Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Weather Outside Was Frightful




We had our first snow last night and it turned out to be a storm. The snow was a very wet and heavy snow so there were trees , branches and power lines down everywhere. I was able to get my lights up on my porch but that was it. I didn't want to be caught under one of my trees if it decided to lose some branches.

I found the snow to be quite beautiful if not a bit destructive. There were many accidents and one man in our county was killed while trying to pull a car out of a ditch. Thankfully his four year old daughter was not injured. My heart goes out to the mans family and I hope the little girl is able to heal from her emotional wounds. It is very sad to think that she lost her daddy while he was trying to be a good Samaritan.

Despite the bad weather my girls still had to go outside and attempt to get frost bite. I always marvel at how children love the snow so much. I love the beauty and silence it brings to the land but not the clean-up I have to do afterwards.






They played in the cold snow while I put up the lights. I think it's time I put my poor scarecrows in the shed. I think they look a little sad. We got ten inches of snow in all but it is melting all ready. I was hoping it would stick around for a bit. My girls were loving it so much that we walked to school this morning. They made sure to walk in the deepest parts of snow that they could. Kids will be kids I guess.

Wishing all a safe and happy winter season.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Decking The Home With Love & Laughter

My girls and I had a blast decorating for Yule on Thanksgiving night. We bought a new Angel for the very nice rotating tree my mom gave us. We have even started a fun tradition for ourselves. We giggled forever over our new tradition. I'll share what it is later. My daughters think this will be the best Christmas ever because they LOVE the new tree and are excited about celebrating on the Winter Solstice instead of Christmas Day.  This will give them both a chance to visit their dads on Christmas. I have always been flexible with my oldest daughter and let her spend Christmas with her dad if she wants. I don't see any reason to fight over who gets them when have them almost everyday. I like the idea of celebrating on Yule anyway.

Now for some pics.


This is my favorite piece of furniture in my house(well, besides my dragon table). I love this cupboard that I found at a second hand shop.  The small stand-up Santa on top was my grandpas and the paper reindeer were made by my girls.


This is my favorite Santa. I really want his leopard print cloak.






The Yule wreath I won from Kim at The Wiccan Life. This is hanging outside my front door for those who visit to see.





The other Yule Wreath I won from Kim hanging on our tree.




Mr. Pumpkin. I won him from Magikal Seasons. I had to add a little Halloween to Christmas.
 



Our beautiful tree with the new Angel on top. We love her white feathery wings. She adds a bit of magic to our tree.




Shhh. Do you here that? Whats that sound?



SQUIRREL!!!!!



This was our bit of fun and our new tradition. My youngest daughter got this Fur Real Chipmunk for her birthday. While we were decorating the tree we had tvacation playing on the DVD player. Her chipmunk was on the desk and it was like we all looked at it at once and decided to put it in the tree. The squirrel part of the movie is our favorite. Now when the tree turns and they see it they run through the house screaming SQUIRREL!!!.

I still have the outside to decorate. It seems to be raining everday here. It is supposed to turn to snow today so hopefully I will be able to decorate soon.

Hope everyone has as much fun as we did while decorating for Yule.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Bah Hum Bug




Bah Hum Bug. I swear that's what I heard when my daughter put this outfit on Paco. I can almost feel his pain, the poor fella. He looks pitiful, doesn't he?

Bah Hum Bug is what I say to the whole Black Friday thing. I went once several years ago and swore I would never go again. I never need what is on "sale" and the crowds and rude people are not worth the bother. We did go to the mall on Sunday just to look around. (Sorry Justine, I couldn't find the mag with your illustrations in it. I looked everywhere.) Again, way too crowded. So today I will do the Cyber Monday. My girls have added things to my Amazon Wish List that they want. After I go to the bank to withdraw money so i can by an Amazon gift card I will shop away. Why not just use my debit card? Because I'm still waiting for it to come in the mail. I had to open a new account after the separation with my husband and it seems to be taking forever for it to come in. Oh well, at least I have that bit of money to buy a couple things for my girls. I'm happy with that.

