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December 2016

How to Make Magical New Year's Resolutions!

The holidays are almost over and some of us are snuggling up warm and cozy indoors planning the year ahead.  I make resolutions every year and I am pretty good at keeping them so here are a few things to think about when you make that list, if it is indeed a list.

1. Brainstorm some ideas - what do you want to change or improve on in your life?  I was writing the same goals every year until I tried this.

Ideas for brainstorming  new years resolutions:

A tarot card reading

Painting on a Buddha board with water,

Abstract drawing,

Opening an atlas and pointing at places

Reading last years social media posts

Looking at your photos

Thinking about your friends/families lives

Listening to music

Hopefully at least on of these things will start you thinking about what you would like to achieve next year.  You are about to start a new chapter - what would you like it to be about?  Would you read a book about your own life? 

2. Write down some categories: work and career, pleasure, love, family, vacation, health and fitness and finances.  You should have one or more goals for each of these.

3. Make your list!

4. How to make your list of resolutions magical.  

  • Paint a picture or several pictures of your resolutions and take a photograph .
  • Find a photograph of each resolution and make a vision board
  • Type up your list and use an appropriate photograph as a watermark.
  • Turn your goals into a rap or a mantra and say or sing them over and over.
  • Make a recording of yourself -speaking your resolutions and listen to it daily.
  • Create a dance of your resolutions and feel how your life is improving for the better.
  • Write the list in your best handwriting on some special paper.

5. How to make your list work.

My list is wallpaper on the front of my phone so I look at it 100's of times a day. It is there whenever I want to check my progress or remind myself of my goals.  You could also make a screensaver out of your list. The same advice applies if you sing, dance, hand write or record your resolutions.   It is the repetition that creates the habit of thinking about your resolutions and you will then feel more inclined to continue to work on your goals for the year. You will rewire your brain to achieve the life that you want.  The Super Life! Good luck.

Happy New Year.

College Advisor: I have worked in education for many years teaching business and information studies and advising students on which college program to take and which university to attend. I have helped hundreds of students with college applications. If you need a life coach to help you with anything related to education, please email me at [email protected] I can help you to set goals and give you the benefit of my experience.

The cost is $30 for 30 minutes or $50 per hour.  In UK: £20 for 30 minutes or £35 for 60 minutes. I use PayPal for payment and Skype to complete the reading. Please email me to set this up with your preferred time see below. [email protected]

 In US Time: I am available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2pm, 3pm, 4pm or 5pm Eastern Standard Time and Saturday 9 am, 10 am and 11 am EST. 

In UK time: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. Saturday 2 pm, 3pm and 4 pm.

Doubting Yourself

Working in Sales

Selling

Abusive Relationships

A Better World

Change is Good

Climb the Mountain

Blessing in Disguise

Interview Tips

 

 


In a Second.... the Wheel of Fortune

A race is won, 

A life begun, 

Another ends

It all depends

Upon the Wheel.

To rise and heal

To fall and die?

A race is lost,

Who pays the cost?

The wheel decides

Not you nor I.

Tarot Readings!

I started reading tarot cards many years ago when I was in college, I was studying business but my real interest has always been in psychology, astrology, tarot and dreams. I waited a long time to pursue tarot reading professionally. I do not understand how tarot cards work or why they work. I do not believe that you need special powers to read the cards but experience and an understanding of the symbols on each card opens the doors to a successful interpretation.

It is a good idea to be in a quiet place to have a tarot reading, to be able to free your mind of distractions and concentrate on an issue that you would like some insight into. Tarot cards can give you insight into situations and things that are happening around the questioner.

I have been a tarot reader for more than 40 years and will be happy to do a reading for you, the cost is $30 for 30 minutes or $50 per hour.  In UK: £20 for 30 minutes or £35 for 60 minutes. I use PayPal for payment and Skype to complete the reading. Please email me to set this up with your preferred time see below. [email protected]. Readings are for entertainment only! 

 In US Time: I am available Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 2pm, 3pm, 4pm or 5pm Eastern Standard Time and Saturday 9 am, 10 am and 11 am EST. 

In UK time: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7pm, 8pm and 9pm. Saturday 2 pm, 3pm and 4 pm.

Main blog page: What does my dream mean?

More Dream Interpretations

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Dreams about buildings and furniture, man-made things

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Vegan Gluten Free Christmas Baking

 

Vegan Gluten Free Mince Tarts with Vegan Royal Icing.
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A few weeks ago, I made a vegan gluten free Christmas fruit cake and mincemeat.  It's time to add marzipan and ice the cake, and make some mince pies.

I started with the marzipan, in fact I made almond paste because I did not have any rosewater which is what would have turned my almond paste into marzipan.  In England my garden was full of rose bushes and perhaps I would have made my own rose water but we all need to adapt to our environments....

I used Uncle Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour and confectioners sugar.  I used 2/3 almond flour to sugar, I added some almond flavour and water and mixed it until it was the right consistency to roll into a strip to cover the side of the cake and a circle for the top.  Most recipes cover the cake with apricot jam so that the almond paste will stick, I used marmalade because I do not buy apricot jam.  The almond mixture was sticky but I rolled it between two pieces of parchment paper and also cooled it in the fridge.

The taste was great, very authentic and very easy to make.  The almond flour was pricey but grinding up almonds to create the flour would have been pricey and time consuming too, it is also best to use blanched almonds if you are going to grind your own so that the paste is yellow and not brown.  It is possible to add a touch of turmeric to the paste if you want it to look really yellow.

