How do you eat your Eggplant?

"Do you crunch them very slowly or eat them very fast?" (from the old Smarties commercial)

A while back eggplant was on the menu for a week. I needed some inspiration, so I posted on old 'facebook', the question, "How do you eat your eggplant?" And I received some egg-cellent dish ideas!

Thanks to some lovely facebook friends, I'd like to share some of their offerings with you. Hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me!

In no particular order, here they are:

~ "Grilled on the barbie with a soya sauce/teryaki sauce...mmmmm AND eggplant curry is to die for!!!" Patsy
~ "Eggplant salsa type thing!" Tami
~ "Eggplant parmesana with homemade tomato sauce all the way...mmmmm!" Adrienne
~ "Cubed, roasted with garlic, onions, peppers, and basically whatever veggies are on hand (tomatoes, carrots, potato, etc.)!" Miranda
~ "I've dehydrated it before in slices with a nut dip on it. In Nigeria, they are called Garden Eggs." Kamla
~ "Fried with lots of garlic:)" Ricky
~ "With tomatoes and lots of curry , onions and garlic with injera." Kelly
~ "Eggplant brushetta!" Angela
  

There you have it! Some Egg-stravagant eggplant goodness! We had barbecued eggplant burgers with fresh homemade buns and marinated eggplant skewers another day.

In other news, I am quite behind in my blog posts, and have much to share....I had a lovely birthday earlier this month. Yes, I'm 35 now, and my salt and pepper hair is starting to show. Born on Labour Day (for my fellow Canadians) or Labor Day (for my American friends)....I have often said...."and my life has been ironic ever since".

You can expect an upcoming post featuring some lovely birthday blessings from a few dear friends....For a preview, you can see right here some loveliness, coming from Sweet Coralee!

Horse-Dung and Childcare

No the two are definitely not related, but I could not resist the title considering my train of thought.

I've heard the term "tomato staking" before, in regards to child rearing.  It has to do with the idea of having your children near to you at all times - it is similar to attachment parenting.  To be honest, I have never really studied or read to much into the philosophy,  but found it natural to keep my children close and be sober minded and careful of who looks after them if or when my husband or I are not around.

In the first year of our first child being born, our baby was probably babysat by grandparents only once or twice.  I don't remember any other childcare.  Since then, 3 children later, childcare outside of myself or husband, is still very sparse in this household.

 Some midwife appointments, occasional small choreography contracts with schools, and special occasion dates with hubby seem to be the main events where I am in need of childcare.  Most of those are lovingly taken care of by my mom, who lives in our neighborhood.  On the occasion that my commitment is not very long, my mom encourages me to go get a coffee somewhere and to take my time.  I welcome the advice and do it!

On some such occasions if I am in the vicinity of a Chapters or ANY bookstore, THAT is where you will find me.  Books are wealth, "readers are leaders" - so I've heard - we love books don't we - especially on the subjects we are passionate about, or that have beautiful illustrations!

I came across a discounted "Culpeper's Complete Herbal" reprint from 1653.  Oh what a find - in my opinion!  I just had to share with you one of recipes!  To be honest I'm not sure if all the advice in the book should be taken seriously - but there must be validity to many of Nicholas Culpeper's findings!

"Some use this medicine: Take so many strawberries as you shall think fitting, and put them into a distillatory, or body of glass, fit for them; which, being well closed, set in a bid of horse-dung for twelve or fourteen days, and afterwards distil it carefully and keep it for your use. It is excellent water for hot inflamed eyes....and for such other defects in them as may be helped by any outward medicine." pg. 368

I don't unfortunately have any horse-dung readily available - but thought this was fun enough to share! If you are ready to try it out - let me know how it goes ;)

Chronic Procrastination Syndrome

Did you know there was such a thing? Chronic Procrastination Syndrome! Apparently there was a man who was taken to court by the IRS for not paying his taxes, and he claimed not guilty on the basis of his problem of chronic procrastination syndrome.  If you Google the phrase "chronic procrastination syndrome" the story will come up in the first couple of results. 

