A Refreshing Change of Pace

I follow a blog called Awakening Women and they had the greatest post last night I wanted to share.
It's about not being possitive. I personally think that sometimes we worry about being possitive so much, that we forget the value of being negative. I know it sounds counter productive but Toko-pa Turner outlines the benefits so wonderfully here:http://awakeningwomen.com/2010/12/13/owning-your-destroy/
I find it so very refreshing to be reiminded that sometimes you really should embrace your inner bitch. :)

My Holiday Decorations

I've finally got the holiday decorating done!
Whadya think?


The Tree:

The Front Window:
The Hearth: The Stove: The Console:
The Fish Tank:
And 3 of my favorite decorations.....

The Santa Tin: (He stays under the tree all season.) My Holiday Candle: And last but by no means least.......

The Golden Stagg: Happy Holidays, Everyone!!!

Sauted Tuna and Veggies Over Rice

I've noticed a lot of the Pagan blogs I follow include recipes. I love to cook and I've enjoyed some of the blog-land offerings, so I thought I should reciprocate with and offering of my own. This dish is one of my main go-to's. It's not only quick and delicious, but it's cheep! (I know, right?)

(Keep in mind that this is one of those “to taste” recipes!)

This recipes usually takes me 15 minutes from start to finish.

Ingredients:
1-2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 medium shallot (diced or sliced)*
1 cup frozen peas (or any green veggie - baby spinach is really good)
2 medium carrots (medium dice)*
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Canned tuna*
Salt and pepper to taste

3-4 sun dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon butter

Cooked rice (I use 1 8.5 oz bag of Uncle Ben’s ‘Ready Whole Grain Medley’ brown & wild rice)**



Directions: (Think of this almost like a stir fry dish.)
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan on medium/medium-high heat.

Add all of the veggies, the meat, and the salt and pepper to the hot oil.
Sauté until caramelized. The idea is to keep the carrots firm.
Add basil, pepper flakes, and deglaze with lemon juice.
Continue to sauté until reduced.
Remove from heat and top with butter to finish.
Cook the rice as directed on the package. Toss everything together in a bowl, and enjoy.

**To show the versatility of the dish, I served this over pasta in stead of rice. It works just as well, and you can top it off with a little parmesean cheese.



You can also finish with a toated sesame seed oil for a nuttier flavor.



*Any of these ingredients can be fresh or frozen or canned. (Tuna can be replaced with crab.)

Giveaway!!!!

Aine over at the Deepest Well is giving away a really cool bell wand. Head over and check it out!

http://deepestwell.blogspot.com/2010/12/yule-is-cool-giveaway.html

Virtual Tour - Library

Hi, and welcome back.
I'm sorry for this newest interruption, but work and trying to get MD settled back into the rehab facility has taken priority over writing for the past few days.

With that said, on with the tour.

This is the library. I know, it doesn't look like much of a library now, but trust me, it's in there. It's truly a diamond in the rough, and I can't wait to get to cutting a polishing it into my own little jewel!
Currently, it's being used as a storage/cat room. The storage will go, but the cats will stay.
Disclaimer: The wallpaper came with the house and will be the first to leave this room when the cutting/polishing part of the program starts. LOL!
The walls will be painted a soft buttery yellow and the trim will be fresh white. The carpet will be pulled up, so the original honeyed oak floors will shine.

This first shot is of the left hand wall. Currently, this is where my alter lives, but it will eventually be where the fold out love seat will go.



This is the close up of my alter. The four small candles are for the four Watchtower Guardians. The taper is for the Goddess. I have quartz, amethyst, ruby, and jet for Earth. The vase on the left is for sand to put out my smudge stick or to hold incense sticks for Air. The chalice has a small dolphin charm to represent Water, and of course the candles for Fire. The mirror was a gift from DD. It was hand carved. The reliefs are women and turtles. The chest below the alter table is where I keep extra tools. herbs, and moon water.


This is the east wall. This will house a row of lower cabinets topped by bookshelves that go to the ceiling. I'm putting in bench under the window that will double as storage. They'll be white to match the trim.

This is the wast wall and closet. The corner will become a reading nook with a big chair, ottoman, and small side table. The wall where the desk is will be build out with upper cabinets, and a work surface the will have doors that I can close. This will be my 'home office'.

In the very corner, over the closet doors, and under the south window (in the reflection of the mirrored closet doors, which are going away), will be climbing/scratching posts and shelves for the cats.

