on the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango. The plot is about a gang of four guys (F4) that attend a yuppie high school. The leader of the pack Joon Pyo has a nasty temper and beats up on kids in the school. One day, Geum Jan-di, a poor girl that gets into with a scholarship, stands up to Joon Pyo and kicks him in the head. There is also a Japanese drama based on the same story called Hana Yori Dango. I've watched both dramas and while the Korean drama is newer (2009) and prettier, it's drawn out in places and has a bit too much crying. The Japanese drama flows better but its less pretty (2005). They both have their great moments and I enjoyed both.

The next drama I watched was Shinning Inheritance. A bit of a Cinderella story. Go Eun Sung's stepmother takes away everything she has, including her brother, and leaves her to fend for herself. One day Eun Sung cares for an elderly lady that has temporary amnesia. The lady is in fact the CEO of a food company and becomes a sort of fairy godmother to Eug Sung, something her grandson is not interested in. It's a cute drama, but it made me want to eat Korean food every time I watched it.

Asian dramas are not like America soap operas where you can't keep straight whos sleeping with who. No, while I'm sure there might be Asian dramas like this, the ones I watch aren't. The dramas I watch usually have a love story or triangle, perhaps a rich guy and a poor girl and some predictable crying and stuff. But, it's usually clean and cute.

One of my favorite dramas so far is City Hunter. It's a story about revenge and love. The main male actor is the same who acts as Joon Pyo in Boys Over Flowers. The story is more complex than most dramas I've watched and there's action! It reminds me of Mission Impossible, Batman, Superman and Robin Hood mixed together, minus the super powers. This is one that guys might even watch. The first few episode are gripping.

There are so many dramas out there. Hubby and I have have watched the quirky Taiwanese drama Hi My Sweetheart. I recently watched Secret Garden, a popular Korean drama where the main male and female actors swap bodies. And currently, I'm knitting my way through My Princess.

So, if you are looking for something fun to watch start an Asian drama. Or better yet, let me know which ones are your favorites. In the future I might tell you about my favorite Asian music artists :)

The Rain

2011-08-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

While parts of the world are experiencing raging temperatures and droughts, here it is cold and rainy. The rain has caused flooding in some areas. Farmers are worried because their crops are rotting in their fields. Honestly, I cannot remember such a summer. Maybe the calendar is wrong, could it possible be September or October?

When we're brave we put on our rain gear and go outside. It isn't great being stuck inside all the time. But, this week it looks like we may have a little less rain and a little more sun. I hope this will be the case.

Preserving Cherries

2011-07-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I waffled on this one. I wanted to preserve cherries, Sweetpea got sick so I didn't want to anymore, then I came across some beautiful Okanagan cherries at the farmers' market and there was no turning back. Twenty pounds of cherries is a decent amount. Once you start pitting them it feels like a ridiculous amount.

This is the first time I've preserved cherries so I didn't want to can a lot of them just to discover that nobody will eat them. I put up seven pints of cherries in light syrup, two pints of cherries in brandy and five half-pints of cherry jam from Canning for a New Generation.

The rest of the cherries were dehydrated for snacking and baking. That came to one and a half quarts of dried cherries.

Unfortunately, three of cherry jams didn't seal. I'm not sure why. I haven't had bad seals with my Tattler lids for a few batched now. I can't figure out what went wrong. But, it is very frustrating to have three half-pints of hard work sitting in the fridge instead of the pantry downstairs. What do you do with jams that don't seal?

Because I already have a few jars of jam in the fridge I opted to make jam thumbprint cookies from The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book. That used up one jar of jam. I may just freeze the other two jars for now.

Yarn Along (no. 27)

2011-07-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I think this will be a common occurrence throughout the summer. I am knitting but busy with so many other things that my progress is so slow. Much too slow to post about on a regular basis. After some serious procrastination I started knitting myself a top down Siesta shirt. This project will be my first big me project. I'm a little nervous and excited.

Right now I'm reading Tea Time for the Traditionally Built: A No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel. Alexander McCall Smith writes such fun books. I've only read his No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Novel series, has anyone read his other series?

To see what others are knitting, visit Ginny's Yarn Along.

Living Simply: The Storage Room

2011-07-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've spent a lot of time trying to organize, declutter and simplify the storage room. I'm happy with what was accomplished.

I went through all the little people clothing. Some of it I donated to the thrift store but most of it I will be selling at the upcoming community kids' clothing sale.

