Preliminary Preparations...

There is an undeniable hint of autumn in the air this past week. The cool mornings have me grabbing a warm sweater and woolly slippers for my morning cup of tea on the deck. Though I feel a sense of sadness to see the summer depart, I do look forward to the fall season. I dream of cuddling by the wood stove, eating crunchy apples and soaking up the golden hues around us.

The slight shift in the seasons has me instinctively preparing for the long, cold Nova Scotia winter ahead. My dye pot has seen lots of action over the last few weeks. A colorful set of skeins has already been delivered to my good friend April. In the near future, some very cute woolly goodness is going to be on the shelves at her shop. I can't wait to see the final product!! Of course, I could not neglect the cold weather needs of my own wee ones. I mixed up a recipe for this lovely shade of "sea lettuce" green and have been busy knitting up a new fall sweater for Chi-Chi. This is attempt number FOUR so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for success. My knitting to do list is growing by the day - hats, mittens, scarves for all members of the family.

I've also been tucking away bits of summer to pull out on the coldest and dreariest of days. The upcoming fall season has me dreaming of the yummy sauces, soups and stews that will be keeping us warm from the inside out. I purchased the most gorgeous organic tomatoes from our local CSA, Taproot Farms. I spent last evening blanching, peeling, chopping and freezing these sweet and tasty gems. On a bleak day in late January, I'm certain I will appreciate my efforts. I'm anticipating some seriously good Friday night spaghetti suppers in my future. I froze them in increments of 28 fl oz, the same size as a standard can of tomatoes. What a tasty and healthy alternative to the sodium-laden canned variety.

With the sun shining today, I'm off enjoy summer in all its glory! Fruit pop anyone?

Waiting for Santa...

I feel like a kid eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival this afternoon. In just a few short hours, a package filled with wonderful goodies will arrive on my doorstep. What’s so great about my surprise package is that it is a weekly occurrence! Tuesdays are like Christmas around here.

Last week’s basket was filled to the brim with a wide selection of tasty and mouth watering treats. I’m not talking fudge and fruitcake my friends! I’m talking organic sprouts, fresh spring arugula, sweet organic carrots and plump little tomatoes.

Like so many others, our family has been making an effort to supply our diet with local and organic foods. I have to admit, it can often be a struggle. Sadly, our handy and convenient large chain grocery store is most certainly not a place to seek local foods. Because Hubby works in the city five days a week, the last thing we feel like doing on a Saturday morning is packing up the car and driving back to the downtown area Farmer’s Markets.

I recently discovered the perfect solution to assist us in obtaining fresh local produce and supporting Nova Scotia farmers. Our family signed up for a weekly food box delivery program with TapRoot Farms, based out of Port Williams, Nova Scotia. This program is referred to as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Though the concept of weekly food boxes is not necessarily new to our area, this seemed to be good timing for our family to participate in such a program. They deliver the weekly baskets to a central location not far from our home. We alternate the pick up of the goodies with a handful of neighbours who also signed up. It’s turned into a convenient and exciting way to shop fresh and local.

It’s also a great way to get the whole family excited and enthusiastic about eating a healthy diet. Both Chi-Chi and Muffy were very intrigued by the contents of last week's basket. They enjoyed munching on “leaves”, just like their deer and bunny friends. Between the two of us, Muffy and I devoured a two pound bag of carrots in just three days! It’s also forcing me to spice things up a bit with my menu planning. Last week Taproot supplied a recipe for squash apple soup, which was simply delicious. This afternoon I tried out a batch of very tasty squash muffins. Teamed with a glass of cold milk, they made a yummy and healthy snack for the wee ones.

I find myself looking ahead to the upcoming seasons, getting excited about nature's offerings that will grace our dinner plates. I'll take garden greens over fruitcake any day!

Santa Pulls Through...

I’ve had Christmas on the brain for so many months that it is hard to believe that December has finally arrived and we are in the final stretch. I’m certainly not one of those people doing their Christmas shopping in July! This year I decided I would be making as many gifts as possible. In order to achieve this goal, there was definitely some planning involved! Hand-making gifts can be a rather slow process so I needed to allow myself plenty of time. Last year on December 12th I came up with the bright idea that I would knit both my mother and sister a poncho for Christmas. Ha! It’s a year later and those ponchos remain a mere image in my mind.

