Freaky Friday

TGIF!  What's freaky?

This:  TONIGHT it begins!!  KD, Shelby Davis and I will begin reading fortunes in the Gypsy Wagon at the Harris Haven Funeral Home Haunted House in Evansdale, Iowa.  There is no extra charge for getting your fortune told, but since we are volunteering, we do appreciate tips. Also, Angelle will not be helping in the wagon this year, but is volunteering in the haunted house as a character.  I guarantee she will be freakily scary, or scarily freaky.  Stop by!  We will be there tomorrow night, too, and most weekend nights all through October.  Tonight it will be just me doing the readings.  Tomorrow night I hope KD will join me and then some following weekends, you will also find Shelby reading the tarot. Let's jump start Halloween season.  Come see me tonight!!

This:  Meet "Po".  He arrived this week on Wednesday.  I had him on a sort of "layaway" program for a few months, although I did get him for less than half the normal cost.  Yes, it's real.  Yes, it's very very cool.  And worthy of honor and respect.  After all, he was once part of a living human.  Shelby Davis named him "Po".  "Po" is the Chinese word for the "yin" portion of the soul that remains with the body after death. As this skull is originally from China and is a male, this is the perfect name.  Thank you, Shelby!  He will be at the Cedar Valley Silent Supper this year.  More than likely in the place reserved for "spirit"
Just another reason to come to the silent supper!!  I know.  It's freaky.  So get those tickets reserved!  Information is on our "Cedar Valley Silent Supper" facebook page.
















This:  Last weekend we had seriously freaky flooding in my community.  Where we live, we were just fine.  No flooding.  Not even close.  Which is funny considering our oldest daughter was born during a horrible flood in our neighborhood 17 years ago.  I remember being a day away from giving birth and wading through thigh high flood waters.  I was carrying a dog and we were trying to get to our van parked down the street.  Once we got there we discovered water was halfway up the van, so we had to stay home and hope for the best.  We spent the next day cleaning up, then went to bed. And then I had my first labor pain.  We rode to the hospital on a motorcycle because our other cars had been in the water.  What a fun and freaky memory!

Anyway, Angelle and I did some sandbagging for our wonderful town last Saturday.  I didn't get there as early as I wanted to because we are also dealing with a very sick dog, but I did get there for about an hour.  Angelle and her friend showed up around 7:30 a.m. and sandbagged until Noon.  I am super proud of those girls for helping out their community!

This:  Tonight is a "black moon".  Said to be a rare occasion, the black moon occurs when there are two new moons in one month.  Kind of like a blue moon, except the new moon, not the full one.  It seems fitting since it is the first night for the haunted houses to be open and the first night for me to be reading fortunes in the gypsy wagon.  Freaky.

Stay freaky today.  Come to the gypsy wagon tonight.  I'd love to see you and read your cards!





































.

Witchy Wednesday

Witchy Wednesday.  A great day of the week.  And now I get to look forward to American Horror Story on Wednesdays, too!

This is the time of year I start getting questions from people interested in attending the Cedar Valley Silent Supper about what they should wear.  Honestly, you can wear whatever you want!  People ask if it is a costumed affair.  It certainly can be and that is entirely up to you!  My daughters and I like to go formal and wear black, but that is certainly not necessary.  Last year some people wore jeans, someone dressed in a zombie costume, someone wore an adorable witch hat, others dressed very formal.  Some wore black, some didn't.  It really doesn't matter. Masks are fine, makeup is fine, anything goes.

So for Witchy Wednesday, I did a little browsing and found some great images of t-shirts and outfits.  Just some ideas to get you excited for the Halloween season and the Cedar Valley Silent Supper.  If you are not on our reservation list yet, please consider attending this year.  You get a lot for your $40 and it really is a unique event.

I love this whole outfit.  The retro pencil skirt and jacket with the "Tales From the Crypt" t-shirt and the fascinator hat.  Classy and cool.

Here are a couple other adorable Halloween t-shirts which could be paired with just about anything.  I admit I love the ouija board shirt.  The witching hour one is very cute, too.


















I love love LOVE this outfit.  Honestly, if it was in my budget right now, I'd probably snatch this one right up.  It's not just a cool 70's retro dress, it's also a pantsuit.  Yep.  That's right.  Pants underneath!  Available on Etsy if you are so inclined.  I guarantee if you get this one, I'll be very jealous!









I'm a sucker for witch hats and this one is extreme!

