Tag Archives: grandchildren

October 21, 2015 · 2:25 pm

The Wheel Turns to Samhain 2015……

“Suddenly the day was gone,
night came out from under each tree and spread.”
― Ray Bradbury  “The Halloween Tree”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMerry Meet my friends!  It’s been a bit too long since I’ve posted anything here on my blog.  As you all know, Autumn is my favorite time of year and I’ve been very much enjoying all the pleasures of this beautiful, magickal season!  We’ve had temps anywhere between cold, frosty mornings to unseasonably warm afternoons..like today! We went from 32* a couple mornings ago, to 74* today! It’s typical here for Ohio though lol.  I love it either way.  We are at peak color or close to it and it’s a brilliant year for color.  The skies have been clear, with star-filled, Moonlit nights that I love so much!   Crisp, autumn days with leaves crunching underfoot and falling in colorful waves upon the ground, pumpkins grinning from porches, and you gotta love sweaters and scarfs coming out again! I’m in my element that is for sure!.  I’m energized and content!

I hope that you all are enjoying the lovely season too!  Whether you are coming into spring in the southern hemisphere or the fall here.  I also hope that you have been reading and enjoying Samhain’s Sirens this month!  You will find amazing bloggers, music, information, pictures, recipes, crafts, give-aways and so much more!  My recipes are there on most days, so if you’re looking for wonderful Samhain recipes, you need only look there.  The link is on the right side of my post over there —–>  You’ll love it!

The veil is thinning as all witches and pagans know.  Our ancestors and loved ones wait to connect with us, to share with us, to impart knowledge and love to us.  We have only to listen.  I have many friends who have lost loved ones recently, as I have, and I know they look forward to feeling them close again.  Even our beloved pets.  It’s what Samhain is all about for me.  That connection to our family, friends, ancestors, and guides.  There are many forms of divination of which to use to this gain….but I find a quiet flame and quieting my mind, opening myself to them, is all it takes.  What is your best way?  Scrying? Tarot? Meditation? ….There are many.  I’ll be setting up my altar with many tools for that purpose, but being quiet and listening is the main thing for success, I have found.  I hope that you are so blessed with a visit from those you seek the most….and maybe you’ll discover someone else who is trying to reach you too!  Be open to all possibilities!

Samhain is also the Witch’s New Year!  We wind down a year of Sabbat celebrations, of Moon phases from new to full to dark. We have gone from cold, long nights to hot, long days.  We’ve had meteor showers, eclipses, Blood Moons, Supermoons and all the magick that we bring to our lives each and every day.  The New Year is a time to celebrate our past year, let go of those things unwanted..both physically and mentally, and look forward to planning our next year.  It’s a time for looking back and looking forward.  I find myself getting ready to nest in.  Even with the upcoming holidays, it’s knowing the dark season is upon us. Being by hearth and fire during long, dark, cold nights can be cozy, introspective, productive and filled with comfort and joy.  Even if you don’t have a fireplace, fill your home with the warmth of candlelight, bake and cook things that scent your home with goodness, have warm blankets and cozy jammies you love, a stack of books by your chair, a project or two you’d like to get done, and maybe something new to learn too.  Your winter will be wonderful.  I always look at it as a time to work on myself, my home and a time to increase my knowledge on something I want to learn!

Yesterday, my daughters and grandkids and I did something together that was so simple and so fun. We made homemade applesauce.  A really, yummy, cinnamon-y applesauce.  The kids got involved by learning how to use an apple slicer, stirring in brown sugar, measuring out cinnamon etc. They loved it as did my daughters and I.  It so brought to mind for me doing that very thing with my grandmother when I was a child. And while I don’t remember making applesauce with my girls when they were young, we certainly did a LOT of baking and cooking together.  Seeing my daughter teaching her children what she learned from me…well…it’s a special thing.  I can’t wait to tell my grandma, when I hear from her through the veil on Samhain night, all about it!  ❤

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I thought you might enjoy trying the recipe too since apples are abundant right now…. so here you go!  This is not the canning type of recipe.  This is for immediate use. Jarred up, it should last a while in your fridge.

 Cinnamon Applesauce

6 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 8 slices (use your favorite kind..we used cortlands)

1 cup apple juice or apple cider

3 Tbs lemon juice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar. (we added 2 Tbs more)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.

Use a masher to mash down any chunks.  If you like it super thin, run it through a blender or food processor (we liked the texture without doing that)

Store in covered jar or plastic container.

So easy and you will love it!  Would be great in recipes calling for applesauce as well!