When devising my gift lift, I also vowed to steer clear of all malls and big box stores. I hate, hate, hate the malls and during this rushed, busy time of year, they are more unbearable than ever. I had no problem sourcing beautiful, unique and handmade items for the little ones. I declared my shopping done and my goal achieved until Chi-Chi informed me that Santa was going to bring him a child-size wheelbarrow as his special gift. Yikes! How on earth was I going to stick to my guns on this one? The only one I could find in town was the John Deere brand child’s wheelbarrow made by RC2 Corporation. RC2 Corporation rang a fire alarm bell in my head of course ….being the makers of those lead tainted Thomas trains! No, I’m not worried about Chi-Chi and Muffy chewing the paint off the wheelbarrow, but something inside me (utter disgust) prevents me from wanting to support this company. What a dilemma! Which should suffer – my child’s faith in Santa or my personal ethical standards?

Well, it was my lucky day! In my frantic search for a wheelbarrow I did a scan through the local Kijiji classifieds. I could not believe my eyes!! A handmade child’s wheelbarrow made by a local woodworker popped up on my screen. The ad stated it was the very last one he had available. Due to the high cost of quality wood and the amount of labour involved, he felt it was no longer worth his effort to produce them. He felt people simply weren’t interested in or willing to pay a fair price. This saddened my heart even more when I read the family history behind this dear little LaHave Child's Wheelbarrow. The production of the LaHave Child’s Wheelbarrow began 50 years ago in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia by the man’s carpenter father. This soft-hearted man had the two very last ones produced on hand – one for sale and one to keep for himself. I did a bit of begging and pleading and convinced him to sell me both – one for Chi-Chi and one for Muffy! Santa pulled through for me!!

I do hope this friendly man has a change of heart and continues to make a few of these special wheelbarrows. I have no doubt I’m not the only one who values a solid, quality handcrafted item made with care and attention to detail. The story and history behind the design and the makers of the wheelbarrow makes it even more special and endearing. I have no doubt my grandchildren will one day enjoy these sweet and solid LaHave child wheelbarrows!

Mommy's Little Helper

As much as Chi-Chi and Muffy find enjoyment in the magical world of their imaginations, they’re definitely always game to roll up their sleeves and get to work around the house. It never takes much convincing when it comes to helping Mommy in the kitchen.

We just returned from a trip to Nanny and Graga’s house in the Annapolis Valley. After a visit to the strawberry u-pick and a stop at a roadside farmer's market, we came home with a plentiful supply of tasty, fresh local produce to feast on. With big plans for my berry harvest, there was plenty of work to be done!

Chi-Chi loves his chef suit and he takes his role very seriously when decked out in his apron and hat. It’s an adorable vintage Robin Hood Flour set that my mother gave to me as a child. It warms my heart to see him taking such pride and joy in wearing the set. I’m flooded with fond childhood memories of working alongside my mother in the kitchen, baking up a storm and making a huge mess. Whoopie pies were my speciality!

With Muffy napping peacefully, Chi-Chi and I enjoyed some quality one-on-one time this afternoon. We had a lovely time smashing berries for freezer jam. This no-cook jam is the absolute best option with little helpers around. Chi-Chi also assisted with dinner preparations by ever so carefully shelling a batch of fresh garden peas. He only dropped one pea, which he speedily retrieved.

It’s not always practical to have the little ones underfoot in the kitchen, especially when hot pots are boiling on the stove. There are often days I’m simply too tired and impatient to deal with the additional mess that inevitably occurs. I am, however, trying to make an effort to get them involved more regularly.  Even if it's just tearing a couple of lettuce leaves for our salad, it makes them feel a part of the meal preparation process.  I'm hoping this translates into better eating habits.  Chi-Chi certainly gobbled up his peas at dinner time.  The jury's still out on this theory when it comes to finicky little Muffy!

The Berry Binge

I actually squealed with excitement this morning when I spotted a sign displaying my favorite bright red berry at my local roadside fruit stand. I quickly maneuvered the car off the road and happily handed over a crumpled wad of cash in order to obtain my much-anticipated first taste of this year’s local strawberry crop. The “Berry Lady” remembered me well from last year and greeted me with a warm hello. She offered to lend me a large crate to transport my load of berries home.

Today’s menu goes something like this:

Breakfast – strawberry smoothies
Snack – fresh strawberries
Lunch – strawberries with milk and brown sugar
Snack – fresh strawberries
Supper – strawberry salad, pork tenderloin and rice
Dessert – strawberry shortcake
Late night snack – fresh strawberries

I’ll admit, at first glance it appears my family may experience some form of strawberry overdose. I did offer the wee ones a few more options to ensure they ingested a wider range of nutrients. I, however, indulged in my passion for strawberries. Sadly, the season is so short so I simply must take full advantage of this opportunity to berry binge.

