Goals for the Winter Solstice

So, after my last post many moons ago, one would think I would update that.  One would be mistaken.  What with making jewelry for the business my sister and I recently launched and a whole bunch of other stuff, my room hasn't been nice enough for a long enough time period for me to take pictures.  So instead, I'll do what this blog was kind of intended for and *gasp* write about something Pagan related.

1. Burn purification spoon
2. Create business blog
3. Plan a Yule Ritual with my sister
4. Make more Full Moon candles
5. Make wreath forms
6. Use beet juice to dye fabric
7. Win NaNoWriMo
8. Finish journaling goal

I've been somewhat behind in making my kitchen witch spoons, so I need to continue with that.  I will link to my business blog once it's up and ready.  I missed a coupld of the full moos, and I want to do a full moon ritual every month for the year, thus why I need more candles.

I've already got 10k+ done for NaNoWriMo.  Journaling I just restarted, but it's only for a month to complete the goal.  Not hard at all.  If anybody has any tips on any of these things or wants to friend me on the NaNoWriMo site, let me know.

Things in June

This month has been hectic.  With finally getting the gardens in, doctors appointments, and TWO birthdays, we've been pretty busy around here.  My eldest sister's b-day was on Father's day, which she spent with here husband's family.  

The full moon came and went and I have no idea what happened.  I've spent the whole month putting off the cleaning I was going to get done, but I'll post about that later.

My birthday was the 19th.  We went to tea for lunch.  It was amazing.  We each were given our own teapot with tea of our choice, along with our meal.  I nearly drank the whole pot!  The food was delicious and the staff was very friendly.  If you're ever in Plymouth, MI, go to Sweet Afton's Tea Room and Restaurant.  It was a really nice birthday.

The next day my sister went in to get her tonsils removed.  She was such a trooper through the whole ordeal.  It didn't take long at all, and her doctors were really nice.  The facility also had lovely gardens, though I wonder if they know the one pictured is a sun cross symbol?  Yay magic in the everyday.

Much gardening was done, but I'll make an entry posting all the pictures, or maybe a video!  I had pictures, but a lot has grown since I took them.  Here's to getting stuff done in July!

Photo A Day Part 3

15. lovely

Flowers of an unknown variety.  Aren't they nice?

16. in the shadows

Dappling of trees against the ground.  I love the word dapple.

17. peaceful

Isn't she adorable?

18. quirky

Words cannot express how adorable I find this.

19. habit

My craft desk is always a mess.  Maybe posting it here will shame me enough to get it cleaned.

20. yay!

My sister finally got her tonsils out.  She handled it like a pro.

21. here i am

This is my back yard at night.  That little speck?  A firefly.  On the Solstice no less. >w<

Photo a Day Challenge Part 2

8.T is for...

Look at my blog name, did you have any doubt?

9.we live here

Our house.  Many a delivery person has been lost trying to find it's location.

10.flying

It was raining.  I did what I could. ._.

11.the beginning

Once I finish, it will be the completion of my elemental representations.

12.pastel

this is the inside of an iris of the palest lavender.

13.simply

The sky at night.

14.cross

More like criss-crossed, I suppose.  Brought to you by my sister.  

June Photo A Day Challenge

Over at Fat Mum Slim, Chantelle puts on a monthly photo challenge to take one photo each day based on the prompts given.  I've been wanting to do this since January, so why not now?  So I'll be doing a post each Saturday this month for the 7 prompts I did that week.  Who knows, I may just continue on in July!

Day 1. joy

Joy, thy name is Tyrone the Turtle

Day 2. doing

Me planting the parsley in the front garden, which I will be blogging about at a later date.

Day 3. family

My older sisters notices the picture, my mom and brother-in-law's attentions were elsewhere. 
 -_-;;

Day 4. ordinary

A blank booklet?  A folded paper?  An edge of a wall?  What could it be?!

