Have you ever saved a life?

When I was a kid we had horses despite the fact that we were poor. I've always had issues with my mother's decision to have so many animals while we struggled to feed and cloth ourselves. But regardless, we had them and as a kid I enjoyed every minute of it. We found ways to help pay for the horses care by taking on odd jobs. One of them was to do horse transport. We had a two horse trailer and I remember one instance where a woman had bought two Mustangs (A mare and her foal) from the Bureau of Land Management. I remember the lady telling us that it was about 50 miles to her house, and that her drive was long and up a steep mountain. Boy was that an understatement. By the time we arrived at her farm it was pitch black outside and the "drive" was a one lane gravel road at a 45 degree angle up a curving road. Both sides had a good 50 foot drop off. We took it slow but found ourselves stuck at a corner that we needed a better angle to clear. Which meant my mother's boyfriend (Named Butch) needed to back down the driveway to take a second shot at the turn. With it being so dark my mother got the bright (Read dumb) idea of getting out and signaling Butch on when he was getting too close to the edge. All of us were nervous by this point but after about 20 minutes of backing up, moving forward and backing up again we eventually got around the corner with everyone intact. Since Butch had a running start at the steep incline he didn't want to stop, but I looked at him and reminded him my mother is night blind. How she helped with that turn I'll never know. We both thought it a bad idea she walk the whole distance in the dark. I'm so glad I convinced him to let me out so I could walk with my mother. She wanted to continue walking in case he got stuck again.

Not 5 minutes after I joined my mother, I was stopping her from going off the edge. She was just one step away from going down the 50 foot drop. At the time I didn't really consider I did anything special. But I do remember my mother thanking me all the way up that drive and later it kinda sunk in that the feeling of unease I felt was my inner warning telling me something horrible was about to happen, and I could stop it. Ever felt that (For a lack of a better term) "spidey sense"? It's served me well over the years. Of course there's no solid proof that anything bad would have happened. But I remember more than once slowing down for a traffic light because I felt something was wrong and then someone running it moments later. One of my biggest lessons has been to trust my instincts. They are rarely wrong.

Do you trust your instincts? Have you ever saved a life?

PBP: Out with the Old & Crafty show and tell

PBP has a new prompt. Are you making Resolutions or Life Changes now?

Years ago I use to make New Years Resolutions, and you know what, I never stuck to them. I think all women have done the "I'll loose weight" resolution. One year I resolved to limit my use of "LOL" because I tend to over use it on forums; and I still use it too often. I'm still overweight.

So, finally I just made a resolution to never make another resolution. Guess what? I've kept that resolution ever since! Yay lol. My point is that if something about me needs changing, I'll do it regardless of what time of year it is. If it wasn't so important the rest of the year, it's not on New Years either.

So what are your New Years resolutions?

Now on to my Crafty Show and Tell.

I think I'm getting the hang of crochet. I'm comfortable doing single, double, and triple crochet. I can do the shell stitch and the Afghan stitch. This week I've learned an important lesson though, ALWAYS count my stitches.

I began some slippers for me. I was so proud of my pink and blue slipper. Then I realized that I needed to do it again! I have two feet after all. So I began again, but oops I forgot how many increases I did. So I did what I thought was right.. WRONG. My second slipper ended up being different from the first. It still fit, it just wasn't a match.

So I began again making my daughter a pair of slippers. This time I was smart. I wrote down what I did on every round.

Here's what I ended up with. I warned Sierra that I didn't have enough yarn for two, but she didn't listen to me. So the second has a slightly different yarn which is why the back looks faded.

And now the second lesson. Use the right size hook! I used a slightly larger hook than the tutorial called for because I couldn't find my smallest hook. So my first bootie ended up being several sizes too big. I had to start over using the right sized hook.

 So here is Wyatt's booties. Still slightly bigger but he will grow into them quickly. Aren't they adorable?!

The big bootie ended up being a great candy boot.

The Day After

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Now that the madness is over, were in clean up mode here. Do you take your tree down today? Or leave it for the New Year? Dh just took it down for me and is putting it away as I type. Yay hubby! He may not get too involved in putting it up, but I can usually count on him taking it down.

Speaking of the New Year, what are your plans? I'm afraid I'm going to be boring and say there isn't any plans for me. We don't even drink alcohol that often. I learned my lesson when I was younger that a lot of alcohol and my stomach doesn't like to mix. Somewhere out there is an apartment with carpet stained with the evidence of my unruly stomach. lol. I was drinking vodka & OJ that year. Love screwdrivers. But too much plus a heavy meal earlier in the day just wasn't wise. And I ended up walking to the store to get more alcohol when midnight hit. So I wasn't even there to kiss my man. Bummer. I knew I shouldn't have gone to the store. But someone else who I don't even remember the name of convinced me to go.

