Happy Valentine's Day

This is not my bum; mine is
bigger and, hence, I
experience more pain
than this slim bum!

 Ahhhh! The joys of aging. I put my back out last week doing ....... nothing! Woke up, had breakfast and decided to drink my coffee while catching up on emails and blogs. I was sitting for about 45 minutes --- not unusual for me. But when I stood, there was that familiar pain. Ever since I broke my foot falling downstairs about 12 years ago, I've had back problems; my osteopath used to say that perhaps I'd twisted my back and over-stretched muscles? I just know that 4-6 times a year, for little to no reason that I can figure out, my back just seizes up and lands me on the sofa. I saw my doctor, and thankfully, he prescribed muscle relaxants and an x-ray to see if anything is happening back there. A week later, and I'm recovered but cautious. At my age and with my history, everything must happen in slow motion!

I tried to keep limber with stretches and short walks to the mail box. Mostly, I cooked lovely food and watched entirely too much of the boob tube. 

I made these small batch banana muffins with nuts & seeds. Once I'd scooped them into the muffin tins, I realized I'd forgotten the sugar! So, I sprinkled ground almonds on top, baked them, then drizzled them with melted chocolate. They were perfect! No sugar needed!

From @niciwickesfood - This is a healthier

version of a sweet by @joesgaragenz

Yesterday in anticipation of Valentine's Day and the necessity of treating oneself, I made these 'Roadie Slices' from one of my favorite NZ chefs on Instagram. The middle is a combo of dried fruit, seeds, nuts, coconut, choco chips and condensed sweet coconut milk. (I added the melted chocolate on top because it's one of the food groups that I eat daily.) They are so decadent and delicious!

I also made a spicy Moroccan chicken soup with fragrant, warming spices and chickpeas & lentils. And being someone who hates food waste, I turned the remaining unwanted mustard pretzel bites into crumbs and used it to coat some oven-baked chicken thighs last night. OMG! They were so good that I'm thinking of buying a bag of these pretzel bites just for this! 

This weekend, I finally got outdoors in the snow for a wonderful walk through the woods with my daughter and 18 month old grandson. He absolutely loves being outside, and it's wonderful to be with him and watch his delight and awe at the world. 

Today will be a quiet day for me. I'll leave the hearts and flowers to others and content myself with laundry, leftover soup and a Roadie Slice or two.  

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends. I wish you love, good food and the opportunity to view your world with awe and delight.

World Forest Day and a Newfie Boil Up

This is International Day of Forests; and although I've always liked forests, since moving home (where there's more forest than city or town), I have fallen deeply in love with forests. Being surrounded by nature always rejuvenates me. The Japanese call this "Forest Bathing" (shinrin-yoku); the Norwegians call it "Free Air Life" (Friluftsliv); I call it a magical gift from God.  So, as promised, today I'll share with you a little more of my "craic" weekend and take you into the forest with me. 

On Monday, I went snowshoeing for my first official snowshoe AND my first official winter "boil up".

A hiking group buddy and I headed off into the forest just beside her house. In any other season, you wouldn't be able to venture there because it's mostly bog. But this time of year, there's a great snowmobile trail that's very well used. We treked for almost an hour on the trail, stopping often for breathers and just to enjoy the beauty around us. It wasn't a sunny day, but it was clear and relatively mild -- a perfect day for a hike!


Cindy pointed out the steep uphill and downhill path that some snowmobilers take, following the electrical lines. 


Not for these old knees!

We passed over 2 bogs, went round a pond and then crossed our last bog to head into a spot where trees had been cleared a little; a perfect spot for a fire as we had ready made stools in place!

Cindy came prepared with lint-stuffed toilet paper rolls, newspaper and kindling to start the fire. We gathered some deadfall, stomped out a flat surface in the snow, put down a sheet of foil and began our construction. After lighting the starters, we topped the fire with some 'blasty boughs' (blasty - Of the branch(es) of a spruce or fir, dead and dry but with the needles, now red or brown, still adhering; esp in comb blasty bough, blassy: such a branch which, used as kindling, burns with a quick, fierce, crackling flame.) 

