Tapestry

Weaving takes time and I spend hours weaving these letters which gradually merge into words. The long process of meditating word upon word of scripture feeds my soul. I mourn for the life I will never have but in the same breath it is because of tragedy that I can begin to comprehend God's love. In the solitude of the loom with my mind on scripture I have a peace I have never had since my partner left. There is hope - because He has given it to me. The last trip to town I felt I had to go on a particular Monday. When we got back from town and I went to park the vehicle on the mainland side so we could take the water taxi home I saw a tow truck hooking up the car beside me where I had been parked that morning. The area was now ribboned off and even though I had been parking there - along with everybody else for many years the property owner had evidently decided that parking was not going to be allowed there anymore! I give praise to God for looking out for me. I know someone is going to think it is a nice coincidence- and to that person I say this - what has coincidence given you? Has it given you love, hope, healing and provided for your physical needs?

Detail image of tapestry

As I wove the word compassion I asked myself- How much am I willing to give to someone who has wronged me? And, how does this reflect how I comprehend Christ's love for me?


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Weaving an alphabet

These are two samplers I recently wove. The upper case alphabet measures 3.5" wide by 3.75" high and the lower case is 2 14/16" wide by 3 1/2" high. It is woven with wool, cotton and linen. Sent from my iPhone

Remnants

Yarn pieces 4" or longer I save and eventually they find their way into my weaving. This is a rya bath mat I wove for myself. The little blue remnants I had saved from other project's found a space in it. The backing I used longer pieces in various dark browns. When I flip the rug over and look at the backside I see some colour variation and to me it is meaningful and reminds me to stay frugal.

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Large rag rug available for purchase

This is one of two rag rugs that I have woven and both are available for purchase. The second rug I will be showing in my next post. Both are made from repurposing cotton fabric. This rug is 67.5" long and 49.5" wide. It is woven in shades of various blues, brown, creme, gray and taupe. The price is 180.00 Canadian dollars plus actual shipping costs. Forty percent of the purchase price will be used to buy food for homeless northern BC teens.

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Cutting a quill pen

I used an eagle and a raven flight feather and an eagle tail feather collected on the island. I tempered the feathers first by soaking them in water overnight and than immersing them into hot sand I heated in the oven. I began with the eagle tail feather and I used a small sharp knife to make the cuts. Admittedly my knife skills are very poor so I used embroidery scissors to cut the basic shape and than I used the knife for finishing. Even then I shaved off tiny pieces at a time and admittedly I was very awkward at it. Still I managed to cut something that was workable enough that I could print with it. As I did it made a tiny scratching sound like mouse nails on a window pane. With as much effort as a child learning to print I wrote down a grocery list. Each letter more or less requiring a dip into ink. Did I expect the swiftness of a ball point pen? The shaft on the raven feather was the smallest and I found it difficult to hold comfortably. The eagle flight feather which I cut last is my favourite and I finished my list with it.
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Making paper

I like handmade cards to accompany my purchased weaving's. I used a jigsaw to make my mold and deckle from 1/4" scrap plywood. I really like the greyish-purple color that I got from using dye. I did the papermaking outside which eliminated the mess aspect. In the picture this is the recycled cotton paper cards with matching envelopes drying in the sun.

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My kitchen/studio counter

One of my kitchen counter's is made from driftwood and the original cabin door. I also use this counter when I am weaving since I share my kitchen with my floor loom. I repainted the door with a Benjamim Moore Aura paint and the colour is Fusion (AF-675) and than I put on several coats of Stay's Clear acrylic high gloss polyurethane. With the occasional re-coat of polyurethane it should be good for another seventeen years or so.

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Small tapestry available for purchase

This small tapestry is designed and woven by myself using natural coloured and woollen yarns I hand dyed. It measures 8" tall ( excluding the leather cord) and 5 3/4" wide. To purchase or to ask any questions you may have please email me. Forty percent of the purchase price will be donated to buy food and clothing for northern BC homeless teens.

