Back Online!

Hello All! I am back online now! The move went as well as could be expected! Have missed everyone! And OctoberFarms AWESOME recipes!!!! Hope everyones Yule was wonderful. I was sad I missed the lunar eclipse! To many clouds! :(

Blessed Be

A Spectacular Day!

Yesterday was amazing :) Sunrise on the beach, walking along the shore to collect shells and rocks. It was amazing. I loved it. It was so peaceful and quiet. So awesome :) I took some amazing pics with my cellphone (forgot my real camera :( ) and as soon as I figure out how to get them on the computer, lol, I will add them here!

Excited!

I am totally geeking out over my books that have just arrived! I am excited! 4 Scott Cunningham books! i have been saving for a while to get them all! YAY! Just excited!

Blessed Be!

Hello All!

Hi All! Hope you all have been well and enjoying this WONDERFUL fall weather! I LOVE IT! :) Can you tell?

Just a quick update. I have been super busy, life with three girls will do that to a person :) Not to mention being a military wife, doing my year and a day with an awesome group online :) And taking care of family and working through my life so far :) I have a lot going on! Plus in the next few weeks we will be making a move from Georgia to Missouri *sigh* But this time we will be there for 2-5 years. Hopefully longer for some more stability!!

Talk to you all soon! How are you?

Blessed Be

Trick or Treating!

Here is Lucy! She was so excited to trick or treat! They ran the entire 2 hours we were out *exhausted!*
Maeghan
The group! Maeghan, Mallerii, Scarecrow, Gracie and Lucy






It was a great night! They had a blast and trick or treated their feet off! They made out like bandits with the candy situation! And they were thrilled! We had loads of trick or treaters! They were adorable!

Another post for Samhain

So I have decided to start this little blurb about loved ones who have passed in my family. The above pictures are my mothers parents, my grandparents, Nanny and Poppy AKA Jimmie Rae Essman and Jerrie Charlene Essman. They passed on a year apart April 2007(Poppy) and April 2008(Nanny). I was sad to see them go.

For my dads parents I can only find my grandmothers obituary. I am working on getting her picture. So here is her obituary:

NATIVE - DANKERT - VERNICE - MAE - MRS. - LANCASTER - 8 18 1938 - 12 18 2003 - BROWNSVILLE CEMETERY - Mrs. Vernie Mae Lancaster Dankert, age 65, died Thursday, Dec. 18, 2003.Mrs. Dankert was born and raised in the St. Francis County area, the daughter of Claude Lancaster and Nettie Mae Lancaster. She is survived by her husband, Ron Dankert; her children, Debbie Southerland of Wynne, Pat Purvis of Little Rock, Mike Purvis of Glen Allen, Va. and James Purvis of Bend, Ore.; her sister, Diane Reeves of Forrest City; eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She was preceded by both her parents.Funeral services were held for Mrs. Dankert on Monday, Dec. 22, 2003, in the Chapel of Boyd Funeral Home in Lonoke. Burial followed in Brownsville Cemetery.

She was also buried the same day I went into labor and had our son who passed away shortly after his birth.

His name was Jacob Aaron. He lived for almost 3 hours. December 22, 2003 (on a side note he was due April 11.. I seem to be noticing as I am writing this out that all of my loved ones, with the exception of my dads mom, have died in April or have some April connection. The last time we saw my grandmother it was in April a few years before.... weird?)

My dads father, Robert Lee Purvis who passed away in April of 1997. No pictures and still looking for his obituary :(.

My dads best friend Duke. Vietnam Vet

And for now that is all :) Just a little cyber memorial for them from me. I will hopefully be adding pics to it, etc or updating it in other little blurbs I do.

