The Day Before Lammas

Let's do a fast inventory and prepare your altar in a stress-free manner.

1. Altar cloth
2. Candles
3. Incense
4. Salt
5. Cakes and Ale items and a platter/glasses for all.
6. Seasonal decorations

Do your make-aheads now. Bake the bread, and consider your drinks. If you're making the Slushy Punch, this is your last chance to get it frozen.

Do as much pre-prep as you can for tomorrow. Chop the vegetables and bag them, make the rice (if any), and mix any dry ingredients. Leave the butter out to soften tonight or early in the morning tomorrow, depending on when guests will arrive.

Set the table well in advance and have all the serving dishes, plates, glasses, and flatware laid out. Consider a large tub, cooler, or bowl of ice so guests don't have to keep opening the refrigerator.

Give the public areas of the house/covenstead a cleaning and asperge with lemon water to cleanse and freshen the area. Sprinkle new salt if things have been a bit stressful in your home of late. Don't forget the bathroom.

Are you traveling elsewhere to celebrate? What can you put in the car tonight to save time and worry tomorrow?

Lammas Recipe-- Choose A Grain Casserole

This is a great "must go" recipe for leftover cooked chicken and cooked rice before it becomes something resembling a science experiment in the back of the refrigerator.

Lammas Recipe-- Southwest Spaghetti Pie

The pasta forms the crust of this delightful dish that's fun to eat.

In these difficult economic times, stretching your food dollar becomes very important. Pasta, beans, and rice are all grain foods that are filling and inexpensive.

Lammas Recipe-- Sausage and Summer Squash

This was surprisingly delicious! Even my DH, Mr. Meat and Potatoes, ate several helpings.

Lammas Recipes-- Muffins for any Occasion

Muffins are an easy finger food bread to serve at Lamas. These two recipes fit right in with the grain harvest theme of Lammas without much effort.

Note the variations can be served at other Sabbats.

Lammas Recipe-- Easy Ice Cream Treats NO MACHINE

Look at the Chocolate Ice Cream recipe below. No ice cream maker needed!

Craft: Upgrade your Flip-Flops! (LONG)

It may be the dog days of summer for me here in Florida, but I know in other climates the weather may already be starting to cool while folks get ready for back to school.

I don't know about you, but my flip-flops are looking a little tired after a long summer of hard duty. They've had all this time to conform to my high arches, and they're oh-so-comfy! However, the thongs are looking just a bit dingy and worn.

In these hard economic times, I don't want to waste a perfectly good pair of shoes! So, I'm giving my flip-flops an upgrade with some scraps, ribbon, buttons, and a few beads leftover from other projects.

All you do is glue, wrap, tie or sew on your embellishments, and voila! For instance, I took a pair of gray dollar store flip flops, some gray satin ribbon, and two pretty maracasite-and-"pearl" buttons. I glued (I used household Liquid Nails) one end of the ribbon at the base of the thong and started wrapping the ribbon around until I got to the toe piece. Another dab of glue, and I continued wrapping all the way to the other side, securing with another dab of glue. Then I sewed the pretty buttons at the toe while I watched TV that night. Those ugly gray flip-flops are now pretty enough to wear on a hot summer evening when DH takes me out. Amazing.

See the green flip-flops above? I did much the same with my pink flip flops to make them into bedroom "slippers" to match my favorite pink bathrobe. (Yeah, I like pink. Shocking, isn't it?) For this project, I had leftover fat quarters (1/4 yards of fabric, usually found by the millions for about a dollar in the back of Jo-Ann's) from a quilting project. I took my rotary cutter and the pinking blade, cutting 1"x6" strips. Again, while I watched TV, I tied them on the thong until it couldn't hold one more, alternating colors and patterns. They're surprisingly comfortable!

I may be pagan, but I'm not a skyclad person. Sorry, there are just too many hazards like sticks, ant nests, and other things for my feet to feel comfy walking around bare in my backyard. So, a special pair of enhanced flip flops are next on my list to make! Now I won't have to worry and still feel as if I have a special pair of flip-flops for our next outdoor ritual.

What could be more pagan than re-purposing/recycling those worn and tacky flip-flops into something you'd be proud to wear? Go green and enjoy what's left of the warm weather!