The toy shelf is much more organized. I picked up some clear containers to put the toys in. Now it's much easier to see what there is.

Now that this room is looking much better you should see the adjacent room (the rec-room). It's a disaster. Hubby and I are talking about renovating the room into a play room for the little ones, so I'm making the rec-room into the next project. I'll post some pictures in the next few days.

Elisa has finished decluttering her kids clothes, be sure to go over and check her post.

ATC Swap Results

2011-07-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, Cindy over at Cindy's Wobblog hosted an ATC (Artist Trading Card) swap. There was no theme which allowed for the participants to be unique and creative, which they were! I had a difficult time deciding what I would do. I knew I wanted my art to be simple but that's as far as I got until a week before the deadline. I finally decided to do an abstract representation of the progression of pregnancy. Right now I know so many ladies who are pregnant or have just had a baby and so I used acrylic paint to paint the following cards:

A few days ago I received a package from Cindy. Inside were the ATC cards done by others that participated in the swap. Everyone had such creative cards! I want to find a way to display them in my home. Here were the cards I received:

Saturday Rose by Jill

Psalm 19:2 by Heidi

Dream Forest by Jonben

Movement #2 by Cindy

Created by Judy

Aren't they lovely! I hope Cindy will do another swap next Spring. For now you can go check out the cards that she received.

Weekly Menu

2011-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

It's time to go to the grocery store. I feel like I haven't gone grocery shopping in weeks. It's not true. I have gone to grab a few things here and there but I'm starting to run out of some bulk items like soy sauce and salsa. These are key items in our kitchen.

Monday: Tuna Kimbap and spinach side dish.

Tuesday: Rosemary White Bean Soup.

Wednesday: Roast Rabbit with Mustard and salad.

Thursday: Curried Beef Stew with Potatoes, Shallots and Malt Vinegar. From 660 Curries.

Friday: Vegetable quesadillas.

Teaching Natural Fertility Regulation

2011-07-17T22:34:00.000-07:00

Natural Fertility Regulation or Natural Family Planing (NFP) has been getting some attention in the news and on blogs over the last week. The New York Times published an article titled An Evolving View of Natural Family Planning. The article looked at Bethany Patchin and Sam Torode who married in 2000, wrote a book entitled Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception in 2001, then recanted their statement in 2006 and divorced in 2009. There were a flurry of responses to this news article. Then Danielle Bean wrote an article entitled Five Ways I Don't Love Natural Family Planning. Where she received quite a bit of support and critique from her readers.

I teach Natural Fertility Regulation. Specifically, I teach the Billings Ovulation Method. Initially it was the Catholic Church's teaching around family planning (Humanae Vitae) that piqued my interest in Natural Fertility Regulation. Then I started to see the value of Natural Fertility Regulation from a medical perspective and became interested in becoming a teacher.

I believe that all women should have a basic understanding of their fertility. Most women, both young and old, know very little about their reproductive system. But the reality is the majority of women have such limited opportunities for learning about their fertility, school sex-ed classes skim the topic of female fertility and most medical professionals don't tell women about it either. Some women learn about their fertility from family, friends, the internet or come across books like Taking Charge of Your Fertility and are amazed by what they discover.

There is so much stigma associated to Natural Fertility Regulation. When the topic comes up some of the first things people assume are that it's not reliable and too difficult to learn. Modern methods of Natural Fertility Regulation methods are well researched and based on scientific knowledge. Yes, some of the methods are more effective than others and some are simpler than others, but when modern methods of NFP are used properly (perfect use) they are 95-99+% effective at avoiding pregnancy. Typical use is around 80%; the typical use for most method of family planning are often lower in effectiveness.

Using NFP to avoid pregnancy can be very effective as long as the couple is motivated and receives proper follow-up by an accredited teacher. But, NFP requires self-discipline and self-mastery especially during the times when a couple needs to abstain during the woman's fertile phases. I would be lying if I said that this was easy. It isn't. A woman is often most interested in intercourse when she is fertile.

Some couples choose to mix NFP and barrier methods, at this point it is considered a Fertility Awareness Method. Many NFP methods don't encourage mixing of multiple methods of family planning because it can cause confusion, lack of confidence and a decrease in the effectivess of both methods. The reality is, however, that I teach a wide range of people who choose to use the method in a variety of ways. I ensure that each client understands how to use the method properly, but I cannot control what she chooses to do after that.