Does anyone have ideas for a non-alcoholic way to celebrate the New Year?

The Holidays

I don't often write in my Book of Shadows. Truth be told I rarely use it. But once in awhile I write down poems, bits of information, and on the rare occasion a ritual. I do always write my rituals down, but they end up being burned most of the time so they can never be used again.

After I write, I usually end up looking at past entries. This one caught my eye not because it's all that important or particularly good (It's not really), but because it reminds me of better times. I'm not all that cheerful this year, but when I wrote this I was very cheerful and it made me feel a little better.

The Holidays
11/29/2003

Ah what a joyous day to be me,
The crisp winter air sinks down into your bones,
and soon the air will be filled with families singing a Christmas song.

To be a witch at this time is a gift.
A time to reflect, a time to relax,
A time to enjoy the gift we call family.

Now our belly's are full and we break out the tree,
Go shopping to buy that perfect gift for thee.

Oh how wonderful it is to be me.
A time to be a kid again,
The perfect medicine for an aged soul such as me.

Happy Holidays

SalemWitchChild

A Heartfelt Thank You

As y'all know this year has been full of ups and downs. But I try to keep in mind that life is about the journey, not the destination. You know, I don't have a single friend IRL that I'd share my deepest thoughts with besides my husband. But I am blessed with so many friends I've met through the Internet that make up for it. I just wish we lived a little closer! Throughout this all, my Internet friends have been there for me. Since starting this blog I've met so many more, and I want to thank everyone for the love and support you have given me. Though this year has been hard, I've also had a lot of blessings. I have the blessings of family, friends, and health. That is what truly matters. Jobs come and go. Houses come and go. But family and friends should stick together.

I love you all! And if your ever in the Southern Ohio area, stop on by for some tea and a chat. :)

PBP: Yule & Family

Prompt: Winter Holidays and Family

This time of year, there are many different celebrations going on, most often ones that bring family close together. While it can be nice to see everyone again, it can also be stressful, when your family doesn't feel the same way about things as you do.

So, how do you deal with them? Do you simply avoid all talk of religion, even though the holidays can be very religious? Or perhaps it's just easier to avoid family all together....

If your family actually believes as you do, then perhaps these holiday gatherings aren't tough at all. Please, share with us how your Pagan winter family gathering go...

So my family is not all that religious. Though if asked they will tell you they are Christian. I think the only one that regularly goes to church is my Aunts and Grandmother. And I'm not on speaking terms with them. I have a live and let live approach. I avoid talk of the religious aspect of the season, and I let them pretend I'm celebrating Christmas. I just try to keep it as outwardly secular as much as I can. 





Magickal Graphics

Have a wonderful Yule

I know I've been silent on Yule topics. That's because honestly it's not a topic I feel inspired by. But I did have some inspiration to create this little festive Pentacle ornament. Isn't it lovely? My star making skills isn't all that great. Never have been if truth be told. But I think it came out pretty good. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Yule. And Merry Christmas/Hanukkah, Seasonal holiday.. Whatever you celebrate (Or don't) have a good one. :)

~Magickal Graphics~

Greetings, Love, and Light

So were getting down to the wire for Christmas/Yule. Man it doesn't seem like this year should almost be over. Wasn't it just yesterday I was a big pregnant whale eagerly awaiting our son? And now our son is 7 months old! He's getting big and doing new things everyday. He's such a precious little man. I couldn't be prouder!

This weekend I did a little bit more crochet work. I decided to get festive because honestly I'm not all that cheerful this year. I thought maybe it would help me get into the holiday mood. Plus it helps me learn more about crochet. Double bonus!

Santa showing off my crochet candy cane.

Here is Santa modeling my crocheted candy cane. Out of my huge stash of yarn I somehow do not have a good bright red. So I had to improvise and use a maroon. That's OK, after all they do make many different kinds of candy canes. It isn't perfect but it adds character! Somehow I got it turned wrong. Not sure where, but that's OK. I still like it. :) 

Crochet Candy Cane Tutorial 

Here is my wreath. I had this lovely festive yarn I just had to do something with. Isn't it pretty? I've also been working on a baby blanket for a very dear friend of mine. She just gave birth to her baby girl on the 14th. Congrats to BabyElephant! She is from the U.K. We are both members of the same dog forum. This year she sent me a lot of things for my son, so as a thank you, I'm making her a beautiful blue and white shell blanket. Though it's taking forever! The child might be out of diapers by the time I'm done. Thankfully I also have a back up. I've promised her my Moby wrap since I don't use it anymore.

