Skimmerhorns

Skimmerhorns

Just another picture of the Skimmerhorns. Just can't get enough of that mountain. I've lived here 10 years (wow. ten years? my time flies) and still I love looking at that mountain.

Palm Tree

Palm Tree in LA

Ok can't seem to upload new pictures from my computer. Have to figure out why.  So this is a picture of a palm tree from my trip to LA last November that I have on my phone. Isn't it cool?

Love My New Socks!!

I bought the socks down in Bonners the other day. The brand name is Darn Tough. These are made of Merino wool . They have a lifetime guarantee. They cost me $19 but if I can wear them out they will replace them for free. How does it get any better than that? And I love the colors they have! I looked to see if they have them on Amazon, and they do!! Click on the link below and it'll take you there.

Best Friends

Lucy and Ruger Basking in the Sun

Skimmerhorns From South of the Line

Skimmerhorns

The beautiful Skimmerhorns, my favorite mountain in this valley. Looking at it from South of the line, coming home from Bonner's Ferry, Idaho. Just spent the day with my fiancé before he goes back to work up Northern BC. Went for lunch and checked out some antique stores.

Morning Breakfast Line-up

Four of my fur kids

Four of my cats on the cat counter buffet. This is so the dog doesn't get at the cat food. My cat Vanilla is missing because she does not like the other cats. She loves the dog though. Go figure.

An Icy Surprise

Ice Castle

To our pleasant surprise my fiancé and I saw this ice sculpture at Home Hardware today. How fun! It was like 8 degrees out so likely melting fast. I didn't have my fancy camera with me so this was taken with my cell phone.

Scrumptious Gluten Free Quinoa Chocolate Cake Recipe

Quinoa Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is soooo delicious. It is very moist. I don't even frost it, it's so good. Here's the recipe as I know you will be asking for it, haha.

Quinoa Chocolate Cake (gluten free)

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa (I used sprouted)
1-1/3 cups of water
1/3 cup milk (I used almond milk)
4 eggs
1tsp  pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter melted and cooled
1-1/2 cup white or cane sugar (I used 1 c sucanat and 1/2c honey as that's what I had)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Melt and cool butter.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease two 8 inch round or square cake pans.  Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a blender and 2 cups of cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Divide the batter evenly between the 2 pans and bake on the centre rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until inserted knife in the centre comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before serving. Frost if desired.
Enjoy!!!

Ps. I did not wait for it to cool before having a piece. It was heavenly, warm. Yum. I also added the honey to the butter to melt it and then added the mixture to the blender. As you can see I used a 9x13 oblong pan, glass, and, of course, all my ingredients were organic. :)

Collaboration At Its Best

Giant Ant Hill

Ant hill in perspective

This giant ant hill is in my backyard, a ways up the hill. My neighbour's dog, Sully, obediently posed for the pic to get a perspective of the size of this ant hill. Sully is a fair size bigger than my Labrador Retriever, and probably weighs about 100lbs.

The ant to me symbolizes collaboration. Each ant has a job to do, and they do it towards a common goal. They never seem to tire out. If you wreck their nest, they would simply just start all over again, no qualms about it. They work hard, are patient, and co-operative. They work as a team. Ants could teach us a thing or two.

This is Not Too Happy

Ruger

Poor Ruger got his little knackers removed today. He's not a happy camper. I've heard that cats are like little Zen Masters. They do have a very tranquil energy. We have 6 fur kids here. Ruger is the baby. 5 of them are cats and 1 dog. I think it is enough.

BC to Idaho

View from Goat Mountain (my back yard)

I love my morning walks. I never tire of the fantabulous views our small valley provides. It always tells a new story. It all depends on the weather - the clouds, the light, the shadows, the sun. Again, the simple pleasures in life. We don't need to look far. This is the Creston Valley in BC, Canada looking at mountains in Idaho, USA.

A Reflection of Light

Quarter Moon

A beautiful clear sky tonight. Tomorrow being a quarter moon. Mountain Ash berries still hanging from the trees. I love a clear sky. Have you ever just stood and listened to the stillness behind the noise? It's an awesome feeling especially on a crisp clear night. The reflection of light from the moon reminds me that the sun is always shining even in darkness.

Enjoying the Simple Things

Love that tail!!

I always try to find simple pleasures in life, the things we take for granted. It's so fun to watch my kitty play with my dog's tail. Entertainment at it's best!

Sunny day in a Winter Wonderland!

Icy Trail

A beautiful sunny day today. I love the sunshine especially when it is icy cold out. There's nothing nicer then feeling the warmth of the sun on your face on a cold day. Very comforting! This was about 4pm just before the sun would set behind the mountain. I chose a black and white pic today as I really liked the contrast.

Aging with Ease

Rings on a tree

On my walk today I came across this cut down tree. The rings on the tree made me think about aging. I thought about how this tree would never grow another ring. Counting the rings, I gather the tree is almost as old as I am.

It made me think how important it is to enjoy each day of our life as we never know how many rings, I mean years, we have left. How important it is to live each moment. To love and forgive, and to be grateful, and to let go of the past. Embrace the moment we are living in. In this moment all is well!

Happiness is a puppy!!

Lucy at the pond

I love this pic I took today. It almost looks like I pasted my dog Lucy into this photo, but honest to goodness I caught this pic as she was off the ground running in the snow.

With my pics for my "photo a day" blog I'd like to capture health and happiness photos. My dog Lucy is a one and a half year old Purebred Registered Golden Labrador Retriever". Her registered name is "A Vibration of Love". She truly is, and there is nothing happier than a dog running in the snow. I love watching her run in the wilderness and play. She is always happy. Even when I'm down she can make me smile with her little antics. She truly is a vibration of love. I love Lucy!

Happy New Year!!

Hello everyone! My name is Anna. I will tell you more about myself in future posts, but for now I signed up for this blogging thing where I post a picture a day. (Hmmm, wonder if I can keep that up.) I sincerely want to wish everyone health and happiness this coming year as I think these are 2 ingredients to making life worth living.

My first pic is of my new Himalayan Salt lamp. It was a Christmas present from my fiancé. I have been wanting one for a while. This is a lamp that purifies the air. Light passing through the air creates large quantities of negative ions. (The only negative in life that is positive?) These ions rid the air of bacteria, smoke, dust and pollen. They charge the air with a healthy energy that speeds the healing of wounds and relieves many symptoms of asthma and allergies. Not only are they healthy, they provide a warm, soft glow, and makes for an excellent night light! <3



Himalayan Salt Lamp