Here is something else that I would totally buy if it was in my budget.  I would absolutely wear this to the Silent Supper.  What a gorgeous headpiece!  And here are a couple of cool makeup ideas as well.  This headpiece and the witch hat above are also on Etsy.






























I also googled casual witch and came up with a few cool images.  Just some great ideas for piecing together different witchy outfits.






So there you go.  Lots of great ideas for your Witchy Wednesday or Silent Supper outfit.  Anything goes!  Have as much or as little fun as you want to have getting ready!  We hope you will join us.

Freaky Friday

It's finally Friday!  What's freaky?

This: This beautiful, gorgeous, rainy, stormy, freaky weather.  I confess, this is my kind of weather.  My pet duck likes it, too!  Wednesday night, Mother Nature put on a spectacularly freaky  light show in the north.  I had to take a walk and get a couple photos and even videotape a little bit of it.

This: American Horror Story season 6.  Two episodes in and I like it. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the theme this year.  It's about the mystery of Roanoke, the lost colony.  I've heard several complaints about it.  Watchers thought the first episode was lame, but I'm sure they weren't disappointed with the second.  Delightfully creepy in my opinion.  No Gaga yet, which makes me think her character is going to be extra freaky.  Cuba Gooding Jr.  is great, though, of course!  At any rate, I'm enjoying the weekly Wednesday night scare fest and it is pretty freaky.

This:  Speaking of freaky shows, Angelle and I took advantage of a free Tuesday evening, a $10 reward on my Marcus Theatres reward card, and $5 Tuesday movie night and saw the new "Blair Witch" movie Tuesday night.  It was pretty good, with many uncomfortable moments.  Spoiler alert, I'm going to discuss our most disturbing parts now.  For Angelle it was when one of the characters pulled a large centipede (at least that's what we thought it was) out of a wound in her leg and for me, it was the several minutes of the main character crawling through a very small tunnel.  My claustrophobic self could hardly stand it.  Of course, we hated the ending.  And I'll now be waiting for the sequel to the sequel.

This:  Yesterday was Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox.  What did you do to celebrate?  I'm glad it's finally fall.  My favorite time of year.  Halloween is coming in just 39 days, I think.  Freaky.  In Japan, it's traditional to honor one's ancestors at the time of the equinox.  We will be doing just that on October 30, as part of our Halloween celebration, at the Cedar Valley Silent Supper.  We are taking reservations now.  Contact us if you're interested in attending!

This:  Yesterday, during Mabon, the power in most of the state went out.  Of course, this occurred during school hours before lunch.  That's always exciting!  Kudos to our school district and the district where my girls attend on handling it extremely well.  Still, Mabon was kind of a freaky day.

And finally, this:  Cedar Falls cancelled school for today and Waterloo is getting out an hour early because of the potential for flooding.  This is a first for me since my oldest daughter has been in school. Never has there been a "flood day" before.  Of course, my girls were thrilled and the rest of the household besides myself kind of went into "party mode" last night.  Freaky.  But seriously, I hope everyone in Iowa stays safe when the river crests.  Freaky weather!

Stay freaky but safe my friends.  This weather is for the ducks. That's what my duck says, anyway.

Witchy Wednesday

Wonderful Witchy Wednesday to you all!

Today I thought I would focus on products like perfume, skin care and bath supplies.  I happened to stumble across Halloween perfume the other day when browsing on Etsy and that got me inspired.

First, I have started my own limited line of bath stuff.  So far, it only consists of my full moon oil and aura cleansing bath, but I plan to come up with more fun products.  Small vials of full moon oil are $2 each while the aura cleansing bath is $3 a bag, with enough for about three baths in each bag.  Both products feature oil of sandalwood and sweet orange.  The oil was infused with a red rose bloom.  The scents are very subtle and not overwhelming at all.  Let me know if you're interested in either and we'll figure out a way to get it sold to you.  By the way, I'm calling my line of bath/oil stuff "Bath and Broom".

Now, for the Etsy Halloween perfume!   Look for DeepMidnightPerfumes on Etsy.  I love the names of all her perfume oils.  I'm really inspired by these!

Pumpkin Pixie has pumpkin scent and I Scream has vanilla and chocolate, of course.

I Love the name of "Witch's Brew", and it has a few wonderful scents combined.

Yes, I'm feeling inspired.  I'm feeling like I will increase the scent of my full moon oil so it's not quite so subtle.  It can then be used as a perfume or an anointing oil.  And the fact that I let it sit under the full moon makes it extra special, I think.





