The Month of Joy. Grating Carrots.

Helping out in the Kitchen is big around these parts these days. Nye-Nye just learned how to grate carrots. She probably ate more than she grated. But, she was so proud of herself!

Whenever she is interested, I try and find a way for her to help with cooking.

Yogurt Cakes are still very popular!

The Month of Joy. Lemon Balm.

Last year, it was Tomatoes. 

This year, it's Lemon Balm.

I love seeing what starts growing in our Compost Heap. I drank a bit of Lemon Balm Tea this Winter and threw out the spent leaves in our "Heap." Look what's growing!

It has a terrific lemony taste and is a mild sedative. Great for those days when I am about to lose it. Maybe, I should have drank some yesterday, when Nye-Nye was having tantrum after tantrum.

I love the stuff!

I'll dig it up when we move, next month.

Here's another post on Lemon Balm Tea.

The Month of Joy. Riding a Bike.

What is bringing this Little One tons of Joy, right now?

Being pushed in the tricycle.

Over and over, again.

She just gets into the total meditative state and hums to herself, while she goes for a ride.

Back and forth, back and forth.

It's so sweet.

Happy May Day.

Happy May Day.

A Sandbox For Under $15

 

 

 

 

 

One activity that is guaranteed to bring my 26 month-old tons of Joy is her DIY sandbox. It's not pretty or fancy, but it works. Plus, it cost less than $15 to make. Have you seen the prices of really nice sandboxes? Yikes.

 

I just used an organizational bin that we already had at the house. The kind that you put under the bed seem to work the best. It's nice and low and enabales the child to easily reach into the bin.

 

I bought 50 lbs of sand for $5 from our friendly neighborhood Hardware Store. So far we have only used about 1/8th of the bag.

 

I gathered up a variety of spoons, scoops, cups and shells and added them to the box. And, bam...hours and hours of fun!



 

 

 

 

Mud and Honeysuckle, Pitted Olives and Doting Granddads

 

 

 

 

 

"Happiness is not a science, an art, or an outcome. It can't be quantified, procured, or consumed. It's not invented, but comes naturally made from mud and honeysuckle, pitted olives, and doting granddads who hoist you into their laps for a bumpy ride on a secondhand tractor. It's what we are when we are utterly ourselves in unaffected ease." - Karen Maezen Miller


I absolutely love this book and have been re-reading it constantly since I got it from the library. This quote is one of the author's little gems that I keep going back to daily. Small children are true master teachers. They are utterly themselves every single moment. I have so much to learn from my daughters.

Time for Dandelion Cordial

It's time. Dandelions are everywhere. Dandelion Cordial is a fun and tasty way to get some of the healing power from the humble, but mighty Dandelion. Plus, it makes a really nice Hostess gift.

First things first. Make sure you know they are safe to use (make sure no chemicals have been sprayed in the yard and that few dogs ever visit the property).

Usually, I use Brandy to make a cordial, but I've also made some from Rum. Whatever floats your boat.

 

How to Make "Dandelion Cordial"...
 

1. Pick a slew of Dandelion Flowers (make sure it's early in the afternoon, so the dew had already dried but the flowers are still open).

2. Pick a glass jar and fill 1/3 of the jar with sugar (or less if you prefer).

3. Fill the jar almost up to the top with the Dandelion Flowers.

4. Add some sliced organic lemons (I only had access to bottled lemon juice, so that's what I added).

5. Fill to the top with your alcohol of choice (Like I said, I usually use Brandy but I tried Rum before and it worked well).

6. Shake.

7. Let sit for 2 weeks in a dark spot (shaking every day).

8. Pour your cordial (minus the flowers and lemon slices) into a pretty bottle.

9. Enjoy chilled with a slice of lemon or as a nice warm beverage with a little water and honey added to it (which hits the spot if you have a cold and have been having a coughing fit).



