Healing List for 7/21/11

Please send Reiki, prayers, or simply positive and healing thoughts to this list.

To include yourself or others on the list, simply post the names in the comments.

*****

Kathy E. in Summitville IN

The Edwards family

Sam, Jennifer,and the Finan family

Byron in Ft. Wayne

Gina in Indy

Caylee Marie Anthony

Hunter the cocker spaniel diagnosed with detatched retina

Gavi

The Monument Fire Pets and the efforts of volunteers to reunite pets and parents

Chris P. in Indiana, recovering from Spinal surgery 

Serena Weicht, Dorothy Heard, and family

Lauren Spierer, family, and all those searching for her

special note for the horses and dogs being used in the search

Tom, Joyce, Doris, Alverita, Chuy, Rose, and Bob and all those affected by the southern Arizona wildfires

 US "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and have lost 9 Marines in 4 days. 

Wordless Wednesday

As promised, Fairies, Sprites, and Lights at Minnetrista!

So much...so little

I have been in a real funk lately, and I am having a hell of a time shaking it. After much wallowing in self-pity, them kicking my own ass for it, and in depth prayer and Reading I think I might know why. I have so many things I want to do, and because I am so scattered I get none of them done. 

I don't mean housework, home school, kids raising, or my grooming salon, although I often with I had more hours of the day to work on those things as well. I have so many things I want to do. So many creations that are banging around in my head. It's like they are all rushing to the exit at the same time and getting jumbled up, so nothing can really get out.

I want to craft, and have a lot of really great ideas. I am so in love with crochet right now it's ridiculous, and I sit and dream about leading my newly formed Stitch 'n Bitch group to making Prayer shawls, chemo caps, and other charity projects, all the while filling orders in my Etsy shop. The reality is if I get 5 rows of a project done I feel like I accomplished something, and have 0 crochet items in my pitifully empty Etsy shop. 

I like to make jewelry, and I am slowly learning to sew. Again, daydreams of making clothes for the kids and myself, and more Etsy sales, when I actually make maybe 1 project a month or less.

What I really wish and long and pine to do is write. I started this blog to have an outlet to write, even if it's not fiction, which I love. Even here, I have had stops and starts, and weeks with maybe one post. I have a mostly done manuscript, outlines for two other projects, short stories, and a good start on a Pagan parenting book. 

My problem is I can't finish anything. 

When I have the desire to write, I have no time, and months go by without one new word written on any manuscript. When I have some free time, I have 100 other projects I want to do, and crafting in front of the T.V. is much more relaxing than trying to coax writing out of the creative jumble in my head.

So, I am going to try something new, something very anti-Hippie.

I am going to make a plan, a creative plan. I am going to start today, and make a list of the things I want to do, with writing right there at the top. I am going to then put them in priority, and make a schedule for myself to get some crap done! Since I had my oldest daughter, I have taught myself to be a housekeeper, instead of a shovel the place out before company shows up person. I did this with scheduling, which is very against my nature. I have the house broken down into zones, and zones broken into jobs. One zone per day, plus dishes and laundry, and the house is still cluttered, but company ready with maybe a 5 minute "zamboni" to clear things off.

I am going to try to expand this scheduling concept into other parts of my life, and hopefully have as much success. I am hoping to use the blog to make myself accountable for the things I want to do, and hoping that my blog will improve with action, as making this blog something special, and a part of the Pagan online community is pretty high on the priority list.

H.W.

Not-So-Random Kindness

This Friday evening the Hubs and I had a hot date! You may have seen the post HERE about our awesome movie night. Well that awesome evening was made possible by a very awesome lady who we have know for several years now. I have groomed her dogs for a while now, she became my client because the other groomer I worked with at the time thought she was "too weird". She was a little high maintenance, but very nice with the sweetest dog so she quickly became my regular then a customer at my home salon.

She works at the grocery near our house, so I see her often. She even had the first home show for my direct sales jewelry business. She began to call us if she needed anything, even calling us to take her to and from the ER when her own adult children could not be bothered.

Over the last few months her hours at work have been cut, and I offered to groom her now two dogs in exchange for baby sitting, hence free sitter for our big night. The next day, she called and asked the Hubs to come outside and meet her. She pulled up, then handed the Hubs three loaded bags of food, including lots of frozen meat, and told him to take it inside then come back out so she could take him to buy milk and bread. I don't know how she knew, but at the time we had $20 to get through five days, unless the salon phone started ringing. It did ring, but boy did we feel better with a back-up plan!

I loved her before, and am so moved by her kindness. I had been feeling pretty down and wallowing in self pity for a bit, and she reminded me that the Goddess puts people in our lives because they have something to give us. I was not just given a few days worth of food, although of helped more than I can say, but a reminder I am not alone, and help comes even when I am too bitchy or proud to ask for it. She is now at the top of the Prayer Shawl list, and I have plenty of positive energy to put in it for her.

H.W.

Apple Butter

Apples were on sale last week at my neighborhood market, so I grabbed 4 bags of them and tried out apple butter in the crock pot, and used my new canning skills to preserve it.

