The Life and Times of a Magickal Mama

I Know Who I Am

2011-03-08T00:08:00.001-08:00

I am parent
I am child.

I am woman,
I am man.

I am lover
I am enemy.

I am art
And artist.

I am student
Teacher and
Text.

I am fear
I am comfort.

I am divinity
I am demon.

I am dark
I am light.

I am friend
And foe.

I am wild animal
I am caged human.

I am alpha wolf mama
I am solitary jaguar.

I am holy
I am human.

I am moral
And mistake.

I am hot
Cold
But usually warm.

I am a child
Born in contradiction.

Left to find my path
My words
My mind
Body
And Soul.

Left to understand my energy
My whirling
Stagnant
Organized chaos.

Left to see what Gaia
My Mother Earth
Will teach me.

I have learned everything
I have learned nothing
And I am still learning.

Earth Prayers From Around the World

2010-10-02T13:46:00.001-07:00

We are Nature, long have we been absent, but now we return,
We become plants, trunks, foliage, roots, bark,
We are bedded in the ground, we are rocks,
We are oaks, we grow in the openings side by side,
We browse, we are two among the wild herds, spontaneous as any,
We are two fishes swimming in the sea together,
We are what locust blossoms are, we drop scent around lanes mornings and evenings,
We are also the coarse smut of beasts, vegetables, minerals,
We are two predatory hawks, we soar above and look down
We are two resplendent suns, we it is who balance ourselves orbic and stellar, we are as two comets,
We prowl fang’d and four-footed in the woods, we spring on prey,
We are two clouds forenoons and afternoons driving overhead,
We are seas mingling, we are two of those cheerful waves rolling over each other and interwetting each other,
We are what the atmosphere is, transparent, receptive, pervious, impervious,
We are snow, rain, cold, darkness, we are each product and influence of the globe,
We have circled and circled till we have arrived home again, we too,
We have voided all but freedom and all but our own joy.

~Walt Whitman

31 Days of Halloween

2010-10-02T13:23:00.001-07:00

Hey y’all… Guess what? That’s right. Mrs. B’s 31 Days of Halloween is back, and she’s got some awesome giveaways up, as always… Go check out today’s page for the second day of Halloween at http://www.confessionsofapagansoccermom.com/2010/10/on-2nd-day-of-halloween.html

Hope you’re having a spectacularly spooky day!

Energy Vampires, Friends Who Accept My Energy When I Offer It, and the Difference Between Them.

2010-09-07T04:00:00.001-07:00

I realized tonight that I can often tell when a friend is having a rough time because before I even know what's going on, or who it's going on with, I feel like I've been attacked by an energy vampire. I feel drained of energy, both emotionally and physically, and tonight is no different. What is different is that when I get attacked by the energy vamps, I feel so horribly negative, I almost want to cry. When I lose energy from being there from my friends, I feel like my heart is over flowing with love. Again, tonight is no different.

I told you recently that you’ve been good for me. So many nights, our conversations have ended with me feeling blessed that I have people like you to converse with, people who allow me to share my energy with them when they need it, rather than forcing it from me. You are a remarkable person, and our talk tonight reminded me of how I felt years ago. Just because it hasn’t been long, doesn’t mean you haven’t become an important person in my life. You’re welcome to my energy whenever you need it. Love you, be safe.

PHEW! I’m back!

2010-09-04T22:49:00.001-07:00

Hey all! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it? Oops… A lot has gone on lately. I’ve started a photography business, I went to FaerieWorlds2010, and I’ve been in school full time. At FW, I was able to achieve a dream that was 10 years in the making and got Brian Froud’s autograph, hehe. I also picked up a small poster of one of his Faeries that will soon be framed and hung on the wall. Oh, and I picked up the Heart of Faerie Oracle deck, which I will FINALLY start playing with tonight.

I’ve been spending more time with friends from FW this year as well, which is nice. It took 2 and a half years, but I finally have actual friends in Oregon who I can talk to, ask advice of and just simply hang out with, which is such a blessing for me, because to be honest, I’ve been a bit of a loner since… Well, since I got married to my now ex-husband. Of course I still have my friends in Cali, but they’ve always been pretty busy people so even when I’ve visited, I haven’t really been able to hang with them. Still love you guys though!

I actually decided to start writing tonight because when I picked up the Faerie Oracle Deck, I would pull a card once a day and journal to myself what the card meant to me, and since I have made this my journal/book of shadows, I figured it would be a great place to do my once daily card journals. Not sure that I will start them tonight, but you can bet that they will take place soon. I’m currently trying to decide if I should add a photo of the card or not, so ya know… More on that eventually. Anyone who decides to join me is welcome to, with any Oracle/Tarot deck that they want to discover/rediscover, but let me know, cuz I’d love to keep up on your journaling!

Well, I’m off to get some liquid (Lavender Mint Julep? I’m thinking… Yes) in myself before I start on this venture… Hmm… And maybe a glass of Apricot Mead with some Froud Artwork as well? Yummy.

From My iPod

2010-04-21T23:00:00.001-07:00

Just a test.

My BFF

2010-01-19T23:41:00.001-08:00

This is the first draft of my Personal Essay for my Writing Composition class, I really wanted to get some opinions on it, so, here you go.
___________________________________

MY BFF

"Jasmine!"

I hear my mother calling my name. She sounds so far away, further than the living room or kitchen, which, in this small apartment really is not all that far away. I get up and walk around the apartment, but I don't see her anywhere.

"Mommy?" I call out. My small three year old voice doesn't carry very well, and in my mind, I know that if she is in the apartment, she can't hear me.

I can't find my Mommy anywhere but I know she's near by because I can hear her, so I'm not afraid like most would think I should be. I walk into the living room and turn on the TV and watch cartoons.

"Do you want to paint the box we're sending to your Mom?" My grandmother asked me as we filled a care package for my mom. I put in some pictures I had drawn in school and some that I had painted at home.

"Yes!" I said excitedly.

As I continued sorting through photos from my second grade class my grandmother walked into the kitchen and grabbed some old newspapers and took them outside. After a few minutes she came back in and asked if I was done filling the box. I answered yes and watched my grandmother tape it up. She carried the box outside and then came and got another box out from under the kitchen and carried that outside as well.

I followed my grandmother out the door and around to the side of the small cottage type apartment. On the ground under all the trees my grandmother had laid out tons of newspaper and set the box on top of them in the center. She set the box down in front of me. In side of it were ten or eleven different spray cans.

"Go ahead and pick a color" She told me.

I kneeled down and started pulling each can of spray paint out of the box one by one. Pink and green and white and gold and silver all passed my hands without a second thought. Light blue and dark blue got pushed to the side and there it was, like the perfect pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Jet black.

"This one! This one!" I yelled at my grandmother as I jumped up and down. I knew this is the color I wanted. Deep inky black the color of the night sky down in San Diego.

"Are you sure you want that one?" My grandmother asked, then I thought it was because she didn't like the color black, now I know it's because she was hoping to get me to pick a cheerier color. "What about light blue, like the sky?"

"Black is like the sky Grandma!" I told her. I wanted this one, the color of my Mommy's hair in the shade. The color of my hair in the shade. The color in the poem Black is Beautiful that Mommy would read to me over the phone from where ever she was. "This one's perfect Grandma. It's perfect!"

"Well, ok." My grandmother conceded as she showed me how to use the spray paint.
I sprayed the color over the five walls of the box and then we went inside for a snack while we waited for it to dry so that I could spray the bottom. We'd come back out a few hours after I had painted the bottom and we would add a second coat.

"...It's in my bathroom, on the counter."

I walked down the hallway into my mother's bathroom annoyed because of how lazy my mother is. Why didn't she just get it herself? I thought as I walked into her bedroom. Why do I have to clean my room if she doesn't clean hers? I turned to the right to head into my mother's bathroom and on the counter I saw a large white block with lines on in.

As I walked closer to the bathroom I saw that the white block was actually a large brick of cannabis wrapped in what seemed to be saran wrap. The lines were wrinkles in the plastic, the white that I thought I saw was just the light reflecting off of the plastic. I grabbed the make up my mom had sent me in the bathroom for and turned around and began walking out. As a second thought I turned and reach out my hand, grabbing a fistful of weed and stuffing it in my pocket. I walk out of the bathroom and hand my mom her make up and then walk into my room and shove the weed into my backpack.

"You're Aunt Jan and I have been talking and we wanted to let you know that if you wanted to, you could stay here with us forever. We'd adopt you, but you'd still call us Aunt Jan and Uncle Kofi, and you'd still be our our niece, but we'd take care of you the way we do your cousins. You don't have to tell us anything now, just think about it, and when you make up your mind, let us know."

"...Jasmine Nichole Campbell"

I walked across the stage and hear hooting and hollering and yells and screams coming from the stands. I look up and see my mother screaming and clapping her hands with a smile so big that it looks as if it could jump off of her face at any moment. I walk back to the seats and wait for the rest of the seniors to get their diplomas. We stand and flip our tassels. I look up and watch tons of royal blue graduation caps flying through the air as I hugged my four best friends.

We walked out to the quad and I searched for my mom. I finally found her amidst the other students and parents and families and friends. There she was. Clean, sober, and happy. Thinking back to that day, I realized that no matter how much fun I had with those four girls, my 'sisters', I realized all my mom and I had been through, and realize that to the best of her ability, she was the one who always made sure I was taken care of. No matter where she was, or who I was living with at the time, she still took care of me. Even now, as an adult, with a child of my own, if I am having a hard time she's always there, even hundreds of miles away. When I'm sad, or sick, or broke, there she is, doing everything in her power to take care of me.

My Yule Gift to You? 5 Minute Chocolate Cake!

2009-12-25T16:49:00.001-08:00

I was emailed a recipe for 5 minute chocolate cake and HAD to share it!

