A Peek At Our Weekend

           This weekend was and wasn't completely perfect- the weather was flawless- our visit was fantastic but The Boy- well he had the stomach flu. So we did what we could to keep him comfortable and in between bouts of sickness the rest of the family had a quiet weekend enjoying the sunshine. Miss Lo thoroughly enjoyed having her Poppa's undivided attention- no brother or cousins to interfere- they went on an adventure just the two of them.

      My Mom and I had ample opportunity to visit- touring the garden and checking to see what is coming along- Peachland is several weeks behind Vancouver so while we have had our Spring bulbs blooming at the coast they are only just starting in the Okanagan. In patches along the side of the road my perennial favourite- Arnica- are starting to bloom- those bright yellow daisy type flowers- often called Black Eyed Susans. The lawn is full of shy violets. Sitting with my Mom in the sunshine on the back patio- sipping wine- listening to a neighbour's jam session- talking about my Grandma was the best part of my weekend.

         The Boy was upset that he had missed out on all the fun- being sick is no fun at all- he missed out on hot dogs and going to the park- he missed out on playing in the yard- OK well mostly he was sad that he missed out on digging in the dirt. We have plenty more of these weekends planned- school is almost over- it's almost time to hit the road.

        I think if having kids has taught me anything it's how to be flexible. We had planned on going up the valley to Vernon to visit the Mr.'s family on Saturday- but with The Boy literally out for the count and unable to move we just had to adapt our plan. Once he was feeling better we did manage to get a visit in with the Mr.'s Mom, Sister, Niece & Partner and our Great Niece- who is turning 1- nothing like a wee babe to make people smile!

       At any rate yesterday afternoon we reluctantly packed up the van and turned into the sun as we headed West towards the ocean- home. I know I have said it so often here but I belong to two places- my adopted city that I love so much- full of my life and friends- and the Okanagan- my home- full of my history- my family and the lake that holds my heart. The wonderful thing about trips like this is that either way I am always coming home.

Home

          This morning I woke up under a snazzy patch work quilt in my parent's basement- I'm feeling lazy and quiet- the sunshine is slanting in through the blinds- I just want to stay in my pajamas. We are in the Okanagan to celebrate my Grandma Shirley- to say goodby- it's happy and it's sad. It's one of those perfect Okanagan days.

         One of my favourite things about coming home is the familiarity- coming off the highway and seeing the lights of Peachland- still able to know who lives in what house- good memories at every turn in the road. The .Mr and I were speculating last night how many times we have made this trip- downtown Vancouver one moment and in quiet Peachland the next- it is on average a 4 hour trip but often it feels like the blink of an eye. Relief is found at the end of the trail when we unfold our bodies out of the car and relax with a glass of fine boxed wine.

     Friends it is Friday again- one more day to enter the draw for a signed copy of Rebecca Chaperon's beautiful book Eerie Dearies! I'm going to soak up as much time in the sun with my sister- nieces and even Great Niece! May you have sun on your shoulders and peace in your heart-happy Friday dear Friends!

Spelt Muffins

      With the arrival of warm weather I am also feeling the return to health for our entire family- while we haven't been too badly ill the persistent runny noses and coughing have left us all feeling a tad drained. I have finally returned to my regular yoga practice and have started running again- I'm feeling strong. With this feeling of good health it is only natural that I want to fill our tummies with good fuel- not too much sugar- but still something that passes as a treat- enter in this yummy Spelt muffin recipe that is our new go- to snack.

The Goods:

2 cups Spelt flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
A pinch of salt
2 eggs
1 cup Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Vanilla

Alternatively add in

- 1 cup of diced apple
- 1 cup blue berries
-1 cup chocolate chips


The Deal:

-Set oven at 350 for baking- line muffin tins with paper cups or set up silicon baking cups
-Combine dry ingredients in one bowl
-Combine wet ingredients in another bowl- once well mixed add into dry mixture
-Once muffin mixture is well combined add in your choice of extras- blueberries are my favourite at this time of year!
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top

A Peek At Our Weekend

        Some weekends are just too lazy to even talk about- weekends that are decadent with the sleeping in, doing nothing and large amounts of coffee. Puttering about if you will. That is exactly what this weekend was to us- we played with friends, read books, built a huge blanket fort out in the hallway- and ate hot dogs outside- it was exactly what we needed. Small projects were wrapped up- bed rooms  cleaned out- preparations for a much busier time were begun.

      You see looking at the calender it is clear that the next few months- through well into July- will be jam packed with travel, parties and other such goodness. Camping season is right around the corner which means busy weekends where we just need to grab our camping gear and go. Beach days are also right around the corner- goggles must be located and swim trunks must be tried on. Birthday season- yeah it never ends but just gets busier- the Birthday box needs to be sorted and restocked. If all these easy tasks are taken care of now- our lives will be so much smoother when it's crunch time! Now is that time.

    So in preparation for this busy time we spent this one last weekend sticking close to home- getting these little projects sorted out- taking care of business if you will. Lots of extra stuff that we have outgrown is now in the give away pile- my Littles are mid growth spurt again- some toys broken or forgotten about- I have too many magazines than I do time to read- The Mr is a gerbil with his paper collection- all this needed to go. Living in a small space with four people- and struggling to make it work has given us all a new appreciation of less is more. As my word for the year clearly states- we are making our life SIMPLE!