The rest of the day will be spent paying bills and putting up lights outside. The inside of our house is decorated and includes a rotating tree that my mom gave us. I'll be sharing pics soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are enjoying decorating for Yule and Christmas. Now off to the cyber stores I go.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Truth & Lies



Truth & Lies
`Obinna Kenechukwu Eruchie~

Truth stands to last
Lies fall so fast
Truth shows the light
Lies bring the blight
Truth makes a way
Lies spoil the day
Truth leads to gains
Lies lead to pains
Truth you cherish
Lies you don't fish
truth gives one thrill
Lies make one ill.



One thing that I hate is when you know lies are being told and you can't do anything about it. You know the truth, but have no proof, or you people just want to believe what's easiest for them. This has been gnawing at me for the past couple of days. There isn't much I can do about it besides start a fight over this pettiness. I don't want to do that because I don't want to drag others into it. I think I will just listen to the Wisdom that was given to me.

The above picture is The Queen of the Light from the Wisdom of the Hidden Realms oracle deck by Colette Baron-Reid.  I drew this card last night for my nightly oracle message. I draw them to see if they fit in to what has happened throughout the day. I draw one in the morning as well. Which deck I use depends on the one that "calls" to me. Last night it was this deck.

One of the messages from The Queen of the Light is: " You can stand tall in your conviction that in your heart of hearts, you know the truth of your situation." This message hit home. I know the truth and in due time others will as well. These lies aren't really hurting me. They are just making me very angry. I am letting these stupid lies get in the way of my happiness. Time to just let go with a little wish that Karma will give this person a kick in the butt.

Truth will triumph over lies. I just have to sit back and enjoy the show.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving



May your Thanksgiving day be filled with love, joy,
cheerful company and good food.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

I Am Thankful For...

Blessings by Greg Spalenka



I Am Thankful For...

My two beautiful daughters. Life would be boring without my little monsters. You are the love of my life.

My blood sisters. Without your love and help I wouldn't be where I am today. Love you bunches.

My Spirit and Kindred Sisters. I have never felt so much love and support from people I have never met in person. I love you all!

My Gothic and Dark blogger friends. You have been here from the beginning and continue to amaze me with your delightfully dark  blogs.

All of the wonderful people in blog-land. You giver me something to look forward to everyday with you fabulous blogs.

My home. For she keeps my family warm and dry.

My car. Betty keeps on going though she is getting older.

My job. Without it I would not be able to support my family.

The Fates. For without the obstacles they throw at me I would not learn to grow.

The Goddess. For without Her I would still be lost.

For Life. I will cherish for the time I have left on this beautiful Earth.

I Am Thankful For....

Please feel free to add the things you are Thankful for.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Thanks Kim!!!






I won this beautiful Yule Wreath set from Kim at The Wiccan Life. This is the last of the four give-aways that I won in the matter of a couple of weeks. I had a very good lucky streak at that time. Yay for me!!! I can't wait till I decorate for Yule so I can put these out for all to see.

Thank you Kim for this wonderful give-away. I will cherish them for many Yule's to come!!!



On a side note, I have not been able to get to the computer for most of the weekend. My oldest daughter had a friend sleep over Friday night. She ended up staying the whole weekend which is the reason I couldn't get on the computer. They were busy playing games and talking to friends on F.B.

I hope to catch up with every-ones blogs today and tomorrow. I hope I didn't miss too much excitement!!

Friday, November 18, 2011

And The Winners Are....

It is time to announce the winners of my 100 follower give-away!!!

I had my youngest daughter "K" help me out with this. She attempted to write with Dragons Blood ink for the first time. She had a messy good time with it. We put them in my cauldron and stirred them with a magic wand and then she drew the names. She felt very big about doing this!



First up she drew the winner for the Avalon book.




And the winner is...



Victoria from Spells of Infinity  Yay V~  I know you'll love this book!!!


Next she drew the winner for the Gothic Tarot Deck





And the winner is...




Barb from Haunted Design House.  Yay Barb! I hope you enjoy these. I think you will love the artwork!!!


