Showing posts with label #Sandis_Enchanted_Garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Sandis_Enchanted_Garden. Show all posts
The apocalypse is nigh! Throw whatever you can to get away!

Our very last Thursday brings you all kinds of fun.. let's do this!










The winner of the giveaway is ......

 

Melissa "ChickynJane" Cassick!!






Today's Blogger: Tiffanie Dovich


Out of touch

Sometimes in our busy bee modern lives it becomes very easy to become disillusioned with things and be disconnected from the earth and even yourself.  This recently happened to me.  I have two children and my youngest was born with a condition called torticollis. It’s not life threatening or anything like that but it’s time consuming.  We have weekly therapy appointments for her. Daily stretches we have do to multiple times a day. Having a high need little one is very draining sometimes. You end up putting things on hold for yourself. Couple that with having other children and a house and business to take care of? Burnout happens really fast. You find yourself trying to find time to take a shower much less time to observe the Sabbaths or even to cast a circle.

Doing ” witchy” things gets shoved to the backburner, As well as doing anything just for yourself.   The household and kids needs become all consuming. What’s even sadder is that when this starts to happen you don’t even realize it.  I didn’t.  It took a good friend of mine asking me what I wanted for my birthday for me to realize that I didn’t even know! I had tons of things I wanted to get for the kids but I could not for the life of me remember or recall something that I saw and said I want that or I want to do that. Hellsfire I couldn’t even a name the last book I had read that was a chapter book! (for those that know me know just how out of character that is).

I wasn’t happy at all and it was crossing over into the way I handled personal relationships. I was grumpy and irritable and taking it out on everyone. I was so far from balanced I couldn’t even remember what that felt like. Which we all know is NOT COOL!............ So once I realized the problem I had no idea how to get my groove back. How do I go about reclaiming me? Who was I now anyways?   This idea of getting things settled stressed me out more than I was to begin with!

Then, at one of my witchlet’s therapy sessions, the therapist said something to me that really struck a cord with me. I was upset because my little was tilting more after a growth spurt  when we worked so hard for months to get rid of it and She said “ Any time you grow things change, and sometimes you might think the growing is bad. But really it’s not,  because babies have to grow and that them actually growing is something to be happy about.”

I mulled over that for a while.  I’ve come to the conclusion that change doesn’t happen overnight and little victories are still worth celebrating.  I’m not saying that everything is peachy keen and fully I’m okay with where I’m at in life but I am starting one little baby step at a time.  Yesterday I reset up my altar and enjoyed the light of the full moon.  I also sang silly songs with the girls and taught my 4 year old how to dance in the rain. I cuddled my other half just because I felt like it and took my dog for a walk under the stars.  The universe loves balance and I had forgotten that for a while.


The Siren's Song with Jennifer Rasmussen


We couldn't let the season go by without paying homage to Salem's official witch, Laurie Cabot, who is featured in this video!






Today's Recipe from Autumn Earthsong


In autumn, I just crave soups!  Chili, chicken noodle, creamy potato, vegetable, bean…so many good ones to choose from.  But my ultimate comfort food has got to be tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  I know that many of you feel the same!  Now don’t get me wrong, tomato soup out of a can works for me too, but a really good homemade soup is so much better!  Try this recipe next time you crave the comfort….

Comforting Tomato Soup

1 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tb butter
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper *I use more pepper than this!
2 Tbs minced fresh basil
Shredded parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Saute garlic.  Add tomatoes and all the other ingredients except parmesan cheese.  Simmer 15-20 mins.  Serve with parmesan cheese sprinkled over soup.
*Add toppers like sour cream, croutons, or goldfish crackers.


Be sure when you make a grilled cheese sandwich to have the skillet hot before you put the buttered bread down on it…it keeps your sandwich from getting soggy.  I like to use a good white bread and various cheeses like smoked gouda, Colby or baby swiss.  Try pumpernickel bread too..it’s sooo good!

Find comfort in foods that take you back to a peaceful time in your life.  Enjoy!

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!   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


Periodot

Peridot is a protective aura stone and a powerful cleanser.

If you have old negative patterns that need to be released this is the crystal to use.

Peridot is also great if you are unsure of your spiritual purpose and is very helpful to healers.

This stone will help to get rid of jealousy, resentment and anger and will help with reducing stress.

Peridot can help you in many areas of your life. This crystal will help to sharpen your mind, boost your confidence, help you to admit mistakes and move on from them.

Peridot comes in the following colors:  Olive green, yellowish-green, honey, red, brownish.




Today's Giveaway from Sandi's Enchanted Garden


Sandi’s Enchanted Garden is giving away items to help you reach through that thinning veil and communicate with those you have lost. One lucky winner will receive a Spirit Communication Crystal Kit as well as 1 tin of Witch’s Power Magick Ointment (The tin with the Pentacle) made to help boost your power during medtation and spell work!



The Spirit Communication Crystal Kit (worth $10) is made with stones that open your spiritual connection to the other side. Use the power of this set to help you communicate with spirits, receive messages, enhance spiritual openness that facilitates the reception of psychic energy. This listing comes with 4 stones and information sheet about the stones.

Quartz: is very useful on the either the crown for clarity of psychic vision, and can be used to communicate with spirits and other worlds.
Selenite: is amazing for connecting to spirit and the other side. Opens the crown chakra and helps messages come through more clearly.
Amethyst: is a stone of pure emotional love. It is great for finding love and can be exchanged between lovers to strengthen their commitment.
Blue Kyanite: is an extraordinary crystal of connection, opening the mind centers, enhancing telepathic and psychic abilities, bridging gaps in all communication efforts, and providing a link for transmitting or receiving healing energy.


Witch’s Power Magickal Salve (worth $15) is made with Amber, Myrrh, and Sandalwood essential oils, amethyst & Kyanite crystal chips, and sprinkled with Sandalwood chips to help you connect with your power and boost it higher than ever before. This salve can be placed on your third eye and at the base of the back of your skull during meditation or energy work. You can also place a small dab on petition papers, mojo bags, poppets, spell envelopes, petition papers, etc. to boost the power of your spells.
Both items are carried in my shop Sandi’s Enchanted Garden on Etsy (link below). Please stop by the Facebook page and give a like! Happy Samhain and Good Luck!


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

Like/Get Notifications on the Sandi's Enchanted Gardens Facebook 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. Visit Sandi's Enchanted Garden etsy shop. Come back and tell us in the comments about your favorite item there.

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: 

Which province's entry into Confederation had to be moved up a day due to concerns that the original date, April 1, 1949, was April Fool's Day?

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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