Guest guest Posted July 29, 2006 Report Share Posted July 29, 2006  Todays Tasty Treat Todays Wise Words "Half of our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." Will Rogers New York Times 1930 Todays Super Spell Warmth of the Sun Spell for the New Moon Color of the day: Maroon Incense of the day: Gardenia Leo is the sign of the lion, proud and strong, but even the king of the beasts starts out life as a small and playful cub. Get out and honor the power of this solar sign by basking like a lion cub in the warmth of the Sun. Think of what it is to be a kitten and to spend your days mostly resting, the calm monotony broken up only by the occasional playful game. By: Lady MoonDance Todays Stress Buster List your coping methods. Dealing with stress seems easier when you recognize your strengths. Know that you have the power to cope with unexpected and frustrating situations. Todays Yummy bite Orange Creamsicle Smoothie 1 cup fresh orange juice 1/2 frozen sliced banana 1/2 cup non - fat frozen yogurt, or soy scream 1/2 cup chopped ice Slice of orange for garnish Place orange juice, banana, yogurt and ice in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into glass and garnish.. Enjoy! Todays Meditation Today's quotation: The unhappiness we experience is not so much a result of the difficulties encountered along our journey as it is of our misperception of how life instructs us. We may see a failed relationship as an indictment of our self-worth when it is really a lesson in using better judgment, in valuing ourselves more, in expressing greater appreciation for our partner--lessons to prepare us for a more loving and fulfilling union. If we are passed over for a much-anticipated promotion, it may be just the push we need to get more training or to venture out on our own as an entrepreneur. As we rise to meet the challenges that are a natural part of living, we awaken to our many undiscovered gifts, to our inner power and our purpose. Susan L. Taylor Today's Meditation: We read over and over how our perception of life and what happens to us in life is what truly affects our happiness, the way we treat others, and our feelings of worthiness. Many people make themselves depressed through the way they choose to see events, and we often see others beat themselves up over some minor incident that to us seems trivial. In fact, many of the plots that you'll see in television programs and movies and read in books have to do with one person's misreading of another person's intentions, and the characters all have to deal with this person's flawed perception. Susan Taylor mentions "our misperception of how life instructs us." If we keep in mind that there's always something important to learn in everything that happens to us, we can approach our setbacks with much more equanimity. A failure isn't usually that big of a deal, especially if we see it as an important learning experience. When we were learning addition and subtraction many years ago, we "failed" constantly, but when our teachers corrected us we didn't usually see our failures as statements on us as people. Rather, we usually just moved on and tried to get the right answer. What kind of emotional wrecks would we be today if we let those small mistakes build up into something much more than they were? Mistakes and failures are important, for they teach us much more than successes do. Success just verifies that we've completed a process in the right way--in the process itself, we probably learned a lot from our errors. But once we know the process and continue to do the same thing in the same way, we no longer learn anything, and the process becomes a rote exercise. Today, I'd like to try to see the lessons behind all of my failures. I'd like to try to understand why certain things have happened. I can do this, too, if I allow myself to look at the setbacks in a different way, perhaps by trying to see what happens to me through the eyes of someone else, someone who can see my life more objectively than I can. No matter how I see things, though, I have to remember that my perspective is skewed and biased, and the reality and the meaning of almost any situation is rarely the way I see it. Actively searching out another way to see the events of life is really the only way that we can discover our undiscovered gifts and unseen purposes. The effort definitely will be worth it--too many people of worth and character who have come before us assure us that it will be. Todays Goddess Bawming the Thorn (England) Nemetona Themes: Wishes; Protection; Joy; Fairies; Magic; Luck; Nature Symbols: Hawthorn (or trees in general) About Nemetona: In Romano-Celtic regions, Nemetona guards groves of trees with a special protective presence that marks the area as a sacred site. Within this space, the soul is hushed and calm, becoming one with nature and the goddess. Nemetona's name means "shrine," giving new depth of meaning to William Cullen Bryant's poetic phrase "the groves were God's first temples." To commune with Nemetona, you need go no farther than the nearest tree. Give it a hug! Sit beneath the tree and meditate on its strength, its connection to the earth, and the roots that keep it sure. Accept this security as a gift from Nemetona. By Patricia Telesco~From "365 Goddess" Todays Bite of Yummy Delights (I know this is long. But it really was to good to pass up. And I love blueberries) BLUEBERRIES At last summer has arrived, and with it, the wonderful time of berry gathering. To my tastebuds there is nothing more delicious than a bowl of freshly collected wild strawberries and wild blueberries served with only with fresh milk and sugar - it instantly triggers bliss for me and brings back happy childhood memories of carefree sunny days spent grazing my way through the woods. My mouth, shirts and hands were stained a deep purplish red for weeks on end. I did not care. I was happy as a bear, gorging myself on this infinite supply of berries. That is how I came to be a forager at the age of five, a passion that has stayed with me all my life. Blueberries are particularly prolific in northern pine forests, clinging to hillsides or hiding among heather. They prefer acid soils and in southern England they are most likely to be found around the moors. But they are more prolific Scotland and Wales. In the US they are mostly found wild in the Rockies and other mountainous regions of the western States. Commercial blueberries are widely cultivated in the Northeast. Blueberries belong to the heather family. The tough, low growing plants can absolutely carpet a forest floor - providing a veritable a forager's paradise. The leaves are small, elliptical with finely serrated margins. The red flowers are typical heather type fairy bells, which dangle singly from the bush. They turn into deep bluish black berries by the end of July/beginning of August, depending on local conditions. To be sure, picking each soft little berry requires a certain degree of delicacy and many will squish their sweet juice all over your hands and clothes. Make