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Tapestry available for purchase

Before the blog I used to keep a journal. On April 1, 2010 I wrote, "I went out and gathered ten different variations of vanilla leaf growing in the same area. None of these differences were caused by decay, disease or pests. While I was there recording these variations a ruby crowned kinglet came within five feet of me. What a precious sight - this tiny bird beating it's wings and feeding off the underside of a giant sword fern frond." Than on April 14, 2010 I wrote," Vanilla leaf- when I first drew this particular plant it was no more than 1" across. Today I have returned and it is now 10" across." These thoughts, drawings and measurements came together in this tapestry I wove last fall/winter titled; Achlys triphylla • vanilla leaf. This woodland plant is seen in the spring, in my yard and elsewhere along sunlit forest edges. It has a misty cloud of tiny white flowers but it is the large, sweet scented leaves with a vanilla like fragrance that make it special. This tapestry measures 21.5" by 21.5" and is mounted on a frame and it is ready to hang on a wall. I am making it available to purchase for my readers for a limited amount of time. 40% of the purchase price will be used to purchase warm clothing and food for homeless northern BC teens. A lay away plan is an option. For additional details or to purchase email me: woolraven@hotmail.com

Wild berries

Years ago rather than plant grass I encouraged wild plants to grow in my yard. Salal and Oregon grape are native berry bush's on the BC coast and both are plentiful in my yard. Salal and Oregon grape compliment each other. Both of them ripen at the same time. Salal has a lot of pectin in it and will thicken the combination. Oregon grape has seeds in it which I remove before cooking. This is my recipe for a wonderful, rich, fruity, syrup that we have been feasting on for several weeks. 3/4 cup of salal berries with 10-20 Oregon grape berries; 2 Tablespoons white sugar; 1/2 cup water. Put all ingredients into a kettle and boil gently for 15-20 minutes. Once the berries begin to soften I mash them with the back of a spoon. I serve the syrup on sourdough pancakes or oatmeal pancakes with berries added in.

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Mending

For me fair weather is the time to mend that which is broken. When the unusually high amount of snow we received in February fell off the main part of my roof onto my deck roof it damaged two sheets of plastic roofing on the deck. What a blessing that I had exactly two extra sheets tucked away behind the shed and all that was necessary was to remove the damaged ones which were one sheet in from the end of the roof and replace them with the new ones and put the undamaged end sheet back on. I built this deck alone and I completed this repair by myself as I knew exactly what had to be done. Another repair was the driftwood garden gate which meant a trip down to the beach. Along with my little girl I brought my handsaw, square and a measuring tape in my backpack. I cut a piece of cedar driftwood and than packed it home and screwed it onto the gate. It's nice to have it working again. If only it was as easy to mend a broken heart. It's been years now since my partner walked away from me when I was pregnant yet I continue to live with a grief that has never ended. I understand a broken heart. This experience has left me with an understanding gained only by living with it. The pain worsens when I think about myself. The pain lessons when I turn to God and think about him. When the grief hits me hard - and believe me it still does on a regular basis- the best thing I can do is sing hymns or read scripture. Both of these result in one thing; I take my eyes off myself and I look to Jesus and He fills me with peace and hope. Real love I am struggling to understand but I have learned that it does not abandon - ever. " I will not fail you or abandon you." Joshua 1:5 God has rescued me. I am left in awe at this love so undeserved yet this is God showing me Himself. It is God who says," Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I The Lord your God, am with you wherever you go."Joshua 1:9 In the years that followed after my partner left it was God who stuck around and I know that no matter what or how many wonderful things I say about Him I can never repay His love - for love is Him.
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Guests

I keep a visitor book for the summer guests who visit the birdbath. This summer I recorded nine species. Their are also four other year round resident species who regularly visit. On february 20, 2015 I posted about how I made this simple birdbath. After several years the ivy is beginning to wind it's way around the post and the perennial fuchsia in front of it is filling out nicely. I have grown fond of it and appreciate the ease of being able to lift it up since I clean and refill it daily with a watering can. I took this picture of a Swanson's thrush through the kitchen window. The Swanson's is a secretive bird more known for it's flute like song than it's appearance. Typically it spends it's time in the tree top's. A pair of yellow rumped audubon warbler's were also regular visitors. Both of them nested in the tree canopy around the forest clearing. Other visitor's were golden crowned sparrows, MacGillivray's warblers, western flycatchers, warbling vireo's and robins. A pair of goldfinches are now our daily visitor's. We enjoy these sweet summer visits and look forward's to whoever else may stop by.
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Making a potty

