After a month of issues with WP and Firefox I can once again access my dashboard…woohoo!

While I was gone Kinja decided to call it quits taking with it my resource for blogreading. grr.

So! Life here is good, I finished with school on Monday with my last two finals at that damn school. Now on to transferring to a college in town and changing my major. I’ve been getting this “creative/artistic/follow your bliss” vibe for awhile now but it doesn’t pay the bills or get Pixie and I into a house of our very own. So I will pursue nursing and find a way to balance life with creative endeavors on the side.

Pixie is doing well in school, she was featured in the spring concert tonight (go my girlie!) and did a great job. She’s still not happy with public school and neither am I. I long to homeschool her but still can’t see how to make that happen so in the meantime she gets a mental health day each month and we supplement with homeschooling to keep her challenged. This summer I am hoping to get her into a week of art camp, she’s thrilled.

On the garden front, we have the beds ready and potatoes planted as well as some chard and spinach closer to the house. My local herb source closed after decades in business, I am crushed. So now to find something else and build my herb garden which is now going to be a faery garden, herbs and flowers and tended by the both of us, hopefully.

Summer ahead, first task is to find a job. Then comes registering for summer classes, building a pen for the chicken coop and getting the rest of the garden in. For fun we’ll be trekking to western MA to visit and help a friend get her green goodies into the ground, we’ll spend a week in late July at Hermit Island and hopefully hit a Ren Faire or three. I just spent a long weekend with a former exchange student that stayed with my family. She’s my other sister and it was so good to see her again, it’s been nearly 19 years! She and her family are currently living in the south for two years while her husband works here and Pixie and I will be flying down this fall to meet her family. We’re very excited. Since my LPN program doesn’t start until January I’ll have more flexibility to do more things, providing I have a job of course. The ex is useless in the child support area so we’ve been struggling these last seven months and Pixie is growing like a weed. I have fabric purchased to make her dresses and skirts for Summer, will help. Despite the $$ concerns we have a very good life, we are happy, healthy and blessed so can’t complain.

There is No Gas Shortage

lol

It’s been a busy four and a half months, lots of changes, all of which were good in their own way. I’ve three weeks left of school and then a week for finals before I am free of the craptastic school I currently attend. Next up is a summer and autumn of scattered coursework and applying for the LPN program and a more local school. That will start in January and run the year. It should be relatively light work as I’ve taken most of the non-nursing course, or at least will have by the time I get considered for the program. That’s a first step on my road to my BS RN, final goal is to be a Nurse Midwife and work in homeopathic medicine. I wish I had had my act together earlier because then I could be graduating THIS December. oh well!

The garden is in it’s early stages, melted from it last week and I noticed this morning that it’s thawed and dried. WOOHOO! Let the planting begin!!! I’m waiting on my taters from Fedco, my lavender arrived Friday so I’ll be getting that planted soon. Lots of work to be done, a pen for the chicken coop, making letting the girls out each morning less painful and time consuming as currently we let them out from the coop and herd them over to the tractor. Gone are the days of loose free-ranging thanks to a broad-winged hawk who tried to take one of my Ameraucanas about a week ago. Thankfully it tried for the heaviest of our Ameraucanas and only got a couple tailfeather from her.

This year is a huge difference from last year, I actually have the focus, energy and drive to get the garden in on time, whereas all the changes of this time last year had part of the garden in a month or so late. This year Pixie and I are in a much better place, rooted and settled in our new and much happier life. yay!

Pixie and I powered down around 7:50, after getting our candles lit and our comfy spots ready. We snuggled together and read our books by candlelight. I paused after awhile and watched her face, intent in her story and thought how nice it would be to sit, snuggle and chat. Not 30 seconds later, when Pixie had nearly devoured her third book in two days, she looked up and said how nice it would be to sit, snuggle and chat….ahh, my wee psychic girl.

So much of our hour was spent sitting together telling stories by candlelight. We created one story together, she then made up a story about elemental dragons and then I treated her to a story of our family, my maternal grandfather’s family. I took her back over a two hundred year period and told her of a few of her ancestors born in Scotland and Wales who came to Massachusetts where they settled before moving into Maine, what they did and how they lived. She is currently re-reading the Little House series (and anticipating the arrival of the new additions to the series, written about Laura Ingalls’ grandmother and great-grandmother both from Massachusetts and Scotland respectively). Her eyes glowed luminously as she listened closely to the story of my great grandparent’s adventures westward to North Dakota in the late 19th century and their subsequent return to Maine. When 9:00 arrived it was time for her to find her bed, which she grudgingly set off to do. While tucking her in she declared tonight the best night and she loved this “girl’s night” and wants to to it every week.

I will enjoy my “girl’s nights” when Pixie and I shut off all electrical bits for an hour or so once a week and have a quiet time in each other’s company, telling stories, being silly, reading or just talking. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t find the joy in leaving the modern world behind for an hour or so (or even bother to love the earth enough to take the time) and just being one with a quiet earth and loved one(s). I for one, am truly blessed to have both.

