Polyvore

I discovered a new sited called Polyvore, where you create collages. The main focus is fashion, but I've seen collages of just about anything. When I found the site, I immediately thought of Kelly's Vision Boards. I think I'll use Polyvore to create my vision boards! This first vision board is a current obsession of mine to improve my wardrobe and I'm in love with white!
Vintage White - by dawnhoward on Polyvore.com

Dieting Tip

Women usually lose their appetite once their period starts, this makes the beginning of your period a good day to start a diet.

G.I. Joe

My brother Joe goes back to Fort Bliss today, he leaves for Iraq in a couple of weeks for his second tour of duty. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Angelus gives Uncle Joe a hug.

Museum of Natural History

March's Educational Playdate: University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History. Angelus and Trinty ran among dinosaurs, talked to prehistoric turtles and got lost in space.

Fast Breakfast

Peanut butter on rye toast with grapes.

Earth Hour

"Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world. As a result, at 8:30pm March 28, 2009 millions of people in some of the world’s major capital cities, including Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Melbourne, Brisbane and Tel Aviv will unite and switch off for Earth Hour."

Things To Do During Earth Hour.

- have a dinner picnic at a park -
- have dinner by candlelight -
- play flashlight tag -
- play board games -
- practice yoga -
- have a block party -
- go for a walk -
- make whoopie -
- paint -
- just be! -

Big changes often start with the smallest steps. Make Earth Hour 2009 your first step towards taking a little bit better care of our beautiful planet.
http://www.earthhour.org/

The history of Earth Hour:

Trash to Treasure.

Rummage sale conquest revamped. I love white spray paint.

Laundry Tip

When folding laundry, put clothes away organized into outfits. This makes putting laundry away funner and you don't have to put an outfit together half asleep in the morning.

Lavender for Luck

A Spring gift of lavender seeds.

"..there are some things I know for certain: always throw spilt salt over your left shoulder, keep rosemary by your garden gate, plant lavender for luck, and fall in love whenever you can" - Sally Owens, Practical Magic

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

Canasta

Playing Canasta is a rite of passage in my family. You grow up begging to play with the adults, who eventually give in and teach the family secret around the time you become a teen. Once you're good enough, you can play with the adults which, for us, is on par with a divers permit.


Ed and I started going over to my Dad's house toward the beginning of Winter and we started a Tuesday Canasta night ritual. Playing a couple games, listening to Bob Seger, Patsy Cline and eating red grapes. Some nights we threw in a shot of whiskey or a Duck Fart. Canasta night is one of my favorite 2009 Winter memories. Now that Ed is back to work and warm weather is coming, I'm not sure how much longer it will last.

On my mom's side of the family, the game is Monte Carlo, which tends to be a summer game.

Corn Beef & Cabbage

At the grocery store last week I seen the great sale prices for corn beef and cabbage and wondered aloud: How do you make it? An angel disguised as a fellow shopper with really big hair and too much blue eye shadow filled me in. It's easy, she says, just put the corn beef at the bottom of a crock pot and cover it with water. Then quarter the cabbage and put it on top. Let it cook all day, that's it.

She right about it being easy, but I was not prepared for the putrid smell. I started my traditional Irish feast just as I was instructed and then left the house to do some errors. When I came home, the smell was horrid, I was sure the toilet had over flowed or sewer water was backed up into the house. Yuck!

Ed, apparently, is more Irish than I am. He didn't even notice the smell. He came home from work and started eating right out of the crock pot.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

These Irish eyes are smiling! I've been blessed with a bunch of great happenings; Ed is not laid off anymore, I've down 10 pounds now and I got a new camera!

This blog is going great, I've had 1,700 visitors in the last 3 months and I'm amazed to see all the different cities, states and COUNTRIES that stop in regularly. Thank you for your interest in my enchanted endeavours!

My Irish blessing to you all: May your home always be too small to hold all your friends and may the Gods bring good health to your enemies enemies.

Look out tomorrow for my corn beef and cabbage experiment.

Hugs, kisses and ass slaps!

Interviews

If you would like to be interviewed by me, leave me a comment saying, "Interview me" along with your e-mail address. I will e-mail you with five questions. Respond with your answers and I will post your interview in my blog!

Update your blog with your interveiw. You can also offer to interview others in your blog.

Midnight Margaritas

Midnight Margaritas

1 part lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 part tequila (Uncle Jose)
¾ part orange-flavor liqueur (Triple Sec)
lime slices or wedges
ice
salt

• Blend lime juice, tequila, liqueur, and ice until slushy.
• Pour into glasses garnish with lime slices.
• For Salt-rimmed glasses: Rub rims of glasses with a lime wedge. Dip moistened glass rim into salt. Chill until serving time.

Lime Tip: Roll the uncut lime on a hard surface (counter) before cutting and squeezing it. You’ll get more juice easier!

Midnight Margaritas Incantation
Eye of newt, toe of frog, wing of bat, tongue of dog.
Adder’s fork and blind worm’s sting…
Barbados lime is just the thing.
Fragias salt, like a sailors stubble…
Flip the switch, and let the cauldron bubble!


Click to view video

Seedlings

Seedling are doing well!

New Look

I'm on a mission to improve my look, I feel like I've totally let myself go.

Starting at the top. I've got a new hair style, called The Rapunzel. The look is achieved on long layered hair with wide barrel curling iron. Curl 3 inch sections of hair, stopping just short of the ends (to avoid a 70's feathered look). Finger comb for loose flowing curls.

Next I'm purging my wardrobe of anything I don't like. How in the world did I start settling for clothes just because they fit? Or forcing myself into cute clothes that didn't fit right.

