That time again ...

Every year in early August, my hubby's family reunion rolls around. As part of the day's activities there is always a big auction for both kids and adults. These are usually nickel, dime and quarter items which help pay for the food and grove rental expenses. And it's a lot of fun because everything is wrapped up in paper so no one knows what they are actually getting!

This is also the time of the year when I scoot upstairs to the attic and grab a couple of boxes full of stuffed animals which I won in crane machines several years ago. There is nothing wrong with them, in fact, they have been sitting around in boxes since I brought them home with me.  Believe it or not, I literally used to walk out of restaurants and pubs with bags full of these things. Here are the ones I plan to take to the family reunion this weekend ...

Instead of just taking up room in the attic collecting dust, I decided that they would make great auction gifts for the kids who, by the way, truly love them! I always like watching their little faces light up when they unwrap one of these guys.

I still actually have so many boxes of stuffed animals left that I also donate them to "Toys for Tots" every year at Christmas time. After all,  young or old, who doesn't love stuffed animals?

Sunflower ~ An Autumn Poem

Sunflower

In the field she blooms,

But once a year

This luscious sunflower ~

So sweet and so dear

The love she shows,

With kindness she cares

Our Mother's fruit ~

The seeds she bears

Both yellow and bright,

This sunflower grows

Then leaves us again ~

When winter's wind blows

~ Lady Caer Morganna

(image credit)



Looking forward to Lugh!

...Upon a singing Summer day,

At dawn on Lammastide

I saw the Craftsman smiling

On sunbeams he did ride

He brings us light and knowledge,

To help our fellow men

He sang, “Blessed Be and Blessed Be

And Blessed Be again!”

~ John Bethancourt

One of the reasons I love the sabbat of Lughnasadh so much is because it marks the downslope of summer and the very beginnng of my favorite season ~ fall! Lughnasadh, also known to some as Lammas, is essentially the first harvest of the year, followed by Mabon/Autumn Equinox the second harvest, and then finally Samhain which is the third and last harvest of the year.  Samhain, by the way, is my favorite sabbat celebration!

While the word Lammas translates to "loaf mass," Lughnasadh literally means, "the chase of Lugh." Lugh is a Celtic sun deity whose name means "shinning one" and is a god of the hunt. He was a master of the spear and a skilled craftsman who was known as a legend in battle. It is also worth noting that his name, Lugh, is old Irish/Gaelic for the month of August.

With this year's summer being by far the most hot and humid we have had in a long time, the start of fall will be a most welcome change indeed!

The Holly Laughs

The Holly Laughs

 Said daffodil to holly,

My petals are gold

In early spring

They are so bold!

And the holly laughs ...

Come summertime,

The roses will bloom

And cheers us from

The winter's gloom

But the holly laughs ...

When colors burst,

In the season of fall

And lavender's beauty

 Hears Nature's call

Still the holly laughs ...

The holly now taunts,

"Ah, winter is near!"

For you have all gone

And I am still here

So forever the holly laughs

~ Lady Caer Morganna

Mer-Crow Love

As you all know, last weekend I asked Stacy from MagicLoveCrow if she would please create a special mer-crow couple painting for me. Yesterday, she finished it and my Goddess is it beautiful!! I am very happy with her work (not that I expected that I wouldn't be mind you ~ LOL) and I thought that I would write a special little poem to go along with it. I hope you all enjoy it!

"Mer-Crow Love" as created by Stacy

Mer-Crow Love

Never a love

So blessed be,

As the happy mer-crows;

Both wild and free

Ever so graceful

Yet soaring so high,

Those beauitful creatures;

Up in the sky

So much in love

Their touching wings

He kisses her gently;

She dances and sings!

Under the sea

They frolic and play,

This lovely crow couple
Together they'll stay

~ Lady Caer Morganna

The Mermaid Lover

The following is a poem I had written about the ghost of a man who fell in love with a mermaid and, since he could not live underneath the water with her nor could she live on the land with him, he decided he would rather drown than live without her. So every year on the night in which he died, he comes back to see her once again, if only for a night ...