I am in the process of working on getting my altar set up.  I got my Mabon altar taken down, cleansed and cleaned my table and it’s ready to set up.  Samhain is my very favorite altar to do..well, I think it is. I love most of them. I’ll post a picture here as soon as it’s done.  I’ll also be back in a few days with more recipes as my recipe posts are my most popular 🙂

My coven of wonderful sisters will be gathering on the 30th.  Samhain night is Beggar’s Night here…so we have chosen the night before so we could be with our families for Trick or Treat with our kids and grandkids.  We will have a feast, a hearth fire, a ritual for our loved ones who have crossed the veil, and we will be in full Witch regalia which is so so fun!  I so love celebrating Samhain with them.  That includes those sisters I hold dear that live in other states….they know who they are ❤

Samhain is a magickal time. To me, the most wonderful time of the year.  (now that song is going through your head right? LOL!)  However you celebrate it, whether quietly or with full All Hallow’s Eve celebrations…enjoy it!!  I’ll be back soon!

Blessings and Love,

Autumn

*All pictures are my own.

 

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May 10, 2014 · 1:25 pm

If It’s Not One Thing….It’s Your Mother……

Being a mother means that your heart is no longer yours;

it wanders wherever your children do.

~Author Unknown

 

Merry Meet my friends.  It’s a very quiet Saturn day here at my house today.  It’s been gloomy and pouring rain ..with on and off again thunder too. I actually love it, though it IS keeping me from planting my herbs I finally picked up this week.  I got all but 4 of the plants I was looking for. I will have to go to my other favorite garden center on Monday.  I am even trying some herbs I’ve never grown before like fennel and lemon verbena 🙂 Can’t wait to dig in the dirt!

 

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Here in Ohio, Mother’s Day is usually the first weekend that we are most likely safe from late frosts and that has definitely been the case this year.  Our Winter was long but Spring has arrived.  This rain is helping everything to look so green and lush.  Late blooming trees and flowering bushes like Lilacs and Forsythia and Rose of Sharon are all starting to bloom.  It’s really lovely.

Speaking of Mother’s Day, it’s tomorrow in case you weren’t aware. 🙂  Last night I attended a Mom’s Day banquet at my Mother’s church with my daughters, my sisters and of course my Mom.  My little granddaughter was supposed to go as well but she is under the weather with a stomach bug …poor kid.  Now a Witch in church..well it’s not the first time that’s happened I’m quite sure LOL.  However, my Mother..well …let’s just say that she has never been an easy woman to have as a Mother.  And no matter how old I get, or she gets,  it hasn’t changed.   So it was a bit stressful at times, but in the long run.  I’m glad we all went to make her happy.

 

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I know that Mother’s Day can be a very loving, wonderful, happy day for many of us.  It has been for me as a Mom and Nana, in my adult years.  I am blessed with wonderful daughters who love me and show it,  and my grandchildren are nothing but pure joy to me.  But on the other end of the spectrum, there are those who aren’t moms, or have lost their moms, or don’t get along with their moms, that make the day either difficult at best, and terribly sad at worst.  My heart always goes out to my friends who have lost a loving Mother.  I think that for some, losing your mom is something you never get over.  I send you all big hugs if that is your situation..I truly am sorry for your loss.

On this Mom’s Day, I’d like EVERY woman..whether a mother or not….to do something for herself..to bring joy to YOU.  My friends who don’t have children…well, they are Mom’s too.  Women are natural nurturers.  Whether they care for aged parents, a loving partner, pets, their homes and gardens, charities, friends, nieces and nephews, etc etc….you should celebrate this day.  Frankly, Mom’s day should be everyday.  Women need to learn to nurture themselves MORE! The lessons we learn from taking some time to ourselves on Mom’s Day..should be done every day!  After all, as the adage goes, you can’t care for others until you care for yourself.  I think this is a very hard lesson to learn as a woman, we tend to put ourselves last.  As I get older though, I realize how important it is to put ourselves higher on our list of things to do.  We must nurture the Goddess within us.

I’d also like us to think on Mother’s Day..about the Mother of us all…Mother Earth.  I always give thanks on this day (and every day really) for Our Mother…who nourishes us 24/7 with Earth, Air, and Water.  With beauty in Her nature if we take the time to look and feel and listen and touch.  Make an offering for Her and show some gratitude for all She does to sustain us.

 

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Picture from Café Press

 

For those like me, who have a  relationship with our Moms that isn’t always as we would like it to be.  Well…just remember, if it’s not one thing….It’s your Mother 🙂  Do the best you can to honor her as your mom.  When she’s no longer with you…you’ll be glad you did.

