Tag Archives: Family

April 19, 2014 · 2:13 pm

Happy Bunny Day……….

IMG_0857Merry Meet my friends!  It’s Friday afternoon, a bit overcast here, breezy and in the 60’s.  I’ve been busy today….cleaning house, grocery shopping, laundry etc….getting ready for my family (well some of them) to come over Sunday for our Easter celebration. I think I have 13 family members coming…there are 5 not going to make it.  We will miss them!

Now some may say, why is a Witch celebrating Easter?

Well, for me…it’s all about being with family, putting together an egg hunt for my three grandkids, and celebrating Spring and being outdoors etc.  But I DO have members of my family who are Christian and celebrate it for the reasons all Christians do.  I’m ok with that of course.  We all love each other and it doesn’t really matter why we are together..as long as we are 🙂  Don’t forget, Easter is just the Christian way of celebrating Ostara….so it’s easy for me to enjoy the bunnies, eggs, flowers, being outdoors etc 🙂

For our meal, we are keeping it extremely simple.  We are doing a meat and cheese tray to make croissant sandwiches, my wonderful potato bacon salad, deviled eggs (of course), fruit, a relish tray of veggies, olives, cheese and dill dip and a couple of desserts.  The focus will be on the egg hunt and watching the kids have a blast 🙂  Luckily, our weather is going to be amazing!!

I thought you all might like my Bacon Potato Salad recipe…it’s great all year long but especially for the Summer and cook -outs! I am not kidding you..I’m known for this potato salad and expected to make it all the time 🙂 It’s really good!  I may have posted this here before but it’s been a while if I did. So here you go!

 

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My own picture…fresh made today!

 

Best Ever Bacon Potato Salad.

5 lbs potatoes, cooked, peeled and cubed

1 dozen hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

onion if you like…but I don’t.

1 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled…reserve the hot oil

Mix all these ingredients in a large bowl that you can cover.

The Sauce….

Ok..here’s where it gets tricky…cause I don’t really measure.

2 cups or so of Hellman’s mayo (maybe a bit more )

3-4 TBs yellow mustard

2 tsps. sugar

1 tsp salt

pepper to taste

and 6 tbs bacon oil (warm is good!)

Blend everything together and pour over the potatoes, eggs and green peppers in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Refrigerate….though I will say it’s good warm too 🙂

Hope you like it..let me know if you make it!!!

 

I just want to wish you all a beautiful Easter holiday…however you celebrate it.  If you don’t…well,  have a beautiful Spring day!!  And for us Witches…Beltane is just around the corner!!! 🙂  Also, my Birthday is Monday…and for my birthday…I want to just thank you all so much for following this blog, being my friend and making my Life brighter and happier…as I hope I do for you too!!

 

Blessing and Love, Autumn

*Pictures are my own photography

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October 31, 2013 · 1:45 pm

Blessed Samhain 2013!!……

AllHallowsEve

 

Merry Afternoon my friends!  I thought I’d fly by with a quick post on this busy Samhain day!  Our weather is gloomy, windy, and rainy.  Leaves are tossing and falling like crazy, it’s warmish but it feels cold because of the wind and rain.  A true Autumn rainy day 🙂

While our weather is not conducive to tonight’s trick or treat for the kids, it’s wonderful for a night by the fire, eating, drinking, communing with Ancestors and spending time thinking about the New Year…what I want to let go from my Life, what needs attention or changing, and sending out my prayers and wishes for my loved ones and friends.  It is a perfect night for Magick!!!!

A time for looking inward, reflection and change 
  Honoring those spirits, making sense of the strange 
  So open your mind, part the veil if you dare 
  Welcome the new, for there’s magic in the air!

                    -Louise Heydon

May your Samhain be all you wish it to be! May your Ancestors bring you good tidings! May friends and family gather in Love and Harmony and Happy New Year to the Witches!!!

In Blessing and Love,

Autumn

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October 21, 2013 · 9:33 pm

The Wheel Turns to Samhain 2013……………….