As you can tell, I've got big plans for all my rooms. The goal is to complete most of the major projects within the next 2 years. One of the reasons I've invited you all in and shared so many details, is I'm hoping with will keep me on track. I'll post pictures as the projects progress.

Well, that concludes the tour of our home.

Thank you all again for coming. You're welcome any time.

Virtual Tour - Bed and Bath

This is our master bedroom. As it's just DD and me, the other 2 bedrooms are being used as an office and a library. Our bedroom has not been redecorated since we moved in 12 years ago. LOL! As you can see the walls are very white. I haven't really decided on a color for the walls, but I usually stick with earthy neutrals as a rule. I'm planning on replacing the bed frame with a platform bed with storage drawers underneath in a dark wood with a wood slate or leather headboard. (This house was built in 1953 and is obnoxiously short on storage.) I'm going to refinish the bedside tables to a dark mahogany.



This is the wardrobe I got from my Nannie and Grandaddy. No improvements needed here.

This is the matching vanity. Again, no improvements needed.

And this is our bathroom. There is only one picture as there is only one angle to take a photo from and that's the hallway. Did I mention the house was built in 1953? Not big on the luxury home spa in the 50's evidently. LOL the tub/shower is to the right of this picture. My plan is to replace the tub with a show stall with floating glass doors. The pink wall tile and the black/white floor tile will be gone as will the pink sink. My plan is to drywall the walls, and use matching 12 X 24 faux marble tiles on the shower walls/floor and continue them onto the floor of the room. the walls will be a pale see glass green and the sink will be on a small mahogany colored vanity.

Last but not least, let's look and the 'library'.

Virtual Tour - Dining Room

These are the steps from the kitchen to the dining room. We built these after we took down the wall that separated the two. The tiles on the end are ceramic and made to look like travertine, the smaller ones are slate. The ugly carpet will be replaced with wood some day.

Beside the stairs is the laundry nook. That's too sad to photograph now, but I have plans for that little room, too.

This is the view from the kitchen. Table is a family heirloom, and will showcased in the "new" decor.

The wood stove will be replaced with a wall mounted gas fireplace. The brick will be glazed, and we'll add a mantel and cabinetry.

This is the far corner. The hutch and the coat tree will be replaced with built in cabinets.

This whole end of the room will have built in cabinets. (That stack of boxes in the floor is the laminate for the floor.)

Next, we'll look and the bedroom and the "library".

Life Happens.

DD's mom, MD was taken back to the hospital last night. Her UTI has flared up again. The good news is the tests show that the bacteria is strep and not MRSA, so her latest round of antibiotics have been effective against the MRSA. Now we just need to get rid of the strep. She should be home in a couple of days.
I hate this for DD. This past year has been so very hard for him, his mom, and his brother and sister. She's been in and out of the hospital, numerous times,and because she's 84 years old, diabetic, and has congestive heart failure, everytime she's down for more than a few days, she has to go back into a rehab facility. It's just so scary for him.
We are thankful that this episode isn't more serious, and the prognosis looks very good. It also reminds me to be thankful for the health of all of our other loved ones.

Sorry for the sad news on such a happy day, and I truely wish love, light, health, and joy to all of you and yours this holiday season.

So, this is the kitchen. As you can see, this is a work in progress.

Unfortunately, we won't be able to save the cabinets. The house was built in 1953, and they are original. They have given their all. So the fridge is going to go where the dishwasher is now, and the dishwasher will be moved to the right toward the sink.
I'm hoping for a solid surfice counter. Quartz would be nice, right? I'd like to trade out the stove for a double oven. That pantry's going bye-bye. I know, it's a lot of storage, but it's very "un" user friendly storage.

This fridge will eventually be replaced with a french door/freezer on the bottom model, and that wall, that's between the kitchen and the living room will come down. I'm transforming it into a peninsula with a gas cook top.

This is the corner between the living room and dining room. It will become the new pantry.

Well, that's the kitchen. Let's head into the dining room next.

Virtual Tour - The Living Room

Hi, all and again: Welcome to our home.

Now that you've met the family, let's take the 50 cent tour. We'll start with the living room.

Inside the front door, you'll see the fish tank turned candle display. And these are the "Mama and Papa's" chairs. I'm hoping to replace these with a double-recliner-love seat type thing, so DD and I can snuggle together while we watch TV.


