Freaky Friday

TGIF!!  It's Friday.  What's freaky?

This:  There is a group known as the "Flat Earth Society" which is led by Daniel Shenton.  The rap star known as B.o.B. (Bobby Ray Simmons, Jr.), is a believer in the flat earth theory and recently released a single, "Flatline", in which he supports that theory.  Apparently these people really do believe that the earth is not spheroid, but is a flat, spinning disc.  I think it's' freaky that people still believe this.

This:  A sonic boom was heard over New Jersey on January 28, followed by 9 others.  The cause of these sonic booms is as of yet unknown.  Freaky.

This:  The town of Woodland, North Carolina recently voted down solar panels because they were concerned they would "suck up all the sun" resulting in businesses closing and the young people leaving their town.  They apparently need to take some science classes to learn how solar panels really work.  Sometimes what people think to be true is very freaky.

This:  Since I seem to be focused on Earth science today, if you were standing on the equator, you would be spinning at 1000 mph as the Earth makes it's rotation.  If you stood on one of the poles, you would be standing still, but turning in a circle.  However, you would not notice either phenomenon if you were standing in those places.  Freaky.

This:  Scientists believe that the Earth may have had two moons at one time.  Freaky, but cool!

This:  Gravity is not the same all over the planet.  In some places, like in Hudson Bay in Canada, there is less gravity.  So, I am assuming that I would weigh less there?  Freaky.

This:  Scientists think they may have discovered a 9th planet, known as Planet Nine.  Gee, that's an original name.  However, the existence of this planet is still just a freaky theory.

This:  This one is really freaky.  The largest single living thing (apart from coral reefs, which are made up of several thousands of living things joined together) was a mushroom fungus in Oregon that grew to 2,200 acres.  What?  Seriously?  Of course, if you google it and you see the photo of a giant mushroom with people gathered around it, that's not it.  This mushroom was visibly undetectable aside from the fact that it was killing trees as it grew.  That's still a freaky big fungus.

What's freaky in your world today?  Have a freaky Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy Witchy Wednesday!  Time is a funny thing. We seem to only be able to think of it in a linear fashion, but according to physics, it is anything but. Since I've been pondering the complexities of time as a non-linear phenomenon, I thought I would look up some fashions and accessories that feature time.








An Alice in Wonderland watch that goes to 13 o'clock would be fun!  I found some very similar to this one on Amazon.
















Here is another "Alice" inspired watch purse. This one says "We're All Mad Here".  One of my favorite sayings!
















Here is a great vintage clock jacket I found on Etsy.  So many possibilities for pairing this with other great pieces for a timeless look.  See what I did there?











Another great "Etsy" find is this skull clock tee. I always love it when a skull can be incorporated into a tee-shirt, and combining the clock with the skull is pretty cool.
















Do you like wearing tights?  Check these out, also on Etsy.


















I am pretty sure I've seen some great works of art that features clocks, watches, or hourglasses done by my friends at "To Our Moon and Back" (on Etsy and at Mohair Pear and you can find them on Facebook).  Since I know one of them is a frequent reader of my blog, maybe she will post about similar items they have for sale?

As time marches on today on this Witchy Wednesday, I hope you make many wonderful memories. After all, once a moment is over, the memory is what we have left.

Tarot Tuesday 1/26/16

Well, I was going to draw a card from the "Super Awesome" deck, but I forgot to bring it with me, so will be drawing from the Gilded Tarot today.

Today's card drawn is the "Page of Wands".

The page is a free spirit who represents change and new beginnings.  He has a passion for life, and in his youth, he sees the world through new eyes, taking in the beauty and possibility around him.  He has yet to be weighed down by the burdens and struggles of the mundane.  He comes and goes as he pleases and is not afraid of change, in fact, he pursues it.

The appearance of this card may indicate that you are experiencing a time of creative restlessness.  You could also be on the verge of a new discovery or a new phase of life. The "Page of Wands" is representative of the sudden creative spark that comes to you and catapults you down the road of a new creative vision or endeavor.  Be sure to express yourself and be true to your unique style and individuality.

Are you feeling creative urges?  This is definitely a time to follow them, even if you are worried about standing out. This card is showing that with persistence, even immature desires can be transformed into a wonderful, life-changing, world-changing creative vision.

It is okay right now to be a little bit positive and impulsive, but make sure you balance this with a little common sense and don't let impatience take over.  Don't be quick to anger or lose interest. These will only lead to wasting time on your project.