 

“Between the heavens and the earth
The way now opens to bring forth
The Hosts of those who went on before;
Hail!  We see them now come through the Open Door.

Now the veils of worlds are thin;
To move out you must move in.
Let the Balefires now be made,
Mine the spark within them laid.

Move beyond the fiery screen,
Between the seen and the unseen;
Shed your anger and your fear,
Live anew in a new year!”
–   Lore of the Door

     

Merry Evening dear readers!   Has Autumn arrived in your neck of the woods?  The Season of Autumn I mean *giggles*  (yes, I LOVE my name this time of year…it’s so much fun!!)   Well, Fall has arrived here big time.  We are near peak in color..though I will say it’s not the most brilliant color I’ve seen.  We have cool, breezy days, and cold nights. We’ve had some rain and some crisp, blue skies…and OH the Nights! Inky black with twinkling stars and  the Blood Moon has been brilliant…big and bright and beautiful!  It’s been cold enough for the heat to go on, the fireplace to have a roaring fire, and sweaters and jackets pulled out of closets.  My crockpot and oven are hot most of the time, and I constantly want to go for a walk, or cook something with apples, or pick up perfect leaves to press and save.  I’ve got a stack of books on one side of me, and a basket of crochet on the other.  I am one happy Witch!  After all, it IS my Season! 🙂

Samhain is coming upon us fast. The Witch’s New Year…the night we all anticipate all year long.  It is the Most magickal, the Most emotional, and the Most busy night of the year for many of us.  There are gatherings to plan, rituals to prepare, feasts to cook, fires to tend, ancestors to await a visit from, and quiet introspection and divination to be done.  For many, there is also trick or treat night, costume parties, houses to decorate to the delight of children and adults alike, and finding the perfect Witch hat or cape to please ourselves!  Whew….no wonder October…the best month of the year..flies by so fast!!   They say Time flies when you’re having fun…and October is proof of that!

Last year, my Samhain was a bit thrown together and scattered…..because I was in the process of selling our home.  This year, I’m working and planning ahead.  I have a Circle of Witches now who will gather here on Nov 3 for our fire gathering and feasting.   I have Beggar’s Night on the 30th which I’ll spend with hubby, daughters, son-in-law and grandkids and whoever else happens along. There will be soups in the crockpot, bread in the oven and a yummy apple dessert to share.  Samhain night is our Ancestor Supper and a solitary ritual for myself. Oh and of course a fire!!  Speaking of desserts..I have to share a new recipe I came across!!  So simple and soooo yummy!!

Picture courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Picture courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Country Apple Dumplings

2 baking apples of your choice, peeled, cored and wedged into 8 wedges per apple ( 16 total)

2 cans of crescent rolls

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

12 oz can of Mountain Dew or Sprite  (yep..you got it) LOL

Preheat oven to 350*  Grease a 9″ x 13″ baking dish

Cut each apple as above and set aside.  Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles. Roll each apple wedge in the dough starting at the smallest end.  Pinch to seal and place in the baking dish.

Melt butter in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar and cinnamon.   Pour over the dumplings.  The pour the citrus soda over the dumplings.

Bake for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.

*I understand this recipe is All over Pinterest! LOL.

For me, what really represents what Samhain  is all about…. Is the thinning of the veil..the chance to communicate with those who have passed thru the veil….The Ancestor Supper, Soul Supper, Dumb Supper.  Whatever you call it, it represents a meal with your ancestors.  Lighting candles and setting a place at the table, and inviting those who have passed over to come and partake with you,  is a lovely and meaningful ritual.  If you are truly quiet in mouth and mind, you may hear what they have to say to you….they DO want to communicate.  They want to know how we are doing as much as we want to know how they are doing.  It’s our chance to express that they are missed, that they are still loved, that they will never be forgotten.  They may have words of wisdom for us as well.  One of the things I do, is place Rosemary in pots at their place setting.  Rosemary is for remembrance.  Another thing to do for yourself, write them a note or letter and place it at their seat.  Often, one seat at my table, represents All my ancestors..those recently passed and those long gone.  What is your practice? Do you have a Dumb Supper, divinate or scry at your altar, burn letters?  All are wonderful ways to honor our Ancestors on this night.

