Tapping into Yule energy

Yule Faerie

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Outside our front door, I have hung several bird and squirrel feeders and have really been enjoying watching the critters come around to get fat for winter.  I imagine they are somewhere making their winter homes nice and cozy, just like we are in my home.

Yule will be here in just a few weeks, and as I prepare for that inner time, and slowly take that journey inside of myself, I am finding some rather interesting (and uncomfortable!) things in my way!

I guess that is part of this process, at least for me.  We stuff things inside a lot and save it for a rainy day. We figure "I'll deal with that later", and secretly  hope it will just go away.  Well, I am discovering that things I thought would go away are still sitting there on a shelf for me, waiting patiently.

I am trying to figure out how the energy of the time of year we're in is connected to my situation with my ex-husband.  I feel intuitively that there IS a connection. Maybe it is a simple as reminding me to let go of expectations from people.  Maybe it is because we feel a bit more disconnected from the outside world as we go more inward. I am not entirely sure in this moment.

  I cannot even fully place blame on him for these issues. It's been a kind of natural progression sort of thing, but the emotions coming up for me were a bit unexpected for me.

You see, he is in a new, very serious relationship now (which I set him up with, by the way!).  Before I introduced them, he was fairly lonely and stopped into our house several nights a week to visit. It worked well, because he could both visit with his daughter as well as enjoy family time with the rest of us.  My son has become very attached to him as a result, and he has taken my son on overnights to give my husband and I some time off.  Well, now that he is no longer as lonely, he's been pulling away.  He used to do favors for us (and us for him!), and now he's letting us know we shouldn't be depending upon him any longer for such things.  He's let ME know that he no longer wants to seek my input or opinion on things (and therefore bringing an end to the sometimes hour-long chats we'd have about...well, just about anything).

He really was more than a friendly ex-husband to me - he was a dear friend whom I depended on (probably too much, in retrospect).  I cared enough to help set him up with someone, because I truly wanted to see him find happiness....and now, that happiness is helping him pull away from us.  It feels like he's no longer the intregal part of our extended family.  It feels he's no longer the intregal part of my friendship circle of people I could rely upon to talk to.

I feel I'm losing a friend a family member, as he pulls away and creates a more professional connection with us.  In the process, he's been very cruel, disrespectful and hurtful (which is not a terribly foreign type of behavior for him, but he's laying it on thick lately).

I realize he may feel he NEEDS to be that way in order to help him pull away from us.  That doesn't make it hurt any less, though.

I guess my first inner task for the winter, then, has been set before me.  I need to heal and make that break from my ex-husband before I can consider any other inner work.  Maybe...just maybe...this IS my inner work for the season.

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pic: http://shamansoulstudios.com/personal/yule-faerie

Being home & gearing up for Dec. - craft projects and "advent"

- S. looks on as her brother plays

When you see your children learning and growing together, in the warmth and comfort of their own home, how can you *NOT* love it?!

HOMESCHOOLING THOUGHTS:  I sometimes cringe when my oldest walks out to the bus stop for middle school, but I then remind myself that it works well for her and she's happy.  She often rolls her eyes when I still give her "assignments" to do, or direct her to educational sites and games, but she knows that it is what our family is about.  Although she is in public school, I still feel it is my job to play a large role in her learning. 

Her 2 siblings, however, I am hoping will have a much longer bout of homeschooling.  If I put them in school at all, hopefully it will be just for "specials" (gym, art, music, sports, etc) or some subject that I feel would be better served in a different setting.  With any luck, by the time these 2 youngest are old enough to be doing more academic subjects, our local homeschool community (Buxton, Maine) will be active and large enough so we can do more cooperative learning.  I know it has been growing a bit in recent years, so hopefully that momentum will keep going!

- K. perfects the fine art of hammering

CRAFTING IDEAS:  With the holidays coming, along with cooler weather, here are a couple of gift ideas for you. This year, I think many of us are doing a more homemade holiday season by neccessity. I like to think that it may also be a return to people appreciating homemade gifts, realizing that there is time, effort and love poured into each gift!