The Mermaid Lover

The moonlight strikes her long blonde hair

She calls to him, "Tis my love there"?

On shore she sits upon a rock

And waits for him to sail the loch

He travels so far for her sweet touch ~

His mermaid yearns for him so much

Crooning for him her ballad of love

And guides his way like stars above

"I'd drown for you, my love, he said

to spend enternity in your sea bed,

For death is sweet forever with thee ~

Our love transcends the land and sea"

She knows come morn as day draws near

Her star-crosseed lover must disappear

Leaving her behind hence another year

To pine for his love, so true and so dear

~ Lady Caer Morganna

(image credit)

A Special Request for Stacy

On Saturday, I contacted Stacy from her blog, MagicLoveCrow, and asked her if she would mind painting a crow mermaid and merman for me. And so in her magickal, artistic style, Stacy began working on my crow mermaid painting.

The funny thing is, after she e-mailed me the original sketch it was exactly what I had envisioned in my own mind. A beauitful crow mer-couple swimming together under the moon, with lovely green vines swirling around them in the sea.

This morning she e-mailed me the awesome work she has done thus far ...

Pretty cool! I just love it and I can't wait to see the finished work ~  Great job, Stacy!

Indulge a little!

Yesterday afternoon, I went shopping for one of my favorite perfumes called "Liz Claiborne's Realities" only to find out that, after stopping at four different stores, Liz Claiborne apparently sold her perfume line out to some other company and the "new" Realities perfume unfortunately does not smell anything at all like the original! Okay fine, don't panic. There is always on-line shopping ~ after all, if you can't find what you are looking for on the internet ... LOL!


So low and behold, I found this great website called Fragrance.net which has anything and everything you are looking for (and at a much cheaper price, too)! They sell both men's and women's cologne and perfume. What I really love  about "Realities" is it's a wonderful blend of rose, white lily, sage, vanilla, jasmine, amber, carnation and peach ...

 I also enjoy pampering myself (and who doesn't, right?) with a couple of other realxing goodies. One of them is a Chocolate Milkshake Smoothie for the shower made by Ulta which smells exactly like a chocolate shake. They also make a Black Cherry shake smoothie as well. It is a shower gel and lathers up with very little use so it lasts a long, long time. This stuff is so great ...

For awesome oils, I really like "One Love" by a company called "Auric Blends" which makes pure essential oils. Even though I usually prefer to make my own ceremonial oils, I actually like to use some of their oils for my rituals from time to time such as the vanilla, rose, patchouli, sandalwood, and amber. I always carry a small bottle of my favorite oil, "One Love" (an enticing blend of cherry and vanilla) in my purse. It really does smell wonderful ...

Anyway, these sites are great and definately worth checking out.  No matter what your pleasure is, sometimes we just have to do something a little special for ourselves. After all, we deserve it!

Fall Fever!

Even though Mabon/Autumn Equinox is still a little over two months away, I always seem to get "fall fever" around this time of the year. I am very much looking forward to the up-coming Lughnasadh (the First Harvest) celebration and, in anticipation, I have already begun to decorate my home in the middle of this long, very hot and humid season of summer. Crazy as it may sound, I like to do this because it always helps my state of mind as it comforts me knowing that fall is just around the corner ...

(Here you can see a better pic of my Fall Faerie on the left)

 

You know if I had my way, I would live somewhere where it is Spring one half of the year and Fall the other! Our cats have also been getting anxious for the fall season. Lately, they have been more "lively" than usual ~ running around kind of acting a bit "antsy" so to speak ... LOL!!

Have a fantastic Sunday everyone!!!

Kylie's Special Gift ...

Today was a pretty special day. You see, I had lunch with my God~daughter, Kylianna and her mommy and little sister. I so love spending time with that little girl and this afternoon when she greeted me, she presented me with a special handmade jewelry set that she made especially for me with her very own hands ...