After 17 years of using the same outhouse it began to fill up and I began to consider options. On the Internet I learned of a more helpful and gentler way of managing human waste. (google humanmanure handbook as a starting point) Composting. I have been composting kitchen waste for years and in the last year I began composting kitchen waste with worms. Now I am about to begin to compost human waste. I will keep my worm box for kitchen waste and I will build a new composting bin for human waste. After learning about this I believe it is truly a better, gentler, more helpful approach to managing human waste than using an outhouse. I explained the concept to my five year old - "with this potty," I said, "we are helping plants." I have learned through observation in nature that a fulfilling path is found when the motivation in one's life is to help and I believe that in doing this I will find a deep satisfaction. I found plans online on how to build this simple potty. I had the right lumber scraps on hand. The lid is made of 3/4" plywood. There are four 2x4 pieces on the inside and 1/4" plywood is nailed to them on the outside. I built it with a hammer, drill, handsaw and a jigsaw. There is a five gallon bucket on the inside. Carbon is added to the bucket after each use which eliminates the smell aspect. The buckets are changed out and emptied onto a compost pile. There are quite a few things to learn about this process so that it is done correctly and I recommend that if you want to learn more to google it. In the future I will be posting more on this experience.
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A simple pleasure

I washed this pair of rag rugs I wove some time ago. Both of them are in my kitchen and receive a lot of daily wear. As usual, I used my washboard and a laundry sink on my back deck to wash them in and than I hung them up on a metal wire fence in my yard. When they were dry I rolled them up and put them away - until fall. It fills me with pleasure to see them clean again. Sent from my iPhone

Vegan carob cupcake recipe

My daughter and I made these carob cupcakes to welcome summer. They are inspired by Wilton. The daisy's are buttercream frosting and the lady bugs are royal icing with the black markings hand painted on with a brush. My five year old loved doing that. The daisy stems are popsicle sticks painted green with cake icing colour and the leaf is buttercream piped on after assembling. I used tip #101 for the petals as I find the smaller tip easier than the suggested wilton #104. Tip #12 was used for the flower centres. Carob is considered to be a healthier alternative to chocolate. Please google this if you are interested for a more detailed explanation. This recipe is gifted to me by my mother. It makes a wonderful 8" by 8" cake or 11 cupcakes. 1/2 cup sugar; 1 1/2 cups flour; 1/3 cup carob powder; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 T. Lemon juice; 1/3 cup oil; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 cup cold water. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine. Pour into cake pan or muffin tins for cupcakes. Bake 350 for 30-35 minutes.

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Choosing a paint colour

I've been in the process of painting this historic, ocean front cottage. The owner, my client wished to keep the existing white trim and change the main exterior colour from a mid tone blue to a lighter grey. The dark value of the blue made the cottage merge into the rainforest and the owner wanted to create a contrast and be able to view her summer home from the water. I painted two sides of a very tiny shed with a grey of her choice so that she could see it. Initially she thought it was ok but than I suggested that I choose a darker value to increase the contrast between the white trim. I chose pigeon grey - a Benjamin Moore paint colour and than I repainted the two small shed walls. With the larger value difference between the white and the grey it made a stronger visual impact. The grey also created the contrast she wanted between the cottage and the forest. Now she was very happy! The things that really helped me was buying a small amount of the colour and trying it out first before committing to gallons. Also - contrast. Testing both colours in a small but yet large enough area so that I could visualize and make sure that the contrasts were strong enough.