My husband often refers to this t-shirt. And then there was the time my brother borrowed a video from the library called, "how to overcome procrastination".  Do you think anyone ever actually watched this video?  I am quite sure that the library only kept it to collect the overdue fines that it brought in by the borrowers. Yes, my brother did return it rather late, he did however, manage to watch the first 15 minutes of it.  This "how to overcome procrastination" video was produced in the 80's and kept it's true 80's Glam. I was told by him, that the first few minutes of the video was the dedicated to congratulating the viewer for actually putting the video into the VCR and pressing play.

If you are curious about CPS, there is a facebook group dedicated to the topic of this chronic procrastination syndrome. I believe it is a lighthearted group of college students. 

Overall, I can say that I struggle with CPS - but I also think that just about any and every creative person does.  I love what my dear friend Coralee says  - that she is an ADD-crafter.  Is that what you called it?  Please correct me if I haven't got it right.  Which reminds me that we've got to get on a date for our next crafting night, Coralee! - Dear me - back to the topic.

As always I enjoyed the Vintage Swap!  My swap partner, Maribeth, is a gracious soul indeed - and you'll find out why in a moment.  She sent me this lovely collection.  And she had me "pegged" (pun intended!)  I have a little secret love of clothes lines!  Love, love, love everything about clothes lines, the smell of fresh laundry dried in the sun and wind, the way the sun bleaches the stains out of my diapers - love it.  Amongst this happy collection, was a new book full of OLD photos and lovely accounts of laundry days of the past.  I have read before of the legacy of handwritten recipe books that were passed on generation to generation - which are now extinct.  But, in this book I was enlightened to the legacy of handwritten house management journals.  What a find THAT would be.  These journals contain nuggets of tried and true household hints, like specific recipes for meals on washing day and the like.  Washing Day :: WOW :: and today, like many modern homes that is EVERY day - sigh - we have too much.  Perhaps it would be an interesting experiment for a week or two or more, to pair down the wardrobe to a couple of things.  THEN laundry day may be once a week.

A number of weeks ago I showed a sneak peak of what I had sent Maribeth.  It was the day, our due date for sending vintage swap packages, and to my dismay a couple of items and "walked away" (in little hands) from my stashed package.  In my flury of "this can't be late" - I made the decision to send what was left in a "part 1" and send the "part 2" when it was recovered, late.  I never did take a picture of the lost items.  But they were recovered; a french children's book, with poems and darling drawings that reminded me of the darling creatures Maribeth makes.  Keeping with the theme of chronic procrastination syndrome, of course after "part 2" was in it's package, it was still more than another week before I could bring it to a post office.  This is why I referred to Maribeth as a gracious soul!

My thoughts about Chronic Procrastination Syndrome is to take one day at a time.  Keep my chin up, and work to overcome this distracted disorder, one bite at a time.  

Hope that you and I will get lots done today ;)  

BUT most of all I hope for us, that our homes would be a haven of peace and joy whether or not everything is accomplished!

If you have any suggestions or cures for CPS, 

your comments are quite welcome here!

SEO and Breastfeeding

What does SEO and breastfeeding have in common?  Sounds like a joke - actually I don't know what they have in common.

Today on Day 2 of my 5 Day Blog Challenge (hooray I got to day 2 - sometimes we have to celebrate every little victory!) I thought I'd share a glimpse of my recent journey into online marketing AND a how SEO and breastfeeding are connected.  A while back I shared about my endevor into the world of home business, and into the arena of healthy ethical chocolate.  I learned quite quickly that I'd rather not do it the traditonal way and come across like I'm pushing nothing but my product. 

The best way, I thought, would be to market it online...ER!  Yikes! I am not internet savvy by any means, so some study and courses would be a good addition!  Wow - there is a wealth of information out there, and it really is attainable.