Blessed Be

It's Here! I know I promised them last night... but I fell asleep :D

So here they are! This top one is a zebra skirt for my cousin (Yes she is 19 lol and still dressing up!) The girls wanted her to come with us trick or treating and they also wanted her to dress up! And well she is obsessed with zebras :) So she is going as one as well!Here is Lucy wearing her zebra shirt! She loves it! The back is also glitter sprayed which is further down the line :)
This is our fall harvest center piece. The girls have named the turkey Sean :)
These are some hair bows I made, they all have a twin bow too :)
These are the zebra bows I made for Little Lucy Zebra :)
This is one of the witch shirts up close!
Farther back!
This is a witch leotard. it will be going with the black, orange and purple skirt!
And the zebra shirt sans Lucy :)
And the back of the zebra shirt!
I also added glitter spray to the witch skirts but didn't get the pics of them yet! Tomorrow is the day our community does trick or treating so I will have more pics posted up of the full finished costumes with the girls wearing them!!!!!! Thank you all for being patient with me. Life has been hitting lately. And I was exhausted last night! I hope you all are enjoying the season! Our fall weather is finally here, for what hopefully will be permanent for the season! For Samhain I am going to be making a special meal and I will post pics of that day as well! And I am going to do some wish bags for the "New Year" with the girls and put up pics of that as well!!!!!!!!!! See you all soon and Blessed Be!

Uploading pics tonight from the Halloween costumes! I promise!

Things have been stressful here! But we are managing. I know I had a sad post the other day and I am slowly moving on from it. Today I am a little irked however, because since leaving our old religion and coming out with how we really feel about things and have been defending our views on things just as our family always does I stepped on some toes. Just as my husbands family continues to step on my toes, some days I step back. Especially when things are aimed AT me directly and done out in the open, just in a foreign language. A few months ago this happened. One of my BIL's made a comment about me in spanish. I knew some of the words so I had a friend translate it and it was particularly nasty. So I responded back. Little did I know he and his wife blocked me from being able to view their FB walls and some other things on their FB. Which is their choice. But I like to pride myself on being honest and when something happens I will call you on it just like I expect you to do the same. But they didn't. So today they text me telling us how we need to see their babys pictures they put up. So I tried to go and see and voila they had outed themselves as to having blocked me. But they forgot, apparently... when I confronted them on it they seemed super uncomfortable about it and made an excuse, that honestly I know to be an outright lie. I feel frustrated about it. Why do grown adults do this?

I guess I am just perplexed. I will talk to you all tonight with the pics of the girls' costumes!

Sadness

My morning excitement has faded a bit. Just feeling a bit down today. Some heavy family issues (extended) Just feeling the loss and rejection that comes when someone cuts you off, and for no apparent reason. So tonight when the kids go to bed I am going to light some candles and meditate I suppose. I know I can't control other people and why they do things. But I can try and make myself feel better, right?

Fall Weather

The fall weather is finally getting here down south! I am so excited! I LOVE it! :)

Yes I know I have not put up my new Halloween Blog Party blurb, but it is coming soon. We have had some serious technical difficulties around our house lately! :) But everything is fine now!

A Few Symbols of Samhain..... and things I remember from my Halloweens growing up

I have spent a few days looking at countless websites and books about symbols connected to Samhain and I found this on a website I really liked you can find it at http://www.whats-your-sign.com/meaning-of-halloween-symbols.html I really enjoyed looking around :)

