Making memories.
This recipe requires cooked barley. I like to cook a bigger pot of barley and keep it in the fridge when I’m feeling too lazy to cook. I love a simple Latvian kitchen that includes onions, salt & pepper. Ilze
HELP: What is the name of this dish?! Yesterday I shared a post about barley, that is wonderful for your health and is locally grown and cheap. I like this option when I’m feeling empty of ideas what to cook or too lazy to cook something that looks like in the restaurant! Barley is the … More Barley with Ham and Sour Cream
From Wikipedia: Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago] Barley has been used as animal fodder, as a source of fermentable material for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods. It is used in … More Barley
I got this idea since I started the DIY: Kitchen unit project. IDEA: Make kitchen lamp shade from spoons or other kitchen related items. After spending hours by generating ideas in my head I quit doing that. Drive to the shop and check the prices of spoons. And I mean really cheap spoons – Made … More Spoon lamp idea!
It’s been raining here in Latvia. I feel how changes our routine… time spend outside now is spend inside. Walks get shorted and fewer. I don’t like it! We all need to go outside and have a walk to be awake and in movement! Movement is life, health, and happiness. Life without movement stagnates and declines. It’s hard to … More Rainy days – walk
This post is a bit different! Please watch the video! Listen to yourself! This video is from today (Monday). Thank you, Ilze
Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. Benefits: Is packed with antioxidants Boosts metabolism and burns calories Detoxifies effectively and naturally Calms the mind and relaxes the body Is rich in fiber, chlorophyll, and vitamins Enhances mood and aids in concentration Provides vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc and magnesium … More Matcha
I can’t believe it’s already more than a month since I last use my tools and worked on myDIY kitchen unit project! It feels like I didn’t do it. And if I did, I don’t know how I did it! I’m surprised. Every day looking at it! It’s time to move on! The cooktop is … More Kitchen
Cake in just 20 minutes and without cooking!? Have you ever head of Anthill cake? No!? Probably you have another name for this cake or if you really ever heard of it, it time to try it! It easy and it’s delicious! Also, add whatever you like – nuts, raisins, natural jelly candy, etc. Here in Latvia, … More Anthill / Dulce de Leche cake
Originally posted on Estonian Cuisine. Eesti Toit.:
Kurzeme Stroganoff With this food I will make a great tribute to our good neighbors Latvians. But this is a very good dish and I am from South-Estonia, what is almost Latvia:), so let it be in Estonian blog. Kurzeme Stroganoff Read more about Latvia on Ilze blog…
I don’t like full moon. OK. I don’t like full moon in the autumn. … especially when it’s raining outside and the moon is hiding behind dark clouds…. … and when I’m the only one grownup in the house! And last night all THAT came together! I was home alone with Helmī, outside was raining, dark clouds … More Full Moon
I love this super simple dinner. It comforts me! My mom uses to make this. I come from broken and poor family. Money always was a problem – cheap dinner options were welcomed. I won’t be surprised if you never ate something like this. But I love this simple food. It warms my heart and put … More Comfort food: Mashed Potatoes with Smoked Sausage Gravy
Originally posted on Grumpytyke:
My Latvian blogger friend, Ilze, who I mentioned yesterday, said in answer to a comment I made on her blog that she was surprised by how much she had learned in a year of blogging. Not only can I say the same, though with me it’s just over five years, it…
I was outside with my camera and when I came inside, I was surprised! I found Nelle (5-year-old) in the kitchen with the bowl and handheld shredder! I asked Janis – what is going on!? And he answered that Nelle is making a salad! Her first salad ever! She never wanted to be in the kitchen. Well, … More Nelle’s in the kitchen!