I should note, however, that a couple practicing NFP without the use of barrier methods should not be experiencing months of ongoing abstinence. I come across women complaining of nonstop abstinence while using NFP and it makes me scratch my head. Even Danielle Bean in her recent article on NFP makes this statement and it surprises me. Yes, there might be times of extended abstinence during a time of stress, sickness or transition but months of ongoing abstinence raises red flags. Either it's the method of NFP or the couple hasn't received regular chart consultations with an accredited teacher. But, this is not normal and I want to make that clear.

I don't believe that Natural Fertility Regulation is for everyone. But, I do believe that all women should have a basic understanding of their fertility. What women choose to do with knowledge of their fertility is up to them. They could use this knowledge to avoid pregnancy or achieve pregnancy, but at the very least it gives women the knowledge they need to protect their reproductive health.

Seven Quick Takes (no.2)

2011-07-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

1} Sweetpea is feeling better. I was worried when she was sick. She's such a tiny girl, weighing only 17lbs at 16 months. She did lose a little weight over the last week and I'm working hard to bulk her up again. I'm a small person myself so I suspect that it's only genetics. I sure wish my mom keep a record of my weight after a year to compare with Sweetpea's. Note to self: keep a record of my children's weights and heights. All in all, Sweetpea does seems healthy, happy and developing well. She's just small, but I am going to get her checked out just in case.

2} There really is no point complaining about the weather anymore. If I pretend that it's the fall then I feel much better. In the winter I give my children regular doses of vitamin D. I've started giving them some drop this week. We just haven't been getting enough sun lately.

3} Tomorrow I'm giving a presentation on Natural Fertility Regulation (Natural Family Planning) at the university. I teach the Billings Ovulation Method. I'm passionate about teaching women about their fertility and helping women to see how beautifully and wonderfully made they are.

4} Hubby and I started watching the third season of Merlin. It's great, once you get past the cheesy special effects.

5} I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and really enjoyed it. It's written in letter format and is about the people of Guernsey during the German occupation of WWII. I definitely recommend it, it's a great summer read.

6} I received my package of preschool supplies from Catholic Heritage Curricula. I briefly flipped through it but I'm hoping to sit down and do a detailed review of it soon.

7} Coconut oil is sure yummuy! Tonight I used it to make flambéed bananas. Delicious! Do you have a favorite use for coconut oil?

Consuming Coconut Oil

2011-07-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days with the rain and virus keeping us indoors I've had the chance to delve into a few books that have been waiting patiently on the bookshelf. A couple friends of mine use coconut oil on a regular basis for baking, cooking and helping a variety of ailments. One of my friends lent me a whole stack of books on coconut oil written by Bruce Fife N.D.. I already have a jar of Nutiva Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in my cupboard so I figured it couldn't hurt to learn more about coconut oil.

In the past, coconut oil was labelled as bad fat, unfit to be consumed, causing all sorts of cardiovascular problems. Today many people and even health care professionals still believe this to be true. AskDrSears.com states that coconut oil is "the least healthful naturally occuring oil".

In my university days I took a course on nutrition and one thing I remember clearly was that the professor described coconut oil as a good fat, a special fat even though it is a saturated fat. According to Bruce Fife "coconut oil is the healthiest oil on earth". That's a bold statement, and there does seems to be research and science to support his claim.

I flipped though three books by Bruce Fife, a naturopathic doctor, and here's a few things I found interesting:

Coconut oil is unique because it contains medium chain fatty acids which are more easily absorbed, transported and metabolized by the body than the long chain fatty acids found in animal fats. Because of the way the body processes coconut oil, coconut oil is converted directly into energy like carbohydrates. In fact, you need to eat a lot of coconut oil before its stored as fat like other oils. Numerous testimonials report increased energy and weight loss with regular consumption of coconut oil in their diet. Also, coconut oil doesn't contain cholesterol and people who have a diet high in coconut like the Pacific Islanders have very little heart disease, cancer and degenerative diseases.

A "Drugstore in a Bottle", this is what proponents of coconut oil call it. Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years to treat human ailments. Interestingly, coconut oil contains some of the same substances as breastmilk (lauric acid) which help explains its antibactirial, antiviral, antifugal and immune enhancing properties. Coconut can also be used to improve skin and hair.

Bruce Fife recommends that an adult should try consuming 2-4 Tbsp. of coconut oil per day either by cooking/baking, eating it directly or applying it to the skin. I've started adding coconut oil to our morning oatmeal and using it for cooking and baking. Coconut Oil Cooking has some interesting coconut oil recipes that I'd like to try. I'm hoping that it will help boost our immune systems, especially Sweetpea's.

