Shadow Work

For the last two weeks, I have been feeling more and more like I'm missing something. I know that it's something I need to work on or deal with. And it feels like each day whatever it is is coming closer. Almost there...

Last week, I hit a boiling over point. That point in which, I said, "No more! I can't keep doing this."

Yes, it's happened. I've hit burn out.

So, when this happens, I start to weed out the excess in my life. What do I need to focus on. What stays.

What goes.

In this current cleaning, I've noticed a few things. First, I've come back to my blog. I need to write. Journal. Get it out. Put my feelings into words and see if that will help me focus on what I really need and want.

So, I listened to Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine take the Lead by Tosha Silver. It was a good book. Sure it was a little circular and repetitive. But it started me thinking that I need to open up and listen to the path that I wrote before I came into this world. What I wanted to learn in this life. I feel I've filled up my life and time with many important and valuable things. But there's also some things that are no longer suiting me and what I need.

After that, I found another audiobook. Discovering your Soul Signature: A 33-Day Path to Purpose, Passion & Joy by Panache Desai. I'm only on day 3 but still. It's an interesting book about allowing yourself to feel emotions and let them run through you instead of cutting them off, tamping them down or ignoring them completly. By doing this, we allow ourselves to really cast off the excess weight and see what our Soul Signature really is. I don't know if I'll have any epiphanies from this book or not. But it's a great excercise in soul searching.

I have another book. Journey to the Dark Goddess: How to Return to your Soul by Jane Meredith. Sensing a pattern here?

Yep. I apparently need to work on my Shadow Self. What is internal that I don't show to others, or myself.

But I'm still not sure what I need to learn here. It will come. I'm open to it. Letting the Divine in. Letting Higher Powers guide me to what I haven't been allowing to flourish.

It'll be an interesting journey. But I'm positive I'll end up more refreshed, positive and centered.

For now, I'm just enjoying the journey.

The Picture of Dorian Grey

So, I just discovered that my library has audio books. Not just the cd kind either. I can now download them directly to my phone. Of course, that made me remember my 2010 Book Challenge. Yes, I'm still on it. I was bad and only read one book on my list that year. Ugh. I did read, just nothing on that list.

Here goes. I decided to start with The Picture of Dorian Grey.

I've tried to read this so many times, but like Dracula I just couldn't get into it. All the descriptions and old timey language just stopped me cold. But having someone read it to me. I just have to open my ears and pay attention. Or space out on the boring parts.

I have to say that I sorta enjoyed this book. I liked it more than Dracula. Ugh. That book dragged on and on and on and on.

This one was really only a little dull during the middle. When Dorian was talking about what he did after he discovered that he wouldn't age. There was this section of all these gemstones and tapestries and clothing and such. It was his materialistic phase I guess. Just kept thinking....come on get back to the good stuff. Some dialogue even.

The whole Faustian idea of the book really made me think. What if someone could really stay young forever and their picture aged. I don't know that the soul would really get ugly from doing something horrible. How many serial killers do we see that are handsome and charming? Granted this came out long ago. I guess though that their souls are probably as hideous as Dorian's picture. It would be an interesting situation. Since no one really knows what a soul looks like.

Hmmm.....philosophical discussions may take place in my household now.

And I have to see the movie that came out a few years ago with Colin Firth as Lord Henry (I think). 

Lately...

• I've been reading: The Trouble with Magic, A Charmed Death & Mermaids in the Basement.

• Enjoying all the "Happy Mommy's" from my amazing, little daughter.

• Visiting family.

• I'm happy that despite the rain, the temps seem to be going higher and higher.

• Trying not to get sucked into yet another tv show (True Blood) by my Hubs.

• Listening to The Ragbirds.

• Playing Angry Birds on my Nook.

What have you all been up to?

Early Birthday Gift

So, my birthday isn't until the end of the month. But the Hubs and the Wee One went, out Sunday afternoon and bought me my birthday present. Now, I wasn't expecting it. In fact, I didn't realize they had left the house last Sunday until the Hubs mentioned they went to Costco. (Granted, I was out of the house from 10:15 - 3pm.)

