After the holidays ...

The Yule and Christmas mad rush over, we can now get ready for the official start of the New Year! Since I will have to work all day on New Year's Eve, I have decided to take my Yule tree down this weekend. I usually only leave it up until New Year's anyhow.  But before I do that, I would like to share a few more of this year's holiday memories with you all ...

Tabby's favorite nightly spot!

Special gifts from hubby ...

A set of framed illustrated astrology prints for both our Sun signs ~ Sagittarius and Pisces

 

Mr. Gray finally able to get acquainted with his new brother and sisters ~ what a true blessing for all of us ...

Looking back at this past year, it has most certainly been for us, a series of life's usual highs and lows. However, the reflections of the past are just that and we can now look forward to the fresh start of a new (and hopefully) happy and healthy New Year!!

 

WISHING ALL A VERY WONDERFUL AND BLESSED NEW YEAR FROM OUR HOME TO YOURS, MY FRIENDS!!!!

The Best Holiday Gift Ever!!!

 

That's right my dear friends, Mr. Gray's re-test results came in just this morning from the vets office ... both of Mr. "Earl" Gray's tests were NEGATIVE!!!! Hubby called me at work to tell me the great news! I just want to again thank each and every one of my awesome friends out there who sent healing prayers and positive energy to my little guy ~ you are all indeed a blessing!

I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday! I know that we certainly did. As per usual, we split up the holiday between our folks. First, my parents place for a lovely dinner and afternoon of opening our gifts ...

Me 'n' my mom!

 

My sweetie pie dad

 

Then, on to hubby's folks for the remainder of the day with them and Tulip, their King Charles Cavelier ...

After exchanging our presents, we relaxed and had a little shrimp and cheese snack... ummm good! After which, we finally headed home for a bit of quality time with our fur babies, helping them open all of their gifts from Santa Paws, Nana Rita (my mom) and Auntie Judy ...

Hey, gimme some of that!!!

 

Mine, ALL mine!!!

 

 

Well, that was it for our Christmas this year. We are all so very busy in our day to day lives that every moment spent with family and friends is oh, so precious. And it's these special memories which we can cherish for a lifetime ~ and the holidays are, for us, the perfect time to help create them.

 

A White Christmas ... eve that is

Last night, as we and the "kids" sat in the warm comfort of our cozy little home, we watched as the first snow fall of the season in Berks County, PA came quickly fluttering down from the sky.

My very first thought? "Oh no, not already?" For as beautiful as the snow truly is, I do not relish the thought of having to drive in it. I suppose it is the difference between loving to play in it when you are a child and having to deal with it on the roads (and shoveling it) as a grown up!

At any rate, it didn't seem to dampen our spirits too much and we decided to have some fun of our own with our furry little reindeer ...

"Tabby-girl"

 

"Mr. Midnight"

 

 

And so, as I sit here this morning writing this post, I await my hubby awaking from his slumber that we can all open our be-lated Yule gifts from underneath the tree and then it's on to the start of a very busy day with the families.

Merry Holiday Season!!!

                                                                                                                                                                          

Here's wishing EVERYONE a very memorable holiday season. On this eve of yet another celebration, I thought you all might enjoy a little holiday cheer from "The Boss"!! One of my favorites ~ Enjoy!!!

What's all the fuss all about anyway?

Lately whilst browsing through the blogs which I follow, I have noticed a few posts written by some Pagan/Wiccan parents of whom have expressed their discontent with the concept of Santa and gift-giving. ~ citing him as Christian and deceptive. Say what, honestly?

While Christmas is indeed a Christian holiday, the idea of Santa and gift-giving is not! In fact, both traditions are Pagan in origin and anyone who has done their historical homework has long been aware of this. Now, I would never ever presume to attempt to tell parents, Pagan or other, how to raise their children. That is not what this post is all about!!

Like many Pagans/Wiccans, I was raised in a Christian household and Santa and gift-giving were a huge part of my childhood memories. It allowed me to be a child, unlike so many parents I see now-a-days who try to push their children to grow up much too fast and treat them like adults at the age of two! (Yes, unfortunately, this is what I have seen far too often.)

I, myself, would not trade these wonderful holiday traditions for anything in the world and I am forever grateful to my parents for giving me such delightful memories. Besides, I don't recall seeing anything in the Bible about Santa Claus, do you?

Still, it reminds me of something my Wiccan sister and dear friend Rhiannon said to me the other day, "Not only is Santa Pagan, but he is magickal, isn't he?"

