Pop and Thistle

Author's posts

Easy Sugar Cookie Cut-outs

Bake classic sugar cookies for your cookie swap A favourite holiday activity for many of us is baking, but between gift shopping and get-togethers, it’s hard to find the time. In fact, a recent survey by Becel found that one in two Canadians want to bake more during the holidays, and 77 percent would spontaneously …

Continue reading

Giving Thanks: 10 Quotes on Gratitude

Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. -Mark Twain Find the good and praise it. -Alex Haley If the only prayer you say in your life is thank you, that would suffice. -Meister Eckhart Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot. -The Hausa of …

Continue reading

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Pecans

With the holidays fast approaching it’s time to enjoy some of the season’s tastiest foods. Small twists can turn a traditional dish into a holiday classic. The good news is it’s simple to add a fresh twist to holiday favorites with easy additions like Fisher Nuts. Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, an Iron Chef and expert on …

Continue reading

Practice Makes Perfect: A Dress Rehearsal for Your Turkey

The holidays are approaching and before you know it, you’ll be thinking about that daunting task of cooking a turkey. This holiday season, make sure your bird impresses all the guests and relatives by conducting a dress rehearsal for your turkey. More than 88 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, according to a National …

Continue reading

Did you know backyard chickens love music and games?

If you have backyard chickens, you understand that your feathered friends provide more than just a steady supply of fresh eggs. Backyard chickens become part of your family and giving them the best helps them to thrive. From nutritious food to enrichment activities like music and games, there’s a lot you can do to make …

Continue reading

5 Ways To Celebrate and Support Honey Bees

Did you know honey bees are responsible for over 35% of the foods you eat, as well as the honey you enjoy? Honey bees are vital to the health of the planet and to the food chain, as they are necessary for pollinating more than 90 food crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts — plus …

Continue reading

Pet Profile: The Keen Bull Terrier

The Bull Terrier is a good dog that has developed a bad reputation. This dog was created to fight and when a Bull Terrier is mistreated, it can be made into a dog that is quite aggressive, even vicious. With proper care and training, a Bull Terrier puppy can grow up to be a sweet …

Continue reading

Shinto by Jorge Luis Borges

Shinto When sorrow lays us lowfor a second we are savedby humble windfallsof the mindfulness or memory:the taste of a fruit, the taste of water,that face given back to us by a dream,the first jasmine of November,the endless yearning of the compass,a book we thought was lost,the throb of a hexameter,the slight key that opens …

Continue reading

Halloween: Pagan Holiday or All in Fun?

Pagan Holiday or All in Fun?Halloween has Something for Everyone Trick or treat, kids and adults dressed up in costume, candy apples and haunted houses, today’s Halloween is not quite the same as Halloween of olden times. It wasn’t always as fun or as innocent as it is today. Halloween traces its origins back to …

Continue reading

Make a Pumpkin Seed Garden Graveyard

Inspire the kids to do some fall indoor gardening with these pumpkin seed graveyards! They’re fun and simple to make, and when Halloween is over, top them with another layer of soil and water them to see if you can start some indoor pumpkins. Materials Pumpkin seeds Markers Planter or cup filled with soil Instructions …

Continue reading