he and i


While the littlest of us was sleeping this afternoon, Phillip and I played a game of Battleship. That is the face of a boy deep in thought. We have some difficult days, P and I. He knows exactly which buttons to push and I am not always the calm, lighthearted, easygoing Mama I would like to be. After sleeping for almost 12 hours last night, though, he was in the most pleasant mood for most of the day, and we had a great time together. (Which was especially nice because it was a dark, rainy day.) Some days it's hard to believe that he was that sweet, squishy little baby.

Hope you have a lovely week!

beauty

Adam found this abandoned nest in the yard the other day, and Thomas was thrilled to bring it inside. He plopped it right in this beautiful bowl (which I found last year at Handworks in Saint John, incidentally) and I've been marvelling at it since. Throughout the year as we humans go about our daily lives, nature is working away, for the most part unobserved. A current humming in the air, soil, and water, surrounding us with layers of life and beauty. Earthworms working away in the soil, birds building nests, trees leafing out, spiders hatching and building webs, flowers blossoming and fading to seeds - the magnitude of it all is incomprehensible, really.

Adam and I went out to the camp for a fire a few nights ago, and I was delighted to stumble across some other beautiful things on our walk, too.


This beauty (do you see the sassy lady with the beehive, awesome flared collar, and hands on her hips?) was in the (since mown) field with several others. I had never seen one like this before - apparently it's an argiope. There are so many things for me to learn!

 There's a hollow heart stump by the camp (with an old rag in it that I need to remove).

 The only way to improve on an already-great beard.


And I'm just tucking this one in for good measure - this was the sunrise on Sunday morning when I was out for a little run. It was absolutely worth stopping for!



spicy oven-roasted chickpeas


I know it's hotter in some places than it is here, so you may not be too keen on turning the oven on, but when it's finally cool enough, these are a perfect snack to make. They're great for packing along on a trip to the beach, and all of the kids I tested them on loved them. You can add 1/2 tsp cayenne if you like them hot! (The original recipe is here.)

Spicy Oven-roasted Chickpeas

2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (spin them dry in a salad spinner if you're really keen)
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss chickpeas, oil, and other ingredients in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes, stir well, and roast for another 10-20 minutes, until crisp. (I know that's a big variation, but ovens seem to vary significantly and the size and dryness of the chickpeas will make a difference, too.) Store in an airtight container, and enjoy!