The Haven

The new year has already brought some life-altering changes around here, some good and some not.  Nothing life-threatening, just things that need to be dealt with and worked through.  This has caused a shift in my priorities...so I'm taking a break from blogging for a while to sort out a few things and get back on track.  I hope to be back sooner rather than later, but I promise I'll be back as soon as I'm ready. I hope the new year is treating you all well.  Best wishes! ~Heathen

Do you have your 7-day candle ?  How about your list of things to bring into the new year?  I did a post on resolutions last year so I won't bore you with a repeat post. I hope you all have at least one thing you want to carry over into 2012.  I know it was a rough year for a lot of us, but tomorrow is a brand new day! So, remember the lessons learned along the way and make some happy plans for a good year to come.  Happy New Year my friends! ~Heathen

The best, most exciting part of the Holiday season is here...Christmas Eve is tomorrow!  It's time for last minute wrapping and baking, organizing the gifts under the tree just so, tucking away the unused decorations and settling in with some yummy cocoa and holiday movies.  It's time for visiting with friends and family, enjoying all the decorations and hard work that was put into this Holiday.  The anticipation and good cheer abound!  Take a little pride in all you've accomplished and don't worry about the things that didn't get done.  Be merry and enjoy the Holiday in whatever way you choose to celebrate! ~Heathen

Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, is the longest night of the year.  After the Solstice, the days begin to grow longer again as the Sun begins its return.  Yule is a time for introspection and planning of the future as well as a celebration of the rebirth of the Sun. Customs and Activities: caroling burning the Yule log (or candle) kissing under the mistletoe baking sweets Colors: red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange Decorations: Yule log (or candle) evergreen boughs or wreaths holly & mistletoe candles clove studded fruit poinsettias stars stags Foods: pork or poultry dishes fruits & nuts ginger tea cookies eggnog cider Scents of the season: pine cedar rosemary sage peppermint cinnamon

Join me for a moment in a wonderful fairy tale land. A magical place where it only snows from December to January. The holidays are frosted in white sparkling snow and the air itself glitters with tiny falling snowflakes.  The scents of pine, rosemary, and peppermint linger everywhere in the cold, crisp air.  Everything is decorated and twinkles both day and night.  Happy people bustle about preparing for the celebrations ahead.  It's a place for scarves and mittens, thick sweaters and knit caps, hot chocolate and spiced cider. The various holidays are celebrated with joy and the new year begins. And just like that...the snow is gone.  Leaving everything clean and refreshed, ready to embrace the quiet time and patiently await the return of the Sun. May your days be merry and bright! ~Heathen

The decorations are up, the gifts are bought, wrapped and under the tree.  All that's left to do is plan the meal and clean.  I can't believe I'm almost done!  This time last week, the tree wasn't even decorated yet.  Well, I have had help from the family so I can't take the credit.  Every day when I got home from work more decorating had been done, what a nice surprise! We are fast approaching crunch time, only 9 days left!  Less than that if you have company coming to stay!!  You can find my original crunch time post  here , but if you've got company staying with you, there are a few extra things to be done. Sleeping Arrangements - Where are you going to put those guests?  If you happen to have a guest room, this step is already done!  If not, you can always make a place in any extra room you may have (think den, office, craft room, etc.).  If at all possible, provide a bit of privacy for your guests, then just clear some spac...

As I'm sure you've noticed by now, I've added a twinkly version of Carol of the Bells to my site for this festive season.  Since not everyone enjoys music on the blogs they visit, the player is at the very bottom of the page and can be paused so the music doesn't play. Photo found  on Tumblr here. This, I think, begs the question...do you prefer music, sound effects, or nothing at all when you visit a blog?  While on my visits around blog land, I've heard seasonal songs, favorite songs, wind chimes, and crackling fires. I like the idea of the ambient sounds vs. songs you hear on the radio, but that's just me.  I chose this version of the popular carol because there are no lyrics and it's more of a background sound. So, tell me what you prefer!  Music, sounds, or nothing at all? ~Heathen

Better Homes and Gardens Happy December and welcome to the Holiday Season! I don't know about you, but I just love this big fat Christmas tree.  I tried to put my artificial tree in my big cauldron as a "container", but the tree stand is just too big.  So, for this year at least, the stand is once again covered by a tree skirt. I've seen, and implemented a lot of great decorating ideas this year.  The tree isn't decorated yet, but should be by the end of this weekend.  I honestly haven't decided if I'm going to get new ornaments or not this year.  Do you ever get tired of your ornaments too? If all goes well I'll have some decorating photos for you next week.  But for now it's time to start getting some gifts to put under the tree! ~ Heathen

Just a quick note to wish all my US friends a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Enjoy the day with family and friends! ~ Heathen

Ack!  Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK! If this is how you feel today, here's what to do: First, take a deep breath.  This is not a test and you will not be graded. Decide what food & drinks you're going to serve, from appetizers to dessert.  But have backup options just in case! Make a shopping list.  Don't forget to include some candles and flowers if you don't have those on hand, and remember the roasting pan if you're cooking a whole turkey. Not much of a cook?  Have each guest bring a dish for a pot-luck style meal. Go to the grocery store TODAY, the pickings will already be sparse so you don't want to wait any longer.  This is the reason for the backup options. If you haven't already, arrange your Fall decorations where they will be appreciated by your guests. Really clean your kitchen and main/guest bathroom (the guest room too if you're having overnight company).  The rest of the house can get a cursory tidy & sweep. Anything that c...