Anyway, the Hubs mentioned that he bought the Wee One a book. She told me it was a Tinkerbell book. Or rather, "Daddy. Book. Bell Bell." Which means the same thing in 28 month old speak. Turns out they left it in the car. I told the Hubs I'd go get it. No worries, right?

Well, the Hubs left my present on the front passenger seat. I played it off. But he asked me point blank at dinner that night if I'd seen it.

"Yes. But I'll be surprised." (For the Munchkin's sake. Since we don't get birthday presents for each other anymore. The Daughter does. She pays the other parent in Smiles, Hugs and Kisses. LOL)

So later that night. Hubs gives my present to our daughter. She comes running out to me, saying "Happy Mommy Birth. Happy Mommy Birth." And is so excited.

I of course play along. And she snuggles up next to me on the couch and eagerly watches me open it.

What is it?

Why my Nook Color that I wanted. I had to go plug it in. So I took it into the kitchen and when I came out without it, my Daughter starts crying. I soothe her and try to explain that it has to be charged in order to work. After some time, she calmed down.

Needless to say, the whole thing was very cute. And I've been addicted to my Nook ever since. I'm still not sure how all the bells and whistles work. But, I'm having fun, nonetheless. And I bought this cover.I wanted one that had a few pockets, had a closure and was only a bi-fold. I was a little sad to see that they only had black. No flashy colors to choose from. But alas, I took function over style. Maybe sometime in the future they'll come out with Style and Substance.

So, anyone with a Nook want to explain the LendMe feature?

Kindle vs. Nook Color

Okay readers, I need your help. Do you have a Kindle or a Nook Color? I know all the differences between them, and I'm honestly leaning more towards the Nook Color. But I want to know what you think.

This:

Or this:

Whew

It's been a hot few days.
Lately you can find me:

Walking. Man oh man it sucks walking in this heat. But who knows what the weather will be like in August, so it has to be done.

Drawing. With sidewalk chalk. The Wee One's newest and most favorite thing to do. She will get the chalk bucket and try to open the door to go out to draw. So cute.
Reading. Finally read The Girl who Chased the Moon. Great read. Really. If you haven't read it. Go immediately to your local library or bookstore and pick it up. Now. Go.

For those of you left. I've also been going to all sorts of family affairs. In fact, my Mom and Step-pop threw my Step-bro and I a surprise birthday party. (Our birthday's are 6 weeks apart.) Though it took me like 3 hours into the party to realize that it was, in fact, a surprise birthday party.

Cut me some slack though.
1. My parent's throw a big party at least once a year already. And they told me it was a summer party.
2. They didn't say "Surprise".
3. It was 2 months past my birthday.

Other than that, not much else is happening. Hope you are all staying cool and enjoying your summer.

Catch ya on the flipside.

The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells: The Ultimate Reference Book for the Magical Arts

A few years ago I bought this book Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells and boy let me tell you it's got an insane amount of great information in it. If you ever wanted to know how to make Holy Water, Dove's Blood Ink, Goofer Dust, Graveyard Dirt, etc. All the recipes are in here. Plus there's all sorts of spells on pretty much anything you can imagine.Excerpt Spell:

Five Eye Spell - (Banish the evil eye)
Five pairs of glass beads, each pair in a different distinct color, are required for this amulet. Dizzying colors dazzle the Evil Eye.

1. String the beads in a double row.
2. Arange them in a circle.
3. Post or wear.

A lot are this simple, some require odd ingredients and yet others are more complex.


The weird thing is, when I bought the book you couldn't get it through the US version of Amazon. Apparently there was some issue. You can still buy it from random sellers. But it's now been reprinted. And the Reprint of Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells is available through Amazon. It was reprinted in March 2009 and since I haven't seen an actual copy I don't know if there have been any additions/deletions or corrections, but I'm sure it's just as handy to have in your collection.

Book Review: Heaven and Earth

I guess I'll actually be reviewing both Dance upon the Air and Heaven and Earth. I mentioned earlier that I was re-reading this trilogy by Nora Roberts. But I never mentioned what the storyline was about in the first book.