I Scream perfume oil.















Witch's Brew perfume oil.
















There are several other Etsy shops that carry bath and body stuff.  Checkout these names on Etsy:  GiftBasketsbyMel, 2infinityandbeyond, MoonCraftEmporium, RitaSpiritualGoods.  I will share a few of the items I found in these shops.  Who knows?  Maybe I will try selling my stuff on Etsy sometime.  I'll keep you posted.





So there you have it.  Some awesome witchy bath supplies.  Enjoy your Witchy Wednesday, wear black, accessorize, and don't forget to pamper yourself a little, too.

Tarot Tuesday

Today's card drawn is the Ace of Wands.

The Ace of Wands is a card of creative force, enthusiasm, confidence and courage.

The appearance of this card today is telling you that you have possibilities for extra creativity, excitement, courage and even an adventure.  It is a time of personal power for you.  The seed of a great idea has been planted in your life which has you very excited.  Pay attention to synchronicity and signs as you explore where this adventure could take you.

This is a good time to be daring and brave.  Examine your life and harness your confidence.  You will have the potential to be truly original with your creativity.  The key here is to trust yourself.  There will be no end to what you can achieve.

Remember that it is not just going to happen.  You have to nurture and water the seed to help it grow, but it has the potential to grow into something huge.

Sometimes the Ace of Wands can also signify a restlessness or an uncertainty about how to begin.  Your energy and passion are there, so just put a little thought into it, weigh your options and take that first step.;  You can make this happen.  It's real.  Just go for it.

Looking for a tarot deck?  Like skeletons?  Check out "Cat Rocketship" on facebook.  She is working on a fabulous deck of skeleton tarot.  I'll be getting one as soon as it's ready!  Have a Tuesday full of fiery creative energy.  Make great things happen!

Monday Musings (Tales From the Gypsy Wagon, special edition)

Happy Monday!

If you remember, once we start doing readings in the Gypsy Wagon at Harris Haven Funeral Home Haunted House, I like to dedicate Monday Musings to "Tales From the Gypsy Wagon".

We haven't started reading in the wagon yet, but on Saturday, "Three Witches" and "Magpie Alchemy and Arts" gave readings at the Mohair Pear "Pear Fair".  It was a solid 6 hours of giving readings, meeting people, selling some of our stuff, etc. etc.  We had a blast!!  So today I'm going to talk about that.

This was officially our first time being vendors for a fair.  To prepare,  I kept busy bottling full moon oil and creating bags of aura cleansing bath mix.  I'm calling my line of bath stuff  "Bath and Broom". Clever, huh?  Angelle spent a lot of time making necklaces and charms. Her charms were very popular.  One thing I learned from this day is that we don't have to worry too much about selling stuff.  People were really interested in the readings.  We also had on hand some lovely handmade jewelry done by our friends "To Our Moon and Back".  Amazingly beautiful pieces!  I was thrilled to be able to swap a beautiful witch hat pendant for readings for both DuRaae and Shelby.

Elaine from "Magpie...." was very popular with her three card tarot readings and absolutely amazing animal totem readings.  KD, Angelle and I all had her read our totem animals.  Not surprisingly, we all had one animal in common, the wolf.  KD's other animal was a song bird.  Angelle's was a butterfly.  I had two others in my reading, a black bear and the most significant, a white owl.  We were all incredibly impressed with Elaine's intuitive readings.  She is a very talented and gifted psychic.  Keep an eye out for her as I'm sure she will be doing many more readings in the future.

I tried to keep track of how many Lenormand card readings I did throughout the day.  If I counted correctly, I did 7.  A good number.  I always enjoy reading for other people so much.  Sometimes a card will turn up in a reading that has a personal meaning for the querent.  It won't necessarily match the meaning of the card I give them in the reading, but I definitely believe the querent should pay attention to those personal signs.  One example of this is when the owls turned up for a lady getting a reading.  She said that someone close to her had recently died and ever since her death, they had been seeing owls and feathers everywhere.  Definitely a sign.  After her lenormand card reading, she had Elaine do her totem animals.  It ended up being a very emotional experience for this woman and her daughters.

