this moment

Joining soulemama and friends

in this Friday ritual.

A single photo.

No words.

A simple...extraordinary moment

from my week.

Hope your weekend is

filled with moments like

these.

he gets me

Here he is

heading off to work...

but first

let's check on

the rain barrel.

One of my Mother's Day gifts.

Installed about two weeks

after that.

A green alternative...

why would we continue

to pay for water

to feed the plants and allow

the rain to pour out of

the downspouts onto

pavement?

Let's tap into that

natural resource!

Take a look inside...

Wow...

what timing...

right to the tippity top!

Thirsty plants...

here I come.

I wish I would have counted

how many trips I made

back and forth...

next time.

I can say the wait to fill 'er up

is much faster here than at

the end of the

hose.

Watered everything

I normally do...

Not a huge area...

just right.

Making pit stops

for the

refill.

I swear the plants

were smiling

at me.

My newest creation...

a tire rim

planter....

rusted out

just how I like it.

This stop had me catching

the sweetest smell

on the breeze.

Another reason for

encouraging milkweed to grow

in your yard...

The blossoms are as sweet

as lilac.

Life bursting forth

all around

me.

When all was well watered

and husband was

probably busy at his desk...

I finished with

another peek...

curious as to how much water

I really use in a day.

That's a lot of water!

That's a lot of

green!

This message is fully endorsed

by our sponsor...

Old Maid New.

A rain barrel...

it just makes

cents.

or can i?

Vegans

especially of the new

variety

will look in 

pastry windows or at the dessert menu

and automatically

assume...

then along came...

to the rescue.

I really don't feel like

it has been a huge

sacrifice since

my taste buds seem to have changed

and my cravings are under control...

 if I want something sweet

cold sweet corn...

soy dreams butter pecan

ice cream...

a glass of wine...

do the trick.

Then my sister, Tina

let me borrow this book

and with berry season upon us

I had to try

Raspberry Scones

Since I know you can google

the recipe...

I hope I'm not breaking any

infringement laws...

after all I am promoting

Erin McKenna's cookbook...

seriously now...

go check it out!

Here's this simple ingredient recipe

Pioneer Woman Style

(or at least my clumsy attempt :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

 Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl whisk together...

2 Cups Whole Spelt Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

 1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Then...

Add 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil

(plus more for brushing)

1/3 Cup Agave Nectar

(plus more for brushing)

1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract. 

Stir together until a thick

 slightly dry batter is formed.

Pour 1/4 Cup Hot Water and mix.

   

                 

Using a rubber spatula...

gently fold in

1 Cup Fresh Raspberries

until they are marbled

 throughout the batter.

For each scone,

 scoop 1/3 Cup of batter onto

 prepared baking sheet.

Lightly brush tops with

Coconut Oil.

Bake on center rack for 14 minutes...

rotate the sheet 180 degrees at half-time.

The finished scone will be golden

and slightly firm.

Remove from oven

and brush with

Agave Nectar

Cool on sheet for 15...

transfer to a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container

at room temp.

 

Finally...

try one.

It will blow your mind.

Perfect with your morning tea... or

vanilla soy caffe latte.

Thank you, Babycakes!

I can...I can...

I can eat that scone!

meanwhile...back in the kitchen

Where the 30 Day Vegan

is still in progress.

So...

honestly now...

How's it really going?

Feeling lighter in body and spirit...

thinking clearer...deeper thoughts...

discovering food without cheese

tastes even better...allowing

the other flavors to

shine...

The meat?

I don't miss it.

I truly believe that

The Whole Food Kitchen Workshop

put me in the right mindset

to begin this journey.

My family is a different story.

My husband has been

very supportive

and will gladly eat whatever

I put on the table.

The boys?

It's been a hit or miss.

They will try new recipes

and ask...

where's the meat?

In an attempt to keep peace

I will have occasional

meat available

that they can prepare

themselves.

Last night I had a simple meal

of corn-on-the-cob

a rotisserie chicken

(for them)

and I tried a recipe I found at

All Recipes

 (www.allrecipes.com)

It was so very good.

Give it a try...vegan or not!

Black Bean Hummus

Into a food processor add

1 clove garlic (pressed)

1 (15 oz) can black beans; drained

2 Tablespoons (plus a bit more) reserved liquid

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 T Tahini

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 t salt

1/4 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t paprika

Greek olives for garnish

Process until smooth and serve.

As noted above I did add

a touch more reserved liquid

to get the consistency

I like.

This twist off the original

hummus

comes with raves

attached to it.

My whole family enjoyed it.

(Yours will too...Rosebud!)

Now...

back to our regularly

scheduled program.

front porch viewing

Weather Forecast:

Hot.

So when I came home from

church I didn't

expect to see my guy

deep in project

mode...

directly in the heat of the sun. 

When I have a vision...

he has the knack

of bringing it to

fruition.

This idea of mine came from

one of laziness...

wouldn't a cut through to the

garden be nice

so I don't have to walk

around the fence each day to

water?

While we're at it...

can't we make it

pretty?

Mine is a front yard garden

after all.

I doused him in

strong SPF and

kept him hydrated with

Coronitas...

switched to

lemonade when I

noticed a few cuts go awry.

Armed with pictures of

my sister, Mary's

arbor on my phone...

to answer questions like...

How high should it be?

Go to photo gallery.

How do you want the ends cut?

Gallery again.

What about the...?

You get the picture.

Too bad I didn't include it here!

Grabbin shade on the front porch

where a variety of

onlookers sat during the day

to watch the action.

The constantly changing

landscape...

I found myself saying...

It's going to look so nice

decorated at

Christmastime.

It came along fast...

especially from my shady

front porch

viewing spot.

Details.

Very cool details.

Poor Josh showed up and

was recruited to

lend a hand.

I felt a lot like

Troy here...

asking myself questions like...

Why are we doing this now

when this area is in shade in

just 2 short hours?

I found out the hard way

that it isn't wise to ask such

questions when

the workers are hot and sweaty...

they get a bit testy

with their one word responses.

I saw it

in my mind's eye...

my sweet guy made it

come to life!

Isn't this the stuff of

romance novels?

this moment

celebrating a fairway landing

blog sharing with

soulemama

 join in

hands

What image comes to mind when

you think of

hands?

Famous hands...

your grandmother's loving hands...

praying hands...

hard-working hands...

lines from a novel

where a woman is pondering

life and looks down to see

her mother's hands

are now her own.

Theatrical hands...

none better than this scene

from

Gladiator.

Russel Crowe's hands

gliding...

wind surfing...

caressing his wheat field as

he makes his way

home.

On my long bike rides

my mind will travel to thoughts

like these.

Going through a

particularly difficult time

when

a hand reaching out

to help is such

a welcome sight.

Praying

with conviction...

knowing Your Father's

comforting and guiding hands

are with you.

Knowing He is present...

in those around you.

All that needs to be done

is in the asking...

Ah...

and therein lies the rub.