Lammas Recipe- Country Cassoulet

I highly suggest the following additions and changes.

Cook up at least 1 cup of rice per person you're serving and serve this cassoulet over the rice. You can also mix the rice in if you serve buffet style.

Secondly, unless you're feeding small appetites or 1-2 persons, double or more this recipe.

Lammas Recipe-- Best Corn Bread

This is southern-style corn bread, soft and sweet. It's so good, it can be served for a light dessert.

Pay attention to the Confetti Corn Bread. This one is especially appropriate for Lammas.

Lammas- Corn and Sausage Chowder

COI Day today

My coven, Circle of Ivy, met today. I call it a coven because that's the closest term to what it is. Only the HP and I actually do rituals together for Sabbats, but that's because everyone has such crazy schedules and most of my friends are solitaries by preference. We get together once a month to share projects and crafts with a pagan theme.


Today, I made a bread braid as an example of how to do one for Lammas. It's a simple thing. Yes, I cheated and used a bread machine to do the dough. So sue me. Unfortunately, it hadn't risen completely by the time everyone left to go home for their evening meal. Oh, well. It proved the point about how easy bread sculpture really is. I'll make a God Bread for Lammas next weekend.

Then we talked about making a trip to one of the local farmers' markets for cucumbers to make pickles. My friends were shocked to see how easy it is to make refrigerator pickles, especially using the Ball spice bags I picked up in Wal-Mart in the section where they keep the mason jars. Water, sugar, vinegar, cucumbers, and the bag of spices are all you need.

We had a lot of fun running around my yard picking figs off my trees and eating them right then and there, considering there was just enough to do so after the squirrels and birds had got there first! LOL! I don't really mind not having enough to preserve this year. We almost lost one of the three trees to carpenter ants and a winter storm, so we're short this year. Next year, maybe.

So, we've had our fun for this month and discussed upcoming projects. Next month, we'll make our corn dollies. Most of us still need to go get our corn husks and allow them to dry. This will take awhile in Florida, and may require that trick I mentioned about two air conditioner filters and a fan in this humidity! Whoa, it's been sticky here lately!

I'm not too sure what we'll do in September. Fruit preserves, most likely. Another trip to the farmer's markets should provide all we need, but there's always the grocery store. I've got two boxes of fruit pectin just waiting for the fruit and jars. Nothing like preserving a little summer sunshine in a jar for the cool months ahead.

I think we'll do a Smelly Arts Workshop in October. By then, the heat will have broken enough for us to use my gazebo out back. Sometimes those protection incenses can be hard on the eyes and throat, but they're too useful to do without. We might even combine it with soap making. We could all use a little ritual soap, and the craft stores now make it so easy, it's worth the time.

November is a real COI favorite-- candlemaking! We had a ball with this last year. I'm down to two of our ritual candles, so it's definitely time. This year, we've managed to collect a few more essential oils, so we'll have a bit more choice of scents. My aquistion goal before then: bayberry! DH has a family tradition of burning bayberry candles on Christmas Eve, so I'd like to indulge him with a couple of homemade candles.

Now those are just the coven projects! I've much more in the works privately to share, like getting a bit ahead on the holiday gifts. A few pagan friends could use a charm bracelet, my grandchildren need warm Halloween costumes, and of course there's all the holiday mayhem yet to come!

Lena

Lammas Recipe-- Any Fruit Coffee Cake

This versatile recipe works for many Sabbats, depending on what fruits are available locally.

To make sour milk: For each cup of sour milk needed, place 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar in a 1-cup measuring cup. Add enough milk to make one cup. Stir. Let the mixture sit about 5 minutes before using.

Alternatively, you can buy buttermilk powder in the baking section of any good grocery store and rehydrate what you need.

Make a Corn Dolly for Lammas

Since this is the grain harvest, unshucked corn is readily available for use making corn shuck dollies as goddess figures or protective decorations for the pagan household.

In any case, I normally make mine between now and Samhain, depending on the harvest. Then I keep it in its basket "bed" under the altar to absorb positive energies and be blessed.

At Imbolg, of course, I burn the old one to disperse the energies and negativity it absorbed throughout the year as a protective decoration. Naturally, of course, the new dolly spends her Imbolg night in her Bride's Bed before going on my wall.