Why Dandelion? Dandelion contains loads of vitamins A, B, C and E and is full of phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. It's diuretic properties are very well-known. Some women make Dandelion Leaf Tea a few days before their period to help prevent water retention.


***A reminder….I’m not an MD, so have a chat with yours before taking any herbs or supplements. The info I am providing is for educational purposes only…Thank you! Hope this is helpful!!!

Anala. 16 Days Old.

 

 

Today is a special day for our family. Our second daughter turns 16 days old, which is the exact age her sister was when she came home from the NICU.

I cannot put into words how much better I feel - emotionally, physically, mentally than I did two years ago.

It's amazing how having a Joyful, Peaceful Birth can truly transform one's Post-Partum experience. My heart is full of Gratitude at having a healthy baby who I can hold and cuddle without interruption, without having to leave behind at the end of the day.

This is not to say that the last 16 days have been easy. There has been pain (especially those first 3 days), there has been much exhaustion, there have been tears. But, oh...what a difference. 

In Celebration of this family mile-stone, I took a few photos of Anala wearing the same outfit her sister came home in, which is almost too small. Yup, our Little Piglet LOVES to eat. At 12 days, she had already gained almost a pound OVER her birth-weight. Today she is hovering close to 10 lbs already! We love those sweet cheeks so much.

Here she is...the many faces of Juliette Anala....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadness and an Unexpected Surprise From Auntie Julie

Things have been somber around our house these last few days. On Thursday morning, my husband found out that one of his friends had died of a heart attack at the age of 25. George was 10 years old when my husband first met him. One of my husband's first jobs was working at George's Mother's Florist Shop. There's a lot of history there.

I look at my brand-new baby and think of Mrs. B's indescribable loss and I weep.

We have been looking extra-hard for things that make us smile.

Friday night we found one.

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Worm Bin. On Friday, I large box arrived at our house. While my husband was making dinner, Nye-Nye and I took the box outside to open it and set up the Worm Bin.

Only when I opened the box, I discovered it was actually full of presents from Auntie Julie sent all the way from Colorado. What a much needed surprise!!!

Here are some videos of Nye-Nye opening her lovely presents.

Thanks so much Auntie Julie for your so very sweet and thoughtful (and perfectly timed) presents! Nye-Nye has already taken to snuggling with Baby Sister Bunny during Nap-time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Driftwood Shelves

 

 

 

 

Here are my two "Driftwood Shelves" FINALLY completed. For the first one, I picked out the "Driftwood" and the scrap of wood from my Step-father's wood shop. My Mama designed the second one and did all the actual attaching and drilling. It's convenient to have a former Cabinet-maker for a Mother. Thanks, Mommy!

Every time I look at my shelves, I smile. I can't wait to make some more!

What Did I Get For Mother's Day?

English: A handful of healthy worms coming out of coffee compost (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2000 worms.

Yup, Papa Bear bought me 2000 Red Wigglers and a nifty Worm Bin to house all those worms. He's the Best. I couldn't be more excited about my present.

He wanted to get me a fancy-dancy Tablet...but, I'm still a Pen-and-Paper-Kind-of-Woman. And, I've been eyeing the Worm Factory 360 for several years now.

I've made a few attempts at "vermi-composting" throughout the years...all using DIY Worm Bins. It was never much of a success. So, I am thrilled to try out a real-deal Worm Bin.

I can't wait until they arrive and Nye-Nye and I can start on our latest Science Project. I'll keep you updated on our project.

Hope you had a Lovely Mother's Day.

Post-Partum Massage. Joy. Joy. Joy.

 

On Wednesday, four days after I gave birth to our new Little Love, I had a "Post-partum Massage"... so Heavenly.

I had spent some time trying to find a Massage Therapist in Northern Virginia who was trained in Post-Partum Massage and made house-calls.  No success. There are tons of folks who give Pre-natal Massages, but very few seem to specialize in AFTER a woman has given Birth. Of those few folks, none appear to come to you.

