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Heaven on Earth

I believe in Heaven on Earth. Or rather that Earth is our Heaven. If we so choose to create it to be that way. I believe we have the ability to build cities, communities, neighbourhoods and businesses that nourish and enrich our lives. I believe economic and financial wealth are constructs that have enslaved us. That we have literally become the slaves of corporations, organizations and systems that seek only to ensure their survival, not…

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Favorite Essential Oil Blends

I have been using essential oils in my home as a natural way to keep me and my family healthy and balanced since long before it was trendy. Before the days of DoTerra and Young Living there was a gorgeous store in my home town called Sage which sold essential oils, diffusers and a few select blends. That was decades ago. Fast forward to today and the internet is filled with recipes, remedies and recommendations…

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Random Break the Mould Thoughts

If you could live as though money were no object how would you live? In a home, not too big, with a wood stove and a well. Large yards permaculture landscaped.I would stay home with my children and teach them about the world. Do crafts, projects, dioramas, read stories and other activities to facilitate learning.We would cook together and learn about food preparation. In the warm months we would spend our days in the garden…

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Urban Homestead

One of the many problems with living alone is that you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of. You can do whatever you want in an instant and the only flack you’ll get is from you. This can be good or it can be bad. Like when you decide to have 15 yards of gravel delivered maybe a second opinion is a good idea. Maybe 10 would be lots. And those life choices that…

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Best Idea Ever

My kids are getting older and while they aren’t exactly staying out all hours of the night or anything they can do a lot of things for themselves. One of the things my son in particular likes to do is play music. He frequently pops in a ‘Little People’ CD and cranks it. Which after one too many renditions of ‘Wheels on the Bus’ got me to thinking he needed some new material. Enter the…

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Saving Seeds.

Around this time of year many communities now celebrate Seedy Saturday a local exchange of seeds collected by backyard gardeners and small scale farmers. Only a few short years ago I remember Seed Saturday being a tiny gathering that likely meant a long day cooped up in some tiny community hall (the packing house in my hometown) with grandmothers who gardened to save on the grocery bill before it was the ‘in’ thing to do.…

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Daylight Savings

Tonight we all lose an hour of sleep, the groundhog saw his shadow and I got a notice in my mailbox yesterday that said it was time to clean up my yard all of which point to one very exciting fact: spring is in the air. And as I go through my notebook and review the list of goals I sought to accomplish I am pleased to be able to put a great big checkmark…

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Dear Crayola…

Please stop making gimmicky felts that my children lose interest in almost immediately. It’s wasteful and makes me sad. Stick to what you are good at and cardboard containers only please. Thanks. These include the felts that are ‘invisible’ except when you draw on special paper, the felts that you ‘twist’ up to color with instead of putting a cap on, the felts that you press to another felt inside that makes it a different…

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Very Large and even bigger Thanks!

Man it is so nice when people send their gratitude. It has got to be one of my most favorite things. Giving and receiving! Krystal we cooked and slept and hung with cats we laughed and rummaged and admired our cool hats your parents and to you, thank you for the reprieve many nuggets of a blossoming friendship in which I do believe kelowna or kamloops or vancouver or wherever in a dream we must…

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I bought a house!

Whew. After almost 4 years of searching and being indecisive I finally got off the pot and did it. I committed. I tied myself down. I moved all my stuff out of storage and into my very own home. The plan is to not move again until my kids are out of elementary school at least. With a move there are always projects. The things you want to do to make better, make it livable…

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ReThink, ReAction

I belong to a mailing list. Well several of them actually, don’t we all. And recently this email showed up in my inbox. I thought it was an excellent email, well formed (concise) and well put. I wanted to share it with you because it shows that some who are working for change truly do care about the bigger picture while others tend towards fanaticism and drama.

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A Day at the Fair

While it may seem slightly contradictory to pretty much everything I believe in and stand for my kids and I went to the fair when it was in town this weekend. Like all good adventures we didn’t plan on it it just sort of happened. We were looking for something to do on a Sunday after 4-H, our hike plans bailed and we were feeling kind of lazy one of the 4-Hers mentioned that she…

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