In honour of my favourite time of year, an October sale will entrance The Shop at Dove Cottage. New items haunt daily and old classics inspire new thoughts. Take 15% off these two collections: Autumn & Organic Apparel.Use Code: October18. In these original collections are treasures to uncover and explore. Delight in new children’s books, soft organic apparel, and original artwork and art prints for all ages, especially lovely for organic children’s nurseries and rooms. Beautiful for all spaces from offices to living rooms, and bedrooms to gifts. A limited series of handmade organic cotton toddler tees, spooky fun for Halloween and the every day, lurk behind golden abstract washes of watercolour and ethically handmade items. Create your Autumnal haven this October with Amor Milagre. Happy Haunting!
Trick or Treat! To view more organic cotton toddler tees for your little dear ones to play in this October, please view the collection here.
Today, we are strolling through our children’s garden to find plants for an herbal hair rinse. Rosemary, lavender, anise hyssop, peppermint, thyme, and sage. Garden fresh flavours and scents of the Earth. Organic and pure, perfect in design, healthy and comforting, brew to cleanse hair, skin, mind, body, heart, and Soul. Baby-and-Me bath with tea leaves. A fortunate present moment together. Nothing wasted. Grown for good health, animals, and bees. A Dear One’s adventure. A garden of life!
Garden Herb Hair Rinse
Pick fresh organic herbs (no toxic sprays/chemicals/unnatural soil, use non-GMO plant seeds). Steep in hot water until golden. Breathe in the herbal steam. Strain herbs to use later for more tea or use in the bath. Drink some of this nourishing tea and/or add it into a bowl full of fresh, cool water. Rinse hair in shower/bathtub for a natural clean routine. Return plants back to the garden to compost when done. The fresh herbal scents will awaken your senses, letting in light, resting in openness, while keeping your hair, scalp, skin, and all healthy. Soften and condition hair and skin, if desired, with natural foods, like avocado below. Inside and out.
A fresh mask for all ages. This is especially fun for kids to try this tactile, healthy bonding beauty tip. (Be aware of food allergies, as always). Mash up avocado, set aside most of it for the snack, and smooth some on face and hair, a little will do for children. Eat the avocado-wrap snack while the mask is on. Add in seeds, dried fruit, nuts, olives, and/or beans. Rest easy, and if with children, laugh and imagine funny green face/hair adventures. Rinse off gently. This beautifully coloured yellow-green routine is memorable and inspires more of the same, healthy, enjoyable habits for you and your Dear Ones. More garden shares are coming soon! xo ~Amor Milagre
Evening kitchen dancing in misty tones. Dusty cinnamon cranberries bake, scenting the air warmly. A walk where the wild roses roam, gently gathering fallen petals, so naturally pleasing and delicate. The word ‘sweet’ was named for you. A bath runs away into the night stars. Twirling and swirling, the petals ride on faerie water tides. Sweet is this bath, and noses giggle with petals that stick. Look at those rosy cheeks, oh one fell into the water! Laughs and unwound senses breathe. Pajama families dance and sing into dreams: light, loving, and airy. In the morning, float out in vast Nature in the calming beauty that we all are. Ocean, lake, pond, river, pool, or puddle. Water is life! Keep it healthy for all, clean it up, and stay natural. Water, Earth, Air. Feel it. Be natural, be bare, be true, be purely you! Live in the light! ~Amor Milagre
Wild rose petals soothe the body and mind, unwind headaches, and heal the skin. The sweet scent is entirely beneficial for the soul.
**We gathered fallen wild rose petals, with no toxic sprays/chemicals/unnatural soil, use non-GMO plant seeds/plants.
It’s lovely when your favourite sound-makers come back around with new songs to share, like a favourite season, fresh, alive, and completely reborn. Nice to hear more positive energy in the soul voices and notes, too. Our family loves to dance and sing, especially in the evenings, while cooking. A very healthy routine, so fun and soothing before bed. We dance and sing in dreamy layers of cloudy blankets.
A simple circle of Nature’s stones and organic compost makes magic in your garden and soul. Let the glorious rain wash and nurture perennial wildflower seeds to surprise next season’s bees, while organic herbs sprout in the meantime, for little ones to taste on misty morning walks. Temporary or permanent, to grow in beauty, this easy-to-design garden is a delight for the senses outside and seen from inside the home, too. A little film to match below. ~Amor Milagre PS Gardening ideas are also woven into my original children’s books!
How To: Place a stick or garden stake at the center of where you want your garden. Tie a string around it, and figure out how large of a circumference you’d like your garden to be. Measure the radius amount and wrap that length of the string to another stick. Trace the circle on the ground in the dirt or mark with stones. This is a quick, natural, non-toxic way to mark out a garden. You can insert more sticks/stakes to vertically visualize your circle garden, connecting with string, or start laying stones down in a circle. Add organic compost and plant seeds and plants. Et voila! Let the rain help your plants grow very strong. Water new plants in, and later water if really needed, but Nature knows best and grows best with natural rain rhythms. Use saved rainwater in barrels and homemade organic compost for best results and ethical gardening practices. Enjoy your blooms and edible organic foods every year. This makes a beautiful winter garden structure as well. You can build up the stones as high or thick as you like. Ours is temporary so it is simply laid out. Use garden stones, because they already live there and look more natural with plants.
Nature’s colours, shapes, and textures are varied and are all the more beautiful for it, humans included. A great lesson for designing or appreciating anything/anyone: natural, healthy, and unique. More organic Home & Garden how to’s are featured in my upcoming ethical, healthy, organic lifestyle books.
Feel within to know: You are Love! Feel within honestly and clearly. Feel all around you with all of your senses. Lead yourself into good health and be inspired each moment of your life to be awake to the beauty of the universe. Awareness and kindness are powerful. Knowing that you are responsible for things you allow is also powerful. You can decide to say yes or no, and move into what you need. Start small. I romanced my tea with cherries, and that inspired a cherry cacao pudding. This inspired smiles for Dear Ones, and then a quietly exciting day in nature unfolded. A great memory to inspire all of our days ahead! One positive step in the state of appreciation gently flows to another. Reset your thoughts into a loving language. This heals the world. Your moments add up to days, weeks, a lifetime of gentle smiling actions to ripple out and inspire others to see their true, authentic selves. Eat well, sleep well, think well, be well. Eat plants. Remove pollution and static. Be harmonious with Mamma Nature. Resolve your resistances to all, so you can attract what you wish for. Be at peace with the transition into being truly awake. Confidently design your own ways of living to suit your specific nature, needs, and desires. Breathe in nature, unwind your senses into clarity, be yourself always, be Loving. XOXO ~Amor Milagre.
Life is a practice of staying oneself amidst energy from elsewhere. I live and learn by doing, trying, being aware, and resetting. My writing often begins with verbs. Verbs are a great way to talk with the self in gentle motivation. Thank you for taking moments to read. Books and written words have a peaceful contemplative nature about them that allows the reader to pause and feel possible connections. Take books with you, you don’t need wifi. Quiet your life’s energy to connect to the sun, moon and, Earth’s natural cycles that modern living is not designed to connect with well. I always feel that the universe needs a massive break to unwind, a massive change back to Nature. Take a break today, unplug, lay and rest your senses, let go, and feel that you are Love. Live this always. Play an instrument, sing, draw, meditate, walk, dance. Listen to the rain. “Slow down, you’re spinning. Go rest and be still to hear that your inner self is asking for help,” she cries down. Be still and listen to all to connect, and stay connected as you move. There is no need for suffering. Be well.
Cacao cherries kissing teacups, wild cherries rolling on the plate, cinnamon in everything!