Another young woman came to talk to me at one point.  She said that the idea of getting a reading was very scary to her.  We discussed that for awhile, and I determined that she was actually afraid of what she thought she had no control over.  Her future.  I talked to her a bit about how she could use some mystical tools to take control and guide her own destiny.  I believe we really have more control than we often think we do.  Sure, sometimes life throws a curve at us, but we can work to prevent those curves from happening.  And sometimes those curves are thrown our way to put us on the path to achieve what we want to achieve.

I was able to read for a former student and very good friend.  I hadn't seen her in awhile, so that was an extra treat.

One of my favorite vendors there was "Cat Rocketship".  She had really cool art work featuring skeletons, so of course, I was hooked.  I wanted to buy a candle with one of her originally designed tarot cards on the front of it (The Magician).  She swapped me the candle for a reading, and threw in another candle (The World).  I am hoping she publishes this tarot deck because I will be sure to buy it.  I started following her on Facebook and you should, too!!  KD purchased a portrait of herself from her.  It captured her spirit well.  KD started following her on Instagram.  We are definitely fans.

At the end of the fair I was able to get a gorgeous henna tattoo from the best henna artist we have ever seen.  Rayna from Des Moines is wonderful.  Her free-hand, free-form henna tattoo's are beautiful.  All three of us Waltz girls ended up with a henna tattoo.

All in all, it was a great day at the Mohair Pear "Pear Fair".  I'm hoping we can do it again next year. In the meantime, look for us at the Gypsy Wagon at Harris Haven Funeral Home starting September 30th.  We read for tips there.  If this post has you in the mood for a reading, check back tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday.  I will draw one card and interpret it's meaning.  It will apply for all my readers.

Witchy Wednesday

Guess what?  The Halloween "Spirit" store is open!!  For people like me, this is a very exciting thing!  Our local one is located in College Square Mall.

We love going to the "Spirit" store.  They usually have their animated decor hooked up and ready to activate, so it's almost like going to a small haunted house for free, or at least for free until you buy something!

This is the store where I bought my swinging zombie girl two years ago.  She is by far my favorite Halloween decoration in our yard.  If there is even a slight chance of rain, you will not see zombie girl out as I do not want her to get ruined, but on dry days, you can see her if you drive by.  I challenge you to get out and give her a "clap" and then listen to her eerie song and watch her swing and turn her head from side to side.  She's pretty cool.  So today let's explore some of the things you can find at the "Spirit" store this year.

Are you a Jack Skellington fan?  They have a whole section of "Nightmare Before Christmas" stuff!!

The animatronics at "Spirit Halloween Store" are pretty awesome.  This one is the graveyard mourner.  She is pretty subtle and her face is hidden with her umbrella until the end when her umbrella spins around and you can see her hideous face with glowing eyes.  Since a fake cemetery is one of the major features of our Halloween yard, I would really like to get this one!  Pretty cool.



















This is an indoor decoration, but this adorable little antique doll glides around your house on her own and says sweet phrases like "Play with me forever".  Cute.















This grim reaper angel statue would be another great addition to our cemetery.
















Something new they have this year are these 5 foot collapsible coffins.  Again, another nice addition to our cemetery and it would be easy to store during those rather boring times of the year that aren't Halloween.  There is also a 3 foot version.














You can turn your tree into a creepy Halloween decoration with the tree face and arms.  Fun!

Probably my favorite section at the "Halloween Spirit Store" is the section of sugar skull decor.  Of course, I love these two and I would consider them for the "Cedar Valley Silent Supper" coming up on October 30th.  Beautiful!




























With my own Halloween yard, I have always struggled with lighting.  It takes a lot of battery changing to keep those portable strobe lights and tea lights going so the display is well lit.  Last Christmas these really neat projected lights came out.  I am so happy to see they are out for Halloween this year, too.  There are ghosts, spiders, bats, jack-o-lanterns and just plain eerie lights.  I love these and am thinking of either the spider or ghost light.









They also have a HUGE costume collection.  I would urge you to go check everything out sometime either in person at the store or online at  Spirit Halloween Store.  There's even a lot of decor that I would use year round.

Be witchy today and have fun looking at Halloween stuff!  It's NOT too early to decorate!

Freaky Friday

Happy Freaky Friday!  What's freaky?