Quick Mr. Gray Update ...

 

Greetings, my friends! We just arrived home from the vet for Mr. Gray's Fel-Leuk re-test. Unfortunately, we do not know anymore than we did before as they have told us that this time, his blood test will be sent out to the lab which they utilize and we will not know the results until sometime next week due to the holidays.

As far as I am concerned, this is what they should have done in the first place as I have read that the so-called 15 minute or less blood tests, which they call the ELISA Fel-Luek test, that many vets currently use in-house are not known to be quite as accurate and they can very easily be altered by room temperate which needs to be precisely right for definative test results.

Even if his results come back positive, I fully intend to get a second opinion to be sure from the vet whom was the reason I had decided to use our current vet in the first place. He is not a member of the VCA Animal Hospital and left a couple of months after returning to the vets office we now belong to in order to start his own practice. His name is Dr. Sherbyn W. Ostrich, VMD and his reputation has always been impeccable ~ 30 years experience (he was my parents vet for many years until he moved his practice too far away). He has served as President of the American Veterinary Medical Assoc., President of the Berks County Humane Society, and President of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association. My guess is that he does not exactly agree with the ridiculously greedy prices of the VCA affiliated vets, ours being one of them! Truthfully speaking, these people (the VCA) would rather see you put your furry family member down or suffer thereof rather than work with you on your vet bill (you MUST pay ALL fees before you leave their office) or even bring down their rates to something much more reasonable.  :-(

And so, we shall continue to play the waiting game and pray for the best in the end. Thank you sooo very much to all of you who have kept Mr. Gray in your prayers. We so very appreciate your thoughtfullness and kind hearts!!

A Crone's Alternative?

 

As I begin entering the Crone stage of my life, I have been experiencing the natural, "normal" life changes which many of us as daughters of the Goddess do. Those of you who may have gone through or are presently going through this can definitely relate to some or all of these issues ~ night sweats, hot flashes, dryness in and throughout your entire body, and, of course, the moody and sometimes edgy demeanor. UGH! Not fun my friends to say the very least!

Since I already have a family history of breast cancer in my family with my mother being diagnosed a few years ago, (that and the fact that every woman I have ever known in my life who had taken hormone pills had decided to go off of them because, eventhough they may do the job, they had experienced some horrible side effects), I personally refuse to go on hormone pills. So instead I began to look for other alternatives. For a couple of years I used Estroven. Estroven is an all natural hormonal supplement with its' main ingredient being the herb Black Cohosh. Black Cohosh is excellent for curbing the hot flashes down to a maximum and, yes, it does work wonderfully for that symptom.

Then, I saw an advertisement for the Amberen product. The manufacturer, Lunada Biomedical, claims that Amberen guarantees relief from the following caused by menopause:

*  Hot flashes
*  Weight Gain
*  Sleeplessness
*  Irritability
*  Low Libido
*  and more ...

Okay, let's start with the hot flashes. I have been taking Amberen for the past 7 months now and I can honestly say that it does the job. Sleeplessness? Well, I suppose if you stop drinking liquids after a certain time before going to bed it works okay for that as well for some, although I personally have not noticed this. Irritability? I have found that it has indeed helped me tremendously on that end. In fact, I can tell if I miss a day or two because I actually do begin to feel irritable and easily annoyed. Now, what about the claim of helping you to lose weight by bio-chemical balance? LOL, not a chance. Atleast I, myself, have not personally noticed any weight loss at all since taking this product. And, so I must say that this claim is complete and utter bull. Of course, I do not feel that there is actually any such thing as a pill that automatically loses the weight for you (other than the "little yellow pills" that your doctor may prescribe to you should he/she deem it necessary), and exercise is a definite must. On a more positive note; however, I have noticed a huge difference in my body hydration ~ Very grateful for that perk!

However, I have decided to continue to use Amberen because for me it has done, for the most part, what I needed it to do. And, it is the best thing I have come across thus far. Mind you, this is merely my own personal experience with this particular product and I realize that everyone's chemical make-up is different and may easily differ from my own. But, in this witch's humble opinion, it may just be worth a try?  :-)

MERRY YULE TO ALL!!!!

Making Yule Memories ...

