The Haven

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

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

Next Sunday, June 19th, is known in the U.S. and a lot of other places around the world as Father's Day.  Every year on the 3rd Sunday of June we honor our fathers or father figures. So what do you give the man who has everything or wants nothing (and doesn't need a tie)?  That all depends on the man in question.  In my experience, most men don't really like the spectacle of receiving gifts in front of other people.  It seems to makes them feel awkward.  So instead of wrapping up a pretty gift, consider doing something for or with the man of honor. Host a backyard barbecue for the family and you've got a nice Father's Day for both Dad and Hubby.  Give Hubby the weekend off from that honey-do list and let him spend his time on the computer, or in front of ESPN, or whatever it is he likes to do.  Take your Dad out to breakfast, just the two of you. If you don't live nearby, send him a book you read or CD you listened to that you think he would enjo...

...to all us Moms out there.  Enjoy your special day any way you like! ~ Heathen

Which do I celebrate?  I saw this type of question a lot around the Holidays last year.  Yule or Christmas, then of course there's the current holiday Ostara or Easter, and let's not leave out Samhain or Halloween.  You get the idea. My question is, why choose?  Very few of us grew up celebrating Yule, Ostara, Samhain or had any idea about the wheel of the year.  When we were kids Spring meant Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies, and lots of candy; Fall brought costumes, going out at night, and more candy; Winter was all about Christmas, Santa Claus, presents, and of course...candy.  There were family traditions that were followed year after year, passed down through the generations and some new ones thrown in occasionally.  These are the things that stuck with us as we became adults and started our own families.  So why should we turn our backs on all those good memories and traditions just because we've chosen a different path for ourselves? I sa...

February is finally over and March has officially arrived.  This month is shaping up to be a busy one as there are quite a few holidays/observances in the coming days.  Mardi Gras Daylight Savings Time (most areas) Saint Patrick's Day Ostara/Spring Equinox While I don't actually "celebrate" all of these, there are a few small fun things that can be done just to recognize the day.  For Mardi Gras, why not listen to a little Zydeco music and make red beans & rice for dinner?  Don't forget the coffee with chicory and some beignets!  Maybe watch a movie that features Mardi Gras or is set in New Orleans, personally I like The Skeleton Key. Daylight Savings Time starts this month and that means it's time to set the clocks ahead one hour (Spring forward, Fall back).  Now I don't like adjusting to getting up an hour earlier in the morning, but it is wonderful to have the extra sunshine in the evenings.  Take advantage of it; go for a walk around y...

I planned to post this about a week ago, but better late than never. If you haven't done it already, it's time to put away the Holiday decorations.  However, there are a few things that can make the transition into winter very nicely.  Because it's winter, try to use white and silver decorations around the house.  For instance, white flowers with leftover pine or cedar greenery and pine cones.  Or a jar filled with white and silver ornaments or snowflakes.  If you use twinkle or fairy lights around your home, put away the colored ones and string up the clear ones.  Don't forget to change out your candles to white ones too. As far as scents go, I've found that to be a very personal choice.  But I like to use resinous scents during the winter like pine, frankincense, rosemary, and even mint.  Something that smells crisp. If you live in the north and crave a bit of color this time of year, add more winter greens or consider blue.  As we ...

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas yesterday!  All the presents have been opened and the ensuing mess has been picked up.  Today is for relaxing with a nice big cup of cocoa and playing with your presents.  Enjoy the rest of your day as we look forward to the New Year! By the way...all the holiday greenery and floral arrangements are SERIOUSLY discounted today at Publix (if you have one).  I got a huge bunch of greenery today for $2!  I ran out of coffee so I had to go to the store. ~ Heathen

From Better Homes & Gardens I may not be around much for the rest of this week.  Busy with last minute preparations and all.  I'll be popping in to read everyone's posts but I may not be leaving comments or writing my own posts.  So just in case, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Yule and Merry Christmas!  Enjoy the lunar eclipse tonight if you're lucky enough to see it.  I don't know if I'll be able to stay up that late...work starts pretty early. Happy Holidays! ~ Heathen