In the meantime, my holiday decorations from Samhain through Yule can take her place on the wall. Keeps things from getting stale.

Does anyone change their dolly's accessories or colors to match the seasons? I'm thinking of doing this, but I'm wondering about the bother.

Lammas Recipe-- Corn Fritters

These are easy treats to serve during the ritual Cakes and Ale. Just add a dipping bowl of maple syrup or honey.

The Apple Fritters are also perfect for Mabon.

Picnic Bread Basket

Another idea is to save all those bread bits you hollowed out and make bread pudding with it.

If you've never made bread pudding, this is so "green" and pagan, you really ought to consider it. I save bread heels in a ziploc bag in the freezer. When I make bread and there's any leftover bread, it goes in the bag too. About 4-6 cups makes a bread pudding unless you're like me and have men with hollow legs.

Anyway, this sturdy bread is great for picnics, the beach, or any occasion where you need a sturdy edible container. It's great for fried chicken.

Organizing the Perfect Picnic

What could be more romantic than a picnic with the sweetie? Besides this, I'll try to dig up my Bread Basket for Picnics. Yes, it's a basket made of bread you can eat. In the meantime...

Planning the Perfect Picnic
When you think of a picnic, do you conjure up idyllic visions of wicker baskets, red-checked tablecloths, and a baguette, cheese board and bottle of wine arranged artfully beside you while you lounge peacefully by the side of a lake? In reality, your last picnic may have involved bug bites, squashed peanut butter sandwiches, and collapsing paper plates. Take heart, though -- you really can have a storybook-perfect picnic! All it takes is a little planning.

* The Picturesque Picnic. A picnic just isn't a picnic without a charming cloth to spread out on the ground. A colorful, inexpensive tablecloth, sheet or blanket will make your picnic a delight to the senses, not to mention more comfortable, as you enjoy your cloth's wonderful ability to keep dirt and bugs off of you and out of the food. Instead of dragging along that boring old paper ware on your picnic, pick up a set of nice-looking, reusable plastic plates and cups. If you don't have a wicker picnic basket, let the kids decorate a large, sturdy box with contact paper and markers. Keep your tablecloth and special plates in your basket so you'll be ready to picnic whenever the sunshine and green grass call to you. Better yet, get one or two of those plastic storage boxes. One can be a “dry” box for the food and utensils, the other can hold ice and the drinks.
* Be Picnic-Equipped. One of the most indispensable gadgets to bring along on a picnic is a deluxe pocketknife. In addition to a knife blade, it should have scissors, a corkscrew and a can opener. When armed with one of these, you can handle any food or drink that needs slicing, peeling, trimming or prying open. If you do somehow find yourself stranded in the great outdoors with a lovely chunk of Cheddar and no knife to cut it with, just whip out your wallet: any plastic card can double as an impromptu cheese knife! For convenient cleanup of hands and faces, bring baby wipes or dampen several paper towels and put them in a resealable plastic bag. You'll also be glad you remembered a couple of extra plastic bags for garbage and dirty dishes (just don't get them mixed up! Use the clear trash bags.). Save money by saving all those little packets of ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and sweeteners in a resealable plastic bag. Clever food storage companies have also lately come out with disposable plastic storage containers that stack neatly. No more lugging home the Tupperware and spending an hour at the sink washing it all. It may seem silly and not very elegant, but a milk jug with a bit of water in the bottom frozen in the freezer will keep beverages chilled, lessen the chance of spills, and the small closeable opening keeps insects at bay.
· Perfect Picnic Food. Choose foods that don't require many utensils for serving or eating once you're settled onto your picnic blanket. Ideally, you should be able to eat most picnic foods with your hands, although we do advocate grabbing a few plastic forks to enjoy your favorite salad. There is certainly something very charming about a blanket holding a cheese knife and a tiny cutting board arranged with wedges of brie and gorgonzola. For all the other food, though, try to do most of the necessary slicing at home -- it's much easier to do in your kitchen (or to have the deli do it) than to attempt slicing meat, cheese, bread and watermelon for 6 people using a pocketknife. Desserts are best when already in individual portions, like cookies, brownies and cupcakes. Just remember that all sweet foods including fruits attract stinging insects.
· Emergency Kit. Choose and pack in the same stackable storage containers a few simple first aid supplies, like bandaids, insect sting ointments, sunburn sprays, sunscreen, and the like. If anyone is allergic to common outdoor items like bee stings, make sure you carry the appropriate remedy like benedryl or epi-pens.
· Getting Fancy about it. Believe it or not, you really can afford to get elegant with your picnic. The so-called dining pavilions available in Kmart or other similar stores are a worthwhile investment, with some minor changes you can make at home. Get the cheap ones without all that mosquito netting. Use old white sheets you can pick up in thrift stores and a box of safety pins or even clothespins to create your own side “walls”. A few spare clothespins to tie back the walls you want to open to catch a breeze are more than adequate. Should one of those summer showers threaten, you can still be cozy and dry while you finish your picnic. Take it from me, these really do work and are worth the trouble.