You might be very busy right now and involved in many different projects and activities and you are enjoying that.  You enjoy having the opportunity to choose what you will work on today.  You like variety and being able to work on different things.

This card can also bring a message.  With this card, that usually means good, positive, sometimes unexpected news.  Someone close to you might be welcoming the birth of a new child, a friend might have a new and inspiring idea, or you might be faced with new opportunities to do something great in the world.  Whatever the news might be, the Page always brings positive and happy news, usually associated with change and creative energy.

Lastly, the "Page of Wands" could possibly represent a new person entering your life.  This person will be a trusted friend who is interested in your projects and wants to help you with them.  This person will have honorable intentions and will be genuine.  The purpose of this person is to spark change and help you change your perspective.  He/she will help you to see new possibilities.

Enjoy this period of change, opportunity, and creative growth.  Something exciting is on the horizon and I can't wait to see what it becomes.

Monday Musings

Well, hello there, Monday.  I took a week off from blogging last week.  I missed it, but you know, life happens and I was feeling overwhelmed with catching up and getting things rolling at school and home.

There has been much going on in the sky and the world.  I felt, during the past week, as though I was going through a "dark night of the soul". So, I researched this phenomenon a little bit.  In the Roman Catholic church, the dark night of the soul refers to a period of spiritual crisis.  This can mean a period of doubt, of uncertainty, and in many cases, doubt about there being an after-life.  Several well-known spiritual people have gone through the dark night of the soul, the most famous perhaps being Mother Teresa of Calcutta.  Her dark night of the soul apparently lasted from 1948-1997, when she died.  Friends of hers said that it had begun to lift towards the end of her life.  St. Paul of the Cross went through a dark night of the soul period that lasted 45 years.  Douglas Adams, the author, paraphrased the dark night of the soul in his book "Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul".

For me, the past week was just one of feeling very "blah".  I doubted everything.  Myself, the world, God, people, etc. etc., while things in my life continued to fall apart around me.  I'm a person who is usually very happy, very on top of things, and very sure of myself.  I found none of that to be the case during this time.  Of course, astrologists will tell you that we have also been going through a period of "Mercury Retrograde", in which Mercury appears to be moving backwards.  That ends today, thank goodness.  Also, the planets are currently aligned, which apparently doesn't happen that often. Put all that together with the full moon and you have an astrological situation that could throw anybody off.  If you believe that that sort of thing can affect our lives, that is.  I feel that coming out of this period, I will only be stronger.  "What doesn't kill you.....", as they say.

My friend lent me a book called "The Forgetting Time".  She read the book and said it made her think of me.  When my daughter, Angelle, was very little and would get scolded by me, she would often talk about liking her "other mother", the one with the dark hair, better than she liked me.  I would try to assure her that I had always been her mother, but she was persistent that no, she'd had another one, and she liked her better.  Of course, she only said she liked the other one better when she was in trouble with me.  She was also a child who would occasionally "see" things that weren't there.  A cute little girl in the bathroom and her imaginary friends, "Pete and Connie" who played with her on the swings. The book, "The Forgetting Time" is a fiction based on this phenomenon, which apparently is not that uncommon.  Sometimes a child is born with memories of a past life.  They say that around the age of 6, they forget these memories.  In Angelle's case, that's about right.  She can remember having memories, and what those memories were now, but that's about it.  She can remember that she remembered living in a big house and having a dalmation and a mother with dark hair.  I have to wonder if she didn't also know some people named Pete and Connie.  Were these memories of a past life?  I believe it's possible.  Like I said, this has been known to happen.  I highly recommend reading the book "The Forgetting Time", if this is a topic that interests you.  

So, here we are on Monday and the last day of Mercury Retrograde.  I'm feeling better about things already.  The children's choir I direct starts up again for the semester on Thursday.  KD is busy with play rehearsals.  Angelle's duet got accepted to perform for her high school pops concert.  Life can only get better.  I am alive, I have food to eat and a roof over my head.  I have a beautiful family that brings me so much joy.  I have a career that I love and I have the magic of life.  Life is beautiful. Earth is beautiful.  I am so very thankful.  I hope that you have much to be thankful for this new Monday.  I'll continue to read from the very fun "Super Awesome Fortune Telling Deck" tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday.  Be sure to check back.

Freaky Friday

Hurray!  It's Friday!  What's freaky?