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Faith and loss on Father's Day

Looking through the window of my cabin reminds me of looking back through the window of time. After my partner left me when I was five week's pregnant I carried a lot of negativity towards him for years. It wasn't something I talked about publicly and if you have read my blog since it's conception you will know that. After I became a mother Father's Day reminded me of the lack of my partner's presence in our lives and I felt what I perceived as justifiable anger in my heart. Than I reached a point where I was able to pray for my child's father to be saved in God 's eternal kingdom( see January 25, 2017 post). This prayer had a powerful impact on me because it dissolved the anger in my heart. In time I have gained a deeper understanding of the love of God, His patience, mercy and forgiveness. Only because of this loss I have been more clearly able to discern my need to have these qualities - patience, love and forgiveness - in me. It has made me grow beyond the self centred person that I was. This in turn has given me a thankful heart. This realization has deepened my love and need for God. I have learned that no matter what dark valley that I find myself trapped in - there is hope. Keeping the faith through the year's of loss is a choice I have never regretted. I still have questions but I trust Him more deeply than before and I am willing to live with them unanswered. So on this Father's Day - I celebrate my relationship with Him. I look up not only for hope in the future but in thanksgiving because in His great love he brought me through the grief of loss and He can do that for you too.

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Angel

In the last couple of months I read three dog books - each on a different breed but it was the maltese that won my heart. The maltese are an ancient breed; thought to have originated from the island of Malta and are historically documented to have been around since biblical times as a companion dog. They have a white single layer coat with black eyes and nose. Angel is a very tiny maltese puppy much smaller than I expected but her weight is normal for her age. According to her breeder she won't be any bigger than 6 or 7 lbs. Like any other puppy she is filling our lives with sunshine and adventure. Angel is an answer to prayer and I am thankful to God for the amazing providential 'circumstances' that brought her into our life. It fills me with joy and thanksgiving. Sent from my iPhone
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Why I knit sweaters

I don't like to shop - I would rather knit. Most of the time I know what I like and what makes me comfortable. This baby doll type knitted sweater I just finished knitting. It was knit in the round on circular needles and it is mercerized cotton. I followed a worn out factory made sweater for my pattern - which is another reason why I knit. I like my clothes to last and when something happens and a sleeve frays or I get a hole I like to be able to fix it. Is it possible to mend a garment too much?

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A knitted flower garden

I'm knitting flowers and even though I've done this before I am so enchanted. An excellent reference book on this is written by Nicky Epstein and it is called Knitted Flowers. These flowers are found on page 84, however there is an error in the book. If you want a five petalled small flower like the one in the book you will need 31 stitches and for a five petal medium sized flower you will need 46 stitches. These are very simple. All you need to know is a cast on, knit stitch, and a cast off. My five year old who knows the knit stitch and just finished her first scarf is now knitting a flower while practicing her cast off. Changing your needles will also give different effects. A smaller needle makes the petals more defined. Knitted or real - all flowers make me smile. Sent from my iPhone

A rug

I needed a rug for my sitting room and I wanted one that would last a very long time. I put on a warp and using recycled cotton I wove a rug. When I was finished it measured 48" x 72". This size I should still be able to wrestle into my laundry sink and scrub it on my washboard before hanging it up on some metal fencing - just like I do with my other smaller rugs every spring.

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The friendship of flowers

Time spent with reemerging flowers is like spending time with old friends. A long friendship outlasts the changes that time bring's to one another's lives. It is a joy to be in each other's presence. Primroses have graced the fringes of the shaded pathways in my yard for years. The blooms come early and they last a long time. Now that they are finally gone I know that early spring is past yet memories of the beauty of their friendship continue to warm my heart. The time spent amongst them is well spent. They remind me that so much of the richness of this life comes in the process of connection. The forget-me-nots are blooming now along the pathway amongst the fading primroses and I linger with these carefree flowers whose little faces remind me of the coming summer skies of blue.

The beauty of oatmeal

Oatmeal flour is easy to make and much more nutritious for you than either white or whole wheat flour. I make mine in an ordinary blender. I put in a cup or two of rolled oats and grind for approx. 30 seconds. I have been experimenting using it in cookie recipes as a flour substitute but the day I tried it in pancakes - I knew I had found something simply glorious. Here it is: 1 1/2 cups oatmeal; 1 Tablespoon whole flax seeds; 2 Tablespoons cashews ( I make mine slightly rounded) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 cup of water; 2 Tablespoons honey; Put the oatmeal, cashews and flax seeds in the blender and grind until it is a coarse flour. Pour it into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Allow it to sit and thicken while your frying pan or griddle gets hot. Enjoy!

