* Sunshine Soup *

November is one of those months that evokes the need for some soul food. 

Soup is one of my comfort soul foods ~ especially on a cold dreary day like today.

Here's a simple sunshine soup recipe to warm the spirit ~ a rich velvet goodness! 

This photo taken today in my back yard ~ believe it or not this is a color photo!

This sunshine soup is inspired by and dedicated to my father that passed away in November thirteen years ago. I thought of him as I prepared the butternut squash from our garden and created this soup. As a child I remember him loving butternut squash ~ saying it soaked up the suns rays all summer and held them inside... so that when we ate it later in the year we would be eating sunshine. I'll never forget that. This soup's for you Dad...

Country Don
A painting of my father done by my talented sister.

Sunshine Soup

 Roses too, always remind me of him ~ many, many years ago when I was twelve, he bet me a dozen roses I would marry my buddy Schroeder. I giggled at his prediction and thought he was so silly ~ turns out he was right. Two years after he died I did marry that boy. He knew and I know smiles down with an "I told you so"!

***

To make this soup you will need

1 butternut squash

2 small sweet potatoes or 1 large (I love the organic ones they simply glow with color!)

1 can of coconut milk ( I love the "Thai kitchen" organic ~ so rich and creamy)

3 or 4 cups chicken broth (veggie broth would work great too)

a nugget of fresh ginger

a splash of maple syrup

salt to taste

To begin roast your butternut squash (cut in half and seeds taken out) and sweet potatoes (whole and pricked with a fork) at 350 for about an hour (basically until soft).

Peel your nugget of ginger and grate it into a blender or food processor.

Peel skins off your cooked (and hopefully somewhat cooled) squash and sweet potatoes and add in with your ginger.

Blend in batches with coconut milk and enough broth until you have a smooth blend. 

Place it all together in a pot.

 Add the rest of your stock, a swirl or two of maple syrup, salt to taste and if you choose ~ add hit of cayenne as the finale (or just to your own bowl if you are serving up wee ones)

Sit down with someone you love and enjoy the "sunshine"!

I love soup and am always on the look out for new recipes to feed my clan.
If you have one you are willing to share ~  please link to it in the comment box. I look forward to the many simmering pots full of nourishing goodness 

inspired by YOU!

Turns out the soup was a BIG HIT with my girls ~ which is always a victory in my home!

In honor of a man that shared so much sunshine.

 gratitude

~ Shanti ~ 

Fall Foliage Frames!

Today was one of those days I decided to ignore the continual mess and sneak out for some good ol' sister time! 

Nothing like a cuppa coffee, a sister to sister chat and some crafting to feed the soul!

My sister Becky with her youngest Nadia asleep on her lap while she knits.

During my crafty escape I decided to create these frames to hold our annual fall family photo.

So simple!

To make these you will need 

a frame

mod podge

paint brush

pressed leaves

To begin 

Design the lay out for your leaves on the frame.

Slather the mod podge on each leaf ~ front and back ~ starting with the bottom leaves and working your way up until all leaves are on.

It is going to look awfully messy.... patience is key...

After it fully dries you get lovely leaves with shine and durability.

I was amazed how the mod podge brought the leaves to life ~ such an easy way to preserve the fabulous fall foliage!

Add in you fall photo...

Our clan five years ago

and display!

Hope you enjoy!

Much love

~ Shanti ~

Acorn Birch Bark Napkin Rings

Meal time as a family is one of my favorite times of day. Growing up I loved when our big clan (10 of us) would gather for nourishment, laughter, banter and connecting after our busy days. Now with my own kids, I value the importance of making meal time together a priority. Luna loves the ritual of setting a beautiful table and on special occasions getting out the placemats and napkin rings to adorn the table. 

Here are some nature inspired napkin rings you can create for your autumn table.

To make these you will need

acorns 

birch bark

napkin rings 

glue gun

Cut your birch in strips (measured carefully)  to cover each napkin ring. Glue on. Add you acorn embellishment.

Delightfully simple! 

Thinking these these would be great on a thanksgiving table...

or as a gift!

A easy addition to these napkin rings is to embroider a napkins to go with  them.  Embroidered napkins are a fun way for kids to personalize their own mealtime napkin or to give as a gift.

Solana did this one for her Grandpa David

Luna did this one for her Grandma Posie. 

They were so proud to give them to them.

These acorn napkin rings were part of a wedding gift for some dear friends. Here is a photo I wanted to share of this beautiful bride on her wedding day. Look at that fabulous rock and roll wedding dress!!  Love it!

Happy Autumn days to you all

~ Shanti ~ 

Acorn Jewelery

I was looking at my collection of acorns recently and thinking hmm... I would love to make some acorn jewelery. Crafting with them is one thing but I needed to find a way to wear these lovelies!

To make these you will need

acorn tops

stringing wire

jewelery pliers (the 3 in 1)

beads

a clasp

headpins 

dangle earring findings  (all of these basic jewelery making supplies can be found here (or many other places) and are easy to work with)

and a love for acorns ; ) 

To make the earrings...

Take a fairly large needle and push a hole through your acorn top. Be gentle, as to not split your top.  ( I realized after I took the photo how silly it looks to have the needle poking into my finger ~ obviously this is not the best way to poke the needle through ; ) 

Next slide your bead of choice onto the headpin, then the acorn top.

Using your pliers, cut the top of the wire sticking out to the size you want your loop to be and then bend your loop (sliding in the earring in before you close the loop).

There you go!  Now you can put on a pair these fae inspired earrings and imagine you are one of them...

Once the earrings were done I needed a necklace to match...(a matching set ~ how could I resist?!)

To make the necklace it is pretty straight forward. Just add on your favorite beads, close up the loose ends with the clasp and voila!

