Showing posts with label #SummersHollow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #SummersHollow. Show all posts
Welcome back to our October Celebration, you wayward wanderers!

You've stumbled upon a party, and you're the guest of honor. What happens here, stays here.. but, so much you ;)

Not to worry, we have plenty of things we can do to with you.


Come on.. don't be shy...





The winner of the Hemlock and Garnet giveaway by artist Loren Morris is....


Fearless Fallen Angel





Today's Blogger: Kathleen Lane

Change will Come

I have always heard the saying that "Change is the one certain thing in life". Looking at this time of year always reminds me of that saying and this has certainly been a year of change in my life. My husband has retired and rather than being gone for half the year, he is home for good. So one way of life has ended and a new one begun.

As this summer rolls to the inevitable end and the new winter comes in, the wheel keeps turning and new things come in with it. I was going through some papers and found my old bucket list. Looking at it I wonder why some of those things were important to me and I realized that I need to throw it out and start a whole new list. Some of the things I have already done and some of them just don't seem relevant anymore.

What would be something important in your future that you would like to achieve or experience? Is there someplace you have never been or something you have never done and it is still waiting? Did you start something and never finish it? Do you remember promising yourself that someday you would climb a mountain or write a book or take that trip to the Costa Rican rain forest?

Let each year end with a positive finish to some goal and if you can't decide what your future should be, let this time of the thinning of the veil guide you in your choice. Those who have gone over the bridge already can sometimes see our future in a clearer light. Listen to what they are telling you and open yourself to what they tell you.


The Siren's Song 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 Touch of the Goddess!


Whether you are anointing candles or tools, taking a ritual bath, or setting up protected space, this set has the oils you need all in one place. Sanctuary, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water are for working with those respective elements and the Elementals. Solaris and Luna give you help in working with these Celestial bodies and their associated Gods and Goddesses. Prosperity, Entice! Indulge your workings with the real essential oils. Frankincense, jasmine, cinnamon, just a few a the scents and magical essences all a part of this collection! Never again have to search for just the right oil, they are all right here together in one box!

9- 5 ml cobalt blue bottles in a a pretty turquoise box
Value: $35.00

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

Like/Get Notifications on the Touch of the Goddess 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 the Touch of the Goddess etsy shop. Comment here and tell us your favorite item in the shop.

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 (midnight Eastern)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!
45 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Today is our first Fearless Friday of the Siren's October Extravaganza. We'll have our Crafty Sirens helping you today to prepare for Samhain in a creative way.

We also take each Friday to honor a Pagan who has passed through the veil into the Otherworld (Summerlands, however you see the "after life") through our Forget-Me-Not Friday series. On October 31 this year, we'll be featuring all of your forget-me-nots, so please be sure to send in your tributes to Serena no later than Thursday, October 23.

Tomorrow, we'll have our Craftacular Saturday with Sosanna. Sunday is our Sunday Stew over at Imramma.com. Have a wonderful weekend!


The Winner of yesterday's giveaway from Sandi's Enchanted Garden is....

Paula Lupi!

Remember, every one of your entries is going toward the grand prize at the end of this month!



Forget Me Not Friday

by Kallan Kennedy
Today's tribute is to Margot Adler.
Margot Susanna Adler (April 16, 1946 – July 28, 2014) was an American author, journalist, lecturer, Wiccan priestess, radio journalist and New York correspondent for National Public Radio (NPR). Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Adler grew up mostly in New York City. Her grandfather, Alfred Adler, was a noted Austrian Jewish psychotherapist, collaborator with Sigmund Freud and the founder of the school of individual psychology. Adler authored Drawing Down the Moon,a 1979 book about Neopaganism which was revised in 2006.The book is considered a watershed in American Neopagan circles, as it provided the first comprehensive look at modern nature-based religions in the US. For many years it was the only introductory work about the American Neopagan communities.

Her second book, Heretic's Heart: A Journey Through Spirit and Revolution, was published by Beacon Press in 1997. Adler was a Wiccan priestess in the Gardnerian tradition, an elder in the Covenant of the Goddess, and she also participated in the Unitarian Universalist faith community.