My Soul Supper Table 2011

My Soul Supper Table 2011

So you busy Witches, smile while you’re busy flying around on your brooms preparing for this most magickal of Nights!  Whether your Night is solitary and quiet, or a huge gathering, or something in between….there is no doubt that you will Feel your most Witchiest, your most magickal, and your most Joyful!  For the muggles, it’s just about costumes and candy…for Us!  It’s sooooo much MORE!!!  Many Blessings for a wonderful Samhain.  May your Path be filled with Mystery and Magick!

*oh…no drinking and flying  LOL!!

Blessings, Autumn

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August 17, 2013 · 12:22 pm

The Wheel Turns to Late Summer…….

Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
    Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
    Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.”
           –  Michelle L. Thieme, August’s Crown 

Merry Meet my friends!  I am long in writing a post here and have no excuse other then a busy Summer, home improvements, family in from California for 2 weeks, and my own lack of thinking what I could write about. 🙂  I appreciate so much the messages I’ve received wondering if I’m ok…it means a lot to know that you missed me here. All is well!!

It’s Saturn day, a quiet one here at my house. My daughter Sara isn’t feeling well so we are being lazy and resting today.  Here in Ohio, as I know many of you have experienced also, we have had a fairly mild Summer and in the last couple of weeks, we’ve had a taste of early Autumn, it’s been quite cool and gorgeous!   I have LOVED it!  As you know of course, Autumn is my favorite time of year, but I have no complaints about this wonderful Summer we’ve had.  My gardens have loved this weather, my grandkids thrive playing outside when it’s not so hot, and I too, have loved hanging clothes on the line, working in my garden or reading on the patio.  It’s been wonderful!

I hope that you all had a wonderful Lughnasadh.  I did, though my Circle wasn’t able to meet. My fault, I had the flu 😦  I did make bread and berry flavored water and we had a simple dinner that included tomatoes and cucumbers from my own garden. It was a beautiful night.  I have not yet harvested my herbs or the last of my garden as some of them are still growing strong. Some are finished for the season though and I’ll clean them up this weekend.

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While I’m talking about Lughnasadh, I’d like to let you all know about a great book.  Witchy Magick by Australian Witches Lucy Cavendish and Serene Conneeley.  I LOVE this book for more reasons then one (which I’ll get to in a minute). This is a very complete book that I think EVERY Witch should own and read.  It starts out with interviews with about 20 of our prolific Witches who are authors, heads of covens, healers, herbalists, young and old alike.  Interviews on what being a Witch means to them.  Then it goes into lots of Witchy info, from the history of witchcraft, myth busting, the how to’s, rites and rituals, and a great amount of info, recipes etc on the Sabbats.  It’s really a wonderful book!  I again highly recommend it!  Oh, and if you happen to get to the recipe section….on Lughnasadh…pages 364 and 365…you may recognize …me!!  Yes!  I am in this book…a bit about me and a couple of my favorite bread recipes for Lughnasadh! I’m not bragging please understand, but I was most honored to be asked if I could be included in the book.  Thank you Serene and Lucy!!  Let me know readers what you think of the book, because I KNOW you are going to want to get it and dive into it! 🙂

The end of Summer is almost always a joyful thing for me as I thrive in the cooler air of Autumn and I always look forward to Winter as well.  This year, I have a vacation to look forward to in mid September.  A much needed trip for my husband and I…yes, just the two of us! A rare thing!  I could use some time on the beach, for my inner Sea Witch to come out and relish in the beauty, sounds and scents of  Mother Ocean.  I’m excited about it and so is my husband.  We are celebrating 34 years married, tomorrow actually, so it will be a grand anniversary present to each other 🙂

seista key beach 2

By the time we get home, Mabon and Autumn will be arriving.  It will be time to get the chimney cleaned, order our cord of wood, clean out the garden beds, pull out the Fall decorations and hit the garden centers and pumpkin farms for pumpkins and mums and such.  *sigh*..that will be grand!