I am inspired to think of all the ways you could change this creation up... oh the colors you could use...

In the spirit of acorns

Love & Light 

~ Shanti ~

A Very Scary Window Treatment

 Halloween is quickly approaching, and my daughter keeps reminding me that we simply MUST decorate.  Let me tell you though, in our 6 years in this house we have yet to get ONE trick or treater.  In desperation to hand out "something" to "someone", I make up treat bags and get Ruby to walk them over to our neighbours!  We do have a couple of kids in our immediate neighbourhood, (like 3), but they tend to go to bigger and better places, (ie, the next town over) to get their trick or treat on! 

Trick or treaters or not though, the Toadstill WILL be decorated for Halloween!  Here is my favourite Halloween decorating trick...the Jack O Lantern window!

I came across this fabulous idea last Halloween, and of course, in the vast expanse of the internet I don't know where...please let me know if I stole it from you!

To make a spooky window of your own you will need

Black bristol board...large sheets...you tell me how many you need...I don't know how big your windows are!

Tissue paper...think Halloween colours...red, orange

copious amounts of tape

scissors

one spooky imagination!

So...measure your window...in my case we use a picture window facing the street...then tape your bristol board together as need be, (or cut down).  I need four sheets to do my big window. 

Then draw on a scary face...use a white crayon to do this

cut it all out

hang it up, (this is where the copious amounts of tape come into play)! 

enjoy the spooky shadows cast on the walls of your house!

and line the empty space with tissue paper, using tape to tape it on the back of your bristol board.

*please excuse this blurry picture...it was pouring rain outside when I took it!

Now, when it gets dark, get a light to shine behind it and go outside and admire your handiwork, (oh...take the kids out with you)!    I had to laugh when I saw how horrendously evil our window looks...positively spooky!  You don't have to make yours quite so evil looking...a happy pumpkin face would be nice too!

Isn't it marvelous???!!!!

So there you go!  One decoration down...many more to go!

xo maureen

Majikal Milkweed Adventures & Creatures!

"Dainty milkweed babies, wrapped in cradles green,
Rocked by Mother Nature, fed by hands unseen.
Brown coats have the darlings, slips of milky white,
And wings - but that’s a secret, - they’re folded out of sight.
The cradles grow so narrow, what will the babies do?
They’ll only grow the faster, and look up toward the blue.
And now they’ve found the secret, they’re flying through the air,
They’ve left the cradles empty, - do milkweed babies care?"

Author unknown

 

A gorgeous fall day beckoned us out to play. Along the way we spotted a field of milkweed.. the pods bursting...the fluff floating and decided this place was the spot!

We collected our stash for crafting for the winter. We caught the "fairy seeds" to make our wishes ~  then set them free. We snuggled in the tall grasses... sunshine on our faces... watching the clouds of silky milkweed fluff go by...

When we returned home we set out creating some milkweed pod inspired creatures.

Here is what transpired...

Our owl

Made from pine cones (body and head), acorn tops (eyes), birch bark ~ (cut for beak and ears) pine cone scales (for the feet) and of course milk pod wings.  He's my favorite...not sure why...but he makes me smile!

 Our Bat ~ 
Made from spruce cone (body), green lentils (eyes), pine cone scales (ears) and milk pod wings.
*(soon to made in multiples for a halloween bat mobile!)*

and of course the wee mouse...(eek).
Made from apple seeds (eyes), pine needles (whiskers), pine cone scales and this much too realistic pod!

I actually have a ridiculous fear of mice. I hoped by making these, it would help me get over this silly phobia. No chance. I still get creeped out seeing one of these pod mice out of the corner of my eye. Ah well, perhaps someday I'll get over this nonsense ; )!

 Also there are these sweet acorn babies in a milkweed pod my fab fellow blogger Maureen makes  ~ love them.

The magic of milkweed...where there is milkweed...there are fairies.

"I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."  ~e.e. cummings

In the spirit of floating fairies on the wind

~ Shanti ~

p.s. I must share ~ after I collected these milkweed, they lay in my trunk for much too long...then the fluff attached itself to all the thanksgiving items that left my trunk and flew off into the yards of my loved ones... Long live the fairies!!!

gratitude mobile!

If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.

 ~Gerald Good

This upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada.  To me, Thanksgiving is a time when we stop and literally "give thanks".  The garden has been abundant...the pantry is full...the children are healthy...we are surrounded by nature, clean air and water...the list goes on and on!  There is SO much to be thankful for!

I'm sure you can relate as mothers, to wanting to pass on the notion of gratitude to your children.  Here's a beautiful craft that will allow the whole family to express their thankfulness.

You will need:

watercolour paper

paints in autumn colours

string

glue stick

embroidery hoop

First we painted our paper, on one side with bright autumny colours...reds, yellows, oranges! 

Then using a leaf template we cut out many many leaf shapes.  Maples, Oaks, Birch!

Put two pieces of paper back to back and cut out your shapes.

Give each family member a number of leaves...Now...get each family member to write something on the leaf that they're grateful for.

Now get some lengths of string...use a variety of lengths.  Sandwich the thread in between the leaves by glueing the leaves together, (you can faintly see the string sticking out of the top of that leaf)

Tie them around your embroidery hoop.

And finally tie some string at the top so you can hang the whole thing!

Now you have no excuse for not feeling gratitude!  The thing I love most about this mobile is that it just seems to always be moving...it reminds me of the leaves dancing from the trees!  

Happy Thanksgiving Canadian friends! 

And to all of our readers we are truly THANKFUL for YOU!!!!

Since it's a holiday weekend, we're taking a break here at Twig and Toadstool...we'll be back early next week with more crafty goodness and every day life musings!

until then...

xo maureen