Healing Basket

This is a project that was inspired by Amanda Blake Soule's healing basket. She discusses her family's healing basket in The Creative Family. Her family's basket stays in the home but ours is one that we leave in our trunk so we have it when we are out exploring. At home we don't some much have a healing basket as a healing bin under our bathroom sink. It contains the best natural remedies for every aliment we commonly see here as well as a great aromatherapy collection.

 It always seems that if we are gone all day, hiking or beach combing or swimming at the lake, someone always gets a sunburn or a cut knee or a bee sting.  I just want to have all these natural, soothing remedies on hand when our family is away from home.

At the moment we have bandaids, tweezers, tiger balm (for those sore muscles after a long hike), calendula salve, Bach's Rescue Remedy, natural hand sanitizer (we have the Burt's Bees one at the moment but I would really like to try to make my own), pure aloe and an old-fashioned ice pack (I like these because if you are on a day trip but need an ice pack you can just pop into a fast food place and get some ice from the soda machine and fill the pack).  I also have a copy of Amy's Potions and Concoctions in there.
I will be adding some tea tree oil, nux vomica, Arnica (and maybe some in salve form too)  Ivy Itch ReLeaf and I'd like to try making some Goldenseal Salve for cuts from Rosemary Gladstar's Family Herbal. Also, next summer (since it isn't really a problem these days) I will be making Amy's Bug's Don't Like Me Balm for the basket.
Does your family have a healing basket? What's in your basket?

It's Finished!

I started this dress for April back in July and then didn't work on it for months. A few weeks ago I decided to just finish it. Even though it is a summer dress I thought she could wear it as a jumper. I'm so relieved to have it finished.
I used a pattern from the Debbie Bliss magazine. The yarn is organic cotton. It's actually a pretty easy pattern but it's time consuming. I'm not a huge fan of the yarn, it pulls really easily. I shortened the skirt by 2 inches from what the pattern recommended. I wanted April to be able to wear it but not trip when she crawled. It's actually the perfect length.

Sorry it doesn't photograph well on the hanger but you get the idea.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Inspired by SouleMama

Happy Thanksgiving

It is Thanksgiving here in Canada and we got together with family last night for our annual feast. It was so special to share it with my daughter this year. We did a combo of local fruit and veggies with a few imported treats.

On the menu was a lovely turkey stuffed with an apple walnut stuffing (made with apples and celery from my garden) and topped with bacon and an herb butter rub, brussel sprouts with apples and bacon (again apples from my garden and local brussel sprouts), butternut squash soup (local butternut), goat cheese stuffed figs (goat cheese from Saltspring), homemade cheddar perogies and cucumber salad (cucumber from my grandma's garden). It was delightful! I enjoy the cooking almost as much as the eating.

It was a really nice day yesterday so while the turkey cooked we picked apples, playing in the garden and April tried walking with a toy my mom got her. She was so proud of herself, she really enjoys being independent.

April's dinner was some nice roasted butternut squash. We have tried feeding her acorn squash from the garden before but she hated it. The butternut was definitely an improvement. She really liked when I put a spoonful of squash on her tray for her to feed herself with.

This year I am thankful for -
 - a healthy, beautiful, happy baby girl who makes my life better everyday
- a patient and loving husband who is the very best partner for me
- supportive and loving parents who are continuing to parent even though I have a family of my own
- friends and family who make the difference on those difficult days as new mom
- fresh, nutritious food grown in my own backyard
- a comfortable home and beautiful city to live in
- laughter, love and health

 Happy Thanksgiving!

A is for April and Apples

This past weekend we made our annual trip to Saltspring Island for the 2011 Apple Festival. I was so excited to share this with our daughter. Last year I was almost 6 months pregnant and I remember dreaming about coming back with my baby.

The weather held out (the forecast was for rain which we never ended up getting). We visited the Saturday market. Got some local organic garlic, handmade soap, hand knitted baby socks and yummy fresh baked snacks. The market at Ganges is always such a treat (though it is so popular it is no almost impossible to find a parking spot anywhere in the Ganges area on a Saturday).

Our cabin was nice, a big improvement over last years accommodation. We had a beautiful view of the lake and the living room was just big enough for April to explore safely. Every year I pine over the warm weather. I keep thinking we need to visit St. Mary Lake in the summer because it looks like such a lovely place to swim and boat.

The apple festival itself was a big challenge. The whole idea of it is to drive around to various farms on Saltspring. April does not do road trips well. This day was a particularly bad day. In the end we only went to 3 locations.

What we did see, we enjoyed. We visited the Saltspring Cheeseworks which April actually really enjoyed. She loves animals and there were sheep, goats, chickens and dogs. We adults got to enjoy some goat's milk gelato which was surprisingly rich and creamy for gelato.

We also stopped by Apple Luscious. April got to taste some of the apples and mama got to enjoy an amazing gluten free brownie.

Overall, I was disappointed we didn't get to visit more locations but I really enjoyed the family time and being able to take April to the farms we did visit.

Seeing Red

The tomatoes are finally ready. It seems like it's been a very late year for tomatoes but lately every time I go into my garden I'm seeing tons of red fruit. So far we've picked 15 lbs of tomatoes and more are coming. So far I've not been able to do much with them. Usually I freeze them but my freezer is already packed full with berries, zucchini, peas and beans. So I think tomorrow I'm going to have to do some canning. I think I'll make some Soule-Sa from Rhythm of the Family and I've been meaning to try the Ketchup recipe from Well Preserved.
This year we planted some Romas, Beef Steaks, a Patio tomato and a heritage variety. So far the heritage and the beef steaks seem to be doing the best but the Roma is packed with green tomatoes so it is just a matter of time before we are overwhelmed with Roma's. I'm just hoping that the rainy weather we have been having doesn't cause them to rot. I've been picking them a little under-ripe to try to prevent loosing a bunch of them to rotting.

What do you do with your tomatoes?

Recipe: Shrimp and Zucchini Tostadas

We are desperately trying to use up all this zucchini so this was a recipe I found on foodgawker and altered to suit our tastes. It is so yummy and uses a whole zucchini each time I make it. It is a light summer dish. Enjoy!

You will need:
4 flour tortillas
olive oil
1 1/2 cups of shredded extra old cheddar cheese
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 medium or 1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then thinly sliced
Sea salt and ground pepper
1 lb large peeled deveined shrimp
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
cilantro
Baja mayo

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Lay tortillas on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and tortillas are crisp.
In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Add shrimp and cook. Stirring frequently until the shrimp are opaque. Stir in lime juice. Spoon shrimp mixture onto the prepared tortillas. Serve hot with baja mayo and cilantro.

Baja Mayo

You will need:
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayo (we use Vegannaise)
2 tsp lime juice
pinch of salt
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp chili powder

In a bowl combine all ingredients. Adjust to taste. Serve chilled.