If you follow my blog, you know I recently suffered a nasty back pain episode.  And I know, from reading all of your blogs, that a lot of you deal with some type of pain on a fairly regular basis.  So I want to share with you 2 things I found that have helped me become (nearly) pain free.  I only say nearly because I'm still working through it, but it's down to just a few twinges throughout the day.  This is a big deal since 3 months ago I could barely walk! Now I, like a lot of people, don't have health insurance so getting bounced around by a bunch of doctors and specialists was out of the question.  Add to that my low opinion of western medicine and our current healthcare system and you find me searching the web for anything and everything that might possibly relieve the pain. After much trial and error (all free advice I might add), I stumbled upon something that finally made sense to me... http://www.movelikeachild.com/ This guy and his "program" are n...

Halloween is nearly upon us.  The Great Pumpkin is set to arrive, the witches are preparing to fly, and the black cats...well, they're a bit indifferent to the whole thing.  They are cats after all! The veil is getting quite thin so it's time to get the Jack o' Lanterns and candles set up to protect your home from unwanted ghosties, don your costumes to blend in, and don't forget the treats to appease all manner of creatures who will soon be knocking at your door! Rake and burn the leaves, and gather the firewood.  Mulch the gardens, sweep the front steps, and bring the herbs in to dry.  Shutter the windows, there's a chill in the air! Fill the cauldron with freshly harvested vegetables and herbs and set it to simmer.  Stock the pantry with canned goods from the garden and get started on the candle making.  Bring out the blankets and clean out the hearth.  Remember, don't clear those cobwebs until after All Hallows Eve, that spider may be someone yo...

So a couple weekends ago my daughter decided she wanted to play around with Photoshop.  She took a picture that I found on Google to use as a desktop background and just started playing around.  With a little bit of instruction from me, she made a completely different picture.  Then she had the great idea of posting both pictures and seeing who could spot all the differences.  Admit it, you still like playing those. There are a total of 11 changes to the original picture (besides the obvious color change).  You'll probably want to click on the pics to see them better.  Just list the ones you find in your comments. original new version Happy hunting! Disclaimer: This is not my photo.  I found it on Google image search and I have no idea who it belongs to.  If this is your picture, please feel free to contact me and I will update this post with the proper credits.

Lately, beginning back in September, my daughter and I have taken to watching the complete WB/CW show Supernatural.  What's not to like?  It dark, spooky, uncomplicated, with a bit of comedy, and of course there's the eye candy. I figure it's a pretty perfect bit of evening entertainment during the month of October.  Since we don't always have time to settle in and watch a 2-hour movie during the week, this T.V. show fits the bill! What are you watching right now? ~ Heathen

It's here, it's here, it's finally here!  That's right, October has finally arrived!  And to top it off, we actually got cooler weather here in Florida this weekend.  This will be short and sweet my lovelies since I am very busy today.  Not only is it the first day of Halloween season (officially), but it's also my daughter's birthday.  I'll be back soon with more Halloween posts for you! ~ Heathen

Sorry, my lovelies, for being away for so long.  I've been dealing with a back injury.  Nothing life threatening, but it has stopped me from doing just about everything besides going to work every day.  I'm recovering (slowly) but I still can't sit for very long. So...I just want to let you all know I'm still alive and I will have much to share soon.  After all, Halloween is just around the corner!  I'll try to make the rounds and pop in to your blogs as I can. Okay, my sitting time is up so I'll be going now.  Happy thoughts! ~ Heathen

To all my US friends and followers, have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy and be safe! ~ Heathen

I just want to say thank you to Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist for hosting another Mad Tea Party!  Based on all the participation and comments, everyone had a great time. Also, I want to thank all my friends (new and old) for the wonderful comments.  I enjoyed visiting everyone's parties, even if I didn't comment on all of them. So...THANK YOU! ~ Heathen

Welcome party goers!  If you've just found my site, I'm very pleased to meet you.  Please feel free to wander around a bit.  For my contribution to today's Mad Tea Party I've created a digital collage...Tea in the Garden. click to enlarge It was inspired by this... I hope you all enjoy.  I'll be blog-hopping around to check out all your Tea Party posts today.  To follow along with the madness, click here and visit A Fanciful Twist for more partiers! Thanks to Vanessa for hosting her annual Mad Tea Party!

The Summer Solstice, also known as Litha or Midsummer, is the longest day of the year.  After the Solstice the nights gradually begin to grow longer again.  Litha is a fire festival and a classic time for magic of all types. Customs and Activities: spend the day outside wear the colors of the Sun lighting a blaze (or candles) on Midsummer's Eve and maintaining it until midnight brings luck and blessings to the home Colors: red, orange, yellow, green, and white Decorations: sunflowers bees lanterns or twinkle lights wreath of ivy with yellow & red flowers or ribbon intertwined Foods:  due to the Summer heat in FL, I like to serve a light meal that doesn't require the oven. summer veggies grilled meat, poultry, or fish Sangria anything lemony or citrus Spellworkings: love divination protection inspiration any fairy magic