In the meantime, I’ll try to get back into writing here more.  I plan on doing a LOT of baking and cooking in the next few weeks…I’m involved in a very cool project, where I am the kitchen Witch, sharing my recipes.  I’ll tell you about that in my next post, and share a recipe or two for the upcoming Autumn season!

Until next time, enjoy the last of Summer….don’t wish away these last days, these  lazy, hazy, crazy last days of Summer.  Go barefoot lots, enjoy fresh veggies from your gardens or the Farmer’s market,  put your feet in a body of water, lay under the Moon and Stars on a hammock or blanket, invite friends over for a end-of-Summer cook-out, read a book in the shade or just sit on your patio and listen to the birds, crickets and cicadas.  Make the MOST of it for it will be gone soon!

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Many Blessings and Love

Autumn

*Pictures from the internet.

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April 24, 2013 · 7:51 pm

The Wheel Turns to Beltane 2013……..

thCA8K56D9Merry Meet my friends! Spring has Finally spring here in Ohio!  Though there has been fluctuations…40* one day, 80* the next! …..Spring none-the-less has bloomed.  Spring flowers, flowering bushes and trees are all blooming.  Birdsong in the mornings and I love seeing them at the feeders again…cardinals, finches, sparrows, even woodpeckers!  Squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits are scampering around, kids are playing outside again and adults are working in their yards and gardens.

I had a birthday a few days ago…my 55th! (gasp!!)  🙂  For my birthday present, my hubby built me a raised bed for my veggies and herbs and he put up a clothesline! Something I have missed having in my yard for 16 years!  I finally live in a house with a yard that is sunny enough to have one! You have no idea how excited I am about this LOL…it’s a big deal!  To me, there is nothing like the fresh, clean scent of clothes that have hung outside in the Sun and breeze 🙂  A clothesline brings back wonderful memories for me.  In my mind’s eye, I see my grandmother in her housedress and apron, happily pinning up her linens and clothes while I tag along, with the pins, putting my nose in each and every piece to breathe in the great scent!

My granddaughter, who is 4, was here when I hung out my first load of linens and clothes.  I was overjoyed as she immediately wanted to know what I was doing and why.  As soon as I hung up the bright pink sheets, she did what all kids do..she ran thru the damp sheets, laughing and putting her nose right in them..just like her mommy, my daughter, did when she was a little girl 🙂  I believe more happy memories are being made with that clothesline 🙂

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Beltane is coming up fast! May 1!  Beltane….marking the coming of longer, warmer days, gardens in bloom, faeries scampering thru the flowers and Mother Earth becoming full and in bloom!  Maypoles are erected and danced around, May baskets are happily filled with bright flowers and left on doors, and love and lust is rising in the hearts and souls of young and old alike.  Beltane is a happy, energetic, fun Sabbat!

Here at my house, we will have an outdoor fire and a great meal full of fresh veggies and fruits…a nice light meal.  I’ll start planting my pots of herbs, planting crystals and blessings along with the them.  I’ll ask the Faeries to assist me in success in growing them big, full and magickally!  An offering will be made to Mother Earth and the Fae….honey, bread and wine…to show how grateful I am for their presence in my Life and in my gardens.  I’ll do a ritual under the waning Moon to celebrate the Sabbat as well.

If you’re interested in Beltane correspondences, recipes, ritual, altars etc…just type Beltane into the search engine over to the right here on this page.  There is 3-4 years of info here!  I’m sure you’ll find some things you’ll like 🙂

For Beltane I recommend you spend some time outside, whatever else you do!  Take a walk, plant a tree or flowers, sit by a tree and listen to the breeze thru the young, tender leaves. Make up a May basket and surprise a friend or neighbor with I.  Visit a garden center or a botanical garden or a park. Plan a romantic night with your special someone..and remember! You are a special someone too…so do something for yourself!  One of my favorite things to do for Beltane is to collect some dew overnight…just set out a shallow bowl..and wash my face in it in the morning!  It is said to bring youth and beauty and Goddess knows at 55yo I could use the help 🙂  Try it….it really works!