Virus Crisis

2011-07-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Sweetpea has gone from bad to worse. She seemed to be improving until last night when she started vomiting again. It's been an odd virus but our family physician thinks it's just that... a virus. Right now we're waiting it out and keeping her hydrated.

Things around the house are on hold for the time being. I haven't finished decluttering the storage room but when our virus crisis has passed I'll be sure to get it finished. In the meantime we are enjoying a lot of homemade chicken noodle soup.

Pickled Garlic Scapes

2011-07-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

It's hard to remain calm, collected and cool when you see something you really want at the farmers' market. Yesterday I spotted a large bin of garlic scapes. I practically jumped into it! But self-control prevailed. I noticed there was no advertised price for the scapes. I nonchalantly asked the farmer how much they cost. He informed me that because people are not familiar with them up North he was selling them cheap. This time I dug my hands into the pile and started piling them into a large bag. The farmer looked a little dumbfounded even after I told him I was making pickled garlic scapes. I skipped away with a smile on my face and a large bag of garlic scapes in my hands.

There was less glee involved during the prepping of the garlic scapes. I cut off 4" pieces from the bottom of the garlic scape, stopping when the scape became tough. Most of the time I got two 4" pieces from each scape, sometimes only one. I suppose I could have cut them up into 1-2" pieces but I have a hard time changing plans when I set my mind to something,

Stuffing the jars was a challenge, especially when the garlic scapes curled. After stuffing the jars I poured in the brine. I used the pickled garlic scape recipe from Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry. The brine consists of 4 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acetic acid), 2 cups water and 1/4 cup picking salt. Bring to a simmer. Fill jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Pint jars are processed for 15 minutes.

I can't wait to start eating these!

Seven Quick Takes (no.1)

2011-07-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

1} Sweetpea is sick. Her stomach has been upset since yesterday morning. I'm not sure if it's the teething or the cold, or both, but there has been plenty of the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce and toast) around here.

2} Charcuterie is the next skill Hubby and I would like to learn. I've been reading about charcuterie and eyeing up the meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. We like the idea of making our own sausage. We have a lot of rabbit and pork in our freezers and it be a great way to use some of it up.

3} The long winter and cool rainy summer have put a damper on my canning plans. Local produce is behind by a few weeks. Okanagan cherries and apricots are starting to make their way up here but prices are high. So, I've been twiddling my thumbs while I dream of canning.

4} I'm still baking with my sourdough culture. This morning I made a batch of Sourdough English Muffins. I had to stop making loaves of bread because there was no more storage space in my freezer, but I'm experimenting with using the sourdough starter for pancakes, cinnamon rolls, muffins and other baked goods.

5} The storage room is slowly getting decluttered. I need to purchase a few more plastic bins and decide what I'm going to do with the large box of binders and bin of nursing textbooks.

6} I'm awaiting my package from Catholic Heritage Curricula. I ordered the Preschool Core Kit for Monkey. Monkey isn't ready for any highly structured schooling yet, so I'm planning to use the CHC resources more as a guide to trying out various activities.

7} The knitted Tiny Tea Leaves cardigan is almost finished. All I need to do is get some buttons and weave in the loose ends. I have another project to get started on but after checking out Etsy there's another project I'd like to start instead.

Brother Sun

2011-07-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

It's been cold and wet for a couple weeks. We haven't been deterred from going outdoors but I can't help wonder if this is going to be our "summer". Where are you sun? Do I need to sing a Franciscan tune to get you to come out?

Have you seen this movie? It's about St. Francis of Assisi and it's classic. It makes me think of Italy and the warm Italian sun.

Little Critters in our House

2011-07-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

There are little critters in our house. They move in when spring arrives. First, the ants come marching in. This year they found and invaded my vermicomposter. I haven't called the exterminators for a couple years now. I don't feel comfortable with them spraying chemicals all over my house. In past I've tried natural ant killers like borax with some success.

Then the fruit flies find their way to my fruit bowl. They always congregate on anything ripe and delicious. When they get intolerable I set up a funnel on top of a jar of apple cider vinegar. A few of them drown, but never enough.

The mosquitoes come next. They wait by the screen door for a chance to slip in for a tasty snack. Sweetpea has been their snack of choice lately. Poor thing. And then today I found another critter in our house. I have my suspicions that this one hitched a ride on Monkey.