On with my story.  My first exercise in SEO or Search Engine Optimization (Getting found in the search engines), was in keyword search.  Basically finding keywords or phrases that are getting searched and have a low number of search results. For example "home business" has an incredible amount of competition and little old me will not get into the first few pages.  However the phrases "breastfeeding basics" and "extended breastfeeding" there is little competition.  So I started my experiment.

I am naive at times, and assume the best.  I should have thought about this a little more thoroughly, but my mommy mind is dominant.  I created a YouTube video about nursing necklaces, using the above phrases in my title and tags.  WOW, I thought, the first day in running it had already over 100 hits!  'This keyword thing really works!', I thought.  A nobody on YouTube can sometimes struggle to get 10 hits in the first WEEK!  Perhaps you already know where I'm going....I started visiting a couple of my new subscribers and THEN I realized I had picked the wrong phrases to experiment with - yup - I was being found by breast searching folk, just not as many of the breastfeeding mamas I was aiming for.

Day 2: fini

Have a great day! Enjoy the sun - if you have it where you are!

Am I related to Star Trek's Spock?

This is my brother.

Mike!

"I like Mike and my bike likes Mike"

(we always sang, growing up)

~ sorry 'felletti', I didn't ask if I could use this photo...but you know FB's policies.~

I love my brother.  He is a well of creativity and a compassionate soul!

AND he just so happens to look a bit like Zachary Quinto, the new Spock in the latest Star Trek movie.  Well, this post was inspired by my 2 yr. old son's latest hair cut....I know I am biased but this picture is TOO cute to keep a secret!

Perhaps he will follow in his Grandfather's footsteps as another Trekkie !

~Have a Great Day!!!

Happy ThanksGoodies!

We've just finished celebrating (Canadian) Thanksgiving.  When we were children, we use to call it Thanksgoodies.

The season is well upon us and snow is coming and going, much to some people's displeasure.  I like the change in season - nope, I'm not fond of
 driving in the winter storms, which are so common here in the prairies.  It has been very rare that our city is shut down after a MAJOR snow dump....It is a little sad, really - I'm so drawn to the Slow Movement!  Where we would also respond to the seasons positively, joyfully and thankfully...sadly most of us have to race around and then the weather becomes an inconvenience.

We spent our holiday weekend visiting and celebrating with family. 

Even though the holiday Monday was a brisk day, it was still so nice to get out for a country lane walk!

The woods were filled with the fragrance of autumn's wild cranberry - the scent my Husband so eloquently coined, "tree fart".  I don't think it smells that bad, I happen to like the dying cranberry smell very much...

...Selah not so much, as I let her smell some crushed cranberry on my hand.

Just a couple of hours later...snow arrives.

Now I'm rushing these days to finish winter somethings for all the "littles".  The items that are on my mind are:

:: 2 hats for the 2 older ones

:: 2 pairs of slippers for the older ones as well - I'm thinking leather soles and up-cycled wool felted sweater, for the rest of the slipper.

:: An up-cycled wool blanket into a sleeping sack for baby, the answer for warmth in her hammock

Hat for baby is complete, crocheted mercerized cotton, inspired by Waldorf Mama's pilot caps....

Speaking of handmade, Garden Mama has a FANTASTIC give away - Hurry! It ends this evening!  Lovely, gorgeous felted beauties for natural play!

Garden Mama says:

"One lucky person will be the winner of everything in this post--five of her gorgeous hand knit woodland animals, in addition to a gorgeous autumnal garland with hand knit acorns, felted leaves, and pumpkins."

Take a peak at these inspiring play things - don't you just want to fill your house with these, as you purge the plastic - crap stuff carefully sorted for the recycling bin rather than garbage! I take such joy in watching the little's play with natural toys, because it also brings beauty to my home. 

Thank-you Garden Mama!