    I love the quiet time of winter- tucking in while the rain lashes against the windows- the Littles happily indulging in hours of Lego- hot coffee in my hand- knitting at my side- I love those times. Now is the time when not only is the earth waking up but so too is my creative soul- I am getting itchy to create again- I am excited to watch my garden grow- I am excited to stretch our legs at the beach. So I enjoyed this past- final- quiet weekend- enjoyed the hours of coffee with a book in my hand. I will hold the memory of our first outside meal of this year close as we spend more and more of our time outside on the porch. Goodbye quiet times- Hello Spring!

An Eerie Dearie Giveaway!

          Recently Miss Lo and I met with our dear friend Rebecca Chaperon at one of our favourite Gastown spots- Nelson The Seagull- purveyors of fine hot chocolate and coffee. We sat down for a little catch up and chat- it was inevitable that our shared love of art would come up in conversation- mainly Rebecca's exciting new alphabet book- Eerie Dearies- 26 Ways To Miss School. It is so fantastic to see a friend do so well and watch her project come to fruition over the past couple of years- from drawings and paintings to finished product.

         I have long been a huge fan of Rebecca's work- her early robots on deserted islands stand out as some of my all time favourites. Her new work is no exception- her use of colour is haunting- her subject matter walking the fine line between innocence and slightly dodgy- wayward excuses to be absent from school. Rebecca has been kind enough to offer a signed copy of her beautiful collection of 26 illustrations- to one lucky Weekdays From Scratch reader. A handful of other goodies - postcards and two signed letter prints will accompany Eerie Dearies- what a special bundle!

         Rebecca's website is also a treat- pop on over to have a look through her wonderful online shop- full of wee ice bergs- and her blog to follow what other special things she is up to- including a look at her wonderful new works! To enter into the draw simply click on the rafflecopter below and enter as many times as you can- be sure to follow Rebecca on Twitter for an easy entry!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Magic is In The Scrambled Eggs

      The other day I posted a picture on Facebook of some baking in action along with the long list of edible goods that I had made in an afternoon- I know everyone who saw that picture thinks that I am some sort of crazy kitchen witch. It was definitely a weekend from scratch- the weather was dismal- my kids were playing video games and I took advantage of a couple of hours to get ahead of the lunch situation for the coming week. Did you read that right? My kids were playing video games! I often get asked how I do all this ... stuff (for lack of a better word) and some times what is missing from the picture you see here is the video games, the TV, the messy house, ect.

    So I thought I would give you a sneak peek into what our weekends actually really look like- starting with my favourite day of the week. Friday night we can usually be found at what the neighbours and I have started calling the "Hall Party"- every Friday afternoon parents on our floor throw open our doors and the kids start to run from one apartment to another playing- the Moms for the most part can be found drinking wine- checking in on some of the little Littles but for the most part leaving them to their own devices. Dinner for our family on Fridays is usually either scrambled organic eggs and toasted homemade bread or pizza from scratch (recipe here)- followed by more wine- of course.

   Saturday morning finds Mama with a large bowl of coffee lounging in front of the local news for far too long. We usually like to pay a visit to our local Farmers Market- as discussed many, many times here! I love a good grocery shop to the Farmers Market- but equally important for a lot of our staples is our twice monthly trip to Costco- they have great organics and are conveniently located right up the street from our house. Once the food has been taken care of we usually try for some outdoor time- in warmer weather this is never an issue- heading to the beach or one of the many trails in our area. always more coffee for me in hand- always.

    Sundays are my time to work- I like to get a head start on the week- baking any bread we might need and getting the yogurt started. This all sounds like a lot of work but it really is not- I bake cookies while the bread is rising- the oven is the perfect temperature by the time the bread has risen for the second time. The yogurt just needs to be occasionally stirred on the stove and then jarred and put in the cooler over night- easy peasy. The granola bars are a must- I cant even handle thinking about all the wrappers that get thrown away in a school year- so home made it is.  Lets also mention what is going on in the back ground here- again my kids are probably playing video games- not a beautiful, quiet, felted board game in sight. And it's loud- someone is usually getting hit over the head with a controller- lets be real here life is messy and loud.

   As you can see there really is nothing amazing about our weekends- occasionally we find ourselves in a magical spot in a forest or on a beach- more often than not its just real life with kids fighting while I try and find sanity in the kitchen. Often times what you see on a blog is only a snippet of real life- because really who is interested in reading about my kids fighting over what Skylander is put on the portal? Who is interested in my heaping piles of dishes? Where the magic can be found is that we are together- my kids might be fighting but they are doing it together- I am in the kitchen and the Mr. is probably still working on a Lego project abandoned hours ago by The Boy. The magic is in the yelling. The magic is in the giggles. The magic is in the scrambled eggs.

Today

BY BILLY COLLINS

If ever there were a spring day so perfect,

so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze

that it made you want to throw

open all the windows in the house

and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,

indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,

a day when the cool brick paths

and the garden bursting with peonies

seemed so etched in sunlight

that you felt like taking

a hammer to the glass paperweight

on the living room end table,

releasing the inhabitants

from their snow-covered cottage

so they could walk out,

holding hands and squinting

into this larger dome of blue and white,

well, today is just that kind of day.