Feeling Grateful

I find taking time to find bits of gratitude each day a blessing which easily brings joy to my soul.  It is such a simple practice, such a simple thing to do...to look for the joys in your day, the things that made you smile, the things that made your day special, the things that warmed your heart.

So today I share with you a few of the things I am grateful for this week:

My little man’s sense of wonder

Local food - kale from the garden, eggs from our farmer with 

Swiss chard and herbs from our garden

Stepping out onto the back deck to pick fresh herbs for dinner

Wild strawberries at the end of a long, hot, humid trail run - so happy I had my eyes 

open to the abundance around me

My garden, growing well and offering so much goodness

A chicken coop made with love from reclaimed and recycled materials

Early morning rain right when we need it

A lovely find by Justin, a table with a porcelain top, perfect for rainy day meals on the front porch,
now we need to hit a few garage sales for some chairs

Lovely handmade gifts

What are you feeling grateful for this week?

Yarn Along

Well, I finished the hat. That means three Christmas presents are done!! Just have to make some lip balm closer to the festive season to go a long with them. My brother’s kids spend pretty much the entire winter skating on their pond or at the hockey rink so I am sure they will appreciate hats and lip balm...at least I hope so.

I have one more hat to make, for another lovely little niece. Reece tells me this one has to be really special because it is for his favourite person in the world, his cousin Aubry.  I picked up the yarn yesterday, but have not cast on yet.

I am also looking for a little something to knit for a baby or two. I have so many pregnant ladies in my life right now, and with most of them due in the fall a little hand knit would be lovely to give. Any ideas are welcome.

On the reading front, I finished up my issue of Taproot, sadly. I kinda wish it was either longer or appeared in my mailbox a little more frequently. Oh well, I will wait, not to patiently, for the next issue.

I am still deep into doula reading and enjoying every minute of it. And I have ordered a few books that will hopefully arrive this week to complete my summer reading.

What are you knitting and reading this week?

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Linking up with Nicole over at Frontier Dreams for Keep Calm Craft On

Linking up with Ginny over at Small Things for Yarn Along.

Life With Chickens

So, as you are well aware from the pictures I have posted over the last week, our chickens have arrived on our little homestead and we couldn’t be happier.

It took awhile for these lovely little chicks to find our home. We should have had them about a month ago. They were being hatched in a kindergarten class, were suppose to stay for a week and them come on home to us. Unfortunately there was a little misunderstanding and the chicks were sent home with someone else. To say we were a little heartbroken would be an understatement.

Lucky for us the farmer was handing off another set of eggs to another kindergarten class to be hatched and she informed us that without a doubt these ones would be ours. So, we sat back and waited. It was hard, especially for Reece. 

I am happy to say the lovely little chicks have been with us for ten days now and it is totally amazing!  

Each one has its own little personality. Both Justin and Reece have picked their favourites and I just love them all. We are still working on their coop, which should be ready by the weekend. For now they are living in a Rubbermaid container, inside a dog crate in our little cottage in the backyard. It is the perfect place for them for now.

You can bet there will be a few more chicken posts over the summer as we settle into this new adventure. 

Hiking with My Little Man

 

People are often amazed when I mention Reece and I were out hiking for the afternoon. The afternoon they say, Reece can hike that long? Well, yes and no. You see when we head out for an afternoon of hiking the Boba carrier comes with us, so when he gets tired he can hop on my back for a little while and chill out.

Hanging out in the Boba

But what you also have to realize is we don’t always get that far when we are hiking. I follow his lead, which means we spend a lot of time looking at things, collecting things and just taking our time in nature.

Last week we headed out for an afternoon hike, picnic packed and bird seed in hand, we went to one of our favourite spots, Lynde Shore Conservation Area. The plan was to spend some time feeding the birds and chipmunks and then venture down to the lake to enjoy our lunch before heading home. We were gone for just over three hours on our adventure and had a fabulous time. 

This amazes me every time

The goose was trying to sneak a taste

Can you see the lake?

The reward of our hike...we were the only ones on the beach

Gorgeous

Look mom, rocks!

Having fun

A little treat on the way back - a deer!

We watched quietly while she munched on some berries

A beautiful spot

The perfect finish to a lovely hike with my little man

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 ***I am happy to be guest posting over at Naturally Crafted Mama today, please stop by and check out my post about finding my community through nature connection.

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Linking up with Naturally Crafted Mama for {into nature}

Linking up with Happy Whimsical Hearts for Happy Family Times

Linking up with Elisa at Elisa Loves for Nature Walk

Linking up with Coombe Mill for Country Kids

Mothering with Mindfulness Sponsor - Forest Handmade Crafts

Today I would like to introduce you to one of my June Sponsors Kaylo Stevenson of Forest Handmade Crafts.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am eight years old and I live on a farm.  I have two little brothers.

You are a very young entrepreneur; can you share with us your inspiration for starting your own Etsy shop?

I thought it would be a neat way to earn money for myself and raise money for people in need.

What are some of the items you will be creating for your shop?

Bracelets, necklaces, scarves, potholders and bookmarks.

What does a day in the life of Kaylo look like?

I do homeschool and play.  I do some crafting and have farm chores.

What are you currently reading?

Mysteries (like Cam Jansen)

What is your favourite part of the day?

Being outside in the afternoon.

What/who is your favourite animal?

My favorite animal on the farm is my cat, Rainy.  My favorite animal in the wild is leopard.

You have an afternoon free to do whatever you want, what do you do?

I like to play on the computer.

You can have any “treat” you want, what do you have?

I really like mozzarella sticks as a special treat!

Would you like to share your dreams for the future?

Yes!  I would like to be a forest ranger and live in the forest.

Thanks so much for taking the time to share a little bit about yourself with us. It was wonderful getting to know you a little better Kaylo.

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Kaylo has generously offered up one of his lovely bookmarks 

to one lucky Mothering with Mindfulness reader.

To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below.

If you would like an EXTRA entry hop on over to Kaylo's Etsy shop 

and add it to your favourites.

Be sure to leave a comment that you did so.

Giveaway is open until Thursday June 14, 2012 at 7pm.

I will draw a winner after this time and announce it in this post.

Thanks so much Kaylo!

And the winner is:

Comment #2 from Katie

"How sweet and I love these bookmarks!"

Congratulations Katie!

{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.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Black Bean Burgers

Summer means burgers for most people, for us it means black bean burgers. I have a ton of bean burger recipes, but we always come back to the black bean burgers. Reece loves them, Justin loves them and I love them. They are great right after being cooked and even better the next day, hot or cold.

Black bean burger on a kale leaf, topped with mashed avocado and chopped tomatoes.
Roasted sweet potatoes and brocoli on the side.

With the nice weather we have been having lately, we have put black bean burgers back on our meal plan and are really enjoying them, so I thought I would share them with you.

Black Bean Burgers

2 cups black beans, cooked, or equivalent canned

1 small onion, chopped

1 to 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 sweet potato, chopped and steamed

¼ cup salsa

2 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp miso

2 tsp mustard

1 tsp herb de Provence

2 to 4 tbsp brown rice bread crumbs or brown rice flour

Heat oil over medium heat, add onion and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes; add garlic and sauté another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except brown rice bread crumbs, mix well to combine and heat through.

Add brown rice bread crumbs or flour, mix well. Remove from heat and mash to desired consistency (we left ours pretty chunky).  Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Remove from fridge, form into burgers in a size you would like and place on baking sheet.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, turning half way through, until golden and crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside.

Serve as you like, as is, on buns, or wrapped in a kale leaf like us. They taste delicious however you serve them.

Enjoy!