A beautiful purple and pink matching necklace and bracelet! Thank you again, Kylie, with all of my heart and I will treasure them always!!

I found a treasure ...

The other day while cleaning up hubby's Game Room, I found this little book called, "Popular Home Remedies and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans." It is more like a thin pamphlet with all kinds of odd PA Dutch (German) folklore in it. You know the kind of things I am talking about ~ folk medicine, how to have good luck and avoid bad, weather forecasting, special days and seasons, moon lore, dream interpretations, how to find your future husband, marriage and sex lore,  and even superstitions about cats!

I got quite a kick out of it because, after all, we have lived here for over 10 years now and I had absolutely no idea this book was even in the house until I accidently came across it!

So, I began reading it as my curiousity had of course gotten the best of me. I thought I would share a few of the more interesting parts regarding animals with you.

In addition to the belief that the groundhog can indeed predict the weather (yes, Groundhog Day), this book also mentions other animals believed to be able to forecast weather including the beaver, bear, bull, cattle, chipmunk, deer, dog, donkey, squirrel, hog, horse, mouse, muskcrat, rabbit, sheep, wolf, and cat. In fact, it was believed that a cat lying on its' side and turning its' face upward foretold stormy weather. Other folklore regarding cats include:

1) If you touch kittens before their eyes are open, the mother will let them starve.

2) A girl should feed a cat from her shoe if she once gets anxious to marry.

3) To meet a priest, hare, cat, dog, lizard or serpent on going to church to be married are considered unlucky.
4) Place a cat in an empty cradle of a newlywed couple and the cat will grant their wish for children.

This book, although I found it to be historicaly interesting, was just plain silly and the parts which talk about the superstitions surrounding witches and witchcraft were (to say the least) pretty crazy!!! So crazy, in fact, that I shall not even presume to write about it.

It was written and researched by its' two authors, A. Monroe Aurand, Jr. and Logan Clendening, M.D and it was copyrighted in 1941.  As well as this book, Dr. Clendening also wrote "The Pow Wow Book," (as in Pennsylvania Dutch Pow Wow) "Healing by Prayer," and "Laying on of Hands."

I guess one never knows just what one will find gathering up cobwebs in their home. LOL!

Game Room finally finished!

Shew! It has taken me a bid longer than I anticipated, but I finally finished hubby's Game Room.

Here are the "before" pics of it ...

and the "after" pics ...

I have always loved this historical pic and since my husband is a WWII enthusiast (in fact, he loves history ~ period) I thought I'd hang it!

Here you can see the cool cat puzzle on the table hubby had put together and is now gluing

It still needs a few added things ~ definitely a large area rug and perhaps a small little side bar where the large metal cabinet currently is. Also, he can watch the televison located between the Game Room and my Reiki Room which has both a DVD and a VHS player connected to it. I would still like to put some finishing touches on it, but for now it is functional!

Radiofrequency Ablation

Merry Meet again all!! I have an update on my dad that I just felt that I needed to share with you. As you know, my father has been suffering from chronic arthritis for a few years now ~ every year getting worse as his doctors have tried several different treatments including physical therapy in combination with pain meds.

A week ago, they tried something different. It is called Radiofrequency Ablation for arthritis pain and it is a procedure which involves using an electrical current by a radio wave to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area. This procedure is known for producing very good results which usually last up to 5 or 6 months.

My dad, Bill and my mom, Elrita taken on Mother's Day 2012

So far, my dad has noticed immediate results! His appetite has returned and he is able to function much, much better than before. My mom says that he is doing great! I can't tell you all how happy and relieved this makes me. I will also continue to give him his reiki treatments as he loves how they "relax" him so.

The Calico Cat

The Calico Cat

She sleeps in the sunlight,

Her warm coat shines soft;

Purring ever so loudly

Underneath her catio loft

“You’re home! You’re home!”