This:  "The Mysterious Package" company. Have you heard of this?  I stumbled across ads for it on Facebook, and, being intrigued, had to check it out.  I think, as a member, that I'm not supposed to give many details away, so I just encourage you to check it out at www.mysteriouspackage.com.  I just sent my first one as a birthday gift for my sister.  I have no idea what to expect, so I hope she enjoys it! My daughters are begging me to send them one, too, so I probably will and we can check out the experience together.  I think it's kind of freaky.

This:  Not only did David Bowie recently pass away from cancer at age 69, but yesterday Alan Rickman (the actor who played Snape in the "Harry Potter" movies) also passed away from cancer at age 69.  Two of my favorites.  All I can say is that Alan Rickman is probably attending a very exclusive David Bowie concert right now.  Rest in peace, gentlemen.  Rest in peace.

This:  We are up for a new adventure, so Angelle will be auditioning for "America's Got Talent" soon.  We figured the "Diva Dance" from "The Fifth Element" is perfect for this venue, so we are giving it a shot.  She auditioned for them once before, when she was 9, and we were able to create some awesome memories doing that.  Of course, last year both she and I auditioned for "The Voice" and had a ton of fun.  Even if nothing comes from these auditions, they are so much freaky fun to do.

This:  Have you ever seen Triops?  My sister gave a Triops kit to KD for Christmas.  We recently hatched them and they were born on my sister's birthday!  We started with 7 and are now down to 2. They do say they have a tendency to eat each other, so that would explain why the two are growing so quickly.   Here is a picture of one.  Pretty freaky, right?




This:  It has been very cold in Iowa this last week.  We have had wind chills to -35 Fahrenheit.  It was so cold in Decorah, that this trout jumped out of the water and froze to the wall at the hatchery.  They say it was -22 Fahrenheit when this happened.  That is freaky cold. Poor little trout.

Those are all the freaky things I have to share today.  Do you have any fun freaky news?  Enjoy your Friday and be freaky!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy Witchy Wednesday!!  I confess that I've pretty much worn a different combination of black and grey every day so far this week.  So today isn't any "witchier" than the rest of the week has gone as far as wearing black goes.

I'm a little late getting to the "Game of Thrones" party, but I have finally arrived.  My older daughter had been watching it and told me I would love it.  So, I started watching Season 1, and yes, she was right.  I do love it!  Today I thought I would look into some "Game of Thrones" inspired clothing.

You can never go wrong with Etsy, and that is where I found this "Mother of Dragons" tee-shirt.  So far the Khaleesi is my favorite character.  This shirt can be found for sale by BBALLPRIDE on Etsy for around $20.
















"Game of Thrones" also makes me think of furs.

I found a great site that sells faux fur accessories.  You can find this hat and scarf there at Fabulous Furs.















If you are more into the actual costume rather than just inspired clothing, here is an actual Daenerys Targaryen (Dragon Mother) costume.  Definitely a summer outfit, and perhaps more appropriate for festivals, etc.  This was found on Etsy, made by OshunCostumes.














.
Tunics are always good if you want that medieval "look".  This one can be found at www.pyramidcollections.com for $69.95.  It's a blue velvet and lace tunic.  This is the sort of thing that can be worn every day.













Of course, for finding truly unique clothing, I still maintain that thrifting is the way to go.  Check out your local second hand store or go to Goodwill and see what you can find.  Look for bell sleeve tunics, fur hats and capes, for that "Game of Thrones" look.  Happy thrifting and may your Witchy Wednesday be Wonderful.

Tarot Tuesday 1/12/16

As promised yesterday, I am switching things up a bit and instead of drawing a card from the tarot deck, I am drawing a card from the new "Super Awesome Fortune Cards" deck I received for Christmas.

Today's card drawn is:  The King.

The spread to the right shows a couple of my favorite cards, "The Attack" (praying mantis) and "The King" (horse with crown), which is what was drawn for today.

"The King" represents paternal and masculine influences.  It refers to strength drawn from having a solid foundation and hard-won life experience.  This card shows that you or someone around you (a father figure, perhaps?) might have a strong sense of rules and regulations.  It also indicates that you might be in store for landing a leadership role if you aren't in that role already.