Dance Upon the Air
This book gives a bit of the background for the three novels and focuses on Nell Channing. She's on the run from her famous husband who is abusive. She lived in California and ends up in New England on Three Sisters Island. (Hence the trilogy title.) She needs to come to terms with what happened to her, face it head on and possibly fall in love (with the handsome Sheriff Zack Todd). If she doesn't face her tormentor the island will crumble into the sea.

Now Three Sisters Island is named for the three witches that legend says conjured up the island as a way to escape the witch hunts in the late 1600's. Well the three sisters (Air, Earth and Fire) end up falling apart. Air falls in love with a gorgeous man and they leave the island. She has a few kids with him, but he ends up killing her. Earth can't stand that her sister didn't defend herself and wants justice so she ends up going against her beliefs of "Not causing harm" and kills him. And at the end Fire is alone her two sisters end up dying/leaving and her husband ends up leaving as well.



Heaven and Earth

This book focuses on Ripley Todd. She's lived on Three Sisters her entire life. She's deputy sheriff on the island and has turned her back on her gift for the last 10 years. She has to work through her issues with her gift, her friends and the "yummy" Dr. MacAllister Booke (Paranormal Science) who's come to the island to speak with Mia Devlin (the resident witch and bookstore owner.)

Ripley's story also parallels Earth's story from 300 years before. Ripley needs to mete out justice without harm and if she doesn't the island will topple into the sea.

I really like both of these books since they deal with magic and family and friends. Plus besides being a quick and fun read, they just remind me of the inner struggle I had in coming to terms with my own spirituality. Do I believe? What do I believe? What does that mean if I believe? Am I really that strong to face my beliefs, fears, etc.?

I'm currently reading the last book Face the Fire which focuses on the last member of the three Mia Devlin. I'll post a review on that as soon as I finish.

Crazy Wisdom Tea Room

I stopped in to one of my absolute all time favorite stores yesterday. Crazy Wisdom Tea Room in Ann Arbor, MI. It's just one of those magical places where you can find just about anything.

I ended up getting a few things. A book about Isis, A Mandala Healing Kit, a really, really cool book named The Rose Labyrinth, a silver ankh, and a chakra flower pendant. It's really pretty. Actually looks like this one, but with a clear center stone.


This store is such a cool place. You can go in and find any book on any new-age/paranormal topic. Native American, Goddess, Egyptian, Sufism, Vegan living, Yoga, fiction, etc. Not to mention the extensive tarot and oracle deck section, the incense and stone sections, to name a few. Then once you finish your shopping you can head upstairs to the tea room. Order a pot of tea, maybe something to munch on and snuggle up with your new treasures. Or you could sit with a friend and watch the world pass by on the street below.

Plus, they have a Tea with the Fairies that I'm going to take the Wee One to when she's a bit older. And apparently the Fey are as enamored of the place as I am. After all, the decided to take up residence.


There's a whole Fairy Door tour in the city, you can watch a little snippet by the artist himself below.



For those interested you can check out all the locations and a little bit more about the fairy doors here.

Favorite Book: Dance Upon the Air

Every spring I find myself coming back to this trilogy of Nora Roberts. It's a quick read, and I know exactly what's coming. But there's just something comforting in re-reading a well-loved book.

I love the theme of magic that runs through this trilogy as well as some of her other trilogies. In fact, there are three sets that I try to read every summer. The Three Sister's Island trilogy, the Key books and the Garden books.

Such a wonderful way to ring in the season. A good book, a nice cup of tea and a snuggly spot to while away a few hours.

What's your favorite book that you absolutely have to read each year?

Also, don't forget about my giveaway. You have until this Saturday at 11am to get your entries in. There will be two winners. One for the most entries. (You can do multiple random acts of kindness.) And one chosen at random.

There are a few Easter eggs or random things to do that can give you more entries. (Hint - check my giveaway tag. It might clue you in on an egg that no one's gotten yet and is really, REALLY easy!!!)