Luckily for me, a friend of mine has one of those peeler/corer things and let me borrow it, saving me probably an hour peeling and slicing. If I continue to make apple butter, I must buy one.

I also got to use my mortar and pestle for the first non-spell time to crush the cloves. I have had it probably 6-7 years and have never used it in a cooking capacity!

Here is the recipe:

Fill a 5 qt crock pot to overflowing with peeled, sliced apples sprinkle over 4 c sugar, 2 t ground cinnamon, 1/4 t ground cloves, and 1/4 t salt

put lid on and cook on high for one hour

(if the lid wont fit on tightly that's ok, it cooks down very quickly)

after an hour, stir and turn down to low for 9 hours

(leave lid off for the last hour for thicker apple butter)

ladle into 4 pint jars, lid and refrigerate if using right away, or boil in a water bath canner for 10 minutes to preserve.

Super easy, super delicious, and great as a gift! My sister had English muffins waiting when I brought her down a jar.

H.W.

Clerks at the IMA

Friday night The Hubs and I had a hot double-date with my best friend and his girlfriend! We planned it for a month, and bought our tickets online two weeks ago, and good thing because we were too broke to buy them that night. We scrounged up gas money, and confirmed with the sitter, who is a dear family friend and I groom her dogs in exchange for baby sitting. We packed a cooler, and some apple butter and home made bread and zucchini bread to snack on and headed out for a cheap but awesome night out.

The Indianapolis Museum of Art shows movies in the amphitheater every Friday of the summer. I went with this couple and another couple to see Rocky Horror last year, although this was the Hubs first time seeing a movie there.

We got there about 45 minutes before our friends and snagged a spot in the center back. Good for watching movies, but right in the blazing, evening sun! We also looked longingly at the full 3 course buffets other moviegoers had brought. I hope next time we come, I have a busier week in the salon so we can do it up! When Juan and Erin arrived, we spent a great hour chatting and drinking the two Sun Kings we had in our date budget.







All in all, a great night with awesome friends watching one of my top 10 favorite movies. Very thankful, since I needed a kid free evening!! We are all going camping next week, wish us luck
H.W.

Monday Message 7/18/11

I think this reading is mostly directed at me, but I'll pass it along. Some of you might need the same kick in the pants!
The Pook, Gloominus Doom, and the Payment all inverted.
You need to work on this, right now. Because your problem is your perspective, and you are letting it pull you under. Yes, you give too much, do too much, are too many things to too many people, but that makes it your responsibility to keep some back for yourself. If you are waiting for someone to notice you are killing yourself to do all you do, you will find only frustration. Give to others because it gives you meaning. Give to yourself because it gives you joy. Do what you must, but always keep enough of yourself back to stay centered at the core, instead of scraping away at yourself until you are paper thin and hoping someone else builds you back up. Ask for help when you need it, instead of hoping someone will come when you finally break down. Love yourself at least as much as you love those important to you.
I'll give it a try if you will...
H.W.

Healing List 7/14/11

Please send Reiki, prayers, or simply positive and healing thoughts to this list.

To include yourself or others on the list, simply post the names in the comments.

*****

Kathy E. in Summitville IN

The Edwards family

Sam, Jennifer,and the Finan family

Byron in Ft. Wayne

Gina in Indy

Caylee Marie Anthony

Hunter the cocker spaniel diagnosed with detatched retina

Gavi

The Monument Fire Pets and the efforts of volunteers to reunite pets and parents

Chris P. in Indiana, recovering from Spinal surgery 

Serena Weicht, Dorothy Heard, and family

Lauren Spierer, family, and all those searching for her

special note for the horses and dogs being used in the search

Tom, Joyce, Doris, Alverita, Chuy, Rose, and Bob and all those affected by the southern Arizona wildfires

 US "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and have lost 9 Marines in 4 days. 

Pickles

I have never canned anything, and have only even seen it done once. We planted cucumbers with the idea of beginning my canning career with pickles. Saturday night when we got back from Minnetrista (photos coming soon but my laptop is in for service and for once I used my camera not my phone) we walked back to the garden for the first time in about two weeks to find maybe 15 pounds of cucumbers, a few yellow squash, a zucchini,  and carrots.

We brought everything in as it got dark, and Sunday evening I dove into my canning maiden voyage. I now have 3 jars of frigde pickles and 5 that I processed. All of the five sealed correctly, and I'm feeling not so intimitated and mystified byhe whole canning process.

Hopefully they turn out tasty, because it does not appear my cucumber vines are done producing. My loved ones may be getting jars of pickles with their crocheted gifts for Yule this year! Now I'm off to make zucchini bread.
H.W.

Monday Message 7/11/11

Honesty, G. Hobyah, The Journeyman

You need to be brutally honest with yourself this week. Dig deep to find clarity, although you may not like the view without the filter of your ego to soften the edges. You will need this starkness of vision, however for the road ahead. The journey can have hazards, but you have to decide which are real and call for caution, and which are your own negative self talk. A journey is an apprenticeship, and is sometimes more important than the destination.

Healing List 7/7/11

Please send Reiki, prayers, or simply positive and healing thoughts to this list.

To include yourself or others on the list, simply post the names in the comments.