Halloween Bats: A common practice among our ancestors at ths end (Samhain, Oct. 31) was to build tremendously brilliant bonfires. These fires would blaze the night for many reasons: Warding off maladjusted energies, soften the chill in the air, prepare harvest feasts, mark the occasion with apowerful solar symbol, etc. Anyone who has lit their own campfire knows the light magnetizes all manner of insects. In turn, their natural predators will also come to the flame looking for an easy insect meal. And so, bats were a common sight at Halloween-time festivities. By association, bats are viewed to be connected with this holiday’s theme of magic and a time of passing from one phase of life to another (both in the timeline of human life and seasonal cycles). You may be interested in reading my page on the symbolic meaning of bats from a totemic perspective here.
	Halloween Black Cats: Mysterious, precocious, sleuthy, and seemingly able to stalk the darkest nights without aid of light – the cat has long been considered to be closely linked with otherworldly concepts. Indeed, many practitioners of energetic communication welcomed the company of felines as it was understood these creatures could serve as a facilitator to opening otherworldy doors. Black is a common color of mystery and the unknown. Black is also considered to be an absorbing element – taking on off-kilter energies and transforming them into purer frequencies. When we view the meaning of Halloween symbols based on the understanding it is a time of transitions – the black cat becomes a suitable totem for the celebration. The black cat augers our connection with the intangible, and serves as a bridge from the mundane to the magical. You may also be interested in my page on the meaning of the domestic cat as an animal totem here.
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	Halloween Symbol of the Jack-O-Lanterns: Originally, they were turnips hollowed out and equipped with candles to light the way of “guisers” and beggars roaming about on All Hallow’s Eve for a bite to eat or rousting neighbors door-to-door for a donation to their cause. With their mass migration to the United States after the potato famine, the clever Irish replaced their illuminated turnips for more accommodating pumpkins. Carved in various grotesques and ghoulish faces; maladjusted spirits are kept at bay or frightened away entirely by the sight of these luminous lamps. Various legends speak of the name Jack. Most popularly is the persona of Jack as a weather sprite (Jack-in-the-Green, or Jack Frost). Undeniably, this Halloween symbol welcomes the oncoming winter season while simultaneously lighting the night.
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	Halloween Owls: Following the same fashion as Halloween bats (see first entry), owls were commonly seen around Samhain bonfires lit in honor of the night of transitions. Furthermore, owls have long been symbols of wisdom of an esoteric (hidden) nature. This time of year held much mystery for our ancestors. With questions such as: “Will we survive the coming winter?”, “Are the spirits of our transitioned clansmen and women at peace?” it took wise auguries to identify subtle communications to answer these questions. Due to their status as wise creatures, and their long-standing association to the spirit side of life, (and their common appears at bonfires) it made sense to hold owls sacred to this time of year. It took the keen perception of a good witch to understand the language of the owls to answer clan questions. Thus, considering the time of year, this is one reason these two are commonly seen together as a Halloween symbol. You may be interested in my symbolic meaning of the owl totem page here.
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	Halloween Skeletons: Continuing in the knowledge that Halloween is a time to honor the memories of those who no longer share the physical stage of life with us, the skeleton is a symbolic (and physical) reminder of the remnants of life. Skulls in particular were considered by many ancient cultures (including the Druids of the Celts) to be the psychic seat of the human whole. As such, skulls are powerful symbols invoking a heightened awareness of our psychic potential. Incorporated during this powerful time of year doubles their profound symbolic purposes. The skeleton is almost always featured on the Major Arcana Death card; peering into its meaning may offer more enlightenment on these intriguing concepts here. I’ve also written a bit on the skull as a good luck symbol here. You may also be interested in the symbolic meaning of skulls according to the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos here. With more research, our understanding of this Halloween symbol takes on a whole new meaning.
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	Halloween Spiders Much like the bat, cat, and the owl – spiders (as Halloween symbols and otherwise) are creatures considered to be endowed with supernatural qualities which make them harbingers of mystic energy. Witches often invite the spider into their homes and practices as a method of enhancing understanding of energetic patterns. Why are they so mystical? Predominantly because of their ability to weave webs, which has long been symbolic of time, fate, progress and the representation of the human journey (on both physical and philosophical levels). Also, the spider boasts eight legs, and the number eight is symbolic of cycles which would make the spider’s presence during this time of year (symbolic of the transition between summer to winter) quite fitting. For more on number eight click here. You may also be interested in the symbolic meaning of the spider as a totem creature here.
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	Halloween Witch: Witches and Halloween are perfect pairs as Oct. 31 is a time most advantageous to tap into supernatural perspectives. This time of year is situated in the crevasse of transition in both constellational, and seasonal aspects. It’s a time when the Veil between mundane and magical are quite thin and energies tend to take on more revealing forms. As witches are devoted to utilizing, interpreting, magnifying, and manipulating unseen energies – their presence upon the cultural stage of this time of year is onlycommon sense. Witches are gifted at energetic interpretations; and in ancient times their talents, perspectives and expertise would be called upon during this time of year for help in understanding messages from the non-physical side of life as well as forecasts for seasons ahead (long before the Farmer’s Almanac, there were soothsayers :-). And so, witches as a Halloween symbol are understandably vital to the occasion. Growing up I never really got to excited for Halloween. For a few reasons. I never got to be what I wanted. Every year I wanted to be a witch and my mom deemed it to dark or to expensive or difficult to procure the costume! And plus my parents usually ate all of our candy while we slept hehe ;). But don't get me wrong I loved it! One year my mom decided to make us California Raisins (my grandfather, who has now passed, LOVED those little wrinkly guys!) However she had put off making the costumes until the day OF Halloween! So we spent the entire day watching her and hoping she actually could pull it off and get them done in time for trick or treating! She hand dyed all of the fabric purple, sewed them into the raisiny shape and crinkled them up! She then shoved us into the costume and jammed us packed full of newspaper...... we were so hot by the time we got home I think we had ink on our skin from all the heat and sweating lol! I also remember going to our schools Halloween festival(when you were still allowed to call it that) and bobbing for apples(which I was terrible at!) and having fun with our friends getting to wear our costumes another day! But my trick or treating days didn't last long. My dad deemed us to old when we turned 10. So that was out after a few years and he moved us out onto 5 acres. So that kinda killed the Halloween spirit in me for a long while. But now with our girls, Halloween is a huge deal! They start picking out what they want to be for the next year right after trick or treating!!!!!!!!!!! And as you know this year we have opted to make our own costumes. And my next post will be of dying a t-shirt for one of the witch costumes, hair bows for our "baby zebra" and hopefully decorating one hot pink witch shirt!!!!!!!! See you all soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Octoberfarms Shepards Pie!!!!!!!!!!

