Moonstone Musings

Spring Time Planting

2010-10-02T17:38:00.007+10:00

Well the Spring planting time is finally here. Though we are still getting a few cooler days and a few showers (like today) it has been warm enough to be able to get into the garden and plant our spring veggie crops. After the somewhat success SFG garden last year I have upgraded to a 6x4 foot planter box for this years crop, we actually have 2 of these planters boxes. Tom and I are getting a little competitive and have decided that well plant out one each and see who's turns out best (though we haven't actually defined any measures yet). So today I braved the local garden/hardware store, along with hundreds of other people, to get a few last min plants and set out planting. As I mentioned it's been raining, not to heavy and rather sporadically so it was pretty much plant one plot then stand under a tree and wait till the rain stopped. So I got in a fair few things; some popping corn, two types tomatoes, red and brown onions, strawberries, leeks, celery, lettuce and carrots. Also some companion plants, camomile, marigolds, sage and sweet basil. Only the tomatoes, corn and strawberries were transplants the rest are seeds which I always get nervous about, but there in and nowit's just a waiting game. Here's a few snaps so you can follow the progress.

Todays Energy

2009-12-17T18:49:00.001+11:00

37oC and I have just gotten home from the local pool. The wind is blowing hard; we are on a high fire alert, with thunderstorm predicted for tonight. Arrh I just love mother earth, there is such a feel of power in the air. I love it when its like this, especially going outside and standing with my eyes closed, I can feel all kinds of energy today, the baking heat, the wild air, the smells of pending rain, just too much to describe. The skies have greyed now, I think I have another few hours of day before the rain comes.

Preview

Cream Cheese Cookie Cups - More Food

2009-12-01T20:45:00.003+11:00

I am not sure whats been happening lately but I have been having these crazy erges to bake. Another recipie being posted today is cream cheese cookie cups. They are so so easy and so so yummy. I found the recipie on allrecipies.

Here are the cooking instructions I used:

Ingredients

425g package refrigerated chocolate chip cooke dough
160g cream cheese, softened
45g tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g cups confectioners' sugar

Cut cookie dough in half (save one portion for another use). With floured hands, press about 1 tablespoon of dough onto the bottom and up the sides of 12 ungreased miniature muffin cups. Bake at 180oc for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, reshape the puffed cookie cups. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spoon into cookie cups. Store in the refrigerator.

Cookies In a Jar

2009-11-29T16:48:00.000+11:00

Cookies in a jar are a fabulous and easy gift to make for your friends and family. There are heaps of recipies online for cookies in a jar. I made up some yesterday for my friends for Christmas and though I would share what I used. The recipie comes from a site www.taste.com.au. I am going to post the recipie but though it best to credit the creator also.

Jar Ingredients
3/4 cup (110g) plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
3/4 cup (65g) rolled oats
100g craisins (dried cranberries), see variation
130g white chocolate chips

Extra ingredients for making cookies
125g butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl. Spoon the flour mixture into a 1L (4-cup) capacity glass jar. Top with brown sugar, then caster sugar. Top with oats, then craisins, then chocolate chips. Seal jar. Give as gift.
To make cookies, preheat oven to 190˚C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Empty jar into a large bowl. Add butter, egg and vanilla. Stir until well combined. Shape tablespoons of mixture into balls and place on baking trays approximately 5cm apart. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, swapping trays halfway during cooking, or until edges are lightly browned. Turn biscuits onto a wire rack to cool. Serve.

To make the tags I just created a 10cm x 7cm documents in publisher I put a chrsitmas picture on one half and write the recipie on the second half, but if you want the site above www.taste.com.au has tags you can print off. So have fun and enjoy they taste very yummy.

Glorious Weekend

2009-09-14T11:03:00.002+10:00

Well its been an amazing weekend. I recon this is what weekends were meant be feel like. We had some perfect weather about 22oC on Saturday and I think its was 24oC on Sunday. Not wanting to waste any of the sunshine, I set myself up outside with a good book (The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller). I suspect, I sat outside for the best part of the day about 5 or 6 hours. With only a few necessary distractions i.e. hanging washing, having lunch, I submerged myself in the world of fantasy. Dinner was a BBQ with friends and a nice iced rose wine, I love BBQs, I swear when we finally get our own place well be eating off the BBQ at LEAST once a week. Sunday came much the same but this time I covered up when I was outside, did I mention I ended up sun burning my shoulders and face.

Spring Time Meditation

2009-09-05T18:36:00.005+10:00

Well unfortunately its been a while since I have done any meditations, vision journeys or rituals. A couple months ago me and Tom moved to my parents house to save for a deposit on our own home. There have been many sacrifices on both sides (and in sanity) with this new living arrangement, the one that has effected me the most is that there has no been opportunities where I have a quite place to meditate and it being winter meant I could escape to outside. But finally today I got that chance, the sun has warmed up enough(its Spring here) to be able to set up a chair out side in the sun while I was home alone. Since it have been out if the flow for the last few months I did a guided Vision Journey called The Shores of Avalon by Mara Freeman. Its was a beautiful way to reintroduce myself to Avalon and combined with the warm Spring breeze and birds singing was enchanting an has left me yearning for more. I really hope that now with the warmer weather I will be able to get outside (where its quiet) and do something most evenings.
I though I would also show you the update on my little vegetable patch as you can see they are also loving the warm weather.