Crochet Holiday Wreath

 

Well that pretty much wraps up my weekend. Speaking of wrapping, do you have those presents wrapped yet? Our daughter saw the tape left out on the counter and just knew I'd been wrapping presents. Do you put your wrapped presents under the tree? We do not because our daughter would forever be asking to "unwrap just one" every single day. So the presents get wrapped and hidden until the big day. 

Past Lives

One of the Youtube channels I follow is a lovely witchy lady named Kara. She's recently talked about Past lives, and since my reply is longer than Youtube allows I'm going to reply to her topic here.

Kara has a lot of good questions. Has our media influenced our minds to believe we've lived in another life? Can a fetus be influenced in utero? How fast would a spirit choose to reincarnate? Is time linear in spirit? Or is our perception of time in spirit different? Does our genetics have some influence on our memories?

These are all good questions. I replied to Kara saying,

I really don't think that TV has a whole lot to do with it. That connection goes beyond just a general interest or exposure to media. As far as reincarnating, I don't believe it would happen right after death. We need time to review our life. To decide what went right/wrong, what our goals are for the next life, and when and with who those goals are going to be accomplished.

And Kara replied,

@salemwitchchild Perhaps time isn't linear in our understanding of it while in physical being. Time in spirit form could be all at once. Our collective understanding of all there is could be instant and unlimited in that instance. Honestly, I think more that all that is is exactly what we think it to be for ourselves. Perhaps there is not one ultimate reality experience truth for everyone.

Well Kara, you have some interesting points. All I can say is what I believe and my own experiences. I've had a few visions in the past. The strongest and one I feel bone deep was me in a past life was when I was a witch previously. My "Sisters" and I were being chased by villager's that wanted to burn us alive. We understandably wasn't keen on the idea. So we chose our death in the sea. Hand in hand, we escaped to the shores and drowned ourselves. Which could be why I've never been able to learn how to swim. I've always been fearful of water over my head. And you cannot get me to eat fish even if I'm starving. All I taste is dirty water.

Infanta Margarita Teresa by 

Diego Velazquez. 1653

Another life I believe I had was a reoccurring dream. I haven't had it in years, but as a child it was almost nightly that I dreamed of being a girl in approximately the 1700's. My family must have been well off. My surroundings was a two story home and I was in a circular room overlooking the banks of what I believe was somewhere in Maine. I was maybe 7 or 8 in the dream and dressed in a very pretty dress. I remember feeling like a queen and was very happy. I danced in the circular room feeling my dress flow around me. To the right here I have found a picture that is approximately what I saw. Though the dress in my dream was not as wide. And it was somewhat more plain. I don't believe it had any kind of adornment on top.

The only other past life I suspect is true, is me being a Priestess of Isis in Egypt. Which is why I am so close to Isis now. I've had this one come up in Psychic readings. Whenever a reading mentions this I'm really not surprised. (It's came up several times by different readers).

So is time linear or not in spirit? I suppose it doesn't have to be. Or maybe it is linear and our spirit can choose to come back quickly. There are exceptions to every rule after all. If a spirit was in a hurry to reincarnate so they don't miss a certain era, then perhaps they don't need to take the usual time I believe most spirits take.

Now for the question of genetic memory. I'm pretty sure I'm not Egyptian. I know most of my family comes from Europe, Scotland, and Ireland. That could explain the little girl in the beautiful European dress, and the life during the Inquisition. But it doesn't explain my life as a Priestess of Isis. I've never really believed this theory to be true. 

So my lovely readers, what is truth for you? Do you believe in past lives? Care to answer the questions above and share your experiences?

My baby has Superpowers

It never fails. Sometime between 12 am and 3 am I think it's safe to assume little man has been sleeping long enough to say he's in a deep sleep. I fix my covers, grab my pillows (I have several. Must have pillow support!) and I settle down to get some much needed sleep. That's when I hear the tell tale whimpers from the crib. I begin to pray that those whimpers cease or better yet are my imagination, but usually no such luck. I swear he has mommy radar.

So I get up to fetch my baby, grab my drink and tonight I added a cookie to my routine just because I deserve it. Guess I won't be getting much sleep again. Luckily breast feeding my little man usually knocks him out again, if only temporarily. If tonight goes anything like the previous week, as soon as I put him in his crib again he'll wake right back up. Sleeping on my chest seems to be the only way he and I can get some sleep. Co-sleeping has its advantages, but I can never be comfortable or get a good nights rest while I know he's right there with me.

