Countdown to Mabon: Fall Oil Lamps

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I have decided to take full advantage of this long holiday weekend. So far, I have made two new oil lamps for the Fall season. This time; however, I enlised a little help from my hubby who used to make them way back when we sold them at craft shows for our eclectic Pagan group, "O.P.E.N. (Old Paths Enlightener's Network)."

They are so easy to make. All you need is a Mason Jar with a hole in the center of the lid (sold at your local "A.C. Moore" Store), a bottle of clear lamp oil, a wick, and some silk leaves and/or flowers (or whatever you would like to use to decorate the inside of your jar. You can even add fragrance oil to them as well i.e. spice scents, etc.

Jars before decorating ...

and after ...

I also found a cute little orange glass bottle to use for our Samhain ritual in October. The bottom reminded me of a pumpkin.

Also, my goddaughter's mom had asked me to create a Winter/Christmas wreath for her home ...

Well, my friends, I guess that is about all for now. Happy crafting everyone!!

A heartfelt "Thank You" to Everyone!!

Greetings, my friends! First and foremost, I would like to express my very heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your beautiful comments left on my last post regarding my hiatus.

Because you all mean so much to me (you truly do!) and I really do enjoy blogging so much, I have decided that I will definitely be back, although I may not be able to blog quite as often. I will continue to blog up until the holidays and then take a little break. Again, thank you all for caring so much!

And now, on to the fun stuff ~ "The Countdown to Mabon Wreath Giveawy! The winners are:

Linda from her blog, "Moments in an Eye" won the "Autumn" wreath!

And, the mini "Fall" wreath goes to Bonnie!

Congratulations to both you you, my dear friends! I hope that you enjoy the holiday wreaths! As usual, please confirm your address by e-mailing me at Ladycaer1964@yahoo.com. I will mail out your prizes sometime next week.

Also, I have been working on a little something new as of late. I am going to try my hand at decorating brooms and various scented bottles ...

"Autumn" hanging broom

An orange-colored decorative Fall bottle using patchouli, sage and lavender; and a Pink Friendship bottle with little purple & white silk flowers, Lavender & Rose water, and a pinch of Damiana

Medium Samhain wreath

Here's wishing everyone a wonderful holiday weekend!!

Time for a Hiatus ...

Greetings all, I just wanted to let you all know that I will be taking a break, very possibly permanently, from both my blogs. BTW, this last Wiccan Life Giveaway will actually be the last one I will most likely ever have as, again, I do not feel enough of my followers are interested in participating in them. Please do not take this the wrong way my friends, but quite frankly speaking, I can no longer justify the time, energy, and money which I put into these handmade gifts (and trust me, I do not make nor giveaway cheap items!) for the lack of apparent interest). I must be honest.

As for all of the awesome friends and followers which have always been there and showed me so much love and support all these years, I can not "Thank You All" enough. And, to all of them, my very deepest apologies for leaving. But, please know that should this break from blogland actually be permanent, I promise you that I still intend to visit you all on your blogs.

I also plan to keep both of my blogs OPEN for anyone who would like to use the rituals, spells, recipes and such as a reference at any given time. To tell you all the truth, my original purpose for creating my blogs, most especially this one, was to serve as a sort of "mini site" for teaching beginners and educating those who wanted or needed it. Little did I know how many wonderful folks (and friends) I would make while blogging ~ I also never realized how time-consuming keeping up a blog (or two) can be! :)

Since I am bidding you all a sincere "goodbye" for now, I will move the giveaway drawing date up to this coming weekend, Saturday, August 30th! As per usual, I will attempt to contact the winners to inform them that they have won.

Blessings all!

A shopping I did go ...

This weekend, I took a little trip to one of my favorite Wiccan/Pagan supply shops called, "Celtic Myth & Moonlight." I stop by there a couple of times a year to pick up any supplies which I need ~ herbs, essential oils, candles, etc.

 Handcrafted votive candles made with pure essential oils by Willow Chestnut.

 A beautiful tall Autumn Equinox sabbat candle created by artist Lori Baratta

I also bought some more rose water, a few meditation incense sticks to burn in the Reiki Room, and some more herbs ...

Pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium) ~  Often used for purification, protection and exorcism. Associated with masculine energy, Mars and Fire.

Cat's Claw (Uncaria Tomentosa) ~  Known as a powerful aid in treating fevers, inflammation, arthitis and stomach issues.

Catnip (Nepeta Cataria) ~ Used in magick to help reach a state of euphoria for trances and general well being; also used to find a psychic bond with animals.

Sage (Salvia Apiana) ~ Very powerful purification herb! I use it quite often, most especially when performing house blessing and/or cleansing rituals.

Of course, the cats were more than happy to help me open up the catnip bag!

Among the various other supplies sold there, they also carry a gorgeous assortment of jewlery. I couldn't resist taking home this beautiful sterling silver and starburst-colored ring ...

The only down side is that it is located in the city and parking is always a bit of a challenge to say the very least, but as you can see, it is well worth the trip!

A little something different: 2CELLOS

Good morning everyone! Just had to share ... these guys are absolutely amazing!

"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Wikipedia link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2Cellos

Elton John speaks about 2Cellos joining his band and tour
http://youtu.be/G-fmBwAECbE

The 'Love' of a Sister

Magic Love Crow, that is! As you all know, every year I make it a sort of tradition to add another little festive item to decorate my home with. 

This year, I just simply had to have a sweet little baby crow aceo created by my very dear and talented artist friend, Stacy from "Magic Love Crow" called ...