The appearance of this card shows that your masculine side might be strongly at work in your life.  It can either represent an actual male influence, or your own masculinity.  We are often telling men to get in touch with their feminine side, but rarely are women told to get in touch with their masculine side.  So, what does the masculine represent?  In this case, a strong and solid foundation, having a strong sense of rules and regulations, and being a good leader.  Is it time for you to step up and lead?  Are you in charge of a project?  Are you the person who needs to be stable in your relationship or family?  That might be why this card is appearing today.  While staying in touch with your intuitive, feminine side, also be sure your feet are firmly planted on the ground and that you are making wise, well thought out decisions, adhering to the rules which apply to your situation.

Perhaps there is a man in your life who needs some encouragement and support to take on a leadership role.  Be on the lookout for this and be sure to support this person when he is being a good leader.  When one shows strong leadership skills, then more leadership opportunities will arise in the future.

And now, just a couple words about the cards themselves.  The "Super Awesome" fortune telling deck features artwork by Archie McPhee.  McPhee is the artist who makes those really big rubber masks.  Some of the more common masks are the horse and unicorn.  These two characters are featured throughout the deck.  The artwork is strange, big, and wonderful.  The cards are slightly over sized so that you can see the artwork better.  There are only 36 cards, so the oracle is similar to a "Lenormand" style deck, although not exactly the same.

So far, I am enjoying them.  They are a nice change from the regular tarot and Lenormand cards when I'm in the mood to switch things up.  I'm getting to know the meanings of the cards, which are fairly easy to interpret from the picture and the title of each card.

Step up and be a leader today and the rest of the week.  Enjoy your terrific tarot Tuesday and check back tomorrow to see what I will feature for Witchy Wednesday!

Monday Musings

Marvelous Monday, everyone.

This morning I awoke to the sad news that David Bowie has passed away at age 69.  He was one of my favorite pop artists.  When Angelle was young, we watched "Labyrinth" together more than once.  As I tried to explain to her who David Bowie was this morning, she couldn't remember the movie at all.  Hmm.  Next free night we have, I'm going to have to have those girls of mine watch it.  RIP, Goblin King.

The lottery has climbed to over a billion dollars.  What?!?  That's even more insane than it was on Saturday.  How can the people of the world have actually contributed that much money to a lottery? It's mind boggling.  Yes, I will buy a ticket or two, but no, I don't expect to win anything.  Again, the odds are astronomical, but there is always that chance.   And if I did, I have plenty of dreams I would turn into a reality.  It's fun to dream.

Speaking of dreaming, do you ever wonder if we are just the product of the Creator's dream?  Is He/She simply dreaming us?  These are things I occasionally find myself thinking about.  Also, I will sit and puzzle about why my consciousness is the only one I am aware of.  Someone told me it's because there really is just one consciousness and we are all part of the "all".  Well, that makes me think of Star Trek and the "Borg".  Sorry, but I will not be assimilated.

I went out with a great group of women on Friday night to Sissy's Sircus.  I blogged about that on Friday.  It was a crazy fun night and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to have crazy fun with.  I wore my white fuzzy scarf that lights up with bright flashing disco lights, so a couple times during the Sissy's Sircus show, when it was appropriate and I didn't feel like I'd distract from the performance, I turned them on and had my own light show.  Of course, this was during times when the audience was encouraged to stand up and dance anyway, so it worked.

The rest of the weekend was a great weekend to stay in and drink hot cocoa and tea.  That is, when we weren't running around to lessons or rehearsals.  KD got a part in "Boxcar Children" at the BHCT. She will be playing the part of "Violet", so is busy with rehearsals for that right now.

Now that it's 2016, I am thinking about having the occasional Friday the 13th tea party or some such thing.  It was an idea that occurred to me on a Friday the 13th recently before the New Year.  Of course, the theme would be anything unlucky.....walking under ladders, broken mirrors, etc. etc.  I'm going to give that some more thought.  What would want to do or see at a Friday the 13th party?

Tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday, I think I'm going to take a small break from the regular Gilded Tarot and start pulling a card from my "Super Awesome Fortune Telling Deck".  This will be just for fun so you can see how entertaining the pictures on these cards are.  They are a legit deck, so we will also listen go the messages they give us.  I pulled a card for myself yesterday and find this deck lends itself pretty well to the single card draw.

I hope Monday is finding you happy and staying warm.  Listen to some David Bowie today, maybe watch "Labyrinth" with some popcorn and a cup of hot cocoa.