This:  Sorry, but it has to be discussed.  That whole pipeline thing.  The largest Native American protest in history is happening as I type.  Right now.  This pipeline threatens sacred sites and drinking water resources.  The Native Americans were not consulted.  It is not okay and it needs to be stopped!  Just as white men would never build a pipeline through the middle of a national cemetery, there should not be a pipeline through the middle of sacred sites.  This situation needs more media attention.  Haven't we, as European-Americans (speaking for myself here, I know not all my readers are white Euro-Americans), done enough harm to the Native Americans?  This whole thing is freaky, and not the good kind of freaky.  Talk about it, donate to a gofundme campaign (there are a couple of them dedicated to this), make yourself known.  Do whatever you can.

This:  On a happier note, the Mohair Pear "Pear Fair" is just a week away!  I'm so excited, it's freaky.  "Three Witches" and "Magpie Alchemy and Arts" will be doing readings at the fair this year.  The prices are very reasonable.  I will be giving Lenormand 5 card readings at $10 each, and KD will be dowsing with her pendulum, answering questions for $1 per question.  I've seen psychics who charge $40 for readings, and that is their minimum.  I went to a psychic fair at which the least expensive reading was $20.  I wanted to make these affordable for everyone, so please stop by!  Elaine from Magpie Alchemy and Arts will be doing animal totem readings as well.  We will have some of our own handmade items there to sell and will also have some beautiful handmade jewelry from "To Our Moon and Back" there to sell, too.  So much fun stuff, it's freaky!!

This:  The 2016 "Cedar Valley Silent Supper"!!  October 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Walker Building in Waterloo.  Reservations are just $40 each for a three course catered dinner served backwards and in silence, the experience itself, the possibility of connecting with or just honoring your deceased loved ones and ancestors, and included with the cost, a divination session after the dinner.  We hope you will come!  LIKE our FB page, Cedar Valley Silent Supper, for more information.  You can also purchase your reservation at the Pear Fair next Saturday!!  It's a freaky cool event.  You won't want to miss it!

This:  The Mesopotamians, their gods, and aliens.  My 7th grade daughter is studying this in her world history class so we have some fairly freaky conversations.

This:  The Stone Soul Picnic.  Love the name.  A great event, free and open to the public, is this Sunday!!  Bring a free will donation or canned food item.  It's a bbq picnic with live music and kids activities.  It goes from 1-5 at Gateway Park in Cedar Falls and if you go around 2:00 p.m., my girls and I will be volunteering with the kids activities.  Freaky fun and raises food and money for the food bank.

This:  Halloween Halloween Halloween!!!  We actually put up some decor last weekend.  Just a little to get a "taste" of what's to come.  This weekend, though?  We are doing it all!!  Prepare yourself for a month and a half of zombie girl swinging from the tree, the laughing dracula face, the zombies and skeletons and the freakiest front yard cemetery ever.  Don't forget the skeleton flamingos!!  We even decorate the little free library.  Starting next week, drive by for the freak show!!

I hope your Friday is freaky!  Maybe we will run into you at Artapalooza on Main (tomorrow) or the Stone Soul Picnic at Gateway park (Sunday).  I freaking hope so!

Witchy Wednesday

Wednesday!  Hump Day!  Halfway through the week!  Wear black!

Today I decided to highlight a very unique online shop.  This is the place to legally obtain human bones or skulls.  That's not all they sell, however. At The Bone Room you can also find some cool t shirts, great jewelry, taxidermy, art, etc. etc. You really should check it out!  I'll share some of the things I found there today, including a couple of human skulls.









Here is a really great skull poster.  It would look fabulous framed.

















I love this pewter skull necklace.  It would be a nice addition to my collection!
















Game of Thrones fan?  Here is a very nice dire wolf necklace.  It would also look great on a display stand like in the photo.









How about a deck of fossil playing cards?  Very cool!
















They have a couple of graphic designs available on tee-shirts, bags and patches.  I do love the siamese twins.

I'm sure you were waiting for the skulls!  Here is one of their human skulls.  If you don't know, there is now a regulation on importing human skulls, so the collection available on this site was acquired before the regulations went into effect.  That makes these skulls very pricey.














Less pricey, but also cool, are the many, many animal skulls and skeletons you can find at this site.  Here are three coyote skulls.

These last two are incredibly unique.  The first is a headhunter skull.  It still has the cord attached that the headhunter would have used to carried it around as a trophy.  Very creepy!  The site said this one was of an elderly woman who had lost most of her upper teeth.














This is called the "Phantom Skull".  It is an actual human skull that was dipped in a blue resin. The resin simulates what the skin would be like over the skull.  It looks so eerie!!

So, if you're into bones at all.  Or even if you're not.  Check out The Bone Room and see all the cool stuff they have.