I wish all the Women out there a very Happy Sun day and Mom’s day.  Hope you’re loved ones treat you like the Goddess you ARE!!

On a personal note, I wish my beautiful daughter Kate a very Happy Mother’s Day.  Watching you with your own children, makes my heart swell with pride and joy.  I love you.

 

There is an instinct in a woman to love most her own child — and an instinct to make ANY child who needs her love, her own.

~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

 

Blessings and Love, Autumn Earthsong

 

 

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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!!

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Blessings and 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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May 24, 2012 · 8:00 pm

The Wheel turns to Summer Solstice 2012….

Merry Meet friends.  I hope that your Spring has been as beautiful as mine and that all is well with all of you.  I haven’t written for a while…my health issues have caused a bit of a problem with coming up with what to write and even the desire to write..but I was in the mood so here I am 🙂   Spring came quite early here in Ohio, probably for you too.  It was such a mild Winter most everywhere and it warmed up fast.  It’s been just beautiful here…though we are now having quite hot temperatures, hitting 90’s the next several days already.  Because of the warm Winter and even warmer Spring, gardening and outdoor activities got under way much earlier then usual and it’s been wonderful! 

My herbs from last year happily sprang back up and are huge and ready to be harvested already!  Many of my flowers are already in  full bloom and everything is green and lush.  Lawns needed to be cut early, mulching done, garden centers hopping busy, and Mother Earth is in full bloom in May!  I have noticed that birds are singing louder and happier..(I know..it could be my imagination but I don’t think so!) , critters are scurrying and playing.   We have a koi pond and the frogs are so abundant and so noisy it’s amazing!  There are a lot of new baby fish this year too. 

Porch time started early…and the bugs…well…the bad thing about a mild Winter is the bugs are multiplied.  June bugs, lady bugs, crickets, spiders, wasps, bees, mosquitos…yep…they are everywhere!  I haven’t seen any lightning bugs yet but I’m sure they’ll be along any day 🙂  LOL maybe thats why the birds are so happy? 🙂   I can’t wait for the farmers markets and produce stands to open around us…it won’t be long now.  I have the biggest craving for grilled corn on the cob, big, ripe and red tomatoes and some ice cold watermelon!

The Summer Solstice…I can’t believe how fast it’s coming up.  Just those words bring back so many memories of carefree Summer days not only when I was a child but when my girls were little too.  Now I get to watch my grandchildren play in the dirt, collect bugs, swim, run in the sprinkler, get sticky with watermelon and need baths more then once a day LOL.   The cycle continues and the lazy, hazy days of Summer always bring back some nostalgia for me.  Though I’m not a fan of really hot days these days..crone that I am…I still love the whole idea that Summer is a time for families, outdoor activities, cookouts and 4th of July parades.   Riding bikes, picnics, swimming in lakes, oceans and pools, being tan and active and soooo tired at the end of the day.  It’s reading in hammocks and lawn chairs or blankets under a tree in the shade.  It’s fishing, and hiking and gardening.  Ice tea on the porch and lemonade stands….have you seen a lemonade stand lately?  I think they are making a come back!  I often think that Summer is for the young…but as I get older, I find my own appreciation of it as well, in a different way.  It’s time to feel young again..to join the kids running thru sprinklers, cranking the ice cream maker, playing frisbee or floating on a raft.  Ah..Summer..it’s such a great time of year. 

 

Some fond memories I have as a child was drive-in movies…remember those?   There are just a couple left near where I live and I think it’s sad that they’ve gone away.  When I was quite young…my dad worked a 2nd job at a drive-in movie theatre on the weekends…well..apparantly, that allowed our family of 4 kids and my mom to get to come see movies most weekends.  I can remember mom and dad loading us up..in our jammies of all things LOL  but we all were under the age of 8-10 with me being the oldest.  We would make up a big bag of popcorn..cheaper to bring our own…a jug of Kool-aid, toys and books etc.  We would get here early so my dad could report to work and we’d get a good spot to park.  Right by the play-yard and the concession stand.  We’d get out a play til the movie started.  The rules were…we were allowed to watch the first movie..had to lay down for the 2nd movie. LOL  Apparantly the first movie was kid friendly, the 2nd one was not.  That’s why I would take a book and a flashlight 🙂  We often thru blankets out in front of the car and laid on them to watch the movie.  I remember seeing Disney movies mostly.  My dad would come sit with us between movies a bit…bring us some candy sometimes.   It’s a good memory I have from a childhood that wasn’t always so great.  I took my girls to a few drive-in movies when they were little as they were still around then.   I wonder if my grandkids will even know what they are?  