I got Cindy's camp kettle out of my knapsack, filled it with snow (several times), and we had a royal boil up! 

 We dined on roast beef sarnies, chocolate chip 'n' mint cookies and had cup after cup of the most delicious tea I can ever remember having. It was so tasty! 

After sitting and soaking in the outdoor "hygge" for about an hour, we packed up our stuff, covered the remains of our fire with snow, and put our snowshoes back on, filled with such a feeling of well being and contentment.

No Cindy's were
harmed in the making
of this picture!

The return trip was easy because the uphills were now all downhills. Alas! Cindy's snowshoe didn't quite make it over this fallen tree. And as the snow is a great insulator, I didn't hear a thud as she hit the ground. I heard her laughing, and when I turned around, this is what I saw. 

Now honestly! If she hadn't been laughing, I would have helped her up BEFORE I snapped the picture. Honestly! 

It was an amazing adventure and one I hope to do again before the snow melts.

Bye Bye Mama.

My Mama passed peacefully in my Dad's loving arms this past Saturday morning. Gaining strength and love from family and friends and from my God. Thank you for all your words and wishes. I can feel your compassion.

Oils of Life

With a post title like this one, you could be thinking I'm talking about olive oil or flax seed oil or coconut oil: there are so many beneficial oils and so many ways to take them into/onto your body. But no:  today we talk about different "oils of life".

I read a UK blogger's post last week on Style at Every Age and she talked about this new Body Shop product line called Oils of Life. I use Body Shop products as part of my daily skin care regime. And one of my favorite home-made things to do is to add a drop or two of essential oil to a bottle of light olive oil and rub this over my legs, feet and arms after I shower. So, I was interested in checking of the Oils of Life line. And the opportunity came up on Saturday when the girls and I went to the city.

I have to be really careful with scented products; most make me terribly ill (tummy and body aches, migraines, nausea), sometimes even from one little whiff. But I listened to the young salesgirl describe the line to me and I tried a little on my wrist and sniffed, thinking at least I'm near a washroom if I have to hurry and wash my hands. 

The oils used here are seed oils - Black Cummin, Camellia and Rosehip to be exact. They are supposed to be both an antioxidant and anti-bacterial and benefit your skin in the same positive way that eating super foods would benefit your body. That's a plus!

The bottles themselves are lovely to look at; they look high quality (without being high priced). On application, the oil was light and not greasy; it absorbed into the skin quite quickly. The cream was silky smooth and again there was no greasy feel to it. The scent was beautiful! Delicate, earthy, intoxicatingly delicious! And although I thought I recognized the scent, I couldn't put my finger on just what I was smelling.  Cummin? Rosehip? My mind went through the other familiar yet exotic aromas of my spice rack.) All I knew was that I smell good enough to eat! Hahaha!

I've been using their Pomegranate skincare line, so as I only needed a night time cream, I just bought the revitalizing cream at $34 Cdn and was gifted a free sample of the facial oil. After using them for the past 3 nights, I love it. Again, the scent is so lovely and the feel is so silky.  

Once I run out of my other product ..... and once this new product becomes old enough to be added to their frequent sales (buy 2 get 2; but 3 get 3, for example), I'll try the other products.

In the meantime, someone get over here and sniff me!

And then file me under delicious!

Note: I sure hope this satisfies hunger pains rather than working up an appetite or I'm in trouble!

Listen to the Rhythm of the Falling Rain .....

It's afternoon tea break here at the office ..... 

and I'm alone ..... 

and it's gently raining.  

It's so quiet here ... and so peaceful.  I've stopped and put my stocking feet up.  And the quiet, the peace and the gentle rain falling make my tea (and arrowroot biscuits) taste even better.  

I'm facing the large picture window that overlooks the pines growing in the front yard and the brilliant colored leaves of the deciduous trees across the road.  An occasional car drives by on its way to shops and business's in the industrial park.  But mostly, it's just me, and the clock and the falling rain on this metal building's roof.

