home from my family visit

05 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in appreciate the seasons

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aunts, brother, cousins, family, family reunions, funeral, sister, trip, visiting, Winnipeg

I am now home from my family visit in Winnipeg. A dear uncle had passed away and the family on my dad’s side were gathering for his funeral. At my mom’s funeral, just a few months ago, I had really enjoyed connecting with aunties and uncles and cousins on her side of the family after being away for many years. This time around, it was the extended family on my dad’s side of the family that I was visiting and reconnecting with, again, after many years.

As I grow older, family is beginning to feel more precious to me. This week was very enriching and I truly enjoyed the feeling of belonging and interconnectedness with my loved ones. I enjoyed all of the laughter as we each shared funny stories of growing up with one another. I enjoyed spending time with the kids as well as my older relatives. I loved hearing about everyone’s current adventures and future plans. It was truly a wonderful time! 🙂

Laurie’s spelt pancakes

02 Friday Mar 2012

Posted by Delena Rose in cook

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breakfast, family, flour, maple syrup, pancakes, spelt, spelt pancakes, whole grain spelt

I have been in Winnipeg spending quality time with my family these past three days. It has been action-packed: playing with the children, hanging out with the teens, glasses of wine with the grown ups and getting all caught up on each other’s lives.

One thing I love about spending time with my sister-in-law, Laurie, is that she is an amazing cook and I always leave with recipes and new ideas for ‘natural living’. Yesterday, Laurie shared her spelt pancake recipe. She showed me how she makes it, right from freshly grinding the whole spelt grain just before making it.

Here is the bag of spelt:

Here is Laurie’s flour mill:

Using spelt flour is very easy as you can simply substitute it into your usual flour-based recipes. Here is Laurie’s pancake recipe- use spelt flour instead of the all-purpose flour. Sometimes you need to add a bit more spelt flour so just keep an eye on the consistency you want. You can also substitute almond milk with a bit of apple cider vinegar for the buttermilk.

Another special treat: some very fine maple syrup to make these delicious pancakes even more decadent! After this fun morning seeing how quick and easy it is to bake with spelt, I am looking forward to my own cooking adventures using this healthy grain.

spending time with family

26 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by Delena Rose in cabin living, family

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family, Ma-Me-O beach, Pigeon Lake, time with family

Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life! ~Albert Einstein

My dad (Don), sister Cheryl and her two sons, Taylor and Nathaniel, came to visit from Winnipeg for a few days this week. Although our time together was short we really made the most of it, spending both beautiful days on the beach where we swam, played, picked berries, chatted, read and relaxed. Back at the cabin, no one even noticed that I do not own a television as they were too busy having fun playing Scrabble, Yahtzee, Chess and football.

Families are like fudge – mostly sweet with a few nuts. ~Author Unknown

The advantage of growing up with siblings is that you become very good at fractions. ~Robert Brault

It was particularly nice for me to take this time off from my regular routine of chores and projects to enjoy some ‘end of summer time’ and connect with my family in a meaningful way. Living alone (with Lucy), I often get busy and forget to take periods of rest throughout the day and week. Discovering Ma-Me-O Beach here at Pigeon Lake was lovely as it reminded me that I am living in an Alberta tourist hot spot and should make the most of it by enjoying it when I can.

You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

Taylor is a natural in the kitchen and we have been cooking together since he was very young. Back at the cabin, we cooked all of the delicious meals together. Nathaniel helped out a bit there, too. Nathaniel joined Lucy and I on our evening walks and we had fun talking about fishing and snakes and just exploring nature together. My sister and I got all caught up on each other’s busy lives, and my dad (with Cher’s help) installed a beautiful new ceiling fan in the living room. Surrounded by people, Lucy got non-stop smooches and cuddles from everyone.

Beach, sunshine, time with family… end of summer fun. It was a lovely few days!