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well...
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again..
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Kiana’s Wishlist for Yule/Christmas

2009-11-20T21:07:00.001-08:00

movies
toys
dress up clothes
books
animal stuff
fairy stuff
princess stuff
car stuff
slly hats
new panties
magical fairy land far far away
clothes
fairy glasses
stick (don't knock it, it's in the toy hall of fame)
venus fly trap
jello
play jewelry
little jeep

Wordless Wednesday – A Small Plant Growing in Our Window Sill

2009-11-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

Feedback?

2009-11-15T13:43:00.000-08:00

I finally finished the cover for Finding Firebird and was hoping I could get some feedback from ya…

What a wonderful time

2009-11-14T23:53:00.001-08:00

For Writer’s/Blogger’s block…

Camera… Take 2!

2009-11-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

After searching catalogs and course descriptions both online and on paper, I’ve come to the hopeful decision that I don’t think I’m going to need a 35mm camera after all, but it seems that I do still need some help on picking a digital… soooooo, HELP!

Photography and Photojournalism

2009-11-12T14:33:00.000-08:00

I realized today that I’m going to need a camera for my photography classes. Of course, I have my digital camera, but I’m pretty sure that I’m going to need a camera for a couple of my classes. I’m not positive, but I think I need both a 35mm and a digital, however, I know next to nothing about picking out a camera, so, for those of you who DO know something about picking a camera… HELP!

Wordless Wednesday – Winter Color

2009-11-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

Photos From LCC – Set 2

2009-11-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

The plant part of my photos from my trip Friday.

Finally Registered

2009-11-09T19:18:00.001-08:00

Apparently the glitch in my not being able to register for classes wasn’t a glitch, it was just lazy administration!

Either way, I finally have my classes!

English Comp: Exposistion and Introduction to Argument
Human Sexuality
Photojournalism
Photography 1

Although I’m excited about all 3 different subjects, I think I’m most excited about the Photography courses.

Photos From LCC – Set 1

2009-11-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

I took a ton of pictures on my trip to LCC on Friday. This is the first half.

No More Planning!

2009-11-07T22:28:00.001-08:00

I really should stop planning out my day to day activities so thoroughly.

THE BAD: First of all, even though I woke up on time, I missed my bus because I had left my wallet at home in the office.
THE OH WELL: I was only 4 minutes late for orientation.

THE BAD: Then, I got up to orientation and finished up and found out I won't be cleared to register for my classes until 6:00 PM.
THE OH WELL: I'll just do everything else a bit earlier and maybe sneak in a nap.

THE BAD: Orientation ended at 10:00 AM. The next bus? 2:50 PM.
THE OH WELL: Gives me time to get a bit more familiar with LCC. First I went to the cafeteria and got some breakfast, because being awake for 4 hours without food starts to make ME cranky. I checked out the child care facilities, which I LOVED, and the garden, which I got some great pictures of (will post those later). Hung out in the library going through the course catalog and looking at interesting courses, and took a small nap, as well. I spent most of the day on and off of MSN with hubby on my phone. At 2:20 PM, I headed back to the cafeteria and got a bottle of juice and a piece of cheese and herb pizza, then it was time to go to the bus station. I got home and picked out my classes and the rest of the day went smoothly. Until 6:00 PM.

THE BAD: I logged on to register for my classes and found out I wasn't cleared. And would not be registering at 6 after all. Or 7. Or 8. Or at all until I am able to get in touch with a counselor. On Monday.
THE OH WELL: Since I am sick and probably won't be working Monday anyway, I'll just head back up to LCC with the kid and hubby, get registered and get my books all at once, plus I can show them the garden. I gave up on registering for the night and decided to feed people and get ready to go.

THE BAD: It turned out that Kiana was not going to be spending the night with the in-law's after all. Incredibly annoying, since I had people cancel sleep overs on me when I was younger and Boooooy did it suck!
THE OH WELL: Kiana was going to be hanging out with just grandpa for a few hours while James and I went out and spent time with Sis and Mom in law. Everyone had a good night and Bug didn't seem to have much of a problem with it.

All in all, the day was enjoyable and felt productive and celebratory in all the right ways!

Busy Day Ahead

2009-11-06T01:07:00.000-08:00

I've got a long day ahead of me today. I'll be getting up at about 6:00 AM and heading up to LCC to go to my orientation, after which, I will be coming home to register for my classes. Once all of that is done I'll make an attempt to total up my my books and see how much I will have to pay for them (out of financial aid, of course).

Once I get home and register for my classes it will be time to make some food and feed the child and the hubby. They both get grumpy if they don't eat regularly. Then hubby, child and I will head to the store and do a bit of shopping and cash his check.

By the time we get home from that excursion, it will undoubtedly be time to feed them once again and then get ready to leave. Bug will be spending the night at Grandma's house and James and I will be going out to the bar to celebrate my sister in law's 21st birthday.

Bleh

2009-11-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

When you are home from work and not feeling well and don't have to get up early, or at all, for that matter, you don't much expect to wake up at eight in the morning. Even if you do wake up at eight in the morning, why on earth would you not lay in bed for awhile and lounge around. This morning, I was up at eight and out of bed by 8:19. My stomach refused to cooperate with my desire to lay in bed in an incredibly cuddly fashion, which still has me rather irritated.

There is a storm coming in and we still have a TON of herbs that I need to harvest outside. Mints in particular.

Pregnancy Herbs and Not Being Sick

2009-11-04T20:51:00.001-08:00

The random stomach bug I woke up with yesterday has turned into a head ache, an achy body, a worse stomach bug, and an inability to get and stay warm. I just drank a pot of tea filled with get better herbs and will probably buy some garlic tomorrow. I refuse to let this gap in my immunity (That's all it is. I refuse to be sick) to get the best of me.

In better news, I am ahead of schedule still for NaNoWriMo, which is exciting. I haven't started writing yet, but my ending goal yesterday was 5000. When I finished writing yesterday, I was at 6,540. In order to be where I want to be at the end of the night, I only need to write 127 more words, which is way easier than I realized. I've been having a lot of fun with the writing, and it's probably a lot better for me than things like Facebook apps and WoW.

With everything going on, I can't remember if I mentioned going back to school. Most of you know me well, and therefore already know about this, but for those of you who don't, I've finally decided and started working towards going back to school. I took my placement testing the day before Samhain and will be going to my orientation and registration session this Friday.

Today for the People Who Comment Challenge with Temerity Jane, I went and comment on a post about pregnancy herbs. If you're pregnant, or planning to have a baby someday, I highly suggest you check the post out here. Anyway, I think it's time for more noveling, so, I am out of here.

Uh-Oh

2009-11-03T17:42:00.000-08:00

Bad bad news. I'm sick. I'm hoping that it's just something small that I ate that didn't agree with me, but we'll see how it goes and I will update you tomorrow. If you miss me around here, check out my novel, Finding Firebird.

What Would You Do?

2009-11-02T18:43:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, I just have to vent. When hubby is driving me crazy. When kid is driving me crazy. When work is driving me crazy. This particular time, it's work...

I woke up at 6 AM today so that I could be ready for work at 8. Left the house promptly at 7:30 AM, glad that I would make it home in time to have time to myself, to blog, write, comment, web browse, etc. I made it to work a few minutes early, as usual, and clocked in at 8 AM and began working. An hour later, one of my mangers informs me that I'm, not scheduled 8-4, I'm scheduled 9-5, which means that I could have spent that hour sleeping if I had put my schedule in my phone correctly or I could have spent that hour writing if they had told me I was an hour early when I got there.

I figured this was probably my own screw up and left it at that. But when I went to go check the schedule, I saw that even though my phone said I work 11:30-3 tomorrow, the schedule says I work 12:30-4. Now I'm skeptical. What is the likelihood of me writing my schedule down wrong two days in a row? I suspect that the schedules were reprinted after I checked them last, and I wasn't told for some reason, but how would you ask that?

Now, as for my NaNoWriMo situation. I did do a bit of writing, and will type that later and post it up on Finding Firebird in a bit. My commenting once a day challenge fit rather nicely with Temerity Jane's People Who Comment Project. So I commented there, but seriously, go check the post out, especially if you're a non-commenter, like me, and apparently Temerity Jane.

Happy November!

2009-11-01T21:43:00.001-08:00

And happy Dia de Los Muertos for those of you who celebrate! I'm give myself 3 goals this month with my writing. I'm taking part in NaBloPoMo, which means you'll be hearing a lot more from me this month, and hopefully it will get me in the habit of posting more often. I'm also taking part in NaNoWriMo. I'll be writing a faeish/paganish/eroticish/coming of ageish novel called Finding Firebird that you can read online by clicking the title! My third writing goal for myself which is more about other people's writing is going to be commenting on at least one blog post a day, I'll also be sharing that post with you, so expect to see some new stuff!

Today my blog to share with you is from one of my Fae Mama's, Laume! Laume (who doesn't live all that close to San Diego) visited San Diego's Dia De Los Muertos celebration in Old Town. I went to this celebration many times as a kid with my Grandma Dolores, who has since passed away. So to honor my Grandma for the Dia De Los Muertos, I felt that this was an extremely fitting post!

Blessed Samhain!

2009-10-31T17:25:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone! Come on in!

But please, mind the pumpkins! Don't want you to trip!

Help yourself to a bit of candy...

Have a seat by the fire while hubby tells a scary story

So I just have to know...

Well then, now is a great time to go out ghost hunting, wouldn't you say? Just be careful of those ghouls!

Oh, haha, guess that's just bug playing a trick!

HAPPY! HALLOWEEN! Why don't you creep on over to Mrs. B's blog and check out her giveaway from Jaz, another awesome Salem package!