Jumping Jellyfish

I mean to say 'jumping kombucha!' I am still new to this probiotic berverage and new to the habits of this mushroom. It indeed seems to have a life of it's own! It was trying to get out of the jar! I found it leaping - ok - well not exactly - it was stuck to the cover cloth as if it were trying to climb out. I suppose I filled the jar too high, and it was just too tempting for it to sneak out and escape....Oh the memories come 'flooding back' of pets we had as children, and their escapes: the girbles leaping out of their aquariums - that is indeed a funny site - they look like mini-kangaroos when they jump.

If you are visiting from the Original Kombucha group - I'd love to hear your thoughts!

♥CHILD FRIENDLY♥ DIY All Purpose Non-Toxic Cleaner

Two year old Joash takes his time on the potty.

I usually leave him there for up to half an hour with his books, and give him his time to relax and 'Fait ca-ca ou pee-pee'.

If you have a little boy then I'm sure you have experienced spillage outside of the potty. For that reason, and for the casual accidents that happen throughout the house from time to time, I keep a spray bottle of multi cleaner and a rag in the bottom of the linen closet...which incidentally (I didn't realize) is in hand's reach of the potty.

Thank-you Joash for trying to clean up the little mess! I arrived to see the entire bathroom soaked in my 'all purpose cleaner'...EVERYTHING!

I breath a sigh of relief and gratitude that this homemade cleaner is non-toxic...

For the sake of simplicity, make a continuous brew in a spray bottle of:

1 part vinegar
1 part water
1 little squirt of eco friendly, phosphate free dish detergent
My mom has used this for years. Sometimes I add some drops of Lavender, Melaleuca or Citrus Essential Oils.

At least I can say the bathroom was cleaned today!

UPDATE 2014-15
For Quick Ease of use and an even More Effective cleaner we are now using Thieves Cleaner! Don't get me wrong - in a pinch the above recipe is great. Some folks aren't the biggest fans of the scent of Vinegar. For those folks (and that includes some of my family members) the Thieves Household Cleaner is a great alternative and it SMELLS like candy to me! And is inexpensive since it lasts over 6 months. If saving 24% off of Thieves Cleaner would be helpful to you, ♥Click Here♥
Or to get the product NOW, go to ♥This Link♥ and search under the products list.   

Some other helpful, natural cleaning solutions...

 

Under the boardwalk

:: a couple days at the beach cottage ::

(nope that is not our cottage - but it would be cool if it was!)

:: early morning bubbles with Nana ::
:: my "raw-vegan-Mum's" powershake matches my yarn ::

:: best cocoa I've ever had - the tin must be at least 30 years old! ::

"Unfortunately PJ"

This is a fun google game. Found on my friend Tami-Jo's blog. Very cute indeed. So you enter "Unfortunately your name" and see what are some of the top finds. Now when I entered "unfortunately patty-jean", there were no results, as I expected. Another name that many people call me is PJ (which I find interesting as I have Never introduced myself as that...I think it was my husband that spread that one). These are some that I picked out of the top 10:

1. Unfortunately PJ's Hobby World at 33 Holmes Rd, Moonee Ponds (Vic) will be closing down at the end of February '09. ...

2. Unfortunately, PJ's one-of-the-guys personality isn't a big asset when it comes to landing a boyfriend, so she spends most of her time playing poker

3. Unfortunately P.J. had many unfinished ideas and plans (sounds familiar)

4. Unfortunately PJ was not much help against the Pistons last night.

5. Unfortunately PJ wasn’t the marrying kind. (love that one)

6. (even better) Unfortunately, PJ tags along and hinders their attempts to find dates. Stephanie also tries to get PJ to act more feminine, a difficult task ...

7. unfortunately PJ didnt make the final cut. I have been watching his progress for the past 18 months or so. He is well known in the Irish (and Irish I am)

Thanks for the laugh Tami! These days as we near the end - I can always use one!