The cherry-cacao pudding recipe (organic vegan) appears in my upcoming organic vegan cookbook. The cherry tea you can do right now, (while anticipating the cookbook release). I placed the seed pits, from the cut cherries in the pudding, in a tea diffuser that sits in the hot tea for 10 minutes. My usual vanilla licorice tea absorbed not only the fresh flavour of these luscious organic cherries, but the rainbow red pink tint from the cherry juice. The taste is amazing and delicately sweet. You can also have just the cherry-infused water, hot or cold, and add in any fruit you like. Cherries have many nutritional health benefits, but naturally aiding in peaceful sleep is my favourite one. Cacao is a superfood that helps with this, too. Many cultures use cherries as a natural sweetener. In Russia, they often sweeten tea using whole cherry syrup. No need for sugar that injures health. Leave honey for the bees. Opt for nature’s gifts of beauty!
More organic vegan recipes are coming soon! I’ve been focusing on book releases this summer, but will be adding a variety of posts here this fall/winter. Each year has a theme. This year is a ‘catch up and release’ year. Next year is a ‘release and rejuvenate’ year, and hopefully that theme continues on and on each year after that. Many organic no-dig gardening shares are in the mix as well. Lots of books & new artwork collections…always.
As the teacup moves, the colours change in a beautiful ombre rainbow. Teach children about the textures, colours, and flavours of nature. Let them run wild and free under the trees. Parks with shady trees provide a relaxing outting setting for parents. Pull up your quilts and blankets, and explore Nature’s details in fresh air. The most natural settings are even better and teach us that being natural is the natural order. The rain washes the “dust” away, unlike in our homes, the natural cycle is the best way, and there is no “dust” or busy work, just being yourself. Ocean breezes are great for improving health. The glorious gifts of Nature are always there, waiting for you to connect with and adore.
The magic of flight! We’ve been admiring the way each type of seed we sow flies into their new bed of Earth. Milkweed seeds have magical, silky unicorn tails that fold out of a perfect cone when the pod opens to spread new life for next year. Airy soft and weightless. These maple helicopters are a favourite from childhood. So many plants to marvel at, play with, feel, and grow.
An excerpt from my upcoming book about Sustainable Design, Fashion, & Personal Style:
“It’s lovely to see more of my favourite fashion & style wardrobe ideas in the shops these days. I don’t follow current trends, but I am up on them, and seldom do I see quality pieces made with care, but when I do, it may become an inspiration or a lifetime piece for my small personal collection to use daily. One doesn’t need much, just functionality, quality, great fit, and something that speaks to you. A hat for cooler weeks, one for warmer ones. Dresses that can fly free in the wind or layer and walk in the snow. Choose wisely for yourself. Who made your desired? How long will it last? What is it made of? Is this a healthy idea for the maker, for you, for your skin, body, and soul? Wardrobes that are easy to keep track of and care for are effortless when choosing daily outfits. Keep what fits you beautifully, sell what doesn’t. Pay some bills or save money for a future item, so when you come across it naturally, you’re at ease and perhaps able to afford it. Why are you attracted by something? Is it just somehow familiar, and therefore oddly comforting, or do you really like it? Something made well with Love and healthy materials, by someone paid more than fairly, doesn’t have to cost a lot or next to nothing. Find balances in all the details of your life. Store items well to last long, clean with care, and enjoy. The same goes for all you choose from a bicycle to your words to shoes. How can your choose a healthy life for you and the universe? What can you enjoy making for yourself? Your choices are yours.” xoxo ~Amor Milagre
Fill up your senses with a picnic in the woods, yard, garden, or park. Fly around and explore! Being in vast nature is calming for the soul. “Breathe in Love, Breathe out Love! Live in the Light!”
(View my disclaimer here for the protection of my original content. Being loving is respecting yourself and others. Happy to inspire, but not to be a silent doormat. A life’s work of positivity can still be protected. Boundaries are important for a life of Love and peace. What does your true, inner voice say? What is your own story?)
Good Evening Dear Ones, I hope your summer is kind and a breath of fresh air. I’ve been sharing excerpts from my upcoming books on my Amor Milagre company Facebook page, and as always on this site, amormilagre.com. For a fuller sense of my empathic messages, please view my A Gentle Life Book Collections, which will soon include a new healthy, organic life book series to help everyone with daily moments and positive living. All of my books are gently illustrated and ethically handmade to order with Love. Below are a few of the excerpts. All of the posts, products, books, films, and more at Amor Milagre reflect the new book messages as well. Everything is connected here and everywhere. More soon, ~Amor Milagre
Life is practice. There is no end or place of “perfection.” No need to procrastinate or create chaos over the long road ahead. There is no road, there is only you, living each moment where you are. Look within, and see: You are Love! Keep practicing, being kind to yourself and others. Shape your stories into ones you Love! ~Amor Milagre.
Let’s allow our worlds to be kind, loving, compassionate, and beautiful for all living here, in honour of all that were here, and for everyone to come! Our moments shape futures for all. Humans are equal and all love nature. Nature loves all. Be yourself, be Love! ~Amor Milagre, amormilagre.com (For more, read & view my A Gentle Life Collections. For a lot more, examine your soul gently asking, “how are you, what do you need?” Listen and respond with pure Love.)
Take gentle care of your children. They are Love. They are goodness and are everything peaceful. They show you how simple it is for life to be loving. Always stay, and be real pure Love for yourself, for children, for the universe. ~Amor Milagre
Take gentle care of your children and yourself. Communicate sacredness, respect, and real Love. Let everything good be seen, shared, and inspire more of the same. The Love everyone is searching for is within, and of the soul. Take intelligent, gentle care of your whole being. Find strength in healthy ways, for you are Light. Shine and Love! ~Amor Milagre. (There was only ever a need and want for positivity. Be Love, heal the world.)
Romance is for you, for the every day, all the time…in everything you do, say, breathe, and are… ~Amor Milagre
Clarity accumulates from feeling and sensing in the moment. How do you feel? ~amormilagre.com
Universal Message: Listen to the whole idea, you might be missing the true meaning. Keep boundaries but not defensiveness or resistance, listen and communicate with loving language. More about this topic is coming up in my self-health and organic lifestyle books at amormilagre.com ~Amor Milagre
To my fellow INFJ’s, remember: you are Love, set boundaries, and heal yourself with water, fresh air, grounding down to the Earth, healthy organic plant foods, sleep, and relaxing meditative daily routines. More at amormilagre.com (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality type INFJ-T, the advocate, empath, diplomat)
The Gentle Life Book Collection features many organic lifestyle habits and routine inspiration for a loving, gentle, beautiful life! Books and all products are lovely for all ages, 0-1000! Start children off in good health for a lifetime of pain-free, amazing adventures. Happy summer of Mamma Nature’s gorgeous wonders! ~Amor Milagre
Amor Milagre books include helpful, gentle inspiration for setting boundaries, sorting emotions, and designing your routine to suit your unique needs and dreams. ‘A Day with Sage’ is a good book to start with for developing a healthy inner voice, ‘Antonia’s Bakery’ helps you design your dreams and shows how they can come true, and ‘Sage in Winter’ inspires the beauty, fun, and gratitude of simple pleasures and helping others by inspiring real Love. More at amormilagre.com
New Books for all ages are coming soon! I’ll also be posting new recipes shortly. Happy August!
NEW BOOK! A Day with Sage by Amor Milagre. “Welcome to my Day!” Sage is sweet, loving, bright, and very funny. A good routine makes all the difference for this sensitive family of three! This book is an introduction to Sage’s world. Follow along with her adventures and design your own healthy daily routine. This loving new book series is called The Chronicles of Sage Rose Sorrel #1. Click here to view this book in my shop! Also view Sage in Winter, here. More Sage books are coming soon! ~Amor Milagre
Original Children’s Book Series: The Chronicles of Sage Rose Sorrel#1
Gentle Organic Daily Life Inspiration for: Empaths, Synesthetes, Highly Sensitive People, and All!
