Thoughtless or Normal?

 Merry Winter Solstice to one & all! 

I feel very drawn to write today. I have found it increasingly sad in the past few weeks that there seems to be much thoughtlessness around me. I have heard people obsessing over facial creams and upset that they can not get the one they wanted, as if it is life or death. I have been sick for months & have to go out of state to start getting medical tests done. By which is making me loose out on work and let down my clients. Which I feel like a complete heel anyway when I let people down. But really? You think that housekeeping is more important than my health?  I've already lost 20 lbs from being sick. I have been throwing up for months and I would have expected people to be more understanding... *sigh*

I guess I am just especially surprised  that at this time of year the real lack of caring for others...

What are your thoughts? Are you too experiencing any of the same feelings? Have you seen a lack of caring lately in your community?

Now, off to read in my books to find a Winter Solstice Ritual ;) I'm sure Ann Moura or Scott Cunningham have something that I will like.
Blessed Be xo Yule & Winter Solstice Blessings 

*signature tag by me*
*Graphics by K4U* 

Holidays over- Yeah!!

I am pretty happy for the December holidays to be over with. For the last several years I get sad at this time. And christmas had become meaningless to me. I know that Jesus was not born in the winter muchless on December 25th. And christmas is so commercialized. It's a buy me this, buy me that civilization. And material things just shouldnt be that important.

I was rather hoping this year would be different for me. I had plans of celebrating Yule for the 1st time. But then I got sick right before I was to start making my candles for my family and got down and didn't have any energy to put up decorations, or make
my special gifts I'd been planning for months, or to make my 1st yule log cake. And now that I have enjoyed christmas with my
grandkids and family. And the dark clouds have lifted. I'm very happy to be past this time. Theres also a lot of controversy around christmas. I wasn't expecting that. I learned a more new things. And even went a step further and expressed my thoughts and view on the subject. Which is pretty pretty rare for me to vocalize a view about something, especially on such a strongly religious subject.

Now I am looking forward to getting back on track with my meditation and dedications. I miss my morning dedications. And reading, learning, studies... So I'm looking forward to that and to learning about the next sabbat. I can hardly even believe I'm almost through a whole year of sabbats! I started with Beltane. Started on the path of wicca just about a month or so before Beltane. The ending of march.

KWW - Sugar Cookies!

Merry Yule!

An old favorite for yule time for me is decorating sugar cookies!!

    

I will be baking my sugar cookies with a very good friend. That will make it twice as fun and twice as special and twice as memorable. I am so excited.
I even bought new cookie cutters too! *big giggles*

Since I'm learning about pagan and wiccan traditions. I thought that I would provide a link to the history of cookies. Maybe that will be a fun read.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CookieHistory.htm

Other Stuff

I also got a brand new toy today!

Kitchen Witch Wednesday - YuleLog

I always look forward to the holiday cooking.
I try to keep them traditional as much as I can. It's not always easy finding those recipes. There is SO much available online.

I've never made a yule log before. But this recipe sounds good to me.
So keep watching for me to post more yuletide recipes that I will be making.
And as always photos will follow!

 

Yule Log Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1 can (16 ounces) coconut-pecan frosting
• 1 can (16 ounces) milk chocolate frosting, divided
• Large marshmallows
• Baking cocoa

Directions

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in chocolate and water until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in a greased and floured 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle a kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto the towel. Starting from a short end, roll up cake in the towel. Place seam side down on a wire rack to cool completely. Unroll cake; spread coconut-pecan frosting to within 1 in. of edges; roll up cake without the towel. Cut and reserve a narrow diagonal slice from each end of the cake. Reserve 2 tablespoons chocolate frosting for mushrooms. Attach diagonal cake slices with a little of the frosting to opposite sides of cake with remaining frosting. With the tines of a fork, make strokes in the frosting to resemble bark on a tree trunk.
• For the mushrooms, half marshmallows widthwise. Flatten half of each marshmallow for cap of mushroom; roll other half between palms of hands for stem. Attach caps to stems with the reserved frosting. Dust tops of mushrooms with cocoa; place around the log. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 610 calories, 30 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 106 mg cholesterol, 337 mg sodium, 80 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Originally published as Yule Log in Country Woman November/December 1995, p54