I think about the blog a lot. I think about you, our readers. I think about changes I’d like to make and writing I’d like to do, but the days have come and gone and still I sit in a morose silence while dust gathers on our pages and spiders take up residence spinning webs in the baps between meaningful posts. And this has to stop.

Normally this time of year would find me blogging about resolutions, about goals for the year, but, right now, my focus is on merely surviving. I have thoughts simmering. I have hopes for change and transformation. But, right now, we are simply existing one day at a time and, for now, that’s okay.

The past three weeks have been hell on wheels. Not only were we busy with holiday insanity, but we have been helping Miss Artistic deal with a crisis while trying to hold on to some semblance of normalcy for Princess Nature.

But, even still, we had lots of lovely visits with friends – “E”, Drama, Lady Rose & her crew, as well as M2. We were all spoiled with gifts and treasures and various yummy things. I was reminded, as I always am this time of year, how blessed I am to be loved, how lucky I am to be a wife & mother, how wonderful my friends are, and how precious good times are.

One positive change (and as of right now its pretty much the only one) I’ve made is that since starting using the Wii Fit Plus
the girls got for Xmas/Yule I have only skipped one night and I am averaging 20-30 minutes a night stepping, punching, and kicking my way to a healthier body and a lower weight. Granted I’ve used it exactly 10 times so the changes so far are pretty negligible. But, I am proud nonetheless that I have managed to stick with it.

And so while I spend more time that I am proud of shaking my fist at the sky and wondering “why me? why us? why this?” I look forward to 2010 and the potential it holds in terms of gifts, and blessings, and new opportunities.

May it be so for me and for each of you as well.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

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Also (**drum roll please**)  I’m starting the year 100 lbs lighter then I was last year.  As I mentioned before, I had gastric bypass surgery August 6, 2009.  Starting Feb. 28, 2009 with the  pre-op weight loss (a requirement to get insurance approval) and combined with the post-op weight loss the total weight loss is now 100 lbs.    My pain levels in my joints is much lower, I’m sleeping better, and as a result I have a lot more energy.  I still have about 60 more pounds to lose but the numbers on the scale are not what is important – I am focused on my health and well being.  I won’t bore you with all the details here, but if you’re interested in following my weight loss journey you can read my New Year’s post and other information on my weight loss blog Diet Pulpit.

Jan. 1 my good friend B. stopped over in the afternoon for a long over due visit.  She lives about two hours away, plus she has to take care of her granddaughter while her daughter works (long hours) so she doesn’t get to visit very often and it had been at least 4 months since her last visit.  When she does come to this neck of the woods she plans a two or three trip stopping in to see several friends.  We chatted, laughed, and enjoyed watching the movie Julie & Julia (one of my favorite movies and I got the dvd as a xmas gift from my hubby). 

Jan. 2 we all went to see Mama Kelly and spent a lovely afternoon and part of the evening visiting with her family, chatting, opening gifts and enjoying the ham, salads and snacks we brought.   I gave Mama Kelly a dvd of Julie & Julia – it’s about blogging and food so of course I had to!  *lol*    I also surprised her with her very own Season of the Witch calendar (in a leather binder), as well a few other things.    She got me a tarot deck (need to write a review), a cookbook for recipes after gastric bypass surgery (can’t wait to try some out), and other witchy goodies.   I’m already looking forward to our next visit for our regular overnight get together on Feb. 20th.

Jan. 3 was Angelgirl’s (my daughter) karate banquet – Angelgirl received her 2nd degree black belt.  It was a wonderful afternoon of karate demos and performances, a nice meal, and a bit of music played by a DJ and dancing afterwards.  I brought my mom and she really enjoyed it too.

This week we all went back to work and school and almost every night we have something going on – Monday Angelgirl had an eye docotor appt., Tuesday she had orchestra practice.  Today she has a school trip and needs to get picked up from the school since they are returning later and she will miss the bus and followed by karate class. Tomorrow night we have to go to her school for a meeting regarding her high school scheduling (she’s only half way through 8th grade – but they start the paperwork early for high school).

This weekend I am taking my mom and sister  to see the movie Avatar.  I am also planning on taking my niece if she wants to go, and taking her out to lunch and for a little shopping trip to the mall to celebrate her 16th birthday (which is Jan. 7) – I haven’t been able to reach her by phone yet so that part isn’ts definite yet. 