Hot Rod- Over the Stove Utensil Rack for under $20

This idea is so simple, it's almost scary. For instance, I found this towel bar for $10 at Home Depot.

http://contractorservices.homedepot.com/StoreProducts/ProductInfo.aspx?cid=1008257&pid=3dee4a24-1e09-411a-a043-8c35de083ac8 .

For those with more room, a stainless steel rod on brackets is ideal. Hey, could you even hang towels on it? LOL!!

Kid's Bench made Fast

This is almost cheating, it's so easy. Stock upper kitchen cabinets can be about $100 or less, so it pays to shop around.

Thinking Ahead-- Candle Magick Prep

My dear friends, as the summer storms cause us to lose power, I do hope you're saving your candle stubs. Aren't you?

Cut the tops off your used gallon milk jugs and label them with the seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, and black. (More colors if you need, of course) Drop your candle stubs into the appropriate bin. Bug your friends for theirs, if they have them. I tack my bins to the wall of my Working shed for easy sorting, but you may not have the room for this.

Do this year 'round as you use up your candles, especially your consecrated ones. Why waste all that lovely energy you expended? You don't just waste them, do you? I didn't think so!

Take the time to make sure of your stock of herbs, crystal bits, and other components like copal. Buy a bit at a time. The essential oils are frightfully expensive, aren't they? Think ahead to what candles you might need and what components you might use with them. We use a lot of healing candles in our coven, so we're especially careful to gather up components associated with healing. However, we're limited a bit by my allergy to eucalyptus and substitute menthol and mint. (Not good to have the HPS stop breathing midway through rituals, you know! LOL!)

Plan ahead so we can make candles in November and consecrate them at Yule. Much to do during the Dark Time!

Gardening- A Perky Pot Filter

I've been "caught" plenty of times without my landscaping fabric, which is stored in a shed far from where I do my potting work. That big old roll is a monster to lug anyway, so this is a wonderful alternative.

By the way, my friends! Now is the time to get out the file and sharpen up those shovels. It will soon be time to dig bulbs for the winter and separate your perennials that have crowded each other to death.

Mark your calendars now with your first frost date and be prepared! Start saving those onion bags and old nylon stockings to hang your bulbs safely for winter storage in a cool, dry place.

While you're at it, start putting aside money for that bag of fall fertilizer. It's almost time for that final fall feeding in the Zones north of 6. You'll want to do this soon, if your first frost date is looming. Don't make your garden friends starve this winter because you were lazy.

The Sabbat of Lammas/Lughnasadh

LUGHNASADH (AUGUST 1)

A. HISTORY

Lughnasadh (pronounced `loo-nus-uh') means the commemoration of Lugh. He was a fire- and light-god of the Baal/Hercules type. His name may be from the same root as the Latin "Lux", meaning light (which also gives us Lucifer, `the light bringer"). In mythology, the historical replacing of one god by a later form is often remembered as the killing, blinding or emasculation of the older by the younger, while the essential continuity is acknowledged by making the younger into the son or grandson of the elder.
In Irish legends, Lugh was the younger, superior god, replacing his grandfather, Balor. Lugh is also the type of god who undergoes death and rebirth in a sacrificial mating with the Goddess. Lugh was associated in Anglo-Saxon tradition with the corn harvest and the killing of the Corn King (Another facet of the God). In this manner did the pagans of so long ago celebrate the first harvest of corn.
In keeping with the pagan idea of balance, the autumn parallel to the `greenwood marriage' is the "Teltown marriage". The `Teltown marriages" are trial marriages which could be dissolved after a year and a day by the couple returning to the High Priestess who handfasted them and informing her of their decision.