If you follow me you might recall that I bought an old/vintage candle chandelier! We hung it in the kitchen/dining! Hurray! We already had dinner in the candlelight! It is as I wanted! Realy! Beautiful, romantic, rustic, useful and heartwarming! It’s pity I can’t find the right angle for the picture to show all the … More Vintage Candle Chandelier
Finally! I can proudly say – I have big enough mixing bowl. Big enough for our family! This is Mason Cash bowl I’ve been wanted for ages… 2 or 3 years :). First I saw red mixing bowl by Mason Cash with heart and I fell in love… so deeply and madly that I turn … More Mixing bowl
I know October isn’t all about sneezes and colds! But I wrote my ever first poem…forgive me! October will be beautiful! I know! 1st of October You came in fast! I wasn’t prepared And I’m a bit scared! You come with sneezes, With coughs and colds. Unwanted layers. Socks all day long. Beautiful, October … More 1st of October
Did you know that cauliflower is much delicious in season and grown locally and organically? Yes, it is! I love cauliflowers only when they are in season. If they are imported from Poland or Spain they have a sharp and bitter taste. Not all in this family love cauliflower. I need to think about kids proof … More Cheesy Cauliflower Egg Bake
This year’s one of the biggest discoveries: Delicious Milk-Cap can be eaten right away after picking, don’t need to be preboiled and soak in water for few days! Nice! I was a bit afraid to taste it at first cause my family never ate Delicious Milk-cap fried. In our family, only mushrooms from the forest for … More Fried Delicious Milk-Cap
Woolly Milk-Cap (Lactarius torminosus ) First of all, it was very interesting to hear the opinion from a fellow blogger (from another country) of being crazy eating woolly milk-cap f. I didn’t know it is poisonous! I need to google to believe it! And this is what I found in Wikipedia: The intensely peppery taste of … More Delicious Milk-Cap / Woolly Milk-Cap
Finally, I bought the reusable coffee cup/mug or whatever it’s in English!! I had stainless steel bottles for water. Fill up and never buy bottled water again. I thought we don’t need a reusable cup for coffee cause we are drinking our coffee at home and don’t take the coffee with us. BUT! I don’t know … More Reusable cup
I was screaming loudly and running like crazy when I saw this candle chandelier in one of my favorite shop of used/vintage things from Germany! Yes, from Germany! I don’t know why actually I have an idea, but a lot of used and vintage shops getting their stuff from Germany! I love buying pre-loved stuff, … More Candle Chandelier
Do you remember this picture from the post a few days ago?! I love it! In that Sunday we had walked in the forest to charge our batteries and I forgot to share more of those lovely pictures. So, here you go! Helmī and Linna were sleeping in the car while Janis was working beside the … More Forest walk
After googling I should call this cake Russian Honey Cake. Well… Let it be! Russian Honey Cake is one of my favorite cakes to make! It’s delicious, paper-thin layers with easy cream filling and the best part – you can bake it few days before assemble and assemble the day before the occasion. Also, the cream (a.k. frosting … More Delicious Honey Cake
Sorry to those who waited for the honey cake recipe from Helmī birthday! This is better than honey cake! “What’s that!?!” with the surprised face I asked Janis… “Bicycle!” “That I understand, but why it’s there!? Where did you get it and why we need another bicycle!?… Tricycle? Or whatever that is!?” “That is used … More Not the Honey cake, Honey!
Saturday morning I made few cake toppers to add to the flower pots I use for decoration. Also, I printed out few coloring pages, Max & Ruby stickers on plain paper to use for party hats that also I finished Saturday morning. Everyone can color a page or make a party hat or mask of … More Max & Ruby inspired party: Part III
After spending a day to make Max & Ruby inspired birthday garland it was time to start with all the food preparation. I made Uzbek Plov (haven’t made it for 8 years!), Rasols, Crab & Rice salad and bake all the layers for Honey cake. I was busy while my mom helped with dishwashing and … More Max & Ruby inspired party: Part II
Max & Ruby share just about everything. These two bunnies go through life together and share love, friendship, and playtime. As usual, I started with the theme and date for the party and then made the guest list. After I had the guest list, I made the invitations and send them out. Then I start … More Max & Ruby inspired party: Part I
Sunday, a day after celebrating my girls 2nd birthday party, I felt tired and empty. We went to the forest to charge our batteries and at the end of the day, I was ready to welcome Monday and start “working” on my blog posts about Helmī birthday and wild mushrooms. Mother Nature is beautiful! Monday … More I’m happy to be back!