First step was getting rid of anything that doesn't fit. I may be loosing weight, but I'm not hanging on to anything in hopes of one day fitting into it. I can reward my new sizes with clothes later.

Next, I sorted clothes into two piles: comfortable & favorites. If it wasn't comfortable or beloved, it was gone. Items both comfortable and beloved were kept.

Then I went through the comfortable and purged anything that was dumpy or unattractive.

The favorites were all kept unless it was way to uncomfortable to wear. I'm all for a sacrifice for beauty, but looking like I'm in pain will outshine the prettiest clothes.

Lastly, looking at my favorites and defining my style. I like vintage clothes, soft & pretty feminine. I also like seasonally appropriate fabrics, colors and styles. Spring pastels, Summer dresses, Autumn brown corduroy and Winter faux fur.

Now that I've assessed my personal style, I know where to fill in the gaps and vow never buy another piece of clothing just because it fits or I want it to fit.

To keep the fire burning, I've been stealing a few relaxing moments with a cup of coffee to browse through store catalogs for ideas. I'm a totally frugal bitch, so buying items full priced doesn't happen often, but catalogs give me ideas for the sales racks and resale shops. I also get ideas from characters on TV shows or movies that have a style I love. Melinda Gordon (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) on Ghost Whisper a current example.


I leave you with a link to a blog that inspires me: Some Girls Wander. She has the boldness and audacity to write a blog all about her clothes, what could be more important? I can't think of anything.

Coal

When in Kentucky, I like to scavenge for coal. Living in Michigan all my life, I was fascinated my first visit to Kentucky to see large chunks of beautiful, black, shiny, smooth rocks found in plenty on the shores of the Cumberland River. When Ed told me it was coal, I was shocked; a far cry from the charcoal briskets used on barbeque's.

Coal is associated with the North and Earth, and it can be used with any corresponding witchery in that arena. It rules in Winter, Samhain and Yule; at night and in the third quarter to Dark Moon phases. It represents wisdom, the Sage and Crone and naturally, death.

My most practiced use with coal is making Anubis rocks. Anubis was the Egyptian God to protect the dead and bring them to the afterlife. On flat rocks of coal I inscribe Anubis' name in hieroglyphs. Anubis rocks can be placed on graves or in coffins, asking Anubis for the safekeeping of your dead.

Freecycle Parties

Invite friends and family over to bring a box of stuff from their house they don't want anymore. Everyone goes through and grab what they want from each other, My Ya-Ya Luna demonstrates above. Anything leftover goes to Purple Heart. Purple Heart picks it up from your door, how easy is that! I try to host one once a month.

Haircut

My baby got his first professional haircut!

Kentucky

We took a trip down south to Ed's family vacation home last weekend. Had fun as usual. Above photo is the gazebo in the yard and below are hiking photos from around Cumberland Falls.

Living The Secret

I love my Ya-Ya Kelly (a.k.a. Marchioness Never Shuts Up) and I love that she has started a blog about the Secret!

Blog: Living The Secret

The Secret is based on the Law of Attraction, basically it is saying that everything in our life we have attracted to us in some way or another, the good the bad the ugly the unexpected have all been brought to us because we asked for them. Even if we don't realize we brought it on ourselves. The Secret teaches us how to bring only what we want into our life and focus on the positive and not the negative. This Blog will be about learning and living The Secret.

Kelly and Me; Witches Ball 2007

Rules of a Domestic Goddess

Never return a tupperware bowl empty.

Measure twice, cook once. (double all recipes and save the leftovers)

Never arrive as an empty handed guest.

a zombie survival kit

Another gift idea. I did this a year ago for my sister Jessica's birthday, it was a lot of fun to put together!

Zombie Survival Kit:

Hair spray, to keep her hair from looking like the undead.

Candles, in case the zombie take out the power stations.

Lighters, to light the candles and when used with the hair spray it's a flame torch.

Chocolate with espresso beans to keep from falling asleep.

Water packs with electrolytes to replenish after running from zombies.

Monster trail mix for substance.

Maglight, it's a flashlight and a weapon.

Airfreshers, to cover up the dead corpse smell.

The Zombie Survival Hand Book

Large bag to hold everything, bag is also a weapon when swung around.

Lemon Balm

Re-purposed food jar, prettied up with ribbon, fabric and hot glue. This is a gift of Lemon Balm, dried from my garden, for tea.

Lemon Balm
Comforts the heart and driveth away melancholy and sadness.

Medicinal: Carminative, diaphoretic and febrifuge. It induces a mild perspiration and makes a pleasant and cooling tea for feverish patients in cases of catarrh and influenza. To make the tea, pour 1 pint of boiling water upon 1 oz. of herb, infuse 15 minutes, allow to cool, then strain and drink freely.

Angelus and LeRoy

Birth


1 year old


2 years old

Mixed Company Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mixed Company Chocolate Chip Cookies
Serve with milk.

1½c butter softened
1¼c sugar
1¼c brown sugar
1tb vanilla
2 eggs
4c flour
2ts baking powder
½ts salt
24oz chocolate chips in mixed varieties (semi-sweet, white chocolate, milk chocolate, butterscotch)

• Mix ingredients together in order given. When adding the chips, I like to seperate the dough and make different combos. Some cookies butterscotch and white chocolate, some semi-sweet and milk chocolate, etc.

• Place 2 inch balls onto a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart

• Bake at 375 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes

The Beckoning of Lovely

The Good Witch

"It's hard to shrink someone down to the size of a frog." ~ Cassandra Nightingale from "The Good Witch"