Congrats to Victoria and Barb. Please email me your address at vivienne.moss@yahoo.com.  I wish you all could have won something. Thank you all for following me!!!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Traditions






Every November my girls and I attend the annual Downtown Christmas in our little town. Last year I was very sick with a stomach virus so I was not able to attend. I had to scramble on the phone trying to find someone to take my girls. I did not want them to miss it. I did find a wonderful person to take them,. They were sad that I was not able to go but still had fun. We all have colds this year but we did not let that stop our plans to have a fun and wild night.

Some years the weather is cold and wet. One year it sleeted the whole time. This year the weather was perfect. Just the right amount of crisp cold air and it stayed dry for us this time. There was a very small parade, when I say small, I mean small. It lasted not even five minutes and moved so fast I couldn't get any decent pictures. I don't know why it was so small this year. I didn't even see Santa until he had already passed us. In years past the parade was bigger, even having a live reindeer at one time.

The other part of Downtown Christmas is the shops. They stay open until 9 p.m.(everything closes at around 5 in the downtown area). They hand out warm cider, hot cocoa, cookies and other delicious snacks. Some have drawings for wonderful give-aways. Of course I signed up for them to see if my luck was still running good. There is also a paper that you take from store to store and have stamped. Today they will draw names for gift certificates for the stores. We usually skip this part because the lines are so long to have the papers stamped. But towards the end of the night the girls wanted to give it a try. So we ran from store to store having our paper stamped. Boy were our legs tired after all that running around. Wish me luck!!!

One of the best things of the night is finding some wonderful treasures that we would love to have.





I love this Humpty Dumpty. Doesn't he look regal sitting in his grand chair?





I told my girls I wanted this gargoyle for Christmas. He is just too cute and would make a wonderful protector of our home.




The BEST part of the night? Spending it with these two crazy girls!!!


May our tradition of Downtown Christmas craziness continue for many years to come.




Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Night of Hekate



For all devotees of Hekate~

May Her torch burn brightly for you on this most sacred of nights.


For more information on one of the greatest Goddesses you can visit these blogs:

Love of the Goddess

The Deepest Well



image found here.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

It Never Fails......



It never fails that when there is a 2 hour fog delay for the area schools they wait till after I am out of the shower. No sleeping in for me. My girls are certainly snoring away, enjoying the extra 2 hours of blessed sleep. That's okay, I love the fog. I know it doesn't look like a lot of fog in the above picture but it is getting thicker and creeping closer as the morning progress. While the girls are enjoy that sleep, I'll head outside with a cup of coffee in hand and thank Nature for the beauty of fog that She has sent to us. As the world around me is wrapped in fog I'll feel the arms of the Goddess wrapped around me in love.

Before I head out to enjoy this most wonderful morn, I'll leave you with a quote:


It's not the clear-sighted who rule this world. Great achievements are accomplished in a blessed warming fog. ~Joseph Conrad~

Monday, November 14, 2011

Book Review: Vampire Ascending




Lorelei Bell has written a unique book on the ever fascinating world of Vampires. Oh, but there are not only vampires in this tale , there are elves, shape shifters, weres and demons. I love how Lorelei has created a world where all of these supernatural beings can be put in a story together and make it seem believable.

Vampire Ascending is dark and sexy with a touch of humor. I love how Lorelei has made the heroin a strong lead character. Sabrina Strong is a touch clairvoyant, meaning that when she touches an object or a person she can see into the past and future. It is because of this gift that she is hired by a master vampire to find out who killed his mate. Sabrina must also find out who took her best friend. With the help of the very sexy Dante ( a shape changer) she must set aside her fears to solve the mystery of the vampire killer and save her best friends life.

Vampire Ascending is a wonderfully sexy mystery that will keep you on you at the edge of your seat. Lorelei Bell has wriiten some strong characters in this delightfully dark book on the supernatural. The only downside? Having to wait for book two, Vampire's  Trill.



You can check out Lorelei Bell's fabulous blog here along with more information on her brilliantlly written book.

Happy reading, V.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Autumn's Wind



O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being.
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing.

~Percy Bysshe Shelley~




image found here.



Friday, November 11, 2011

Thank You




Thank you to all who have served to protect our country. Many blessings upon you and your families.



image found here.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

100 Followers Give-Away

Wow!!! I can't believe I have over 100 followers, 101 to be exact. Thank you to all of my followers but especially to the wonderful friend I have made here in blog land. Everyone of you mean the world to me!