I challenged myself to name the words starting with a certain number and then take a picture and share on the blog. You can read about it here. I use Online random letter generator and the first random letter was K. Words starting with letter K (in Latvian) Kaķis – Cat Koki – Trees Krupis – Natterjack toad Kāzas -Wedding … More Word Challenge: K
Today we are celebrating Helmī 2nd birthday. I already made Uzbek Plov, 2 cakes that look like Max & Ruby made in one episode. There still so much to do! I’ll be back to blogging soon and will post how the birthday went! Ilze
I enjoy living in the countryside. Yet we don’t have serious gardens or greenhouses or animals…. Even chickens! But still, we manage to eat good food! And by good food, I mean local food! And “very” local 20 kilometers around us! We are buying everyday food like cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, … More Happy Chickens & Happy Kids
As you know my daughters birthday party is coming up. I decide to make an easy printable Max & Ruby Garland while two of three were in the kindergarten. Why Max & Ruby? It’s this birthday’s theme. Helmī really loves Max & Ruby series. And we are watching them in English, cause there is no … More Max & Ruby Inspired Birthday Garland
Today is Helmī Saule’s 2nd birthday! I can’t believe it! Oh, well I can believe it but still… 2 years! That’s serious! She’s not a baby anymore! She’s a girl! GIRL! This Monday she had her first one hour visit to the kindergarten. We had to play peek a boo to get her dressed. I had … More My Birthday Girl!!!!
These paper pumpkins are easy to make and sure looks cute. I made these as a gift wrapping for the “Little Pumpkin party” a.k. “David’s first birthday”. If you have bigger present than a t-shirt for 1yo, you will need bigger size paper. If smaller or few small presents, pack them in a cello bag … More DIY: Easy Paper Pumpkins
I can’t resist foraging for mushrooms this year! Especially when there are a lot of mushrooms everywhere. I don’t like forage for mushrooms in big/unknown forests alone. But this year to get wild mushrooms you don’t have to drive to the forest. I can forage mushrooms near home. Only 10-minute walk from my home! How can you resist … More Woolly Milk-cap
We receive an invitation to our sibling’s cousins 1st Birthday! They have only one cousin and that’s from Janis side. His name is David and it’s Janis sister’s first child. They were celebrating the 1st week and 1st month and 6 months and so on and now it’s finally a first-year celebration. We were welcomed … More Cousins 1st Birthday
As I told before I have to quit woodworking and start thinking about Helmī 2nd birthday. Also, I already had “theme” for the birthday. It’s “Max & Ruby”! Lovely! This is what I came up with! Simple “Max & Ruby” inspired birthday invitation. It says: “Helmī loves Max & Ruby, come and get acquainted! Saturday … More Max & Ruby Inspired Birthday Invitation
Helmī 2nd birthday is coming soon! Helmī was born on 13th of September. I remember that short night! Only 2 hours and she were on my arms. She will be two years old soon! Two! Time flys, indeed! I remember her first birthday, we were celebrating 2 days. On the 13th and 17th of September. That was … More Helmī 2nd birthday is coming
As you know I love to go foraging for mushrooms and also you know that this year mushrooms are all over the place. Or at least where we live :). What’s my favorite wild mushrooms? These! – Suillus luteus (Slipery Jack) – Leccinum aurantiacum – Boletus reticulatus Schaeff. (Summer Bolete) – Leccinum variicolor Watling – Lactarius torminosus (Woolly Milk-cap) – Lactarius pubescens … More My favorite wild mushrooms
This is funny! I don’t know if you know how to pick mushrooms but I do! And I love those rainy days that brings mushrooms here in Latvian forests. Latvia have forests and forest this year have mushrooms. How do I know? Simply! Mushrooms like boletus type are at the same place every 3 years. … More How to pick mushrooms
Sink and dishwasher section. What can I say…. It’s something that still isn’t finished and won’t be until I didn’t make next section and decide where I’ll store pots and pans and strainers. Where I’ll put dishes and how to hide gas cylinder for the cooktop. That’s ok. Baby steps! The mornings are so cold … More DIY: Sink & Dishwasher section