The  fair maid who, the first of May
  Goes to the fields at break of day
  And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree
  Will ever after handsome be.”
  –  Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme 

May you have the most blessed Beltane! May you feel Love, Joy and youthful exuberance!  Dance..Sing….Be Merry!!

thCA0U7M6S

Blessings and Love,

Autumn

 

 

 

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February 1, 2013 · 7:30 pm

Blessed Imbolc 2013……

imagesCA3UM5E2Merry Meet friends.  Hope this post finds all of you happy and healthy and enjoying your Winter (or Summer) so far.  I have been happily settling in to my new home, enjoying watching it snow, relaxing by the fire etc.  Despite the fact there are still boxes to unpack, I’ve had time for some fun family days, some reading or crochet, and visiting with old friends on an evening or a day out.

Tomorrow is Imbolc….one of my favorite Sabbats.  Besides the fact that it was the first Sabbat I celebrated, it is also a favorite because I view it as a new beginning Sabbat.  It is the Winter will be over soon, Spring cleaning, thinking of being outdoors gardening, and longer days Sabbat! What’s not to love about that!  Though I love Winter…I appreciate that the Wheel continues to turn and brings with it the warmth of the Sun and all that the Sun will bring!  Also, I’m devoted to Brighid and as this is Her Sabbat I enjoy honoring Her, inviting Her in to my home and listening to what She may have to say to me.

 

Here in Ohio, we have a couple inches of snow on the ground right now and below 0* degrees with negative wind chills temps!  Tomorrow, a big snow storm comes in!!  We expect about 4 more inches!  My Imbolc will be spent sitting by the fire, smudging the house, burning candles and incense, baking and cooking and my Imbolc ritual tomorrow night. My ritual may have to be inside because of the snow and the freezing cold but I’ll step out for a few minutes for some Moon time for sure!  My house is clean and organized (thanks to the fact I just moved LOL) and I can really enjoy the day.  As the Sun goes down, I’ll light the candles.  I’ll throw open the door and invite Goddess Brighid into my home asking for Health, Joy, Peace and Abundance for this coming year for my family and loved ones.

My altar will be very simple this year as most of my Witchy stuff is still in storage.  But a few candles,  some crystals, my Brighid’s cross and some blessing oil is about all I need.  Speaking of Blessing oil…here is my recipe for my Imbolc Blessing oil:

4 drops Ginger

3 drops Clove

2 drop Rosemary

2 drop Cypress

Add to 1/8 cup almond or jojoba oil and blend well.

You’ll love the scent.  Use it to anoint your candles, your altar and yourself!!

I wish you all a very Blessed Imbolc.  (Blessed Lammas to my  Southern friends)    However you decide to celebrate it…DO celebrate it!  and remember that it means that Winter will soon be over and Spring will be here in all Her glory!  Welcome the Sun!!

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deep in the belly

life stirs

not yet formed

but quickening.

slight movement waking,

promising of life to come,

in the dark

as yet unborn.

manifesting, yet waiting,

the warming Earth

stirs.

 

Poem by Deanne Quarrie

Bright Blessings and Much Love, Autumn

 

 

 

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January 18, 2013 · 9:17 pm

The Wheel Turns to Imbolc 2013…..

imagesCAGEYQRXMerry Meet my friends. I’m having a quiet evening by the fire on a very cold, Moon-lit night and thought I’d write a post..catch you all up on a couple of things. The best thing I have to tell you is that my new grandson Henry came into the world this past Sunday..healthy and beautiful! Mom and baby both doing great and our family is overjoyed he is here. There is nothing like the miracle of birth and holding that precious soul in my arms..feeling him and smelling him…pure Bliss!