B. THE ALTAR AND CIRCLE

1. Decorate the altar with sheaves of wheat, barley or oats, fresh fruits, breads, a loaf of bread fashioned in the figure of the Sun God, and corn dollies.

2. FOODS- BREAD (IN THE SHAPE OF THE GOD FIGURE), ANY EDIBLE
BERRIES, ACORNS (LEACHED OF THEIR POISONS FIRST), CRAB APPLES, ALL GRAINS, AND LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE. BAKED CAKE. This is a time of abundance, so a trip to a farmer's market will give you great ideas. Besides, what ARE you going to do with all the zucchini anyway?? Save some and have zucchini casserole and bread this winter when it will really be appreciated. The same goes for those baskets full of tomatoes. Your chili this winter will be all the better for it.

3. DRINKS- cider, berry drinks, and berry wines. My coven is particularly fond of Boone's Farm Berry wines. Who said you had to have a palate to be pagan anyhow?

4. Altar cloth and candles- Fire colors (red, yellow, orange) to symbolize the Sun. It is recommended that the altar cloth be decorated with sun symbols and grain. Any decorations that remind the Circle that it is the grain harvest are appropriate. I personally have an altar cloth I intend to stencil wheat sheaves on, but any good fabric store will be loaded with great fabric covered in fruit, herbs, suns, or wheat.

C. RITUALS

1. "REMEMBER THE WARMTH AND BOUNTY OF SUMMER IN THE FOOD WE EAT." EACH MEAL IS AN ACT OF ATTUNEMENT WITH NATURE. EAT SOME OF THE FRUIT ON THE ALTAR, WHILE THANKING THE GOD FOR THE SACRIFICE UNDER THE SICKLE.

2. PLANT THE SEEDS FROM THE FRUIT CONSUMED IN THE RITUAL.

3. WHEAT WEAVING (MAKING CORN DOLLIES, ETC.)

4. VISIT FIELDS, ORCHARDS, LAKES, AND WELLS DURING CIRCLE

5. Bake a ritual loaf of bread in the shape of the God. I personally suggest it be wheat bread, if possible. (It is recommended that this be done the day of Lammas, but not during Circle. Take the loaves home to share with the individual families.)

6. Make onion and garlic braids out of onions and garlic that have sprouted. Once the braids are made, consecrate them as protections for the house- especially the kitchen- then hang them in the kitchen. NEVER again use them for food! They now contain all the negativity they absorb from your household. Replace them with a new braid at Lammas, or as necessary. Bury the braid in your garden or in a pot for garlic or onions, returning them to the earth to be cleansed and renewed.

7. Do/share canning, pickling, preserving ideas and recipes. There is much harvesting to be done at this time of year. Plan to go blueberry picking, or some similar harvesting activity. Visit a farmer's market and buy a large amount of some vegetable to preserve, and then have the whole Circle get together to do it. (Pickling is smelly, but everyone gets a jar or two to enjoy during the winter. Any jam, jelly or preserve works.) Since the whole Circle shares the cost of the whole operation, the cost is minimal. Save for the initial cost of preserving equipment. Take donations for the big preserving "stock pot" and a box of jars. Let it be said that the Circle now owns the pot, and the jars, after use, must be returned to the Circle for use again next year. (This way you build up a stock of jars for the future.)

Fruits and vegetables are easy to preserve. Fruits need only be washed (and hulled if necessary) and stored in a plastic freezer bag with lots of sugar. You can also make fruit syrups by simply making simple syrup of sugar and water, add fruit and bring to a boil.

Most vegetables can be blanched or partially cooked and ladled into plastic freezer bags when cooled. It is really that easy!

8. Make vinegars out of the herbs from everyone's gardens and kitchens. Everyone brings a gallon (or less) or vinegar. Some bring white, some bring cider, some bring "vinegared" wine, some bring oriental rice wine vinegars, etc. Make vinegars for all to take home in saved jars. Suggest to the Circle that during the coming year, they collect pretty bottles to put their vinegars in for display. Have the Circle contribute toward corks for the bottles. (BUY THE CORKS AHEAD OF TIME!) Corks can be bought or ordered from beer and winemaking shops.