Daily inspiration for a loving family and a Gentle, Healthy, Organic Lifestyle. (This book features Spring, Summer, Fall / Autumn, the warmer seasons of the year). Sage is a 1 1/2 year old toddler in this story.
Sustainable, ethical, non-toxic, handmade, organic children’s books. A Gentle Life Book Collection: Peaceful, beautiful, healthy inspiration for a Gentle Life. Take our books with you everywhere you go! Give the gift of Love & Peace by being Purely You!
Amor Milagre books include helpful, gentle inspiration for setting boundaries, sorting emotions, and designing your routine to suit your unique needs and dreams. ‘A Day with Sage’ is a good book to start with for developing a healthy inner voice, ‘Antonia’s Bakery’ helps you design your dreams and shows how they can come true, and ‘Sage in Winter’ inspires the beauty, fun, and gratitude of simple pleasures and helping others by inspiring real Love.
This story is 64 pages full of gently hand-painted watercolour illustrations.
3 Chapters, 76 Total Pages
The organic ribbon bookmark colour for this series is a sweet pale ballet blush pink.
Text Language: English (More languages coming soon!)
All books are signed by the author. For custom inscriptions written by the author, please send your personalized message here.
There is a beautifully dedicated space, designed for you to write your own inscription, to show your Love for Dear Ones.
Original artwork, art prints, and stationery for this item are coming soon to The Shop at Dove Cottage!
Amor Milagre The Bookshop: Encouraging the Imagination & Celebrating Individuality for Children of All Ages!
A fun game to play, when giving new books to children, is to hide the book and help them look around to find their special gift!
I designed my book collection to be beautiful inside and out to complement your heart and home. An organic nursery and child’s room is safe, calming, happy, and healthy. For design help message me here.
Responsibly Handmade Paper Books
Printed on FSC Certified and approved sustainably harvested and processed paper, 100% post consumer recycled, ethical, legal papers using zero waste printing & non-toxic ink. Amor Milagre uses only matte paper for pages and covers, choosing not to use toxic gloss film coatings. Thread binding and ribbon bookmarks are certified organic cotton. The ribbons are coloured with an organic, natural, non-toxic, vegetable dye and colour-coordinated for each book series.
All books are made to order and handmade with Love by Amor Milagre. From the spark of the initial story idea to the sending off of these gifts to you, every book is lovingly invented by one gentle person, Amor Milagre. The original book illustrations are hand drawn and painted on certified watercolor paper, which is firstly hand measured and cut. Original artwork and art prints of the book illustrations are exclusively available to purchase here in The Shop at Dove Cottage. Writing, illustrations, book layout, publication, and assembly are all mindfully done by Amor Milagre.
*Gentle care of my books helps them last for ages, to pass on to dear ones, and respects the materials they were made from. Sustainability doesn’t end with the making of the book, the customer has power in this, too. Take care of what and who you love.
More Upcoming Formats:
Digital / CD Audiobooks
Braille Books
Translated Texts for People of Many Languages to Enjoy Amor Milagre Books
Sustainably Handmade & Affordably Priced
Our products are perfect for unique gift giving for all ages and spaces! Quick shipping for optimal gift giving.
Some ideas for you:
Holiday, Birthday, Baby Shower, Bridal Shower & Groom & Bridal Party, Children’s Room and Nursery, Office, Any Room in your Home, House Warming Party & New Home, Events and Celebrations, Get Well Soon, Valentine’s Day, Engagement, Retirement, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and especially for Yourself to inspire you to be purely you!
I hope your summer so far is very loving for yourself and beautiful for your senses. I’ll share a few notes here in between book releases, of which I have many more very soon to post.
Hello to all the new viewers! Thank you for all the lovely messages! Since removing the ‘comment’ and ‘likes’ options from my site, I’ve found that my dear customers feel they can write ‘thank you’s’, questions, and comments more freely. The site is calmer, too. This allows the viewer to focus on themselves. It’s about Love and introducing my world to you. I love the personal notes, so darling and funny! I’m sending a very kind thank you to everyone who shared how my art & design shop collections, original books, healthy organic lifestyle journal,Baby & Child inspiration, and custom orders have inspired smiles. I have many more collections to introduce this year, so stay tuned. My collections are exclusively sold here at amormilagre.com
Summer is a wonderful time to collect your holiday gifts, taking your time to choose mindfully for each loved one. This helps ensure that you have a lovely, relaxing holiday when winter graces your home. “Sage in Winter” is a peaceful story of loving and gentle winter holiday celebrations for you and your dear ones to enjoy together. Cozy up with a cup of tea any day of the year and delight in Sage’s inspiring sweetness. Many more books from this series, The Chronicles of Sage Rose Sorrel, and my other ethically handmade Gentle Life Book Collections will be available to buy in Amor Milagre’s The Shop at Dove Cottage very soon! “Antonia’s Bakery” is already in my shop and inspires year-round organic lifestyle inspiration. Happy Summer! xoxo ~Amor Milagre
Original artwork, art prints, and stationery for this item are coming soon to The Shop at Dove Cottage!
Amor Milagre The Bookshop: Encouraging the Imagination & Celebrating Individuality for Children of All Ages!
A fun game to play, when giving new books to children, is to hide the book and help them look around to find their special gift!
Responsibly Handmade Paper Books
Printed on FSC Certified and approved sustainably harvested and processed paper, 100% post consumer recycled, ethical, legal papers using zero waste printing & non-toxic ink. Amor Milagre uses only matte paper for pages and covers, choosing not to use toxic gloss film coatings. Thread binding and ribbon bookmarks are certified organic cotton. The ribbons are coloured with an organic, natural, non-toxic, vegetable dye and colour-coordinated for each book series.
All books are made to order and handmade with Love by Amor Milagre. From the spark of the initial story idea to the sending off of these gifts to you, every book is lovingly invented by one gentle person, Amor Milagre. The original book illustrations are hand drawn and painted on certified watercolor paper, which is firstly hand measured and cut. Original artwork and art prints of the book illustrations are exclusively available to purchase here in The Shop at Dove Cottage. Writing, illustrations, book layout, publication, and assembly are all mindfully done by Amor Milagre.
More Upcoming Formats:
Digital / CD Audiobooks
Braille Books
Translated Texts for People of Many Languages to Enjoy Amor Milagre Books
Sustainably Handmade & Affordably Priced
Our products are perfect for unique gift giving for all ages and spaces! Quick shipping for optimal gift giving.
Some ideas for you:
Holiday, Birthday, Baby Shower, Bridal Shower & Groom & Bridal Party, Children’s Room and Nursery, Office, Any Room in your Home, House Warming Party & New Home, Events and Celebrations, Get Well Soon, Valentine’s Day, Engagement, Retirement, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and especially for Yourself to inspire you to be purely you!
Books become a part of your memory in a sacred way. Choose loving memories and inspiration to guide your life in love and compassion. Gentle, peaceful children’s books grace my new Bookshop, which is now open featuring “Antonia’s Bakery!”Antonia is a very special character, and she now lives where all of my characters live, in the Town of Pink Love. This magical place is now ready to explore. More new books for all ages are coming very soon! XOXO ~Amor Milagre
Antonia is clever, curious, and sweet. She builds a loving home in the Town of Pink Love. Sharing nature’s organic goodness with new friends is pure magic! Antonia’s Elephant Tales #1.
Antonia’s Bakery provides fresh local garden organic plant-based food for all her new friends. (Vegan, vegetarian, non-GMO food & recipes). Sustainable, ethical, non-toxic, organic children’s books. A Gentle Life Book Collection: Peaceful, beautiful, healthy inspiration for a Gentle Life. Take our books with you everywhere you go! Give the gift of Love & Peaceby being purely you!
Original Children’s Book Series: Antonia’s Elephant Tales #1
Gentle Organic Life Inspiration for: Empaths, Synesthetes, Highly Sensitive People, and All!