Living Simply: The Storage Room

2011-07-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

After some thought I decided that this week I'll be decluttering the storage room. I have such a difficult time keeping this room organized. It seems to gets out of control so quickly.

In this room we store baby items, children's clothes, maternity clothes, toys, Christmas decorations, camping gear, electronics, memorabilia and some other odds and ends.

I plan on going through as much stuff as possible and simplifying what we have in this room. I'll admit that at this point I'm feeling very overwhelmed. At least the rain outside is giving me more incentive to get downstairs and get this project accomplished. I don't want to be stuck down there when summer decides to return.

This box is the only thing that Hubby is responsible for. He claims that he can get rid of half the stuff in there. I await to be amazed.

This week Elisa is simplifying her children's clothes. Be sure to check out her post.

Living Simply: Linen and Coat Closets Reveal

2011-07-04T19:12:00.000-07:00

To be honest I wasn't sure I would get the chance to simplify the linen and coat closets by today. But, in the end Sweetpea and I mustered up a bit of energy and got them decluttered.

I threw away a bunch of bath and body care products that we'll never use and brought the old towels downstairs to be made into rags. I'm still debating whether or not I should keep the bed skirt that we never use. I probably shouldn't. However, I'll admit that the two large red towels (that we've never used) are still at the top of the closet. Why am I still hanging on to them? Maybe I'm hoping for a particularly romantic Valentine's Day somewhere in the future.

I came to the conclusion that you can definitely have too many cloth bags. I kept some practical ones for grocery shopping and some prettier ones for the farmers' market, picnics, and library. I don't know how I've managed to accumulate so many cloth bags. It's astounding really because I never buy them.

Baltic Amber Teething Necklaces

2011-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I never noticed when Monkey was teething. He wasn't cranky at all. The only way I'd know he was teething was when a new tooth or two would show up in his mouth. I didn't understand the horror stories of teething infants. How could it be that bad? Before you start sending me nasty comments, know that I've been caught. Yes, Sweetpea has turned into a drooling cranky teething monster. The only thing that was helping was consistent doses of tylenol or ibuprophen (or both!), but I started to feel like pharmaceutical drugs weren't the healthiest alternatives.

Then a couple weeks ago I received a call from a friend who had an equally cranky teething toddler. She suggested trying a baltic amber teething necklace and offered to pick one up for Sweetpea since she was going to pick one up for her toddler. I put in on Sweetpea as soon as I got it.

Baltic amber is fossilized tree resin that releases succinic acid when warmed by skin. Succinic acid has anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relieving) properties, perfect for a teething baby.

Sweetpea has been wearing her necklace for two weeks now and I haven't had to give her any medicine since she started wearing it. Trust me, she is still teething! Today I saw four new teeth poking through her gums. So, the baltic amber necklace must be helping because my teething monster is no longer around.

I purchased my teething necklace locally. There are some sellers on Etsy, PureComfort is out of Calgary, Canada. I'm sure there are lots of online stores like bynature.ca that sells them too.

What has been your experience with baltic amber teething necklaces? Or are you new to this teething alternative? Do you think they work?

Living Simply: Linen and Coat Closets

2011-06-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

This week I'm working on the coat and linen closets. The coat closet is quite empty but I need to do something about my growing collection of cloth bags.

I do need to simplify the linen closet. There are old towels that need to be donated or put downstairs for rags. A few items in the closet I never use and are still brand new from our wedding. I need to get rid of these but I'm not sure how just yet.

Elisa is taking a break from organizing this week, but hopefully she'll be back next week.

Weekly Sustenance

2011-06-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

When I sit down and plan our menu for the week, the first thing I do is stick my head in the fridge and take a look around. I jot down a few notes of what needs to be used and then head to my comfy chair.

Some weeks I feel inspired and other weeks I don't. Today I stared at the list of things sitting in my fridge and then stared some more. Somehow I needed to make a menu that included swiss chard, arugula, green beans, olives, chicken necks, mint, basil, cilantro, peppers, feta, ricotta, salami, old bananas and broccoli.

About the chicken necks, they come from the thirty-five chickens we butchered on Saturday. I plan on making a delicious chicken stock with them and pressure canning it. And with the other ingredients, here is what I came up with:

Monday: Swiss chard and sweet pea manicotti and green beans.

Tuesday: Arugula salami pizza.

Wednesday: Pork slouvaki and Greek salad.