Craft idea #1:  Gourd candles

click to enlarge directions

These candles are fairly easy to make and will make a wonderful gift! They serve double-duty, because if the power goes out, they can be an attractive addition to the candlelight needed to see by. I dug into my MSL archives for this one from Nov 1998.  Click to enlarge.  p.s. Notice that this craft would be a great way to use up old candles! Melt down the little bits of candle that are often so hard to use up and combine with other bits of old candles to make this craft a recycled one.

Craft idea #2:  Fleece hats and mittens

Click to enlarge directions

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Seasonal/Pagan Happenings:  Last, but certainly not least, is the annual countdown to Dec 25th.  As a pagan family, we celebrate Yule (and maybe next year I'll do a countdown from Samhain to Yule! I just didn't think of it for this year!) as well as an honoring of Dec 25th.  For us, it is an honoring of the spirit of the season of xmas, and what it is supposed to symbolize in terms of "goodwill toward all people", giving and sharing, and spending time with family.  Xmas also tends to occur around the time of the winter solstice, which is when we mark the beginning of the winter (and thankfully the return of the sun - although we won't realize that until many months from now!). 

The winter solstice is the "darkest night".  As such, we'll have our own ritual for that which I'll chat about in a later posting.  For now, I'll talk about an idea for a countdown to Dec 25th, or Yule, whichever you prefer.

Here's a way to recycle those baby food jars (and if you have none, get creative! You can use old yogurt containers or other jars from items like relish).

I think the picture is fairly self explanatory. You can work with the kids to create different tops for the lids to count down the days.  Then fill the containers with little treats.  Ideas for treats include:

Candy, little homemade felt animals/finger puppers/bracelets/etc, love notes to your child....use your imagination!

By the way, you don't need to have a whole army of containers! You can use the same container, and just tape a new number and design onto the lid each day!

Kreative Blogger Awards

Happy Friday everyone! I'm really sorry that it has taken me so long to get around to doing this, but life has throw a few curveballs my way the last month and admittedly I was a bit too preoccupied with them.  But, without further ado, I'd like to "pay it forward" regarding the Kreative Blogger award.

Here is the info regarding the award:

1. Thank the person who gave this to you.

2. Copy the logo and place it in your blog.

3. Link the person who nominated you.

4. Name 7 things about yourself that no one would really know.

5. Nominate seven 'Kreativ Bloggers'

6. Post links to the seven blogs you nominate

7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know you nominated them.

I have done all but the last 2, so now I will pass the award on to 7 bloggers and list them below:

1.  Confessions of a kitchen witch at http://wyldwytchcraft.blogspot.com/
2.  Stuff on my blog at http://supercaliblogalistic.blogspot.com/
3.  5 orange potatoes at http://5orangepotatoes.blogspot.com/
4. Surviving the suburbs at http://happilyhome.blogspot.com/
5. Merlin's Magickal Mistress at http://merlinsmistress.blogspot.com/
6.  Cleaning up the clutter at http://cleaninguptheclutter.blogspot.com/
7.   Alpine Sanctum at http://alpinesanctum.blogspot.com/

Thanks to all of you for having such interesting blogs! I always enjoy stopping by them!

Indian Summer and New Moon as the Wheel Turns

The squirrels are getting fatter every day!

The weather here in Maine has been absolutely glorious!  We have been enjoying unseasonably mild weather with warm temps (although we did have a dusting of snow one day, and each morning we wake up to frost on the car windows and coating the landscape). 

I have been kind of taking my time with my winterizing, probably due to the deceptively lovely weather.  I guess I am being tricked into thinking that the truly cold weather is long months away, however I suspect we have weeks rather than months.  The birds have been so active lately, so we've been trying to put out plenty of food for them as well as for the squirrels.  Where I live, squirrels are not a problem for us, so I like to give them a big bag full of nuts around November, and then another small bag each month of the harsh winter.  Sure, I know that nature provides for these critters, and that some say we shouldn't "coddle" them, but rather allow for survival of the fittest, but I doubt the fate of humanity or the battle of the hardiest squirrel is going to rest in the paws of the inhabitants of our tiny little forest.

I've been drying my herbs from the garden lately to store and enjoy this winter. I have sage, chives and a little basil.  I am wondering about wintering them over in the garden. Here's hoping they make it out there! I'm also planning out my garden for next spring in my head. I hope to go a step further than this year - constantly improving and learning each year with luck!