This story is 28 pages full of gently hand-painted watercolour illustrations.
The organic ribbon bookmark colour for this series is a sweet coral pink.
Text Language: English (More languages coming soon!)
All books are signed by the author. For custom inscriptions written by the author, please send your personalized message here.
There is a beautifully dedicated space, designed for you to write your own inscription, to show your Love for Dear Ones.
Original artwork, art prints, and stationery for this item are coming soon to The Shop at Dove Cottage!
Amor Milagre The Bookshop: Encouraging the Imagination & Celebrating Individuality for Children of All Ages!
Responsibly Handmade Paper Books
Printed on FSC Certified and approved sustainably harvested and processed paper, 100% post consumer recycled, ethical, legal papers using zero waste printing & non-toxic ink. Amor Milagre uses only matte paper for pages and covers, choosing not to use toxic gloss film coatings. Thread binding and ribbon bookmarks are certified organic cotton. The ribbons are coloured with an organic, natural, non-toxic, vegetable dye and colour-coordinated for each book series.
All books are made to order and handmade with Love by Amor Milagre. From the spark of the initial story idea to the sending off of these gifts to you, every book is lovingly invented by one gentle person, Amor Milagre. The original book illustrations are hand drawn and painted on certified watercolor paper, which is firstly hand measured and cut. Original artwork and art prints of the book illustrations are exclusively available to purchase here in The Shop at Dove Cottage. Writing, illustrations, book layout, publication, and assembly are all mindfully done by Amor Milagre.
Translated Texts for People of Many Languages to Enjoy Amor Milagre Books
Sustainably Handmade & Affordably Priced
Our products are perfect for unique gift giving for all ages and spaces! Quick shipping for optimal gift giving.
Some ideas for you:
Holiday, Birthday, Baby Shower, Bridal Shower & Groom & Bridal Party, Children’s Room and Nursery, Office, Any Room in your Home, House Warming Party & New Home, Events and Celebrations, Get Well Soon, Valentine’s Day, Engagement, Retirement, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and especially for Yourself to inspire you to be purely you!
Wash the day off, unwind the senses, and you may find a balanced mind and body rising to the surface. Let go of impurities, embrace goodness, and deep airy waves of breath circulate and lift you up to see the view you were always privy to: your unique and pure state of real love. Be there always. Stay forever. Be purely you!
An oatmeal bath for baby and me is softening and gentleness. Wrap organic oats in a permeable cloth, such as this organic cotton baby cloth, and tie a knot one way, and then another way. Drop the bundle gently into a warm bath, gaze at the clouds outside and in your mind, watch them clear to see a lovely sky of beautiful colours and fresh air. Let the bundle dry out and shake the oats into the compost bin. Carefully rise, as this creaminess can be a little slippery. Rinse your tub, with no mess, just soft nourished skin and a calmer nervous system. Continue on, after your bath, walking, talking, and thinking in beautiful softness. (For showers: Make/buy organic oatmeal soap bars for the same soft skin feeling.) Being in water can be reflective, soothing, and connects us to the natural world.
Helpful books to resolve your life’s puzzles are coming soon to our bookshop!
Natural foods with lots of water hydrate you inside and out. Research hydrating foods to incorporate extra ways of keeping yourself refreshed and nutrient-rich every day. Drink lots of water, go out in the fresh air for natural moisture on your skin, hair, lungs. Breathe…
Strawberries have always been our favourite food. They taste wonderful and the after effects are wonderful, too. (Coming soon: More about how to grow them in your own organic no-dig garden.) We love them so much, that very soon, you can check out our upcoming children’s book featuring all things strawberry! What is your instant soothing food and health-boosting routine?
Spring to your wardrobe and sort out what is truly you, fits you well, and inspires lightness, kindness, and enhances your natural beauty. Sell or donate the rest. Learn about what colour tones and hues are right for you and your home. Colour has a massive impact on our impression and way of living. We wear mostly creams, pale pinks, peaches, and whites. We also plant flower seeds of the same colours in our garden, and paint walls to compliment our skin tones, pajamas, and hats. It’s all connected…so I like to coordinate it harmoniously for a peaceful home life.
Choose soft, healthy fabrics as your skin absorbs whatever is on it. Make clothes by hand and/or check the company brand for more information about the fabric, how they treat & pay their makers, what kind of dyes they use, and where the materials come from. If the information isn’t listed on their site, contact them with questions. How durable is an item? Choose items that speak to your authentic self. Who are you and what do you love? What helps you feel amazing? Which items are made well and will last? Which fabrics are you allergic to? Which fabrics are detrimental to the environment, workers, and wearers?
Sustainable style is not just about how items are made, but how they live on in your life. All ages deserve healthy clothes on their beautiful skin. A wardrobe with a few items, of lovely quality that are made with care for all, is a great tool for a joyous lifestyle. This is a great formula to use when buying anything. Take time and loving thought to assess the seemingly invisible questions faced when buying even a tomato. The fashion industry, and all industries, need to switch over to sustainable practices for the workers and customers. Help give them an incentive to transition now, research your items before purchasing, ask questions, give feedback, and watch how the world will change for the better. This, in turn, will make shopping easier for customers to find what they’re looking for. ‘Hunting’ is not a restful or healthy practice, whether shopping in person or online, it’s overstimulating for the senses. The shops can be set up to embrace the senses, instead of overwhelm them.
If you would like help with your personal style, please message us for professional fashion & style design advice & tips.
Grow a beautiful year-round garden to provide yourself with your own fresh, organic, real, plant-based food. Bask in the organic natural beauty of plants. Their language is something wonderful to share. Children adore tending their plants and eating them, too. Fill your senses up with their shapes, colours, flavours, textures, sounds, scents. Listen to them and help them thrive. Every day of growth is a miracle to be respected and nurtured.
Real plant foods taste amazing. Get to know what real food offers: better overall health in every way and amazing flavours. Taste a fresh carrot, fresh lettuce greens, a fresh vegetable soup! It’s easier, it’s delicious, it’s a beautiful lifestyle. Stretch and breathe in good health, breathe out love for yourself, your family, the Earth, and love for everything around you. Be real, be purely you, unlimited, unharmed, awake, and truly alive. Know yourself, listen to your body, and respond with gentle love and mindful care. Be love! ~Amor Milagre. (This and other healthy topics are featured in our upcoming book collections for all ages. We’re so excited to share them very soon!)
To Plant
Save or buy organic, non-GMO seeds. Plant them in organic, plant-based compost (homemade or bought). Water (with saved rainwater if you can). Use green and/or reusable materials. No-dig compost gardening is simple and fantastic. Use your body/hands and your senses as gardening tools. Check on your plants, speak with Love. Balance water, sunshine, and fresh air. Grow outside if you can. Start inside if your summers are short. Grow plants inside all year for fresh herbs, veggies, and more!
Starting seeds costs less than buying more mature plants. You can grow many more plants. You save money and benefit from helping your plants grow, ensuring the best quality and strength for them. They heal you and lend these qualities to you, too. Breathe them in. Pot them or plant them when they outgrow their space. Tend until ready to harvest. Many plants can keep going throughout the season, and some can be brought back inside for colder months. Research your seeds, plants, their life cycle, health benefits, and optimal ways to prepare for maximum nutrition. Enjoy the beautiful botanical realm we can live in again.
Gather children around the table. All ages are welcome, ages 0-1000. Draw faces, zig zags, and pretty little designs. Everything works just fine. Cut out some egg shapes, string, and delight your seasonal tree with Spring-inspired pastels and fresh, smiling faces. Art expressionist fun can be interior design fun as well. Match your crafts to your home and feel refreshed for a new season of bright possibilities. A beautiful tree for day or night! Happy Spring and Happy Easter! ~Amor Milagre
Pick spring flower colours for crayons and threads and unwind your imagination! Save the scrap paper and thread. Stay tuned on how to use them. For more information for this craft and other fun ‘How To’s’, check back for my upcoming book, ‘The Crayon Club.’