Photos of Our Altar and Wreathes

2009-10-31T00:22:00.001-07:00

A few days... Ok, over a week ago, James took some pictures of the Altar that he wanted me to upload, I just realized that I never did though, so first up, here are the Altars.

For a few days I've been trying to think of fun Autumny crafts to do at home and on my walk to work, it was decided... We would gather leaves and make wreathes, so tonight, after dinner and movies, we all gathered in the living room with a pile of leaves, some cardboard and the hot glue gun and got to work. Ki and I worked on one, while James worked on another...

Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos of James', but when we hung Ki's up I just HAD to get some of her wreath against her green door.

Wordless Wednesday - Walking to Work

2009-10-28T17:57:00.001-07:00

Give Aways

2009-10-28T17:43:00.001-07:00

From Mrs. B. So much fun stuff today!

Zombie                                                                 A
Recipe                                                 Subscription Cards                                                                  to
                                                                 Witches
                                                                        and
                                                                  Pagans
                                                                magazine

A Feather and Glass Pendant

Oh, and look for this WAY cute Halloween doll...

2009-10-27T09:40:00.001-07:00

Mrs. B's giving away 3" poison bottles with a skull and cross bones from KitCameo! They'd be fun for a tiny colored pretend poison for a Halloween costume, or an infused oil.

Today's Give-Aways

2009-10-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

I slept much later than intended today and I'm getting a slow start. Today, Mrs. B's giving away a Baba Yaga, Slavic Witch Goddess art card from Wishcraft Charms and a very cute bracelet of your choice from Wiccan Magick Shack. Hurry up and go enter before it's too late!

Back from Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-24T20:12:00.001-07:00

To share some photos and tell you the contest winner!

Congratulations Mrs. BB for the $25 gift certificate. I'll need your email address to send you the gift certificate.

Now for the photos!

Fun Ahead!

2009-10-24T16:52:00.001-07:00

Well, I just woke up from a wonderful nap and feel much more relaxed than I did earlier and I have BIG plans for the day!

First of all, go check out Mrs. B's giveaways today! There is a lovely 8 x 10 Ghost Moon print by Tami Murray Cline Photography available which is just awesome. Beautiful and spooky all in one!

There's also an Organizer from Busy Body Book that is WONDERFUL for organizing family events! I would give an explanation, but a picture would be more accurate so...

Of course you could use your 5 slots or more than just family. Goals, class subjects, work, blogging, ANYTHING works really.

Now it is time for me to go off and have tons of Halloweeny fun! First we're carving pumpkins and then we're making Harvest Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with my new cookie cutters! I'll have pictures posted soon!

New Goodies

2009-10-22T21:43:00.001-07:00

About 10 days ago I won a give away from Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween. My prize was an amazing, hand made wooden sign that will be hung up in my home VERY soon. The sign comes from The Olde Country Crow, a shop that I definitely see myself shopping from in the future!

I did say goodies, as in plural goodness... Wondering what my other items full of fun are? Well, I picked up a few pairs of Halloweeny earrings (click to enlarge)...

And then there were some awesome t-shirts I just HAD to have for myself and James...

To remind me of my early days of paganism, when I started out as Wiccan

Shiny... Halloweeny... What's not to love?

Could this shirt BE anymore James???

Luckily

2009-10-22T10:01:00.001-07:00

Today is my Friday, so I'm hoping that means I will win one of the giveaways from Mrs. B that I'm signing up for! There is a subscription to Hex Magazine, which I became incredibly interested in when I saw the word RECIPES, and my favorite today, a Halloween theme Starbucks pumpkin basket full of goodies! I usually don't post the pictures to the giveaways so that you have to go look at the giveaway page if you want to see it, but tell me this basket doesn't look like a coffee lovers dream.

2009-10-20T01:10:00.001-07:00

Off to bed with me, hope i am able to sleep well tonight... Zzzz.
VerityMoonshine

Give Aways for Today

2009-10-19T17:29:00.001-07:00

Today, Mrs. B is giving away another adorable set of felt runes from Nydia at Carioca Witch. It is a set of 24 runes and one blank rune made of brown felt and they come in a machine sewn raw cotton drawstring bag.

I am also giving away a $25 Gift certificate from EcoStore USA here at The Life and Times of a Magickal Mama. Visit the Give-Away Page to find out more!

2009-10-19T01:14:00.001-07:00

Getting ready for bed, not very tired at all. Stop by my blog and enter the giveaway for 25 dollars in free green product!
magickalmamaslife.blogspot.com

Going Green? How about a Give-Away?

2009-10-18T15:29:00.001-07:00

Since we have been trying to be a little bit more body and world conscious, we've been doing little things to make our household a bit more Eco Friendly. One of these things was going vegetarian, which has worked rather well for all of us, including even Ki who seems to be in a slightly better mood on average. Another things we've started doing is looking into greener hair, body, and household products. Recently we tried out a couple of Products from EcoStore USA, an extension of a New Zealand company that makes plant based, non-toxic Household Cleaning, Baby and Personal Care Products. The box, paper and labels are all made with recycled product and they ship with soy packing peanuts. Which are much more easily bio-degraded and if your little one or cat gets one in his mouth, there's no need to worry, because they will virtually dissolve in their mouth (Yes, I tested that theory... I sure wouldn't recommend them as an appetizer though).
Because I know that every looks for something different in products, I forced the hubby and child to try the products and tell me what they thought. My husband and I both had very similar thoughts on the Rosemary Orange Hair Conditioner. We found that unlike many chemically based conditioners, it did not have that slick oily feel, neither in our hands or in our hair, and after it was rinsed out we felt no residue. It was much creamier than other conditioners we've tried. James naturally has very oily, thin hair and as soon as his hair was dry, I noticed that it did not look so greasy and limp, it had a soft shine and was silky to the touch. James found the conditioner feeling "healthier" as he washed his hair and more refreshing. As for the little one? We didn't want to use it on her for risk of burning her eyes with it, so I let her smell it and slid it around in her hands a little bit. She promptly asked if she could eat it, because it smelled like "nums".
We all tried the Manuka Honey and Kelp Soap. It has a wonderful texture that I assume is from the bran or possibly the kelp. It has a wonderful smell and though I wouldn't suggest eating it, Kiana didn't freak out when she got a little bit of it in her mouth from her hand. It leaves you feeling very clean and one of my favorite things about it was that there was very little soap residue left on the tub and what WAS left on the tub was incredibly easy to clean.
And now for the good stuff. One lucky person will receive a $25 gift certificate from EcoStore USA! To enter this give away:

Have an accessible Blog or leave an email address with each entry
Visit the EcoStore USA Shop, come back and leave a comment about your favorite product.

For extra entries:

1 Entry: Follow EcoStore USA on Twitter
1 Entry: Become a fan of EcoStore USA on Facebook
1 Entry: Visit the EcoStore USA blog and sign up for the newsletter
1 Entry: Tweet this Message and leave a comment to your Twitter URL: RT @pequenakid is giving away a $25 gift certificate from @EcoStoreUSA. Visit http://magickalmamaslife.blogspot.com!
2 Entries: Blog about this give away and leave a comment with your blog URL

Winner will be chosen at 9 PM PST, October 24th.

Today's Give-Aways from Mrs. B

2009-10-17T16:00:00.001-07:00

Wow! Ok, saving my very favorite give-away for last, because you will FLIP your lid!

There is a set of beautifully colored Hand Made Runes from Marie Segal, Lavanah is offering 12 sticks of Hand Made Saffron Incense.

Last but certainly not least, Jaz from Octoberfarm is visiting Salem, "The Holy Land" as she calls it, and is sending a wonderful sack of witchy goods, including "A voodoo doll from Laurie Cabot's (the official witch of Salem) shop, The Cat, The crow and the crown, a small spell book from Salem, a small handmade broom from Salem, assorted key chains and magnets from Salem, candy from the oldest candy store in the country located in Salem, a small framed print of the famous lobster shack in Rockport, Ma., pumpkin salt water taffy from Rockport, Maine blueberry jam, Maine maple syrup, a pumpkin shaped brownie from Simply Divine Brownies in Freeport, barley sugar lollipops from Stonewall Kitchens, mini canvas tote bag from Stonewall Kitchens, hand carved black wooden Salem witch candle holder and it will all come (if it fits, lol!) in a black bag with a gold witch on the front".

I was expecting to post a give away of my own today, but it seems that will have to be postponed for a few days. Check out Mrs. B's blog, as there is still a giveaway that I didn't include and the guest blog and haunted tour... Oh! And if you have kids, there is a great easy and not to incredibly messy craft from Mrs. B here.

2009-10-16T20:29:00.001-07:00

Ki came to us at 7:58 and said she was ready for night-night time. Was in bed at 8 PM on the dot.
VerityMoonshine

Lots of Fun Stuff Today

2009-10-16T12:02:00.001-07:00

Well, today we have more give-aways from Mrs. B.

We've got a lovely Charoite Stone Pendant from Crude Company: Raw Jewelry and Ornaments, a WAY cute Miniature Ouija Board and Crystal Ball set from Cauldron Craft Miniatures, great for a Haunted Doll House, and way adorable Halloween Tea Ball from Inspiration Recycled. There's more, but you have to finish Mrs. B's blog to find out...

We also have a give away coming tomorrow from Eco Store USA!

2009-10-16T01:08:00.001-07:00

Turning off the ringers on cell and land line then crawling in bed with hubby. Hope he's not sleeping to soundly...
VerityMoonshine

Halfway to Samhain

2009-10-15T15:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already the 15th! Where The Wild Things Are in 1 day, Paycheck in 5 days, Halloween in 16 days, NaNoWriMo in 17 days... This month sure does seem to be going fast!

