Sunday pancakes......

It seems that Sunday mornings are turning out to be 'pancake' breakfast day!

 A while back I made pancakes for my grandson on a day when he was with me and the leftovers went in the freezer. Well, it seems that Kelly found them and quite enjoyed them! The pancakes are a gluten free mix that I came across and since I have a daughter who is sensitive to gluten I thought it was a good idea to have the mix in the pantry for those times that she might be here. They taste great and I figured we could all take a break from gluten and not miss anything important.

For the last several Sundays when I ask what we might have for breakfast I keep getting the same answer......"Could we have those pancakes with the things in them?"....."Cuz I really like them." Haha....she's so funny when she asks. And the 'things' in them by the way are hemp hearts. I like to add them for some extra protein and also the nutty flavour they provide. So yesterday was no different and the pancake flipping began!

Here's a pictorial of the pancake morning!

gluten free mix with hemp hearts added 

adding liquid ingredients

this time I added a hint of cinammon 

wait for the 'bubbles' before you flip

looking tasty!

a plateful of pancakes!

extras ready for the freezer!

So "pancake Sunday" seems to be the trend for now and that's ok! I like to have my eggs & toast and Kelly has her pancakes. Of which I will often just have a bite or two! 

I wonder what other Sunday morning breakfasts are out there in your house? Let me know! 

Blessings to all,

Maggie

our small harvest......

I have a community garden plot with my partner Kelly and we tend to it lovingly and watch it grow daily. We have had our challenges with the rabbit and the deer that like to come and visit and nibble on our lettuce, beans, beets and peas. We have decided that these plants won't be able to be a part of our garden next year as they are food for the animals and we never get to have much of a taste. The lettuce are the only plants that we have been able to harvest from. Our tomatoes are fine as are our carrots and radishes. It's been a learning curve for us but that hasn't kept us from enjoying a tasty salad!

I am also on the committee for the community garden and we held our meeting at the garden site last evening. After the meeting I picked some lettuce and basil and took it home to share on our table. It's just the best thing to be able to pick your own food and have it fresh to eat. From garden to table is the best way. I do wish I had a larger garden and I wish it was at my home, but since I live in the city my yard doesn't allow for that. Next year we will have some containers on the deck that we will use to grow the plants in that the deer seem to love. We will simply work around the deer problem.

Here is a pic of my harvest from last night.....I just love it!

Red leaf & oak leaf lettuce as well as basil...

And I just couldn't resist sharing this pic! I just think this cabbage is a thing of beauty!!! It's not from our plot, but it's awesome looking!!

I hope your garden is growing and that you are enjoying yours as much as we are. Ours is only a small 10 x10 plot but we love watching it grow our own food! 

Blessings to all,

Maggie 

lavender time........

My lavender.....so pretty!

There is an area of my garden that stands alone in its beauty. It ranks above all other in colour and scent and it was recently in full bloom. It is my border of lavender that I have cultivated over the last several years. I began with only a couple of plants and it has now expanded to a full border along the back of the deck. Each year as spring begins I await its recovery from winter  as it can look rather bereft from the wind and cold temperatures of the season. It was with some concern this year that I kept a watchful eye on my precious border of lavender. It seemed to have a bit of winter kill from the cold, but alas as the temperatures warmed and as the sun began to shine it came alive and grew to fill in where the winter cold had left barren places. Tender young shoots of delicate pale green sprang forth and soon filled in those empty places. I was able to enjoy it as the border was filled with the palest of lavender buds and then the flowers began to bloom! The pale lavender turned to bright purple yet it still had a softness to it. I loved being able to show off the blooms in a small vase and even the buds were beautiful in a small crystal dish.

I found a recipe for a Lemon Lavender Shortbread and decided that we needed to give them a try. The recipe was not only gluten-free, but dairy free also. They were a great treat and I have saved a small mason jar full of buds so that I can make them again. Here is a photo of how they turned out!

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

I had planned on making a lavender & lemon verbena tincture but the rains came and the blooms were not looking the greatest so I will wait until next year to try again.

