Showing posts with label #Melissa Cassick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Melissa Cassick. Show all posts
Welcome back to our October Celebration!

Who doesn't want a few minions, particularly if they clean the house for you while you plot world domination in a bubble bath?


Come check out our offering today!







The winner of the Secret Life of the American Witch Tarot Reading giveaway is...
Debbie Mann!




Today's Blogger: Melissa Chicky Cassick


The Hallowe’en Workout

My husband is a personal trainer, and I often find myself knee-bend deep in conversations which contain terms like hyperlipidemia and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation. Maximizing physical potential is a fascinating subject, but I’m all about putting fitness to practical application. We need a sensible, comprehensive program, geared toward results we can use.
If you start in early October, you can be ready for any Samhain activity. No one wants to spend November nursing a pulled muscle or psychic strain because they were not properly prepared. Here is a simple routine that will have you in Sabbat shape and ready for ritual in no time!
  1. Party Prep - Dress in loose-fitting clothing. Pointy hat should be worn to improve your balance; brim weights are optional. Hold one arm out at the side (whichever hand you generally use to hold a mug of spiced cider.) Allow shoulders to relax. Side-step lightly to the left, then to the right. Hips can rotate in a semi- or full circle. If you wish to indicate that you don’t care, feel free to wave your hands in the air. “Monster Mash”-ing and doing the “Time Warp” are recommended ONLY for advanced students.
  2. Front Porch Dash -Place a bag in either hand. As you progress with this exercise, you can begin  to add weight - start with lighter Kit-Kats and MalloCups before attempting Snickers and          Hershey Bars. Lean forward, and sprint for 20 feet. Keep your elbows out to knock shorter people out of your way. Come to a complete stop, open bag, close bag, then turn and sprint again. Repeat this exercise as often as possible.
  3. Apple Bobbing  -It’s a good idea to find out what capacity tub your host will be using. There’s no point training with a ten gallon tub only to find your host has placed her produce in a twenty gallon. Slow neck rolls and lower back stretches before training are imperative! Apple bobbing is an intense physical activity. Kneel on the floor, hands behind your back, and bend at the waist. Once your head is parallel to the floor, rotate your neck around on your shoulders, in both directions. Familiarize yourself with different varieties of apple: Galas, Macs, and Cortlands all have a different consistency, and will require a different jaw technique. You should work daily on lengthening the time you are able to hold your breath. This can also be a useful skill if a jack-o-lantern happens to set the house on fire.
  4. Carving Conditioning - Pumpkin carving is an activity which requires excellent wrist flexibility and lower arm strength. But don’t neglect those upper arms and shoulders! You’ll need them to lift your pumpkin onto the table, and get some leverage while you carve. Aim for three sets of wrist raises with a set of kitchen knives. You should start working out with a butter knife, and advance to a paring knife when you can slice a cantaloupe in less than a minute without breaking a sweat.
  5. Ritual Readiness - Decorating an altar and partaking in sacred rites doesn’t have to leave you breathless! Regular sessions of Yoga poses like the Triangle and the Standing Crescent can reduce muscle strain from bending to light candles, or reaching for a chalice. Remember: if you leave an offering of food for a loved one, make it a healthy one, and take into account their dietary limitations.  

With some foresight and dedication, you can make your Samhain safe and injury free. Join us in December, when I will share tips for Yule -  including tree-topper stretches, aerobic carols, and long-distance wassailing,

Visit Brian Cassick Fitness at http://www.briancassickfitness.com/ 
or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BrianCassickFitness



Song of the Day with Jennifer Rasmussen


Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I feel like somebody's watching me.


Today's Recipe with Autumn Earthsong
I love October mornings! Especially the ones with the blue skies, fluffy clouds, dappled sunlight through bright colored leafy trees, and a nip in the air.  This bread is decadent and perfect for those kind of mornings. Especially the ones you don’t have to go anywhere right away…or for a sweet treat by the fire on a harvest moon night!


