Food for Summer Solstice

 

Midsummer is upon us and we are ready for a feast, but what to brew up in the kitchen. This is high season for many summer fruits and vegetables.  We can have some green vegetables such as snap peas, green beans, lettuce, broccoli, and zucchini to represent vegetative deities such as the Green Man and Gaia. Yellow, orange, and red vegetables such as summer squash, carrots, tomatoes, and peppers embody the colors of the sun and the energy of the longest day. Fruit salads or fruit breads celebrate the bounty of the orchards beginning to bear.  ”Sun breads” usually have white or yellow dough studded with bright pieces of fruit. Foods made using the sun include sun-dried tomatoes, fruit leather, sun tea, and sunflower seeds.  These are ideal for solar-focused celebrations because they capture the power of the sun as energy we can use.  Smoked fish such as herring and salmon are traditional treats in Sweden and Finland. Because fishing is a major source of food and income for these cultures, fish represent abundance and prosperity.  The smoke comes from fire, another aspect of the solar holiday. So other flame-cooked foods such as grilled steaks, barbecued ribs, shish kebabs, and vegetable skewers similarly evoke the sun’s energy with their passage through fire. Milk and cheese are also Midsummer treats as historically, cows only gave milk in spring and summer, so people made the most of the bounty for this holiday.  They also made fermented milk products, milk porridges, pancakes and pastries. Ice cream is a modern dessert that can include fresh fruit as an ingredient or a topping.  Symbolically, it reminds us that the sun’s peak is passing and winter lies ahead.  A pairing of red (strawberry, raspberry, or cherry) and green (mint, lime, or honeydew) ice cream flavors would make an excellent ending to a feast in honor of the Oak King and the Holly King. Another suitable Midsummer food ideas are hot spicy foods.

I will post some recipes later on but I hope this helps you to start planning your Summer Solstice celebration.

 

Water fun for a Hot Summer Day

Summer is coming but today it is still Spring. It is a Spring that feels like Summer, her in Utah we have reached the 90's. Addie is still one but she is starting her terrible two. She is hot and miserable and her cousin Ryan is staying with us for a while, so I broke into the piggy bank and bought them a swimming pool and sprinkler. It was a great buy for the long Memorial weekend. Shanti was spending some bonding time with her Aunt Dru so she missed the fun. There will always be another time for water fun so I am not worried about it. Who knows we might do it again this weekend. It makes the kids active and entertained for a couple of hours.  

 So here we are, Aubrie, Addie, Ryan and me having some water fun. We got some water gun sticks from the dollar store. Addie already broke one so she play with that while Aubrie and Ryan ganged up on me.




Next we have our new water sprinkler that we got for the kids. Addie was not too sure about it, but Ryan loved it and ran and jumped for at least an hour.

Our first water fight of the season but it wont be our last. I will have to come up with some more ideas. I found these water bombs on Pinterest. I hope you like the idea.

 

So lets be safe and have some fun.

 

Pagan kids flash cards K-O

I was sent these cards, but I do not know who they belong to. I have googled and looked searched pintrest but I could not find the original sources of them. I hope you enjoy them. I will have to split them up and do a group each week. They have numbers 1 to 10 and then A to Z. I hope you like them as much as I do. I am planning to print them off for Addie. Enjoy.

Tarot Tip 21-25

Yet more set of tips from Randi Minerva
http://randiminerva.com/

Create your own Fairy house

Now these are just tip to give you some ideas to create your own Fairy Houses for your home or garden. They are by no means a step by step process. So here are some that I found all over the internet and Pinterest. None of these are mine, I just collected them.

Sooo, here goes.

 Here is our first one. This is a cute idea using a PVC flower pot. Now they made the windows with solar panels so they light up at night. Just remember to use the right paint. Not all paints work on PVC and are for outdoors. If you are unsure, please ask your local hardware store. I really enjoyed how they finished off the house with the pebbles, it really gives it the authentic look. Here is the site I found this at: http://tahanidesigns.blogspot.com/2012/09/fairy-house-homemade-durable-and-solar.html

To the right you have a rain boot. I had to include this as it was just too funny but creative. It only proves that you can use just about anything. I don't know where I got this, or if someone could have sent it to me. I just think that it was too cute not to share it with you.

This one is nice if you have a border in you garden. It looks like a 3-D type. I am not sure how to do it but it might be fun to experiment .

On the right we have a large juice bottle with colored popsicle roof. The siding is made from colored straws and more popsicles for the door. It is really cute and bright for kids.

Here is another fun project to do with the kids. You start with an empty milk or juice carton. This one is more an earthy tone. Gather up twigs and an adult will need to use pruning sheers to cut them to the right size. You then cut the window frames and doors with popsicle sticks. Hot glue them on the box and then make you roof and glue them on. Decorate as needed.

Here is an idea using an old terra cotta pot and rocks. The metal arch helps give it stability. I bet you could use a broken one if you had some lying around. My nephew cut the lawn and he broke a couple of my moms.

Using an old bird cage is a great idea too. There is so many ideas that you can do with it. Moss really works out for the roof.













I found this picture and I loved it. There are no instruction to this but I had to add. I am not so crafty to know how to start this one. I guess that lots of glue or grout on a surface and then using black sand and then stones. But I guess this one I will need to do more research for it.

I hope this gives you some ideas. Now remember what I have said about any craft, it is all about having fun and being creative. Those little imperfections that happen just gives your craft a personal touch. So have fun and be adventurous.

Pagan kids flash cards F-J

I was sent these cards, but I do not know who they belong to. I have googled and looked searched pintrest but I could not find the original sources of them. I hope you enjoy them. I will have to split them up and do a group each week. They have numbers 1 to 10 and then A to Z. I hope you like them as much as I do. I am planning to print them off for Addie. Enjoy.

Tarot Tips 16-20

Yet another set of tips from Randi Minerva
http://randiminerva.com/

Pagan kids flash cards A-E

I was sent these cards, but I do not know who they belong to. I have googled and looked searched pintrest but I could not find the original sources of them. I hope you enjoy them. I will have to split them up and do a group each week. They have numbers 1 to 10 and then A to Z. I hope you like them as much as I do. I am planning to print them off for Addie. Enjoy.

Tarot Tips 11-15

Next set of Tarot tips from Randi Minerva
http://randiminerva.com/

Fairy Doors

Fairies have returned from their winter homes and are all around. Midsummer night is approaching and they are ready to celebrate with us. So to honor them we have several crafts that you can do at this time. Fairy homes and gardens are a nice to make up but today we can start with fairy doors. I found plenty of them on Pinterest and wanted to share some with you.

You can buy them already made or you can make them out of just about anything. As you can see you can use cardboard, popsicle stick, clay or even salt dough. Use your imagination and decorate them. They can be simple or complex, it all matters what you want. I hope these will inspire you to make your own.