9. This time of year marks the beginning of the craft festivals and county fairs. Talk to the Circle about going as a group or as individuals to these and celebrate creation and the harvest.

10. Another way of preserving the "fruits" of this season is to sugar rose and violet petals. Dip individual petals in beaten egg, then coat with sugar. Let dry thoroughly, then store in a pretty jar or even plastic storage containers or bags. These will make lovely additions to a cake or ice cream as edible decorations.


SYMBOLISM

1. The time of year that marks the end of summer. The time of first harvest, when plants of spring begin to wither and drop fruit or seeds for our use.

2. The Sun God begins to wither and die. The harvest is like a "wake" for Him. Note that he begins to retreat farther south each day and the nights grow longer.

LAMMAS INCENSE

2 parts Frankincense
1 part Heather
1 part apple blossoms
1 part blackberry leaves
a few drops ambergris oil

This is a powder incense sprinkled over a lit charcoal briquette, or thrown in the ritual fire.


Okay, there it is. The "Reader's Digest Condensed" version of what I have on Lammas. I refused to mention the part about grain alcohol and Irish wakes. (grin) Many of us are in the midst of harvesting from our gardens, but a trip to a farmer's market might be fun anyway for those who can't go out and pick blueberries, peaches, tomatoes, etc. I suggest that Lammas be "split" into two days of activities. One, like the bread baking, can be on the day of Lammas, if your oven can handle the load. Use a bread machine to speed the process of rising and kneading. The second day can be for the canning and preserving of garden harvests and the "loot" from the farmer's market.

'Now Autumn's fire burns slowly along the woods,
And day by day the dead leaves fall and melt,
And night by night the monitory blast
Wails in the key-hole, telling how it pass'd
O'er empty fields, or upland solitudes,
Or grim, wide wave, and now the power is felt
Of melancholy, tenderer in it's moods
Than any joy indulgent summer dealt.'
William Cunningham

Prepare for Onion Braiding

Have you a few onions to spare, either from your garden or your pantry? If they're from your garden, it's time to pull them as soon as their tops begin to wither. Weren't you a smart witch to plant them?

If they're from your pantry and you have a few sprouting, that will do if you hurry. Plant them in a pot and treat them as a houseplant for a few weeks, allowing them to sit outside and feel the heat of summer's last rays. When they too wither, it's time to pull them.

We'll braid them next month as one of our crafts. I've even a lovely charm to chant, thanks to Pauline and Dan Campanelli's "Wheel of the Year." (Credit where credit's due!)

Need More Storage? Look Up

This is one trick I know and use. When you need more storage space, look up. Use the wasted space above windows and doors for shelves and cabinets.

I've often used the space above my bathroom door to store items in baskets, providing easy access. A basket hides those feminine supplies out of sight, and I didn't risk them getting wet under the sink. Rolled up towels that matched my bathroom decor also were kept handy in a very pretty way.

Now here's an added trick: Go buy those inexpensive stacking cubes or shoe racks like this one:

http://www.target.com/Storage-Cube-set-2/dp/B0015E7RQK/sr=1-8/qid=1215721910/ref=sr_1_8/601-3760784-7702548?ie=UTF8&index=target&rh=k%3Acube%20storage&page=1

or this one:

http://www.target.com/itso-1x2-Cube-Shelf-Maple/dp/B0013TNRTS/qid=1215722099/ref=br_1_14/601-3760784-7702548?ie=UTF8&node=677485011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

Screw them into the studs or on a ledger board which is screwed into the studs and you have a fast and easy storage system above anywhere. Paint them if you like to match your walls. Instant storage anywhere!

Lammas Recipe-- Slushy Punch

Lammas Recipe—Slushy Punch

Hint: Keep the slush in the freezer at all times in the summer for spur of the moment guests. For each serving, combine equal amounts of slush and carbonated water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage like Sprite or 7-Up.

1 cup sugar
2-3/4 cups water
2 ripe medium bananas, cut up
3 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1-liter bottle of carbonated water or lemon-lime carbonated beverage

Stir sugar and water together until sugar dissolves. Combine the bananas, half the pineapple juice, and orange juice concentrate in the food processor and whirl until combined. Add to sugar mix, and then stir in the lemon juice and the rest of the pineapple juice. Make sure it’s thoroughly blended.