A topiary of lettuce seedlings makes a delicious fresh salad and a beautiful window garden to enjoy all year. Growing plants from seeds is especially rewarding when you share your new friends with someone. Seeds make lovely gifts, and they can be easily slipped into an envelope with a letter to a friend. (Look for organic non-GMO seeds). Children and babies love to nurture their toys and their baby plants. Gentlycaring for plants shows you how to gently care for yourself. Gardening is beneficial and healing for children of all ages from 0-1000. Plants improve air quality, and freshen up your life. Fresh food feels good in the soul and body. The practice of topiary is old and loving. Create, inspire, enjoy!
Shape the lettuce topiary by following the shape of your desired dish. Trim the leaves lightly, not too low/short, allowing to regrow. Place the leaves into a bowl for a fresh green salad. This dish is egg-shaped, just in time for Spring and Easter. Enjoy eating your tender salad greens. Set the planting dish back on a sunny windowsill. Water as needed so the plants regrow to provide another salad.
More Spring and Easter inspiration for you and your dear ones is coming up! (Try to either reuse a container or if buying a new one, look for ceramic or non-toxic, sturdy materials. Avoid flimsy plastic when possible. Think longevity, renewable, natural materials.) . You can use/make 3-D wire topiary frames in the shape of bunnies or baby chicks for a very Springy, Easter feeling, too. The possibilities are endless! We also grew rainbow Swiss chard, seen above. Our newest plantings include cherry tomato seeds, spinach, garlic, and some teddy bear sunflower seeds, that will live in the garden later. More organic salad recipe inspiration coming soon!
Whether you are travelling to a Paris cafe or to your local inn’s tavern, it’s fun to go out for a bit and experience positive ambiance. Tasting the culinary flavours of Europe, or any country, builds a layer in your library of senses. It is a very handy tool to use in the kitchen, at home, when thinking of cozy holiday recipes. Inspired by English pies, we piled spinach into a beautiful teatime crust. Rich little desserts are simple to make and last the week. They remind me of pretty Italian dishes brought out after dinner. A smooth sweetness paired with fresh fruit is entirely lovely. They are handy to set out when friends pop by, and for relaxing with velvety licorice tea during the evening’s unwinding time. The Small Valentine here is our Greatest Love! Sharing healthy, beautiful, garden fresh food with children is endlessly amazing. Conversations and moods brighten with warm teatime surprises. Paper hearts are exchanged, followed by cuddles, smiles, hugs, and kisses. Simplicity is complex with happy tones. Food made with love feels good in the soul. Happy Valentine’s weekend! ~Love, Amor Milagre
Cinnamon Salted Chocolate Raisin Almonds
Warm or cold, these lovely little bites are sure to entice. The flavours unfold slowly, allowing appreciation for every stage of recognition. For children, just raisins and nuts, no cacao yet, but no nuts for very young ones until they’re ready. Be ready for allergies, too.
Non-GMO, organic, vegan ingredients:
Arrange some raisins and almonds on a non-stick pan, and sprinkle over a pinch of pink Himalayan Salt. On the stove, on low heat, hover a heat-safe bowl over simmering water in a small pot. Slowly melt a cup or so of dark cacao nibs or a broken up cacao bar. When lovely and pourable, add a tsp of cinnamon and stir. Pour over the raisins and almonds, drizzling, until all the cacao is transferred. (It’s nice to have some almost bare almonds, too). Eat warm, or chill in the refrigerator until firm. Carefully crack with a knife on a cutting board, making little pieces. Set them on a plate for dessert with fruit. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (This simple recipe lends itself well to more warm spices, too.)
For this vegetable pie, the ginger can be sliced fresh from the root or used as a powder. Fresh spices are important, too. There is a local spice business here, which is very nice for refreshing our spice cabinet when they have gone stale. We’ve been trying out a new one, called za’atar, an ancient Mediterranean / Middle Eastern spice that helps improve memory, something we all could benefit from. It means ‘thyme.’ It’s usually dried in the sun and eaten with pita that is dipped in olive oil, then into this spice.
Combine1 tbsp each of: Ground Cumin, Chopped Fresh Thyme/Oregano or Chopped dried Hyssop Leaves, Sumac, Sesame Seeds. Stir in 1 tsp each of: Pink Himalayan Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper. This makes around 1/4 cup. Store in an air tight container.
It smells and tastes wonderful! Use it for vegetables, grilling, roasting, salads, breads, and pies like this! We love growing hyssop in the garden as the bees adore them, the seeds are easy to collect, spread, and store once they dry on the plant. We make hyssop tea, which has a licorice flavour that I love. Fennel seeds can also be used, which also have a licorice flavour.
Ginger Spinach Vegetable Pie
Sweet ginger and shallots love and hug every ingredient in this pie. When we want an extra feeling of home and comfort, a pie like this is transcendent.
Use our vegan pie crust recipe to make 2 crusts: 3 C Spelt Flour (Or einkorn flour or your favourite flour), 2 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt, 1 1/4 C Vegan Shortening, 8-10 tbsp Very Cold Water. Divide into 2 and press one into a pie dish with lightly floured hands. Press out the other on a lightly floured, flippable non-stick surface, and save for the top of the pie. (Add a little extra flour if too sticky.)
Line the bottom crust with a large pile of spinach. Add on top a lightly sautéed combination of: Chopped carrot, turnip, parsnip, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 2 stalks of celery, a pinch of za’atar spice, pink Himalayan salt, cinnamon, and 1-2 tsp of chopped or powder ginger, some water to make everything like a gravy, and some of the same vegan shortening used for the crust (mostly made of sustainable coconut oil, not hydrogenated oil, no dairy, etc). The sauté is moist yet kind of crispy at the same time. It softens more as it bakes. When you think you cannot add any more spinach, go ahead an add more spinach on top. It cooks down as the pie steams everything. Add the top crust, crimp the edges, and cut a few slits in the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until your pie crust is golden.
This pie beautifully scents your home. Everyone reads lovely stories as we wait in happy anticipation of this glorious simple pleasure.
A cup of tea by the fireplace, at the inn down the road, makes a cozy Valentine’s Day for our family. If more places had local, organic, affordable, plant-based dishes on their menus, we would love to explore them. The local inn is one of two places we’ve seen near us that has started to have even just a few organic, locally grown ingredients. But, they mix them with non-organic & non-local foods often times not vegan as well, so it’s not helpful for us when trying to dine out. You want to feel well after a meal out. We always feel well after a meal at home. When we’re ready for it, a little later in our lives, we’ll invite everyone to the Amor Milagre Cafe, that serves beautiful, fresh food, grown on site, in our organic gardens. I’ve been designing it for ages now, and it’s always been a part of my company design plan. It’s all connected. To the Love of Nature!
We love to share valentines with dear ones in February. We also love to make valentines to share love with local communities, such as elderly homes, children’s homes, and hospitals. A simple message to know that the universe loves you just as you are is a very powerful thing, especially if you’re sick, scared, or hurting. We encourage this easy and happy gift for you to share with your neighbouring communities. There is always room for more love!
The very loving & talented toddlers in our Crayon Club made cheerful drawings on the back of these little valentine’s day cards. (A responsible paper choice is important, too.) View our little film, showing more drawings, below. As I edited the film, grouping these lovely drawings and offerings of love together, they connected to form a powerful and peaceful statement, one that I express in everything we do. If everyone loves, then everyone feels loved. For more fun ideas, for any age, check back here in our journal and for our upcoming Crayon Club book! Happy Love Day! ~Amor Milagre
Art is a wonderful way to express emotions, release, and dream. Art therapy is easy and free to try. Just pick up a crayon, pencil, paintbrush, and let go. See what amazing colours, shapes, and imagery you can explore. See how much better you feel by adding this relaxation technique into your regular routine. Unwind your mind and sleep well. We incorporate lots of healthy, therapeutic art & storytelling techniques in our original series of Classes & Clubs. Know yourself and love yourself.