The kitchen is very important to me. I love to cook and bake and I love to drink tea in the kitchens arm chair. I made a decision to finish the kitchen. I didn’t have kitchen units, walls weren’t painted and I didn’t feel like home. And you probably know that this house doesn’t belong to … More Sunny Walk
The first day of school in Latvia was on 1st of September and it was Friday! Also, kids in kindergarten have a small celebration and some fun activities. My girls asked for flowers for teachers and I made few flower bouquets out of flowers we had in the garden. Like marigolds, mugwort, and asparagus. Who knew … More First day of school in Latvia
And YES! It’s final – I decide to finish my baking corner (and the rest of kitchen units I’m working on right now) with oil! Oil finish… As you know I already move into my brand new baking corner (I actually never had one before). And now it’s time to get everything out and get the … More All covered in oil
Remember that kitchen sink, that came from manufacturers warehouse without a hole for tap? Guess what! We found the “hole maker” and now it’s ready to be installed in the place… BUT. There is one BUT. We lost the manual and there are lots of different pipes we need to connect. I made that “art … More That Kitchen Sink
One of my summer time favorite light and delicious lunch in 15 minutes (including those few minutes, I spend running to the garden to get zucchinis). One thing you should know about zucchini is that they keep cooking after you take them off the pan. Make sure you take the zucchini off the pan before you … More Pan Fried Zucchini Slices
We have new Stainless steel kitchen sink. That’s good, but since it’s possible to choose the side of the bigger sink to be located you have to tell where to put the hole for the tap when order. We decided to put the bigger sink on the right and table and smaller sink on the left … More Problem with Kitchen Sink
And… the sun is shining and the weather is sweet again.. and I’m continuing with my kitchen unit making! I made the first part which was the baking corner. It turned out beautiful and is exactly what I need! I’m still can’t decide whether it will be covered in oil or other finish… So… Now … More DIY: Second section (Sink & Dishwasher)
That was unexpected. Viola from Berlin visited us on Sunday! My girls were happy and so was I. I knew that she flew to Latvia on Friday night but I wasn’t sure if she finds time to visit us, she was there for a cousins wedding. The bride is Janis cousin too, but we weren’t … More Nelles beloved Godmother Viola
I challenged myself to name the words starting with a certain number and then take a picture and share on the blog. You can read about it here. So this is the first blog post in that challenge. I use Online random letter generator and the first random letter was V. According to my challenge, I started to … More Word Challenge: V
Imagine that: Night. Dark and cloudy night. You are driving a car on one of the Latvia’s main roads that are not lit. There’s nothing around, just forests and meadows. You need to turn left on the smaller road that leads to our house. It’s not lit and it’s gravel road. You slow down and make … More Silly Owl!
Kombucha. If you never heard of such thing – Kombucha can be described as ‘fermented tea’. Since the first time I’ve tasted kombucha I was interested to brew my own kombucha at home. Main reason – to know what’s inside and to make my own different flavors. In order to make kombucha, you’ll need a kombucha mother, … More Kombucha
I’m so happy I’m gonna cry! I HAVE THE BAKING CORNER! And the best part – I made it! I made it from boards – few new and few old, few planed and few unplaned covered in splinters. I did it and I’m proud! Indeed! I can’t express my satisfaction! I had an old shelf and … More DIY: Baking Corner
We have an old shelf (like really old – almost 60 years) that was used for storing grocery jars like flour, rice, sugar, etc. Now it’s time to clean it, sand it and finish with flax oil. I can’t imagine such an old shelf always being natural to finish with lacquer. Before: It’s time for … More Old Shelf – New Life!
