1st Magickal work in months...

oh boy I was so sick yesterday. Still feeling it today too. But at a little bit lesser degree at least.
I did my 1st deliberate magickal working yesterday. Twice even. It was in the form of a bath ritual.
I've noticed when I do bath rituals. (I've only done two and they've both been with calling upon Isis).
But they do indeed seem very magickal and mystifying. Something magickal happens with the candle wax.
Is it any wonder. I'm working with water and calling out to an egyptian goddess. Makes sense to me.

With this candle. (I used a white candle this time). When the wax dripped down the candle and ran down
the candle holder, touching onto the surface of my bathtub, then reaching out to the water. Not touching the
surface of the bathtub at all. But it formed away from the tub. Like it was reaching out to me or my bathwater.

For my ritual I did not look up any spell or anything. I was too sick. And just went on instinct.
I knew that I wanted the healing properties of dead sea salt, rosemary essential oil, my words to Isis, and
a white candle.

I poured in the sea salt into my hot steaming water in a dossil circular motion, dropped a few drops of
rosemary pure essential oil in my water, lit my candle and got in. Chanting over and over and over:

May the love of Isis and Osiris heal and restore my body.
Envisioning Goddess Isis, mother and creator of all. Listener to all prayers. I could swear at 1 point while
gazing into the flame of my white candle that I saw the shape of an ankh. I blinked my eyes to refocus. But it was gone. It was to the right side of the flame. Then, after I got out of my bath I saw a bright small white light. Like a ball of light for a split second.

I'm starting to feel a little better today. Yesterday I sipped on chicken noodle soup and crackers. I was vomiting, no energy, slept, cried, a lot of talking to Isis and Osiris. Envisioning myself surrounded in a white light healing my body mind and soul.I still feel shakey and icky today. I can still feel sickness in my body. But it is less. The nausea isnt nearly as strong. And I'm hot today instead of freezing. lol

I also have a very painful back injury. I've gone to 2 appts with a chiropractor. I so strongly do not believe in this kind of medical treatment. It seems so violent to the body. I do however believe in deep tissue massage therapy but havent been able to get an appt yet to see anyone. I've also gone to see my medical doctor who gave me prescriptions of pain pills. But I hate taking them. So, i'm trying to not take them while i'm at home.
I'm so scared of getting addicted to them, that I don't take them when I need to. But they are so evil!!!

Blessings ~ Raven Sylverwolf

Just a little work rant...

Just a little ranting. I've started a new job after being out of work for 7 months.
I'm in nursing. I'm a C.N.A. (certified nursing assistant) Ya know, it is beyond me why it is so difficult to just show someone new where things are located at. Let them know the do's and don'ts. etc... Why is that hard?

I've been at this job for about 2 weeks now. Still havent been shown important things. Still today was asking where things like the MDS books are. Is there 1 located at each nurses station. Where can a bed change list be found, where is it to be charted at... Everything is SO different at this facility. I've only worked at 1 other nursing facility. And I was there for 6 years.  5 of those years was as a C.N.A.  Even simple things are so so different. Like stripping a bed. Turns out at this facility I'm not suppose to just make it up right away. There are other lists to look at, and do this, and do not do that.... Take something as routine as taking a full set of vitals. Turns out there is more than 1 way to do a full set of vitals. I was taught that a full set entails BP (blood pressure) Temp. Pulse Respirations and O2 saturation. But at my new job 02 and respirations are not included in the full set of vitals. Unless the nurse asks for it. Then she will do it I guess.

So frustrating when I'm trying to learn what to do and when, etc... and not getting the help that I need. Not being given the instruction needed etc...

Well, 2 days off to relax and do some housework and whatnot. And hopefully some scrapping too *giggles* Check out my new blog on digital scrapbooking. I want to learn to make my own scrapbooking elements. But until then, I'll just be posting my creations & challenges I partake in. --> --> --->   Magickal Makings.

sigtag by Jacquelyn @ CCP

HCG-Day2

Today is the 2nd day of our diet. It starts you off with gorging on fat foods for 2 days. This is called phase 1.