*****

Byron in Ft. Wayne

Gina in Indy

Caylee Marie Anthony

Hunter the cocker spaniel diagnosed with detatched retina

Gavi

The Monument Fire Pets and the efforts of volunteers to reunite pets and parents

Chris P. in Indiana, recovering from Spinal surgery 

Serena Weicht, Dorothy Heard, and family

Lauren Spierer, family, and all those searching for her

special note for the horses and dogs being used in the search

Tom, Joyce, Doris, Alverita, Chuy, Rose, and Bob and all those affected by the southern Arizona wildfires

 US "Darkhorse" 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families. They are fighting it out in Afghanistan and have lost 9 Marines in 4 days. 

Crochet-a-Long

Over the last month I have been teaching myself to crochet. You may have noticed...lol.

For a long time I had wanted to knit, and never really “got it”. I struggled with it, and was not very good or quick, and so didn't enjoy it. Someone told me that knit and crochet is kind of like algebra and geometry, people usually only understand one of the other. With that in mind, I went to the store and bought a cheap pack of plastic crochet hooks and some yarn, then came home and dove into how-to videos on YouTube on crochet.

As I am want to do, I dove in with both feet and have become obsessed. I spent every free moment in the past month with a hook in my hand. I crochet while dogs are drying. I crochet while taking a break from housework. I took a project to not one but two cookouts and crocheted while I sat outside and visited. I have even started a Stitch'n Bitch group that will begin meeting on the 18^th!

The first week I made hats and the tarot bag I posted here, and then I made an afghan for myself. The afghan proved to me that I had found the thing for me in crochet, because I went off pattern and it turned out great.

When I craft, it's kind of like when I cook. Instructions and recipes are more 'guidelines', and I usually take the general idea and shoot off sideways with it. I know for sure I have never made two pots of chili that were the same, and my craft projects tend to run that way. For the afghan I started with a pattern, expanded it a little, and added a ruffle from another pattern, which I also use in the pattern below.

Mojo and one of the new kittens, Walter have test-napped it and it's a winner.

So, why is this posted on Metaphysical Thursday? Glad you asked. I have started making Christmas/Yule gift, and one of the things that several ladies in my family will be getting are Prayer Shawls (shhh, don't tell them)

I stumbled across this when I was searching the webternets for patterns. The idea is to concentrate prayer, blessings, and healing thoughts for the recipient before, during, and after the construction of the shawl.

I love this idea, and on the site for the Prayer Shawl Ministry there are Goddess prayers represented. So I started my first Prayer Shawl immediately after finishing the afghan, and after about 3 hours of looking at patterns on that site and many others, I just decided to wing it. I think it is pretty good so far, for a beginner, so if you would like to Crochet-a-long, here is the pattern, such as it is. And don't worry about blowing the surprise for my sister, she is WAY to Christian to come on her little sister's witchy blog! 

Here is a preview of how the pattern is turning out, I will post a photo of the finished product when it's done.

I have a couple of pics in the pattern to clarify for beginners the stitching in the space as opposed to the stitch because that threw me off in the hat pattern I used for the girls hats at first. The hat was becoming like a shower puff because I misunderstood and I had to take apart an hours work. I hope to help others avoid it, there was much profanity involved!

So to begin, say a prayer to bless your work. You can make your own or there are many at the Shawl Ministry site. Then concentrate on prayer,healing, and positive energy for the recipient as you crochet, When it's done, bless it and give it to it's intended owner. It's a great, loving gift for someone battling illness or loss, or just to send love out to someone as a gift.

Valerie's Prayer Shawl

#4 Worsted yarn, Red Heart Sonoma Stripe or other self-striping yarn

US K/10.5 hook

SC=single crochet

DC=double crochet

TC=treble crochet

Chain 50, loosely (if using foundation stitch, count as the first row)

Rows 1-3 SC fifty, chain 1, turn

Rows 4-6 DC in 1^st stitch, chain one, skip stitch to end of row, chain 1, turn

Row 7 SC in the top of the DC in the last row

 and in the SPACE between each DC 

to end of row, chain 1, turn

Rows 8-9 SC to end of row, chain 1, turn

repeat Rows 4-9 until shawl reaches 'hug' size, fingertips to fingertips with your arms outstretched. It looks like mine will be around 132 rows.

Finishing

Do not turn, SC in same stitch to turn the corner and SC down the side the number of rows the shawl ended with, SC again in the last stitch to turn the corner and SC down this side 50. Repeat down the remaining 2 sides.

If you prefer fringe, stop here and add fringe to the ends. Val's shawl has a ruffle along 3 sides.

If adding a ruffle do not turn, chain 4 then TC into same stitch as the chain 4.

Continue 2 TC in each stitch down the short side, then 4 TC in the corner stitch. Continue around the long side and back up the opposite short side.

Chain 4 and turn.

Work 1 TC chain 1 into each stitch all the way back around, and do TC, chain 1 TC, chain 1 in each of the 4 at the corners

Tie off, weave in ends.

I would love to hear from anyone who gives it a try, and to see what yours looks like!

Happy Hooking!

H.W.

Wordless Wednesday