Hummingbird Cake from The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Some of you might know this, some might not. But Sarah Addison Allen has written three books. All of her books contain magic and food. Sometimes together.

Anywho, my Sister-in-Law and I made one of the cakes that she mentioned in her new book The Girl Who Chased the Moon for Easter Sunday.

Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped firm ripe banana

Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together. Add eggs and oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and pecans. Stir in the bananas last. Spoon the batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in 350 degree oven, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 pound cream cheese, softened
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and butter on low speed until ingredients combine. Increase the speed to high, and mix until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low. Add the vanilla, raise the speed to high and mix.

Alternatives

We changed a few things in the recipe. Instead of:

• 2 cups of Sugar in the batter. We used 1.5 cups of Agave Nectar. (Even though Agave is a low glycemic index sugar we used it more for personal preference.
  
• 1 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil. We used 1 1/4 cup Applesauce (I just had an issue with that much oil.)
  
• 4 cups of powdered sugar for the frosting. We cut it and did 3 cups powdered sugar to 1 cup powdered milk. (This was to cut the sweetness of the frosting.)
  

I really liked the cake! It was very, very good. I was a bit surprised that it's a three layer cake. And it was really dense. Or maybe our version was since we swapped out ingredients. If anyone else makes it, I'd love to hear if your's was dense or not.

I unfortunately was out of it when we were making this and forgot to take a completed pic. But it was very pretty and very tasty!

Here's a little Easter Egg for all of you for my Giveaway. If you have any great ideas for recipe alternatives. Like the ones I mentioned above, you'll get an extra entry in my giveaway for each that you post here.

Beware the Ides of March

Caesar:
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:
Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:
What man is that?

Brutus:
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15-19

Beware the ides of March. Keep your wits about you. I know I will on this gloomy, rainy, icky day. So sad that I have to go to a funeral today too.

Clarifications and Books

Okay, just to clear things up. I've been told, by a little birdie, that some of my entry conditions are a bit confusing for my giveaway. I updated this on the original post, but here it is for everyone else.

You get:

• 1 entry for being a follower.
• 1 entry for blogging about my giveaway and posting the blog address.
• 1 entry for every person that moseys over to my blog and participates. They must, however, mention your name. Otherwise, I wouldn't know who to give the extra entry to.

You can enter via the last two ways as many times as you want.

Ok, whew. I hope that clears things up. I apologize if it's confusing. I too don't always like to blog about giveaways and I don't want anyone to think that's a requirement. Thanks to the little birdie!!!

*****************************

Books. I recently have started reading a few old series. I read the first book of the Caroline B. Cooney Vampire trilogy and the first two Kelly Blake: Teen Model books back in the day. Well, now I have the complete series for both. Obviously they're not classic literary works, but it's interesting to read them now and to reflect on how I felt reading them 18-19 years ago. (Man I feel old now.)

In fact, I did a book report on The Cheerleader in 7th grade. Wow, does that take me back.

Are there any books you used to love as a kid? I have been meaning to re-read R.L. Stine's Fear Street Saga (Really Trilogy). See if they're really as gory as I thought.

Book Challenge 2010 - Dracula by Bram Stoker

Ok, as some of you might know, I signed up to do a Book Challenge for 2010 back in November. I finished one of the books a while ago and thought I'd review it for all of you lovelies!

I listened to Dracula by Bram Stoker. Honestly, I don't think I could have finished the novel if I had actually read it. The book's format really would have annoyed me. See, it's written as a bunch of letters, diary entries, and memos. So it's kind of a different way to read. The first part of the book is Jonathan Harker's experience in Transylvania. How he goes there. How he meets Count Dracula. And how he gets stuck there.

Then the book moves to his wife Wilhelmina (Mina) Harker's diary. And her day to day occurences at home with her friend Lucy. Who's trying to figure out who to marry. Then Lucy comes down ill. And her friend Dr. Seward (former suitor) can't figure it out so he sends for Dr. Van Helsing.

Eventually, the group figures out that Count Dracula is a vampire. That he turned Lucy into one. Jonathan was tourtured by Dracula's female entourage. And they must kill Dracula before Mina turns into a vampire herself.