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More on wild red wrigglers

I first posted on our efforts of finding wild red wrigglers and the box I built to house them in on October 2, 2016. I left the box with the worms inside outside by the woodshed for the winter and hoped for the best. It was a cold winter and at times I wondered how the 140 plus worms we had found were doing. I waited until early spring before looking inside. When I lifted off the lid and smelled the rich aroma of earth I knew that the worms were doing fine. I left them with a large bucket of kitchen scraps and a small pail of cut up, soaked recycled paper. Apparently there are 700 - 800 breeding worms in a pound. (Breeding worms are the big ones with bands around them- they are in the picture.) I saw lots of breeding worms in our box - far more than what we had found last fall to put in. To me there is something incredibly beautiful about the sensuous rawness of nature's rhythms.

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At work in the forest

Some days all I hear is wind and the far off roar of the sea. When it is quiet I hear song sparrows, kinglets and robins. I rake and gather branches and cones shed from winter winds. This forest is my work place. I have worked here for years and it has shaped me in a way that is hard to define. I watch my young daughter gathering conifer cones and than she drops them into a red squirrel cache under a stump beside a large midden pile. I don't attend church but in this space I feel something far greater beyond myself and my work becomes sacred. My heart lifts toward my Creator in prayer and thanksgiving. Yet everything is not serene. I have a recurring shoulder injury that has reignited and many days I am not here. I know He hasn't brought me this far - only to abandon me. With a quiet, simple faith I wait to see where He is leading me.

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A simple cake

You don't need a freezer or a crumb layer. This is a simple 8" x 3" cake from a Wilton decorating book. My almost five year old daughter made approximately 60 drop flowers ahead of time. We used tip #2D and #78 and the flower centres were tip #5. (The cake colours were yellow and lavender- the camera got it wrong- there was no blue.) There is a shell border I piped on with tip #21 after I iced the cake. It is a chocolate cake with buttercream icing between the layers. The buttercream frosting was applied with the light touch of a spatula and the flowers were simply added on. My daughter loved making the flowers and in her words the cake was, "beautiful!" We celebrated our birthday's and the cake was delicious.

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Rats, a mouse, and a squirrel

The islands history goes back to over a hundred and twenty years ago when white man first began to settle here. Even with the long history of steam boats servicing the island there have been no rats. All of this changed in the last year when black rats were trapped on the island. When I found a single dropping that was to big to be a mouse dropping on my covered back porch I was mortified. Five weeks later when I went out to town I purchased two plastic snap traps - each one made by a different manufacturer - just in case one did not work. I baited them with peanut butter and placed one on the back deck. I put it under a table and tied it to the table legs next to the cabin. The second went into a box with two small holes cut out as entrance ways and weighted with bricks. I put this trap under the foundation at the front of the cabin. Than I waited. The first night I caught nothing. The second morning I caught a red squirrel in the trap on the back deck. The third night I caught a deer mouse in the other trap. These rodents I am used to. In the four nights following that I caught nothing. It turns out that red squirrel droppings are similar to black rat droppings so this seems to be a case of mistaken identity. I am truly grateful. Nevertheless my trap line is still set up. I am sure none of you have any interest in seeing pictures of any of this......