I already have a few things on the calendar for next week as well, so it’s definitely a bit of a whirlwind around my house but I’m enjoying every moment with family and friends and looking forward to a year full of surprises, laughter, and love.

Hope everyone is enjoying the start of their New Year.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

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BEFANA appears to be heir at law of a certain heathen goddess called Strenia, who presided over the new-year’s gifts, ‘Strenae,’ from which, indeed, she derived her name. Her presents were of the same description as those of the Befana figs, dates, and honey. Moreover her solemnities were vigorously opposed by the early Christians on account of their noisy, riotous, and licentious character.

Befana means “Epifania”-”Epiphany” which is a Latin word with Greek origins. It can mean the “festival of” or “manifestation”. In the Catholic Church it means the Re Magi also known as “the wise kings” of baby Jesus.

In popular folklore Befana visits all the children of Italy on the eve of the 6th of January to fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad. Being a good housekeeper, many say she will sweep the floor before she leaves. The child’s family typically leaves a small glass of wine and a plate with a few morsels of food, often regional or local, for the Befana.

She is usually portrayed as an old lady riding a broomstick through the air wearing a black shawl and is covered in soot because she enters the children’s houses through the chimney. She is often smiling and carries a bag or hamper filled with candy, gifts, or both.

Wishing every one a happy new year and bright blessings, Lady Rose

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Our Christmas was lovely. Now that Santa no longer stops at our house I was able to focus more on quality as opposed to quantity in terms of what wound up under the tree. The result was two very happy children and even some shrieks of delight.

And, as this was the first year since we’ve had children (with the exception of a few times that Gamer Dude broke the agreement) that my hubby and I officially exchanged gifts it was fun for me as well. Especially as we had agreed on not only a budget, but on trying to get each other a bunch of small gifts instead of one larger one.

The following day was Miss Artistic’s birthday. Since we had already agreed that her “gift” was to go shopping for some new clothes there was little for her to open but we did enjoy both a trip to the movies to see Avatar and dinner out on Mr Grumpy.

The week that followed however left much to be desired. It was filled instead with little but irrational teenage temper tantrums, a horrible 4 days of telemarketing, and a resulting bad case of heartsickness by yours truly.

I am hoping that we can look forward to a better 2010. I have goals for myself, for my household, for my future. I am hoping that I am able to make some true progress toward them in the weeks and months ahead.

May each of you be blessed beyond your greatest hopes and dreams

Mama Kelly

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Registration should be available soon so be sure to keep checking back on the Womongathering website.  In previous years there was a discount for early registration, (2009 registration cost was $290 (deadline postmark May 30th), discounts if registered early – must be postmarked by April 30 $280; must be postmarked by March 28 $270; children ages 3-6 $38 and ages 7-12 $64).

I plan on definitely going this year.  Since I just got a new car in August ‘09, I won’t have to rent one to make the trip so that will save a lot of money.  In 2008 I had my very old car and I didn’t feel like risking a break down on the road for such a long trip so hubby paid for a rental that had lots of room and a cd player.  My new car has a cd player so I’ll be able to enjoy lots of pagan music along the way.  The directions are fairly easy so even if I end up driving alone I know I’ll find my way, but I told my mom that I will pay her registration so she can attend (as a combination Mother’s Day(May) and Birthday (July) gift for her) and she is pretty sure she will be able to make it (depending on her health) and she is very excited.  I am also keeping my fingers crossed that Mama Kelly can attend too (and perhaps her eldest daughter).  My car is a small two door and can hold one other person and has a good size trunk, but for two people we’d have to pack very light.  If I need more room so everyone can come along, I have no problem working out a car rental arrangement so we can all go together.

If you are planning to attend also, feel free to leave a comment  and if you are interested we can coordinate to meet there and\or share a cabin.  (Note: to share a cabin, on the registration form include the name of the person you wish to share with and whenever possible accommodations will be made, so you will need my real name to include on your form, which I will send via email for those who leave a comment.)