This is the new dog couch, (Happy Boxers!!), and my little jungle. Look closely. This is the closest thing I'll every have to a garden! Some day this window will be replaced with an insulated one that can be cleaned from the inside.

On the opposite side of the room: Extra seating and the door to the kitchen. The wall to the left of this photo will eventually have built in cabinets to surround the TV and console. They'll be white to match the trim.

The door to the hallway. This door will be replaced with a 4-5 glass panel door reminiscent of a Shoji screen.

This is a piece that my grandmother left to me. I have no idea what it was originally but it's my TV console now. I love it.

Well that's the living room, and our plans for it. Lets head to the kitchen next.........

My Day

This is why I wasn't able to continue with the virtual tour today.

I was at Mom and Dad's house helping them get ready for the holidays. Mama and I spent the day putting up her Chistmas tree. Didn't it turn out awesome? She's so good at Christmas trees.

The Devil's in the Details

I was waxing nostalgic today.

Any one remember this one?

For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For the want of a shoe, the rider was lost.
For the want of a rider, the battle was lost.
For the want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.
All for the want of a horseshoe nail.

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties. Please Stand By.

We interupt your previously scheduled Virtual Tour for this important anouncement:

Do to some camera issues, I don't have the promised photos of the house to post. I'm very sorry, and I promise we'll continue the tour as soon as the issues are resolved. Thanks for your understanding.

A Glitch In The Matrix

Over the past few weeks, I've been experiencing multiple déjà vu episodes. Considering until recently, I've only experienced déjà vu a handful of times in my entire life, this is just strange. To make matters worse, it seems to be revolving around DD.
Since I have no information to pull from, I thought I would throw this out to you guys. Any advice?

My Home - The Projects

In celebration of my new friends/followers, (13 - How cool is that?), I wanted to have a little get together. I know this isn't feasible since we live all over the place, so I did the next best thing. I'm putting together a virtual tour of my home to share with you. We have quite a few remodeling/redecorating projects in various stages of planning/working, so thought I'd go one or 2 rooms at a time.
I'm taking pictures and learning to post them now, so I should have the first room of the tour ready for company in a day or two. I'll see you then.

Virtual Tour - Meet the Family

Welcome, and thank you all for coming to my first house party. Let me introduce you to the family.
This is my husband of 13 years, DD, and our 2 Boxers (More on them in a minute!) We met at work and quickly became best friends. We were married a few years later.

This is Laredo. He turned 5 on March 1st. We adopted him 2 years ago in November. He was a "spur of the moment" rescue situation. Normally, I would advise against something like that, but this has been one of best uneducated decisions I've ever made.

Next, please meet Layla, she just turned 1 year old on July 1st. She was rescued from a very bad animal shelter by Boxer Rescue. We decided to adopt her after we lost our elderly German Shepherd, Simba. We realised that Laredo was definitely NOT a one dog family kind of guy.

They were very happy with our decision to expand the pack.

We also accidentally adopted 2 cats last year. They were kittens found under a friends porch. Both she and her husband are dangerously allergic to cats, so DD and I decided to rescue the liter-mates and foster them until we could find a no-kill shelter to handle their adoptions. Yeah, well. Who knew all the shelters in the mid-state area would be full for the next 6 weeks?

First, please meet Fred. He's the lover (and talker) of the feline branch of our family tree.

(He has a thing for terrycloth.)

And last, but not least, meet Ginger. She is our little "feral kitty". She's the main reason we decided to keep the cats. It took her 2 weeks to work up the courage to come down the hall into the living room with the rest of us. She made about 6 inches a day. I didn't have the heart to make her go through that again with another family, and we certainly couldn't break up the set.

The great thing is all of our "kids" actually met each other like it was a reunion, not an introduction.

Well so much for the introductions. we're all so glad you could make it. Help yourself to refreshments and we'll start the house tour soon.

On the 20th Day of Halloween

Don't forget to hop over to Mrs. B's Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom for more great giveaways and guest bloggers.

