So Busy

The fall season was in full swing here then we got hit by a few days of Indian summer this week. I am enjoying it while it lasts; lots of time outside. We went pumpkin picking with our resident artist and little 'un in tow. Totally forgot to take any pictures while we were there but I did get some rather cute ones of little 'un "helping" us carve our pumpkins I'm going to save those until Halloween so it will be a cool jack-o-lantern post. We are all set for Halloween besides a foot of my cloak that STILL needs to be finished and I'm running out of time!

Just got back from Rhyme Time at our local library. Cute songs and stories for the toddler bunch. We are lucky to have such a nice children's librarian. We have a lot of libraries around where I live but most of them don't want children to come in! Isn't that silly, little 'un got exited one day to be in the library and we got hissed at by some librarian who then made us feel so unwelcome as parents that I vowed I would never go back. Why bother having a well stocked children's section if you don't want them to come and take out the books?

Good news has hit hubby has gotten a new job, with a pay raise and good benefits. We are looking forward to having a semblance of our normal routine once again. We were going just a little insane for the lack of order. The house is messier than I have let it get in a long time which I am posting about because being online is how I am procrastinating and not picking it up.

I am going to close with something I haven't done in awhile some things I learned!

1. At rhyme time we learned some really cute songs and poems with gestures. Something I am always trying to do for little 'un because he gets tired of hearing the ones I know all the time.

2. There is a mommy and me gymnastics class a few blocks away. Looking forward to signing little 'un and me up for it. He is off the wall all the time and it will be a great way for him to let off some steam in a productive rather than a destructive way.

Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween

We are coming close to the end of the 31 Days of Halloween over at Mrs B's! Today's giveaway is from Dancing Rabbit, a book The Way of the Horned God. As I have said before I will never pass up a good book and this one looks really special. I am a little disheartened that Pagan men and boys seem just a little under represented in our literature. This looks to close the gap.

The publishers have a great many interesting books so you should all go check out their website:
http://o-books.com/book I just love the A-Z Reiki book!

Baking Post 1

Well I have been busy working on my post for today and here it is as promised a post about some baking for Halloween (erm yeah). I'm using the recipe from my Betty Crocker Cookbook. First things first gather together everything your going to need like this:

3/4	cup granulated sugar
3/4	cup packed brown sugar
1	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	large egg
2 1/4	cups all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon salt
1	cup coarsely chopped nuts
1	bag (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 357°. In large bowl, beat sugars, butter, vanilla and egg with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Mine looked something like this:


Then you add the last of the ingredients; Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. For some reason in this picture my chocolate chips didn't show up.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. I would have more pictures but I was in a hurry to get done baking so the last two steps don't have corresponding pictures. The cookies didn't last long enough for me to get a picture of them, we all have horrible sweet tooths.

I also made the pumpkin bread I said I was going to make but I was so worried about messing up the recipe that I totally forgot to take any pictures! It turned out well and hopefully I will be making it again before Samhain/Halloween and will remember to take some pictures.

My 31 Days of Halloween Post!

Well I have been waiting to enter the giveaways the last few days because I always look at them and decide if I would like to win the giveaway or not. If I wouldn't kill for the giveaway I don't enter because I would feel bad about myself if I won while somebody who wanted it more than I did lost. It just wouldn't be right of me to do that and I think it would be bad for my karmic debt if I did enter a contest I didn't want to win just so I could say I had won something.

Giveaway #1: Is a 25.00 gift certificate to Spelled with a W, which I could always use because who doesn't need money these days? Engraved All Metal Athame & Sheath is just one of the things I would want to buy with it. You all should check out the site because all of the supplies on it are very fairly priced in this humble witches opinion.

Giveaway #3 Is a Handcrafted Tarot Story! Wow really original concept I just love the cover of the book in the example. I love it and the Tarot Written Story in a frame it cool as well.