Thursday: Cream of broccoli soup.

Friday: Beef enchiladas, Mexican-style rice and lime-sour cream.

Living Simply: Living Room Reveal

2011-06-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

I had so many goals and plans for this room. I did declutter and organize the shelves. As you can see there are a few new baskets on the shelf for toys. They're pretty much empty, but they look pretty. I did go through the books, multiple times, and put aside a box of children's books for our upcoming kid's sale. Two of the plants got the boot and are patiently waiting outside my door to get composted.

However, I looked for an end table all week. I dragged the little ones through department stores, thrift stores and garage sales. I didn't find what I was looking for. We'll try the antique store sometime this week but this will be my last stop. If there's no end table there the prayer table will be on hold for now.

The fireplace and wall dents aren't fixed like. I did puddy the holes but that's as far as it got. The living room continues to be a work in progress.

Don't forget to check out Elisa's decluttered linens closets.

Butchering Chickens

2011-06-25T22:24:00.000-07:00

We did it! It's been a long day, but all thirty-five chickens have been killed, plucked and butchered. After the trauma of killing and butchering the first chicken (I won't go into details) we didn't think we'd get them all done today. But, we figured it out and fell into a rhythm.

Before we started my sister insisted that we read How to Butcher a Chicken. It's a good thing we did. I didn't know that chickens had crops or oil glands on their tails.

At first we tried killing a few chickens with the axe and stump chop-off-the-head technique but this proved to be too messy and too traumatic for everyone (the chicken included). Instead we borrowed a slaughter cone from the neighbour. You use a slaughter cone by putting the chicken into the cone head first, slicing it's jugular vein and letting the chicken bleed out. It's much less traumatic and there are no headless chickens running around.

I took charge of the plucking and my sister and dad did the butchering. Of course we'd switch around depending on what was happening so we each got the chance to butcher and pluck.

A few of us who didn't want to kill, pluck or butcher were on water duty. Water duty included keeping the scalding pot full of boiling water and refreshing the tubs of water we used for rinsing and cooling the chickens. My mom did the final cleaning of the chickens and prepped them for storage.

There is one thing I came to realize today. Killing, plucking and butchering chickens is much more work than killing, skinning and butchering rabbits. Another win for raising meat rabbits! Now, it's true that a plucking machine would have helped and that we'd probably get quicker with more experience. But still! It took us about six hours from set up to clean up to complete thirty-five chickens. We could have done thirty-five rabbits in half that time, easily.

Pickled Asparagus

2011-06-22T18:14:00.000-07:00

When our Korean student left a couple months ago, I stopped making kimchi. Being the only person that would eat it, I figured it wasn't worth it. But, a few days ago I had a hankering for some kimchi and rice. I bought some napa cabbage yet forgot the daikon radish. A quick trip to the store to buy some daikon is practically an oxymoron but the fact that the bakery gives little ones a free cookie made it seem worth it.

I drove to the store and got a noisy cart. This cart was exceptionally noisy and I kept giving apologetic glances to the other customers around me. First stop, the bakery, second stop daikon.

I searched for the daikon.. and couldn't find it. I asked the produce man "where is the daikon?". The conversation continued like this. "None, are you sure? Can't you look in the back? My children are eating their cookie fast, my time is almost up. What!? You currently don't have a daikon supplier!". Oh dear, daikon mission = failed, but I did spot some nice thin asparagus further down the aisle. How about some pickled asparagus then?

I used the recipe from Well Preserved but switched the dried dill with celery seed. I won't post the recipe, you can get it here.

Yarn Along (no. 26)

2011-06-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

For the last few weeks I've watched Yarn Along come and go. I wanted to join in on the fun but never took the time to take a picture of my project. Yes, I am still knitting. I'm actually a little surprised by this. Usually I stop once spring arrives. The thing is, I have quite a few friends expecting babies in the next six months so I need to work on projects through the summer if I'm going to knit them anything. What do you knit for a baby gift?

Right now I'm working on a Tiny Tea Leaves Cardi. It's so cute I want to knit one for myself but the long rows of continuous KFAB or K2Tog are brutal! The book I'm reading is a Christian Romance novel Second Chance Brides (Texas Boardinghouse Brides, Book 2). It's fluff but I'm awaiting a bunch of serious books by Scott Hahn that I ordered off bookcloseouts.com. Do you have any favorite fluff books?

To see what other are knitting go over to Ginny's blog.

