Happy Halloween!

A couple of days ago, I took the kids to the library. They were having a mask decorating activity for children and my son really, really, really wanted to go. I must say, I love our little library. They always have such neat programs and activities for the kids, and the kids really enjoy them.

The kids got to pick from a multitude of mask designs, and then they could colour, paint, and/or glue some feathers and other ornaments on them.

They even got to make 2 each! It was an hour and a half well spent! And perfect to put us in the mood for Halloween!

This year, I also decided to dress up with the kids. I've never done that before, but this will also only their 3rd time trick-or-treating. So, of course, I had to be a fairy!

I had to work this morning (I do the babysitting at our local rec centre), so I wanted to be wearing something cozy AND be dressed up at the same time. I went with black and purple to match my wings. The head shot-self-portrait will have to do, since I don't have anyone to take a picture of myself. But I've since added swirly lines on both sides of my eyes ;)

Arianne wanted to be a witch this year. A pretty witch that is. That didn't surprise me ;)

And Ashton is a skeleton (pardon the crazy morning hair!)

They are both super excited for this evening! We are going to a friends house after I pick up Ashton from school. We'll be carving pumpkins with their kids, and trick-or-treating with them as well. The kids can't wait, and neither can I!

I'm sure those of you who know about my son's sensitivity to sugar and food coloring, you are wondering how we handle this holiday? What do we do with all the candy? Well, the kids get to keep the chips, and they trade all their candy for a small toy. It's that simple. It was surprisingly easy to convince them of doing that last year and they were still ok with it this year. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't even care if they didn't get a toy in return either. But even if they get a small toy, it beats the sugar rush and all the symptoms my poor little guy (and I), would have to endure for days or even weeks.

Well, that's all for now. We are leaving soon to go have our fun!

Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

Decadent chai scones anyone?

I know I've posted a pumpkin scone recipe before, but this is too good not to share. For a person who had never made scones 2 months ago, this is about my 5Th time now. I swear, I'm not addicted to scones... per say. But I sure can't get enough of those yummy flavours! In my defence, I have not eaten all of them. I don't even think I got to eat any from the batch I made last week actually. I brought them at my friends place, and the kids went through all of them, I don't think any of us grown ups got to have any. So if a bunch of kids (ages 3 to 6) devoured them, I think they pass the test, don't you? And those ones were without any icing. That says a lot.

I was planning on sharing the recipe with you today, but realized that I didn't have any pictures. So in the name of blogging, I sacrificed myself and made, yet again, another batch, this evening. (I know, life is painful, right? ;)

This time, I decided to make some chai icing to go on those chai scones. I don't usually use regular (or powdered) sugar in my kitchen, but I had some left over from I don't even know when, so why not. The kids were in bed by that point anyways, so they don't have to know, lol. I just made a small batch of icing and covered just a few of the scones for the pictures (and yes, I ate them :)

Don't they look good?

Are you dying to know how to make them yet? Ok, ok, I'll stop taunting you and I'll share the recipe now :)

Chai Scones

• 3 cups of whole wheat flour
• 5 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chai spice mix
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup milk substitute (I used rice, but soy or almond would work well)
• 2 bags chai tea
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small pot, warm the milk substitute over med-high heat. When just starts bubbling, remove from heat and steep the bags of chai tea for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the bags to get all the flavour out and discard the bags.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and chai spice mix. Add the margarine and cut into the flour mixture until it's in small pea size pieces. Then, all at once, add the chai-milk mixture, agave, applesauce and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

Put dough on lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. I first cut the dough in half, and then each half (rectangles) into 6 (they became small squares), then those in half to have small triangles, so I ended up with 24 pieces. But you could really cut them which ever way you want to. I just like the small size rectangles, as they are a nice size for the kids as well.

Bake in 350 degrees F, for 15-20 minutes.

They are delicious as is, but if you want an extra special treat, try them with the chai icing :)

Chai Icing:

1/2 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp chai spice mix

About 2 tsp milk substitute

First, put the icing sugar and chai spice mix in a bowl. Then add the vanilla and start with 1 tsp of milk. Stir slowly and add a bit of milk, as needed, until you have an almost runny icing, but still sticks to your fork without dripping right off.

When your scones are cooled off enough, just use a knife to spread the icing over the scones and let sit (if you can), until it sets.

Or devour right away.

Whatever works :)

Adapted from this recipe.

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Harry Potter birthday (Part 1)

While many parents are putting up Halloween decorations, carving pumpkins or helping their kids find their Halloween costumes, I, on the other hand, am busy planning a birthday party.