Mrs. B has some great giveaways today, I highly suggest you check out her home page and browse through today's pumpkins. My three favorites are the potion bottle labels from Dead Spider, the skull flower mobile from Nydia of Carioca Witch and Tricks and Treats: The Ultimate Halloween Book from Fortuna.

You'll notice the first thing on my countdown was Where the Wild Things Are. Kiana got the book for her birthday and I fully intend to take her to see the movie, and I am WAY excited about it myself. I still can't believe they're making a live action movie, or I guess more correctly, I still can't believe they made a live action movie!

Wordless Wednesday - Practice makes perfect!

2009-10-14T21:03:00.001-07:00

From Our Favorite Kitchen Witch

2009-10-14T10:50:00.001-07:00

Today, Mrs. B has a great recipe up for pumpkin bread! I might have to borrow a loaf pan from my mother in law so that we can make it at our house! YUM!!!

As for give-aways...
First come a BEAUTIFUL wand from Marie Segal that's embellished with beautiful beads and clay work! We've also got sweet green earrings from M. Augusta Woodland that I absolutely love. And last but not least, there's a "batty" handmade tarot bag, 2 hand crafted spell candles, and a bag of The Witches Brew all natural herbal incense... Definitely my favorite.

If you haven't gone over and checked out Mrs. B's 31 Days of Halloween, I definitely suggest you do so. Great give-aways and guest bloggers every day along with some fun recipes and a new blog tour make it way worth your while!

Kiana Petting and Holding Potato

2009-10-12T18:06:00.001-07:00

Columbus Day...

2009-10-12T17:50:00.001-07:00

Today's Giveaway's from Mrs. B

2009-10-12T17:10:00.001-07:00

Today Mrs. B has some new awesome giveaways!

She has an Awesome Sign from The Olde Crafty Crow, a shop that she's from a local artist in her town. You have to go look at it yourself because it is just took cool! (Don't enter the giveaway though! MINE MINE MINE! HEHE); and a SWEET label set from Dead Spider to build yourself an awesome Halloween kitchen!

Those are just 2 out of 5... Want the other 3? Visit her at Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom and find out yourself! I have giveaways to enter!

2009-10-10T14:47:00.001-07:00

Will be uploading pictures of Ki holding Potato later on!
VerityMoonshine

We Harvested Our Pumpkins!

2009-10-09T16:49:00.001-07:00

And of course I subjected the family to photos and editing of said photos...

2009-10-09T15:01:00.001-07:00

Time for pumpkin harvesting!
VerityMoonshine

2009-10-07T22:41:00.001-07:00

Night all, off to bed with my love. It's chilly tonight!
VerityMoonshine

Wordless Wednesday - Ki's wiggly dance!

2009-10-07T20:53:00.001-07:00

SWEETNESS!

2009-10-05T18:25:00.001-07:00

I asked around today and most people said that it should be late enough in the month for pumpkin carving! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!! I'm thinking that this weekend We'll harvest one of our pumpkins and carve it up with Miss Bug.

Work was great today. For some reason, It wasn't stressful or anything like it is most Mondays, and I didn't have any grumpy, or annoying people in drive through, which was lovely.

Now, for what is my FAVORITE giveaway Mrs. B has posted yet so far...

I know, you love it right? You ant one too, don't you? I can tell. I can hear you thinking it. This Mini-Reaper comes from Grimvisions. You can check out Grimvision's Etsy here.

I've been having a great time developing my main character for the novel and getting more and more excited about November day by day.

More Give-Aways from Mrs. B

2009-10-04T15:13:00.001-07:00

Today Mrs. B. from Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom is giving away a one year subscription to Circle Sanctuary magazine, a nifty embroidered witch from Tea Towel Creek, and a copy of Clint Catalyst's novel, Cottonmouth Kisses.

"Founded in 1974 by Selena Fox, Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit organization dedicated to networking, research, spiritual healing, community celebrations, and education. The Circle sponsors gatherings and encourages Nature preservation with Nature meditations and workshops celebrated at diverse locations including the Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve, a 200 acre site in the forested hills of southwestern Wisconsin, USA." From the Home page of their site"

The site has a ton of wonderful links, including a page on the Lore and Rituals of the Sabbats, so far, my personal favorite. They have great information on each holiday, including rituals, customs, tools, Gods, Goddesses, and a ton of other stuff. I highly encourage any and everyone to check it out.

A Letter for my "Baby Dragon"

2009-10-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

Dearest Buggle,

In these past 4 years you have been nothing but a sweet blessing to me. Watching you grow and change is a trip to me. From the time you were under a year and would chase after our cereal bowls to now, you're 4th birthday where you will stand up strong and firmly put your hands on your hips and tell me "No Mommy, I'm NOT a baby." The way you make a pouty lip when I upset you, just for me to kiss it all better is probably the weirdest and cutest "sad thing" I've ever seen anyone do.

You have already grown into your own person and know what you what and how and when you want it. Watching the smile on your face when you do something silly to make us laugh warms my heart and I can't think of anything that makes me happier then when you tell me you love me. You are my sweetness, my princess, my baby dragon.

I love you bunches little one!

My Baby's Birthday Party!!!

2009-10-03T22:45:00.001-07:00

Bug had her 4th birthday party today and by now, I am exhausted, so I leave you with a link to her birthday photo album and an invitation to browse it at will.

Kiana's 4th Birthday Party

Working on NaNoWriMo

2009-10-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

I found some new software today, called yWriter5 today... I love the way it works though I'm not sure if I'll use it for the Draft or the editing process. I came up with some major and not so major details for my main character today as well, which took a few hours. I really wasn't at all expecting that. I also worked on some outlining today, which I enjoyed quite a bit... I might actually prefer the writing to the details, which I didn't expect at all.

Today was the first day of Ki's birthday weekend and she got her first gift today as well... 2 Guinea Pigs. A tan one named Potato and a white and tan one named Mashed. She got to pet them today, though we'll be holding off on holding them for a few days so they can get accustomed to us.

It's Here, It's Here!!!!!

2009-10-01T14:39:00.001-07:00

Eep a squee!!! It's happened! October! It's here! Falling golden orange and red leaves! Chilled winds! Warm tea! Pumpkins! Ohhhh how I love pumpkins! Halloween!!! Skies are bright blue today, not at all spooky, but there is a lovely chill in the air nipping at my fingers and toes.

I'm taking part in quite a few things this month and I still haven't decided which I'm most excited about. As weird as it seems though, let's start with next month... or last month... Well, here we go...

In the middle of September I decided to take part in NaNoWriMo, which means in November I will be writing a novel. Now, seeing as I have never written a novel, I decided that I maybe need a bit of practice... So I decided to take part in NaBloPoMo, which means a blog post every day. Now in order to successfully write a 50,000 word novel in November I would have to write an average of 1667 words a day. So I figure a 1667 word blog post every day would be good practice. Of course, some days I probably won't make 1667 words, but still, practice is practice, right? So of course that in and of itself is rather exciting! Oh, and the fact that the theme this month is "Haunted" is fun too!!!

Lets see, what else do we have here... OH! Post Spooky! A Faery sweet friend of mine from COMF, Laume is hosting Post Spooky over on her blogs, Laume's Studio and Beach Treasure. She's got some beautiful pictures floating around on those, I definitely suggest you check them out! (She's also got the absolutely most adorable granddaughter ever!)

In other blog news, we also have Mrs. B of Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom putting on her 2nd annual 31 days of Halloween! Which means amazing guest posts (Today we had a post about One Sassy Girl's love for Halloween), and fun giveaways. Today my favorite give away is Witch's Flying Oil from Amy at Magical Muse Blog. It looks wonderfully Halloweenish, doesn't it? Get ready to expect recipes, contests, and tons of fun. I didn't participate much last year, but followed her blog and read the posts and must admit, it was fun just reading and seeing what new things she had up!

Of course, in October we also have Halloween/Samhain, which is considered by many the pagan new year, which you know... FUN! Little miss Bug has already decided on her costume, and no, she didn't choose a princess or a fairy or anything amazingly girly and cute like I had hoped... she chose a skeleton. A lime green one at that. Or well, there's always next year right? As far as Mommy's costume... Ummmmmm... No clue. I'm thinking about just reworking one of my FaerieWorlds costumes to be a tad bit warmer. Seeing as the average high temp is 59° and the low is 39°, I'm thinking skimpy skirt may need some tights under it.

And probably the MOST important goings on for this month... Ki's 4th Birthday! She's excited, mainly about the cake, it seems. The forecast says rain on party day, but we'll probably just let friends and family hang in the living room where it will be warm. More on that this weekend.

Hmmm... 551 words... need more next time!

2009-09-15T14:55:00.001-07:00

Crime rates in Eugene are up 23% from last year. SCARY.
VerityMoonshine

A Lesson Learned. I Hope.

2009-08-23T14:22:00.001-07:00

I spent days thinking and trying to figure this dream out. Nothing seemed to make any sense. Through the next few days I came to realize why the woman, the voice, and the scenes as I was falling were all so familiar they were mine. My voice, my life, my body.

I knew She was telling me something, which I still haven't fully figured out, or maybe I have figured out part of it and need to work on the rest. Either way, I know that I need to reconnect with the Earth and with Herself in a bigger way that I have been as of late. That is the only thing that is going to get me through all of these "issues" I've got at the moment.

I've started to meditate more, focusing on the Quarters and the Elements. I will try to post on my meditation everyday and see what I can do as far as seeing what I need to work on and what She wants me to learn.

Those of you who gave me your take on my dream, thank you. Your input has meant a lot to me and has helped me with a lot that I have decided to do.

The Dream That Teaches

2009-08-18T22:04:00.001-07:00

My bed grew softer and softer until I felt as if I was laying on nothing but puffs of cotton. I begin to sink lower and lower until the cotton cloud envelopes me. I can breathe and know that I am not in danger but that knowledge does not stop my fear. Then, as if all at once, I begin to float downward. It is slow at first and then faster, I'm no longer floating, I'm falling. I see scenes passing me, or I pass scenes of a girls life. I see her growing from a young child to a teenager.