Living Simply: The Living Room

2011-06-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our family spends a lot of time in the living room. In this space most of our reading, playing, visiting and relaxing happen.

As you can see I have a some books here and there. Actually, most of them are downstairs. Books are a difficult thing for me to simplify. I enjoy accumulating books and the fact that books are so inexpensive to get at garage sales and thrift stores doesn't help. I keep an active record of all the books I own on LibraryThing, but there are books that I'm not completely happy with and those should be sold or donated.

My children don't have a separate play room; the living room is their playroom. I try and keep toy clutter under control by making only a few toys available at any given time. When my little ones loose interest of a toy I switch it with a toy I've stored downstairs. This system has been working well. I would like to invest in a few more good quality toys for my little ones (any toy suggestions?) as well as a few more nice baskets for storing toys on the shelf.

There are few areas that need fixing in the living room. One, is the fire place. The existing tiles broke off and we've been meaning to install new tiles. I'd like this to be done. Two, the lighting in this room is terrible. In the summer it's no problem because the sun doesn't set until 10pm anyways. In the winter, however, it's gloomy. I'm going to try and find another lamp of two. Three, there are a couple holes in the walls. These holes need to be filled and repainted.

I also have a variety of plants in the living room, and some are looking shabby. I think these old plants will be meeting the compost bin.

Finally, my Husband and I want to create a prayer space for the little ones in the living room. We've been talking about the importance of putting time aside to create a special and consistent prayer time. I'm going to find a small table for the corner of the room for this purpose. What kind of things should I put in the prayer space?

I'd love to hear your suggestions! Also, Elisa is decluttering her linens this week, be sure to go over and check our her post.

Living Simply: Furnace Room Reveal

2011-06-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

It's not pretty but it's much more functional. Before decluttering the furnace room I could barely access the freezers. Now everything has a place, I can walk around safely and there's even some extra space for canned food and other items.

I emptied the grey cabinet of tools. Most of the tools went into the garage outside. I did keep a few tools in the cabinet, but only those that get used around the house regularly (hammer, level, measuring tape). The rest of the cabinet was filled with off-season outdoor gear which was previously stuffed under the stairs.

We cleared out the freezers of old items, and any food items on the shelves that won't be consumed were donated to the food bank.

We installed a shelf above the freezers for some added storage space. There are still a few improvements that can be made, but I'm happy with the setup for now. What do you think?

Elisa finished decluttering her living room and it looks great. Go over and have a peak.

Butchering Rabbits

2011-06-18T15:39:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: If you think butchering and eating rabbit is an awful thing, I recommend reading another post. We've chosen to raise meat rabbits so that we can provide our family with healthy, environmentally sustainable and locally grown meat, and butchering the rabbits is part of the process.

When people find out we raise meat rabbits, the first question they ask is "do you butcher them yourself?". Yes, we do; however, neither of us had butchering experience before raising meat rabbits, other than portioning out a store bought chicken. The very first time we butchered rabbits we had some help from my father and brother (19/06/11 - correction: it was actually my BIL and SIL) and the internet. Taking the life of an animal, especially one that you've cared for, isn't easy. But, we raise meat rabbits and that's part of the job description.

Because of the cold Northern winters and the fact that our rabbits are outside, we don't breed our rabbits from November to March. The weather at this time is too unpredictable and whole litters, no matter how well built the nest box, can die of cold. This year, the rabbits had their first litters in April. Once the kits (baby rabbits) reach 10 to 12 weeks of age they are ready for butchering. After 10 to 12 weeks of age, the feed to meat conversion ratio increases, and it becomes less economical to continue growing them. Also the older the rabbit gets the tougher the meat becomes. At 10 to 12 weeks the rabbits dress out between 2.5 to 3.5 lbs, fryer size. It might seem that 10 to 12 weeks is young, but meat chickens are butchered at 6 to 8 weeks. So, it really isn't that young.

We kill each rabbit by dislocating its neck. It might sound awful but it's fast, clean and the rabbits suffer very little. Cervical dislocation is an approved method of rabbit euthanasia by the Canadian Council on Animal Care. Our tool of choice for dislocating their neck is a spade on a long handle.

Goodness! I hope you don't think that we use the spade itself. No, we use the stick portion, but the spade end prevents the stick from rolling around too much. To dislocate the neck, place the rabbit on the ground and rest the stick gently on the neck behind the ears. Fold back the front feet; it helps to have someone help with this. Once the feet are folded back, rest a foot on one side of the stick and take hold of the back legs. When the rabbit is in position, swiftly place both feet on the stick, one on each side of the rabbit's head and pull the legs up towards your head. You should hear the neck pop and dislocate. The rabbit's muscles will twitch and back legs kick for 15 to 30 seconds. Gently hold the rabbit down on the ground until this ends.