Well blogger fans, if your sleeping have some good dreams for me.

On another note, this is my 200th Post. Woohoo!

And here's little man having some laughs with daddy. Wyatt is saying Dad more often too. Sorry the quality isn't the greatest, I think I need a new camera.

Do you believe in Aliens?

Harvey the alien by Aaron Sims

Do you believe aliens exist or once existed? Do you think they have visited us on Earth? Are they our creators of Human civilization? Have they helped us to evolve over time? Are Ancient Gods really the retelling of Aliens come to Earth?

Just about every culture has their own alien myth. Personally I think it's improbable that we are alone in the universe. And whose to say we'd recognize a being as an alien if we saw it? Perhaps they look just like us. After all doesn't the bible say that God created us in his image? Perhaps it was the alien who created the human race in his image.

If an Alien race was responsible for our creation, how would this impact your spirituality? Do you believe that proof exists and all Governments are covering it up?

I realize that's a lot of questions so if you have a blog, feel free to answer on your own blog and leave your link in a reply here.

Personally, I think it is possible that an Alien race created humans, though improbable that they are still visiting. I don't believe all Governments would be successful of censoring that information if it existed. But like I said, maybe we wouldn't recognize an Alien if we saw them.

As far as if Gods are really ancient Aliens, I don't think it would have a huge impact on my spirituality. Since  I don't worship any Deity as a physical being, rather they represent the type of energy I wish to connect with. It certainly would be fascinating if we ever learned the truth though! 












*Source

Pagan's Holiday Terminology

When a Pagan first starts his or her path usually they become stressed during the holidays. You have family saying Merry Christmas while you on the other hand are still finding your Pagan self and getting a handle on how to celebrate Yule. Honestly, I've been on my Wiccan path now for 17 years, and I still call Yule Christmas.

Now, I didn't grow up in a very religious home. Though my mother is Christian she did me the courtesy of allowing me to experience the holidays in a secular way. The day wasn't about the Christ child being born, though I learned the story when my grandmother forced me to attend church one season.

To me, Christmas was about being together as a family. To appreciate one another and to welcome the end of a long year. It's still what it's about to me. So even though I am Pagan, I don't feel the pressure to use Pagan terminology. I know that what I'm really celebrating in my heart no matter what I call it. For me it's just easier and less stressful for non-Pagan family to reference it as Christmas.

I've always stressed to do what feels right for you. If you feel you must call this Holiday season Yule, so be it! If not, that's OK too.

Anyone else still say Christmas instead of Yule?

PBG: Meditation

Pagan Blog Prompt, Do you meditate? How?

Does it help you deal with things? Or do you do it for clarification on tough issues?

Do you include any sort of meditation when working rituals?

Just do a search of my blog and you'll see that not only do I believe in meditation, I believe it is a fundamental skill every Pagan should learn. I don't get to meditate as often as I'd like, but that's because I live with 4 other people not counting the baby who takes up most of my time. I'm lucky just to have time for a shower at this point. If you use the search feature on the lower left of the screen you'll see I've written quite a few meditations. I invite you to check them out and let me know if you do them. 

As far as using meditation in rituals, that's a big Yes from me. And there doesn't have to be a problem for me to meditate. Sometimes its just about starting the day right with a positive aura.

The Whole Truth

To tell the truth, the whole truth, so help me Goddess! Being honest is very important to me. I find that I'm honest almost to a fault. I can't say I've never lied, but I can say I've never lied in an interview. Yesterday I interviewed at a company that I had applied for a job previously. This is my second interview [different positions] with the company. Unfortunately I don't believe the staffing company really knows or perhaps doesn't care what kind of job I want.

Each time I've stressed I want a clerical position. Both times the majority of my time would require I be in the actual manufacturing part.  I really need a job, and if I didn't mind lying at an interview I'd probably have a job. The fact of the matter is, I can't do that. For one it's against my morals. And two, I'm sure they wouldn't like my performance when I couldn't do the job as required because of certain limitations I have.

Sometimes it's hard to stick to my morals. But to not do that would just hurt me and the employer in the end. Everything happens for a reason right? Sometimes it's hard for me to believe that even though I really do believe it.

I just wish the right job would come along, and soon. We really need it!

Pagan Culture's Witchy Book Challenge

Magaly over on Pagan Culture is doing a Witchy Book Challenge. Honestly I'm a book worm so it's no biggie for me to read a lot of books. And guess what?! My first book will be Devil May Cry. Yay I'm so happy to win this book. I'm looking forward to diving into it once I get it.