There are so many people who would love a visit from a kind soul. (It’s best to visit only when you’re healthy. It’s the same for making cards to send to critically ill people. It’s always good to be mindful of the whole picture). Many nursing homes and hospitals have a space set up for colouring and crafts. Art has endless possibilities. It improves memory and has a calming effect. If more people lovingly and gently visited others, who maybe don’t have many visitors, these communities might get more funding, updated interiors, which may improve health conditions, and they would definitely benefit from something new to talk, sense, and think about. They would feel more loved and listened to. Everyone has many stories in their book of life, and so many people would love to share their life with others. This kind of sharing is so inspiring, even on a subconscious level, for some, if not immediately touching the heart on a very aware level.
Helping others in ways that you can help, while setting healthy boundaries for your own health, sets off a loving chain of events into the universe. Teaching children to help others is important in forming a well rounded perspective. (Always keep a good watch over your children, in general, even when helping out. Talk to them about their experiences and help them sort emotions. Prepare them with information and tell them to ask for help if needed. Moments can feel overwhelming, so communication is key.). If we help ourselves first with basic needs, when possible, we can help others much better. If everyone helped, even a little bit, then everyone would feel more loved. Many people are resting and ill, so when you visit, consideration and empathy are always good tools to bring with you.
Some Ideas for Care Centers: Better, more natural facilities, with views of nature would help everyone want to come and spend time there. Encouragement and appreciation for the caregivers, volunteers, employees, and visitors. Safer, more ergonomic ways of lifting and moving for patients and caregivers. (So many injuries happen when transferring a patient to a bed.) Non-toxic cleaners. Open flow with lots of space for wheel chairs and rolling beds. Great security, friendly employees, and a welcoming entryway that is family friendly. If elevators are outdated with yellow flickering lights that are scary, not only for children, add natural daylight light bulbs and freshen up the elevator walls with new paint, and clear directory signage for floor layout. Well designed, beautiful, cozy, comfortable, homey shared spaces, rooms, and nooks in between the bedrooms for everyone to sit peacefully, enjoying visits, reading, or movies. Restful rooms with windows and a respectfully healthy space for each person would encourage health to improve. Small rooms designed only for the bed- and wheelchair-bound encourages diminishing health and abilities. More natural light, better updated lighting, and an air circulation system for fresh air. In house: doctors, therapists, beauticians, cooks, holistic healers, and other helpful people would greatly improve the quality of daily life for patients, caregivers, visitors, and others. It’s important to ensure that the caregivers are up to date on their qualifications, not overworked or understaffed, and kind and gentle with the patients. Ideally, if everyone helped, donated, and made care centers a healthy place to live and work, they could be a lot more affordable and less stressful for everyone involved. Another idea is safe pathways to take a walk in gardens outside. Perhaps a garden room inside for people who would greatly benefit from ‘greenhouse’ air. Feeling close to nature is so calming and connects you to the world.
Local people could take turns setting up a time to come in and share their talents: Musicians can sing or play soft, sweet songs. Artists and crafters could come and sit and paint or knit, allowing everyone to see the process. If allowed, gardeners could donate a few window boxes and patients, gardeners, and school children could plant seeds together, watching them grow every day. Herbs have calming scents. Make an environment that hugs the senses, and there will be a waiting list of excited people to come share their gifts. Read a nice story. It would be especially nice for students who ‘need’ community service for their schooling requirements to do something they love in a beautiful place.
Everyone is a baby after all, and so many people are tucked away unseen. We encourage everyone to make a positive change in the care centers just down the street or on your block. (No need to travel far in order to help someone. Though there are so many people, especially children, who do need immense and immediate help all over the world, there are probably people who also need help right next door. It’s good to go through proper channels for even a day of volunteering, even if it’s as simple as an email, so you can be accounted for). You don’t have to donate monetary things, but you can sit and listen pleasantly. That would make all the difference in someone’s day. Give what you can. Give only one afternoon. Give an afternoon every week or month. Make a garden outside the windows. Celebrate holidays. Call or email ahead to ensure healthy security. Teachers or anyone who sees someone being hurt or sees signs of someone being hurt, don’t turn a blind eye, seek help for those people. It only takes one person to try to destroy someone’s life, and it only takes one person to try to help someone’s life. Be the helper. Seek help for yourself if you need it, and keep seeking until you find it. Sadly, many people whose job it is to help can add to the existing problems. Assess your comfort level, trust your instincts, and be careful.
If no one visits, then no one sees the positive changes that can be made. Let’s treat people like people, and not like storage boxes left in a room to collect dust and painfully deteriorate. There are so may opportunities to make people a priority. Just as we think there are many ways to set up beautiful activities for local families with children at a library or the town meeting hall, it is the same for people of all ages and abilities. You never know when you may fall on difficult circumstances and need a shelter, hospital, or care center. Making these places wonderful for those who need them now helps everyone in the future, too! If the food was fantastic and the places were lovely, then people would feel comfortable living there at any age, of any ability, and before they are not able to move or do anything. Design the spaces for everyone, and everyone will come. Design the spaces to have different ‘landmarks’ with colours, artwork, sections of gathering spaces so the patients are not wandering, lost in beige hallways, unable to find their bedroom. Visitors need to be able to navigate, too. This is especially important for sensitive people, like empaths, who often feel immensely overwhelmed in crowds (more than 1 person) or large housing facilities. Donations of books, homey things like lamps, bookcases, etc might be great tools for designers to play with and arrange when making these spaces. Local shops like grocery stores or art stores could donate supplies. Others could volunteer their time to help patients use the supplies.
How inspiring and fun would it be for the clean up crew to have a nightly gallery viewing of all the artwork made that day? (Using pin boards or magnets.)
There are so many children that need safe, healthy, positive, loving homes and family. There are so many people being abused that have nowhere safe to go and no one to help them. There are so many opportunities to help in positive ways. Everyone has beautiful gifts. Let your light shine! Help others so they can let their lights shine!
Join our Fun & Free Family Crayon Club! Silly, wiggly dancing hearts.
Parents: Colouring with your children is a great bonding practice. Ask them about their pictures, get to know their beautiful thoughts, and ease their concerns. Play is a good way to communicate and learn about one another. More information about these topics is in our Crayon Club books and upcoming books! Giving artwork to others is a great way for children to participate in helping their community. Write their age and date. Others will adore and marvel at their beautiful and smile-inspiring pictures.
Amor Milagre Stationery Collections are coming in 2019! We encourage expression. The insides of our cards are blank for our customers to express their love. A handmade card or note means so much more than just signing your name. Take a moment to share your love. It is unending and grows when you share it. Children of all ages, 0-1000, can make their own cards.
Giving Real Love Feels Good in the Soul ~Amor Milagre
Tools are everywhere. From your hands, feet, mind, heart, soul, expressions, and body to your hat, spoons, musical instruments, food, sun, moon, and pencils, everything is a tool to help us inspire positivity. Every room in our home stores our favourite tools. In the kitchen, a wooden spoon is always there, ready to use. Screwdrivers and hammers dot the basement as we finish a room. Paint brushes dry out by the sink, while lamps await our touch so they can shine their light for us. Notebooks excitedly lay and turn pages for new stories and friends to be invented. Hats shade our eyes, as we walk in the deer tracks in the snow, meditating in nature. What are your favourite tools?
In the kitchen: the wooden spoon, a sharp knife, fresh food, and a favourite pot. When you have favourites, you don’t need anything else. Everything in our home is our favourite. Minimal belongings help us to be organized, uncluttered, and serene. Old things are mended or sold, donated, or given as a gift to someone who sees it as their favourite.