Day 5. 11 o'clock

Maurice decided to help me fold my clothes at 11 p.m.

Day 6. adventure

She's trying not to grimace as we endure the horrors of... Walmart. *dun dun dun*

Day 7. pattern

I actually like the leopard print of my new top.  I bought it on sale at Torrid.

April Full Moon Ritual

As a part of my 101 Goals in 1001 Days, as well as something I've wanted to do for a while now, I wanted to include a lunar ritual of some sort.  I showed in a previous post a few of the votive candles I made for the full moon rituals.  I really had no idea what I would do for them, just that I felt they were necessary.

At first I thought I'd just do tea and tarot with my sister.  While we did do both of those things, I wanted to do more.  Which is funny because my family and I went to Earth Lore, our somewhat local metaphysical store.  There I bought the votive holder you see pictured, as the only one I had was a more firey dragon votive holder.  Not really lunar inspired.  While we were there I also perused the books and saw four Ellen Dugan books that I didn't have.  One was for teens so I wasn't feeling it.  Another was for love magic.  Not my scene either.  The other two were an herbal book (she is a garden witch) and a daily magic book.  I chose the latter since I didn't have anything like that.

Wouldn't you know that along with ways to include magic in your life daily, the last chapter is on the Full Moon and days of the week?  Serendipity much?  

So it was a Tuesday this full moon.  Tuesday is Mars and all about courage and drive.  So I included some Mars energy to aid in my April Full Moon ritual.  It was to aid the seeds and bulbs we have in their growth.  I included origami flowers for sympathetic magic and burned a cut out snowflake to help banish the winter weather.  Goodness knows we need all the help we can get.

So what do you all do for the Full Moon?

The book I bought, by the way, is Book of Witchery by Ellen Dugan

Hogwarts House Pride

I have been a huge fan of Harry Potter since third grade and our student teacher read us Chamber of Secrets.  I joined Pottermore last autumn and was sorted into Gryffindor.  I've taken test before and gotten either Gryffindor or Slytherin, but was certain I would get the latter.  My sister (a quirky Ravenclaw, go figure) said it was fitting though.  Later when we were geeking about it, I said I would fight anyone who wouldn't allow us to eat at the same table.  Gryffindor, indeed.

Another interesting tidbit?  I am the only Gryffindor in my family.  My elder sister is Ravenclaw, my mom had a choice between Slytherin and Hufflepuff (she chose Hufflepuff), and my eldest sister and her husband are both Slytherins.  I have no idea how that happened.  Also, SHAME on the movie franchise for getting Ravenclaw's colors wrong.  I wanted to buy matching house color scarves for everybody next Christmas, but the name brand ones are blue and silver.  Silver is Slytherin people, bronze is Ravenclaw.  Sheesh,

Anywho, Angie over at Lariats and Lavender did a Polyvore post of her Hufflepuff pride outfit.  I'm doing the same only different.

This would be me on a normal day.  Jeans and a t-shirt with awesome gold lion jewelry.  I actually think I own a fedora like this one.  Comfortable yet stylish.

This would be me on a truly Griffindor day, all confidence and glamour.  I surprise myself with my enjoyment of tighter fitting dresses.  In this outfit I would find just the right shade of red lipstick, something I have yet to master.  I would also have to be able to walk properly in heels. :/  

Gryffindor Pride!!!

Spring Brings Change

 So there has been much going on in my house this past month.  We moved again!  There were boxes and packing and moving of the packed boxes.  My kitty loves sitting in empty (or not so empty) boxes, so once we were moved in he was happy.  We've dealt with gas leaks and well troubles and freezing pipes.  Our bookshelves literally fell apart.  But has that stopped us?!  NO!

It hasn't looked much like spring around here.  My sister and I took a walk on our property to scope the place out on the equinox.  We now live on about 5 acres.  Not a terrible amount as far as a walk is concerned... or so you would think.  Those are my footprints in the snow farther back.  The snow has melted more since so cross your fingers that will be normal by Beltane.  