First off let me say how AMAZING this dish is!!!!!!!!! Octoberfarm I hope you don't mind me posting my pics of your recipe!!!!!!!!! Above is the cheese Roux... we used Gouda, Parmesan and Yellow Cheddar cheese!

This is our meat mixture. It made the house smell so wonderful!!!!!!!!

I was nervous at the onset of making the recipe, it seemed complicated on paper, but was very simple and fun to do in reality!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what was left after dinner and let me tell you it was gone by 1pm the next day!!!!!!!!!!!! It was amazing! Even the little girls ate it up! Not a bite left on their plates!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and the mac and cheese part made so much that only half of what we made went onto the casserole! The rest was saved for homemade mac and cheese lunch the next day!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh how I love Octoberfarms recipes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Witch Skirts

These are the witch skirts I made for my two oldest girls!!!! (With the help of my wonderful cousin!!!)
Zebra shirt complete!

Now this is my Lucy's zebra shirt! In the making!

These are the supplies we used!!!!

So they are turning out really well I think!!!!!! Our next session of halloween costume making will be making bows for the girls hair! Creating the shirts that will go with the with skirts! We will be glittering the shirts and adding jewels. The jewels we used on the skirts were half moons, full moons and stars! And then of course down the toole on the skirts some sparkly jewels to add some reflective properties :) Believe it or not it took us about 3 hours to do these skirts and the zebra shirt! Not to bad. I had to sew all the elastic by hand. My sewing machine is still new and new to me. It is electronic and I don't have the first clue on where to begin with it. I need to reorder the manual that comes with it!

Hello All!

I have not abandoned my halloween blog party commitments! I have had company in town (my brother his wife and my little baby nephew!!!!!!) I am getting my pics together tonight to show you all the beginnings of the girls' halloween costume craft! It will take me probably until a few days before Halloween to get it done! And I am working on a few fun facts of Halloween etc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Samhain

Samhain (sowen) is an Irish word meaning "Summers End". The time of the final harvest and also a day to remember and recognize the dead. It is also known to be a good night for divination. Some divination techniques used were burning nuts and determining the future from which nuts exploded and which ones did not. Pouring molten lead into water and determining what their futures were from their shapes (this can also be done with wax).