Yesterday we ate lunch/supper at our fave chinese restaurant. Plenty of fried fat foods there. I also had my bananas in strawberry sauce. *giggles* And then I had ben & jerry's half baked icecream for a snack later on.
Bye bye Ben & Jerry. I shall miss you muchness. *lol*

Today I am having pizza sticks. For supper we are grilling pork steaks on the bbq. With ranch and bacon pasta, home made mashed potatoes. Can't have milk on our diet. So I'm mixing sour cream in the taters instead of buying milk we won't be able to use after today.

So far. So good I guess. These 2 gorge days of pigging out on fats hasn't really gone very well. How the heck do you do something that you don't normally do, that you know is terrible for you? I just can't figure out the logic in it.

And the drops -- the base of it is mineral water. And it doesnt 'feel' like an appetite suppresant. Which I thought thats what it was suppose to be. ?? So, i'm wondering if the company we went through is a scam...

I'm excited to get on with the diet. Last night we did our grocery shopping. I didn't find the grissini bread sticks that we can have once a day. But got things like lemons, celery, lots of spices, onions, garlic, (I've never cooked with fresh garlic before lol), shrimp, chicken, beef, apples, oranges, grapefruit, .. Only spent about $130.00 versus 300.00!
A new item on my grocery list was 'rice vinegar'. I have lots of other vinegars always on hand. Apple cider, white, balsamic and red wine vinegars.

Bought stevia for the 1st time too. Bought a bag of it and a little box with the packets to take on the run with us.
Havent tasted it yet. And was disappointed that walmart didn't have all these different flavors that I've been reading about.

Got a bag of lemons and looking forward to making some fresh lemonade. Might have to just make it by the glass? hmmm no that probably wouldnt work. I don't know, will have to check my daily allowance for stevia. Not sure on that one.

Until tomorrow - Jules xo

my sigtag was put together by me
@ Hearts Enchanted Dollmaker

HCG-Gorge Day One

HCG DIET DIARY ENTRIES

Today my husband and I started day 1 of our HCG diet.
This is a 500 calorie a day diet with weightloss drops.
www.IntermountainHCG.com

Right up front I will say that after purchasing the drops. I've done
a lot more reading and probably would have not purchased the drops.
And I will also say that I am not understanding the logic of this diet. With emphasis
on the two fat gorging days.

The Idea:
Gorge on bad fats for 2 days. Like donuts, mcdonald's, ice cream.
Basicly all bad foods - the sky is the limit.
" I don't get it "

For starters I had gall stones 11 years ago and have no gallbladder.
Therefore those kinds of foods react differently in my system. I get

diarrhea very easily with foods that contain too much oils.

I've taken my 10 drops this morning.
I feel like crap, so I havent felt the need to be putting any food into my mouth.
I do not feel yucky because of the drops though. The drops are like water. (They are mixed
in mineral water).
I think its the A&W shake that I had last night... 

I will keep adding to this category as my diet progresses and you can follow along with me.

I've also ordered a book that I'm very very excited to get and learn all about.
Everyday Paleo!

Employment on the horizon...

Today feels like such a wonderful magickal day.
I just went and got my TB injection looked at on my arm. Part of a pre-employment
process. Have to have a drug screening done, criminal background check, and make sure
all of my immunizations are all up to date. (nursing)

It is negative. So now I go back in on the 18th and get stuck again in the forearm.
Then that one has to be read in 48 hours.
Being hired is pending all of these checks and tests coming back
clean and clear. Of course they will : )

It will feel soooo goooood to get back to work again. To get back to what I love doing.
Helping people...

I've enjoyed my time at home. And I feel as though I've grown spiritually and have
worked through a lot of issues and things. And it has given me time at home to be with
my husband, grandkids, daughter, on the phone with my sister Jenny and my son, and my parents.
My sister and I have done A LOT of talking. And that in itself has been so wonderful.

My new book about Embolc arrived recently. It's called Candlemas.
So, I've been reading in that some in the evening before bed.

~ ~ ~

PaganBlogPrompts: Out with the Old..

Out with the Old!

http://paganprompts.blogspot.com/2011/12/out-with-old-in-with-new.html



for me its more like out with the clutter!  And I think that before the new year begins is a perfect
time to de-clutter. Most people do it in the spring. But I think now would be much better. Then I
can feel like I'm starting the year new and fresh instead of bringing over all the old trash with me
into the new year.