I remember none of these scenes of youth, but recognize people, places and events as if I were there. Am I this girl? Am I the star of all these small movies? I continue falling, and though I have no idea how fast I am moving, I know that I am going quicker than I would like. But I am not afraid. It is as if I will never land, as if I am flying purposefully, but without knowledge of where I am going. And then, for the first time yet, I wonder... Where AM I going? I'm falling and falling fast, and now, only now, I am afraid. I panic, I cry and I scream. Not for the fall, or the landing, but I know I am asleep, which means I will have to wake up, and that is what is scaring me. When I wake up, where will I go?

Suddenly, I land. It is neither fast and jarring, of slow, soft and easy, I am just on the ground. As if all I had done was jump up and land on my feet. I open my eyes, which I hadn't noticed were closed and I see someone. Or something. As my eyes focus, they, it, disappears and a tree is in their place. 'But it could not have been a tree.' I think to myself. 'There was hair, a curved waist.' I was sure of it. I thought. Even if what I had seen was a tree, the curves were different.

I walk up to the tree and feel it pulling me. I step under its branches and look up and down it's trunk. It couldn't have been whatever or whoever I thought I had seen, they were gone. I feel the tree pulling to me, or more accurately, I feel the tree pulling me to it. As I step closer, for just a moment, I see a woman I recognize standing in front of the tree, opening her arms to me for a hug. My arms open and wrap around the tree and I feel it's warmth pulse around me, as it pulls me into it.

It is hot and dark in this tree, and as I stand taking in the warmth and the sweet sappy smell, the wind begins to blow. It is fierce and chilling and everything is telling me that I should get out of this wind before it becomes a storm, but I don't. Goose bumps rise on my arm and my teeth begin to chatter, but I still am not cold enough to escape this wind. It's blowing all my fears and worries off of my body, it seems. Taking away I deal with through the day. All of my stresses. I hear a voice on the wind, but cannot make out the words. It is so familiar, like the obscure song you hear in a movie, but don't really listen to until you hear it 3 weeks later on the radio.

I follow the voice to a lake not far off. The wind has brought rain and now, I do wish for shelter from this storm. I am scared and cold and wish that I could just go home. I don't know how to get home from here. A cave maybe? My tree, where is my tree that shared it's love and warmth with me? Why can't I just go home? Thoughts of home turned to thoughts of work. I don't remember what I do at work, or where I work, only that I don't know why I still work there. Quickly, my thoughts become dark and sour, and the fear of not knowing where I am going return. I sit on the cold wet earth and cry. This cry feels different. I feel as if each tear is washing away a tiny bit of fear and cleansing me. My heavy heart weighs less with each sob until it is so light I feel love radiating from the top of my head, pouring forth to everything around me.

The clouds blow away and the rain lightens, then ceases and I am left on the wet ground with the lake. I couldn't see it in the rain, but as I look ahead of me, I see how vast the lake is, as if it stretches on for miles. I stand up to survey the area around me, and don't even mange to turn around. The water is bight and clear. I see each pebble, rock and shell in the bottom of the lake. As the small waves settle, a shape begins to form.

Curves and hair like I thought I saw when I stopped falling. She is the same woman that wanted me to hug the tree as well. Now she is in the water? It makes no sense. I reach out to touch the water, to feel her, to know that she really is there and not just my imagination, but as soon as the tip of my finger touches the water, a single ray of light hits the water above her and she vanishes again. I look up to see the most amazing sunrise I've ever seen. The sky is filled with reds and pinks and oranges that I've never seen before. As I feel the warmth, I look around me and see that it is all vanishing, just as the woman did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the Dream

I woke up, in my own bed, next to my husband. The dream was foggy. I remember everything, but not the scenes from the girls life, not the woman I finally saw clearly in the lake, not the voice. I knew immediately that this was from the Goddess, the Fae, someone who wants to tell me something, but I have no idea what.

Days Go By... And Virus' Eat Our Systems...

2009-06-04T21:34:00.001-07:00

Guest Post by The Boy

Unless you happen to have Ethical Hacking on your side! Back before people used to look at hacking as a good thing, when hackers were still the people in their Mom's basement, they would pose serious threats to online sites. It wasn't often you would hear of a major hack taking place, but sometimes there did happen to be one; and when it happened companies would lose a lot of cash.

So at some point people decided that their IT Security needed tightened, and that most of the people hacking them could use a job. So, the logical conclusion was to hire the very people that were giving them problems. This solved a lot of issues, and provided the everyday man with a more secure Internet environment.

This particular industry is growing so fast, that the demand for better personnel is causing naturally higher demand. Driving the wages for the hackers way up, and now they are no longer seen as a "mother's basement dweller", but as a genuinely good, and productive person.

I actually know someone who was once going to enter this industry. However, he was not able to compete with some of the others that he saw, and I mean this guy was good. He wrote a few of his own programs, which I had the pleasure of using a few times, and they were flawless; and strong. Yet, this man tried, and failed at entering this industry... To think that it's only getting more competitive is really intense.

Now, what we are seeing is a growing industry that the Internet is becoming ever dependent on. More and more we are seeing companies pick up the torch, trying to keep out unwanted guests. People attempting to hack them are having a harder time, as many of their friends turn to a funded place in the world to practice their pastime. They are able to train in an environment that is positive, and learned. It is easy for anyone to become a Certified Ethical Hacker, as all you need to do is enroll in a good training course. With the proper training, it's crazy easy to hack without any problems, and the benefits to the people & Internet are amazing.

So, generally speaking, Ethical Hacking is a good way to avoid any problems that real hacking has. Such as: police. Yea, that is really the big problem with hacking someone illegally. It's what I like to call "sketch", and is not guaranteed to make you any money. However, if you would like to help the people around you & the Internet. Helping companies prevent hackers is a good way to make some money. To become a 1337 l-l4[z0l)\ it's as easy as enrolling in a good course, and keeping an open mind & eye to what you see others doing.

Working on Wedding Stuffs...

2009-06-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

Is something I should probably be doing, but in a way, I am. I'm browsing through different random stuff trying to find nifty little wedding type... Well, stuff, lol. I'm really just kinda avoiding doing anything meaningful.

It was raining outside again just a few minutes ago, and so I'm kinda annoyed and stressed with the garden and the rain and what the two usually bring about... Snails and slugs... Not Ok. Nothing got hit to hard last night, which is nice, but with the early planting and such, the absolute LAST thing I want is to go outside in the morning and find all my plants nommed. So I've been spending the past few hours writing and browsing the web and such... Anyway, I'm off to distract myself from the whole slug thing some more... Argh...

Blog Hosting

2009-06-03T20:19:00.001-07:00

I don't usually make posts about websites that aren't tied into family/parenting, or paganism in some way or another, but this time, I am.

I've wanted to get the blog on a web host for quite some time. It allows me to add things that Blogger in and of itself does not let me add. I'd also like a domain name so that I could start up my own at home business eventually.

I came across a list of the top 10 web hosts on the Web Hosting Geeks site and found that there are a lot of options for web hosting that are more affordable than I realized. They have their own reviews for each of the hosts, and reviews by real people, just like you and I.

They also have an awards section for things like best ecommerce hosting and best blog hosting. You can find links towards the middle of their page for where to find unlimited hosting and green hosting, and at the bottom, you'll find links for different articles that they think you may find interesting in the E-World.

But, then I got curious how web hosting works, you know, how to do certain things, what kind of things to look for, and realized that they have a blog with categories from Web Hosting 101 to Content Management to SEO and SEM. I don't even know what the heck SEO and SEM are, but they've got em, haha.

Anytime I write paid posts, I make it a point not to pick an opportunity that I'd have to lie about, but after browsing through this site, I have completely decided that I will book mark the WHG site for when I've got the extra cash for web hosting.

Weather These Days...

2009-06-03T18:29:00.001-07:00

So, over the weekend, the weather was in the 80s... Last night, we had a thunder storm, which knocked out our power for about 4 hours. It rained all night up until about 3 in the morning. Today, it started off nice and warm, and we even had blue skies for awhile. When I got off work at 5 pm today, it was raining again. I don't understand this ridiculous "summer" weather. It's driving me up the wall, and making me easily irritable. I was sure that when we put our garden in the ground in late May, our plants would be safe and sound, instead, we keep having to go check on things to make sure they aren't being demolished... *Sigh*

Our House Decor

2009-06-03T12:04:00.001-07:00

We've been working on adding different decor to our house lately, well, since we moved in... Each room is going to have a defferent elemental theme, one of which will be wood, another, earth.

I was thinking that I'd LOVE to have not only curtains and art and such that matches the element but also furniture and appliances. For instance, the kitchen's element is going to be metal, we decided. So we'd like to eventually get chrome and metallic appliances. So, when I came across an online company that sells rustic furniture, I was pleasantly surprised.

They have all kinds of awesome earthy type indoor furniture like this queen size bed for ki, whose bedroom element is Earth. The headboard and foot end of the bed don't look uniform and machine made, as you would see with a lot of stuff like this. Instead, it looks as though some one took the time and effort to cut and sand it by hand, which to me, makes it even a little more special and earthy.

We also found this coffee table and small entertainment center on the site for the living room. It's hard to say which is my favorite, since I love the style of the coffee table, but I think given the choice, I would purchase the entertainment center first, because I LOVE dark wood (something I picked up from my mom, I think).

If you're into rustic furniture, I definitely suggest you give this site a look. They are a family run business, so even if you're not into their stuff, if you know someone who is, please direct them there!