 

 

Yesterday was a very special day. I started my last week's vacation of the year having lunch at the Berkshire Mall with my exteneded family ~ Robin (Aurora Skye), Judy (Rhiannon), and Angie (Rhiannon's sister whom I have known almost as long as I have Judy herself). Also joining us was Page, Judy's son and my co-writing partner of my other blog, "Witch Cats" ...

 

 

We did a lot of catching up and then we ate at the food court after which we exchanged our Yule presents to one another ...

Aurora Skye opens up her gifts. Surprsie! A Jim Shore collectable snowman!

Rhiannon's gift from me ~ A black and silver antique necklace and earring set

 

 

My lovely Yule gifts ...

 



From my sister Robin ~ a beautiful Jim Shore Birthday Angel and a gorgeous Mermaid and Cat portrait!

 

From my sister and twin soul Judy ~ A set of bath and body washes filled with an assortment of heavenly scents!

 

 

We had such a great time and it is always so wonderful to be able to get together with everyone ~ especially with our lives always being so busy and life's responsibilites so demanding. These are the times which prove that it is not the quantity of time spent with loved ones, but the quality!

 

"Friends are the family we choose for ourselves."

 

 



Sending healing prayers

 

Sometimes, I think that the world has simply gone mad and we who are actually sane are merely helpless bystanders who can do very little after the fact than to just cringe at the very thought of what is going on around us. Such is the feeling I get after hearing about today's Connecticut tragedy. And, earlier this week (on 12-12-12) it appears that there was a another true horror story about a Texas man who carved a pentagram on to his 6-year old sons' back (http://www.kxxv.com/story/20328423/texas-man-accused-of-carving-pentagram-into-son. His reason? "It was a holy day," he calmly explained to the 911 dispatcher. Mind you, this man's step-father reports that this very sick father is "deep into the Old Testament." So, needless to day, he was certainly NOT Pagan (although some very irresponsible and ignorant members of the press have already claimed this unthinkable act most likely either connected to Satanism or Paganism because of the pentagram symbol. *Sigh*)

I am lighting a candle and sending lots of healing prayers to all who have been affected by these terrible events and I truly wish all of these families the strength to see their way through it all with love and, hopefully, time.

Very special gifts from a very lovely sister!

 

Today, I received a very special surprise package in the mail from my very sweet and thoughtful friend, Stacy from her lovely blog, "Magic Love Crow."

Stacy sent me an extremely beautiful handcrafted gemstone necklace laced with silver pentagrams and gorgeous cats!! This particular piece of jewelry is purrfect and I can't wait to wear it for my sabbat celebrations and handfasting ceremonies ...

And, not only did she honor me with such a breath-taking and heart-felt gift, but she also sent along some "All Natural Temptations" goody treats for my kitties! How lucky they are to have such a terrific Auntie! Hugs and purrs from ALL of them, Aunt Stacy!!

There is a saying which goes, "Friends are the family we choose for ourselves," and, Stacy, I have been very blessed to have you as my sister!! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, I will treasure this beautiful gift always!!! Love you lots!

This and That ...

Merry Meet, my friends! Been so busy this past week that I barely had any time to do my usual posting on my blogs. I have spent countless hours after work this week downstairs cleaning and fixing up Mr. Gray's little "kitty pad." Yesterday, a trip to Petsmart and Ollie's was in order so that I could decorate this area of the cellar. First, I bought a nice little cat condo and a matching colored Martha Stewart cat bed to go with it. The bed is machine washable/dryable ...

 

 

Then, hubby and I made a trip to Ollie's Bargain Store to pick up a couple of cheap area rugs and some throw rugs as well. It isn't exactly going to make the cover of "Good Housekeeping" or anything, but it should do just fine for Mr. Gray ...

 

The white flat cardboard box propped up along the wall is there because the house is very old and the plaster is beginning to break off of the walls. I put it there for Mr. Gray's safety. As for Mr. Gray himself, well he is just having a ball exploring the "other world" outside of his cage ...

As you can see, I still have a bit of organinzing to do and there are still some items left to go out in the trash, but Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will this cellar be finished as soon either. LOL!

Also, hubby's birthday was this week and since he is an avid reader, I bought him a funny little book called, "The Guy's Guide" and it is filled with all sorts of cute antidotes and idiocies of the male gender as written by a man with a great sense of humor ...

Tomorrow, my in-laws are treating us to his yearly birthday dinner at a wonderful restaurant which was built in 1776 called, "The Five Stars." Great food and atmosphere to say the least.

Till next time, here's wishing everyone a very "eventful" weekend!