"Special Delivery"

It arrived in the mail yesterday. Isn't this just the cutest thing you have ever seen? And, Stacy is such a sweet gal, too! Along with the aceo I had ordered, she also enclosed a very pretty "Thank You" card and another beautiful aceo called, "Sisters." This one, especially, is very dear to my heart! ...

"Sisters"

 Thank you sooo much, Stacy! You're the best! Love you lots, my friend!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

The sweet and the sour

Sadly, this September 25th, only three days after our wedding anniversary, will be one year since we lost our beloved kitty Mr. Earl Gray. We never really knew exactly "why" we lost him the way in which we had, we only know that he was alive and playing on our bed one minute and then gone the very next! 

Not a day passes that I do not think of him. His memory continues to live on in our hearts and in our home with beautiful collage photos, which I had taken of him, displayed throughout. This, my dear friends, is not to make sure that we never forget him, (no chance of that!) but rather helps me to cope with his loss in my own strange little way ...

I will never forget something my hubby said to me exactly three months later on Christmas morning. He said, "There's someone missing from our little family today. Someone who should have been here." What can I say, he was right. After all, our vet guestimated his age to be only around two or three years old.

I know that I am not alone in my sorrow and my heart goes out to anyone who has felt such a terrible loss of a very special furry family member. He is not the first kitty we have ever lost over these many years (as we have shared our lives with quite a few furr babies) and, we will forever and always miss them all. 

As for our blessed Mr. Gray, the kitty who came from nowhere and yet somehow managed to purr his way into our hearts and lives, I can only take comfort in the hope that he knows how much we love and miss him dearly as we say a little prayer and light a special candle in his honor on our anniversary day.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

 OUR SWEET MR. EARL GRAY
(July 2012 ~ September 2013)

TWL's 'Throwback Thursday'

Judy (aka Rhiannon) with her beloved cat, "Winnie" taken on Yule eve ~ 2011. Who's loving on who? LOL!

A boy and his cat! Judy's son, Page, with his BBF, "Boots" circa 2005. She was one of the coolest cats I have ever known!

TWL Wordless Wednesday ...

Mabon Lament

 Mabon Lament

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond's glint on snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn's rain

When you awaken in the mornings hush,

I am the swift, uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight,

I am the soft star that shines at night

I am the ocean's calming waters,

That carries Earth Mothers' sons and daughters

So do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die

And do not stand at my grave and mourn,

I am not there; I have been reborn

~ written by Mary Elizabeth Frye with adaptation by Lady Caer Morganna 

(image credit)

"National Black Cat Appreciation Day" & a little Witchy Music!

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"Tomorrow Never Knows" ` by Our Lady Peace

While the 90's hit motion picture movie, "The Craft" in reality most likely should have been subtitled, "Wicca: What not to Do," (LOL!) the movie's soundtrack music was considerably pretty good! 

I have included a few of my personal favorites from this CD in this post for fun which I actually listen to quite often while I am kicking back, relaxing in my altar room. Hope you all enjoy!

"Dark Secret" by Matthew Sweet

"I Have The Touch" by Heather Nova

Happy 86th Birthday, Pop!

Today marked my father-in-law's 86th birthday! To celebrate, a group consisting of family and friends all gathered together for a huge birthday dinner at a venue called " Jimmy G.'s Beverly Hills Tavern" in Sinking Spring, PA.

 

Aunts and uncles, cousins and good friends all had a wonderful evening of fun filled with sharing old stories and a bit of catching up. 

Oh yes, and let's not forget the birthday cake ...

MUCH LOVE AND A JOYOUS BIRTHDAY, POP!!!

An Anniversary Gift to Ourselves

This year, hubby and I have decided to celebrate our up-coming wedding anniversary by spending an evening with "Sig & Friends" of the Discovery Channel's television reality show, "Deadliest Catch."

For those of you who perhaps have never heard of nor watched this series, it showcases the real-life personal and professional lives of veteran crab fishermen in Alaska via the rough and often extremely treacherous Bering Sea.

The show has just celebrated its' 10th on-air season and we have tickets to see Sig Hansen, the captain and boat owner of "The Northwestern (his Norwegian family legacy) and a couple other cast members as well. I really love Sig's brother, Edgar. He just has the best personality and a great sense of humor, never losing his cool even under the most stressful and nerve-racking of circumstances.

 

 "Deadliest Catch" Intro & Theme Song ("Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi)

 http://youtu.be/0xKLZ7iZZCs

 

Edgar Hansen interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5OL0jZVXkI&feature=share

A little clip of one of my absolute favorite "Edgar  Hansen & Jake Anderson" moments taken from the show!
http://youtu.be/XIEiTbkTWes

  
It has been advertised on the "Sands Event Center" in Bethlehem, PA's website that among the guests scheduled to appear will be both Sig and brother Edgar, along with Jake Anderson (another crew member of The Northwestern).

We purchased what is called the "Golden Circle" tickets which will allow us to actually speak to the guys and get a pic taken with them. Soo very excited ~ I just can't wait!  

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/deadliest-catch/videos/phil-harris-tribute.htm

WE MISS YOU CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS!

A little addition to the Giveaway ...

Greetings all! Just a little update on my "Countdown to Mabon" Wiccan Life Giveaway. I have decided to add one more wreath to the drawing on September 13th. 

It is a small hanging Fall wreath ...

Remember, you must be a member of this blog in order to qualify for a chance to win.

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Upon a chilly autumn day,

All sheltered from the storm

I saw the Harvest safe at home

The families snug and warm

They sat and gave their thanks

And laughed and smiled and then,

They sang, “Blessed Be and Blessed Be

And Blessed Be again!”

~ Joe Bethancourt 

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Blessings everyone and Have a great weekend!

Food for Thought Friday

Brightest Blessings and Enjoy your weekend Everyone!!