Thanksgiving will be here in a week. It seems we just had Samhain!  In our house, we do not delude ourselves into thinking that all of the Pilgrims were neccessarily great friends to the natives, but we do like to celebrate the harvest and those who did work together to make the day what we associate it to be.  Since Thanksgiving is the American version of a harvest celebration, we welcome another excuse to break out the nice plates and have a great harvest meal. On the Martha Stewart website (ok, I admit it, I am a fan of the site!) there are some cute ideas for projects for kids as well as ideas for decorating the table for Thanksgiving.

  This Mayflower craft along with the little boat placecards look really cute!

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/thanksgiving-tables-for-kids

There's a how-to on the site, if you're interested.  The little boat placecards would be a fun origami type of activity with the kids, for sure!  p.s. I read some of the comments under this craft. I agree that using dried corn husks for the hull of the big boat would be a better choice than veneer. You could then paint it brown if you want, or paint with thick coffee water and let dry maybe.

Per usual, I have decorated my house for the season. My seasonal space has been updated (not to be confused with my altar, which also changes with the season but yet I do not photograph it very often - maybe it is a superstition, or just that it is sacred space and I like to keep it a more personal thing).  Here are some pics of our seasonal space, which includes fresh veggies, fruit in my cornucopia (which I chop and put into our water glasses for added vitamin C), handmade crafts of the season and flowers beside a Native American bearing an adorable turkey. 

                           

The big picture :)

Closer up

My mom quilted this many years ago

                   

          Handprint turkeys (just paint

the child's hand and smoosh it onto the

paper, then draw in legs and an eye)

               

Ya'all come back now, ya hear?!

- Big sister bonding with her little brother

over Finneas and Ferb 

                                                          -  a  rare quiet moment! LOL!

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Happy New Moon

I also wanted to post about the moon phase. This year I want to give more attention to the moon phases in a more intentional way.  Many women apparently menstruate during the dark of the moon, but I am the absolute opposite! I ovulate during the dark of the moon and menstruate during the full moon.  I have learned to accept this reversal.  Perhaps it is a lesson to me to accept that my "normal" is perfect for me!

New Moon Love Spell / Wish Spell

Items Needed:

Piece of paper

Pen

New Moon

Candle

On the night of a new moon, write your dream/wish on the piece of paper. Light the candle and simply look into the flames as they dance in the darkness of the room you are in. Close your eyes and visualize your wish coming true. Look to the moon and request that the Lady of the Moon grant you your wish. Thank her. Now take the piece of paper and burn it in the candle. Repeat this 12 nights. If you happen to miss a night you will have to start all over - but not during a waning moon.

Deep Breath Before The Plunge

Here in Buxton, Maine yesterday was so amazing! It was sunny and warm with a gentle breeze. The smell of decomposting leaves was fragrant and earthy.  The above pic is of me when I took a trip to the beach a couple weeks ago by myself to just listen to the ocean and let it speak to me.  As with my trip to the beach that day, the sun yesterday was very healing and wonderful!

I had the door open much of the day as my son ran in and out, playing with his toy trucks and trying to get his older sister to push him on his swing.  We are really trying to enjoy what is left of warm days like this before the dark of the year fully settles upon us.  I got quite a bit of cleaning done in my bedroom, but I still did not make it into my closet. I was glad to organize 3 of my drawers, however, which got lots of folded clothes up off the floor.  With the door and a few windows open, I was also able to give my room a good airing out before it is shut up for winter.

Today I'm going to do the same in my son's room so I can clean off his dresser to put a small space heater in there.  There is no heat in his room, so what I do is really cover his window well. I put 2 layers of plastic (a layer of the super thick kind and then a layer of the see-thru shrink wrap w/ a dryer kind), then at night I layer 2 flattened boxes (perfectly sized to fit snugly in his window) that have had a layer of Reflectix taped to one side into the window. Then I draw a heavy wool blanket (that serves as a nice light-blocking curtain for naps as well) over it all.  I keep a box cutter on a tall shelf near the window in case of a fire - I would easily (and quickly) pull the boxes out (they are only snugly sitting in the window and not attached in any way) and then make a long, verticle slice thru the plastic and pop the window open to climb out.

