hot, hot, hot......

Our temperatures this last week and a half have been high in the 30's with the humidex readings in the mid 40's. I think global warming is responsible, which in turn makes us responsible. Mother Earth must be respected. That is all.

Maggie

life.......

 After having heard of a sad event that took place this week it tends to make me struggle with the fact that sometimes things that happen in life just do not seem fair. In this way life remains a mystery that we are not privy to. We always want answers or think we know the answer, but there are many things that happen that we do not have the answer to. And I trust that this is the way it is supposed to be. Not fair?? Well, we are not the one to answer that I guess. So I surrender knowing the answer to the greater power that lives among us.

Blessings,

Maggie

abstract 'doing' .....

My weekends off start on Fridays. I have the day to myself as my partner has taken Micah to daycare for the day and that means I am free to go about as I please. I have had my tea and  now my mind begins to roll infinitely with all the things that I could possibly do today. I am forever one who fills the day with tasks and then, and only then, will I be able to feel that I have accomplished anything. It's not really a good thing for me to do because I have filled my plate far too full, far too often only to have less than optimal results. I end up exhausted and spent both physically and mentally. I have always struggled with this concept of doing. But even as I write about this I can understand that if I sit quietly and relax with a cup of tea or read a book, that I am in fact 'doing' something. There may not necessarily be anything to hand to you at the end of that time and say....'here, look at what I did', but I will have done something. So my accomplishment is an abstract one as opposed to something that is physical in existence. It can't be held, touched, seen or felt. But it's there. And more importantly I did it for myself. 

I only truly have one commitment today and anything else that comes about will be by choice. So I will look at what my choices might allow and move ahead from there with my day. 

It fascinates me that I continue to learn and grow in spite of the fact that I might have thought that I learned a certain lesson before. I can know what to do but the actual carrying out of this can be my hurdle. But I keep on learning and the choices come quicker and quicker knowing that I must keep myself happy and not look back at the end of the day and wish that my choices had been different. 

Aah......life is so interesting. 

That is all for now. I must move on with my day.

Blessings to all,

Maggie

humility........

This word sprung into my thoughts several days ago as I was listening to the program 'Q' on CBC. I often listen to previous show of Q as I get ready for work. There was nothing prominent about what I was listening to except the tone of voice that the interviewee displayed. It was with his voice and tone that the word 'humility' came to mind and now my mind is exploring all of what humility might mean.

The first thing that comes to mind is that I see it as getting out of the way of yourself and letting things be as they are. No changing, no forcing, no excusing, no creating.... nothing. Just letting things be the way they are and accepting it for what it is. I see it as a calm, quiet and respectful state. And given all of that, I also see it as something that is difficult to embrace and maintain in this frenzied world that we all live in. It is so easy to get caught up in all that is surrounding us and yet living a life of humbleness is a far greater gift to give to oneself, rather than all of the anxiety that life often holds. It will show the world your true character.

There are many lovely quotes for humility. I will share some of these here.

"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." ~ C.S. Lewis

"Do you wish to rise. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility." ~ Saint Augustine

"You cannot produce trust, just like you cannot 'do' humility. It either is or is not." Wm. Paul Young 

"Humility is my table, respect is my garment, empathy is my food and curiosity is my drink. As for love, it has a thousand names and is by my side at every window." ~ Tariq Ramadan

All of these quotes just say it so well. That we need to be our humble self and let that be at the core of who we are. Interestingly enough I believe that it is unknowingly at the core of who we are and as we navigate through life and this world, it becomes clothed in the garments of selfishness and ego. These layers must be shed so that we can be who we truly are. Even when I think of the word 'humble', I feel a calmness. It does not conjure up feelings of anxiety or fear. It just feels easy and ok. That sounds so simple doesn't it?....especially given that we are faced with so much each and every day that challenges us and our integrity .......but simple it truly can be if you choose to live this way and reveal what we know is deep inside of you and the 'you' that the Creator knew you were all along.