I decided to divide all the DIY kitchen unit project into smaller units. There will be a baking corner, sink & dishwasher section, cooktop & oven section and all for dining section. First will be the baking corner. I needed extra mixing & product storage space. I already know that I will love it! I … More First part: Baking corner
I spent the whole day cutting the boards I got a few days ago. Why? I’m the ambitious young mom of 3 and I want to make my own kitchen units out of real wood. I know it’s something crazy, cause wood doesn’t like water. But. I already made a blueprint 🙂 I’m not aiming … More Kitchen units in making
We can be whatever we want. We can do anything. Anything we love! Now it feels like I’m into woodworking. And why not!? Yesterday felt like a birthday! I got new tools – little helpers, that helps a lot. Makita cordless impact driver and drill! It’s time to finish what I’ve started before we went for … More New little helpers: Drill & Impact Driver
This is one of those beautiful places in Latvia, you never knew before. I was surprised when my brother offered to drive to Purezers lake and have a walk around it. I didn’t know such place nor such lake. But some say it’s worth visit. So, we all packed into a brothers car. His car has … More Walking around the Purezers
We are still in Salacgriva. Parked near my brother’s summer house. Janis left us (girls and caravan) here and go to Riga for usual “work from office” day. He is working from home but few days in a month he drives to the Riga to work in the office. We were just girls at home … More Girls only
We had a walk in the Randu pļavas few days ago. I loved it! You can find the location of Randu pļavas here. Now it’ time for you to see the view from the bird tower. It’s the shore of the Gulf of Riga. It looks like a coast of lake, not sea! Birds paradise! … More View from the bird tower
About a year ago I made letter learning pages for my girls. It was hard for me to find the words (only nouns) with a certain letter. For example. Letter A – apple..?? mmm… !? ant…!!?? OK, let’s try S… snake! snow! sun! Am I good?! NO! I needed 5 minutes to get those 3 … More Words starting with certain letter
Yesterday we were celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. We left our three girls to my mom for an hour and a half and had a walk in the Nature reserve Randu pļava. The Randu pļava is a nature reserve covering the area of Vidzeme seaside from Ainazi till Kuivizi. The 200 ha area is home to approximately 600 Latvian … More Randu pļavas
Today we are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary! Ilze
So.We were in Permaculture festival and it was so hot that we can’t stand the heat and also got worried about the health of our children. Spending whole day in the sun and heat isn’t good for Northen people/children. We decide to visit my brother & co in my home town Salacgriva. We left … More Heavy Rain and Playground
It’s hot here in Permaculture Festival! It’s +31 degree Celsius! I don’t want to build walipini or rocket stove. I spent time with my girls at kids tent…. and attended lecture about compost. We painted with all natural colors like curry, blackberries, peppermint, beetroot juice and much more… Ilze
Today we are driving to Permaculture Festival. It’s 4th Permaculture festival this year but I never heard of it before. What is permaculture festival? It is a great event where people meet with smiles, trade knowledge and ideas about how to live in beat with nature. Will see. I’m interested in soil regeneration and compost building and Janis … More Permaculture Festival…
As you know my latest passion is woodworking. I’m getting slowly into a new thing mainly because I have to care about kids and house and garden and… anything else. But in those free moments in between (Jodi, I thought about you!) I do what I’m excited about… And this time it’s woodworking! I got my … More Boards!