It wasn't all bad.  I did see some signs of spring, like the little beginnings of buds on this branch.  There have also been geese coming back north finally.  I managed a simple altar, since our stuff isn't completely unpacked.  Notice my Frankenstein candles from an earlier post.  I also made a list of goals, per Aradia's cauldron.  I ended up with 9 which is a number I love.

The wooden spoon is one of eight that I want to make into kitchen witch wands to create magical meals.  Since there are 8, I figure I can do one for each Sabbat!

Candle Making Trial and Error

Candle making is harder then you would think.  Oh, I thought, as I asked for a kit several years ago, it's just melting and pouring wax.  Yeah, okay.

Look at them over there!  those are my first attempt at votive candles, and of course I had to make 13 in one sitting.  If you click on the picture you will see a distinct horizontal line from the second pour.  What do you mean, second pour, you might inquire.  

When making candles You have to pour the most of the wax first, whether in a mold or container.  Then once it hardens, the wax will pit in the middle near the wick.  Then you have to heat the remaining wax to a slightly higher temperature so it adheres smoothly and doesn't make horizontal lines in your candles.  Well that, and for votives they have you pour the second pour so that the wax comes above the meniscus (the lip of the mold) but doesn't spill over.

Anywho.  Those candles will be my Full Moon candles.  Starting on the next Full Moon (March 16th)  I will be having tea and divination or creating a charm of some sort.  Along with burning the candles of course.  I made these as an Imbolc project (fitting yes?) and will be consecrating the candles on each New Moon prior to it's burning.

I also made my Frankenstein candle!  I used shades of yellow, white, blue, and mostly green from candles past to make these beauties.  I didn't intend to make two, but the wax makes the decisions around here. 

Aren't they beautiful? *tears up*

 A note to anyone who wants to make candles.  One: it's really quite fun despite setbacks I've had.  Two: make sure you put down paper towels, wax paper, or do your pouring over a cookie sheet.  Otherwise you may get wax in places it does not want to be e.g. under your stove grates or on the floor.  Three: Get a wax pitcher!1@!  The metal pitcher (seen above holding the wax) is a great help in keeping mess to a minimum. 

How to Peel a Rutabaga

Ah, the modest rutabaga.  Intimidating to some, considering the amount of people who have never had one.  The rutabaga is a root vegetable that is purple and yellow on color.  You may find they have a waxy peel, which is normal.  The rutabaga is usually sealed in a wax coating to help it stay fresh.  The wax doesn't hurt the vegetable, as you will be peeling it anyway.  When peeled it is a light yellow. 

Do not take a normal potato peeler to this vegetable.  It won't work well and will dull the blade of your peeler.  Just use a small, smooth-bladed paring knife to peel it in small increments, as shown in this picture.  Then you can cut it up into whatever size you like and cook it.  You can cube it, boil then mash it like potatoes or roast it with carrots. Ooh... I wonder if scalloped rutabaga wit chicken or ham would be good?

ONWARD TO THE RECIPE!

Roasted Root Vegetables

First thing I would like to say is, that when you cut into the rutabaga, it kind of smells like fresh broccoli or cauliflower.  When cooked it's actually a nice subtle flavor, like potatoes.

2 1/2 cups peeled and cut-up root vegetables

1-2 Tbsp oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Simple recipe, yeah?  I used rutabaga and carrot for my version, but you could add or substitute potatoes, turnips, or parsnips.  It makes a great fall/winter side dish, since it uses veggies that are in season.

Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C/Gas Mark 6.  Cut your vegetables into matchsticks like shown.  This will ensure a short baking time.  Toss the vegetables in your oil of choice.  No, not motor oil, don't be cute.  Just whatever light flavored cooking oil type stuff you have will do.  Then season with salt and pepper to your taste.  I usually use about 1/8 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the veggies are fork tender.