Adding to the Blog

2009-06-01T18:03:00.000-07:00

I'm planning to start the paid blogging posts again, since we need the extra cash. I'm also going to try to pick up a few more odd jobs here and trying to help The Boy pick up another child for child care. We could use the cash for our wedding as well as Faerie Worlds.

There's a lot of fun things going on at FaerieWorlds in our COMF group. One of these things is going to a FaerieWorlds year book round robin, another is a Dross Box Hunt with some of our vendors, both of which require some cash.

Any suggestions on other things The Boy or I could do to earn some extra cash would be well appreciated.

A Very Special Day

2009-05-16T11:42:00.001-07:00

Today is an amazingly special day. It is mine and my fiance's anniversary. Instead of talking about me and him though, I'm going to talk about my relationship with the first person I EVER wanted to marry... My Mommy! Having my anniversary and my mom's birthday on the same day is amazing to me. Not because it's weird, but because I would not be the woman I am today without my mom, and without being the woman I am today, I would not have the family I have today.

Ever since I was little, I've been a mama's girl. At 17, I would still climb in bed with my mommy, because out of all the friends and family I've ever had, the only one who was there for everything was my mom. My mom has taught me everything from an appreciation to music, by waking me up with Jackson 5 one day and Kid Rock the next, to knowing that your family should always come first. She passed on her low fertility, as well as the knowledge that a child is a blessing. She passed on her lack of housekeeping skills as well as the knowledge that it is something that I as an individual need to learn.

But out of everything she taught me, everything I've learned from her, there is one lesson that will always stand out. If I need to talk, whether it's because something's wrong, or because I want to be incredibly dorky, she's there. And she's there because I'm her baby. Whether I'm 1 or 12 or 23, I will always be her baby girl. And even if that's the only lesson I teach my daughter (though I hope it's not), I will teach her that.

So thank you Mommy, for raising me into the woman I've become, for all my wonderful characteristics, and even all my flaws, because you are the woman who taught me not to dwell on them and to work through them to better myself, for both myself, and my family.

Thank you for holding me from across the country, when I didn't know where that damn nurse was taking my brand new bundle of magick.
Thank you for holding me from half a state away when I needed a friend and had none.
Thank you for holding me from a state away when I needed a second mother for my daughter.

But most of all...
More than any other thing I can be thankful for...
Thank you for being my Mommy.

I love you Mom. Happy Birthday!

In My Back Yard

2009-05-15T14:31:00.001-07:00

Wedding Planning

2009-05-14T22:06:00.001-07:00

I never realized exactly how difficult planning a wedding is. Just the guest list and music are getting difficult. When we decided to do our own music and not hire someone, we neglected the fact that we would need to purchase a large amount of music. Now I'm wondering if it's easier and cheaper to just make a music list and find someone to perform for us.

The rose that I posted a picture of yesterday is coming along beautifully! I can't wait to see it open up. I love roses, always have, but the idea of killing a rose just so people can see it's beauty is morbid to me. I think for bouquets I'll use fake flowers and then just take them apart afterwards and use them for my FaerieWorlds costume. Didn't think about that till just now... Hehe!

The vegetarian thing seems to be working well for me so far, although it usually takes me around a month to start my I need meat freak out... I think that the fact that I'll be doing this with someone makes things a bit easier though.

A lot of the plants look like they're ready to go into the ground, so I'll probably do that with James and Ki this weekend. I'm thinking that we may have started to big this year, but it doesn't bother me, just seems a tiny bit daunting. I realized that my Elder won't produce berries unless it cross pollinates, so I may not get berries until next year, or possibly the year after. I really hate that I didn't do my research on that before hand, but I can't really do anything about it. The grapes that James and I and everyone else all thought were dead seem to be coming back, so I'll at least have some grapes this Autumn.

I started our wedding website and registry, and now that I've taken a break from all the necessary stuff, I'll go back to working on that.

Wordless Wednesday - Bloom Soon!

2009-05-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gotta Stop This

2009-05-12T20:54:00.001-07:00

I know I disappeared for awhile... I'm going to try to start blogging again on a regular basis. Maybe get up an hour early for work or something, I don't really know yet.

Let's see... Since last time I posted, what's been going on...

We had our first ritual as a family on the Spring Equinox. We had a large patch of the ground wiped out so that we could start our garden, and mixed some milk and honey to give to the Earth as an apology for killing the grass and offered a small cup of it to the Fae, and placed it under our Willow in the backyard.

Our plants for the garden have FINALLY all been started (as of yesterday) and we'll be putting them into the ground soon.

I finished Kiana's fae wear for faeryworlds, all with a hot glue gun, lol. I've done small stuff for mine, but nothing definite yet.

James and I have started planning the wedding, which will take up a large portion of my time, since it's apparently only 73 days away.

That seems to be all the big stuff I can come up with for now, but I promise to keep posting more often.

Oh!!! And one more big thing! We're vegetarian! I'm hoping that I'll have more luck with it this time around, but, we'll see.

2009 Wheel of the Year

2009-02-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

I was so bummed that we missed Candlemas with the Bug and didn't celebrate that I decided to go out and hunt down the dates for this year that I should keep sight of. The blog Free Spells Daily had the dates listed, so until I confirm this, I'll use it as a place holder.

February 1st - Imbolc. Moonrise @ 9:53am
March 20th - Spring Equinox or Vernal Equinox @ 5:44am
May 1st - Beltane. Moonrise @ 12:12pm
June 20th - Summer Solstice @ 11:43am
August 1st - Lughnasah . Moonrise @ 4:32pm
September 22nd - Fall Equinox or Autmnal Equinox @ 3:23pm
October 31st - Samhain. Moonrise @ 4:32pm
December 21st - Winter Solstice @ 10:46am

Loving Faerie

2009-02-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

If the woman you love is Fae I beseech you
to listen to all that I've come here to teach you

For being from Faerie in harsh human lands
can be made much more bearable by a kind man

We emerge from the lakes from caves from the seas
from deep in the woods
from high in the trees

We hold profound secrets unfathomable mystery
and gifts of vast healing brought down throughout history

We show a resemblance to those who are human
but our beauty remarkably shines from within

We are keepers of wisdom
we allure and inspire
We are muse to your soul to your blood we bring fire

We put aside wings and animal skins
feathers and fur...scales and green fins

You desire to capture these things to possess us
but do so and sorrow will soon replace trust

Treat us with reverence and pay close attention
to details you think are too small to mention

For things can turn quickly if we feel betrayed
cross us and see how our love can be swayed

We'll quickly return to the home of our soul
And leave you to flounder in sorrow's sinkhole

Hold us close see our mystery hear our heart
feel our power
pulled from the rhythms of Earths secret bower

Cherish your Fae know full well where she came from
and in your own life you will find transformation.

Mermaid Laughing 2009

Remember This?

2009-02-06T16:07:00.001-08:00

Now it's this...

The Day The World Ends

2009-02-05T20:48:00.000-08:00

On the day the world ends
A bee circles a clover,
A fisherman mends a glimmering net.
Happy porpoises jump in the sea,
By the rainspout young sparrows are playing
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.

On the day the world ends
Women walk through the fields under their umbrellas,
A drunkard grows sleepy at the edge of a lawn,
Vegetable peddlers shout in the street
And a yellow-sailed boat comes nearer the island,
The voice of a violin lasts in the air
And leads into a starry night.

And those who expected lightning and thunder
Are disappointed.
And those who expected signs and archangels' trumps
Do not believe it is happening now.
As long as the sun and the moon are above,
As long as the bumblebee visits a rose,
As long as rosy infants are born
No one believes it is happening now.

Only a white-haired old man, who would be a prophet
Yet is not a prophet, for he's much too busy,
Repeats while he binds his tomatoes:
There will be no other end of the world,
There will be no other end of the world.

Warsaw, 1944
(translated by Anthony Milosz)

I'm Back!

2009-02-04T02:16:00.001-08:00

Wowzers! The boy and I finally moved! We have a house now... 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, great yard, pure blessings! My mom, step dad, and baby sister (not much of a baby anymore. GEEZE) packed up a van the morning after Christmas and drove from San Diego to Cottage Grove to bring my little mischievous pixie back to me. She's been running through the house causing terror, joy, and laughter like you wouldn't believe! Soon, I will have pictures of the house, but for now, some pictures of the two best room mates I could ever ask for.

Seriously…

2008-11-11T19:22:00.001-08:00

I need a new tactic for this weight loss thing. My motivation… Well, it’s great. My will power, on the other hand… Fails. I haven’t gained any weight, but I haven’t lost any either. While I was in bed, I realized that I weigh 70 lbs more than I did in high school, and 40 more than I did after Ki was born… Which means in 3 years 1 month and 1 week, I’ve gained 40 pounds. That’s more than 10 pounds a year. In fact, that’s over 4 pounds a week every week since she was born. It’s November, so of course, I have to deal with dieting through my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, but I decided that as long as I weigh the same January 1st as I do today, I will be satisfied. If I weight less, then I’ll be proud, but right now, I’m working on nothing but my satisfaction.

I’m going to redo the page a little bit tonight also. My main change will be that instead of the chart, which is greatly depressing if it doesn’t go down, I am going to add a calendar, which I can just put my weight on every Saturday morning. I am thinking of also adding a daily calorie count, seeing as that seemed to work well for me, even if it was only because I ate less so that I wouldn’t have to count stuff, lol.

As for good news. James and I found a place which is cheap enough to allow me to get a membership at Curves, and because the apartment we’re looking at is downtown, I’ll be able to stop there on my way to or from work.