My little girl Helmī. She is a bundle of joy and the only kid I didn’t have to worry about. She grew up by herself – I didn’t have to sit near her and entertain her like I had to do with Nelle and Linna. She ate well and grow strong. Maybe that was because … More Daddy’s little helper: Helmī
Cauliflower rice. It’s easy and tasty. Easy! Tasty! And even kids love this recipe! Well, what else you need? Healthy? Yes, it’s a cauliflower! Recipe of easy & tasty & kids friendly & healthy and quick cauliflower rice is below. I hope you will find the place for this recipe in your kitchen too. Since … More Cauliflower Rice with Pork Mince
I never thought I could tell the Moon phase by watching my kids! And I mean that FULL MOON phase when kids don’t want to go to bed and jumping around till 1 am! And, YES! I’m informed about those reserches that show that the moon doesn’t affect the behavior of children the way we thought … More Moody Moon
Sunset. Clouds and the sun. Walk. Time together. Love. Ilze
Traditional Latvian kitchen isn’t complete without caraway seeds. Rainy summer day. I and my granny are sitting in the old firewood shed. We are sitting on the table cloth. In front of us is a big pile of dried caraway plant whisk. We are taking them one by one into our hands. Rub the umbel … More Caraway seeds and my granny
How to prepare dill for winter? My favorite way is to freeze them. I don’t know why, but I don’t like the taste of dried dills. It’s completely something different. To freeze the dill you need only a few minutes! I’m buying bulk from organic farmers and they usually are clean. If choose to wash: leave … More How to Store Dill for winter
Blueberries! I love them! We are eating them every day since the first ones showed up. Most popular recipes in our house right now are: Blueberry dessert with quark cream; Wide Blueberry & Spinach Smoothie We are eating blueberries fresh to get most of them but this time it’s time for tea and muffins! Girls … More Blueberry & Lemon muffins
I wanted to clean the porch but it ended as a rescue mission for animals. First, I have to admit, that I wanted to through away few things like old pillows, sweaters and recliner chair month ago … or even more!? Long story short. Waste collector comes only once a month, so I stored all … More Porch: Bird and the Mice family
Last 2 days in July were promising. Maybe the summer will come and the sun will be with us in August! Some how I remember how all the summer dresses and T-shirts had a discount on August! And it was bargain cause real summer (for 2-3 weeks) here in Latvia always started at August! This year … More Goodbye July and Hello August!
A small trip that made us smile. Made us happier, healthier and calmer. All cats need love – even old ones! A Lovely sunset at the end and all without crying went to bad. Summer, I love you! Ilze
It’s blueberry season here in Latvia and we’ve been eating loads of wild blueberries! We add blueberries to smoothies or eat them with quark/ricotta and whipped cream. Since it’s Sunday and we have visitors it’s time for cobbler. Perfect, easy to make and delicious wild blueberry cobbler. Recipe below. Ilze
I remember my first time drinking green tea with jasmine. It was terrible and I needed some time to try it again but after that, I was completely in love with jasmine. I don’t know if jasmine that grows here in Latvia has all those benefits that Chines jasmine does but this is the only tea … More Jasmine tea
“Cordial means a concentrated non-alcoholic fruit syrup that is diluted to taste and consumed as a non-carbonated soft drink.” I love the sweet sweet smell of meadowsweet. In our family, the Meadowsweet was collected for tea only. I made cordial few days ago and it’s all gone! So I have to make more for the winter. Cordial … More Meadowsweet Cordial / Syrup
This is the day off for my girls. They didn’t want to visit a kindergarten so we let them stay home. Actually, I’m sneezing and don’t plan to do any repairing/renovation job today. Girls found Elsa dresses… and run around singing “Let it go, let it go” half of the day. Those of you who … More Frozen inspired summer day / Day off
Filipendula Ulmaria or Meadowsweet is an aromatic plant high in essential oils. This gives it a strong and pleasant scent. I’m collecting this plant only for few years to use it in an everyday herbal tea blend. Uses of Meadowsweet For Colds and Fevers Meadowsweet tea, when taken hot, is a relaxing diaphoretic. It promotes circulation and … More Sweet sweet meadow / Meadowsweet
Finally, the sun is here and all the small (and also the big ones too) farmers around us make hay. I love the smell of freshly cut grass and also smell of freshly collected hay. I saw that our neighbor made the hay and I had time to take a walk with my camera. Usually, … More Summer time / Hay time