That's right it's crunch time, only one week left!  This time next week we'll be in the thick of it so, if you aren't done and ready (and I know I'm not), here's what to do this week... Shopping List- If you buy your gifts, get them now.  If you make your gifts and still have some to go, get those remaining supplies you need.  This will give you time to wrap them and you don't want to get to the store only to find the item you wanted is gone for the season!  Don't forget, make sure you have all the food, paper goods, and wrapping supplies you're going to need. Decorating -  Take a good look around, make sure you put out all the decorations you wanted to, and put the boxes/bins away.  That's it, no more this year.  Step away from the Christmas bin! Baking - Okay, I don't do this part beyond Toll House cookies.  But if you do, the time is now.  If your family has a tendency to eat all the Christmas goodies BEFORE Christmas (like mine do...

The Holidays mean something different to each of us.  Whether you celebrate Yule, Christmas, both, or something else entirely.  To that end, I'd like to share a few of my favorite things about the Holiday Season. Candy canes, greenery, pomanders, and twinkly lights... Stockings, Christmas trees, bayberry candles, and mistletoe! All these symbols have meaning and work well for either Yule or Christmas!  Enjoy the holiday season! ~ Heathen

Here's the list of holiday movies in my Netflix queue for the season: A Christmas Carol (Disney animated) Christmas with the Kranks The Year Without a Santa Claus Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Jack Frost (animated) Frosty's Winter Wonderland / 'Twas the Night Before Christmas A Charlie Brown Christmas Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Santa Claus is Comin' to Town Christmas Unwrapped (History Channel documentary) Fred Claus Four Christmases The Santa Claus (1, 2, & 3) Deck the Halls Scrooged Miracle on 34th Street The Polar Express Love Actually Bad Santa The Holiday It's a Wonderful Life National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Surviving Christmas Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season! ~ Heathen

I know, the red cups have been out for a while now.  But there's just something about them!  The minute you see one it feels like the Holidays and you start having visions of sugar plums dancing in your head.  You can almost taste the gingerbread or peppermint (the caramel is a bit too sweet for me).  Even if you aren't a fan, you know what it means when you start seeing the tell-tale red coffee cups.  Personally, we buy Starbucks coffee to make at home, but the flavored drinks...well that's a bit tricky.  I don't even bother trying to replicate them at home anymore.  Besides, even if you get the taste right, it's just not the same without that red cup! ~ Heathen

Image found at Remodeling My Space here . The magical time of year is upon us again.  Life in Florida means no snow, not even flurries, but we still get that tingly and sparkly feeling.  Especially when the decorations start to be seen around town on the streetlights, the red cups come out at Starbucks (there's just something about those silly cups), and let's not forget the holiday music, movies and specials.  While we may not get to go sledding or build snowmen we still get into the holiday spirit.  The decorations have been brought out and the tree is up.  Planning for the holiday meal is in progress.  And there are even a few gifts under the tree already!  The holiday music playlist is ready and the movies have all been queued. This is the time of year when we feel closest to our spiritual path, whatever that may be.  It's a time for twinkling lights, jingling bells, flickering candles, scents of home and the warm feelings that come with ...

So yesterday I spent a couple hours wandering the aisles of my local Michael's store and the Holidays have definitely arrived!  I could have easily maxed out the credit card on all the wonderful things they have, but I was good.  Instead I just picked up a few Holiday craft supplies and of course a lot of inspiration!  For the next month I'll be spending my weekends and most of my free time crafting and decorating...and I'm so excited!  I didn't think I was ready for it, but after wandering through a veritable winter wonderland listening to Christmas music I realize I'm more than ready to get things started.  The decorations won't go up until Thanksgiving weekend, but the crafting has already begun.  I should have some pics for you in a couple of days. Until then, head on over to your local craft store and soak up some good Holiday cheer!  Hope you're having a great weekend! ~ Heathen