Happy Mother's Day

Swept away once again by their imagination. Eli is caught, trapped in the kitchen, calling for help. Emelia yells to him "I said a prayer so you could get out!" And lo and behold Eli grew wings and flew away.


Happy Mother's Day to all of the Mothers, Grandmothers, near and far, here and gone, long time and those anxiously awaiting that moment.

This long line of mothers that we have before us.
The connection that we have to all beings.
Love
Complete selflessness.
Smiles and hugs.
Awe.
New discoveries.
Overcome.
Discovering new freedoms.
Overwhelm.
A love greater than love itself.
Miracle after miracle forever and always.
So Lucky.
So Grateful.

Gratitude to creation for being part of the flow, the endless line of birth, love and FAMILY.

Rain and All

Embracing Spring For All It Brings

Strawberry Almond Delight Cookies!

Or...
What to do with that leftover nut pulp!

I've been asked so many times, what do I do with the leftover pulp when I'm through making almond milk?? It's so pricey, and there is so much of it that goes to waste.

We like to get creative. A lot of times it ends up being turned into cookies.
This is the recipe that I threw together this morning.

I started with the pulp of 3 cups of soaked almonds (I used this to make a full carafe, 64oz of milk)
In the blender, I mixed with the pulp:
1-10oz bag of strawberries
1/2C maple Syrup
A dash of cinnamon
1-2 twists of Himalayan Sea Salt
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
Blend well.

I poured this into a bowl and then added:
1/2 - 3/4 C ground chia seeds. You can do this in your high powered blender if you rinse and then thoroughly dry it first, otherwise you can use a coffee grinder.
Mix thoroughly.

If you let it set for 15-20 minutes the chia will firm up the batter and make scooping easier.
I used a cookie scoop and placed the balls on a solid dehydrator tray and dehydrated until firm (several hours) and then transfered to a mesh sheet where I finished drying.

All three kids have been gobbling them up. Its a great snacky-snack for in between meals, when you want them to have something nutritious. The hardest part has been having them NOT eat all of the cookies before they are finished dehydrating!

This is one of my quick and easy solutions to almond pulp.
Get creative! Its easy!
Be sure to let me know what you come up with that you can't keep your fingers off of!

Spring is Here!

Grateful for the warmth, the rain, the sunshine.

Breathing in the emerging fragrance of blossoming abundance.
Happy Spring!!

Our Visit To Coggeshall Farm

By Emelia Law When we went to Coggeshall Farm with our home schooling group, we saw how they made maple syrup in the 18th century.

First they carved a Sassafras log into a trough. And then they carved out a tap out of an elderberry bush. They put the tap in a maple tree with the trough under the tap and the sap from the tree fell in the trough.

They boiled the sap in the woods because that’s where the maple trees are. They boiled the sap into sugar. The reason they turn it into syrup is because the syrup couldn’t store as good as the sugar. The reason they could store the sugar better than the syrup is because they didn’t have to bottle it.

We all got to try the sugar it was REALLY good.

Then we went into the house.

We learned how to make Johnny cakes two of the different ways that they did it in the 18th century. They let us help make the Johnny cakes, I got to stir. One kind of Johnny cake had pig fat in it, but it had molasses and there was a vegetarian one that didn’t have molasses, I thought the one with pig in it was pretty good, even though I’m a vegetarian. I decided to try it because it was raised on the farm and not packaged in plastic in the store.

The guy told us other things about the 18th century. When they made the Johnny cakes, they realized that the part of the Johnny cake that touched the ashes turned puffy, so they started to put ashes in their Johnny cakes. Now instead of using ashes, we use baking powder. The way they stored their garlic and herbs was to store it on their walls for the winter. The reason that they stored it on their walls was so that they could stay dry. Along time ago in the 18th century, people only ate five pounds of sugar a year, but now they eat 200 pounds a year.
When the tour was over we got to play outside in a big field. We got to go into a barn full of hay. There were pigs too. There was a turkey that kept following us around everywhere we went. We got to pet the turkey who was very nice. I am hoping to go back to the farm. We had a great time.
The End

Special Time

With all three children, as infants, it always felt right to hop in the tub with them at bath time. Those cold, plastic baby bath tubs never made them happy, and it was so comforting for both of us to be enveloped in warm water. Safely, as in the womb, with Mama's gentle hands for security, they could relax and the time was pleasant for all. As they grew, mama stopped climbing in and let them splash and have fun on their own with Mama nearby to help wash and keep a watchful eye.

About two years ago, when I was barely pregnant with our baby girl, my oldest daughter and I started a ritual. Founded on the desire to hold our bond, to be sure that we had special time together, our "Girl Baths" began.

We went to our favorite herb store.. here, and filled our basket with fine bath items, bubble bath, facial masks, foot scrub, and lavender shampoo.

Since then the products have come and gone, but the intention is still the same. When my daughter needs that spcial Mama time, she simply asks. Dad keeps the other two occupied and we start the bubbles, we wash each others hair and scrub each others feet. This gives that necessary space to let communication just be, or not.

The little one began asking last night to join our bath, and after we had some quiet time, we let her in. She repeatedly requsted water be ceremoniously poured over her back and shoulders, and even received the final touch of a spritz of uplifting rose water to close the space.

I hope this ritual lasts forever (although we might need a bigger tub soon :-) But even if it doesn't, the memories and connection will surely outlast a lifetime.

Mama Tip

A friend gave me a tip recently, and I followed her advice this afternoon.
While the two older ones were painting, I set the little miss (17mo) up with a paint brush, construction paper and a container with water just barely covering the bottom. It amused her for quite some time. And Mama got a FULL load of dishes washed.
Thank you for the idea, B!!