May you day be filled with simple pleasures.......

Blessings,

Maggie

tasty quinoa recipe......

I somewhat struggle when my daughter comes over for lunch because she is vegetarian, although I adapted pretty quick with that, but now she is also sensitive to gluten. I have come to understand that gluten is in so many foods that I would have never suspected. Of course the flour and its related food products like any baked goods or pastas were understandable, but it is a ingredient in so many other foods that I would have never imagined. Wheat is used in many, many other food products from soy sauce to veggie burgers. A lot of the vegetarian substitutes have gluten in them for binding. This knocked out a lot of the foods that I kept on hand when she would come over. In the winter I would make a lot of soups, even last minute if she came over, but in summer I find it a bit more difficult. I guess one thing is that it needs more planning, but today I managed to quickly put together a delicious salad for our lunch. I have been doing a lot lately with quinoa and this salad had that as one the the key ingredients along with chickpeas and pimento. I thought I would share the recipe with you all. The recipe book is called Quinoa 365 ~ The Everyday Superfood , written by 2 sisters, Carolyn & Patricia, who call themselves the Quinoa Sisters. When I was out in B.C. last fall I came across this book at my friend Mae's home. I should share with everyone that I am somewhat addicted to cookbooks! I can curl up with a good cookbook and have a great time exploring recipes and ingredients. Anyway.....I had not had any exposure to quinoa before and I was curious about it. It is a 'good for you' type of food! Packed with nutrients of which the most important one is protein. I have tried many of the recipes and there is one for a chocolate cake that is a huge hit at our home!! It's absolutely delicious! But today called for a salad since our temperatures here are currently running in the high 30's to low 40's! It called Pimento Chickpea Quinoa and here's a pic of the final product.

Pimento and Chickpea Quinoa ( credit goes to Quinoa 365 )

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

2 19oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 

1- 2 fl oz jar sliced pimento, drained

3 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp sliced green onion

2tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

Pinch cayenne pepper

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool. 

Combine the chickpeas, parsley, pimentos, capers,green onion and quinoa in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a separate bowl,  mix the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and cayenne until well blended. Pour the dressing over the chickpeas and quinoa mixture and stir well. For the best flavour, let the salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving.

The only thing I changed was a tablespoon less capers and I added a bit more olive oil as the dressing seemed a bit tart. 

Enjoy!! 

Maggie

Trumpet vine......

This plant came creeping over the fence from my neighbour's side this year and just in the past couple of weeks it began to bloom! First these clusters of buds showed themselves and then the beautiful trumpet flowers bloomed! Mother Nature designs the most amazing plants and I'm not sure that we take note of this often enough. I had never seen anything like this before and I had to get a close up look at it immediately. The shape, colour, texture and it's design is incredible! I had no idea what is was and after a quick internet search I found out it is called a Trumpet Vine and also a Hummingbird Flower. So apparently they attract hummingbirds and coincidentally this is the first year I have  had a hummingbird feeder in the yard and just on the weekend we had our first little fellow show up for a drink! What a gift that was to see! We were thrilled! Back to the plant.....it has quite dense foliage and therefore can house bird nests well. It is also though apparently quite invasive and can crowd out other plants, so we will have to watch for this although its root is not in our yard, but it might trail itself underground into our yard. We will keep a watchful eye. 

All in all I am pleased to share in it's beauty. It reminds me that I must appreciate the beauty that Mother Nature provides for us each day.

Blessings,

Maggie

new to me.....I love them!

my favourite new thing! 

Ok, so maybe this isn't new to you but I just discovered these Bernardin lids for my canning jars once they are opened and in the refrigerator! I think they are a splendid idea! I went to get some more lids and rings last week and came across these on the shelf too! It's just so much easier to get into what you have in the jar rather than dealing with the 2 piece lid & ring. And what makes it even better is that they are BPA free!

Ok, so that's my news for the day! Lol.....until tomorrow folks!

Blessings,
Maggie