As a Witch, the Summer Solstice..or Litha..is the time of year I put out new protection bottles, place new protection around my home, give offerings to the Fae and Goddess,  harvest my herbs as they grow, and keep myself grounded to Mother Earth..my feet in her dirt and grass and sand, my face to the Sun, my back leaning against a tree, my hands weeding or planting or watering, and my heart connects to the starry skies, the Moon, the warm Summer winds or the warm refreshing rain.  It’s a beautiful time of year. 

As I am still recovering..I think I appreciate even more the Seasons of the year then I always have.  I have always done my best to make the most of every day, to find magick everyday, to be sure my loved ones know they are loved by me everyday.  Now…I find it even more important to be sure I enjoy the moments..not let my mind be spinning constantly with what is coming next or what needs to be done tomorrow.  Summer is a slow-down and stop and smell the roses season…that is what I intend to do this Summer!  and oh yes..I intend to play….like a child….everyday!  I know many of you do that too! 

“There shall be eternal Summer in the grateful heart.”

 ~Celia Thaxter

I am perusing recipes for Litha for my next post.  Be sure to check out the last two years of posts for the Summer Solstice too..recipes, altars, pics etc.  Just type it in the Search gadget.  I want to thank so many of you again for all the healing, prayers and well wishes sent my way.  I will always remember and be grateful for it.  Thank you.

Blessings and Love, Autumn

Sources…some pics are internet, some are mine….

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February 13, 2012 · 4:14 pm

Happy Valentines Day…….

Merry Meet friends!  Hope that you had a wonderful weekend.  I spent it resting and relaxing.  Winter has shown up again here in Ohio.  We had a bit of snow and much colder weather.  Except for dinner out Saturday night with hubby and a grocery trip..I stayed in by the fire, working on my Book of Shadows, reading, journaling and watching movies with my daughter Sara.  It was lovely 🙂  Tonight we’re expecting more snow which I love…as you know if you’ve been here before 🙂  

As you know, Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.  I knew I wanted to do a post about it, but not sure What about it.  I could talk about it’s pagan roots and the history of the holiday.  I could talk about how it’s just a way for card companies to make money.  But what I decided to talk about was LOVE.  After all, our Valentines….are our loved ones.   Those we love the most in this world.  Our significant other, our children or grandchildren, maybe some extended family or best friends for some.  But many of us want to somehow acknowledge our loved ones on this day.

There are so many ways to do it to celebrate the day.   A special dinner, flowers, candy, small gifts, cards in the mail.  There probably isn’t too many of us who have forgotten the thrill of getting those little paper surprises in our homemade, heart covered shoeboxes when we were in school. LOL.  I remember how important it was to pick out the very best valentines to give to my classmates.  The excitement of opening each envelope, while having some heart-shaped confection and super sweet punch during the class party.  Then keeping that shoebox and those cards for months after..pulling them out and looking at them again and again.  🙂

Then, when I got older, it was that card or gift from that special someone….a boyfriend.  It was all romance and goosebumps.  The thrill of a kiss to go with the gift.  I can remember my boyfriend filling my locker with pink and red balloons and cherry heart-shaped suckers.  Then he met me after each class with a red rose. *Swoon*   So romantic and I felt blissful in my teenage Romance. 

 

Then I got married, and Valentine’s Day was a sexy red nightie and a bottle of wine in the early days.  Still romance…steady and strong and fun.  Then came children….and Valentine’s Day turned into pink frosted sugar cookies or cupcakes with sprinkles.  Back to making the heart covered shoeboxes and helping my children pick out the perfect Valentine’s cards for their classmates.  Hubby and I started having Valentine’s dinners out for some time to ourselves.  Marveling at how time had passed and remembering more romantic Valentine rendezvous 😉

 

Then I watched as my daughter was wooed by a boy and her heart swooned as mine did with the little things her current boyfriend did for her.  Now I watch her with her own children…again with the kids party valentines, shoeboxes, cupcakes. As Nana, I enjoy shopping for small gifts to show my love for them too.  I keep watching the years go by and the cycle continue.  The Love continues always…..

 

“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear,

too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice,

 but for those who Love, time is Eternity”.

~Henry Van Dyke

Ultimately, Valentine’s Day, for me, reminds me of constant Love.  We all  have Love in our lives.  It should be celebrated everyday….but let’s admit it…Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to be SURE that we celebrate it.  So today…with MUCH LOVE….I wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day my friends!