Freaky Friday

TGIF!  Now this is a Friday that I'm happy to see.  One week back to teaching and I'm exhausted, but in a good way.  We've started our recorder unit in 4th and 5th grades.  That in itself is really freaky.  If you've ever taught recorders, you know what I mean.  And my younger students are having fun with boomwhackers and my new classroom parachute.

It's Friday.  What's freaky?

This:  Do you ever have an experience when if you think about something, it happens or appears?  There are groups who do experiments with manifesting.  How ridiculous of a thing can you manifest?  I've sometimes done it with a song.  I think about hearing the song on the radio and see how long it takes for me to turn on the radio and that song is playing.  Most recently there was a facebook challenge to manifest a half peeled orange.  I thought about a half peeled orange and right after saw orange peels in a trash can in the library.  Not exactly, but close.  So, I acknowledged it as a start, but did not accept it as mission accomplished.  Well, when I got home, I opened the cupboard to find a snack, and right in front of me, plain as day, was a can of mandarin oranges and on the label? A half peeled orange.  And I didn't even buy that can of mandarin oranges or put it there.  Try it and see how long it takes you to manifest something small.  It's freaky!

This:  Tonight I am going to Sissy's Circus with a group of awesome and fun ladies.  What is Sissy's Circus, you may ask?  It's a burlesque show and "Sissy", the star of the show, is in full drag for most of it.  She is incredibly talented and I've always enjoyed going to this production.  It is rated NC/17 and if you are easily offended, you should not attend.  The "f" bomb gets dropped a lot and it is definitely adult content.  However, I don't go out that much so I'm pretty excited!  One thing I can say about their shows is that they are really freaky!

This:  The Power Ball jackpot is currently at $700,000,000.  That is insane.  I did buy a ticket at the last minute when I happened to remember the jackpot was really high on Wednesday.  I suppose I'll have to buy another one for Saturday.  The odds of winning are astronomical, but there is still a chance, no matter how small, right?   It's hard to imagine what anybody would do with that much money.  It's an interesting topic for conversation.  Angelle and I had that conversation just the other day.  I said I would buy a huge building that's for sale locally.  I would open "Witches Brew" on the main floor along with "Books and Beyond".  The building is big enough that the two "dreams" could have their own space, then a shared space for people to read and enjoy their beverages.  We also said we'd renovate the apartment units in this building and have our own luxury apartment there to enjoy whenever we wanted to.  Neither one of us wanted to move, though.  We like our location, but we did say we would add on to our house quite a bit to make it much, much bigger.  And we would donate to worthy causes, of course.  What would you do with that much money?  It's freaky when you think about it.

This:  I looked up a few freaky facts.  These are things that might not seem true, but are.  Here they are:  1.  The surface area of Russia is actually bigger than the surface area of Pluto.
2.  Oxford University is actually older than the Aztec Empire.
3.  There are more stars in space than there are grains of sand on all of the beaches of the world.
4.  For every human there are 1.6 billion ants.
5.  The total weight of those ants is about the same as the total weight of all the humans.
6.  On Jupiter and Saturn it rains diamonds.
7.  And this one is for my daughter, Angelle, who is terrified of sharks.  Your chances of being killed by a vending machine are actually twice as large as your chances of being bitten by a shark.  Stay away from vending machines, Angelle!

What's freaky in your world?  Know any interesting and freaky facts?  Feel free to share in the comments below.  Let your freak flag fly and have a great weekend!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy Witchy Wednesday!!  Today I am wearing red and black and apparently with the black streak in my hair replacing the white streak, I look like a vampire.  I was told so today by two different people, so it must be so.

I received two fingernail rings from my sister for Christmas.  They are pretty cool.  I'm not really sure when their popularity increased, but it could possibly have something to do with Lady Gaga's character on American Horror Story Hotel.  Her fingernail rings are a bit, um, sharp.  But for her purposes, that works.  I thought today I'd share a few cool fingernail rings that I've found.


The rings shown here are exactly like mine.  I have a black one and a white one.  The white one reminds me of mother of pearl.  I'm wearing the black one today and perhaps that contributes to my vampiric appearance.

There are several different styles of nail rings.There are several at Alie Exepress.  I also saw several on Pinterest and Etsy.








Some of them resemble claws.  I suppose if you didn't use your hands too much, you could wear them on every finger.







This is a nice filigree style.  I will say that being a musician, I can't wear mine all the time and I usually end up taking it off at some point.












That being said, not all fingernail rings need to extend beyond the fingernail.  Here are some nice ones which do not.






