New Beginnings

I celebrated my birthday last week and it's had me thinking of beginnings. This past year had many. We bought our first house and way down the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, blissfully far from the city. In this past year, we've learned to brew our own wine, we've begun raising chickens, and I've adjusted to the switch from full time health care worker with a stay at home Dad for a husband, to the other way around. This has afforded me the time to work on my art second to full time (the full time job being mothering three very busy children) and to open a shop on Etsy. I thought that maybe one of my new beginnings this year could be sharing what this transition to working with children, church, community, chickens and reams of wool and silk from previously working full time in a large facility in Halifax has been like.

Back to the birthday: I once again had the delight of making my own cake. Honestly - I love being responsible for my own cake because I am insanely picky about them. I made a walnut torte from the amazing cookbook Nourishing Traditions. I don't ascribe to eating this way as a lifestyle (I definitely eat a lot lower on the food chain on a daily basis for one), but there are lots of delicious real food recipes in this one. I had to separate six eggs to make this cake (it was rather more of a meringue), and I looked into the bowl that I had separated the yolks into. They made a beautiful, sunny flower and i just had to take a picture.

The weather was cold but kind of wonderful in that wintry way that keeps the children busy. I took some pictures of them sledding with our dog, and our chickens, who decided to brave the snow.

I ended the day sharing a glass of home-made wine with my husband, and finishing this fuzzy little bunny that i put up on my Etsy site. Altogether, a really great beginning of a new year.