Plant Update

So, we are at Week 3 with the plants.

Yesterday, Schwen and I transplanted some of the plants from their little pellets to some little pots.

The idea is to plant 2 or 3 seeds in each pellet and then to weed out the smaller plants and leave one plant in each pellet. When we planted the Marigold's ... we put 2 seeds in each pellet (25 pellets). They all looked great though ... so we thought the best thing to do would be to split them and have each plant in it's own pot.

Now we 47 Marigolds.

I think you can see where I am going with this, because that seems to be the case in most of the pellets we have ... we have 2 nice plants in each. We spent hours yesterday splitting them up into their own pots .. we still have lots more to do ... but this little project has taken on a life of it's own.

I am so excited to see how all of this goes. I really want them all to flourish. We are excited about all of them, but the ones we are really interested in are the perennials we planted. One of them being this Pink Pampas Grass .. an ornamental grass - it looks so pretty ... could it be that they really will grow and flourish.

It is funny, all of these plants seem so fragile and delicate. It is so amazing to see them grow, I just keep thinking it is a little miracle how they grow with so little - a little soil, water and sun.

As you can see in the pictures we are improvising big time with flats to put the pots in ... all our cookie sheets, casserole dishes and even rubbermaid lids have been called into action.

As I said ... this project is taking on a life of it's own. Schwen just laughs saying this is only Week 3 .. we have another 6 weeks to go before these little guys venture outdoors ... oh .... this is interesting!

Mare

Earth Hour

So - Schwen, Tundie and I are all signed up for Earth Hour (click on the title to go the WWF site and read more about it).

We have candles ready, the crib board out ... and ready to spend time on Saturday night in a nice candle lit environment.

I am hoping to win the trip to Churchhill that the Canadian World Wildlife Fund is sponsoring (you enter when signing up for Earth Hour). It would be amazing to be there and see the Polar Bears in their natural habitat.

While we are on the subject of World Wildlife Fund ... I have to show you something that Schwen got for Christmas.

You can symbolically adopt an endangered animal .. Tundie and I gave him the gift of an adopted polar bear. They send a little certificate you can display and also a stuffed animal ... this is the little guy we have.

Mare

Veggie Recipe For the Week

Kale Soup

1 large onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups veggie broth
28oz can plum tomatoes
19 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
4 cups chopped kale
2 bay leaves
1 tsp each dried thyme and oregano leaves

Add onion and garlic to a large saucepan. Simmer approx 5 minutes.

Add broth and tomatoes, including juice from tomatoes.
Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, using a fork, break up tomatoes. Rinse and drain chickpeas, then stir in kale and seasonings. (You could add carrots here as well - I didn't yesterday because we were out of carrots).

When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender (about 10 minutes).
Discard bay leaves and serve :)

I don't have a picture of the soup ... I made this yesterday and forgot to take a picture ... but, doesn't this picture of kale make you want to try it :)

I have been on a soup kick lately ... maybe I am getting it all in now while it is still cool .. because Summer is coming, it is, it really is :)

Mare

Plant Update

Since last week we sort of expanded on the plants ... we now have 325 little plants.

The Marigolds are humming along while the Sunflowers and the Nasturtiums graduated to larger pots already .. their roots were way too long to keep just in the little pellets.

I don't think when we started this we thought we would be planting so many seeds. Schwen and I always seem to do this, get carried away with what we are doing.

Although - I guess 325 plants is still manageable, and as tempting as it is to plant more, we are resisting. This is our first attempt at this, so we will see how it goes. If it goes well, who knows, maybe next spring we will have a little stand at the end our driveway selling off little pots of plants :) We can be beside Tundie with his lemonade stand ... I can just picture it.

I just hope they live until May when it is time to go outside.

Mare

Tundie At Work

This is a picture of Tundie while visiting at Lutherwood on Thursday night. This would be one of Tundie's favourite people to visit (and as bad as it is to have favourites, I think this might be true for Schwen and I as well). Having said that, everyone we visit with is special, and we take away something different and special from each person we see.

We have been visiting at Lutherwood (The Sunshine Centre) now for 5 months. It is hard to believe that it has been that long - time does go so fast.

The three of us visiting each week is wonderful. We have a great time .... and the people we see are lovely. We are really building relationships/friendships - the visits are special and meaningful to us, and it also has an impact on those we visit.

Schwen and Mare

Taking In The Sun

These are all the plants (260 little guys). I moved them all here by the window now to get the sun. Some still have their covers on because they have not germinated yet.

The marigolds are in the top left corner - and the plants beside them are nasturtium. They are amazing ... they germinated and sprang up so fast.

I am going to get another package of nasturtium seeds and some more ornamental grass (we planted pink pampas grass seeds).

Tonight is visiting with Thunder .. and tomorrow - it is official ..... it is Spring. What a great week.

Enjoy the day!!

Mare

Dear Marigolds ... Happy Birthday To You!!

So .. in the scheme of things ... maybe wishing annuals "birthday wishes" on their first week of life isn't silly ... they live for a season, so every week is a celebration .... and these marigolds are special to us - we planted them 7 days ago. Just look at what nature can do in 7 days ... a bit of sun, water (and yes, they might have had some Reiki sessions to0 .. I sent lots of love and great intentions for them to grow and flourish).

Here they are ......

We will post new plant pictures every Sunday with their update .... you can watch along while they grow and flourish and then take their first adventure outside in the garden :)

We sort of got carried away with planting more seeds this week ... we have close to 300 pellets in flats like the one above.