She excitedly spouts;

As I walk through the door

“Let me in!” she shouts

Now sitting on my chair

Curled up on my lap;

Is that calico cat

And for hours she sat

~ Lady Caer Morganna

A Different Perspective

For the past couple of years, I have been donating money whenever possible to certain organizations. One of those organizations is a no-kill animal shelter called, "Animals In Distress." (A.I.D.)

Their facilities are the best I have ever seen. However, I never stopped to wonder just "how" places like this could afford such a great shelter for all their unwanted animals, whom by the way, they do work extremely hard to get good homes for.

I am ashamed to admit that, after reading Jackson Galaxy's new book "Cat Daddy," I found out how most no-kill shelters can "afford" to do such awesome work. Jackson used to work at an animal shelter in Boulder, Co. and had to do and see many terrible things ~ including putting down perfectly healthy animals who deserved loving homes. You see, no-kill shelters, as he explained, "pick and choose" the animals they take in. Even though some no-kill organizations such as Animals In Distress actually do take in injured animals who are in very bad shape and spend the money to get them healthy, give them physical therapy, or whatever they need,  many others do not. And; therefore, organizations such as The Humane Society and The Animal Rescue League tend to get those unwanted animals which are turned down by most no-kill shelters. I, myself,  made the mistake of thinking that, even though ALL animal shelters are in dire need of donations for unwanted or abandoned animals, that the no-kill shelters need it more because they refuse to euthanize any of the animals in their care. Needless to say, I was wrong to have that mind set.

That being said, I have decided to not only continue to donate to Animals In Distress, but I will also make more donations whenever possible to The Humane Society, The ASPCA, and other non no-kill shelters as well.

 I realize that even though I can't save the world, these animals deserve a chance at having a good life and I need to do whatever I can ~ as do we all.

Huge Thanks, Mel! And Have a hip Friday all!

Happy Friday everybody!!! First, I want to give Mel (some of you may know her as Desert Siren) from her fantastic blog, Everyday Domestic Goddess.  Mel was one of the lucky winners of my last Wiccan Life Give-away and today I received a very special heart-felt personalized "Thank You" card from her in the mail ...

Isn't this just the most beautiful "witchy" mermaid artwork you've ever seen? I love it!! As you can see, Mel is a goddess after my own heart!  Thank you so much again for the great card,  Mel!!! I hope you enjoy your book!

Hope you all dig the vid I picked out for Fun Friday. Peace and Blessed be!!

Our three days in Hades ...

... (rumble outside)
"Man, I'd better get in the shower really quick and get this hair coloring rinsed out of my hair ~ fast before the storm comes!"
(while rinsing my hair in the shower ~ CRACK!!!)
"Oh shit! (oops)"
(no power in the house)
"Well, I guess I will have to get the rest of this hair coloring out of my hair with the cold water now!"
(then power comes back ... one, two, three seconds later ... power out again)

And on the hottest, most humid weekend we've had thus far here, the power stayed out for the next three days while our electrical company (Met Ed) continued to do their "usual" bang-up job. So from Saturday night around 5:00PM until Monday night around (believe it or not) 5:00PM, we suffered through the most horrible heatwave. On Saturday it was 100 degrees outside (110 in the house) and on Sunday it was 91 degrees out (and 101 in house). It was a rough weekend for us all.

What's more, I pitied the animals terribly as they are 100% indoor pets and not used to the deadly heat, without benefit of air conditioning, anymore than we are. I kept dipping their hair brush in cold water and brushing them with it in an effort to give them some relief. I also put ice cubes in their water daily. Oh yeah, did I mention that we had to throw away $200.00 worth of groceries in the frig?

I won't even get started on those a-holes from the electrical company. Let's just say that they are more screwed up than people probably would think. The only reason we now have electrical power is because of the crew of linemen from New Hampshire who actually did  know what they were doing. "Hats off" to the New Hampshire crew! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

We have definitely decided to switch to the PP & L (Pennsylvania Power & Light) electrical company from now on, says hubby. I quite agree.

Hope everyone is surviving the heat okay!