After a month now in our new home, we are more or less settled in. There are still some boxes in storage to go get and unpack but in general we are in 🙂 We love this home and it will be a good one for us. We are happy and content! We have done a LOT of work to make it ours…make it beautiful..make it magickal! With good results I’d say :))

Now Imbolc is just around the corner. Those who know me or have followed me here know that Imbolc is one of my favorite Sabbats..simply for the fact it was the very first Sabbat I truly celebrated as a Witch. I mean instead of just reading about it..I got up and DID something! When I got that feeling..that magickal feeling I get when I connect with my Craft..well that was it for me. I found ways to celebrate not only all the Sabbats, the Full Moons and New Moons, but made a point to bring magick into my Life and home every day!!

For me Imbolc is about looking forward to longer days of Sun and getting ready for Spring. But it’s also about enjoying what’s left of the Winter. I get my house sparkling clean, smudge it, use herbal washes on floors and windows, put something good to eat in the oven or on the stove, and do a project that will allow me to enjoy a cozy night by the fire, knowing that the early dark evenings won’t be with us much longer. I might work on pages for my Book of Shadows, do some studying on a subject like herbs or tarot. I might pull out garden books and seed catalogs and plan for my Summer garden, or make poppets for spells, or crochet something for someone I love. Of course, on Imbolc eve I will do a ritual at my altar or under the Moon (I love bundling up and going out to see the Moon and absorb Her magick and energy on a cold, see-your-breath night!).

My celebrations of the Sabbats….over time…have become simpler. Doing something to honor the day…the turn of the Wheel..can be as complex and simple as you want it to be. Depending on my mood I could do either..but I have found the simpler, deeper meaning moments to bring more magick into my Life and more Joy as well. A nice meal, candles lit, incense burning and quiet time with Goddess can be all that I need most of the time. Meditation..something I haven’t been taking the time to do here lately…can also be a lovely way to open yourself to what the Goddess wants you to know..to listen..to feel. I DO love..just after Sunset..to invite in the Goddess Brighid to bring health, love and abundance to my home and hearth..that is something I’ve done for years and I always feel Her presence when I do. Try it….just light red and white candles all over your house…take a candle with you to your door..throw it open and invite Her in!! See what happens!! Imbolc, after all…is Her Sabbat!

I came across a recipe I’d thought I’d share with you. I intend on making it for Imbolc.

 

lemon poppy seed loaf

 

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest

4 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 1/8 cups white sugar

1 1/3 cups unsalted butter, softened

5 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

Stir together the flour, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds using a wire whisk. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Then stir in the dry ingredients. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

To make the syrup, combine 3/4 cup sugar with the lemon juice in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then remove from heat and set aside to cool. When the cake is done, place the pan on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Prick the top of the cake several times with a toothpick or fork. Brush the top of the cake with the syrup, allowing lots of it to run down the sides and soak into the cake.

Allow cake to cool slightly before removing from the pan to the wire rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, wrap the cake if foil or heavy plastic wrap and let it sit for 1 day before serving

 

Let me know if you try it and like it.   I’ll let you know too.  I’ll peruse my recipe books and magazines and may be back with some more recipes soon 🙂  Until then, I  hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  Make it a good one!!  There is a quarter Moon out there…check Her out!

 

Blessings and Love, Autumn

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January 1, 2013 · 5:48 pm

Happy 2013!!……..

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.

~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Happy New Year my friends…ready or not 2013 is here! 🙂 I have been so busy moving and setting up my new home, healing from a broken leg and of course doing all the things we ALL do for the holidays..I also didn’t get to send you all a Happy Christmas! I hope that you DID have a good holiday, that you were surrounded in Joy and Love, and that Santa was good to you!

A good Christmas was had here..though it was hectic and very different because of the move. My extended family, my siblings and parents, always come to my house for the holidays. This year, they took pity on me and my situation and decided for each family to celebrate on their own. Whew! It took a big load of work off my shoulders! Christmas this year was just my husband, my daughters, son-in-law and grandchildren and we had a lovely time. A simple meal, exchanging gifts, a fire in the fireplace and fun! It was perfect and so much less stressful. It was a good thing!