The rabbit is then hung by its feet and skinned and eviscerated. If you wait too long to do this task the muscles will harden, because of rigor mortis. Delayed bleeding can also affect colour and juiciness of the meat, especially when the meat is aged (Omojola, 2007). After the rabbit is cleaned, we wrap it in a plastic bag and then in butcher's paper to be frozen. This combination extend the freezer life of the rabbit. I don't age the rabbit meat in the fridge, but after reading this article I'm starting to consider it. Apparently, ageing the meat for two to three days in the fridge improves flavour and tenderness.

A Chicken Update

2011-06-15T20:25:00.000-07:00

The chicken have a week and a half before B-Day (butchering day). They are stinky and stupid. They don't forage and don't leave the coop even when the run is open. Silly things.

Next year, we're going to purchase a heritage breed instead. Something that forages, that can live beyond 8 weeks without dying of a heart attack and that, as a result, has more flavourful meat.

It's a learning process.

On another chicken note, if you have little ones that like to colour, Made By Joel just posted a Chicken Coloring Sheet.

Making and Canning Rhubarb Juice

2011-06-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

The idea of making a rhubarb cordial comes from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves and Tigress in a Jam. Cordials are sweet and delicious. They are meant to be diluted in pop, alcohol or whatever you like. I wanted to make something a little less sweet to use in Popsicles for the little ones, so I made a rhubarb juice and here is my recipe:

Canned Rhubarb Juice
Adapted from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves.

Steam juicer or jelly bag
Rhubarb, chopped
Sugar [add 1/2 cup per 1 L of juice]

Chop the rhubarb. Juice the rhubarb according to your steam juicer's directions. You could also extract the juice using a jelly bag and following the directions at Tigress in a Jam. For each 1L of rhubarb juice add 1/2 cup of sugar, you can add more or less sugar depending on your preference and the tartness of the rhubarb. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Pour the juice into sterilized quart mason jars, leaving a 1/4 inch headspace. Top with lids and place into a boiling water bath canner. Process for 10 minutes, or adjust the amount of time according to your altitude.

Living Simply: The Furnace Room

2011-06-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

The basement of our house is like one big storage area. We rarely go down there except to store things and do laundry. There's a guest room, laundry area, three storage spaces, a bathroom and a rec-room. It's dark and gloomy. There are no windows, half the lights don't work and much of it is unfinished. Since the basement is the area of my house where stuff accumulates the most I'm going to be focusing on this area in the next few weeks.

The first room to get my attention is the furnace room.

This room is an extension to my kitchen. There are two deep freezers and a couple shelves that store canned food, bulk food items, wine making equipment and larger kitchen tools like the dehydrator and water bath canner. It's not a pretty place.

That grey storage cabinet at the end of the room is always a complete mess. It's suppose to be for tools and is my Hubby's responsibility. I'm considering sending all his stuff outside to the shed and using the space to store other things.

There is even some art sitting in this room that we took down when renovating our bedroom. It has to go back upstairs.

My goals for this room are to donate or sell anything we don't use, install some shelving above the freezers, empty the grey storage cabinet of tools, hang the art upstairs, discard old food from the freezers and donate any good unopened food items that won't get eaten. I don't think I'm going to worry about making it look pretty. As long as it's functional that should be good enough.

If you have any ideas for improving this room, please leave a comment below. Also, be sure to check Elisa's blog post on simplifying the living room.

Weekly Sustenance

2011-06-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

Last week, when I wanted to check my weekly menu I couldn't find it. Right, hebdomenal sustenance, that's what it was. I've decided to make a slow transition back. Weekly Sustenance sounds less strange, don't you think?

Monday: Potato Soup with Kale and Chorizo. This is simmering away right now and filling my house with the wonderful smells of potato and chorizo.

Tuesday: Pizza Margherita.

Wednesday: Orzo with Grilled Shrimp and Summer Vegetables.

Thursday: Swedish Meatballs, egg noodles and broccoli.

Friday: Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings. My Hubby dislikes tofu which are in these dumplings. I'm hoping to sneak some in. I wonder if he'll notice.

Saturday: A farmer's market inspired meal.