Spicy October Morning Pumpkin Bread
*Makes 2

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/3 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
2/3 cup chopped walnuts

 Preheat oven to 350º.
 Combine flour and the next 7 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine sugar and the next 5 ingredients (sugar through pumpkin) in a bowl, and stir well with a whisk until smooth. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with walnuts. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Sprinkle a little natural sugar on the top. Cool loaves completely.
If you are lucky enough to have a wonderful neighbor like I do, send the extra loaf over to them! They’ll love you for it!
Blessings and Love,
Autumn


Autumn Earthsong is back for the 3rd year as our resident Kitchen Witch. You may have seen her recipes in Imramma Magazine and The Sunday Stew as well.  Autumn has been a practicing Witch for 17 years and hails from Ohio. She is a wife, mother of two, and Nana to three busy little grandchildren.  Samhain is a favorite time of year for her….with her name indicating what Season she loves!  Cooking for family and friends this time of year is also a joy…..Especially this time of year!   Hearth, Fire, love of family and good food is how she brings Magick to her home.   You can also find her blogging at www.autumnearthsong.com.   She looks forward to sharing her recipes with you all and hopes that you have a very Blessed Samhain Season!


Stones and Crystals with Jennifer Hodgson


Emerald

Emerald is an amazing crystal. It is not only a wisdom stone but helps to bring to the surface what is unknown. 

If you deal with claustrophobia then this is the crystal for you. This crystal also helps to overcome the misfortunes in life and can heal negative emotions.

If you are working on your psychic abilities this stone can help with clairvoyance.

Emerald is a great choice in helping to open the heart chakra and is very calming.



Giveaway from author Sam Curtin

One Signed Copy of Summer’s Hollow ($8 value)


High school is hard enough for a teenage girl as it is. For Rylie Bradford, she has the added stress of being flung into a world of vengeful spirits, bloody apparitions, and mysterious deaths. It all begins when Rylie and her friend Andy find an amulet that belonged to the legendary town witch. It looked simple enough; little did she know that it would cause murder and mayhem to ensue on the town of Summer's Hollow.


Here's how to enter: (Canadians, skip this part and go to your section)

Like/Get Notifications on the Sam Curtin Author Page. Come back, comment on this blog post and tell us that you did. 

Remember to add your email address to the page (if you don't want to post it publicly, simply send it via the contact form at the top of the page).

Want extra entries??

1. Follow Sam on Twitter. Let us know you did.

2. Tweet about this giveaway. Comment with the link to your tweet.

3. Blog about this giveaway. Comment with the link to your blog post.

4. Follow Samhain's Sirens on Facebook. Comment, and let us know you did (if you're already following, just comment and say so!)

5. Follow this blog so you'll be in on all of the fabulous fun throughout October! Comment here that you did.

That gives you 6 chances to win this fabulous prize!


CANADIANS: LOOK HERE!

Canadians, your country requires that you answer questions instead of participating the American way ;) So, we're bringing you some good old-fashioned trivia about your country this year. Answer the question correctly in comments (don't forget to put your email address in the comment!) and you'll be given 6 entries in the giveaway!

Here's your question: 

Who wrote the lyrics to Canada's national anthem?


This giveaway is open until 9pm PDT tonight. Winner will be announced tomorrow  at 9am EDT. Remember, we have to notify the winner in email first, so those email addresses are critical for you to qualify for the giveaway!

Good luck everyone!
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Welcome back! We are so glad to have such a terrific group of friends to celebrate with this year!

REMINDER: If you are entering our giveaways, we must have an email address for you at least once per giveaway entered. The law states we must notify you via email. If you do not provide an email address, we will have to disqualify you from that day's giveaway, and we don't want to do that. So please, one email address per giveaway entered. Thank you!


We know you are totally psyched to find out who won that amazing one-of-a-kind Sirens Spirit Board (worth $298!!) giveaway from Hemlock and Garnet so let's not keep you waiting.









Ze 246 !!! 
Congratulations!

Remember, if you entered the contest yesterday, all of your entries count toward the grand prize at the end of the month, so keep playing along!



Loss and Laughter

by Melissa "Chicky" Cassick
We gathered around her on the bed. We held her tightly. We whispered in her ear that we loved her. We let our tears drip on the blankets. We hugged one another. And because it is what we do, what we have always done, we laughed. Great Spirits of Wit and Whimsy, we laughed.