New Year’s Eve also was quiet. Just the three of us here at home relaxing. We puttered in the house..hanging new lighting and pictures. Hubby and I did a bit of shopping for breakfast bar stools and had lunch out. We watched the “Rockin Eve” shows on tv and just relaxed. At midnight it was hugs all around and off to bed!!

I for one am ready for a New Year..new beginnings…new possibilities! 2012 was a rough year at our house. Not that there weren’t many Blessings but there were challenges too..big ones. Like Health! I’m not one for setting resolutions….too easy to break them LOL. But I do set some goals for the next year. Things like taking care of myself better..being healthier. Keeping Life simpler, taking walks in our new neighborhood, eating right and doing the things I love to do more and things I don’t like to do…well, do them less! Things I love to do like time with family, reading, crocheting, journaling, finally completing that herbal course I signed up for, as always connecting with Goddess and Earth and my Path, planning my new gardens in my new yard, making time to be with my friends, etc etc….lovely things to do and focus on! That is my goal! Enjoy more and stress less! And oh yes, our family can’t wait for our new baby boy to come into the world any day now! THAT is a true Blessing indeed! A 3rd grandchild! ❤

Do you set goals or resolutions? My advice..make it simple and just one or two things. It’s easier to stick to it…and easier to accomplish. I talked about this before here on my blog. I read a book years ago…Change One Thing. It was life changing for me. What is that ONE Thing you would change? Maybe it’s to get up earlier and have quiet time to yourself, maybe it’s to go to bed earlier for more sleep? How about taking that class you’ve always wanted to take…or to start a new craft project? Organize your desk or closet? De-junk the house? Walk more, eat less? Read that classic you’ve always wanted to read or get a new job cause you despise your current job. The possibilities are endless and it’s just one thing 🙂 Try it!! I’d love to hear from you…what you might want to do different and how it works out for you!

I hope 2013 brings good things to all of us. I truly believe we are on the cusp of a world-wide awakening. A call for a change in humanity..in how we all look at our world and each other. Compassion, Kindness, Caring, Love, Positivity, Help, Acceptance…these are what Life is really about. A higher awareness of what the Universe, God, Goddess, Buddha, Spirit..however you view the Divine…wants for us. We can be a Light to others.. leaders in the movement to a world that was meant to be! I plan on working on that most of all. Being a Light..Being Love.

Many Blessings to you and yours for a most wonderful 2013…Make it a good year!!

 

A happy New Year!

Grant that I May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year.
~Edgar Guest

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Love and Blessings, Autumn

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December 18, 2012 · 9:08 pm

Blessed Yule 2012…….

484259_565118623505289_1384182387_nMerry Meet friends!  I’m taking a quick stop from all the busyness of moving and preparations for Yule and Christmas to write a quick post.  It’s been a very strange Yuletide season for me this year.  With my broken leg hindering..well everything!..I am trying to do, our move, and the very warm, gloomy weather we’ve been having, it just hasn’t felt like Yule time to me.  However, we are semi settled in our new home (which we love!), the weather is getting colder and we may see our first snowflakes on Thursday, and well..I have to get busy shopping for food and gifts cause I’ve run out of time to put it off! LOL.

I have been enjoying holiday shows on tv and holiday music too.  I’ve done most of my gift shopping online this year but I’m heading out  tomorrow for some stocking stuffers, gift cards and a few more gifts. Then I’m going to get lots of gift bags cause I don’t have much time to wrap!  Again..a strange year this year 🙂

I am mostly looking forward to Yule night.  It’ll be a quiet night for me..I’m going to be sure to make it so.  A solitary ritual with simple candle and greenery…some meditation and focusing on the longest night, spending time with Goddess and meditating on what I would like for the next year to bring.  Though it’s been a rough year for me I am more Blessed then not and have much to be thankful for.  I just know 2013 is going to be a good year for my family…especially with my new grandson who will make an appearance in mid January!