Yummy (and Healthy) Cheesecake

2008-10-02T09:03:00.000-07:00

One of the things I did to help myself to stay healthy was to sign up with SparkPeople for ther Daily Healthy Recipes. I recently got a recipe for a Citrus Cheesecake, and as the self appointed Cheesecake Queen, I decided to give it a try without looking at how many calories you get per serving. The cheesecake was delicious and I found out that one slice (1/12 of a cheesecake) was only 177 calories, so I thought I'd share the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
Crust Ingredients
nonstick cooking spray
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Filling Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 8-oz. packages nonfat cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup 1% milk
1/3 cup nonfat sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon peel, grated
1 teaspoon lime peel, grated
1 teaspoon orange peel, grated
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 300º F.
2. Prepare the crust: Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, mix crumbs, brown sugar and butter then firmly press mixture into bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the pan.
3. Prepare the filling: In a large sized mixing bowl, combine sugar and flour then add vanilla, cream cheese, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add milk, sour cream, citrus juices and peels and beat until smooth.
4. In a separate mixing bowl, using clean and dry beaters, beat egg whites at room temperature at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixture with cream cheese mixture.
5. Pour into prepared crust and bake at 300º F for 1 hour or until set. Remove from oven and let completely cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
6. Sprinkle with grated lemon, lime and orange zest before serving (optional.)

Decisions...

2008-09-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot and have decided that I should just go ahead and merge my dieting blog with this one. I've gotten back up to my original weight, although that may just be because it's the end of the day and I'm bloated. I'm going to start walking again and I'll try to take those Alli pills. I put a down payment on a Wedding Dress, which is 2 sizes to small, so I'm not giving myself a choice. Of course when James and I move and get into our own place with Ki back up here and everything stable, I'll be joining curves, but that's going to be awhile, so I need an alternative until then.

FaerieWorlds Bad Faeries Night Fireshow

2008-08-25T15:54:00.001-07:00

This is the Fireshow from the second night of FaerieWorlds. A lot of people asked to see my picture and video of this. This is a video done by some of the performers (I think). Not sure who the musicians are, but the flutist is definitely Ben Klein of Trillian Green.

The Poem My Mommy Wrote for my Grandma

2008-08-25T14:50:00.000-07:00

Thoughts Of My Mother
or
Ode to D. Smith
By Eden Victoria (Vicci) Smith Campbell

She was so small…on the outside
How she held so much inside of that five foot frame
I just don’t know
All sorts of information on all sorts of things
Culture and ethnicity
Literature and poetry
Knew that Yoga and Tai Chi
And what to eat to stay healthy

A tiny woman…on the outside
But a whole lot of all sorts of
You know…energy
I just don’t know
How she attracted
And collected
All that energy
Emotional and spiritual
Not to mention mental
Energy
You know, some of that brainiac mental and
Yes, sometimes we thought a little crazy mental-
Energy
But energy somethin’ powerful
Cartwheels at 60 years of age
Physical
Energy for a long time.

A woman with tremendous levels of
Intelligence-wit-charm-artistic ability-motivation
Extreme powers of observation—she saw little things around her
That too many of us miss
A woman with class, oh yes! Dolores was a definitely a class act.
She was funny to me even sometimes when she was serious
(But I wouldn’t tell her that.)
Mom continuously educated herself on a daily basis
My Mother-to the end of her days, remaining teachable
I once thought she was weak
But finally realized how strong she really had to have been
I didn’t know we had it in common but just as hers did
My pain made me strong
Kind of ironic that
Her pain made me weak.

I once thought of her in terms of
Our history
Some of that old Mother Daughter just part of the way it went
In terms of our respective decisions and choices and behaviors
I once thought of her
In terms of the way our history had unfolded
I held her wholly and personally responsible for that
But you know, God blessed me with a new heart and sight
And I began to see
The WOMAN my mother was
The human being my mother was
The thinker the do-er the writer the painter the seeker the finder
The made up her mind- her
The Survivor and yes
The Mother

I woke up and took a look at where she’d been
From her very beginning
Until mine and then
From my beginning until about oh, seven years ago or so
And I saw her in a new light
Oh, I always knew she was an exceptional being
But I hadn’t seen what in me had been blessed by her
Even before I was able to decide I wanted to see it
And one day I decided to stop looking for those
Imperfections and shortcomings and character defects
(My own made it easy to see hers)
She was amazing and wonderful in so many ways
Didn’t matter if she was imperfect in a few
Jesus was perfect but come on now
PEOPLE can’t expect PEOPLE to be perfect
(Whew, and a good thing, too)

The WOMAN my mother was
Ever the professional—if she called my office
She referred to herself as ‘D. Smith’ never just saying
‘It’s her mother’ even on my personal voice mail,
“Just in case” she said “You never know who’s listening”
Even after I told her “Mom, everybody knows it’s you.”
(The receptionist or my boss would give me a message from her and say “Your Mom, D. Smith called” and they’d chuckle. Even people she never met got a kick out of her.)

Ever the lady-Mom stuttered, stumbled and hesitated
Over any curse words stronger than ‘Damn it’
(A phrase she once used to name a cat)
Ever the ever-so-graceful one
When she spoke I saw her grace
Most often in the movement of her hands
Ever the tactful (if a little sneaky) one-
She wouldn’t call you out in person if she could tell
You
Wouldn’t be receptive…
She was tactful, but had tactics
With technique that was all her
Dolores was not one to back down when she needed to
Make a point-no.
She would write you a letter to make you stop and think-
How many times my sisters and I
Picked up the phone to say “I got a letter from Mom…who ‘blanked’ up?”
We were more nervous about some of those letters than we’d have been
If she’d shown up at our door with a belt or a Switch off of a nearby tree.

Ever the artiste, she could paint the most delicate hidden pictures
And partly out of creativity and partly due to short money
She’d paint on anything
A nutshell a tree pod a plastic Easter egg some bark
Painted on rocks and palm tree parts
She picked up in the park
And by the time she got through
Some not so special seeming thing
Others stepped over or walked by without noticing
Was a completely unique, mysterious fabulous wondrous thing
A true piece of art
Signed proudly but simply ‘D. Smith’</P<

Ever the poet- my mother could take some words and put them together
D. Smith could paint a picture, tell a story, and make you feel like you were
Right there
Seeing what she was seeing through both your eyes and hers
(Hmph…that reminds me of that old paper bag I have somewhere at home)
My mother and I sat in a waiting room somewhere and she
Pulled a paper bag out of her purse and wrote out this poem she memorized
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” you know…
“Once upon a midnight dreary while I pondered weak and weary”
Heck, that’s all I can remember of that thing, the whole poem is
Eleven hundred and fifty words, can you imagine?
I looked it up and counted them once
My Mother was amazing in so many ways…
She left that bag in my car and I couldn’t throw it away.

Ever the comedienne (If she wasn’t such a lady I’d just say comedian-D. Smith would say ‘joker’)
This past New Year’s Eve she and my girlfriend Heidi and I
We brought in the New Year in the emergency room
And she was cracking jokes even on that hospital gurney
I guess we all get that from her…there she was fighting for breath
But still finding the humor and still able to let those nurses know
She was watching them doggone it and
Of course, telling them how to do their job
Properly.

The week before she passed you know, we visited her one Sunday
We took some roast chicken, potato salad and rolls.
The grandbaby, my guy and I and we
Went to see her at that convalescent home
We sat in their day room and ate and then
My guy, well he played bingo with the seniors and lost
Afterward she asked him ‘How’d you do?”
He says to her “I lost. But, Mom, what do you win?”
(Thinking he would have won her some little treasure)
Mom said “Oh, they give you a couple of dimes”
And Richard said “What do you do with that?”
Mom glanced at him over a bite of potato salad and said
“Well you take it to Tijuana and go dancing all night”
And I mean she said it with that straight face in a way that for a split second
I think he believed her!
Mmmm hmmmm…she was funny.

We’d be riding and somebody in another car would have their music blasting
She’d look over at them as if they could hear her and say
“Look at meeee, I have a radio!”
My brother and I always laughed at how
We’d have Mom in the car and she’d be
Stepping on her imaginary brake pedal
Talking bout ‘Whooo!’
(We’d just shake our head and keep driving)

She had friends in both high and low places and boy
Don’t you cross her or else
I might not have always felt she was protective
But I know that one time
A boyfriend of mine
That fool gave me a black eye
And D. Smith, she showed up, knocked and pushed past me
Through MY front door
She handed me her purse—it was heavy, too.
“Feel that? she said? (Had boyfriend thinkin’ she had a gun)
But I know her…I hustled her outside
Asked her what was in her purse and moved fast enough
So I could see for myself
It was a GREAT big rock!
I just looked at her at first
Stunned you know?
And I say “Mom! It’s a rock?”
D. Smith looked at me with probably the meanest, most serious look a half pint mother can look
And she said
”I’m from Idaho.
Don’t you underestimate the damage your mother can do with a rock.”
And you know, I must have stood there with my mouth wide open
So many years before we mended our fences
Still at that moment
I felt so loved and I knew that my mother came to protect me
I just hugged her and told her I loved her
And thought to myself
“Damn, she’s crazy.”

My mother was
A whole lot of things to a whole lot of people
She was brave
I remember when the police rushed
Miss Hempstead’s house
I know Miss Hempstead and her whole family remember it too
And somebody came and got Miss Smith
That’s right…D. Smith
She was the whitest white lady in the neighborhood
But she got right up in that mix
D. Smith wasn’t having those police pushing people around on her watch
Mace-ing up that house with those babies inside
She ran down there and did whatever she could to help
While most of the rest of the neighborhood looky loo’d from down on the sidewalk and
In their yards and the alley
Miss Dolores, she was a bit of an activist
All about Civil Rights
D. Smith-she got involved.