Wendy over at Year of the Cats, introduced her readers to her friend 'Envy', yesterday. She shared a story about her mother that 'subdued' her natural muse. I wanted to share a meditation that I practiced to help heal some damage caused to my childhood-self by my maternal grandfather. It's been very helpful and empowering for me.
Close your eyes and picture the moment your mother accused you of copying that story as if your 'current-self' is a 3rd party standing across the room watching the scene between your 'past-mother' and your 'childhood-self'. Include every detail you can remember and freeze the 'frame' right after the moment your past-mother said those ugly words to childhood-you. Approach your mother as your current-self and tell her exactly what you think of her at that moment. Don't hold anything back! Express everything, no matter how ugly it might feel. When you’re done releasing that emotion, tell her that you no longer need her baggage and she (past-mother of that moment) can't be part of your life any more. Once that is done see her walking away and out of the scene.
Now, you have some apologizing to do. When this happened you allowed a part of yourself, your strength and imagination, to be left behind and trapped in that moment. So now, you have to bring her home. Approach your childhood-self. Look her in the eye and apologize to her with all your heart. Tell her how sorry you are that you left her behind. Let her know she is an important part of you and that it is time to come 'home'. This is where is gets difficult, and it may take a few tries to accomplish. Forgive yourself. It's that simple, and that complicated. You allowed this to happen to you and you left a part of your childhood trapped and unprotected, but it's OK now. You deserve to be forgiven. When you can do this, embrace your childhood-self and be whole again.
You will have to repeat this meditation for awhile before it works completely, and it won't be easy. It took me months with guidance, but eventually, I was able to let it go and let the old wounds heal. The good news is, you'll know when it happens and you won't need to go there anymore.
I hope this helps.

I'm Still Here!!

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post any thing in a month. I can't believe it's been that long. I'm still trying to blog, unfortunately, overtime and migraines have kept all non-essential activites at a stand still. I promise I'll post more later.
Thanks for your patience.
~td

Thanks to Kallan over at The Secret Life of an American Working Witch, for my first official "referal", and welcome to those of you who have decided to read my posts. Thank you for spending your time with me today.

I was just reading a post from Liz on Lizzie's Logic (http://lizzieslogic.blogspot.com/2010/09/serenity-sunday.html) about writing a gratitude journal. One of the rules is that in every entry you list 5 things you are grateful for, (#5 on her list was fabric softener!). Isn't that a great way to keep yourself in check? I know for myself, I combat stress with sarcastic humor. This can occasionally lean toward the Dark Side, and some times I need a little reminder of the positive things in my life. So here's the 5 things I'm grateful for today:

1.) My husband/best friend (DD)
2.) Our 4 fury youngun's (more on them later)
3.) Having the greatest parents EVER! (No, really!)
4.) My newly evolving, grown-up relationship with my sister
...and in the tradition of Miss Liz....
5.) Indoor plumbing!

So how about you? What are you thankful for today?

Aha Moments

You know the ones I'm talking about. When you run across an action or idea that's so simple and profound that you can't believe some one actually had to point it out? That "Aha Moment"? I had one the other day. I was reading a blog post on Charmed I'm Sure, by Miss Sugar, http://dropoutdilettante.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-am-who-i-am-who-i-am-who-i-am.html?zx=18ca2e26f9696a76 and she made the point that, basically, your perspective isn't the only one. Wow! Where's that been all my life?
So, as I sat there, smaking myself on the forehead, I started thinking about all of the places in my life that this applied to. Holly Hannah, there were a lot of them. All those discussions with friends and family; I spent hours solving all the world's problems. What an a$$hat I can be, sometimes.

Well, now for the "learning from my mistakes" portion of our program. How can I apply this revelation to my life? How do I use this to become a better person, a better friend, a better companion? I think I'll simply start by remembering what she said and trying to apply it to as many situations as I can. that should get the ball rolling.

I'll still try and solve the world's problems. I don't think I can help myself. :o

The Birthday Dinner Party

DD and I are hosting a small dinner for my cousin, SS and her husband RS to night. Yummy Italian, and good friends. What more can you ask for? Since DD had to work Saturday, I was stuck with most of the house cleaning and yard work, (It's been over 100 degrees this weekend!), which was hard, but that's OK because he's earning the money. Tonight is also the full moon. I'm going to try another candle for MD's health and recovery.
MD is doing much better in her new (old) rehab facility. Over the past few weeks, she's shown great improvement. Unfortunately, that means she getting a lot crabbier about being in the rehab facility, and about the fact that she's not in charge. I'm so glad she's feeling better, and I'm amazed every day by that woman's strength. this last time, I really thought she wasn't coming home, but she was alert and feeling 75% better within 2 days. That's incredible considering she is 84 and had pneumonia and a urinary tract infection with a white blood cell count of 32000. She is one impressive woman.
I finally got my entire collection of Pagan study notes transferred to Word, including my current project, the Gilded Tarot deck. I've gotten through the 1st 3 suits and am currently working through the Pentacles and will start on the major arcana next.
GD seems to have worked through most of her trust issues with LD. After the Incident, I wasn't sure we'd ever get back to a relaxed pack, but I'm hopeful again.
Blessed Be.