My son's birthday is only a few days after Halloween, so for me, this is when I'm starting to plan for a little boy's party. Well, my little boy is turning 6. He's not so little anymore. And now that he is in grade 1, he definitely knows what he wants. He made it very clear that he wanted an all boy party (no girls allowed!), and he wants a Harry Potter theme.

The all boy part did not surprise me, but Harry Potter? He had never even seen the movie. But I guess kids at school talk about it a lot and he had noticed Harry Potter Lego's at the store. So last weekend, I borrowed the first Harry Potter movie from the library (I had seen it so long ago, I could barely remember the movie). We watched it over the weekend (in the name of research and inspiration;) and the kids loved it so much, they spend the weekend playing wizards and casting spells on each other!

So a Harry Potter birthday it is. It's in a little over a week from now, so I had to get a wiggle on and make the invitations so Ashton can take them to his friends at school today. And this is what I came up with:

The pack of cards only cost me $1 from the dollar store, I used some antique looking scrapbook paper for the part on top and just hand drew (as you can tell) the glasses and hand written inside as well. I like how they turned out, and best of all, Ashton loves them!

And can I just say, thank goodness for Pinterest! I've gotten so many ideas for the party from there, it's a life saver!

Now that the cards are made, next on the list is a wand for each of the boys. But that will have to wait until late this evening, after a day of running errands, picking up Ashton from school, making supper, getting the kids ready for bed and taking a school test after they are asleep.

Somewhere after all this, hopefully I'll have time to make these wands.

Phew, this Mama's busy!

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Crazy for Chai

Lately, I've been completely crazy for fall flavours. Especially Chai. If you follow my blog, you may have noticed that Chai has been sprinkled in some posts here and there. Think of my birthday cake, the felt acorn pouches I made for my friends, or even the chai scones I whipped up last night (recipe to come this week).

Well my breakfasts have not been exempt of chai flavours either lately. I'm a smoothie-for-breakfast kind of girl. I don't take the time to sit down in the mornings, but I always make time for proper nutrition in the am. Sometimes it's green smoothies, sometimes it's other smoothies. Lately, it's been ALL chai smoothies. Like every weekday morning. I'm not exaggerating!

If your as nuts for Chai as I am, or want to try something new, this is for you!

I got the original recipe from here. But I didn't have all the spices to follow the exact recipe and I don't make my own nut milk because my blender is not strong enough. So if you like things simpler like me, here is how I made it :)

Chai smoothie

1 tsp Chai spice mix (recipe below)

2 frozen bananas

1 cup milk substitute (I used rice)

2-3 Tbsp hemp hearts

1 Tbsp almond butter

Blend until smooth. Can reserve a bit of the tsp of chai spices and sprinkle it on top of your smoothie :)

Chai spice mix:

1 Tbsp ground (dried) ginger

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cloves

2 1/2 Tbsp ground cardamom

2 tsp ground nutmeg

Put all ingredients in a resealable glass jar. Close lid and shake. Will keep for a very long time. You can also use this spice mix for so many things, sky is the limit!

I hope you enjoy!

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{this moment}

Fall indoor play

{this moment} - (inspired by Soule Mama) A Friday ritual. A single photo - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Pretend play: birthday play dough

My son and I have been sick since the weekend. He's got a double ear infection and I, tonsillitis. Thankfully he is getting better day by day, and I thought I was on the mend, but I woke up worse this morning.

So things have been quiet around here in the past few days. I have not even lifted the finger to craft once, that should tell you something.

While I'm busy nursing myself back to health and boosting our immunes, while keeping up with everyday life, I though I'd share something I did a few weeks ago with the kids.

Birthday play dough!

It's super simple.

Whip up your favourite play dough recipe in fun colours or take out some you already have on hand. Now go in your cupboards and dig out your birthday cake supplies, such as candles and decorations, and also some play dough supplies you might already have.

I also took out my silicone muffin moulds for the kids.

Sky is the limit!

A few colourful cupcakes were made by both.

A cake was made also, I think it was a collaboration of the two of them ;)

And lots of fun was had!

I love finding new ways to play with play dough (like when we did the space play dough activity). It's a great boredom buster, rainy day activity, or simply some "it will keep the kids busy while mama's making supper" activity.

Do you have a special activity you've done with play dough you'd like to share? I'd love to hear about it!

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Market update

As promised, I am letting you know how the market went last Friday... Well, lets say it was a learning experience.

My daughter had a great time though!

Sorry for the picture, it does not do the table justice, as I had a crochet rainbow banner hanging along the edge of it, and purple playsilk on the other end and way more items than what is shown. But this is the only picture I took.

I am glad I did it for the experience, and it gave me ideas of what I should add to my table as props to make for a nicer display, but lets be honest, it did not go so well.