I actually believe I inherited some form of “strawberry gene”. I come from a long line of berry lovers. My great grandfather was a strawberry farmer. My Nanny also shared my passionate love of them. Family folklore states that my mother was actually born with a “strawberry rash” because Nanny consumed such large quantities while pregnant. Strawberry season always brings back a warm flood of fond childhood memories. I can still envision the look of shock and disbelief on Papa’s face when the cashier rang in the total of our harvest at the U-pick. Nanny would not have had it any other way. There were plenty of berries for everyone. She and mom would spend the afternoon making jam while my sister and I gobbled up berries by the bowlful.

So for the next few weeks, I’ll be participating in my own personal strawberry festival!  I'll be spending my days baking shortbread, whipping cream, making jam and of course, eating all the strawberries my body can handle.  Even the Wool Fairy is participating in the festivities, crocheting baskets full of berries for Chi-Chi and Muffy.  Let the berry binge begin!

Buying Local at the Bookstore

No doubt, over the last year, many of us started exercising increased care and consideration when choosing toys for our little ones. My family’s toy box has certainly experienced a metamorphosis. Its contents consist primarily of handmade items created by yours truly. When purchasing toys, I attempt to stick to items made as close to home as possible. My reasons for this approach are varied ranging from safety, quality and aesthetic considerations to environmental and social concerns.

Recently, my focus has shifted from the toy box to the bookshelf. Have you ever taken a moment to read the fine print in your kiddies’ books? “Printed in China” appears time and time again. It seems that books, like most other consumer goods, make a long trek from the other side of the world before reaching store shelves. Practically speaking, it would be impossible for me to limit my library acquisitions to items printed in North America. My passionate love of books prevents me from setting such harsh restrictions! It is, however, worthwhile and rewarding to explore the numerous children’s titles available from our very talented local authors. Most often, these books are printed and published in Canada, something that just seems to make a lot more sense!

A new family favorite, which I recently picked up at The Box of Delights in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, is Bounce and Beans and Burn by Shannon Murray, illustrated by Doretta Groenendyk. Murray is from our neighbouring Maritime province, the beautiful Prince Edward Island. Groenendyk lives just a hop, skip and a jump from my parents in the Annapolis Valley. In fact, I’ve been admiring her whimsical, folksy artwork for the past couple of years at local galleries. What a treat to have some of them so beautifully presented in one of our cherished bedtime tales.

This is a fun, magical tale of a little boy with “Bounce and Beans and Burn” and a wonderfully vivid imagination. Chi-Chi seemed to connect with the main character almost immediately. Perhaps he feels a sense of kinship with our friend Sam in the book. My experience has been that books written by local authors tend to strike a chord with my children. Most often, the subject matter hits home with them as the stories include familiar landmarks, characters and concepts.

I’m looking forward to stocking Chi-Chi and Muffy’s summer reading list with more “local products” over the months ahead!

A Gift From The Sea

For many of us, it is a struggle to dream up unique and creative gift ideas for children. This may sound ironic, considering the shelves of most big box toy stores are literally overflowing with the “latest and greatest craze”. It seems today’s children have it all. It is often a challenge to find a gift that will capture a child’s interest long term, and spark their imagination.

Our nephew, who lives just down the road, turns seven tomorrow. I wanted to give him a special birthday present that he would truly appreciate, but that would also meet our family’s personal ethical standards. I am making a concerted effort to supply my own little ones with natural, ecologically friendly toys. It only stands to reason that I would take these same factors into consideration when choosing gifts from our family.

Fortunately, I’ve got Chi-Chi to keep me up to speed on what kids go crazy for these days! His keen interest in sea life provided me with the inspiration I was looking for. His love of the sea prompted us to purchase him a copy of Canada’s Atlantic Seashore by Jeffrey C. Domm. Mr. Domm just happens to be a neighbour of ours! Despite the fact this book is targeted at an older crowd, Chi-Chi has grown quite attached to his copy and refers to it on a regular basis. His enthusiasm lead me to the conclusion that our little nephew would likely enjoy this publication as well. I picked up an extra copy at a local independent bookstore and assembled a small collection of native shells and preserved sea creatures. The collection includes a starfish, sand dollar, moon snail, scallop, whelk and a few periwinkles. It is the perfect little starter set for a young, aspiring beachcomber!

I’m so pleased with this little package of treasures from the sea. Not only is this a unique, educational and natural gift, it was also sourced locally. The book was written locally and was printed and bound in Canada. All of the shells were discovered by yours truly, or purchased at a nearby souvenir shop. Obviously, they are biodegradable, and will not be taking up residence in a landfill fifty years from now.

I hope our little nephew enjoys this small gift that comes from the heart. Perhaps it will provide him with gentle encouragement to further investigate, explore and appreciate the abundance of sea life at his doorstep!