I Love Pandora Radio

If you haven't tried it, go, now.

In reading over my last post I realized I made an error. I found my first reference to Paganism in 2007, not 2009 as previously stated. Don't know what I was thinking! :)
Oh well, on to this week.
This week DD and I learned that all physical rehabilitation facilities are not created equal. DD's mother, (MD) is in her mid 80's and has had an unusually rough time medically since the beginning of 2009. She has type 2 diabetes, conjunctive heart disease,and is a breast cancer survivor (double mastectomy). Remarkably, other than these 3 things she has been relatively active and healthy until recently.
In the past year she has been hospitalized 3 times for blood sugar, and cardiac complications. the last 2 times have resulted in her living temporarily in 2 different short term rehab facilities. The last one was great in terms of medical care but not great food, so this time she wanted to try another local facility that was reported to have better food. They did. Unfortunately, that's all they've got going for them. The nursing staff are disinterested to say the least. Twice in as many days, MD and her roommate have been left in soiled bed sheets. MD has been left w/out anything to drink for hours, and her oxygen tube has been left off twice after getting her dressed for the day. Many of the patients have horrible dental hygiene, and they all look miserable. The energy in this place is almost overpowering. One of the patients latched on to my arm as I walked by her in the hall and asked me not to leave her. When I explained that I had to see after another patient, and asked if she wanted a nurse, she answered emphatically, "NO!" and let me go.
I was attuned in 1st level Reiki about 6 months ago and have been practicing on myself and family members, but yesterday was the first time I tried to give Reiki to a place and/or a group of people. I just begged for peace and healing for the entire situation, and cried all the way home.
We're moving MD back to the first facility as soon as the administrations offices at both places after the 4th of July holiday. I've decided I'll cook for her and bring dinner everyday so she can't complain about the food (overly much). As soon as we get her out we're reporting that place to the state and Blue Cross/Blue Shield. I keep getting the feeling that those other patients are just in a holding facility waiting to die. They're definitely not being cared for.

OK - On to less depressing matters.
I've been transferring my Pagan/Wicca/Witchcraft study notes (my Book of Shadows, if you will) from a paper notebook to my computer. I didn't think I had taken that may notes. DANG!
I'm getting tired of typing! :)
Part of those notes are my self study course on the Gilded Tarot Deck. My fist tarot deck. (IT'S SO PRETTY!! I like pretty.) I've been studying this deck one card at a time for months and was having a really hard time because I could only get through 2 or 3 cards at once because I would get so tired. i took the suggestion of a FB acquaintance and tried using the violet flame meditation before working this the cards and , what do you know, it helped. i was very pleasantly surprised. My next study session I worked through 12 cards before I started getting tired. If you've never tried this meditation, it's very simple and so worth the time and effort.

Well that's enough for now. See you next week.

Getting Started

Hello.
I'm TD and this is my shinny new blog.
Creating and maintaining this Journal is a challenge to myself.
As a child, I loved to write. I loved to read and get lost in stories. Although I still read (A LOT!), I've stopped writing. I'm now in my late 30's wondering If I would still enjoy it.
I've never been one to write about myself, or 'real life', but I've found myself at a new and potentially exciting phase in my life. I've finally discovered my 'spiritual side' is not strange or unheard of. About a year ago I realized that the belief system I've been depending on since childhood was not a disbelief in everything spiritual, but was simply a disbelief in religion. I'm not agnostic, or an atheist. I'm Pagan. Who knew?
I've been researching and study various aspects of what that means over the past 2 years and have gained quite a bit of knowledge. Now it's time for me to apply this to myself and discover what it means for me and my husband (DD).
So here's my challenge: Stop hiding behind others opinions and notions of me and face myself unfiltered.
Who am I? I am a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a wife. I am a 'sender' in a family of 'receivers'. I am an animal lover. I am a full time employee - I hesitate to use the term "career woman" as I'm not sure if my current professional position is where I want to linger much longer! I am a female member of a matriarchal family, a head-strong woman from a clan of mighty women. I am a loyal friend. I am an Aquarius. I've been described as a romantic and a realist.
And this is just the beginning.......