Winter Solstice Blessings

 

This solstice morning I awoke to the sun shining and in time to see my son heading out the door to spend the day up in the mountains skiing with his friends, his day is going to be spectacular, for we have some of the best skiing mountains in the world here in B.C. and I cannot think of a better way to spend the day welcoming back the sun then to spend it outside.

For myself and Zahra we have spent our day baking goddess and bee skype shaped cookies, setting up the outdoor offering shrine in hearty thanks for the spirits that live in this area and on our little plot of land, and making a yule log for our fire later.

Tonight we welcome the kids uncle {baba} as the first family member that has joined us for solstice and share a winter feast before heading out the door to attend the Secret Lantern Society’s solstice gatherings at the Dr Sun Yat-Sen classical gardens and the Round house filled with lights to welcome back the sun.

 

Every year at the round house for solstice they make a beautiful beeswax candle labyrinth, and walking it is bliss!

Then it is home for swapping handmade gifts, a big fire and desert of a Black Forest cake and storytelling. Yes Solstice is one of my favorite evenings of the whole year!

I can only imagine all of your creative filled homes tonight and wonder what you are doing?

 

 

 

 

Antlers

Antlers seem to invoke something so primal and of the deep forest, for they reflect the wildness of the majestic deer that carry them.

Antlers also remind me of the ancient deer goddesses who wore the antlers on their head as a sign of respect and connection to the deer of the land, and to their guides. And how often they would shapeshift into deer and run through the forests wild and free.

Of Cernunnos the Celtic horned shaman and,

Diana goddess of the hunt and the moon…..

These days I have so many naturally shed antlers in my studio, they seem to be everywhere I turn, and I simply could not ignore them any longer, for they were asking to be made into beautiful things!

This is what I have come up with so far…..

These pretties will come with me to the Woman’s Winter Faire this week-end and then will be up at the shop next week.

Have a wonderful week-end everyone!

 

 

Here and now…

Ever since December 1st came I hit the ground running, with so  many things to do, and I have to say that I have been enjoying myself immensely.

I think that a big part of it is the fact that we have been enjoying cold and sunny days all the way into December which is simply unheard of here on the Pacific West coast! Usually by now we are having up to 10 days straight with no sun and rain everyday, but this year we are enjoying sunshine and frost, which for this East coast born girl makes my heart swoon!

December view from Granville Island by Zubin Shah.

I know that I have been very tardy with regards to this space lately, but I assure myself that it is temporary and that I will be able to fill in all the blanks and get back to my usual inspirations as soon as the holiday rush is over.

HOWEVER if I take myself to the present moment, to the here and now, take a deep breath and snap a few photos I will have an inspirational  post for today, so here it goes….

Over here at our house we have 2 big days while the kids are off school for the holidays, the first is Solstice, the longest night of the year. For our solstice we have some regular things that we like to do, and one of them is to exchange handmade gifts! This year we are excited to have my brother in law joining us for this special day and the kids have been busy planning and making their secret handmade gifts,  I will not spoil the surprise by sharing just yet but I will say that I have been supervising these activities and it has been keeping me quite busy!

The next big day is yule, and this year for the first time since we first moved here 13 years ago we will have family join us! So you can imagine my excitement and inspiration!

There are wheat free cookies to be baked, decorations to be hung, and teacher gifts to be made. This year it is all about Rose Champagne jelly, and Triple layer peppermint bark, for which I have included the recipe below.

Right now, today in fact, though, I am excitedly preparing for  the Woman’s Winter Faire in our community. For years now I have been attending and buying from local woman artists at this faire and I am really looking forward to participating this year!

I have been busy making earrings and antler tip necklaces, drums and rattles, but mostly I am looking forward to setting a fine stack of our books on the table and having a chance to actually meet some of the women who will take them home, for it is their stories and inspirations that come from our book that really bring a big wide smile to my face-selling on-line is for the birds!

Yes today is another frosty and sunny day, and I am  enjoying it for all it is worth, for I figure that at some point the rains must come..

Until then, there are things to do, and cookies to baked, for the solstice is coming!

Triple-Layer Peppermint Bark

From Orangette

Ingredients

17 oz. white chocolate, such as Callebaut, finely chopped
30 candy canes, coarsely crushed
7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, such as Ghirardelli 60%, finely chopped
6 Tbsp. heavy cream
¾ tsp. peppermint extract

Turn a large baking sheet upside down, and cover it securely with aluminum foil. Measure out and mark a 9- by 12-inch rectangle on the foil.

Put the white chocolate in a metal (or other heatproof) bowl, and set it over a saucepan of barely simmering water. (Do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water.) Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth; if you take its temperature with a candy thermometer, it should register 110°F. Remove the chocolate from the heat. Pour 2/3 cup of it onto the rectangle on the foil. Using an icing spatula, spread the chocolate to fill the rectangle. Sprinkle with ¼ cup of the crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the bittersweet chocolate, cream, and peppermint extract in a heavy medium saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Then remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator, and pour the bittersweet chocolate mixture over the white chocolate rectangle. Using an icing spatula – make sure you cleaned it after using it for the white chocolate, above! – spread the bittersweet chocolate in an even layer. Chill until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

Rewarm the remaining white chocolate over barely simmering water to 110°F. Working quickly, pour the white chocolate over the firm bittersweet layer, using your (again, clean) icing spatula to spread it to cover. Sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes.

Carefully lift the foil from the baking sheet onto a large cutting board. Trim away any ragged edges of the rectangle. (These are yours to nibble at, a little prize for your efforts.) Cut the bark crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips. Using metal spatula, slip the bark off of the foil and onto the cutting board. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections, and then cut each section diagonally into 2 triangles. Or, alternatively, just cut each strip into smaller pieces of whatever size you like. That’s what I did.

Pack into an airtight container, with sheets of wax paper between layers of bark to prevent them from sticking to one another. Store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or, to emphasize the slight softness of the bittersweet layer, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Note: This bark will keep for up to 2 weeks, if not more. If you plan to pack it in a tin or baggie with other holiday sweets, be sure to wrap it separately in plastic wrap. Or maybe wax paper and then plastic wrap, so that it doesn’t sweat. If you left it naked, so to speak, to mix and mingle with other cookies or candies, everything might wind up tasting and smelling like peppermint.

Yield: about 36 pieces, or more, if you cut them smaller.