Blessings and Hearts, Autumn

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July 17, 2011 · 5:17 pm

The End of an Era?………..

Merry Meet!  Today is Sun Day…my favorite day of the week.  It marks the end of the week for me, a time to relax, rest, and spend time with family.  Today it is extremely HOT and HUMID, So…. we headed out to a cool dark theater to see the final Harry Potter movie.  The Deathly Hallows Part 2!

The movie was Awesome!…really well done.  I jumped, I cheered, I cried.  But what I did most was marvel at the fact that I have followed JK Rowling’s vision since my youngest daughter was the same age as Harry, Ron & Hermoine were in the first book..11 years old.  I first heard about the Harry Potter books while watching a Rosie O’Donnell show.  She was raving about the books, how wonderful they were, how imaginative and she had JK on her show.  Now,  my girls already  loved books and loved to read series books.  I believe that the first book had been out for a bit and the 2nd book had just come out at this time.  The very next day I went out and found them on a table in the kid’s section…they were just paperback at the time.  I bought the first two books and brought them home.  Sara read them and was hooked!  She then gave them to her sister to read …and she loved them too.  Then the 3rd came out…and so forth.  At that point, I decided to read them myself and was hooked as well.  Oh how I wish I had the creativity to have thought of someone like Harry Potter and the world he lives in….to me the books were pure magick!  We all have our own set now too! LOL

*CORRECTION! LOL  My youngest, Kate, reminded me that it was she who read them first…and I remembered then that she had to really talk her sister into reading them…Sara had no interest in reading them at first.  LOL   But of course, once she read them, she loved them too.  Sorry Kate! hahah! 🙂

We attended midnight Book release parties at Barnes & Noble after that, dressing up in our Gryffindor gear and round glasses like Harry’s. Of course we waited with bated breath as the first movie came out…and were NOT disappointed at seeing the characters and the story come to life on the big screen!  The characters looked as they were described in the books, the quidditch field was pure magick, Hogworts was a dream come true…..for me even the soundtrack was perfect.  The wait between books and movies seemed too too long.  A fond memory of mine is the day the 7th book came out, my whole family would be arriving in Hilton Head for a week’s vacation.  As soon as we realized that, I found the Barnes & Noble there and pre- ordered 5 books!  One for myself, my two daughers, my son in law, and a friend who was with us.  Before we even arrived at our beach condo..we stopped and picked up our prized books.  What a fun time it was…we all spent the week reading our books by the pool or on the beach.  Some of us finishing faster then others…teasing each other about what we had read that they hadn’t yet…sometimes caught with tears in our eyes or letting out a loud gasp…which would result in “Don’t tell me..I’m not there yet”!!!  LOL  I will always remember that trip because of that book!

Having read the books multiple times, I’m reminded of how these wonderful books spurred on the love of reading again for a whole generation of children.  Whether they were old enough to read it themselves, or have them read to them….they brought families together in the common love of the books.  Never had such a phenomena been seen…at least not in my lifetime.  The movies of course enhanced the experience.  In a time where kids are glued to the TV or playing  games on the Wii and Playstation, how wonderful it was to see them reading again.  My grandmother was a 2nd grade teacher for over 50 years..I give her full credit for giving me my love of reading…She would have been thrilled to have seen children reading with great joy again.  For my kids, the love of reading  has continued..for me too.  My granddaughter Lily, who is 2 1/2..already loves books too..she will sit for an hour and bring multiple books to be read to her…and will often finish the sentence for us…I just love seeing that!!

Now that my girls are grown, I look forward to the day that Harry, Ron and Hermoine and all the lovely characters are introduced to my grandchildren.  Is the last book and last movie the end of an era?   Well, I don’t think so….I think that they will continue to give great joy to young minds (and their parents) for ages to come.  I am quite sure that there are many more books out there.. some yet to be written..that will bring joy to children and aid them in their love of reading ….but I truly believe that it will take something really special to equal what the Harry Potter books did.  Do you still remember the books you loved as a child?  Did you pass that love to your children and grandchildren?  I still have the books my children owned and even some of the books that I owned as a child.  There is no end to a good story….it just continues for generations..as long as we see to it that they do. 

So THANK YOU JK Rowling and Harry Potter for your wonderful world of imagination.  A whole generation has loved and enjoyed it…… and many more in the future will as well.  Pure magick!

“A blessed companion is a book, – a book that, fitly chosen, is a lifelong friend,… a book that, at a touch, pours its heart into our own.” ~Douglas Jerrold

Blessings and Love, Autumn

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