Wow… so much to think about… history, art, fashion…

• Beading has a long history (40,000 years).
• Egyptians are often credited with creating the first glass beads
• Most contemporary high-quality seed beeds are made in Japan or the Czech Republic. Here you can read more interesting facts like: “The recipe for a true black glass was lost during World War I, and modern black glass held to sunlight is a deep purple.”
• I also found a collection of images of ancient creations and a dedicated bead site where you can find, for example, that Manhattan island was not sold for beads after all.
• There are lots of beads museums around the world like:
  • African Bead Museum
  • Picard Trade Bead Museum
  • The Bead Museum AZ
  • Bead Museum Washington DC
• Beads were used as money in lots of cultures and between cultures.
• Beads are made from all kinds of materials from glass, plastic, rock and metal to organic sources like seeds, wood and shells.

And here is a collection of my own creations. Enjoy!

The thing to keep in mind is that you have to be willing to experiment a bit to get the perfect combination for your ingredients and taste.

Happy baking

Things you will need for 2 loaves or one bread loaf and 6 small bread muffins:

• 1 organic egg
• 2 tbsp organic butter (or 2 tbsp olive oil)
• 525 ml warm organic milk
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (or organic sugar – don’t use honey since it turns toxic when heated above 40 degrees C)
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1/2 cup ground chia seeds ( the new “supergrain” that contains even more omega-3 fatty acids than flax seeds; can help with the weight management)
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 2 tsp yeast
• optional (2 tbsp flax seeds, 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds)

Note 1: If you would prefer not to use white flour, it can be replaced with the same quantity of whole wheat flour, ground chia seeds or quinoa flour). Expect to get a denser bread, but richer and tastier.
Note 2: You can play a bit with the maple syrup and salt quantities to find out your perfect combination for the dough rise (salt kills yeast while the sweet ingredient feeds it).

I use the bread machine only to make the dough and then I bake the bread and/or muffins in the oven. I put the ingredients in this order:

1. the egg
2. warm milk
3. butter
4. salt
5. maple syrup
6. flour
7. chia seeds
8. yeast

At the machine signal, I add more flax seeds, sunflower seeds and sometimes pumpkin seeds.
Also, at this time, you might want to add a bit of more flour (if the dough seems too soft or a bit more milk).
When the dough is ready, grease two loaf pans and put the dough in them. Cover and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.

You might want to make bread or/and muffins. Usually I make a loaf of bread and a dozen of bread muffins. The kids enjoy them very much.

Set up the oven at 280 F (~140 C). Don’t preheat the oven, just put the loaf pans in right away. When the temperature reaches 280 F (~140 F), let the bread stand in the oven for 1 hour and the muffins for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note: If you wand a tasty vegetarian recipe just replace the meat with only rice and crank up the spices

What you will need:

1. 1/2 kg ground beef/pork/chicken.
2. 4 onions medium size
3. 150 ml olive oil
4. 200 grams white or brown rice
5. 1 bunch of parsley or dill – you can use both.
6. 1 small can of tomato paste (156ml)
7. 1 tsp salt
8. 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
9. 2 jars of grape leaves in brine. I use Krinos (500 ml each) and you can find them in Canada in stores like Food Basics/Nicastros/European Delicatessen. I am sure you can find them in any plac in the world where a Eastern European community is established (hint – look for the Greeks )
10. 2 tomatoes
11. Slow cooker or oven

The steps:

1. Take the grape leaves out of the jar, rinse them in cold water and keep them for a few minutes immersed in water to wash the salt out.
2. Keep a part of the leaves for the bottom of the pan and for covering the stufed leaves during cooking.
3. Wash the rice.
4. Chop the onions and sauté them in the 150 ml olive oil for 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste and mix them well together. Leave the pan on the oven for two more minutes and then take it off.
6. Chop the parsley and/or dill.
7. Use a big pan and combine the onion mixture, parsley/dill with the ground meat, rice, salt, pepper and mix them well together. This is the stuffing you will use for the rolls.



8. Lay the grape leaves on a plate and cut each leaf in two. You can use the whole leaf in case you would like to make bigger rolls.
9. Now it is time to show your dexterity by making really small and cute rolls….the smallest they are, the cutter and easier to impress the guests. You will need 10 thin fingers, but in case you don’t have them, just use regular size ones
10. Take a good leaf (without holes in it), lay it in your palm and place approximately one or 2 teaspoons of the stuffing mixture, with a teaspoon, on the leaf (the amount of stuffing depends on the size of the leave).



11. Compact the mix in the leaf and roll it like a cigar. Close it at the ends by pressing the leaf ends inside with your fingers.