So, what do you think?  Would you wear fingernail rings?  So far I am enjoying mine, even if I find myself taking them off so I can play piano or when drumming with my students.  Let me know your thoughts and feel free to share any unique and interesting styles you find.

Enjoy your Witchy Wednesday and check back Friday.

Tarot Tuesday 1/5/16

Today's card drawn is the Three of Pentacles.

I believe this is another repeat card.  It is a card of encouragement.  This card is telling you that if you continue to work toward the fulfillment of your dreams and don't allow yourself to become discouraged, you will ultimately experience prosperity and the success of reaching your goals. Be sure that the work you are doing is satisfying to you, has meaning, and that you are proud of it.  If there is a new venture you have been putting off because you are afraid of failure, then this card is telling you that this dream can be made real if you put the effort and determination into it. Don't put it off anymore.  Believe in your dreams and make them a reality.

This card can also indicate that you might need some help with what you are doing and that you should draw on the knowledge and experience of others.  You can choose a partner to work with, but make sure that partner believes in the dream as much as you do.

If you are a part of a team, this card is emphasizing the importance of productive teamwork.  You are all part of a whole and each person has something unique to offer.  Some give and take is required and you must learn from each other to be successful with this project.  This card is a positive one where teamwork is concerned.  It shows that your team has the potential to accomplish great things as long as you work together cooperatively.

Be prepared to accept productive and constructive feedback.  You may have teachers or supervisors and they are there for a reason.  Do not take feedback personally, but instead, use it to improve yourself and your work.

Finally, it is important to use some time management skills to accomplish your goal or dream. Planning, management and organisation are important and are elements of this card.  You may notice the blacksmith in the illustration on the card has his tools he needs all around him.  He is prepared to do what needs to be done and takes pride in his work.  You need to be sure that you create a detailed plan and follow a schedule.  These things will pay off in the end.

Have a tremendous Tuesday.  Check back for "Witchy Wednesday" tomorrow.  I'm thinking of highlighting some fingernail rings!  That should be fun.

Monday Musings

Hello Monday.  Wow, did you ever get here quickly!!  The first day back to school after winter break can be hard to adjust to, and this one is definitely no exception.

A few days before Christmas, I was driving my older daughter around so she could get presents.  I asked her what she was most looking forward to about Christmas.  She told me it was going to my sister's house on Christmas Eve and how she loved the atmosphere of going there, how it was warm and inviting, and there are all these presents under the tree and just how much fun it is. Strangely enough, shortly after she said that we pulled into a parking lot for a store and I received a text.  The text said "bad news, Deb (my sister) is going to the hospital for her heart).  I told my daughter and we said a quick prayer together, then I texted my other daughter and husband.

It turned out she was going to need hospitalization for a few nights, so going to their house on Christmas Eve was not going to happen.  Of course, I was concerned about her, and stayed in constant texting contact with her husband so I'd know how she was doing.  Thankfully, it was nothing immediately life threatening, although had she not gone to the hospital when she did, it could have turned out to be.

Since this changed our plans, we spent Christmas Eve at our very dear friends' house.  Scot and Kristin have been friends of ours for years, and they are Godparents to our daughters.  We also had a somewhat magical Christmas Eve snow.  Many people don't like snow because of having to shovel it, etc., but I can't seem to help really enjoying it.  The girls were happy with snow on Christmas Eve.  We had a fabulous time eating chili and oyster stew at Kristin and Scot's.  We exchanged some gifts and went home.

Twice since the girls have been around, we haven't been able to go to my sister's on Christmas Eve.  I think KD really enjoys being home on Christmas morning and opening presents like most people do traditionally.  She wasted no time getting up on Christmas day and was ready to begin.  We had a wonderful family Christmas all the way around.  And on Christmas day, my sister got to go home.

The day after Christmas we headed to my sister's with a van full of presents, not just for them, but also for our nephew and niece and their daughters, who live on our way to my sister's.  We had a great trip, stopping there first, then going to my sister's where we had a fabulous Christmas Eve.  My sister knows how to make Christmas so much fun!!

We stayed over that night and the next day the girls went sledding with their uncle, helped him do chores (they raise peafowl and geese) and we played a game of "Hearts".  I've had a beloved large jade sphere I got a few years back which is supposed to help with heart health.  While I think maybe it's meant to help with heart health of the emotional kind, it seemed right to give it to my sister.  Later my daughter commented that she was surprised I gave it away because it had always meant a lot to me.  I figured my sister needed it more than I did at this point.  Besides, now I have a reason to look for a sphere to take it's place.