I have been thinking of what I should have as my prize, I don't make things and right now i don't have the money to buy something nice for the give-away. It was while re-arranging my house that I had an ah-ha moment. I have so many books and tarot decks that I decided to give two of my faves away. I hope you don't mind that these are slightly used give-aways.

I have one "light" and one "dark" gift to give.

The "Light":




One of my favorite Goddess Spirituality books. My own tradition is based on this book. It is a wonderful book on the Avalonian Tradition and the Sisterhood of Avalon.  i hope this book will bring many blessing on whoever wins it.


The"Dark":




This is a delightfully dark tarot deck for those who love all things Gothic.  Even you don't read tarot you will enjoy the amazing artwork in this deck.




All you have to do to win one of these give-aways is leave a comment and let me know which one you would like a chance to win. If you want a chance to win both, let me know. This give-away is open to all. If you live outside the United States it might take a bit to get it to you. Being a newly single mom money is tight. Don't let that stop you though, I will make sure you get your prize.

The give-away ends Friday, November 18.

Good Luck to all, V.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

One Very Happy Lady and Three Relieved Dogs



Meet Happy and his very happy owner. Happy made his way to my doorstep yesterday morning via the girl down the road. She woke up to this adorable dog tied to her porch by a very short leash. D is the same age as my oldest and her dad works in the morning having to leave her to get up and get ready for school on her own( he is a single dad). She knows that if she needs anything then she can just come right over. I was the first person she thought of when she found Happy. I told D that I would take care of the dog until we found his owner.

My girls instantly fell in love with this little Ewok. Not so much my two dogs. They were not happy in the least. After I walked my girls to school I stopped at the little convient store that I work at. I let my co-worker know about the dog and told her to let me know if anyone was looking for him. I wasn't home 10 minutes when my phone rang. The owner of the dog was at the store franticly looking for him. My co-worker sent her right over to my house(you can practicly see the store from my home).

To say this woman was excited is am understatement. She nearly pulled up into my yard and I wasn't even sure if she put her car in park. I handed her Happy and she put her face on top of his fluuffy little head and sobbed. She told me he had run when she let him out in the early morning hours. The poor woman a had been searching for her dog since 2 a.m. She thanked me many times and made sure to have me thank D.

My girls were sad but understood when they got home from school. They had fallen in love with Happy in the short time he was here. My two dogs were very relived.


Paco and Gypsy




Gypsy the gentle giant. She's still a pup at 8 months old so she has a bit of growing to do.



Paco, I'm sorry, that's Prince Paco. Don't let his cuteness fool you. He's my attack dog. He also picks on poor Gypsy.



Thanks for letting me share my dog story. It made my day to see the joy and love on that womans face.

Coming up tomorrow: My 100 follower give-away!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Blog Awards, Give-Away Wins and More




As many of you know, I have been working on re-arranging my home since my husband moved out. Here is a sneak peak of what I have been up to. Please ignore the deer heads, they are my exes and he has not picked them up yet. I don't want to put them in the shed because I am afraid they we become ruined. I will just pretend they are Herne the Hunter watching over me as I sleep. I know, a little creepy. I don't think my living/bedroom arrangement looks too bad. it has a lofty kinda feel to it.

The fates must have known some hard times were about to befall my family because I have been awarded two blog awards and have won 4 give-aways within the past two weeks. How awesome is that. I almost feel guilty for winning so many give-aways but they have brought me much needed joy at this time. I hope that doesn't make me look greedy. I feel like I should not participate in any give-aways for a bit but with Christmas just around the corner that will be hard.

Now for the blog awards!




Sal, from http://stilldark.wordpress.com/, awarded me with this Gothic Blog Award. There are a couple of things that must me done to accept this award.

1. Thank the person who awarded you.
2. Pass it on to 3 Gothic blogs you adore.

1. Thank you so much Sal. You are so sweet and I absolutely adore your blog. Thanks for being a wonderful friend in my time of need!!!

2. And the Gothic Blog Award goes to:

The Ultimate Goth Guide the go to place for all things Goth!