12. Repeat with the remaining grape leaves and filling.



13. If you like combine multiple types of leaves like horseradish and cabbage



14. Line the bottom of the slow cooker’s pan with the half of reserved leaves. Over them place layers of stuffed grapevine leaves.



15. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces in put it over the last layer for enriched taste and color. The last layer is the other half of the reserved leaves.



16. Use the slow cooker at slow temperature for about 7 hours.

They last about a week in the refrigerator. Enjoy them served warm with a bit of sour cream and maybe polenta and with beer or red wine.

There are a few ways to get rid of the baby stuff and also recuperate some of the money that you have invested in that and, of course, use them on other kids’ toys, clothes or furniture

1. Sell it online
2. Sell it through consignments stores
3. Have a garage sale

Some of the consignment stores have lots of rules for accepting stuff and organizing a garage sale takes much more preparation and, anyways, people expect to buy items really cheap at a garage sale. This is why I really prefer the first option (Sell it online) for the bigger items. For clothes, selling them through a consignment store, it seems like a better idea.

If the baby stuff is still in an excellent condition, and you know that it is not hard to keep it like that given the fact they have too much and they grow up too fast, it is wise to sell it through the online websites.

1. Make sure that the items you are planning to sell are all cleaned up and fix what it needs to be fixed. Even if the item is in the best condition, if it is not cleaned, it is not going to make a buyer eager to have it.
2. Take a picture of the item you are planning to post on the site, but make sure that there is enough light on and around the object and also make sure that there is not a big mess around the item. For sure you would not want to buy an used baby chair for instance, if you see a picture of it after the baby has finished eating and made lots of mess on the chair’s tray.
3. Go to the online used stuff selling site in your city (usually www.usedyourcity.com or yourcity.kijiji.ca where “yourcity” is of course the name of your city) If you don’t know the address, you can search for it using google.com or ask people around.



4. Place the ad on the site by creating a short description of the item (specify the item condition, how many babies have used the item and maybe the amount you paid when new). Also, make sure that you load 2 or 3 good pictures of the item. The pictures are really important in getting people interested and willing to pay the price
5. Give only the email address, in case that you don’t want to be called on the phone during the dinner time. But make sure you check the messages often – people interested in buying move on to the next offer fast

Good luck!

During my both trips to Cuba, this year and last year, I was happy that I had all these items with me. If you are planning on going there, keep this list handy, as you might want to make sure that your vacation would go exactly as you planned and want to.

1. Beach clothes/shoes/sunglasses/Sun hats. In addition to the bathing suits (you must have a few of them), take with you UV protection t-shirts and pants. Most of them come with a 50 UV SPF and it is really great to have them with you, if you plan to spend lots of time on the beach or at the pool. Of course, you could make sure that you use the sunscreen often, but most of the time it is so easy to forget to reapply it after a period of time and then…ouchh…the burnt skin really hurts and they really know how to make you feel miserable when they are miserable:). Also, you might want to bring shoes water.



2. Thermos for water and soft drinks. While on the beach, you don’t really want to do lots of walking to get cold water and/or soft drinks for kids. The thermos I got for kids is Thermos Foogo 12 oz Straw Bottle (BPA free) it keep the drinks fresh and cold up to 12 hours. I find them absolutely wonderful! You might want to invest in a good thermos for your own drinks.
3. Sunscreen/after sun lotion. The sunscreen that comes as a spray works best and gets absorbed very easily. I like the Coppertone Sunscreen Spray for Kids, SPF 50 and I got them at a good price in COSTCO.



4. Chewing gum for airplane during the landing (of course if the children are at the age when they are allowed to chew gum, if not, a pacifier would work as well). This will avoid the ear pain caused by the difference in the air pressure.
5. Water toys, sand toys and inflatable pool floats for water. My kids had lots of fun in the pool playing with the plastic rings and the water mattress.
6. Kids Beach towel, the one that comes with a hood and looks like a poncho. They are very handy when you want to make sure that the little angels would keep them on while you run from the pool to a place with air conditioning
7. First aid kit and make sure that you take with you Fever/Pain medicine, Calendula cream or tree oil for cuts, mullein oil for ears in case that a new infection starts while on vacation. You might want to consider a homeopathic first aid kit (Arnica Montana, Belladonna, etc)



8. Mosquito repellent. Cuba can have lots of mosquitoes, especially after dark and it gets darks around 7:30 PM and then the night fun begins and the kids won’t want to miss it. This time I had with me patches (No Buzz Zone insect repellent patch) that stick on the t-shirts and /or pants and it will keep you free of bites for at least 8 hours.
9. Toys, crayons, books for the airplane. My son (6) took his Nintendo DS on the plane and he was very happy that he was allowed to play for longer time than usually. My daughter (4) had princess coloring books and she was as happy as my son.
10. Long sleeves pajama for night. You will want to keep the air conditioner on and usually the air blows over the bed. I feel better knowing that the kids sleep in a long sleeve pajama.