So quiet and peaceful.

I'm thinking of how we so seldom have these moments of quiet and peace now-a-days.  Unlike our fathers and grandfathers, a lot of us have to "make" these moments happen.  At home there's kids and phones, TV's and I-tunes, showers running, refrigerator door opening and closing; "Have you seen my ....?"  The coffee shop can be quiet, but it's mostly because people have plugged in to their phone, talking or texting.  What's happened to sitting and making eye contact with others!  

Today I wish for you all to enjoy some quiet and peace.  I hope for a figurative "gentle rain" to fall upon you.  I hope that you'll get to sit in comfort and peace and drink tea and eat bickies and reflect on the goodness and restorative elixir of just sitting in nothingness ............. before you have to get back to life.

Happy Valentine's Day

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Ahhhhh!  Valentine's Day.....

A day for love.  Not just for lovers; but Mamas and babies, children and parents,  friends and relatives.  We can all enjoy Valentine's Day.  After all, we can never have enough love.

I love chocolate!

And even though it was only the 13th, I ate my Valentine to myself already while I watched American Idol ...

It was delicious!

I love my children more than chocolate.  

I love my parents, my siblings, a number of wonderful friends and my God.  

The best advice on love I've ever received?

It comes from HIM!

I'm far from there yet, but He keeps reminding me and I keep trying.

I also love blogging and I love my followers.

 Happy Valentine's Day!

Let's get Serious....

My daughter just turned 20 in August; and already she knows 4 people close to her who have died -- only one of whom was over the age of 40.  

It's hard to watch your Daddy die.  But even at the end, he was filled with grace and love and laughter; even at the end, he gave them everything he had with a smile on his face.  He made his death a little easier for them because of the beautiful memories he left them with.

But what about when a good, kind, but slightly messed-up friend accidentally OD's on drugs and alcohol after suffering a broken heart?  What about the sweet young boy who found out too late that his new motorcycle was a little too much for him to handle?  And what about the young mother you've worked with for 3 years who gets turned away by the local hospital (It's nothing!) and goes into fatal cardiac arrest the next morning?  Harsh lessons to be learned here. Life can be a brutal teacher!  

When I was her age, no one other than one aged grandma had died.    Death was indeed something for the elderly, something that didn't usually touch the young.  But these days, it seems all too familiar to our children.  

Life is hard for today's kids:  not the hard of having a hole in your winter boot or having to wear the same dress to the dance this month or even eating only mashed potatoes and canned peas for the third night in a row.   These kids have serious hard!  They grow up surrounded by the stressors of rising divorce rates, rising unemployment rates, Mom & Dad's finances, their body image, the need to wear the right clothes, terrorism, etc, etc.  This is tough stuff.  The stresses and pressures of their lives are HUGE compared to my generation.

There's not much I can do to make life easier for my grown children.  But perhaps I equip them with slightly better coping tools than they'd have all on their own.  As I teach them to become independent and to leave the nest, I can continually tell them I love them.  I can also  remind them of their God who loves them -- on their terms, not on mine -- and how prayer can help shift a heavy load.  

I can give them opportunities where they can breathe easier; I can bring more laughter into their lives.  I can keep on listening, speaking only when asked to speak (and trying not to judge.  And when it gets just too much for them to handle on their own, I can give them a soft place to land.

Life is tough.  But it's also a precious gift to be enjoyed for however long we have here on this mostly beautiful earth.  

Let's remember to let the people we love know that we love them.  

Valentine Love

My favorite subject in high school was literature, and my favorite part of literature, prose.  When I first read this poem, I fell in love with it.  Then a little later, my first boyfriend Lloyd gave me a Valentine's card 42 years ago with the poem on the front. 

We were very much in love; and yes, I still have the card.  

And after all these years, this is still my favorite poem.  I guess it's because I really am a romantic at heart.