I am going to post a favorite Yule poem.  I’ve posted it before but I love it so much I’m posting it again.  It says ..for me..what Yule is all about.  I hope you enjoy it.

 

“So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive, And when the new
year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us – Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!!”
–   Susan Cooper, The Shortest Da

I wish all of you a very Joyous and Magickal Yule.  May the Goddess and God Bless you and yours and bring you great Love, Peace and Happiness.

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Many Blessings,  Autumn

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December 3, 2012 · 10:41 pm

The Wheel turns to Yule 2012……..

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Merry Meet friends!  I can’t believe it’s December already..the Season of Yule and the return of the Sun!  I have been so busy for several months now preparing to move to a new home that the days are blending together in a big blur.  Selling our home then buying one…planning for all the home improvements we’re doing to the new house….packing up the old house which includes a huge amoung of getting rid of stuff since we have bought a much smaller home!…. Well, you get the picture.

On top of that I broke my leg!  Ends up what was thought to be a sprained knee turned into a broken tibial plateau…a serious injury and will take time to heal and time in a wheelchair.  The timing couldn’t be worse!!  Having said that I’m blessed with family and friends who have stepped up to help us pack, help me run errands, take me to doc appts etc.  Thank Goddess for them or we would be very behind!!   We move into our new home in less then 2 weeks!!  We will be settled in just in time for Yule!

Being that we are moving right before Yule..and the fact we’ve had such warm weather so far this Winter…I’m having a hard time getting that feeling of Yule.  You know, the sitting by the fire with a hot chocolate, watching holiday movies, planning a shopping day, kind of feeling.  I have had to do all my holiday shopping online so far as getting out for me is tough right now.  But I’ve done it.  We’ve not had but one fire going because it’s been warm or because we’ve been gone, out shopping for things for the new house like vanities, appliances, flooring, lighting etc.  (ok..that is VERY fun! 🙂   I’ve watched a few movies when I’ve had the time and listen to holiday music alot..but still..the feeling isn’t with me. It doesn’t feel like Yule or the holiday season.

Now, having said that, I realize there is a difference between the holiday commercialism and Yule.  When I think about Yule it’s a whole different thing.  It’s about the turning of the Wheel, the return of the Sun, days lengthening.  It’s about a quiet celebration.  When I think about it that way, I realize that I have been celebrating the coming of Yule.  The Full Snow Moon was amazing! For several days I was wheeled out to the porch to spend time with our Moon Goddess.  Letting Her energy flow over, around and thru me…allowing Her to heal, to raise my spirits, to accept that some things are just out of my control.  I have spent quiet mornings watching the Sun come up and the Sun Go Down…in quiet contemplation.  I have lit candles daily..as always…for those who need healing, including myself.  I have asked for a smooth transition to our new home and prayed the house is Blessed with an abundance of Joy, Love and Positive energy.  So…I guess in fact, I am celebrating Yule..simply and as it should be.

I hope in this time of crazy busyness, massive shopping, dealing with problem family members and worrying about every little detail to make Christmas “perfect”….you take the time to realize that what the Season is truly about is Love and Joy.  Find simple ways to celebrate with your family.  Take a walk on a snowy, star-filled night.  Have a quiet candle-lit simple meal together.  Skip the gifts and give to a favorite charity, adopt a needy family, or give money to an animal shelter.  Start a fire in the fireplace, cauldron or just a simple candle.  Write down your wishes for the next year and burn them in the fire.  Just keep it simple.  The first thing I did when we got the keys to our house this past Thursday..was to hang an evergreen wreath on my new front door!  It was all I needed to remind me of the season. Made me smile 🙂

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I’ve not got much time right now to write a lot of blogs but I’ll do my best to be back again a time or two before Yule.  I hope that you all are having a wonderful Season so far!  Blessings to you and yours!

Autumn

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