Pixie had a rough time waking this morning so missed out on waking to this, however when she gets home from school she’ll find it sitting on her bed! The books I think will really excite her and that gorgeous Goddess creation from the beautiful and talented Jody will knock her socks off. In addition to this haul she also got a deck of Doreen Virtue’s Mermaids and Dolphin oracle deck (a week early because I was so excited for her..lol). Next year, if I have my wits about me more, I want to have her basket with less plastic eggs and more homemade “eggs”. I have an idea forming of late, thinking of making earth eggs which are soil/organic growing medium formed into egg shapes and studded with seed. Something to introduce anyone, young or old, to the joys of gardening and make it easy to do. I’ll need this growing season to develop it before I try it as gifties next year.

This year has really been full of growth for her spiritually, I find it rather unusual for a young girl of eight, maybe it’s normal for some? She is wanting to share her beliefs and is having a tough time with it because (and this may not be a good thing, I know!) I’ve been trying to keep her from sharing too much. She told me this morning that a new friend of hers asked her about what she believes in and Pixie told her. Thankfully “D” said she would not judge her, here’s hoping. It is enough to push me toward forming a more family-centric gathering for pagan families in the area. I’ve been reticent because many pagan families I have met or come across seem to think “pagan” means passive parenting. I do not want wee, rude little monsters (or their parents) who have no respect for their parents or consideration for others. I’d like to find like-minded parents who have the same respect for the earth and others that Pixie and I have. I’d like for Pixie to have local friends to share her insights and joys of being pagan with. The problem with setting up some group time is my lack of available space. I could look to public places but eesh…More brainstorming needed I suppose.

Plans for Spring include battling my way through my intro to psychology class that is just frying my brain. I have a term paper rough draft due in six days and am completely baffled as to how to flesh out my paper. The prof says to come to him but his availability is during my classes and then I have to be home to get my girl. So, going it alone. eeesh. I’m afraid that this class may pull down my GPA and with A-’s in my other two classes I’m not happy with myself!

I’m also gearing up to crochet an afghan for Pixie, she’s taken over the one my mother made me so the only way to get it back is to make her one of her own. More spring plans include building a pen on the coop, getting early stuff into the garden (once the three feet of snow on top of it melts!), find a full time job for the summer and hopefully find a more fuel efficient car as my 15 mpg pickup is making life a challenge!

Not much else to mention, having a hard time focusing tonight after spending hours today reading through psych books and trying not to sob piteously as I stared at my blank notebook….lol…wish me luck!

Happy Spring!!

I’ve just been added as food columnist at The Pagan Activist

Seasonal Kitchen

I’ve been tagged by Greenwoman! Here are the rules:

Rules are:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Greenwoman shared a love, odd love of chickens soo…..

1. My love affair with chickens borders on disturbing for some, for me it’s how I attach to many animals. They are my children, I adore them like I adore my sweet Pixie. It’s a sickness and when I got my first eight four years ago it was loooove at first bawk

2. Feet repulse me, with the exception of Pixie’s. Hers are my sweet baby feet that until puberty hits and she starts stinkin’ I’ll smooch them like a crazy mama

3. I feed strays, of all kinds

4. I’m not big on red meat, or meat in general most days, but I have a mad love of liverwurst. If they ever make some that is nitrite-free I’ll be all over it.

5. I am getting my first tattoo this Spring-a Goddess figure wrapped with snake that spirals from her belly

6. WOOOOO! I just found twenty bucks under my keyboard!

7. I talk to myself more than I do with others, save Pixie.

I should tag others but I’m so out of the blogging loop I’m afraid that if I did I’d get ganged up on and beaten to a pulp. So, I won’t

Marbleizing Easter Eggs

Marbleizing has never been so easy with Design Master Spray Paint! No mess & easy clean up. Great idea for eggs, wood, plaster & more.

Supplies:

* Plastic bucket or bin
* Design Master Spray Paint (colors of your choice)
* Glitter
* Water
* Goose eggs, wood eggs, plaster eggs, or hard boiled eggs
* Spray Glue

Instructions:

1. Spray Design Master Paint into bucket of water. Spray paint should form a film at the surface of the water.
2. Dip the egg in colored water using swirling motion. Remove. The spray paint will stick to the egg. Repeat steps until egg has desired look. Allow egg to dry.
3. Spray the painted egg with glue. Embellish with glitter. Let dry.

Maya Angelou is inaccurately credited with this, source is unknown as she has publicly denied saying or writing the following…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE …

enough money within her control to move out

and rent a place of her own,

even if she never wants to or needs to …

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

something perfect to wear if the employer,

or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour..

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a youth she’s content to leave behind…

a past juicy enough that she’s looking forward to

re-telling it in her old age…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

one friend who always makes her laugh

and one who lets her cry…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a good piece of furniture not previously owned

by anyone else in her family

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,

and a recipe for a meal.

that will make her guests feel honored…

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE…

a feeling of control over her destiny…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to quit a job,

break up with a lover,

and confront a friend without;

ruining the friendship…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW

when to try harder..

and WHEN TO WALK AWAY…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that she can’t change the length of her calves,

the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

that her childhood may not have been perfect… but it’s over…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

what she would or wouldn’t do for love or more…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

how to live alone… even if she doesn’t like it…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

whom she can trust,

whom she can’t,

and why she shouldn’t take it personally…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

where to go…

be it to her best friend’s kitchen table…

or a charming Inn in the woods…

when her soul needs soothing…

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW…

why she can and can’t accomplish in a day…

a month… or a year…

Pooka’s Sandbox, Ostara 2008 edition is up! My Pixie is thrilled and already reading hers.