I'm linking up today to Ricki Jill Treleaven Art @ Home for more favorite love poems.  So, I'm gonna scoot over there now and get me some more love.


Happy Valentine's Day!

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I am ready to let go of summer and embrace fall. She has wooed me once again.
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This weekend at the Farmer's Market, there were Gravenstein apples. Have you ever had one? They are so delicious -- a tart/sweet experience that can only be had for a month or two each fall because they don't keep well over winter. And they're usually on the smaller side --- so you can eat 2 at a time without feeling like a piggy!

The days have still been warm. But evenings have cooled considerably and mornings are chilly. I refuse to close my bedroom window; so I had to put my thermal blanket on my bed. (I still get to stick my toes out.) It's lovely to wake feeling the cool air on my nose and yet be all snuggly under the covers.

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I need to wear a light jacket or sweater when I set off for work. And I needed to turn on the small space heater by my feet for the first hour when I arrived at work! I made an extra cup of tea to help warm me as well. And I thought about the arrival of fall .....
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I thought of the happiness I get when I reacquaint myself with my autumn wardrobe (like old familiar friends). I thought of warmer sweaters and walking shoes & boots; of hats and light weight gloves. I thought of how wonderful it is to walk in the cooler temperatures until your body warms up and you can see your breath. I thought of the leaves changing color; of scarecrow festivals and thick soups & stews; of cobblers & crisps; of baked winter squash (with drizzles of butter and maple syrup); of pumpkin carving and (even better) pumpkin pie.
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I thought of how blessed I feel at this time of year to live in a 4 season climate.
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And I thought of all the things I can do to introduce the beauty of the seasons and this province to my international students.
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The seasons are like my children -- I love them all equally, but there are some things that each one does that the others just can't compete with.

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Music is love in search of a word. ~Sidney Lanier

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You know how sometimes you hear a bit of music on the radio and think "Hey! That's a nice song". And then quite a while later, you hear a different song; and you wonder if you've heard that voice before and you think "Hey! That's kinda nice". And then one day when you've wandered down a few rabbit trails on U-Tube you suddenly find the voice! So, you watch a whole bunch of videos; and you discover that besides the voice, there's this amazing musical talent ... and this cute little chipmunk face and a head full of dark curls to go with the voice.
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And so you listen some more until it hits you: "I'm in love!!!"
And he doesn't even know I exist!
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But that's okay! Cause after all: he's just a young pup; while I'm a round, wrinkling, mature female who just wants a platonic relationship with him anyway. So, I think I'll just use the boy for his music.

Jeremy Fisher (born Jeremy Binns, December 15, 1976, Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter based in Montreal, Quebec. Fisher's work is heavily influenced by folk and blues music, and his songs feature accompaniment by acoustic guitar, slide guitar and harmonica.

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And then I find out that his mother is from Newfoundland; so it all makes sense! Of course he's great and I'm in love!
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My special 21 yr old

21 years ago today, I had a baby. She was 9 lb 10 oz of the most beautiful baby girl, and I had this wonderful, easy birth. She and her Daddy had a wonderfully close relationship -- a kinship of souls. She's spent the last 3 years really growing and learning about herself. And we've been developing a wonderfully close relationship.
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I love the ways that she's so like her Dad - a reminder of him and his gentleness, depth of feeling, and artistic abilities with music and painting. And I love the ways that she's like me -- her love of cooking and her fearlessness to try new things, her inborn abilities when it comes to all things about a home (decorating, cleaning, organizing), her sense of humor and her loud, open laugh.

But I also love the way she's just so uniquely Molly. I love the woman she's becoming.
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The house today will smell like chocolate cake and Indian food. It will look like balloons and brightly colored wrapping paper. It will sound very, very female! From the 5 that usually run around the house looking for clean bath towels and hair spray to the extra half-dozen that will be here this evening eating cake and clinking glasses of bubbly stuff. It will sound like lots and lots of laughter and oodles and oddles of love.
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After all, 21 only comes once!

The wedding day!