I'm trying to make life changes. I don't refer to them as resolutions. Thats not ever worked for me.
I don't stick to them. So, I'm trying to live a healthier more balanced life. And clearing out my clutter
is definatly a step in a healthier direction for me. I'm not good with putting something away when I'm finished
with it. But I want to be better about that. I want to have a pretty home and for it to feel warm and cozy. Like
an old witches cottage tucked away at the forests edge.

Today I am starting with my bedroom. Which is also where my wiccan altar is. Where I do my thinking, studying,
praying, rituals... My bedroom has always been the center of who I am and where I like to be. It's a personal space.
Not just where I sleep. All my magickal beings are there with me. So, its the most logical place for me to start.

Over the past 10 months I have been on a path of change, learning, expansion, spiritual knowledge. It can only get
better from here :)

KWW - Steamed Broccoli

Kitchen Witch Wednesday

Steamed Broccoli

Well, for the 1st time since I joined KWW I feel like I'm actually writing about something that I know about.

Today, I am steaming some broccoli. I am even thinking of getting creative and adding some chopped almond slivers and raisins.

Broccoli has many healing elements to it. I read about 4 years ago that it is believed to completely irradicate H-pylori. Which I have had before its associated with peptic ulcers. And causes people to be very sick to their stomach. Unless of course you have your broccoli on hand! Of course my husband will be non too pleased to come home and smell it. *hee hee*

The healing powers of broccoli is very fascinating.
I encourage everyone to visit this page:
http://www.holistic-medicine-works.com/broccoli-nutrition.html
to learn more.

Running off now to finish my yummy broccoli!
btw -- broccoli is not suppose to mushy and gross. If it is,
it has had all the important nutrients cooked right out of it!

Life as a city witch.: Boxing Day Blues.

I also go through depression and I think this a wonderful way of dealing with it, getting through it, and being constructive :)
yeeeah to Sue )O(




Life as a city witch.: Boxing Day Blues.: I used to always suffer with the Boxing Day blues. As my husband is non witchy and it is only recently that the DD's have become involved -...

Holidays over- Yeah!!

I am pretty happy for the December holidays to be over with. For the last several years I get sad at this time. And christmas had become meaningless to me. I know that Jesus was not born in the winter muchless on December 25th. And christmas is so commercialized. It's a buy me this, buy me that civilization. And material things just shouldnt be that important.

I was rather hoping this year would be different for me. I had plans of celebrating Yule for the 1st time. But then I got sick right before I was to start making my candles for my family and got down and didn't have any energy to put up decorations, or make
my special gifts I'd been planning for months, or to make my 1st yule log cake. And now that I have enjoyed christmas with my
grandkids and family. And the dark clouds have lifted. I'm very happy to be past this time. Theres also a lot of controversy around christmas. I wasn't expecting that. I learned a more new things. And even went a step further and expressed my thoughts and view on the subject. Which is pretty pretty rare for me to vocalize a view about something, especially on such a strongly religious subject.

Now I am looking forward to getting back on track with my meditation and dedications. I miss my morning dedications. And reading, learning, studies... So I'm looking forward to that and to learning about the next sabbat. I can hardly even believe I'm almost through a whole year of sabbats! I started with Beltane. Started on the path of wicca just about a month or so before Beltane. The ending of march.

Why Would...

why would a woman stay with a husband that is not there for emotionally. EVER! All the difficult parts of her life have been handled on her own. When she should not have had to be alone because she had a husband. Isn't that what marriage is about. Togetherness. Love. Comfort. Figuring things out together. Doing fun activities together. Growing, evolving as a couple...

Why would a woman stay when she does not recieve affection, comfort, support, togetherness.
Why would she? And for 24 years!

For love... Because she loves unconditionally. Because maybe someday things will change. Because maybe he didn't mean those things he said. Because she has a big heart. Because she is afraid of change. Because she likes the things she has accumulated as a couple from him making good money and while she was making good money....

___________________
___________________

how many of us women do such stupid things for love. Sacrifice our own happiness in the name of love...

KWW - Sugar Cookies!

Merry Yule!

An old favorite for yule time for me is decorating sugar cookies!!