Schwen and Mare

Veggie Recipe For the Week

Well, in keeping with my whole spring to coming theme with planting seeds .... maybe this recipe isn't so far fetched ... a salad that reminds me of summer. I love summer ... and it is on it's way!! This salad makes a great lunch with a nice crusty bun.

Chickpea Salad

1 can chickpeas rinsed
1 cucumber
2 medium tomatoes
1 small red onion
1 carrot shredded (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup pitted black olives (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic
1 teaspoon honey

1. Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into small cubes, just around the size of the chickpeas. Finely chop the onion. Combine the chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, onion, carrot, parsley and olives in a serving bowl.
2. Place the lemon juice, oil, garlic and honey in a small screw top jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss lightly to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Mare

Reiki

This past weekend (March 8th 2009) I had my Reiki II Attunement.

OK .. let's back up.

I first heard about Reiki when Schwen and I went to Grail Springs in 2006 - that is where we each had our first Reiki session. It made an impact on both of us ... very insightful and thought provoking.

What is Reiki .....
Reiki, a Japanese word pronounced ray-key, can be translated to mean universal life force, or universally guided light. It is a very simple system of healing, carried out by placing hands on or over a person, or animal or plant, with the intent to channel Reiki. It can also be sent, as absent healing, over distance and even through time. You don't need to commit to a belief system in order to channel Reiki, or to enjoy its benefits; all you need is the desire to heal and to be healed.

The Five Spiritual Principles
The five principles are really a guide to living with a happy heart, whatever your path in life, and promoting harmony with the world around you, and they can be considered a healing treatment in themselves.

Just for today do not worry
Just for today do not anger
Honour your parents, teachers and elders
Earn your living honestly
Show gratitude in everything

When did I take Reiki I .....
I took Reiki I in November 2008. I have no idea why I didn't post anything about it, because really it had an impact on my life.

What will I do with it now .....
I will try and use Reiki as much as I can ... of course Tundie and Schwen are my obvious targets for the most part. My intention in the very near future is to volunteer at the local Cancer Unit, I had heard somewhere that they offer free Reiki to cancer patients. I would be honoured to volunteer there and try and make a difference in someone's life.

Mare

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Rekindle The Light

Another great exert from my library book - Five Good Minutes is the following:

I just opened the book today because I was feeling a bit low ... I don't know why, nothing awful - just out of sorts. I thought of the book Five Good Minutes and thought I would have a look at it. I opened it - and this is the page it opened up to ... it felt like a good message for me; and it is also something I wanted to share with a friend of mine has been feeling down for awhile now and is having a hard time pulling out of it.

#18

Rekindle The Light

Each of us has a radiant inner fire, beauty, strength and wisdom. The problem is we forget how to keep the embers glowing. In the dampness of boredom or just forgetfulness, we burn out and turn off. We may not notice at first, but over time our light of hope gets extinguished by neglect. Use the following candle meditation as a guide to rekindle your inner light.

1. Start by lighting a candle by your beside or at your table to accompany you in your morning routine.
2. Stare into the flickering flame and imagine the same flame igniting in the center of your soul.
3. Imagine this fire as the source of your hope, your dreams, your blessings, and your happiness.
4. Feed the flame by offering it protection, compassion and understanding.
5. Remember to acknowledge your inner light daily :)

Mare

The Beginning of a Marigold

Spring Has Almost Sprung :)

New life of all kinds start in the spring - and it is really starting to feel hopeful that spring is soon.

Today is my Dad's birthday - he would have been 86. Actually he would have been a very young 86 year old, as my dad lived a full life, kept himself busy ... and loved to laugh. He was one of the most fortunate men in the world .. he had in his life as his wife 2 of the most amazing, wonderful women you could ever meet. First my mom, who he was married to for 54 years, and then my step mother .. who he was married to for 6 years. My father passed away unexpectedly 5 years ago.

So ... this day when I am remembering and the season of new beginnings approaching - it is a perfect day for planting seeds and being hopeful that spring is on it's way.

Above are Marigold seeds .... Schwen and I planted these seeds last night: Nasturtium, Sweet pea, Marigold, Sunflower (4 kinds), Pink Pompas Grass and Canary Bird Vine.

This is very exciting and we will be posting their progress.

Here is the Marigold's home for the next 4 weeks or so .... since this is the first time I have tried this, this is all new ... so we will just see how it goes.

I can hardly wait to see all these flowers on our deck and in hanging baskets in May.

Mare

Veggie Recipe For the Week

This soup is great ... I made it last week - I doubled everything except the coconut milk and it was fantastic. I also didn't have coriander seed - I will try and have that next time - but without that it was still wonderful :) The next time I try it, I am going to just use water instead of vegetable broth because of the sodium ... I couldn't find a veggie broth low enough in sodium.
Let me know what you think when you make it .... but I know you will love it!!

Mulligatawny Soup

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 onions chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 quarter-size slices peeled fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

5 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

6 cups low-sodium, fat free veggie broth

1 medium baking potato (peeled and coarsely chopped)

¾ cup light coconut milk

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Swirl in the oil, then add the carrots, onions, celery, ginger and garlic.

Cook until vegetables are softened, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and coriander; cook 1 minute. Add the veggie broth and potato. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until vegetables are tender, 25 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes.

2. Puree the soup in batches in a blender or food processor. Return soup to the pot, and add the coconut milk and lime juice. Simmer gently over medium-low heat until hot, 8-10 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro

Enjoy!!

Mare