That last somewhat coherent (I thought) day
Monday August 4th…(seems so long ago)
The day before they started Mom’s morphine drip
That last day that I spent with her
Hmmm…guess I left the hospital 30 hours before she passed
And I’m sad she is gone, but, you know, I am so grateful for that day
For that last chance to tell her I loved her while she could hear me
To hear her call out “Vicci?” when she couldn’t see me
To hear my Mom say to me “You left me all by myself” even still with a little humor in her voice
Letting me know that she knew I was there
And she knew when I left (had to go buy her a fan across the street, you know-Walmart)
And as she did whenever I took off work to be with her
She said at one point that day “I hate to have you miss work”
But I knew she felt good because I did
And I meant it when I said “Its okay, Mom, you’re worth it.”

I am so grateful that God blessed me with the willingness to do some work
On me So I could do some work on me
And my mother
You know, Mom knew I needed some work, too...I know she knew…
‘Cause I got more than one letter from her that she wrote
To let me know that she knew,
and then she’d ask me real casually a little later as I’m sure she did with all of us
“Did you get my letter? And then “Did you read it yet?” HaHA…
She’d write those letters to enlighten and inform us
Talking about harmony with self
And how to deal with the rest of the world using that self-acceptance
Letters about acceptance of some things and tolerance for others
and letting go of what doesn’t matter
Letters about what not to accept from self and from others (especially men)
Might have taken me a few days of looking at them on the dresser
Before I opened and read her letters
But I read them and you know…
She was pretty much usually right on target
That means she knew me, doesn’t it…yeah.
Means she took a look at herself and did that work on herself before me
Means she paid attention to what she saw in other people and situations
Means she paid attention to me even when I thought she didn’t.
Means she wanted to know me and wanted me to know her too
We both wanted that healthy relationship
That relationship that people think mothers and daughters are supposed to have
That relationship that I hope and pray and work for with my own daughters
Yes, and my daughter’s daughter too
I’m so grateful for that.

She was so small…on the outside
How she held so much inside of that five foot frame
I just don’t know
A tiny woman…on the outside
But a whole lot of all sorts of- you know…energy
Yea, and I gotta admit, a lot of love
A little bitty thing
With a whole lot of character
Half pint short stuff
Always lookin’ like she was standing in a hole
But Lord have mercy
She was a great big person
In that little bitty shell
My Mother
Also known as
D. Smith.

Eden Victoria
For my Mother
August 14, 2008

"The most valuable things in life are priceless. They are courage, compassion, wisdom, respect for ourselves and others, and a host of characteristics that we call the beauty of the human spirit. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin."

Most people know I left my Mother’s house before I was 12. And on the subject of who was my Mom’s favorite…well, being the classic “Black Sheep” of the family for so many years, I was certainly the least favorite for quite a long while. Yes, my Mom had to put a lot more hard (and I do mean hard) work into me than she did the rest of them. So, because I relieved her of my bad behavior by moving out at such an early age, And because I took so much work, effort, patience and so many of those doggone painstaking letters, I was like a piece of her artwork that she worked on for years and years before finally getting it just right…

Which is the reason why I was her true favorite.

An Untitled Narrative

2008-08-13T11:07:00.001-07:00

This was written by a friend of mine, Maralily, from tribe. She says "I dreamed this last night, or more accurately I actually dreamed the narrative. I thought I would share it, whatever it is..." When I read it, I wanted to share it with anyone I could. As I read it took me to a very peaceful place in my heart and I felt as though I lived in that 400 year old house.

The sun takes longer to rise here in this hidden place. It could be that the forest is so dense with gnarled oaks that no one in this house feels the warmth of the sun until it peeks high overhead. When light does filter through windows often left open, it splashes everything buttery warm and no one bolts upright in their beds but rather everyone begins to melt awake. The stones stay cool, even when peat smolders stubbornly in the hearth, and the tiny ever present particles of dust dance in the beams of light that spy between leaf and shadow. Something scampers in the narrow passage of the kitchen just as doors begin to open and the bare feet of sleep-spelled children pad across the floor. Things live here along with people. Of course they do not know the way they should know since it is obvious if they only bothered to look, but things have lived here for a very long time. Something always lives in 400 year old houses.

A Truly Magickal Weekend

2008-08-13T01:40:00.001-07:00

Good Faeries Day

I have finally gathered all my thoughts from FaerieWorlds to write about it a bit. We got up and finished getting ready and then a friend of mine picked us up and took us to Quiet Camp, which, while drama free was not very quiet. We pitched our tent (I've never been able to say that before now, haha) and got everything set up and hung out for a bit with some of the other Circle Of Merry Folk members and introduced ourselves.

We headed up to Secret House Winery and picked up our wrist bands, guest bags (which had lotsa goodies!) and got inside. We wandered around and saw some amazing vendors and listened to some excellent music. The Wicker Men were up first. We didn't pay intense attantion to them as we were walking around a bit, but I was definitely impressed. After their set was finished, we were told to move everything out of the center area to prepare for a ritual.

We took part in a beautiful grounding ritual and then prepared for the Spiral Dance. James tried to get out of it by saying he was going to hold our guest bags and just let me do it, but I talked him into trying it and he ended up having an amazing time. He was so full of energy that I could see a very visible change in his expression.

Tricky Pixie was the next band. They had a very Celtic rock type sound that took me by awe (by the way, check out Gypsy Fire or Hymn to Herne if you want to hear what I'm talking about). Their music was moving and I've been chomping at the bit waiting to make up the extra money to buy their CD online.

One of my absolute favorites was Trillian Green. They are purely instrumental, with a flute, a cello, and percussion. The flutist, Ben Klein, was an absolute treat. He performed with many of the other bands and amazed me each and every time. His ability to vocalize behind his music was true talent. Their percussion was also amazing. Tribal and deep. The music made by these three was so full of power and energy as they played, I could feel it all through my body.

There was also beautiful performance by Priscilla Hernandez, a gothic singer/song writer from Barcelona, Spain. She had an absolutely beautiful voice, and her lyrics were incredibly poetic. She had amazing artwork to go along with her set, all of which was her own. She played the flute and keyboard also, but I was more impressed with her vocals than anything. After she was done, Woodland played and was accompanied by the Froud Good Faeries Lightshow.

At the end of the night, there was an amazing fire dance performed with a wonderful story of the Birth of Fire.

FaerieWorlds Posts Soon To Come...

2008-08-09T02:48:00.001-07:00

But first... A poem written by Mermaid-Laughing who The Boy and I had the pleasure of meeting, along with her 22 year old son (a fellow wow player) and 16 year old daughter (who did multiple performances for FaerieWorlds).

OUR FAE QUEEN

The Unicorns gathered when she was young
and picked her as their chosen one
Along with all the Corvid strong
they knew that she would sing their songs

And so they watched her as she grew
And quietly taught her all they knew
The Fae then led her many miles
pushing her through darkest trials

And though she'd cry out in appeal
from hottest fire comes strongest steel
Then finally they found her ready
she was strong her nerves were steady

They brought to her a beauteous man
He came to her from strong Wolf Clan
He cleaved to her King to her Queen
and brought her gifts from those unseen

They began to sing of Fae
to bring them into light of day
He helped fulfill her destiny
to sing the songs of a Fae Queen

Queen of her community
where people dwell in harmony
and animals are safe and sound
where Fae of every kind abound

We all love her passionately
she's given us a family
a place we know that we belong
We thank our Queen
She's brought us home.

The Big Day

2008-08-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

We're heading to the camp grounds for the weekend. I'll let you all know how it turns out!

My Check List

2008-08-01T00:59:00.000-07:00

MY STUFF

Accessories	X
Shirt (Day One)	X
Shirt (Day Two)	X
Skirt (Both Days)	X
Shoes (Both Days)	X
Baby Wipes	X
Makeup	X
Brush	X
Coat	X
Deodorant	X

THE BOY'S STUFF

Pouch	X
Cloak	X
Pants Patched	X
Pants Button	X
Coat	X
2 Shirts	X

CAMPING PREPERATION

Ride	X
Tent	X
Blankets	X
Food	X
Stuff to Cook With	X
Water	X
Pillows	X
Cooler and Ice	X
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Tomorrow's the Big Day!

2008-07-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

We head to FaerieWorlds in the morning!

2

2008-07-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Days until we leave!

A Short Post From Work

2008-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

I got to work a bit early and thought I'd go ahead and put in a quick lil post. I realized that there's only 3 days to go until FaerieWorlds and I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what it's like. Camping sounds like it's going to be a lot of fun since we'll be camping with 70+ other people.

I've been doing a lot of work to get ready for everything and now that we've got everything ready to wear while we're there, I just have to get everything packed to take up there. I need to go buy some black eyeliner and eyeshadow tonight, when I get home and I HAVE HAVE HAVE to pack up and what not. A friend of mine is going to take us up there and he has a truck, so it seems to me that it'll work out alright.

It's 11:56 now, so I've got to get to work. *sigh*

3

2008-07-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

Days! I can't wait!!!

4 More

2008-07-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey! That rhymed!

5 Days

2008-07-27T10:18:00.000-07:00

That's one work week!

6

2008-07-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Days to go!

Finished The Cloak

2008-07-25T20:58:00.001-07:00

It took halfway to forever, but I finally managed to finish The Boy's cloak. The outer fabric turned out great and has an awesome color and a little shimmer. We're both pretty satisfied with it overall, which makes me pretty happy. We may put something on the back with a bleach pen, if we like the way it turns out, but... we'll see.

One Week

2008-07-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

That's right, 7 days!

8

2008-07-24T10:15:00.000-07:00

To go!

My Creations So Far

2008-07-23T13:24:00.001-07:00

I've been working on some crafty stuff for FaerieWorlds and finished a couple of them last night. One is a brown shirt with leaves sewn around the bottom of it to give kind of an earth faerie look. The other is a pouch for the boy to carry money in that would match his cloak.

I have one more big project, which is The Boy's Cloak. I also have to patch a pair of his hippie pants, but probably won't put the pants up. Off to work on the cloak!