Posted on April 3, 2020
DAY 7: TASTY THURSDAY
Hi Friends,
I find cooking and filling my home with happy aromas is very therapeutic, especially now when I’m in quarantine. I was asked for my yummy banana bread recipe. I have several tried and tested banana bread recipes, depending on who I am baking for. I’ve done the gluten free bread, sugar free bread, regular bread with a full cup of white sugar, but since sugar is a dirty word these days, I am sharing a very delicious recipe today that does not use any white sugar, and as Martha would say — it’s a good thing!
YUMMY AND HEALTHY BANANA BREAD
3 ripe medium bananas mashed (the riper the better)
1/3 cup melted coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. baking soda (not baking powder!)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
Optional add-ins: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
Method:
In a large bowl beat the oil and honey together with a whisk, add eggs and beat well. Add in milk and mashed bananas. Add the baking soda, salt, vanilla, cinnamon and whisk to blend. With a larger spoon, stir in the flour, just until it is all combined. At this point, I add in the chopped walnuts. I personally prefer them to chocolate chips, which I find too sweet. I also like the crunch of the nuts!
Sometimes I like to use an extra banana and slice it on the top of the banana bread mix. When the banana bread is baked it looks very professional! Another time I might just add a few chopped walnuts and place them on top of the mix before putting it into the oven. Again, it looks delicious and delivers extra crunch!
Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees celsius). Bake for 55 – 60 minutes until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire tray. Enjoy!
Updated on April 2, 2020
DAY 6: WEDNESDAY WORDS
Hi friends,
It’s Wednesday, Day 6 of quarantine, and it’s all about the words today! Wednesday is ruled by the planet Mercury (Mercredi in French). It rules Communications of every kind, so I thought I would share some of my favourite quotes, prayers, and bedside books. Hope they get your day off to a great start and fill your hearts with peace and love. For me personally – and I can only speak for myself, I have found my Faith to be the rock I cling to, especially in these unsure, fearful times. God plants seeds of Peace in the garden of my heart. I know he will do the same for you. Let’s share the LOVE today!
“Choose faith in the face of fear.”
~Dominique Sachse
“Hope and Fear cannot reside in the same space. You can only invite one
~Maya Angelou
“Being a person of hope means waiting without being afraid of the dark, the silence, the emptiness. It is in the emptiness, the darkness and the nothingness that hope is brought forth.”
~Sr. Stan
Centering Prayer:
O God, I adore you at the centre of my being. Please draw me inwardly by the greatness of your love, so that I may taste your peace which surpasses all understanding and that little by little, I may come to understand what it means to be lived in by God. Please heal the wounds of my lifetime, body, soul, and spirit as I lovingly wait for your presence and action within me.
Amen
Morning Prayer:
O Lord of the Universe, O divine spirit of creation, O Jesus, Lord and holy pattern of my life, forever and ever I bow to you.
Amen
I love having an assortment of easy read comfort books like the above in my bedside drawer. They are true comfort food for the soul and help me drift off into a nice deep and easy sleep.
Hugs,
Patricia xx
Updated on April 1, 2020
DAY 5: TIDY-UP TUESDAY!
Hi friends!
Did you know Tuesday is ruled by the planet Mars? (the French word for Tuesday is MARdi) Yes! It’s always a high energy day for me, so I decided to strike while the iron was hot and tackle all those pesky little pot holes of junk around my house. The ones I had been putting off for months and years!! No excuse now! I’m grounded! Ha Ha Ha and still managing to stay reasonably sane.
I accomplished so much today that for a moment it felt like a normal day again! Nothing has felt ‘normal’ for weeks now, so the secret my friends is to Work, Work, Work!! Keep yourself busy. It just goes to show if your mind is not fully occupied, it can be pretty destructive! Hence the importance of jigsaws, colouring books, reading material, writing, crosswords, patchwork quilting, word searches — you name it! Anything to keep your mind occupied! Unless you are a Zen-like highly evolved Goddess, which I am not!!
All that pent-up energy got released as the sluice gates of my life re-opened for business. Floors all over the house got washed, dust disappeared, rugs were vaccumed, sinks were cleaned, shirts got ironed, prayers got prayed, food got cooked, my medicine drawer got sorted out. I had to discard years of expired products. Embarrassing how old some of them were!! What was I doing these past few years? Does it take a disaster like Covid 19 to make me clean out my medicine drawer? Apparently yes.