Crazy Cat Guy gets Game (room, that is)

Okay, so who is the "Crazy Cat Guy"  to whom I am referring to, you may ask? Well, that would be my hubby, Brett! A few months ago, he was attempting to rescue a stray kitty hanging around our house whom he named "Shadow." Despite numerous efforts; however, we were never able to catch him and add him to our cat family. Could this affection for cats have been my influence? Not at all. Brett, like me, has always been a cat lover and he is so great with them ... 

For the past 2 months, Brett has been faithfully feeding some other stray cats hanging around lately and he has been patiently working on gaining their trust (Trust me, he is far more patient than I)!

Anyhow, I have decided to start work this past week on his Game Room downstairs in the cellar. After all, I think that he deserves some personal space just as I do. 

The room is still a work in progress, but (with a bit of help from hubby) I expect to hopefully have it finished before the end of this week. Here are some "before" pics ...

Very messy, eh? I am currently midway through cleaning up this room and it is already beginning to look soo much better! As soon as the Game Room is finished, I will post the pics. So keep your fingers crossed! LOL!

Fun Friday ~ Rockin' in the weekend!!

"Rock This Town" ~ The Stray Cats

Thanks to my dad, I have always had an appreciation for many different types of music which has always included old time 50's style rock 'n' roll! One of my absolute favorites is Brian Setzer from "The Stray Cats"  and his very successful and current band, "The Brian Setzer Orchestra." His music is so much fun and I hope to be able to get a couple of tickets for hubby and I to see him in Easton, PA this November!

This guy has been "rockin out" for over 20 years and is still the consummate performer! A very versatile and talented musician, he can belt out music like nobody's business ~ crooning and rock-a-billying with the best of them!

"Jump, Jive an' Wail"

http://youtu.be/aHWcN5YxuYc

"Folsom Prison Blues"

http://youtu.be/_4IS1vz6z9U

My apologies for the annoying advertisement before the "Jump Jive an' Wail" video, but I promise you that the song and the vid are definitely well worth it, my friends! ;)

Wishing everyone a Happy Fourth!

Here's wishing all a very Happy and safe Fourth of July spent with family and friends!!!

(image credit)

Those nasty stink bugs!

Anyone who has been as in undated with stink bugs over the past couple of years as we have here in Eastern Pennsylvania, can well attest to how horribly annoying these things are (not to mention the fact that they will destroy your garden plants and flowers)! The other week while frequenting Home Depot, I asked one of the sales people there if they knew of anything that killed these nasty things (or at least help keep them under some kind of control)!  

He informed me that the house cleaner "Formula 409" was known to knock them out and, in most cases, kill them! And so, having absolutely nothing to lose, I decided to buy a spray bottle and try it at home in our attic where they were the absolute worst ~ and I do mean WORST!

Alas!! I am here to tell you all that this stuff actually DOES work! But why Formula 409 and not any of the other cleaners? After doing a bit of research, I found that the ingredient which separates this particular brand of cleaner from the others is concentrated chrysanthemum blossom tea! Yes, that's right. Stink bugs totally hate this natural herb.

So, if your home is being taken over by these awful insects, the bugs which my cats refuse to even go near, I suggest you give this idea a good try. It honestly does work great!

(image credit)

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (and made with red beets)

This red velvet cake recipe is slightly different from the usual in that it is made with red beets. Now, I know what you are all probably thinking ~ red beets??? But believe it or not, you can't taste the red beets. The only purpose it actually serves is that it adds to the moistness of the cake. The following recipe makes a one 9" round layer cake.

Red Velvet Cake

3/4 cup pureed beets (roast them at 350 for 30 min. adding 1/2 cup of water to the pan after 10 min.)

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. plain yogurt

1/2 tsp. vinegar

2 eggs

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup dutch cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all of the dry ingredients and set aside. Blend the wet ingredients until uniform. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 blocks cream cheese (8 ounces each)

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

16 ounces of confectioners sugar

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Cream together the cream cheese and butter at room temperature. Add the salt and sugar and blend until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract and frost cake after cooled.