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All about thumbs

My daughter needed a new pair of mittens for her growing hands. She loved the fish pattern and colours from the last pair I made so I simply enlarged my pattern. I have a basic pattern that I use for all of my mittens. Each pair that I knit for her I write down how many stitches I used at the key points and that assists me in estimating how many stitches I need to enlarge another pair. (I also write down what yarn and what size double pointed needles I have used.) I only use double pointed needles to knit mittens. After knitting to where I want to place the thumb I estimate how many stitches I will put on a stitch holder. This is approximately a quarter of the total number of stitches you cast on. For this pair it was ten stitches. Immediately after placing them on the holder I will cast on the same number - ten stitches. I will then finish knitting the mitten. After the mitten is knit I will return to knitting the thumb. I put the stitches on the stitch holder on two double pointed needles - dividing the stitches equally between them. For this pair of mittens I put five stitches on each double pointed needle. Than I picked up ten stitches - putting five stitches on each needle. I now have four double pointed needles with five stitches on each of them. I will now knit these twenty stitches with a fifth double pointed needle until I have knit to the top of the thumb. ( You will have to try the mitten on to determine this.) At this point I will divide the stitches equally between two double pointed needles. For this pair of mittens it was ten stitches on each needle. The shaping for the top of the thumb is: knit 1, slip 1, psso, knit to the last two stitches on the needle and k2tog. I repeat this on both needles until I have 8- 10 stitches left - roughly half of how many stitches I started with. This is counting all the stitches on both needles. I will than do Kitchener stitch ( There are some excellent video's on utube demonstrating this finishing stitch.) to weave the opening shut. There are many other possibilities of doing this - but this has through trial and error become my signature way. I like to keep things simple and I look for repetitive patterns and I use proportions to assist me in this way.

The fridge - part two

As you all know my fridge quit working on Jan 21. The serviceman for propane appliances came back from his holiday on February 1 and never returned my call. I waited politely and than snow fell and for two weeks the roads were impassable. As soon as it melted I went back to work. It has now been over a month since the fridge stopped working and everything is ok. I have simplified our eating. I am conscious more than ever of what we are eating and I have learned and am learning new ways to prepare and keep food. I am also finding that a transition to eating vegan for now really helps. After all Adam and Eve (who were given that diet in the garden of Eden as God's original diet for mankind) never had a refrigerator. The cool weather has also helped. Life is decidedly simple and I am content. I am thankful for my peace of mind. This is an answer to prayer and I am truly thankful for His care.

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A rug for Helping House

Welcome to helping house - This is my daughter's playhouse and here is a 3" by 2" rug that I wove. After weaving the rug you saw in the preceding post I flipped over my discarded picture frame (my loom) and wove this.
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My loom

Women have been weaving for thousands of years and until recently they all used what was around them to build their looms with. It is possible to still do this today. This loom is a discarded picture frame and the remaining loom components are various weights of cardboard, string, and masking tape- things I already had. The loom is sitting on my kitchen table and the weaving is 3" across. It is a rug for my daughter's dollhouse. Sent from my iPhone

Mittens and a saw

Bob Dustrude's quick action buck saw is a wonderful tool however I find the square tubing uncomfortable to hold with bare hands. (I have average sized hands.) I knit these mittens from two strands of leftover worsted wool using 2.75 mm double pointed needles. They are very heavy and they are perfect when I need to use this saw in the winter months. The saw is foldable and built to last- I have given it plenty of use this winter after having to recut much of my firewood. Any blade will do although it would be wonderful to find a blade that I could resharpen myself - instead of the disposable blades which is the only option I have been able to find. There is a wooden tensioning device not shown at the top of the photo to tighten/ loosen the blade.

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Snowed in

On Thursday after pushing the wheelbarrow home from town I saw three robins in the yard. Are they not the harbinger of spring? I hope they quickly turned around and flew back from where they came from. On friday it started snowing. It snowed and it snowed until the roads became impassable and than it snowed some more. There is no snow plow on the island so it will not be removed until it melts. With the freezing temperatures it has stuck around longer than I can ever remember. There is no vehicle traffic and no boat traffic either but there is an abundance of tranquility. This makes me so content. All I hear are bird wings, snowflakes and silence.

"We need to find God and He cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature- trees, flowers, grasshopper grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence......We need silence to be able to touch souls." Mother Teresa
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The fridge - part 1

Propane fridges are truly wonderful because they are silent but they are also expensive to purchase. An electric fridge isn't an option because they use too much electricity- which is something I have very little of. On Jan 21 my old and used propane fridge quit working. I cleaned the chimney out but that made no difference so I put all the remaining food outside on the deck in totes. The weather is close to the same temperature as a fridge and that is a blessing. Another blessing is that this happened shortly before a planned town trip and no food was wasted and I thank God for that. However, I postponed a town trip so we could eat all the remaining food up. Both gas servicemen are on holidays so there is little to do except pray, wait and trust God. Whichever way this goes I have complete confidence in God to provide because that has been His track record. For anyone who is facing uncertainty I find Philippians 4:6,7 to be a gem. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I am living in that peace and it could only be given by a God who loves and cares.