Gravity is a great tool when paired with some great techniques. A twist in the hand, and you have fresh, ripe fruit. Wild ones eat fallen fruit, seeds, nuts, and plants. The wind spreads seeds everywhere as a wonderful transportation system/ride. Nature works together, and we try to have the things in our home work together with us, respecting nature. We make as much as we can by hand. This has been a goal of mine since birth. I always wanted to learn how to make everything.
Babies learn to use natural tools such as their voice, energy, and body. If we teach them gently, they will live, think, and love gently, too.
So many tools to help us do what we like. Umbrellas, for baby and me, take us on a tour of a world under water droplets and reflective light. When paired with natural rubber rain boots, a grand adventure is upon us. Saved and stored foods bide us time to cook with all year long. With our tools come the processes, and then the results, adapting to our ever changing tastes.
Scissors snip hair to keep healthy habits fresh. Sconces shine sweetly on a dimmer sweet on the eyes, not too often on cloudy days, as I paint starry skies and ocean waves.
Just like choosing fresh ingredients for baking and cooking, tools must fulfill their destined purpose, function, ergonomics, and feel good to use. A tool that gives you splinters needs the help of another tool to smooth it out, making it safe for your hands. This gentle mending can be applied to everything from relationships to learning new things. If you’re stuck, try something else. Light and shade, in balance, are healthy for the nervous system and for good rest, following Nature’s clock.
From paint brushes and chisels to pencils, we use a large number of tools every day. We take care of our tools so they work for us for a very long time. Then they can be passed on to work for others, too.
Colours colours everywhere! I use art and design as a tool to work with moods and emotions. I arrange artwork to create a feeling for each space. Wallpaper and bedding. Interiors & exteriors. Garden plant design. Children’s book nursery illustrations. Custom house paint colours. Mixing colours is a large part of what I do. These primary coloured watercolour paints were found on a trip to Hungary at one of the last remaining pigment mills that uses water power. Good craftsmanship for any tool lends ease of use. I only have to use a tiny bit of these colours to mix extraordinary hues. A knife that is sharp slices a tomato gently and nicely. It’s not crushed and the user is not strained. Take care of your tools so they take care of you. Ergonomics are important, especially for constant use. How is your body aligned when using your favourite tools?
To read more about our favourite tools and organization for a beautiful day, please check back for our upcoming lifestyle and design books. Our book collection is coming very soon. I source responsible paper and materials. All books are made to order and handmade with love and care by me. I sign each book and can write custom messages to your dear ones. More on this soon!
A little film about some of our favourite tools, Part 1.
Gather round the table and share freshly baked bread. Carve your initials or favourite symbol in the crust before dough becomes bread in the oven. Four simple ingredients and you have something beautiful. Hands to knead in love and positive energy. Hands to break and share. Smiles and homemade soups to dip into. Everything comes together eventually. You love and plan and work, and then it finally falls into place and dreams come true. Enjoy every moment! Building on these moments, we are grateful for what is here. ‘Awake’ is the state of Real Love. “Live in the Light!” ~Amor Milagre
Artisan Crusty Round, An Everyday Basic Bread
A relaxing, soul soothing exercise. Try this recipe. Tell us if you like it. Apply this simple recipe example to everything. All you need is love to simplify. Everything in balance and close to nature. Eat this with a hearty homemade vegetable soup for a lovely meal. This basic bread recipe lends itself wonderfully to variation. Add seeds, nuts, dried/fresh fruit/vegetables/herbs/spices. Have fun!
Real bread, no sugar, we only eat little bits here and there, because bread breaks down into glucose/sugar. Wonderful fresh organic plants. A garden to grow with us.
4 Cups of your favourite flour. We used what we had: 2.5 C organic whole wheat pastry flour and 1.5 C Organic Whole Wheat Einkorn Flour (Which is a beautiful light ancient grain which we’re looking into for our garden. I’ll post an einkorn flour cracker recipe shortly. They’re light and delicious!)
2 C hot water
1.5 tsp salt
1 organic baker’s instant dry yeast packet (.25 oz. or 2.25 tsp)
Mix the ingredients together and knead with floured hands. Divide into two rounds, sprinkle with a little flour, and place on a baking sheet with a damp cloth over top. Let rest to rise for 1 hour. Score the surface. Bake at 450 degrees for 22 minutes. Let rest 10-20 minutes on a wire rack, then enjoy this simple pleasure. Store in a paper bag.
Some Simple Things I love: Fresh laundry that fits well, a bath under the stars, blank paper and a pencil, music, and knowing-choosing-making what we’re eating.
A sweet vegan family recipe that warms the winter chills, after playing in the snow. Spiced roasted butternut squash scents the kitchen as we rinse and marvel at these beautiful seeds of an ivory ceramic like finish in the center with rustic golden edging. So gorgeous to see, feel, smell, taste, and hear them. Little hands learn how to grow food and what it looks like at all stages. The amazing lesson of recycling and rebirth of positive energy can be applied to a lifetime of purely good health. By saving seeds while cooking, we’re creating a cyclical sustainable garden seed library to use, plant later, and cook even more! One seed grows one plant, which produces many vegetables, and each one has many seeds…and it goes on and on…
Slice a butternut squash evenly and place in a baking dish, removing seeds as you go, setting them in a strainer to rinse later. Sprinkle over a little salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add a 1/8″ bed of water. This helps them steam and roast so they’re soft on the inside and crispy on top. Roast in the oven at 350-375 until the squash is soft and the spiced tops are golden brown. These ones took about 30-40 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy! This is also a wonderful soup when blended with some water or vegetable broth.
Remove seeds from the butternut squash and continue to prepare and roast the squash. Prepare the seeds as it roasts in the oven, to save for planting later. We also dry rosemary stems in a bowl, cooking with them when fresh, and also when dry. Both ways are great for different kinds of dishes and baked goods like rosemary bread. Rosemary is a lovely, natural salt substitute, and tastes and smells beautiful.
Butternut Squash Health Benefits: Vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, manganese, and potassium!
This is a favourite here for baby & me, just like sweet potato, banana, and other healthy & scrumptious options! I include children in the cooking, and they love the beautiful colours, natural shapes, and stories that each one tells.
Save your Seeds as you prepare meals. Store and label with the date and name. Plant later in your garden! There is a bounty of seeds in each fresh fruit or vegetable, save the seeds by rinsing, and let dry on a plate, store in a cool, dark, dry place until planting time!
The magic of a first snowman inspires some heartwarming meals for the whole family. We pick our sage leaves in honour of our upcoming children’s book series. We cook up a weekly soup that is delicious and nutrient packed, so that we have more energy to create new families of characters. We rest and plan out new gardens for our organic edible plant farm. Straw hats peek from behind snowy windows, searching for La Primavera, when new adventures will chase them in the freshly flower-scented breeze. Sweet new songs lift upon new notes as thought of in that moment. Imagery elegantly scrolls out, awaiting new readers in patient anticipation. Every day is a chance to breathe back into being purely you!
Black Turtle Bean Vegetable Soup
A beautiful blending of colours, textures, sounds, scents, peaceful organic growing origins, and flavours makes this dish a happy experience for people like me, with multiple synesthesias. A wonderful weekly soup for the whole family.
Soak garbanzo and black turtle beans in a large pot of water overnight. The next day, add in (washed and chopped up): potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, radishes and leaves, celery, turnips, a few tsp of local sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Add a lid and cook until all are tender. Eat as is or blend for a soup or a dip. Enjoy this naturally flavourful dish! (You can also use rosemary as a salt substitute.)