By day’s end I was both exhausted and exhilirated. I had earned my lavender epsom salts bath and sank into it with gusto. Nothing like a hard day’s work to end the evening on a high! If you’re currently suffering from a bout of cabin fever, now you know what to do lol! Get that mop out and dance around the floor with it!
Hugs Galore from my home to yours!
Patricia xx
Posted on March 30, 2020
DAY 4 — MONDAY MUSINGS: IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS.
Hi Friends,
In these daunting days, I hope you’re fighting the good fight and doing everything in your power to keep your sanity! Short of climbing the roof, and swinging down the banisters a hundred times a day! It’s vital you do, because stress and gloomy thoughts can hack the immune system and wear your engine down. If social isolation is supposed to help the world, then we must ensure the cure isn’t worse than the disease. Perspective is what we need, not paranoia. And of course the knowledge that this too will pass… Amen to that!!
In quarantine, my life is currently devoid of humanoids, so the back garden is the place to hang out. There’s a lot of weeding to be done, and a dog to be let loose. Besides, how can you be gloomy when surrounded by such beauty? Colourful Spring flowers smiling at me from every direction. Cheery daffodils, colourful tulips, crocus, and yes! a pink hyacinth, the exact same as my happy hyacinth in Ennis, Ireland. What joy! The realization that some things never change is soothing to the soul. Nature and animals are oblivious to what is going on in our world. Hanging out with them is a recipe for Hope.
This is my 4th day in Quarantine — 10 more to go, and then it will be Easter!! Don’t know about you, but I think this March has been the longest month in history and I can’t wait to see the back of it, and for our world to return to normal. Again, stay connected!! We don’t want this social isolation thing to become the new norm. Imagine how absolutely miserable our World would be! No hugs, no coffee dates with friends, no shops, no restaurants — NO LIFE!! Hell to the ENOOOO!! Fight for the right to stay Human!!
Quarantine certainly does make you appreciate all the little things you once took for granted. You have more time on your hands and less on your feet and thoughts become things. Maya Angelou once said “Fear and Hope cannot occupy the same space. You can only invite one in”. I know which one I would invite. Hope. Without it, we are lost!
Several things which gave me hope today!
My Spring garden and puppy love, Coco.
Knowing that nothing stays the same. This too shall pass…
The fact God is Good and shall take care of everything.
The belief that people are incredibly resilient.
The understanding that Time heals all things!
Hugs Galore from my home to yours!
Patricia xx
Posted on March 30, 2020
DAY 3: SOCIABLE SUNDAY
Hi Guys,
I awoke this morning to a glorious sunny Sunday. It seems our magnolia tree has blossomed overnight. Blues skies, pink magnolia, yellow house. All the colour I needed to help me rise and shine! And Coco licking my face to wake up and “Feed me Momma!” Life goes on but it’s Sunday, and I will miss my Sunday ritual with Kevin of Mass at 11.00 a.m. at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, followed by a stroll around town and brunch at Murchie’s Cafe or Bean Around the World in Chinatown, our two favourite places to Sunday brunch. My feet are itching to get walking again!
The day decided early on the way it wanted to progress so I just went with the flow. Phone calls to friends took up a lot of happy time. It was great connecting with my pals in Calgary and Victoria and hearing how they were coping with the social isolation, etc. Phone calls with friends and FaceTime with our children is making this whole Quarantine thing doable! I may not end up a mad cow after all!
Another sweet surprise was listening to a virtual concert on Facebook and hearing my brother-in-law Robert, and nephew, William serenade us with us with beautiful music. I just loved their rendition of my favourite song ‘It’s a long long way from Clare to here’. Their dog barking in the background really appealed to Coco too and her ears cocked up every time she heard a bark. Sweet! I also enjoyed listening to Oprah’s Soul Sunday on Youtube. Today, she was interviewing one of my favourite singers, Alicia Keys. What an inspiring duo and a very uplifting interview. I would recommend it if you are looking for some food for the soul!
As another peaceful sunny day came to a conclusion, I thanked God for everything and all the joys, both large and small, that came my way! Deo Gratias!
Hugs from my home to yours!
Patricia xx