We were on the bike ride and found a field full of Yarrow. The good old Yarrow! It’s been used in our family as a cold treat for ages. I remember how my grandmother collected it in the nearest fields and picked every single flower cause there wasn’t plenty!Since we moved from city to countryside … More Yarrow tea
If there is a sunny day we have a bike ride. And those sunny days are rare this summer here in Latvia. My mom visited us and we decide to go for a small bike ride before dinner. Girls asked for a picnic and that wasn’t a problem, as usual, I packed in few minutes. … More Saturdays Bike Ride
I love smoothies and this one is in season right now :). I would love to say “local” but I love to add a banana for creaminess, so it’s automatically not local anymore. Ilze
While all my mind is on the renovation and painting simple recipes is all I’m making for my family. Pasta is most wanted food but beans with minced pork is another good option that everyone loves. We eat it with sour cream. Recipe below. Ilze
Rosebay willowherb (FireWeed) or Ivan Chai. Ivan Chai is a delicious & caffeine free tea that is made from fermented rosebay willowherb. This year for the first time I made this tea by myself. The first package of Ivan Chai I got from the family friends 2 years ago. Since that, I don’t have green tea … More Ivan Chai (Fermented Rosebay WillowHerb) recipe
Blueberry dessert is a quick and easy recipe that is an absolute winner in our house since the wild blueberries are in the season! I call it healthy: blueberries itself is nutritious and quark cream is less in fat and calories than whip cream. Berries with whipped cream were my childhoods favorite dessert. We never thought … More Blueberry dessert with quark cream
And I’m talking about wild blueberries that we have in our forests. I read the news that even China whats them and is ready to pay more. First blueberries are here and I’m buying them directly from local people who hand pick them at local forests. Now the price for 1l wild and fresh handpicked … More It’s Wild Blueberry Time!
A simple combination of fresh leafy greens, flavorful fruit, and a liquid base is all it takes to create a green smoothie. I call them healthy fast food! Smoothie is a natural energy booster, the phytonutrients in leafy greens boost your body’s immune system and keep it functioning properly. Ilze
A weed, that isn’t just a weed! Rosebay willowherb (Chamerion angustifolium) is a healthy tea that is known for a century – Ivan Chai. Ivan Chai – a fermented herbal tea made from wild willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium). Fermented willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium) tea was a traditional Russian hot beverage for hundreds of years before it was nearly universally replaced by … More Rosebay willowherb (FireWeed) or Ivan Chai
My Mom used to make Pončiki when I was a little girl. Since the rain isn’t stopping here in Latvia decide to make Pončiki for my little girls. After a short call to my Mom and a half of hour, I had a full bowl of freshly fried Pončiki. Golden brown and delicious. Crunchy from the outside and fluffy … More Ponchiki (Quark Donuts)
I even don’t know how to call it! Restoration or finishing! This wooden floor was left unfinished for more than 6 years. We moved in 3 years ago and decide not to finish it (sand it). Linna was just born and Nelle was only 2 years old. I had no time nor willing to do … More DIY: Natural wooden floor restoration
All my 3 girls are sleeping in beds now. It started with the caravaning. All the girls slept in one twin bed for whole travel. There wasn’t any problem. I used pool noodles to divide space. And now when we are back home we don’t need crib anymore. So, I’m free to experiment! I would … More DIY: From Crib to Bed
Or should I say – simple woodworking?! Is there such thing as simple and not so simple woodworking!? I guess. My first cut ever and already with my own (I don’t know why Janis bought me a used miter saw before we left for the caravanning!!! I was more than surprised!) miter saw is … More New Hobby: Woodworking
Before I’m starting to share the photos of house repairing let’s explain the situation: I felt so sad and helpless after we returned home. My eyelid allergy is back and it showed up only spending 15 minutes in the house! And it’s not just me! Helmī had a runny nose every single day before we left … More A bit about our home and my allergy
It’s midnight and it looks like a full moon from where I’m sitting right now. We are back home and… decide to repair the house! Now I’m spending my days scrubbing floors before applying natural flaxseed oil for wood. We have a natural wooden floor never treated before. It’s gray and needs to be polished … More Midnight / Is it Full Moon?
a day in the life of a latvian mom 