sure you are dressed for the occasion, as you will never completely get them out again. Some find cleaning the berries a chore as the little stalks can be somewhat tenacious, and tedious to pick off, but the effort is well worth it. Nothing quite compares with blueberry bliss - in fact my taste buds are performing a little dance of ecstasy at the mere thought of harvesting season drawing nigh. If you are lucky enough to find loads, perhaps along with some other berries, such as wild strawberries, raspberries or blackberries as well, you can make a cold berry soup - a favourite summer dish in Scandinavian countries, fruits of the forest ice cream, sorbet or yoghurt cream, which, when stabilized with vegetarian gelatine, makes an excellent cake filling. Blueberry milk shakes are equally delicious. Not to mention jams and syrups for later use. In short, there is no limit to blueberry delights. Medicinal uses: Both berries and leaves are used medicinally. Blueberry leaves can be brewed as tea, which is said to lower blood sugar levels. However, recent animal research suggests that long term use administered in large doses can have adverse effects and it seems best not to use them regularly or excessively. Berries are known to enhance the peripheral blood circulation, which improves, among other things, the eye sight. This is particularly beneficial for diabetics and for people who find it hard to adjust to badly lit conditions. They are also hailed to improve blood supply to the brain and thus an excellent brain food. These findings suggest that Blueberries would recommend themselves as an ideal snack fruit for the elderly. They have also been found to reduce cholesterol and to catch free radicals. In fact, according to a study by Tuffts University, which examined 60 different fruit and vegetables, blueberries demonstrated the highest levels of antioxidant activity. Blueberries also act on the connective tissue, making it stronger and more stable. They have also been recommended for people who suffer from varicose veins. Furthermore, blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, an antioxidant compound found in wine which is known to protect the heart. However, wine made from blueberries has been shown to contain 38% more of this compound than red wine. They also contain another type of antioxidant compound that protects against colon cancer. Thus, blueberries are easily not just one of the most delicious fruits, but also one of the healthiest. Scoff as many as you can while the season is on! CAUTION: Blueberry leaves contain oxalates, which, when concentrated in the blood can form crystals that can damage the kidneys. People with urinary problems or kidney disease should avoid oxalate containing foods. Blueberry juice: Mash about 1 cup of blueberries. Add 1 cup of water (or more if you like it thinner). Simmer briefly, add sugar or honey to taste, strain through cheese cloth and cool. Blueberry smoothy: Add one cup of blueberries to 1cup of milk and � cup of yoghurt. Whizz in a blender. Add sugar and/or lemon juice to taste. Blueberry Muffins Ingredients: 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) 1 � cups all purpose flour � Cup brown sugar 1 tsp. Baking powder � Tsp. Baking soda � Tsp. Salt Pinch of cinnamon 2 eggs 1 cup buttermilk � cup butter Procedure: Preheat oven to 400�F. Grease muffin cups. Tumble blueberries with a little bit of the flour, enough to coat them. Combine the remaining dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and cinnamon. Set aside. Cream the butter with the eggs and buttermilk; stir into flour mixture until just combined (batter will be lumpy). Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed. Fill muffin cups & frac23; full with batter. Bake about 20 minutes until golden Blueberry Pie There are gazillion delicious recipes for blueberry pies and cheesecakes. To maximize the healthful properties of this delicious treat forget the cheesecake and just fill a pie crust with a slightly cooked blueberry mixture. Preheat the oven to 375�F. Crust: 1� cup graham cracker crumbs (or digestive biscuits) � Cup melted butter & frac18; cup water Crumble the Graham crackers and mix with melted butter. Add just enough water to create a dough that sticks together. Press into a deep 9" pie tin. 8 cups of blueberries 7 Tbs corn flour or tapioca 3 Tablespoons water (or grape juice) 2 Tablespoons lemon juice Cinnamon to taste � Cup of sugar Wash the berries. Combine corn starch, sugar and optional spices in a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and water and blend well. Gently combine blueberries with the cornstarch mixture and fill into pie crust. They may overfill the tin, but the volume is reducded during baking. If you like, add a crumb topping: � cup sugar � Cup flour � cup butter, flaked Rub together until it becomes a crumbly mixture and spread all over the pie. Cook for about one hour at 375�F or 190�C. Serve with fresh whipped cream. Blueberry cream 2 cups of blueberry 2 cups of quark (smooth cottage cheese or fromage frais) �Cup whipped cream Sugar Lemon juice Cassis Clean and slightly bruise the blueberries, pour a little cassis over them and some sugar. Allow to marinate for a few hours until the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries have turned a little mushy. In another bowl blend the fromage frais with the lemon juice and some sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and stir in the blue berries. If you add a little gelatine to the quark (follow instructions on the package) you can also use this cream as a filling for a pie crust. Cold Blueberry soup: Wonderful dessert/dish for a summer's day. Take a quart of blueberries, bruise or mash. Add the same amount of water and a little lemon juice. Simmer, add sugar to taste. If you don't like the seeds and skins, you can strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth. Dissolve a little cornstarch and add to thicken, but take care not to use too much. Simmer a little while longer, then allow to cool and put in the fridge. Whip some cream. When the blueberry soup is cold enough, serve with dabs of fresh whipped cream. Some people like to refine this recipe by adding a little cassis to the soup. Todays Earth Helping Tip What you can do: Take quick showers instead of baths Don't keep the water running while brushing your teeth Do the dishes in a bowl rather than under running water Only run dishwashers or washing machines with full loads Check your tabs for leaks Install water conservation system for your toilet Wash your car with a bucket rather than a hose pipe Collect rain water from the gutters Grow drought resistant plants Use liberal amounts of mulching Only water after dusk http://www.waterconserve.org/ Blessings to you all with my coffee close by I bid you all the best of the day, good health and calmness of thought! Remember Smile Be happy Do good And always Accept the Challenge of the day Ezevia Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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