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Learning to Knit
I mentioned to my husband once while passing the yarn aisle at a craft store that I had never knitted before. It was more of a wistful sigh than a real wish. At that time I was balancing working at home and taking care of a two-year-old. I had no time to pick up a…
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A Trip to the Sheep Farm
On Open Farm Day, we went to Ellsfarm, a family owned sheep farm in Union, Maine. Their sheep are raised free range, providing healthy dairy products, meat and wool. Farmer Perry Ells names her sheep after movie stars. We saw Madeline Khan and Maggie Gyllenhaal; matrilineal succession marked by the same letter of each animal’s…
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Thanksgiving Turkey
I finally got me a Mary’s Free Range Heritage Turkey, fed no animal by-products, no preservatives. A true Thanksgiving turkey that’s lived its life healthily with lots of room to run around in. You can really taste the difference between one of these free-range birds and one that’s been farmed pumped with hormones, antibiotics and…
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Potty Training
Before my baby was born I read about Elimination Communication, a method of detecting and responding to an infant’s elimination needs. It’s not as much “training” as it is becoming in tune with the natural timing of my baby’s body functions. Elimination Communication means teaching children how to eliminate properly right from the start. It’s…
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Avocado Applications
The avocado is one of my favorite fruits. Avocado is packed with nutrients such as folate, potassium, vitamin E and lutein. When in season during the summer months, avocados are always on my weekly grocery list. Guacamole People seem to think of guacamole everytime an avocado is mentioned. It’s an easy recipe: mash a whole…
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Breastfeeding: The Art of Being a Woman
Breastfeeding is what I’ve found to be the most profound expression of motherhood. Not labor and delivery of the baby, not pregnancy, not conception, all important and indispensable stages of becoming a mother. When I say breastfeeding is the most profound expression of motherhood, it is because I see it as a choice a mother…
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Busting Breastfeeding Myths
Ever since my baby was born, I’ve heard a number of breastfeeding myths from my mother and some aunts, women whose parenting skills were shaped during the ’70’s, when milk companies took advantage of the women’s liberation movement to sell mothers formula. Here are some of the myths I’ve heard, and the truths that bust…
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Maple Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients: 8 oz. cranberries 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup maple syrup Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil under high heat. Turn heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
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Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Pie is probably the best thing to do with the pumpkin discarded from making a Jack O’ Lantern. The taste of a pumpkin pie made from fresh pumkin cannot compare to one made from canned pumpkin. Here’s the classic Pumpkin Pie recipe: Pie Crust Ingredients: 3 cups pastry flour 1 cup (2 sticks) butter,…
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Pumpkin Cookies
This recipe was passed on to us from my husband’s grandmother, who sent us care packages of her special Pumpkin Cookies every Halloween. Mammie used Crisco Oil and it made her cookies very moist and last for weeks. I used organic canola oil as a healthier alternative, and this makes the pumpkin cookies moist, light…