The Tree

We haven't put up a tree in many  years. The last year was when my cat almost hung himself. If not for my mother being there I would have come home to a dead cat. After that I just couldn't take the chance of him killing himself.

When we moved I threw away most of our stuff. My tree was apart of that. Though I think my mother saved some of my decorations. MIL offered for us to use her tree which has been sitting in her closet for many years. When her mother died she inherited the tree and decorations. She's never put it up before. These decorations are very old and some are hand made. So I'd just like to share some pictures.

Wyatt earlier today. He's pulling up on stuff and got his first boo boo right under his eye.

His first time seeing lights. I think if he could talk, he'd say WTF! lol

While rummaging in the closet to find the decorations Lance found his childhood friend. Meet "Wrench".

It's becoming clear why DH is a little weird. lol He spent his childhood playing with his monkey wrench. lol

The tree

Hand made Angel topper.

An elf

Hand made Santa

Sierra after all her hard work.

Elephants for Joplin

In May of this year an EF-4 tornado touched down in Joplin, Missouri; killing 116 people and leaving many more homeless. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed. The school in Joplin had it's roof taken off and a hospital was damaged. But that is only half the story.

CeeCee contemplating what yarn to use next.

Joplin has an angel wrapped in a pretty small package. CeeCee Creech is a young lady from Kentucky who saw the news story about Joplin's tornado damage on TV. CeeCee wanted to make a difference, but like most families in this economy her family doesn't have the resources to donate cash. So CeeCee made a plan; making Elephants for Joplin. CeeCee has been knitting since she was four years old.  To date, CeeCee has made 19 elephants and raised $3,400 dollars for Joplin, Missouri's recovery. To learn more about CeeCee's Elephants for Joplin, watch Lexington 18 news story on CeeCee. She also occasionally gives away an elephant on her Facebook Page.

One of CeeCee's creations.

I asked CeeCee's mother how long her daughter planned to make elephants for Joplin and she said,

"We have a few other plans in the works but she feels like God has called her to help Joplin so we’ll do stuff there as long as He asks. Craig Groeschel ( pastor) says in his book Weird that we should ask God to give us a burden for something…and our “burden” is Joplin. I can’t imagine NOT helping."

So there you have it folks, CeeCee is an in the flesh angel. Lets not forget her mother who has guided this bright gem to not just have sympathy for those who are in need, but to also take action. It's easy to have empathy for those who have felt the bitter touch of loss. It takes great inner strength to actually do something to help.

CeeCee and her mother would also like to invite all Crochet and Knitter's to join her Ravelry group and craft for Joplin.
 
Drop by CeeCee's Facebook page and offer her a hug and encouragement. She deserves all the love and support you can give her. 


 We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another.  ~Luciano de Crescenzo

Crafting for My Family

Hello my friends! It's been a few days since I've wrote or even read a blog. (I'm sorry to those that I normally read!)
But I've been on a crochet binge, and it's not quite done. I thought I'd take a little break to show you what I've completed thus far.

First of all, If you are not a member of your local Freecycle, become one! Over the years you'd be amazed at what is just given away. A few days ago I posted asking for crochet supplies and I've now got a HUGE box of yarn. Yippee! For someone in my financial position I'd never be able to buy that much yarn, so I thank the crafting gods for helping me find the right person to be so giving. So one of the first projects I knew I wanted to do is make a baby blanket. I sewed my daughter a blanket when she was little, and since my sewing supplies currently reside in Kentucky with my mother, I couldn't do the same for Wyatt. But now Wyatt has his own crocheted blanket, and I think it turned out fabulous. Though it is on the small side. I am not done with it, I originally intended to keep adding to the border to make it bigger. But see that yellow yarn? I've used it all! I'll have to wait till I can get more.

Wyatt modeling my Freecycle Stash

And then I decided, if I can't do one project I might as well work on another. Hectanooga1 on Youtube has a Chunky Style hat tutorial that I followed (for the most part). Because Wyatt isn't a newborn and because he has a huge head, I had to add extra increases to make it fit. Isn't he adorable in his red and white hat?

Wyatt's Blanket. Not quite done with the border

My husband liked it so much that I offered to make his brother's son one too. Brother-in-Law's son should be born within the next month. I hope I've got the size right.

I know she's carrying small so I don't think she'll have as big of a baby as Wyatt was as a newborn.

Wyatt's hat

Now my daughter wants a hat. I attempted to make one last night, but I'm not ready to share it yet. Not sure if that one is going to turn out right or not.

So there you have it. What do you think? And what have you been up to? Anything crafty??

Sierra's Hair Scrunchie

Newborn Hat for BIL