When I was about four, my mother decided my father had gone too far. Dad usually had facial hair of some sort; he styled himself a “mountain man” and was happiest with a full beard. Mom did not care for beards, and thus my father’s follicular fancies underwent constant modification. This time, though, his experimentation had resulted in a Fu Manchu, a configuration of facial hairiness that suits few men other than… Fu Manchu, I suppose. My mother begged him to shave off the two strands of hair dripping from his upper lip, but he refused. Dad was a truck driver, and one afternoon we waited in the kitchen for him to return from a trip. When he came in, my mother, two older sisters, and I were at the counter with our backs to him. He greeted us, and we turned -- our mother had drawn Fu Manchu moustaches on all of us. He froze for a few seconds, his gaze moving from my mother -- to my teenage sisters -- to my small self, all standing, smiling, with our ridiculous moustaches. Then without a word, he went straight to the bathroom and shaved.

The coroner came, as coroners do. We milled around the living room, discussing semi-made funeral plans, making lists. My eldest sister came to me and whispered, “I know you are the only one who would understand. I can’t get this out of my head…” and she began to sing the Munchkin coroner’s lines from “The Wizard of Oz.” And we laughed.

When I was about 8, my mother began referring to my elder sister Susan, 16 at the time, as “The Invisible Child.” Well, she did spend a lot of time in her room. My other sister and her boyfriend went along with it. We often pretended we could not see Susan when she was in the room with us, walking by her and feigning surprise when she spoke. When Mom finally decided the joke had gone far enough, she lectured us. “It just isn’t funny any more. It’s clear that it’s bugging Susan, and you guys need to stop.” With Susan nodding her head in agreement beside her, Mom added, “...and I really felt I needed to talk to you about this while she wasn’t here.”

Funeral lunch, prepared by the kindly and capable members of our congregation. The food was very good. My sisters and I sat together, along with my childhood best friend, Catherine. We ate Church Lady Casserole, and told our favorite mom stories, and laughed.

When I was 16, my mother taught me how to drive -- I mean really drive. I took Driver’s Education, at my parents’ insistence, for the insurance discount. But both of them were professional drivers, and gave me insight I could never have gained in class. We lived about six miles outside of town, and the last section of the drive was through a swampy area: a narrow road, with several S-curves. Driving home with Mom, I slowed down, and carefully navigated each turn with a precision what would have made my driving instructor proud. Mom turned to me with an incredulous look. “What are you doing? You’ve been on this road every day of your life! You could drive this with your eyes closed.” She began singing one of Dad’s favorite trucking songs, “...jamming gears has got to be a fever ‘cause men become addicted to the grind!”  I sped up and whipped around the next curve, laughing out loud. “That’s more like it!” Mom said, “Put that pedal to the metal -- you’re a bus driver’s daughter!”

Every night for weeks, we sat around the kitchen table. Sometimes we had guests. Sometimes we sorted odd and ends to get rid of. Sometimes we would play rummy. Sometimes we would make brownies -- I lie: we would make brownie batter, and eat it. And every night, we told stories about her, and we laughed and we laughed...

She painted a ceramic skating scene, with beautiful figurines, an elaborate sleigh, and carolers. She added a sign which read “Crystal Lake.” Yeah... That’s the camp from the Friday the 13th movies.
She proudly wore a t-shirt my sister had printed for her that read, “The Bionic Bus Driver.”
She stuck scrambled eggs up her nose just to prove it could be done. Then she trekked all over the house, trying show Susan, who had -- once again -- wisely hidden.

She yelled at a kid playing Pink Floyd on her school bus. When the kid apologized and turned it down, she shouted back, “No! I said turn it UP! Tear down the Wall!”

She helped my sisters terrorize me by finding new and unique places to hang my beloved Baby Beans doll. Yes: hang. With a noose. All over the house.

She got up at 2 a.m. to make poached eggs and toast, because the detective in the book she was reading was eating some. She had to wake me up to tell me, and make me share it with her.

She bought me a monkey puppet, which we named “Pizza.” Any time I was being a grump, she got Pizza out and made him talk to me, “Whassa matter, Melissa Jane? Your mom being a meany? You want me to bite her?”

To spite Dad, she brought the “outside” dog into the living room. While Winnie wagged, and peeked out from behind her legs, she responded innocently, “What dog?”

She sang Cat Stevens to my lovely, accident prone sister: “Morning has bro-o-o-oken! Susan did it.”

She made an adorable red-haired garden gnome for my sister’s boyfriend. Who had red hair. And was very short. And just in case it wasn’t obvious enough, she painted him in his work coveralls, and put his name on the pocket.