Mama Kelly and I had a wonderful time at Womongathering 2008, and we posted a lot about the experience and included some photos (to read all posts click on the post tag “womongathering”).  Here are a few of the posts about Womongathering 2008:

• Womongathering General FAQ
• Friday at Womongathering (2008)
• Saturday at Womongathering (2008)
• Sunday at Womongathering (2008)

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

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A Recipe for Happiness in 2010

Take twelve whole months.
Clean them thoroughly of all bitterness,
hate, and jealousy.
Make them just as fresh and clean as possible.
Now cut each month into twenty-eight,
thirty or thirty-one different parts,
but don’t make the whole batch at once.

Prepare it one day at a time
out of these ingredients.
Mix well into each day one part of faith,
one part of patience
one part of courage
and one part of work

Add to each day one part of hope,
faithfulness, generosity, and meditation,
and one good deed.
Season with a dash of good spirits,
a sprinkle of fun, a pinch of play,
and a cupful of good humor.
Pour all of this into a vessel of love.
Cook thoroughly over radiant joy,
garnish with a smile,
and serve with quietness, unselfishness,
and cheerfulness
and you will enjoy a Happy New Year

[ author unknown ]

Good Luck Foods for New Year – a collection of recipes from around the world and different cultural traditions that are eaten for good luck on New Year’s:

• Long Noodles: Asian countries, long noodles are eaten on New Year’s Day in order to bring a long life
• Pork: many countries, including Austria, Cuba, and Spain, view pork as a good-luck food…pigs root for food, they keep their feet planted and push their snouts forward, signifying progress and future properity
• Lentils: lentils (symbol of coins) are eaten throughout Italy for good fortune in the new year
• Fish: North America, Asia, and Europe, people eat fish to celebrate the new year; people associate fish with moving forward into the new year since fish swim forward…others think fish symbolize abundance since they swim in schools
• Dark Greens: (color of money) greens such as kale, collards, and cabbage, are traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day because of their association with wealth and economic prosperity
• Black-eyed Peas: common good luck food in the southern United States.. thought to bring prosperity, their shape and abundance representing coins
• Pomegranates: eaten in Turkey and other Mediterranean countries for luck in the new year,  associated with abundance and fertility
• Citrus fruits: Chinese celebrate New Year’s Day, with oranges and tangerines to promote prosperity. This tradition developed from a play on words: “tangerine” and “orange” sound much like “luck” and “wealth,” respectively, in the Chinese language
• Grapes: At midnight on New Year’s Eve, revelers in Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries eat 12 grapes — one for every strike of the clock and month in the year. This custom grew from a grape surplus in the Alicante region of Spain in 1909, and celebrates the coming of a sweet year.
• Round Cakes and Breads: Eating round or ring-shaped cakes, pastries, and breads is a popular New Year’s tradition in various countries, such as Greece (vassilopita, a cake containing a hidden good-luck coin), Italy (sweet panetonne), Mexico (rosca de reyes cake,) and Holland(puffed, doughnut-like ollie bollen)

Just for fun here’s a link to a comprehensive list for some of the good luck rituals from around the world:  Global Good Luck Traditions 

Wishing every one a joyous, healthy New Year filled with bright blessings now and always, Lady Rose

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The special effects are awesome, the acting was first rate by a mostly unknown cast of actors, the story line well constructed and engaging - but it is so much more.   Just go and enjoy it, don’t over think it, just let yourself be immersed in the world and go along for the ride.

Avatar touched the very core of my wiccan\pagan soul.  I can’t really put into words the profound affect it had me.  Tears were freely running down my cheeks half way through the movie, by the end I was crying and even after the credits it took me a few more minutes before I was composed enough to walk to the car, and once in the car I cried a bit more.  There is one line in the movie that put me over the edge and tears just wouldn’t stop, even thinking about it makes my eyes fill up again with tears.  I had a similar response when I first watched the movie Dances With Wolves, and to this day I can’t watch more then a minute or two of that movie without getting all teary eyed. 

In case you were wondering – I totally loved the movie Avatar.   Just go see it!   Every single person on the planet needs to see this movie.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

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Goddess Tarot App for Iphone and Ipod - available in Lite free version or full version for $2.99. Some of the features: four spreads (1 card, 4 card, 8 card, and 10 card); browse all 78 cards and 22 Goddesses (includes text and art); save readings.