When his room is nicely insulated, I can keep his door open for about a half hour before his bedtime to get it nice and toasty (from the heater in our livingroom).  Then he sleeps in warm jammies and under warm blankets. His room will slowly cool off during the night so that around 2am it'll need another shot of warm air (for about 20 mins) from his heater to toast it back up again for the rest of his sleeping hours. I'm getting a timer this week so that his heater will only come on for those 20 mins around 2am and then will not need to be run the rest of the night. We sleep right in the next room, which makes me feel a little better about the heater situation.

Well, I made a really yummy bread yesterday that I want to share the recipe with you. I took a recipe I found online and tweaked it quite a bit. Feel free to tweak it to your own liking as well!  Enjoy!

Banana-Zucchini Blueberry Bread

3 eggs (can use egg substitute if you want)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar (or equivalent)
3/4 cup stevia (or honey, or try maple syrup or regular white sugar)
1 cup grated zucchini (I peeled mine first)
2 bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour *
1 cup oats*
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour*
1 TBSP cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup berries (I used frozen blueberries, you can use dried berries of any kind as well)
1/2 cup nuts & seeds of your choice (I used some raisins, almonds, walnuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, & flax seeds - but you could use just 1 kind or none at all!)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease 2 8x4 bread loaf pans (I used 1 8x4 and did the rest as muffins).
2.  In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add applesauce, sugars/sweeteners, zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined.  Stir in the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Mix in berries. You can then mix in nuts/seeds if using, or you can save them to sprinkle on the top (or both!).  Divide the batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans/muffin tins.
3.  Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 mins for the bread or around 25 mins for muffins.  Allow to cool in the pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

* You can use any combination of flours so long as it totals around 3 1/2 cups.  I bet some corn meal would also taste yummy in this bread.  I like to cut back on carbs, so the more almond flour I use the happier I am (and I LOVE the flavor of almond flour!).

Halloween Fun

Thomas the train led our little posse this year.  I was dressed in my usual ritual garb because I was attending an adults-only Samhain ritual immediately after trick-or-treating. When people commented that they liked my "witch costume", I told them I was a witch year round. Strangely, they thought I was joking - go figure!

The baby was a pumpkin, my oldest was Harlow Quinn (french mime of sorts) and my hubby was a knight. We had such a blast! The evening was soooo warm and wonderful! The air smelled so delicious as a very warm breeze surrounded us and blew the decorations in front of houses around eerily. The moon was full and bright and it was just a perfect night!

The ritual I attended was quite nice, but we got rained out halfway through and had to move it indoors. Still, we were able to honor our dead and had a solemn ritual followed by a feast, laughing and enjoying each other's company.  What a great Samhain!  Sunday we were invited to a friend's for a ritual, bonfire and having fun but apparently got some wires crossed and didn't realize that although the invite said 3pm-midnight, the ritual was to begin at exactly 3pm. We arrived around 5 and missed it.  Still, we enjoyed hanging out with the hosts and 1 other couple, the kids ran around having fun and we got to see our hosts' new sacred space before we left.  All in all, a fun weekend!

Here are some more pics of our costumes:

29th Day of Halloween - Hawk sighting!

This handsome fellow sat high up in one of our trees, checking out our compost pile (which I suspect must be home to a few mice he's interested in).

In other news, this week has been sooo busy! I had a party this morning for my kids and the kids I watch. We had cupcakes, ghost and pumpkin shaped cookies, pumpkin bread, "blood juice" (red food coloring in apple-strawberry juice), and other yummies.  We played ring toss onto a pumpkin stem, did freeze dancing, colored pictures and sang songs.  This afternoon the kids are watching It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown with some popcorn in pumpkin-colored bowls.  It's been a blast so far!

This weekend we have 2 parties and a Samhain ritual to attend. I am most looking forward to the ritual, personally.  It is an adults-only ritual. I always advocate for including children in our rituals, but admittedly I am looking forward to having the solemn ritual and honoring my ancestors.  This year in particular I am in need of some "just mom" time (hubby is staying home with the kids so I can attend the ritual).  My beliefs are important to me, but I often kinda shuffle them a bit more to the background in favor of daily life.  I definately try to take time each day to ponder nature, enjoy the sunset or a swift breeze (or salute a handsome hawk in a tree), but it is not the same as the very deliberate planning and participation in ritual.  I love the focus that ritual draws me to, causing me to place more intentionality in my celebrations of the season.

Hail to the honored dead!