Wheeee! Paint Fumes & Pictures

I am alive just busy with the fall clean out. Plus the extra projects around the house like painting. I love to paint hate the fumes! I am painting our hallway a pretty powder blue (I'll put up some pictures when it's all done being decorated). In fact while I'm on the subject of posting some pictures here are some things that you'll have to look forward to in the oncoming weeks!

Our trip to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkin and get some more apples so that I can make some applesauce for Samhain. I'm also making a few loaves of pumpkin bread for hubby (it's his favorite). So there will be some posts on baking and they will include pictures. (Like this one)

Closer to All Hallows Eve I will post some pictures of my cloak which I will finish in time dang it! I don't know what I will be this year I can't decide and I don't want to spend too much money because money is so tight right now. Plus pumpkin carving fun and much much more!

I was able to catch up with a few old friends from school today. We had so much fun just taking and goofing around with the little 'un. It's been so nice that I have had the opportunity to see them after so many years and catch up. Looking forward to seeing them on a more regular basis from now on. I missed being able to have a small group of female friends around. It's always been my prerogative to have more male friends than female. Many females around here are catty snobs who won't have anything to do with anybody that isn't a part of their country club (ie: Church) and I have always been different. I also don't care about clothing or shoes. I would rather spend $100 on cloth and patters to make my own clothing than spend they same amount of money on the latest styles. I am an oddball at hart and most women find me strange and unnerving.

A few odds and ends

Well today is national coming out day and Jason over at The Wild Hunt has a really great article I think you should check out. http://wildhunt.org/blog/2010/10/a-confluence-of-occasions-columbus-and-coming-out.html

I practically live at The Wild Hunt website; I love it so much. It's become my new Witchvox when it comes to Pagan news.

Mrs. B had a wonderful idea for a Samhain project (See my note below) that I am going to try out in between finishing my cloak and my household projects for fall. So far we have managed to clean out the basement which was left totally filthy by the previous owners. I have just finished painting the trim in the hallway so that we can totally re-do that and cleaned out the closet. I have about another day and a half of painting left before I can move on to replacing the railing which is in the early stages of decay. After the hallway is complete I don't know what my next project will be because I have to finish my cloak for Samhain so that I will have a costume this year that I won't freeze to death in. I am so close and I just can't make myself finish it because once I start sewing I am usually sewing day and night for a week before I stop to sleep and I am already sleep deprived!

Loving the fall weather now that the rain has ceased. Looking forward to going out into the yard to collect leaves for fall decorations and crafts. Little 'un has his own tree in the backyard that we collected a leaf from on Lughnasadh. I preserved it and now that the colors of the leaves are changing I want to gather another one so he can see the difference. One leaf will be green and one will be orange or red and then I'm going to let him explore them both, a little science for him and it will educate him on the changing seasons now that he is old enough to remember the difference.

31 Days of Halloween!

Lotsa good things over at Mrs. B's today! As always wonderful giveaways and great extras like the Haunted Blog Tour and Samhain notes!

Giveaway #1; Is once again from Weiser Books; This time it's The Field Guide to Ghosts. Just neato I love ghosts and things that go bump in the night and lets face it I will never turn down a new book.

Giveaway #2; Is a bath set from The Sacred Oak! I would just kill for the Pan Window sticker but you have to go and check out their website for that. http://www.thesacredoak.com/store/

Allow Me..

..if you will to wax poetic about my newest obsession; The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Well to be more precise the television mini series that I was able to watch because Netflix can sometimes be totally awesome. I just love the story, I'm a total sucker for both political dramas and romances. You love to hate the characters because in my opinion none of them are very good people (in the fantasy polarity of good). Prior Phillip is a man of God but still had his own agendas and is at times manipulative. There are few female characters but they are all powerful and Ellen iis just plain epic! The evil guys are beyond redemption, there isn't a shred of human compassion amongst them. But I think this lends a certain believability to the story, the characters all have monumental faults. In other words they are human, fictitious humans with humanity if you would. I have just ordered the book and will tell you all how I like it. I'm thinking that it will be another one of these utterly gaga posts.