Transfer this to a 13x9 baking pan or a similarly shaped freezer container for long-term storage. Freeze for several hours until firm.

To serve, let mixture stand at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. To form a slush, scrape a large sturdy spoon across the surface of the frozen mixture. Plop about ½ cup into a drink container, and add an equal amount of carbonated beverage.

Paint your glass to match the Sabbat/Season

As I stopped at a garage sale this morning, I found the perfect sealed jar I'd been looking for to hold my incense. It's plain glass, and cost me a mere fifty cents. I also found a small glass goblet and a plain ceramic plate. Total spent: Less than $5. (I won't mention the other finds. They aren't important.)

But the jar, goblet, and plate are only plain for a few more days! I'll use Permenamel Paint on them this weekend to create my very own set of Lammas altar gear.

The link above takes you to the directions, and you must follow them. Remember drying time can take a few days, so don't wait until a day or two before your Sabbat.

Shopping List:
1 bottle PermEnamel Conditioner
1 bottle PermEnamel Thinner
1 bottle PermEnamel paint in my choice of color(s)
1 bottle PermEnamel Gloss Glaze

On hand:
Plate
Goblet
Jar
Q-tips
Paper towels because I'm messy
Paper cup of water
Set of brushes and sponges
Wheat Stencil

What could be easier than this fast, simple project? If you've already followed my instructions for making Sabbat boxes (See March 2008) out of stacking drawers, you're ready to make unique altar sets for each Sabbat as you find cool little ceramic or glass items to paint on garage sale jaunts or rummaging in your own cabinets for neglected pieces.

Have fun!

Customizing and Organizing Your Kitchen CHEAP

I've always used the inside of my kitchen cabinet doors to keep my measurement conversion charts and most-used recipes handy. However, the sticky residue left by the tape always bugged me. These ideas offer alternatives with even more uses.

First we have the pegboard idea. Love this! If you haven't seen all the toys and storage ideas available for pegboards, pop by your local mega-hardware store and prepare to be amazed. You can even get jars to store your most-used spices this way! Bins for holding small items like those often lost gravy packets, and hooks for your favorite small utensils. No more frantic searches for the pastry brush. Woohoo!

Next is the chalkboard. I've done this before using a pantry door, but the inside of a cabinet door would work just as well. Note the eraser and chalk are stored in a small wire basket as well. (Or, perhaps in the pegboard cabinet door?)

Then there's the cork board door. Now that's a real treasure for pinning up the favorite recipes, coupons, tickets, paint chips, and other items. Handy and out of sight. Love it.

Finally, there's the option for those who can use magnets. While my kids are grown and gone, there are certain things that still end up needing a magnet until my refrigerator is a crowded eyesore.

Time to clean up that mess using wasted space. I'm digging out that chalkboard paint this weekend.

Living Green- Make your Own Grocery Bag

Read all the directions. While this is somewhat confusing at first, in practice it makes more sense. It's worth the time and trouble to make your own distinctive bags, but I love my bags! I thought about spraying waterproofing spray in one or two, then placing in ice packs for my perishable goods. How practical can you get?

New Crafts Part Two: A Permanent Sewing Pattern

Okay, so the pictures aren't great. (Click on the individual pic to get a better look) Here's the scoop. I made a sleeveless shell for myself out of this great green batik material I found on sale at JoAnn's Fabrics.

Simplicity 4552 is the pattern if you're interested. Here's the link:
http://www.simplicity.com/dv1_v4.cfm?design=4552

Very simple pattern! Only four pieces to cut -- front, back, neck facing, armhole facing. Big deal. Took me only a few hours to stitch it together.

Now here's the big deal. Note the charms hanging from the neckline? Those are leaf charms I got in the beading department for $2 for a whole bag. I used a pair of needlenose pliers to close the wire loops a bit tighter, measured from the center line, and marked at one inch intervals. Then I hand-stitched the beads on while I watched TV last night. Voila! A unique sleeveless shell with a secret pagan theme.