In a 350-375 degree oven, roast a dish of cut potatoes/whole baby potatoes, diced garlic, sage leaves, a pinch of local sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, freshly ground pepper, and your most natural, local, and fresh oil. (You can also use rosemary as a salt substitute.) Toss gently to coat and mix ingredients all together. Cook until tender and crisp, about 35-45 minutes.
(I’m working on a new recipe, to share with you, to replace the use of processed (olive) oil. I want to find a fresh, daily way to use my own fresh vegetables to cook with as a coating/binding ingredient. We mostly just use water to steam, but for some things like this, we’re looking to crisp. Any (organic, vegan) ideas, leave us a comment on this post or here. I think it will end up being a puree of our weekly soup or herbs. Oils are expensive, not local, require recycling of the bottles, and are not very healthy sometimes, too. I’m hoping to come up with some great alternatives that are easy and found in our own garden.)
Designer Style Tip: Extend the seasons! Wear your summer dresses with sweaters, cozy knit tights, and tall OTK boots for a fresh, delicate, winter snowflake mood.
Balsamic Green Beans
Aged balsamic vinegar, from Modena or the Emilia region in Italy, sweetens these greens in a savory light dressing. Soak up any extra on the plate with freshly baked bread or better yet more veggies. A simple, yet fully satisfying, recipe passed on from the Italian women I originate from. These were always a side dish on the table, and never were there any leftovers. It’s the same here. So scrumptious!
In a large pan, with a little water and a lid, very lightly steam up some garden fresh green beans with a tiny bit of salt or rosemary and freshly ground pepper. This takes only a few minutes. Plate and dot lightly with balsamic. Sprinkle over some toasted nuts and seeds, too, if you like! Enjoy warm or later at room temperature.
We see faces on houses, in the trees, and on our plates! Little, sliced up, rolled up hummus wraps are great for little ones. Green beans are always a treasure to find and crunch on as we stroll the gardens.
Winter Tree
A tree for every season! By removing our holiday ornaments, and leaving the felt woodland animals on the branches, we have our 2018 Winter Tree! When winter melts into Spring, we’ll change it again. How fun for little ones to adorn their very own tree, with ornaments that double as toys with very lovely names, reflecting the native trees and animals that live in the surrounding woods. What animals and trees are native to your area? Explore our children’s books to see illustrated book characters inspired by our neck of the woods, and yours, too. Watch our new ‘Winter Tree’ film, above, and hear my new original musical score to inspire your bright winter days. “Love all you do, and do all you Love!” ~Amor Milagre
We pair this fun tradition with homeschool classes about the animals we see in the garden and around the world. We do activities to learn about one animal a day. We use library books, drawing, crafts, stories, songs, role play, seeing animals in nature, listening to the audio from a video, nature recordings, or audiobooks, (or a very brief viewing of an educational video for older children, as screens as very harmful for humans, especially for early development, empaths, and highly sensitive people.) Learn more about our animal day class in our upcoming children’s books.Follow and listen along with our animal of the day, here on our Amor Milagre youtube channel.
Once upon a time, in a snow dusted home called Dove Cottage, a family connected at teatime. They shared delicious delights and took small, little bites, telling stories in between each serving. Sipping warm licorice tea and cozy hot cacao cinnamon carob drinks, they snuggled and gazed up at the fluffy, falling snow. They couldn’t get enough fresh salad greens, and grew them on the windowsill. Playing teatime with dolls and woodland animals is fun, but the real thing is even better. Here are a few of the teatime meals and snacks from the past few months. Hope you have a lovely week, Dear Ones. ~Amor
All of our food is made of non-GMO, organic, fresh, vegan ingredients.
Something sweet: Little crispy phyllo dough pies and tarts, filled with anything you please. Here are cinnamon apple, shallot spinach mushroom, hazelnut cacao, raspberry, and apricot.
Adding in some nuts, seeds, and bread and butter chip pickles enriches a lovely little salad wrap.
Growing herbs near the windows allows us to expand our savory and sweet cooking options. Roasted sage potato and sweet potato fries dipped into dill mustard is our weekly must have, along with beet/parsnip/turnip/carrot fries, too. Dip, dip, dip! So many mustards to try. One day, in the garden, I’d like to grow our own mustard seeds. Amor Milagre Home of Love Logo Artwork prints are now available in our SHOP.
Each week inspires a new twist on our basic recipes. This little lemon cake is refreshing, along with all of the white cloaked trees in our windows. (I used lemon juice and zest. Works well with oranges, too!) A warm treat after a snowy garden walk is comforting and fun for all ages. Raisins, dried cranberries, cauliflower, celery, and cucumber taste amazing mixed with various lettuce greens and light dressings. Oranges, on the side or in the salad, are sweet and juicy. Fruit is our regular dessert.
Colourful, bright yellow peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli make a great snack. Little ones love the interest of colourful foods and creative arrangements and designs. Garbanzo and cannellini beans are added to almost every kind of meal. They’re great on their own with fresh herbs, cooked al dente from dried beans, added to salads and soups, and smashed with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Ginger lends our vegetable soups a beautiful aroma, taste, and a healthy boost that is calming for the whole body, senses, especially the stomach and throat. As any parent or caregiver knows, for little ones to learn all the amazing things each day, it takes a lot of gentle communication and repetitive explanations. Making a ginger root tea is easy and, I find, immediately beneficial. For non-verbal communicators, ginger tea is still very calming, along with an arm massage and a soothing pampering of the hands. Our weekly soup style varies, but a go-to is carrot, onion, ginger, potato, garlic, celery, and anything else we have like parsnips, turnips, and shallots. Having a little soup a day is a nutritious habit.
Avocado, pear, cranberry is one of our favourite and very healthy snacks. Thanks to Mother Nature, for her clever food packaging, it’s easy for our senses to tell when food is ready and ripe. Avocados are soft, bananas brown, and pears spot. Little ones like picking out their own selection each day, sensing for ripeness, and learning about what kind of plants each grow on.
Broccoli, lightly steamed or raw, is a lovely, sweet, and healthy snack. I’ll be posting info and a little film about our Winter Tree very soon.
We write new ideas for everything, especially for new books, as we eat our meals. Our handy notebook and pencil is always on the table next to the plates. Just a few weeks of watering, and our lettuce seeds have grown beautifully. We opened a holiday gift and found seeds and a pretty dish. We got started right away, and soon we can enjoy these in a salad. Salad wraps are our fun, occasional snack.
We encourage the exploration of the imagination here and in our shop. Our upcoming books are imagination helpers to inspire new connections and good health for our readers.
Cashew butter and banana seed toast is delicious and filling before resting time. Apricot and raspberry (sugar-free) fruit spreads are a good accompaniment for nut butters, too! Goji berries are fun toppers!
Sautee up some shallot, garlic, salt & pepper, a tiny splash of Marsala wine, and mushrooms in olive oil for a scrumptious pasta sauce. Roasted peppered sweet potatoes and dill mustard are a bi-weekly treat. Roast sliced vegetables on a baking sheet at 350 or 375 degrees until crispy and tender. Turn if you like during roasting time.
Playgrounds look so different covered in snow. Shadows become dramatic, and new kinds of adventures, like skating on top of icy snow as you swing, become new muscle memories.
Warming up some unsweetened coconut milk with cinnamon fills the home with comfort. Add cacao and/or carob powder, and whisk until heated and smooth. For children, we use just carob. If you want to sweeten your drink, add a little natural fruit, like a sugar-free fruit spread such as apricot or cherry.
Cinnamon equals love in my food memory. I add cinnamon to most things. It’s healthy and enriches natural flavours. This week we’re painting our atelier/office/schoolroom. Stay tuned for the interior design reveal!
Soft, fluffy, organic toys rest, as we sit and laugh, enjoying teatime together. Creating traditions and designing your routine to suit you are the themes of our new, upcoming book, and are woven throughout amormilagre.com . Happy winter days! We hope you enjoy your new year, designed purely for you!