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Wheat free-sugar free vegan cookie recipe

I like to have these Sesame Seed cookies with a chicory hot drink. The chicory is grown in my garden, cut into tiny bits and roasted in the oven. Than, I grind it up with a mortar and pestle. Chicory has a coffee like taste but without the caffeine. It has a number of health benefits that you may wish to look up on google. The manufactured drinks, Krakus or Akava both have chicory as an ingredient in it but it tastes much better when it comes out of the garden. The coffee taste is so much more pronounced in the garden variety. You can buy chicory seeds from Richter's here in Canada. They offer a host of other herb seeds and a few heirloom vegetable variety's. Here is the cookie recipe: 1/3 cup peanut butter; 2 T. honey; 3 T. water; 1/2 cup sesame seeds- hulled (I used black ones); 2T. sunflower seeds; 2T. unsweetened, shredded coconut; 3/4 cup quick oats; 1/4 tsp. salt. Combine peanut butter, honey and water in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Mix. Form into 2-inch balls, flatten, and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned - approximately 7-8 minutes. Makes 8 cookies. Recipe from A Taste Of Nature Cookbook by Lavonne Hoover

Prayer is like a window

With the passing of the years I have learned that the winter season gives the sacred space of quietness. I appreciate this time to nurture the silence within me and prayer is an important part of that process. Recently I felt the specific need to pray for the salvation for my partner who left me when I was five weeks pregnant. Initially I resisted but than I followed the prompting and within two weeks a wondrous change came over me. The bitterness and anger I have unknowingly carried toward's him left me and when it did I realized I had forgiven him. In hindsight I realize the bitterness was telling me I needed to continue to accept the love of Jesus within. I praise God for reaching out to me and healing me! The closer I walk to Him the more he creates in me something beyond self - and gives me more than what I could ever do on my own - Him. May you too continue to grow in love.

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Not counted cross stitch

This design I created as I went along. In doing this for the most part I avoided counting. First I outlined a leaf or flower in backstitch and than I filled it in with cross stitch using my chosen colour's. At times I found graph paper helpful as a general guide for the lettering. The source of my inspiration were the morning glory's I grow every year on my back deck and a pillow case embroidered by my great grandmother. On it was a bluebird and I merely copied the shape and added it into my own design. I love this fusing of the old patterns while creating new. The pale blue border on the pillow was a pair of corduroy pants my daughter wore when she was a baby. It was actually kinda tricky to find enough fabric on those itty bitty pants to make this border work. The back has an envelope closure sewn from a creme corduroy dress she wore several years ago. The bible text on the pillow is, "Fill us this morning with your constant love that we may sing and be glad all our life. Give us now as much happiness as the sadness you gave us during our years of misery. Let us your servants, see your mighty deeds; let our descendants see your glorious might. Lord our God, may your blessing be with us. Establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands." Psalm 90:14-17

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Cold

It's been a few years now that the Anna's hummingbird has continued to be a daily visitor to my feeder during the winter months. These little birds are able to survive some cold weather because they eat insects and do not completely rely on flower nectar. This winter like last winter there are two female's and one male. (The picture for this post is a female.) In year's gone by I remember many freezing cold mornings when I would make certain that the feeder was unthawed and filled and than wait for the morning light pensively wondering if they were still alive. Slowly the light would creep into the northern sky and silhouette the maples in the yard and than they would arrive. In my excitement I would dance around the kitchen holding my baby daughter. These day's on these cold winter mornings I am still awed and I still marvel at how they stay warm enough to be alive all day in subzero temperature's (at least at ground level) and through the long, cold nights. (They are absent from the feeder from 4:45 p.m. to 7:45 a.m.) They have an amazing story of survival and in it I find courage.

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