In Faerie Lore it is a night of the "wild hunt". A night where faeries come out of their hollow hills and cause chaos around a town! :) People were careful not to go out on this night unless they did some of the following: carry a protective charm, such as salt or iron, turn their clothing inside out, or wearing or carrying a stone with a natural whole in it found near water as a protective amulet. That amulet would enable them to enter and return from the Faerie realm unharmed.

A ritual for Samhain:(from The Wiccan Year by Judy Anne Nock)

Setting Yourself Free
1 ball of red yarn
Athalme
Cauldron(or an equivilant)
Matches

Take the yarn(preferrably cotton) Cut into as many nine inch pieces as you feel necessary. Tie them into a circle big enough to fit on your wrists. Give them each a name (a vice, something holding you back, a past hurt, etc). Tie them around your wrist, then say, to each one one at a time (fill in the blank) I have carried you long and far. Your burden has been my teacher, and I accept your lessons. Now I summon the strength to release you, for your presence serves me no longer."
Then take your athalme and cut through them. This may be difficult and take a while but it is symbolic of cutting away from those bonds and breaking free.
When you have cut them burn them saying "I send you back to the dark mother, to be consumed by the flames of transformation. You are purified and changed forever in this fire, reduced to your pure and simple essence. You are no longer bound to me. I send you back to the mother and away you will go, that something new and blessed in me shall grow."
Gather the ashes, go outside and put your back to the breeze/wind and let the ashes blow away.

My first craft of the month!!!!

Sorry you can't see it to well! But I found this pumpkin basket at Michaels for 50 % off so only a couple of dollars! I then got these beautiful (yes fake, they will last longer!) flowers and arranged them in my basket. It was a fun night, very quiet all the girlies were in bed and I had fun!!!!!! I think it looks beautiful for this harvest season! :)

Let the Countdown to Halloween Begin!!!!

Who else is super excited??? :) We are at our house. We have all the supplies for the costumes and I have made a nice fall arrangement in a pumpkin style basket!! Pictures coming soon! This month I am participating in a blog party all month long dedicated to Halloween! I will post some articles about the origins etc here and show you all the progress of our costumes!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope to see you and some new faces around here soon!!!!!!!!!!!

Practical Magic

I have never read the book Practical Magic but I think I will head on down to the library today and check it out. The movie however is a totally different story. I saw it when it first came out and fell in love. I was not on my path... well at least not an intentional one and this movie was the first thing that really sparked an interest for me. There are so many things to love about this movie... the love between two sisters (of which I had none), the love of aunts and daughters and a wonderfully beautiful and semi dysfunctional life :) To me anyway. And I loved that. So much.

The movie is fun and filled with laughs yet tears and sadness. And I felt connected to the women in this movie. (Yes even though I know it is fiction) Some of my favorite parts of the movie are:

Amas Veritas-True Love Spell

He will hear my call a mile away.

He will whistle my favorite song.

He can ride a pony backwards.

He can flip pancakes in the air.

He'll be marvelously kind.

And his favorite shape will be a star.

And he'll have one green eye and one blue.

Midnight Margaritas!!!! :)

I love the entire movie. I could watch it over and over :) Even though there are trials and troubles they triumph and are still together and happy. And their magic is so infused in their everyday lives that it isn't even a second thought. I love the girls discovering their magical abilities and how excited they are about it all. And that is how I am feeling. I love the beautiful imagery they have in the movie.

I also love how from the beginning their are tensions between some of the towns women and Sally, Gilly and the Aunts and now the girls. But in the end they are brought together to banish "Jimmy". And in the end they gain their acceptance, or at the very least some tolerance and everyone embraces each other.

Happy Birthday to my littlest Witchling!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Lucy!!!!!!!!!! She is 3 today and I made her cake this year! It isn't much but I think a pretty good first attempt!!!!!!