31 Days of Halloween!

I looked through the giveaways and the apron giveaway was the only one I found that I am entering. I don't wear jewelry so I figured I would let someone who would wear it win.

The pumpkin half apron is darling I love it and I would wear it everyday! I'm thinking about getting myself the Moonlight Full Apron just because I love it so much........

Inside I'm Singing!

Alright after that last post of sheer angry frustrated anger/depression at the loss of all that was to be I'm back with a more see the silver lining outlook on life.

Isn't it totally funny how coincidence works out. Having nothing better to do with my time then search my favorites list for some numbing agent to my utter despair with life I stumbled upon http://gospelpagan.wordpress.com/. I love this site because I can identify with this persons utter awe at the Mama but humans just boggle my mind and sometimes I am at a loss to make the two opposites meet in my mind. Being that I haven't been to the site in a few months I scrolled down a few posts skimming through her poetry most beautiful and found a post with some videos; this post about her battle with anger which is a battle I have fought before and am still fighting today and how she found a purpose toward which to put her anger to the task. Anger isn't a feeling that has no use but despair is; your anger can be used for some good in this world despair just numbs you. It's an important distinction to make. Yes the world has darkness but there is also light and without that darkness the light could never shine. Yes the layoff sets our plans back years and it sucks. No other way to say it; it sucks but it isn't the end of the world and I can't let it totally cloud the fact that the world is a beautiful place.

I'm still (obviously) working on not being such a whiner about everything bad that comes my way. Life is full of challenges and promise, happiness and sadness, but the music goes on and that makes life worth living. So go check out her August 27 post and be uplifted!

Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween!

Well I looked at the giveaways today and here is my blog post about the one that I entered.

It is a handmade Ocean Heart Prayer Bead set. Just plain pretty and since my other kitchen witch duties keep me from truly pursuing making my own set of prayer beads I entered in the hopes of winning. Also started following her blog at: http://verynearlyhippy.blogspot.com/ She seems like my kind of witch!

What to Say?

Little 'uns birthday was under a cloud again this year, hubby got laid off and we are facing a rather uncertain future right now. The most frustrating thing about it was he did nothing wrong; there was nothing he could have done differently, he was well liked and did his job well the company just felt it was a good cost saving measure. Which is just plain silly since he was making the lowest possible salary paid for his job. He's all out of sorts because he can't understand what he's supposed to do if he works hard and does everything right and STILL loses his job how can he win?

Spells are in the works and we are doing our part to. Saving money, pinching pennies, and just hoping that like last time a better job will come around and make us stable again. Cross your fingers!

My 31 Days of Halloween Post!

Due to unforeseen circumstances I have been unable to visit Mrs. B and her wonderful giveaways as much as I would have liked but I was able to find some time today so here is my blog on the giveaways!

Giveaway #1: This is from Divine Lotus healing, a $40 dollar gift certificate! Which is really great because then you can get whatever suits your needs best. I did some poking around and found so much worth getting. What I would do with the gift certificate would be to get some of the Energy spray, with a rather rambunctious toddler running around and bouncing off the walls I sure could use a boost!

Giveaway #2: Is from Following the Craft as a thrifty Pagan blog, a craft loop pentagram. Very pretty and can be used for about anything. Looking forward to her guest blog post, she was ice enough to give a preview of it on her blog.

31 Days of Halloween!

Well here we are looking forward to another wonderful year of the 31 Days of Halloween and here are the giveaways Mrs. B put up today!

A Book by Judika Illes from Weiser Online! I looked around and found a great deal there for the Pagan masses so go check out the website for yourself! My favorite was Parenting the Children of Now

Practicing Health, Spirit, and Awareness to Transcend Generations Meg Blackburn Losey, Ph.D. As a parent it is always on my mind how to be better at what I do. I can't wait to see who will win!