I REALLY wanted someone to come to the house since I wasn't thrilled about the thought of putting my Post-Partum bottom in a car for a long drive.

Luckily for me, Holistic Touch in Old Town Alexandria is only 4 miles from my house. One of the Massage Therapists at Holistic Touch, Ginger, is trained in Post-partum Massage. She was fantastic.

She charged $90 for an hour Massage - a spurge I was glad to make.

Ginger had a special table for pregnant bellies (or recently pregnant bellies). For an extra $10, she created a speciality massage oil blend for me, which included the following essential oils: Clary Sage, Lemongrass, Lavender and Bergamot. I got to keep the remainder of the oil.

I told her how I used Clary Sage during my Labor to help manage my pain. She told me how she had completely forgotten to use any Essentials Oils during her two Births.

I was in a chatty mood, so we swapped Birth Stories. The room was nice and toasty and completely comforting. It felt so amazing to have all my over-worked muscles pampered.

Giving Birth will probably be the biggest physical feat you will ever accomplish, so be extra good to yourself and get a Massage afterwards. It's worth every penny, I promise.

Calming Gift Ideas for Mother's Day

I adore Mountain Rose Herbs - it's my #1 go-to place for dried herbs. When I stumbled upon a blog post from Mountain Rose listing 5 Calming Gifts for the Mamas in Your Life, I knew I had to share.

The list includes: Mom's Relaxing Room Mist, Mom's Bliss Tea, Mom's "Me Time" Bath Salts, Mom's Adapto-BonBons, Mom's Last Nerve Tincture (love the name). These are all great and inexpensive presents to make for Mother's Day (or any other day of the year).

Which one sounds good to you?

Month of Joy. River Farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was a full day. I woke up at 4 am with some pretty active contractions. My husband didn't go to work because it seemed like IT WAS TIME.

 

By 11 am, things had frizzled. We were disappointed.

 

The weather was glorious, so we decided to salvage the day by visting one of my favorite places in the area, River Farm. We are super-lucky because this Little Hidden Gem is only 5 minutes from our house. I have written about "River Farm" before right here. George Washington once owned River Farm.

 

Papa Bear had never been there, so Nye-Nye and I had a blast showing him the amazing Children's Garden on the grounds.

 

Nothing like spending a gorgeous Afternoon with my two Loves to fill my heart with Joy.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Birth Day Cake

father's day chocolate cake (Photo credit: freakgirl)

If I go to a restaurant and I see a Chocolate Cake on the dessert menu...you better believe I am getting it. It's one of the things in this World that is guaranteed to bring me much Joy.

So, what better way to celebrate the Birth of my second child, than to eat the Perfect Chocolate Cake? I think all New Mamas deserve some Cake, after giving Birth.

I got this recipe for a "Perfect Chocolate Cake" from the book, The Chocolate Cake Sutra: Ingredients for a Sweet Life, by my favorite Buddhist writer, Geri Larkin. I haven't tried it, yet. But, it sounds easy and it sounds good.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of Baking Cocoa
1 cup of White Sugar
4 Eggs
1 2/3 cup of Self-Rising Flour
a pinch of Salt
8 oz (2 sticks) of Butter


1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Grease 2 eight-inch layer cake pans.

3. Cream Butter and Sugar together.

4. Add Salt and well-beaten Eggs.

5. Add Baking Cocoa and Self-Rising Flour (through a sieve, if you have one).

6. Pour Cake Batter into the pans and bake for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Don't overcook.

7. For Frosting...melt a stick of Butter, add as much Powdered Sugar as it takes to look like Frosting (drop a few teaspoons of Milk in, if you overdo the Sugar). Add 1 teaspoon of Vanilla to the Frosting. Let the cake cool before you add the Frosting.

8. Dive in.

Yum, yum and yum. I am getting hungry just thinking about this Cake. Oh, yeah...I can't guarantee how good this Cake will be, but I can tell you the book is a good read. Enjoy!

Happy May Day!