    

I will be baking my sugar cookies with a very good friend. That will make it twice as fun and twice as special and twice as memorable. I am so excited.
I even bought new cookie cutters too! *big giggles*

Since I'm learning about pagan and wiccan traditions. I thought that I would provide a link to the history of cookies. Maybe that will be a fun read.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/CookieHistory.htm

Other Stuff

I also got a brand new toy today!

Kitchen Witch Wednesday - YuleLog

I always look forward to the holiday cooking.
I try to keep them traditional as much as I can. It's not always easy finding those recipes. There is SO much available online.

I've never made a yule log before. But this recipe sounds good to me.
So keep watching for me to post more yuletide recipes that I will be making.
And as always photos will follow!

 

Yule Log Recipe

 

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 1 can (16 ounces) coconut-pecan frosting
• 1 can (16 ounces) milk chocolate frosting, divided
• Large marshmallows
• Baking cocoa

Directions

• In a bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; beat in chocolate and water until blended. Add flour and baking soda; mix well.
• In another bowl, beat egg whites on high until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in a greased and floured 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sprinkle a kitchen towel with confectioners' sugar. Invert cake onto the towel. Starting from a short end, roll up cake in the towel. Place seam side down on a wire rack to cool completely. Unroll cake; spread coconut-pecan frosting to within 1 in. of edges; roll up cake without the towel. Cut and reserve a narrow diagonal slice from each end of the cake. Reserve 2 tablespoons chocolate frosting for mushrooms. Attach diagonal cake slices with a little of the frosting to opposite sides of cake with remaining frosting. With the tines of a fork, make strokes in the frosting to resemble bark on a tree trunk.
• For the mushrooms, half marshmallows widthwise. Flatten half of each marshmallow for cap of mushroom; roll other half between palms of hands for stem. Attach caps to stems with the reserved frosting. Dust tops of mushrooms with cocoa; place around the log. Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 slice) equals 610 calories, 30 g fat (10 g saturated fat), 106 mg cholesterol, 337 mg sodium, 80 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein.

Originally published as Yule Log in Country Woman November/December 1995, p54

Kitchen Witch Wednesday ~ Coffee Cake

Home made coffee cake!

I have been thinking about my dad's home made coffee cake all day long today. I think I'm excited to make some. So, this week for Kitchen Witch Wednesday, I will share my family's recipe for our creamy coffee cake.

This is adapted from my great grandmother's recipe. I'm thinking the part that changed is the dough. We don't make the dough from scratch. But I'm thinking of adding something more homey and crafty to it this year. so maybe I'll find a good recipe for making sweet dough. So, in the modern age we buy 1 box of sweetroll mix.
1 large sour cream (16 oz I think)
                                        1 pint of heavy whipping cream
a drop or two of either lemon juice or white vinegar

Prepare ground cinnamon and sugar (heavy on the cinnamon) in a small bowl that you can easily shake/sprinkle from.

In medium mixing bowl stir together your sour cream and heavy whipping cream and lemon juice or white vinegar. Cover with towel and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl prepare the sweetroll mix as directed on the box.
Shape into ball. Leave in bowl, cover with towel to let rise a bit.

In a large cookie sheet with a tall edge on it, pour out your sweetroll dough. Start to softly shape it into the pan. It will take some time to get it all spread out to all of the edges. I just kind of push it with the base of my hand and keep working it softly and gently. When its spread to all of the edges
you will go around the edges the edge of your hand using it like a hammer to form an edge (crust) around it. And make it look like a swimming pool. *lol*  Cover with towel. Let set for 5 minutes.

Then go back and this is the fun part! -- fold your fingers down and use your middle knuckles to punch little knuckle divits all over the dough. (not the crust though) Punch, punch, punch... Not so hard to tear it though.

Let set 5 minutes.

Go back and do it again, the dough will be all nice a puffy and make sure your just getting it all punched down with dents.

Take your cream mixture and carefully pour it in the center. It will fill the pan right up to the crust.

Now take your cinnamon mixture and shake it evenly all across the top and all over the crust too.
Let it soak up the cream and have a nice even coating of it over the top.

Now lets bake her at 350 degrees for about 20 - 25 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown.

Now, my dad advises me not to eat it right away and burn myself. *lol*
But I will say it is best all warm and gooey! Whats a little scalded tongue....

I hope you will enjoy your wonderful Clayton's Coffee Cake! (my maiden name)http://momsawitch.blogspot.com