I had a small garden statue of St.Francis that I decided this year to move to another location. There was a perfect spot in the middle of the lavender border and I think he looks perfect there! Somehow it just seems like home for him......and when the sun shines early in the morning he looks quite heavenly.

St. Francis in the garden

The time has come when the border now needs to be trimmed back. I managed to keep some lavender buds and will use them for the cookie recipe in winter and recall the beauty of the flowers that sprang from the buds and bloomed beautifully while surrounding St. Francis.

I hope you enjoyed my lavender journey as much as I did. I already can't wait to see it begin to bud again next spring.

Blessings to you,

Maggie

Reflections.......

I had a difficult conversation last evening. All the emotions that came up for me during and after the conversation were ones that reside deep inside of me and some go as far back as my early childhood. It amazes me that as much as I have worked on my emotional and psychological health for many years both professionally and personally, these emotions are still there and come up from time to time. They are not suppressed because I know that I have worked on them and understand them, but they never really leave.  It merely proves to me again that 'cell memory' exists and it can bring back both physical and emotional responses very quickly. In fact in just seconds I can 'feel' just like I did when I was in a previous situation that was similar. Our minds and bodies are amazing.

This morning I am reflective in my thoughts and am taking some time to observe them. I sit in my meditation room with a cup of tea and some quiet music playing. The door to the room is ajar so that all or any of the furbabies can enter the room also if they need to. Currently Micah our Weimaraner lies beside my chair. I have smudged with sage from a special place that I visited with my partner Kelly called Lillooet. It hails from British Columbia where you can simply stop by the roadside and pick some sage. It's scent is so wonderful. I now can also smell the sweet scent of vanilla incense and have said my prayers not only for myself, but also for you, as I pray for all of mankind each day.

As all of this exists around me I can better ground myself and come to understand the emotions I was feeling surrounding the conversation. I can now see it was not at all the content of the conversation that was affecting me, but the way it made me 'feel'. It conjured up feelings and reactions from my past and it felt very uncomfortable. So now I can better work through all of this and come to an understanding of another piece of me. We are complex beings. We are intricate beings. We are hard to understand. But if we take the time to reflect and listen to the voice in our soul.....well, then we often can begin to discover who we really are and why we feel the way we do. It's work.......but, it's good work. Work that we must do to reveal our true selves and then live our best life. The authentic life we were destined to live.

The way I was feeling this morning drew me back to this painting. It is one that was given to me by a friend back in 2000. I look at it and can see myself as the woman sitting on the boat reflecting on her thoughts. I am always drawn to 'the water' when I feel this way and this morning I may be sitting in my meditation room, but I can go to 'the water' through this picture. I close my eyes and I'm there.

I pray that your day has a few quiet moments where you can reflect on life, a few moments where you can witness joy and a few moments where you can know yourself a bit better than you did yesterday. Every day brings growth.........thankfully.

Blessings to all,

Maggie

cherries...

my daily prayer......

Divine Creator........thank you for this day and all days that have gone before and all days that are yet to come. May I live this day with grace, sensitivity and compassion. May I live this day knowing that you are with me and surround me at all times. May I live this day knowing that you watch over me always. May you also watch over ........... and bring them peace. I thank you for your kind blessings and the abundance that you bring to my life and all of mankind. Amen.

homemade pesto......

Summer time allows me to revel in one of my favourite herbs. Basil is it for me in the summer! The beautiful scent of just picking a leaf from the plant is enough to send me reeling! Can you tell that I so love it! The gorgeous dark green leaves and the scent combined make it my favourite herb in my small kitchen garden. This week I made my first batch of basil pesto and I was quickly reminded of its beautiful flavour and why I love it so much. I did go all out and use pine nuts in the recipe. The pine nuts are a bit expensive but you must at least once taste the difference they make and treat yourself to that each summer. I have also used walnuts and macadamia nuts in my pesto and have had very tasty outcomes. I find that a good quality parmesan also makes a big difference and will factor into a great taste when all the ingredients are combined. Do yourself a favour and if you haven't had pesto before do give it a try. It's amazing! It's also very easy to make and takes no time at all in a food processor. I think a jar of fresh pesto will need to be a basic staple in my refrigerator this summer for sure!

Blessings,

Maggie