I covered the cake in almond paste and left it to set a little while I made some gluten free vegan pastry.  This was the most difficult task.  I used a mix of rice flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour with a little Xanthum gum. I added a couple of tablespoons of sugar.  I rubbed in vegan margarine, Earth Balance, using half the amount of fat to flour. I added water to mix.  The mixture was too crumbly at first and I could not get it to stick together, even a stay in the fridge did not work, so I added more water and more Xanthum gum.  The dough improved when I kneaded it and I was able to carefully roll it out, resting the dough in the fridge between rollings.  

I decided to make mince tarts rather than pies so there would be less small pieces to roll out as the dough was so delicate.  I used a cup to cut the circles for the muffin pans and found that it was better to place the circle over the pan and let gravity work rather than push the pastry into the pan as it is easy to break the dough.

I added a heaped tablespoon of homemade vegan mincemeat to each pie.  The mincemeat that I made a few weeks ago used coconut oil instead of suet and so had some chunks in it.  I baked the pies at 400 degrees F, for about 18 minutes until the pastry was golden brown.  I let the tarts cool in the tin for a few minutes and then put them onto a cooling rack.  The pies were surprisingly robust.  I put the pies aside so that I could make vegan royal icing for the cake and pies.

Royal icing is the traditional icing to put over marzipan on fruit cakes.  The icing would usually be made with egg whites whisked and then with confectioners sugar added.  Vegan royal icing used aquafaba, this is the brine from a can of chick peas.  I was a little nervous about this as it sounded rather gross, but I whisked up 3 fluid ounces and enough confectioners sugar to make a thick icing. I added vanilla essence for flavouring. I decided to go the easy route with the icing and create a snow scene on my cake which is achieved by creating a very thick royal icing.  The icing is spread over the cake and pulled up into peaks.  Mine looked great when I did it but the peaks started to disappear as the icing needed to be thicker.

I used the remaining icing on the mince tarts and it was hard to  spread because I had made it so thick, it definitely could have had some water added to it to thin it out.

I tasted one of the mince tarts and it was good but I found that the coconut oil from the mincemeat had run under the tart and made it messy to eat, the pastry tasted good but was sort of crunchy compared to shortcrust pastry.  I think I added too much xanthm gum, it was probably about 2 teaspoons when I should have used only one.

I immediately placed all of the pies on some paper towels and the coconut oil was absorbed, perhaps I will have to try vegetable suet next time.  The mincemeat was very tasty as was the royal icing.  I will taste the cake at Christmas.  Happy Baking!

Gluten Free Vegan Christmas Fruit Cake with Easy Snow Scene.


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Gluten Free Vegan Christmas Cookies

This is my second attempt at gluten free cookies, the problem is that the dough is to soft to roll.  First substitute gluten free flour, we used almond flour and coconut flour- 3 parts to one. We also substituted for egg with a fox egg, one tablespoon flax meal to 2 tablespoons water.  We used vegan butter -earth balance and a little coconut oil.  You can substitute any of these in any recipe. We found the mix too Ronny and had to add extra flour. 

When it came to rolling the dough we used wax paper on each side and then put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden enough to cut into shapes. 

The cookies taste good!

IMG_3087


Vegan Gluten Free Mincemeat

IMG_3072

It's that time of year again and I decided this year to make my own mincemeat instead of paying a premium price for an imported product.  I am vegetarian and prefer my food without gluten, and there are some serious vegans in my family so it is important to use the right ingredients when I cook. IMG_3073

Traditional mincemeat uses suet which is the fat from around a cow's intestines -  not really something that makes me hungry.  There is vegetarian gluten available but I do not like "fake' products because you never know how they were manufactured.  I found a recipe which used coconut oil instead and I have been really happy with the result.

I was unable to obtain currants in the US so I substituted dried blueberries.  I also used tequila instead of brandy, I do not drink brandy but there is always tequila around for a quick margarita.

Merry Christmas!

 

 


Bed Shaking!!

What does my dream mean?

I usually try and interpret a dream each week, but this week I had a bed shaking experience so I feel compelled to write about it.  I was asleep and I heard a couple of footsteps coming across the room towards me, these were not creaks in the floorboards but had weight, the same as when I walk across the room.  This is the second time this has happened recently and it scared me both times as it is not easily explained away.  This time the footsteps were followed by a violent shaking of the bed, it was a very strange shaking, not like something was moving the bed but as if the mattress had become liquid and was rippling violently.  My reaction to this was to get angry, if a spirit wants to speak to me, they should communicate telepathically not shake my bed to get attention.  I can only think that this was done to scare me. Anyway, I started yelling at "it", I think it was male, to leave and get out of my home, I pushed it away and then went back to sleep!

I am unable to interpret this, I had a previous bed shaking experience more than 20 years ago in England when I was watching a TV show about alien abductions. I am sure there are people reading this who think I am crazy, I am perfectly sane.  If you have had a similar experience let me know!

Sleep well!

Readings!

If you would like me to interpret a dream for you, please email me at: [email protected] dream interpretations are free! I have been been a psychic reader for many years and will be happy to do a reading for you, the cost is $30 for 30 minutes or $50 per hour. I use PayPal and Skype. Please email me to set this up. Readings are for entertainment only!

Main blog page: What does my dream mean?

More Dream Interpretations

Dreams about Transportation, cars, bikes, helicopters..

Dreams about buildings and furniture, man-made things

Dreams about family and people

Dreams about clothes

Dreams about situations

Dreams about nature