Margot was a genuinely kind person. I had the opportunity to interact with her on Facebook for several years. Once, when I was starting a new walking regime, she encouraged me to keep going, as she had to walk 5 miles a day to keep her weight down. Another time, she discovered that I was going to be traveling to Manhattan for a business trip, and invited me to meet her for dinner. Unfortunately, I was unable to make that dinner, as my train left too early. She was always interested in making human connections like that. So many tributes have been made to her this year, and there are so many stories just like mine. She was a truly lovely person and we honor her spirit today.











It is day three and we are just getting started! I have so many fantastic songs for you. Today’s song is from one of my favorite female artists, Siouxsie Sioux.






with D.J. Martin
It’s Friday & the 5 o’clock whistle is blowing somewhere!  Let’s start with a little something to get you into the Samhain/Hallowe’en mood, shall we?
Ghostbuster
1 ounce peach schnapps
1 ounce melon liqueur
3-5 drops Irish Cream

The instructions: Shake schnapps & liqueur with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass & add the Irish Cream drop-by-drop into the center of the glass.

Notes: As you might expect, it’s rather fruity but the Irish Cream gives it a bite. It tastes less disgusting than it looks – and it gets more disgusting-looking the longer it sits because the Irish Cream starts dispersing through the liquor.




Halloween Garland
By Autumn Noel
I love to involve my little one in decorating for the holidays and Sabbats, but at age two, there is only so much she can do! Here I have shown you how to make a Halloween/Samhain garland to use as decoration in your home, centered around the help of a toddler. Crafts like these usually end up decorating my little ones bedroom because let’s be honest…it isn’t the most beautiful thing in the world since it is constructed in part by a toddler. However she is very proud of her artwork, I am proud of her paint brush skills and it is a fun way to have her be involved in the festiveness of the Sabbat.

Materials:
Construction paper or cardstock in Halloween colors (I used orange, purple and green)
Washable paints in Halloween colors (I used black, purple and orange)
Paint Brushes
Lots of baby wipes!!
Stencils of Halloween shapes (I just goggled witch hat, ghost and pumpkin)
Scissors
Hole punch
Ribbon in a Halloween color (I used lime green, because it’s I what I had laying around my house!)
A little one to help

Steps:
1.) Have your little one paint an assortment of construction papers/cardstock in washable paints.  I used purple paint on green paper, black paint on orange paper and orange paint of purple paper. We painted from her highchair, where we could easily clean up the mess with babywipes.

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 


2.) Hang the construction paper/cardstock to dry over night.

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 

3.) Find the stencils you wish to use… I Googled for images and used what I found online. 
(Hat - Ghost - Pumpkin)

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 


4.) Trace your stencils onto the now dried painting, and cut them out.

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 


5.) Hole punch two holes into each stenciled painting, set up a pattern to your liking and string the paintings onto your ribbon. 

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 


6.) Hang the garland for your little one to admire all season long (even though you did most of the heavy lifting!) 

Photo Credit - Autumn Noel 
I hope that you have a blessed Samhain; Happy Halloween and Trick or Treat!!
-Autumn Noel 





Today's Giveaway comes from Author and Publisher Sam Curtin

 Enter for your chance to win a signed copy of Samantha (Sam) Curtin’s horror novel: Summer’s Hollow. Summer’s Hollow follows 17 year old Rylie Bradford as she comes face to face with her town’s legend; journey with her as she learns the truth about the Pascal legend and their dark past. Prepare yourself for a thrilling ride filled with vengeful spirits, bloody apparitions, and mysterious deaths in the small town of Summer’s Hollow. 

Prize value: $8.00


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 on Monday'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):

What is 2x2?


U.S. Citizens, and others- READ HERE:

1. Go to the Sam Curtin Author Page on Amazon. Peruse her book descriptions and tell us which one you think you'd like 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 Sam's Author 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 will come on Monday :)

Questions? Email Serena.

See you tomorrow for Craftacular Saturday!
50 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,