The girls and I took our time driving home, stopping to eat at the "Iowa Machine Shed" on the way.

It was a fabulous holiday and we had the rest of winter break to look forward to.  On Monday night into Tuesday morning, we got a really big snowstorm.  We got 9 inches of snow and our snowblower broke.  I spent the day Tuesday shoveling our driveway (which I didn't mind one bit), and helping my daughter build a fabulous snow fort.  There was something very zen about the act of playing in the snow for me.  It was very mindless work and play and so it gave my mind a chance to just wander.  The next day I spent more time on the snow fort as well.  It turned out to be quite an epic snow fort.  The girls enjoyed it and so did I.

I think I understand why the Buddhist monks make sand mandalas.  Several years back, there were a group of monks visiting our town and they made a huge sand mandala just down the street from us. It was incredibly beautiful and we spent a little time watching them in the creation process.  I know our snow fort will not last forever, in fact, it's already started to fall down where the sun hits it in the morning, but making it was a great experience and I loved every second of it.  It is not as intricate and beautiful as the Buddhist's mandala, but there's something very "zen" about the act of building it, and then knowing it is not permanent.

I hope your holidays were merry as well.  Today starts getting back into the "swing of things" for all of us.  I'm looking forward to the adventures that 2016 holds.

Freaky Friday

TGIF!  Wait, no, I'm on winter break, so I don't want it to be Friday yet.  But that's okay. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  Here's to 2016 bringing all of our dreams and goals to fruition.  I have a feeling it's going to be a very lucky one.  It is the year of the monkey, after all, and I know one very perceptive and lucky young lady who was also born the year of the monkey.  KD, it's your year. Bring it, Universe. We are ready!

Anyway, I didn't blog at all last week because I was too busy enjoying the snow.  I helped my girls make a very cool, very tall, snow fort.  I also shoveled our driveway.  I enjoy playing in the snow.  Very zen for me.  I'd make a good snow queen.

So, I'm starting out the new year right.  With a Freaky Friday blog post.  I thought I'd share my freaky Christmas presents, so here goes.  It's Friday.  What's freaky?

This:  You know I love fortune telling, so when I saw these cards at Mohair Pear, I informed my daughters that I wanted them for Christmas. The thing that really clinched it for me to want these cards is that the "destruction" card features a giant praying mantis attacking a city.  The cards are really fun featuring fabulous images such as the unicorn.  There is even a "zombie" card.  I thought with there being 36 cards, they might be similar to Lenormand cards, and they do seem to be at least a little,.  I want to do a card by card comparison when I find the time.






This:  Fingernail rings.  I received two of these cool fashion accessories from my sister, one black and one white.  They make me think of Lady Gaga's character in American Horror Story; Hotel, but mine aren't as sharp. Yikes!  I wore them for New Year's Eve last night and I love them.  Also, no chamber for storing poison, but that's okay.













This;  Christmas at my sister's is always full of interesting and sometimes freaky gifts!  Among those, a giant Santa PEZ dispenser, a remote controlled giant spider, remote controlled turtle, three wind up furry mice in black, white and brown (each of us girls got one), solar powered garden butterflies and dragonflies, and a mini-stunt drone.  I do think my sister really enjoys shopping for Christmas.  She finds the most unique gifts!  I'll see what images I can find and share of some of these.


Those are some freaky gifts!!  It sure makes Christmas fun to get things you don't have to take too seriously.

This:  My daughters know me so well, and they like to have the opportunity to shop for me by themselves.  They did quite well this year.  They got me a skull and crossbones beach towel, a wonderful Halloween throw  pillow featuring a skull, black cat and jack-o-lantern (which I will leave out all year), two sugar skull keychains, and a pair of skull work gloves.  They got all that at Kohls and Mohair Pear.  I have always thought I would be an easy person to shop for at Christmas, and cheap, too, because all the Halloween stuff is on sale by December!  Smart girls.

This:  I'm not really making a New Year's resolution.  I don't usually do that.  I think in 2016, I just want to do, experience, and BE more.  More magic, more dreams, more belief, more hope, more Halloween!!!  What about you?

Enjoy your freaky Friday first day of 2016.  Let your freak flag fly!!