The Haunted Rose hauntingly beautiful poetry

VainGlorySinner awesome at finding delightfully dark treasures

Thanks again Sal!!




I was awarded the Liebster Blog by BeWitchingYou. Thank you!!It's much appreciated.

Liebster means sweetheart or beloved in German. I love all of you so I am passing on this award to all of my followers. Enjoy and thank you for being my friends in blog-land.


Now for the give-aways. I am showing only 3 because I have not received the one in the mail yet. I will share pics when it comes in.


I won Pumpkin Man from Becca at Magikal Seasons. Becca makes whimsical ornaments for all seasons. Pumpkin Man hangs out above my computer so I can see him smiling at me as I type away.





I won Mr. Sexy from the wonderful Stacy at Magic Love Crow. Mr. Sexy is my new boyfriend. Isn't he handsome! My 12 year old daughter won't let me call him Mr. Sexy because it's embarrassing. I have to call him Mr. Vampire when she's around. I still call him Mr. Sexy just to tease her!






I won this beautiful Goddess Doll from Andrea at Goddess and Magick. Andrea also sent me this amazing altar cloth that all of my give-ways are presented on. Teodora the Goddess is very enchanting and now lives on my Avalonian Altar.


Thank you all for the awards and give-away prizes. They have brightened my days!






Monday, November 7, 2011

Silence


The Valley of Silence
~Fiona MacLeod~

In the secret Valley of Silence
No Breath doth fall;
No wind stirs in the branches;
No bird doth call:
As on a white wall
A breathless lizard is still,
So silence lies on the valley
Breathlessly still.

In the dusk-grown heart of the valley
An altar rises white:
No rapt priest bends in awe
Before its silent light:
But sometimes a flight
Of breathless words of prayer
White-wing'd enclose the altar,
Eddies of prayer.



image found here.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Busy Weekend

I will be busy for the next few days moving things out and re-arranging my house. Out with the old and in with the new; atmosphere that is. The girls have been wanting their own rooms so I am moving downstairs. Our living/family room is large so I think I can pull off turning it into a bedroom on one half and living room in the other. I'll share pic when I am done. I will try to visit everyone in blog land this weekend in between moving things. for now I will leave you with a quote.


"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to accept the life that is waiting for us." ~Joseph Campbell


Thank you all for the love and support you have shown me.

Blessings, V.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

The Gift



At the entrance to the hollow earth
we weave the worlds together
by promise
by bargain
by bond
by words spoken over stone.
We are the joy at
the handshake of all
good neighbors.

image and charm from The Runes of Elfland by Brian Froud and Ari Berk




In yesterdays post I had mentioned finding the Gebo rune in first picture. I took that picture with my phone so I didn't see the rune until I posted it and got a larger view. I have cropped the picture so you could see the Gebo Rune a little easier.




The Gebo Rune is in the shape of an X. It's main meaning is Gift. This could be anything from a present from a loved one the gift of a kind gesture from a stranger. In a more spiritual sense, it can mean a Gift from the gods. the gebo that is in this picture is such a huge X that I see it as a Gift from the gods. When the rune is sent to you from the gods there must be an exchange, which is the other meaning of the Gebo Rune. The Gifts are not always free when sent from the gods. You must make a sacrifice or promise in exchange for the Gift. My promise, or sacrifice if you will, is to study and learn the Runes. To become a Rune-Master. I have always felt drawn to the Runes, the way they appear in nature, begging you to take notice of the message being sent from the divine. I have been reluctant to study the runes in depth because I am more Celtic in my spirituality and the Elder Futhark Runes are of Norse origin. But I feel I have been given the okay to move forward with the Runes.

You may be wondering what the Gift given to me by the Gebo Rune is. A new beginning!




The Sun rose Phoenix-like this morning, letting me know that out of death comes new life. With the 'death' of my marriage, my girls and I are starting over and making a fairy tale of our own. That is our Gift and we will cherish it!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Leaves



Leaves
~Elsie N. Bradly~


How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,
Colors gleaming in the sun.





At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow.




pictures by Vivienne Moss



edit: I just noticed something in the first picture. For anyone who knows the Elder Futhark Runes, can you see the Gebo Rune in the picture?