Healing Hillary

true for me today

Since I have last written life has continued along. C is now 6 months old, our summer garden is plump with tomatoes, the start of school is upon us and the days are becoming shorter as this earth of ours turns every so slightly away from the sun. Life continues to evolve and change all the while somehow maintaing a bit of familiar rhythm. 

As for now I am just trying to stay here in this moment. As summer wanes my mind easily drifts off to autumn planning (garden, knitting and otherwise).

:: Yet what is true for me today is that I can reach into our cherry tomato plant and tickle the plant and it releases many, many fruits of abundance. It also covers my hand with sticky pollen. 

:: Today I am (again) marveling at all of the orange tomatoes in our garden. While we planted a few different heirloom varieties of differing colors...they are somehow all orange. How is that? 

:: I am blessing the garden spider that has taken up residence smartly between two tomato plants, protecting our harvest. 

:: Even though I did not get my morning sitting meditation this morning, I am glad that I can bring mindfulness into my actions. Knowing that at some point in the day, I will have an opportunity to sit for a minute or two. 

:: I am allowing T the time and space she needs to recover and return to wellness after a feverish night. 

:: I am gently bringing myself back to this moment when my mind goes into the future. I am reminding myself of the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, that in this moment I have an appointment with life."Breathing in and out is to get back to the present moment, where you have an appointment with life."

What is true for you today? 

 

 

{this moment}

This moment...

 

tending to...

My hands are busy tending. I am tending to my garden. Tending to my children. Tending that pile of laundry that needs to be put away. Tending to my kitchen and keeping it filled with food. Tending to my body, taking hikes to stretch my muscles and expand my lungs. I am tending my craft space and the little unfinished jobs I am discovering in the process. I am tending to be outside. 

In the midst of this tending, I have stepped away from the blog this week. 

What are you tending? 

{this moment} :: harvest

One little moment from my week that I am in love with. A moment I am grateful I caught on film. A moment I embraced, discovered and felt connected. 

If you'd like, please feel free to share your moment in the comment section.

This moment, inspired by Soulemama...

 

 

healing in the kitchen

I frequently get the question..."What do you eat?" We don't eat gluten or meat. And I am currently not eating dairy as it does not agree with baby. Anyone that knows me, knows that I eat, cook, prepare healing foods for my family and myself. I strive for nutrient dense foods and loving preparations. So here is a little run down of what kind of healing is going on in our kitchen this week. 

:: Tomato Risotto (x3 the recipe and froze some, minus dairy, +extra basil from our garden, used fresh pureed tomatoes instead of canned ones, recipe from Apples for Jam)

:: Many green salads from our garden/yarn (spinach, aragula, clover buds, dandelion leaves, a pinch of wood sorrel and some sugar peas).

:: Kombucha (am thrilled with how easy this is, and loving the range of B vitamins)

:: Sunbutter Cookies (a variation of my PB cookies...going for more nutritional density)

:: Feel-Better Pops (I made a lemon balm + chamomile medicinal tea mixed with orange juice for T's fever)

:: Eggs in a basket (a heart shaped basket, to be precise, using my *favorite* commercial Whole Grain-GF bread)

:: Potato and Cauliflower Burritos (from this month's Vegetarian Times, again roasted my own tomatoes instead of canned...see this for my aversion to canned tomatoes)

:: Oatstraw Herbal Infusion 

:: Elderberry Syrup

:: Vegetarian Sushi take-away (love the British term, makes more sense to me than "take-out")

:: A stargazer lily that opened up (thanks Liz!) and...

 :: Berry Cake...delicious! I plan to share the Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free recipe here on Monday.

 What kind of healing is going on in your kitchen?

Hillary

magic moment :: watering

 -::- A little bit of Friday Magic...in the form of one single moment. -::-

One little moment from my week that I am in love with. A moment I am grateful I caught on film. A moment I embraced, discovered and felt connected. 

This moment, inspired by Soulemama...

It's a bit blurry...but you get the picture :).

Water fun,

Hillary

sometimes it's just simple

Do you ever think something is bigger than it really is? Gosh, I do. 

I felt this way particularly about gardening. I was certain that it was not something I could do on my own, that I would need the advice of books and experts. While the advise was certainly helpful, it was me that was stuck...stuck in fear of failure. 

However, if you have seen my gardening pictures, you'll know...I overcame that fear. Dove right on in, made some mistakes, pulled up some plants thinking they were weeds, fed some fruits to nature, and still received a yield of items to fill our table. 

 (My cilantro has gone to ceed...coriander seeds! Not to mention it is a natural pest deterrent).

Our local farmer's market has been a wealth of information. That's where I learned about letting cilantro go to seed, how to use comfrey as fertilizer and how to get my compost to decompose a bit faster. 

And yesterday at the market, I may have gotten my favorite lesson yet...that a seed given the right elements will grow anywhere. 

Certainly makes sense that this little guy would pop up in the back of a farm's pickup.  

And just to think...just a few years ago I had made it all so hard (in my own head) that I though certainly I would fail and almost (almost) vowed to not try. 

Here's to trying and casting fear to the wind,

Hillary

nightgown gardening

I padded outside this morning in my bare feet and white cotton nightgown to do some gardening. I mean really...does life get any better than this? 

Our first carrot. It was sweetly enjoyed by T and the top went to the bunny. I love this silly photo though. In it you can see our arugula which has gone to flower so many time...I just can't quite pull it up yet because it is still yielding yummy greens. You can also see a basil plant that got moved during the flood. Somehow this little basil seed found it's way on the other side of the garden after our 1000 year rain. Mother nature...she always has something up her sleeve. 

Now to enjoy nightgown dishes...

Welcoming the bounty of summer,

Hillary

making herbs

Have I mentioned how much I love my dehydrator? 

  

  

It makes all of my garden herbs nice and dry for year long storage. Glad I cleaned out my spice rack a few weeks back...certainly can use the room! 

In wellness,

Hillary

Savoring the Fruits

Sometimes I just have to pause and savor the fruits of my labors. 

Reflecting in sweetness,

Hillary