Honestly, it's a good book. And quite interesting to learn about the Vampire mythology. But it's slow moving at some points (beginning specifically). So, I don't know if I'd recommend it to anyone to read. Listen to? Of course, especially around Samhain/Halloween.

Have you read/listened to it. What did you think?

Challenge: Books to Read Before I Die 2010

I've decided to join in Bibliophile's Challenge Books to Read Before I Die.

Here are the guidelines for the challenge:

1. Between now and December 31, 2009, make a list of between 10 and 20 Books to Read Before You Die.
2. The books on your list can come from your stacks or the library, and be in print or audio format.
3. Once you've created your post with tentative titles, THEN sign up using Mr. Linky, by pasting the link to your post, along with your name/blog name. This is how you will be registered. Finalize your list by 12/31/09.
4. NOTE: If you don't have a blog, you can still sign up and join in the fun.
5. All bloggers who complete the challenge will be entered in giveaway to win an Amazon Gift Card.


My current list: (May change since I already started it.)
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum
* Fahrenheit 451 - Bradbury
*A Clockwork Orange - Burgess
* 1001 Arabian Nights - Burton
* Don Quixote - Cervantes
* The Complete Sherlock Holmes - Doyle
* The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas
* The Man in the Iron Mask - Dumas
* 100 Years of Solitude - Garcia-Marquez
* The Secret Garden - Hodgson-Burnett
* The Shining - King Currently reading.
* The Bell Jar - Plath
* Catcher in the Rye - Salinger
* Treasure Island - Stevenson
* Dracula by Bram Stoker Finished. Blog post here.
* Gulliver’s Travels - Swift
* Walden Pond - Thoreau
* The Picture of Dorian Gray - Wilde Finished. Blog post here.

Some of these I read a looooooong time ago, or never finished before. I'm setting out to complete this entire list by Dec. 31, 2010.

Book Review: Undead and Unwed

While I was home sick yesterday, I decided to finish up this little gem of a book. It's nothing overly deep or complicated. Just fun, irreverent humor about being a laid-off secretary one minute and the Queen of Vampires the next.



Undead and Unwed by Mary Janice Davidson

Betsy Taylor turns 30, gets laid off, is killed by an SUV and wakes up dead all in the same week. The vampire community is convinced she's their prophesied Queen. But she's not having any of it - she's got shoes to buy! And now the undead world is being turned upside-down by a Bela Lugosi throwback and her subjects expect her to take care of it! Why didn't she read the handbook? But her would-be consort, Eric Sinclair, is (annoyingly) ever-present. If only he wasn't so tall, dark, gorgeous...and undead.

Author! Author! - Neil Gaiman

Today, Ladies and Gentlemen, I get to hear Neil Gaiman speak in Toldeo, OH. I'm so excited I can't wait for 7pm to roll around. He's one of my favorite authors and is very prolific in various genres.



Though I think my all time favorite piece is an issue out of his Sandman chronicles graphic novel. Sandman #19: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In this story, he tells us that Dream (Sandman) is Shakespeare's muse and that Dream gave him the entire story of Midsummer Night's Dream but that he had to promise to perform it whenever Dream asked. He of course agreed. And one day he's walking through the English countryside between cities and Dream appears. He asks Shakespeare to get his troupe ready for a performance. Dream will get the audience while he prepares. Come to find that the audience is the real life counterpart to the characters in the show. King Auberon, Queen Titana and Puck all appear to view the show. They of course offer their opinions and the best part (I think) is what Puck does at the end to show just what a trickster he can be.

In fact, this story is so good that it won the World Fantasy Award for short fiction in 1991. The only comic book to ever do so. After Neil won the award, some hoity toity's in the fantasy world decided that comic books shouldn't win that award ever again. So now, graphic novels/comic books are eligible for a Special Award:Professional World Fantasy Award.

If you've never read it I suggest you check it out.



And in honor of Halloween, I give you this little beauty. Neil Gaiman reading "The Graveyard Book" (a young adult novel).