It has been 25 years. Samhain, every year, I put her picture on my altar. I place a bowl  of cheese crackers next to it. I close my eyes, and I can see her, on the sofa with her snack; reading a book, working on a crossword puzzle, watching “Jeopardy,” or playing Scrabble with me. And through the veil, I can hear her laughing. Always, always laughing.







Welcome back! 
I’m so happy I could dance! You know something? I think I WILL. Won’t you join me?






The Witches’ Kitchen by Autumn Earthsong


As the days of October get crisper and colder, soup just has to be on my stove or crockpot as much as possible.  Soup is also the perfect thing to come home to after trick or treating with the kids, after a long day at work, after raking leaves or…..well really anytime!  This soup is creamy and filling and would go great just with a salad and bread for dinner or with crackers and a sandwich at lunch.  Oh it has beer in it but the taste is mild and would be ok for everyone!

Potato-Cheddar Chowder
1/4 lb sweet butter
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 scallions or green onions, thinly sliced
4 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup all- purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1 can of beer or ale
1 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb white cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy stock pot, melt the butter over low heat.  Add all of the vegetables and flour and cook, stirring every so often, for 5 minutes.  Add the broth and the beer and simmer, continuing to stir.  With a wire whisk, blend in all three cheeses and the seasonings.  Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes but do NOT boil.  Serve in a tureen, individual bowls or even a hollowed out pumpkin!  Garnish with red and yellow peppers and a little dill.  Top with croutons! 
*Serves 8

ENJOY, Autumn
To read my blog go to www.autumnearthsong.com
To check out my herbal products visit www.etsy.com/shop/verbenalaneshoppe








Samhain Ritual Spell Kit and Drip Candle Give Away from Sandi's Enchanted Garden




Samhain is the last of the harvest festivals. It is a time when the boundaries between the world of the living and the dead become thinner, allowing spirits and other supernatural entities to socialize with humans. It is the time of the year when ancestors and other departed souls are honored. This kit is made with scents and herbs that celebrate this aspect of Samhain.






$40.00 value

Use all of items together in one ritual or use them each individually as needed to help you communicate with and understand the messages from the other side! Each item in this kit is created with a combination of the scents and herbs of Samhain including Dragon’s Blood, Juniper, Musk, Amber, Orange, Frankincense, and Patchouli. Included in this give away are:

2” x 4” Samhain drip style spell candle
The Samhain Ritual Kit contains:
1-    2 oz. Hallow’s Eve Spray
1 – ½ oz. Hallow’s Eve Ritual Oil
1-    2 oz. Hallow’s Eve Spell Mix
1-    ½ oz. Hallow’s Eve Powder Incense
6- 4” Chime Candles

You can find many more kits, spells, crystals, herbs, oils, etc. at Sandi's Enchanted Garden ( as well as keep up with the latest products and information on my Facebook page! I wish you all the best of luck and a wonderful Samhain/Halloween!!

Rules: (READ CAREFULLY)

YOU MUST PROVIDE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS. If you choose not to share it in the comments, please use the contact form at the top of the page to provide your email address. You must provide your email address once per giveaway.

Drawing is held by random number generation and winner will be notified in email (that's why you have to have an email address listed). Announcement will be made in tomorrow's post.

Note: These giveaways are open to the U.S., Canada and where allowable. Void where prohibited.
Canadian residents, please pay close attention as by law, you have to use a different set of rules. Not to worry, we have you covered :)

CANADIANS READ HERE: You will be given X number of entries for answering the following (remember, we STILL NEED YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS):

Who is the Canadian Prime Minister?


ALL OTHERS, READ HERE:

1. Go to Sandi's Enchanted Garden.  Choose your favorite item, come back here and tell us what you liked best.

EXTRA ENTRIES: (USE SEPARATE COMMENTS. If you throw them all into one comment, it counts as one entry only)

2. Be a follower of this blog. Comment that you are following us.

3. Like the Sirens FB page (come let us know you did in comments)

4. Like/Get Notifications for Sandi's Enchanted Garden FB Page. Let us know you did.

5. Blog about this giveaway (comment with the url for your blog entry)

6. Tweet about this giveaway (come back and give us the url for your tweet)

So, all in all, you get 6 entries for this giveaway! The deadline for entries is midnight eastern time (11 Central, 10 Mountain, 9 Pacific) tonight. Announcement tomorrow, same time, same bat channel ;)

Questions? Email Serena.


See you tomorrow for more of our October fun!
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