Not many people stopped at my table. And I figured out why. It was the wrong place to be. You see, our farmers market is small, and most of the people who come to it for shopping mostly come to buy produce and baked goods it seems. I sold only one item, so at least it paid for the cost of the table, but I am not despairing!

I've been considering opening a shop on Etsy for a while now, I just have to figure out all of the shipping before I can do that though. So for now, I am going to set up an album on my Facebook page with what is for sale and the prices. I will do that throughout the week. I am also going to try to get a table at one of the various Christmas Craft fairs around here. They are much busier than our farmer's market ever is.

So that's the news for now.

If any of you have a shop on Etsy and have any pointers for me as far as figuring out prices for your items and shipping, or anything else you think might help me, I'd love to know. Your help/advice would be greatly appreciated! You can e-mail me at sunshine-mama (at) live (dot) ca or leave a comment here. Either way, I always read everything you write to me :)

Have a great week everyone!

What I've been up to...

Crafting! Is that shocking, really? I'm guessing not, lol. I've also been studying (my nutrition course), but mostly crafting. I have a table at the farmers market in my town tomorrow and it will be my first "exposition". I'm pretty excited, but I've also been a bit stressed. I think I didn't realize just how much work it would be to prepare for this. But it's been fun, of course.

Here is a little preview of one of my latest item for my craft table. A fall gnome with bedding and toadstool. I'm in love! So much so, that I had to make an extra one for our home :)

Embroidery detail also on the back, and I made the hat bendy :)

If you are wondering, I used the patterns from Wee Folk Art found here.

So that's the news for now. It's getting quite late here and I still have felt and craft supplies all over my kitchen table and need to pack my son's lunch for school tomorrow, but I promise to be back soon with an update on how my experience goes at the market.

Wish me luck!

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Fall comfort food: stuffed acorn squash (And roasted seeds!)

It was Thanksgiving here, and we spent the entire weekend at home, for the first time in a really long time, and it felt so good! I did everything from having some company, to catching up on house work, to having a lazy day in my pj's doing nothing but read and watch movies with the kids. One thing that I definitely was not lazy about, was using this time at home wisely and making some healthy foods so we can have quick meals and snacks throughout the weeks coming.

In a 2 day span, I made leek and potato soup, stuffed acorn squash, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls and raw caramel dip to eat with apples. I also wanted to make my carrot soup, but I had ran out of potatoes, so it will be made later.

So I thought I'd share some of this goodness with you (virtually of course). Here is the recipe for the stuffed acorn squash. It's not my creation though. My friend Ruthy made this for me last year and I've made it a few times since. She had the recipe from somewhere and changed a few things in the recipe. And then I put my own little spin on it to veganize it and made it gluten-free this time too.

I'm babbling again. Here is the recipe now ;)

Stuffed acorn squash

Cut 2 large acorn squash in half. (Large ones are the only I can ever find here. Adjust to 3-4 ones if you can find small ones). Remove the seeds (but don't throw them out! See **note** at the bottom)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Put some water in a baking dish, enough to cover the entire dish. Place the squash cut side down and bake 40-50 minutes, or until tender.

In the meantime prepare the stuffing.

2 large leeks, sliced length wise, then sliced thinly

1-2 apples (I used gala this time, but I've used so

ft fleshed before like McIntosh. Either way, it works just fine) chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

2 tsp dried sage

1/4 bread crumbs (I used gluten-free rice bread crumbs)

Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the leeks, apple, celery, sage and pecans in a pan with some olive oil on med-high heat, until the apples and celery are a tender and still a tad crunchy, and the leeks have cooked down. Set aside until the squash is ready.

Scoop the squash "meat" into a bowl, but be careful not to tear the skin, you'll need it! Add the leek-apple-celery-pecan stuffing to the squash, add the bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Scoop back into the acorn shells, top with mozzarella (I used Daiya) and broil to melt the cheese.

And voila! You have comfort food in an acorn squash shell!

I'd serve this with a salad, but honestly, my squash were so big, that my tummy is completely full with just one of these halves. And the great thing about these, is that you can put your left overs in the fridge and reheat it through the week as needed.

***Note***

Remember those seeds you just saved? Make some roasted seeds with them. You'll be surprised how delicious they are. I like them better than pumpkin seeds actually!

Roasted acorn squash seeds

Rinse the seeds to remove any flesh, dry them on a towel. You'll have about 1 cup of seeds. Add them to a bowl, with 1 Tbsp olive oil and about 1/2 tsp salt. Roast them in the oven at 275F until they are crisp all the way through and brown lightly. I'd say about 15 minutes or so, but I forgot mine in the soaking bowl, so they were so wet, they needed much longer to cook. Just keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn. And voila! Roasted acorn squash seeds! Who knew?

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!