Earths Beautiful Bounty

2009-08-29T10:50:00.005+10:00

The earth has officially opened up for Spring, the smells of the sweet buds and the warm breezes are finally replacing the icy winds and gloomy Sky's. Its is amazing how the earth responds to the weather. My little vegetable patch has sprung to life with the warmer weather, it seems like one day I was thinking they were never going to grow and the next the plants are beaming. Most of the tree fruit tree are blossoming and looking amazing. I have added a few pictures of the blossoms and daffodils around, though they can do no justice at all to the beauty of nature, the peach tree in the backyard currently looks like a candelabra with little pink candle all round, but my photo could not quiet reproduce it. It could be I have a much better imagination than my camera.

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

2009-08-21T11:48:00.001+10:00

85g good-quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached wholemeal
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, softened
3/4 cup organic sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and dust with some unsweetened cocoa powder. 2. Melt the chocolate along with the oil in a double boiler or in a saucepan over low heat, taking care not to scorch. 3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. 4. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating until combined, then fold in the chocolate and oil mixture, and the zucchini. 5. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan for about 10 minutes on a wire rack, then invert it on the rack, remove the pan, and cool completely. 5. May be served plain, iced with your favorite icing, dusted with organic confectioners’ sugar, or with fresh raspberries nestled around it.
Serves 8 to 10.

Silver Branch Card - August

2009-08-18T22:07:00.006+10:00

I though I would share my Silver Branch card for this month with everyone. For all those who haven't heard of the Silver Branch Cards they are cards created by Nicholas R Mann. I guess you could class them in the categories of tarot cards but really they aren't, each card is hand drawn by Nicholas and represent Celtic symbols, Celtic mythology and meanings. I got my set directly from Nicholas Mann in 2008 when I visited Glastonbury. I was staying at the Chalice Well centre, which is where his office is located, and he was a guess speaker for the group I was with. Hes is a very amazing person with a vast knowledge of the history of Avalon. After he spoke he gave my group a reading using his own deck of Silver Branch Cards, it was an amazing reading. The card I drew was Etain, described as 'The Truth of Sovereignty', 'Goddess of the Land' & 'Beauty'. A really short exert from his book Etain "is a presence at one with the earth and its elements. She is the feminine embodiment of the soul of life on earth". Etain is a representation of the ultimate beauty of the land. The car I drew out tongght was Etain. This card is the same card I drew almost exactly 1 year ago. In drawing Etain I know that great blessing are upon me. That the earth, sea and sky are in harmony to bring me peace and prosperity. See Nicholas R Mann - Silver Branch Cards

Celtic Tree Lore - Hazel Moon (Aug 5 - Sept 1)

2009-08-06T10:44:00.005+10:00

Hazel Moon is the 9th Moon Month in Celtic Lore, its dates are between August 5th and September 1st. The Gaelic name of Hazel is Coll, pronounced: Cull. Coll means "life force within you". Celtic legend tells of a grove of Hazel trees below which was a pool, where salmon swam. Hazel trees contained all knowledge, and their fruit contained that knowledge and wisdom. As the hazelnuts ripened, they would fall into the pool where they were eaten by the salmon. In order to gain the wisdom of the Hazel, the Druids caught and ate the salmon. More Info

Cleansing Crystal Spiral by Moonlight

2009-08-05T20:27:00.006+10:00

A couple of weeks ago I brought this amazing crystal spiral from a local crystal shop that was closing down. The crystal spiral hung in the corner of the front window and everyday I walked past it wishing it was mine, it is one of the most amazing creations I have seen but with the $330 price tag also one of the most amazing prices I had ever seen. But as I mentioned this day I happened to be passing and since they were closing, the owner offered me it for 2/3rds of the price, I couldn't imagine something with such beautiful energy being locked away in some dark box, so I handed over the money and brought it home. Tonight is the first full moon since then, so I have set it up outside to cleanse and energise the crystals. I actually like this way the best for cleansing my crystals, the moon seems to have the most peaceful and spiritual energy, for most of my stones I place them on a bed of sea or rock salt in a small bowl, but as you can see from the picture it would have been impossible with these ones.

Imbolc Celebration

2009-08-02T20:24:00.008+10:00

Well just an update to let you know how Imbolc went, first thing in the morning I lit my candle symbolising the returning sun, unfortunatly all my candle making equiptment is packed away in boxes (whilst living with parents) so I was unable to make one specially for the occasion, I ended up just using an old one I gave to my mum a few months ago, which was umm chocolate scented, lol. Around lunch I set off into the bush near my house, I was looking mostly for some straw or reeds for my Brigits Cross, but had absolutly no luck finding anything usable, I did though take some great pictures of the Wattles that are flowering right now and are a beautilful symbol for Imbolc, if you have never seen one these trees, they look like they have millons of little suns floating on the branches. After much hunting around I did eventually find some good leaves to use for my Brigits Cross and hung it outside our backdoor.
Finally last night I was able to do my first guided meditation in what feels like ages, its was very powerful and amazing as I shared my hopes for the year with Brigit.

Getting Ready for Imbolc

2009-07-31T14:35:00.006+10:00

Well going to try and get ready this afternoon for Imbolc, my partner and myself moved back with my parent a couple of months ago, so we could save for our own place and well there really isn't any room at home now, or privacy to hold a ceremony, so the plan is to do a guided meditation, make some Brigit crosses and have a small candle lighting. I have a CD by Mara Freeman which has the guided meditation, I really love her stuff and recomend it to anyone interested in celtic paganism.