Some books and some cooks.

I cannot believe that it is nearly the end of March already - wow! The time has raced by.

Today I am home with a yucky stomach, so I thought that I would take the time to post. I am sitting in bed with a hot water bottle, sipping on a cup of Bayswater tea: Divine Temptation. Yum!

Not much is different up here; things are busy, but we are both doing really well. I am so thankful to be feeling so much better (aside from today) after such a long winter of colds and flus. With health comes energy, so it's been great to get out walking and hiking again in the gorgeous early spring weather we've been given. I found a beautiful trail along Oyster River here, and it's quickly become one of my favourite walks. It's the perfect mix of sea and forest - I love it! Jon and I have spent a lot of time with friends up in the mountain shooting clay pigeons. It's a blast being up in the mountains and practicing our aim. Tolmie loves to practice her retrieving skills too. Maybe one day we'll be as good as this guy?! Unlikely.

I've loved reading Alysia's cookies of the month not to mention trying them out myself. mmm!

I'm not making cookies, but I am getting in lots of reading. Here's a list of books that I've read the past couple of months.

- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
 I highly recommend this one: a story of a German boy and a blind French girl whose lives surprisingly intersect through the tragedy of WWII. I was captivated by the descriptions and brought to tears several times.
- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi.
This was a book club choice (short & sweet); a cute story of a girl who surprises herself and chooses a life at sea over the comforts of her high-class home.
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
This was a book club choice that was kind of in the middle for me. The storyline was intriguing, but I had a tricky time getting into it.
- Mark of the Lion Trilogy by Francine Rivers.
I was recommended these by a friend of mine and they were wonderful. I am not typically a Christian fiction reader, but the characters were so encouraging and I was caught up in their stories during the time of Gladiators and Roman rule.

Currently I am reading Cutting For Stone by Abraham Vherges. Another book club book and it's turning out to be a great one so far. I'm trying it out on a friend's Kobo, since it's 600 pages! Not sure how I feel about an e-reader; love how light it is, but can anything ever replace the feeling of holding a good book? I'm not sure.

We have also tried out a lot of great new recipes lately. A friend lent me a copy of her "Oh She Glows" cookbook and I have made my way through probably a quarter of the book in the past two weeks. The author is a Canadian food blogger - yay! Jon and I are always looking for different recipes, and I love trying new healthy recipes, so this vegan cook book was a lot of fun to try. Though I am by no means giving up cheese, or bread, or our freezer full of wild meats, it is really nice to have alternatives. Unlike lots of vegan cooks, she tries hard to stick to whole foods like legumes rather than substituting real meats for artificial soy products. We have found a few recipes that have already wiggled into our monthly schedule. Here is a recipe from her blog for Gluten-free Almond Brownies - yum! I used coconut oil and they were delicious.

Okay, back for a nap. Can you tell I'm stuck at home?

I hope everyone is doing well. Cannot wait to be reunited for Kristine's wedding this summer!

Enjoy your week, friends.
xoxo
- E.