You see, I believe in wardrobes unique to the individual. I'm also a plus-sized woman. By sheer luck, my mother and both grandmothers also were home seamstresses with a belief in saving a dollar. I sewed my very first outfit at the tender age of twelve and wore it proudly. I made clothes for my children whenever I could, and that wasn't as often as I should have.

Now that I'm older and have more time on my hands, I love to make homemade items. Last year it was teddy bears for author gifts and family. This past winter it was fleece no-sew blankets and warm costumes for my grandchildren's Halloween.

This summer, I'm sewing for myself. I need new clothes desperately, and I absolutely refuse to pay the extortionary rates "Plus Size" shops sell for my size clothes, and in the most insipid colors imaginable. I don't give a rat's patootey what the latest fashion colors are, I look terrible in warm tones. When a simple suit of a tunic top and elastic waist pants will cost $40+ to purchase, I head to JoAnn's where I can spend about half that if I already own the patterns I want to use.

Here's a trick for those who already know how to sew: Buy a good pattern you like and enough of the cheapest muslin you can find to make all the outfit pieces you like. Stop by the notions department and purchase a can of Dritz Spray Adhesive. (Find this stuff! It eliminates the need for pins while cutting patterns.) At home, gather up a good Sharpie and your best fabric shears. You might want to make sure you have a good supply of Ziploc 2-gallon bags handy as well.

Cut out all the tissue paper pieces. Now lay out the muslin in a single layer and "dry fit" all the tissue pieces on the material. Lift each piece of tissue and spray the muslin with the adhesive. Return the tissue to that area. When all the tissue adheres to the muslin, cut out your pattern pieces. Now use the Sharpie to mark all the dots, darts, and triangles as well as the pattern number, piece number, and any other notes like "Cut on fold" or "Cut One." These will now become your permanent and much more durable pattern pieces, so attention to detail is paramount. As you remove each piece of tissue, carefully fold it and return it to the envelope for safekeeping. Once you're done, you can now put the pattern envelope and your muslin pattern in the ziploc bag. Make sure the envelope shows so you can find the pattern you need easily.

Now you won't ever have to worry about a torn pattern piece or one that falls apart where you have to use a tracing wheel ever again. Even better, a Ziploc bag is water and insect proof for storage.

Advanced seamstresses: Do you find yourself always altering a certain pattern to fit your unique shape? (Example: I am very long-legged. I always have to add a few inches to pants legs and skirts. For some reason pattern manufacturers don't consider "tall" a problem size, but they do for petites.) Make a muslin pattern piece with the alteration included. It's your pattern, darn it. Make it fit YOU.

The above advice also works if you want to use a regular size pattern and you're a plus size. There's a vest pattern I love which the largest size available was 18 Miss. Sorry, I'm a 28 Women. I laid the pattern pieces down and cut three inches outside the lines to make a larger version. I basted the whole thing together to make a muslin version of my vest. With a few adjustments, I had a vest in the size I needed. The pattern instructions don't differentiate. It's "sew this, now sew that." I took out the basting and had my pattern. (Screw you, designers for skinny women!)

Don't know how to sew? You can either find a friend to teach you, or pay for a class at JoAnn's if there's one handy to you. Machines can run as little as $150 in WalMart, and there's even an embroidery machine that not only does the simple stitches needed for everyday sewing but also time-saving embroidery stitches available at the touch of a button. Who says we can't have fun?

New Crafts Part One: The Flip Flops

My mother works in one of those fancy day spa-beauty salons down in St. Augustine. When I visited Mom at home this past weekend, she pulled a pair of white flip flops from a bag to show me "the latest thing" the salon patrons are buying like hotcakes.

The white (dollar special) flip flops had white grossgrain ribbon wrapped around the upper thongs, then clusters of fake "pearl" beads sewn in three places on each shoe. That was it. Price tag? $20. I about fainted.

So, I went into my closet and dug out my brand new Wal-Mart $1 bin flip flops. I wrapped gray satin ribbon around the upper thongs, securing it with the strongest household glue I had. Then I dug into my buttons collection and found the pretty maracasite buttons with a faux mother of pearl inset. I sewed them on. Total work time: about one hour, maybe less.

Am I selling my pretty new "dress" flip flops? No. But it's fun to do this project. Now I'm eyeing the rest of my flip flop collection and wondering what other ribbons and doodads I have. Hmm...