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No; I won't be getting up at 4 AM to watch. But I did make certain preparations Thursday evening so that Friday morning I have extra time to watch telly and eat breakfast.
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Hmmm? What to have?
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I do have some crumpets on hand (with lashings of butter and honey! I say! Yum, yum!). And English breakfast tea.
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A girl's gotta get a good look at that dress! And (hopefully) that balcony kiss!
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Congratulations Wills & Kate!

Have a cracking day!

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Italian Conversation with a Purse.

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In spite of a dreadful cold which came on quickly Wed night AND the 3 nights with little sleep; last night my cold began to dry up, and this morning I felt much better. Good thing, because I had to drive my middle baby to the airport. My international babies were still tucked in bed and had big plans for the day. So, here I was with the afternoon to myself, driving right past the city with Value Village right off the highway and early birthday money in my pocket from Mommy & Daddy. Like ... I mean! When's this gonna happen again? In another year? At this age, a woman can't wait that long!
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And it was at Value Village that I proved my latest theory (see yesterday's post).
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Shoes really DO make me feel better!
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Proof?
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These sweet red ones for $5

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These brand-spanking new pair of Denver Hayes boots for $24.95 (original price $129)
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And these gorgeous navy blue slingbacks for $6.99.

The navy blue purse behind the shoes did not come from Value Village but is something I've been searching for for about 3 years. When I set my heart on pursuing MY blue purse, I knew that it couldn't just be ANY blue purse. It had to "speak" to me. And up till today, no other blue purse had spoken -- a few whispered; some mumbled; & there were those that I simply couldn't understand! But this afternoon as I leisurely walked through The Shoe Company (my very first time, may I add), I met a very noisy, very persistant Italian one.
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"Buon giorno" (Good day), it called to me with a sophisticated, classical lilt whilst infusing the air around it with a heady aroma of leather. "Ciao bella!" (Hello beautiful) I said as I gently picked it up and tenderly held it in my arms.
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I tried it on my shoulder -- "Perfezione!" (Perfection)

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I touched it's silky surface and breathed it's scent - "Inebriare!" (Intoxicating)

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Suddenly, I was back in my Mom & Dad's rec room in 1972, and all I could hear was Dean Martin singing. "That's Amore!" and "Lei tutto è" ("You are Everything"). Then I looked at the price tag! More than I wanted to pay!
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I asked a lovely sales-lady if there were more navy blue purses "Around the $50 range". And not willing to part from the object of my affection, I decided to scour the store myself. I picked up 4 others,tried them on for size and carried them with me. But alas! All I could hear was "O Marenariello" ("I Have But One Heart").
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Heading back to the front of the store, I began to hear the beginning strains to "Arriverderci, Roma". But I found it very hard to put her back! You see, she was the last one on the shelf!

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So, I decided to give it one last try. I asked that same lovely sales-lady if this was the very best they could do and reminded her of my price limit. She said something about checking for coupons, disappeared for 5 minutes, and then returned with wonderful news! She handed me a $10 off coupon PLUS she told me that when I checked out at the cash, there was a one day only, "30% off the 1st item" Manager's Special coupon waiting for me!
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"Trionfale!" (Triumphant!) I got the purse for $60! And what an absolute darling of a sales-lady! Un angelo! Just when you think there aren't any of them left in the world, huh!

(Ask me what my new favorite store is, huh? Huh?)
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And as I left The Shoe Company, I swear that I could hear Deano singing "Besame, Besame Mucho" (Kiss Me, Kiss Me Lots).

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But I waited until we were in the car ... alone!

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Prom 2010

Daughters are like flowers, they fill the world with beauty, and sometimes attract pests. ~Author Unknown

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My baby had her prom last night. What a beauty! She looked like a Disney princess Here she is in the garden named after her Daddy
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And here's her Daddy's oldest friend and her wonderful Godfather, Glen. He and his wife, Carol drove down from the city so he could stand-in for Larry on the dance floor and have the "Father/Daughter 1st Dance". It was such a special, special night!