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

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The origin and counting of the Twelve Days “is complicated, and is related to differences in calendars, church traditions, and ways to observe this holy day in various cultures.  in most of the Western Church are the twelve days from Christmas until the beginning of Epiphany  (January 6th; the 12 days count from December 25th until January 5th). In some traditions, the first day of Christmas begins on the evening of December 25th with the following day considered the First Day of Christmas (December 26th). In these traditions, the twelve days begin December 26 and include Epiphany on January 6.”

No matter which days one decides are best for celebrating the 12 days of Yule it is an excellant time for reflection, gaining wisdom from the previous year and setting goals and magical intentions for the upcoming new year.

Rather than making “resoultions” that if not met by year’s end or are abandoned within a few weeks of the new year’s start which can lead to giving up, guilt and negative feelings of self worth, I will be focusing on small, doable steps that are part of a broader overall plan. I will also allow myself to be flexible, realistic, and adapt as life unfolds and circumstances warrant.

What I will be doing during the 12 days of Yule:

An overall life review – what goals have I neglected, are there goals I need to discard or new ones I want to add; what habits and practices are positive and life affirming for myself and family, which ones need to be discarded, added or tweaked.  Followed by a simple new year’s eve ritual to give thanks for the previous year (embracing the mistakes, the ups and downs, both the good and bad times, releasing the old hurts, stress, negativity) and blessings for the new year (clearing the way for a fresh new year and welcoming the new lessons to be learned, the good and the bad times, opening heart, mind and spirit to wisdom and love).

Setting a Focus for 2010 – to add meaning and overall purpose for the upcoming new year, I will be focusing on a theme for the year and planning an overall goal for each quarter of the year that reflect the chosen theme. 

Goal setting to achieve 2010 focus and overall life goals  - reasonable, doable small steps for the upcoming year, mapping out steps to take to achieve the goals and mapping out a timeline on the calendar.  In other words, visualize and set forth intentions, followed by real world activity to manifest my goals.

My overall theme for this year is Organizing – this has been my goal for decades, and in the past I’d always feel bad that I didn’t “finish” getting my entire house done and my life organized.  But realistically my health and pain levels and lack of time (since I work full time and other life demands that require my time) make it impossible to get the entire house and my life organized to perfection, so I was setting myself up for failure.   This year my approach is going to be very different.  I will pick much smaller tasks that I can achieve, such as a bookshelf at a time or a few boxes sorted each month, etc.

NOTE:  this year New Year’s Eve is a  Blue Moon, December 31st, one idea is to a and\or set up an altar, write out your goals and charge them with the Full Moon energy (ie. can keep them in a jar or box on the altar throughout the year; write them in your calendar or journal, leave it on the altar overnight and carry with you throughout the year).

Tips:  keep goals simple and doable (break down big goals into smaller tasks); make sure your goals are realistic within the time frame you’ve set  (i.e. don’t set a goal like save a $10,000 dollars in a year if your expenses and debt are overwhelming – instead set a goal of paying down debt and creating a budget; don’t set a goal of building a website in a year when you don’t know anything about computers – instead set a goal of taking a computer class); don’t overwhelm yourself with too many goals and tasks; create categories to organize your goals (i.e. self improvement, home, work, family, spiritual, community, etc.) with only one or just a few goals in each category; be gentle with yourself and adjust your timetable as needed. Build in positive feedback and rewards for yourself along the way.  For example to help change your inner landscape and clear away inner obstacles create daily positive affirmations, inspirational music to listen to, inspirational amd empowering books to read.  Create positive feedback in the physical world, for example take a big positive step to start off the year that will create a positive environment for smaller changes to continue reaching an overall goal; create a symbol of your goal that you see daily; give yourself positive rewards along the way as you complete tasks.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year filled with bright blessings, Lady Rose

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Today I am grateful for a truly happy holiday weekend with no moments of angst and a house filled with laughter.

Today I am grateful for everyone in my home being so spoiled, not just in terms of the financial aspect of gift-giving, but in terms of everyone getting things they wanted and needed.

Today I am grateful for a wonderful visit from my dear friend “M” (who will be referred to as Drama henceforth). Drama has been coming to out house for Christmas for about 5 years now, and as it is generally the only time we see her each year it is always a true gift to simply be in her company.

Today I am grateful that the new year is upon us. While it still boggles my mind that it will soon be 2010, I a grateful for a new year with no mistakes in it yet, and the opportunities it grants for fresh starts and new beginnings.

May you and yours be blessed

Mama Kelly

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