A few things to remember if you go to Cuba:

• Don’t accept a room on the main floor: it does always have a rotten smell
• Save 25 pesos per person for the departure (airport tax)
• Take with you Canadian dollars and change them to pesos in the resort

Ingredients:

Pie filling:

• about 300 grams ground chicken breast meat
• 150 grams cheddar cheese
• 1 onion (medium size)
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp thyme (fresh or dry)
• 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Dough:

• 250 grams pressed dry cottage cheese (I like the “Western” brand)
• 7 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tomato pasta sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• about 200 grams all purpose flour

Preparation

The pie filling:

1. In a nonstick pot or frying pan, place chopped onion and 3 tbsp oil.
2. Sauté over low – medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes.
3. Cut the cheddar cheese in small pieces and then mix it with the ground chicken breast in a large bowl

4. Then add the onion, tomato pasta sauce, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and a mixed egg.
5. Use a wood spatula and make sure that they are all mixed well.

The pie dough:

1. Mix the pressed dry cottage cheese with two tbsp olive oil, milk, one egg and the baking soda.
2. Add the flour and make it a dough.

3. Use a rolling pin and flatten the dough

The pie:

1. Spread the pie filling evenly over the layer of dough.

2. Roll it over

3. Cut it in 7-8 pieces.

4. Spread olive oil inside of a circular pan. You can use non stick cooking paper if you want.

5. Arrange the pie pieces inside like a flower.

6. Mix an egg and pour it evenly on the pie.

7. Put it in the oven (300 C) and leave it for one hour.

8. Try a slice

I hope you will have fun cooking and eating this pie

Ingredients:

• 2 medium size eggplants with skin.
• 15-20 cloves garlic
• a bunch of fresh parsley

• 1 cup of cider vinegar (white would work as well)
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 9-10 fl oz olive oil

• an empty glass jar (about 800 grams) with a lid

Preparation:

1. Take the eggplants (with the skin) and slice them. Each slice should be about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.

2. In a big pot, bring 20 cups of water (about 5 l) to a boil, add a tbsp of sea salt and boil the eggplants for about 5 minutes.

3. Strain to get rid of the hot water.

4. Add 7-8 floz (200 ml) of olive oil to a pan and fry the eggplants slices on both sides for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of the frying pan, you will need to repeat this a few times. Put the slices on a big plate once you remove them from the pan.

5. In another small pot, combine:

• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3-4 bay-leaves
• 1 tbsp sugar or honey
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Bring it to boil and let it boil for about 3 minutes.

6. In a glass jar (~800 grams) lay 2-3 eggplants slices, a few pieces of garlic, parsley, then another layer of eggplants, garlic, parsley, till you reach the top of the jar, while pushing down the content to make sure that you fit as much as possible. Leave about one inch at the top.

7. Pour in the hot combination of vinegar and water and make sure that the liquid will find a way to the bottom of the jar.

8. Tighten the lid while the jar content is still hot.

9. Cover the jar with a warm blanket to accelerate the process.

10. The pickled eggplants are ready to serve in about 2 days and they can last for long time (even one year) if you keep them in a cool place. Refrigerate the jar once opened.

I will share with you how to make little or if you want big tassels.

First you need a few materials:

• Some cardboard to make a pair of circular disks with a hole in the middle. The cardboard has to be a little strong, maybe from a shoe box. The size of the disks will make tassel’s hair shorter or longer.
• Any kind of fluffy yarn (wool, polyester, cotton, etc)
• A pair of scissors

The steps:

1. Draw on the piece of cardboard two circles for two disks. I made them about 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) in diameter, but the size can vary. Inside each of them draw a smaller circle about 5/8 inches (1.5 cm). Using a pair of scissors cut up the two disks. You should get something like this:

2. Take a length of thread and roll it over the two disks put together. Starting from one side, cover the whole circumference at least twice (it depends on the type of thread you have and also on the size of the inside circle you draw). You can combine multiple colors to get more interesting tassels. As a tip, if you use multiple threads like in the next picture, things go faster.

3. Using scissors, cut along the circumference, while holding the cardboard disks tight. Just insert one tip of the scissors between the disks and cut.

4. Take a length of thread, about 10 inches (25 cm), and carefully insert it between the two disks (you might need a bit of help here). Tighten it and make a double knot.

5. Remove the disks and trim the longer threads for an even look.

6. Now you have your little fluffy tassel ready to be used as decoration or as a toy.

7. Here is how you can add them to a pullover

You can use the same color or you might want to combine different type of threads and/or various colors for a happier looking tassel. Have fun and don’t forget to involve the kids. They will love it.