Monday Musings

Happy Labor Day Monday!  Most of you reading this did not have to work today.  For those of you who did stay open so the rest of us could enjoy your services, thank you!

Both of our daughters went on out of town adventures with their friends, so John and I went out on the town on the Harley to a car show, and then to have a drink or two at Octopus.  It's been awhile since we've done anything together just the two of us, so it was a lot of fun.  Today, we took to the trails and rode our bikes around George Wyth Lake.  We even stopped and had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at a bench on the trail.  The trails are beautiful this time of year.  I also wore my witch hat helmet that KD made me for one of my birthdays.  I get a few looks and a few comments whenever I wear that helmet.

On my mind these days is the upcoming Pear Fair 2016 www.thepearfair.com.  "Three Witches", our little fortune telling business, will have a booth at the fair.  I will be reading Lenormand card fortunes at $10 per 5 card spread.  KD will answer yes/no (or similar) questions with her pendulum for $1 per question.  During the last full moon I made a batch of full moon oil using sweet almond oil, sandalwood and orange essential oils, and blooms from our mini red rose bush.  It was left out during three nights of the full moon and even got in on a thunderstorm.  I am in the process of bottling this and will have small bottles of the full moon oil available at $2 per bottle. I have a few gemstone necklaces that Angelle made and will also make some packets of aura cleansing bath.  For sure I will have one mini-spell kit available.  Hopefully I will have a few more by September 17th.

Joining us at our booth with be Elaine Jai McMurchy of "Magpie Alchemy and Arts".  She will have some jewelry for sale and will be giving animal totem readings.  Our dear friends from "To Our Moon and Back" will also have some lovely handmade jewelry for sale at our booth.  We really hope you will stop by!  We are really looking forward to this.

Also on my mind is the Cedar Valley Silent Supper 2016.  Right now we have 15 people coming to the supper.  If you haven't already, please like our facebook page, Cedar Valley Silent Supper.  I hope you will consider celebrating Halloween with us on October 30th by attending the supper.  Everyone really enjoyed it last year and I'm so excited to do it again!  Please contact me if you have any questions about it.  Reservations will be on sale until October 15th, when I will need to close them so my caterer can prepare.  So, don't delay!  Call me or facebook me to make your reservation!

Halloween is coming and with it, all of my favorite things.  I can't wait for the Pear Fair, then reading fortunes in the Gypsy Wagon at Harris Haven Funeral Home, then the Cedar Valley Silent Supper.  I also love decorating my yard, of course!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy Witchy Wednesday!

It's almost September and with that, it's almost my favorite time of year, Autumn!!  I love what Autumn brings.  Cooler weather, hot chocolate, bonfires, but most of all, HALLOWEEN!!!  It's coming and I can feel it in the air.  I'm so looking forward to reading fortunes in the gypsy wagon at Harris Haven Funeral Home.  I'm really looking forward to decorating our yard, having a Halloween party and just all the fun and excitement that comes with my favorite holiday.

Today for Witchy Wednesday, everything I'm showing is available at Zulily.com.  I subscribe to zulilyZulily.com and have purchased things from them quite a few times.  The way it works is you subscribe to it, fill out a profile, then every day you will get an e mail from them featuring some great sales that fit your profile.  I've found some great deals on some very unique items.

Today on zulily, I am featuring some Halloween decor, a couple of Halloween costumes, and a whole lot of black dresses, shirts and pants.  All from zulily.

I obviously love the Halloween themed decor I found on zulily today.  From the white pleurant garden statue to the adorable skeletal garden gnomes and the cool raven wall plaque, these are all decorative items I would use year round. I definitely have to get that witch weather vane!

There are a few sections dedicated to Halloween costumes on zulily.  So many options!  I love the fortune telling gypsy outfit and the Medusa outfit.

I said I would share some cool black items.  Here are a couple of gorgeous black boho-style tunics and some great lacy palazzo pants.

There's plenty more awesome black clothing on the zulily site.  Go ahead and subscribe and then enjoy what comes into your inbox every day from them.

Stay witchy today and remember, the week is almost half over and then.....a three day weekend!  Enjoy!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy Witchy Wednesday!!  It's Wednesday and this is the first I've blogged this week.  My sincere apologies.  I've been finishing up classes and busy with back to school stuff with my girls.  It's that time of year!

But never fear, it is witchy Wednesday, and I have a great online shopping site to share with you.

Check out Rebels Market.  It's as good as it sounds.  Tons of clothing and jewelry and accessories....mostly black!  I haven't even had a chance to get through everything on their site,  but I already found a few favorites I'll share.  And I have to say, the prices are very reasonable.


I know we are nearing the end of swimming season, but that means the swimsuits will be going on sale.  So, here is a great skull swimsuit.  Every summer I search for swimsuits that fit my personality and I always struggle finding any.  This one definitely fits.  I would probably add a black swim skirt or swim shorts to it, but otherwise, I love it!  Rebels market has a whole section dedicated to swim suits.







At under $30, this black slip dress is lovely.  Think of the possibilities for accessorizing.














I have to tell you, I am in love with the long black lace dress.  There are plenty of beautiful dresses on this site.  You should check them out.

Possibly my favorite, check out the Bohemian dress with floral skirt and sleeves.  Absolutely amazing.














Did you see "Suicide Squad"?  We did and loved it.  Here is a very cute "Harley Quinn" dress.















Steampunk is always classy.  I really like this steampunk coat.













T-shirts more your style?  Here's a great loose fitting tee with the phases of the moon on it.
















Don't forget accessories.  Rebels Market has plenty of accessories including tights and leggings.

It's always so much fun to browse these cool sites.  Have fun dreaming about new witchy clothes, then put on your best black outfit and go grab a latte.  Stay witchy!

Tarot Tuesday 8-2-16

Today's card drawn is the Four of Wands.

The Four of Wands is a very positive card.  It reflects harmony and positive feelings along with hard work and good results.  This card also indicates that there is a surprise on the way and that you are going to be overjoyed by it.  What could be nicer than knowing a joyful surprise is coming?

This is a card of celebration and gathering, so it is very possible that some sort of celebration like a birthday or anniversary is coming up which you might be anticipating and yet, some sort of happy surprise is coming for you that may or may not be related to this event. While the get-together which is coming up might seem like an ordinary one, it will suddenly become one of the most wonderful moments of your life.

The number four is a number of stability and firm foundations. Think of a piece of furniture with four legs.  It is much better at standing alone than one with three legs.  This is one of the most positive cards in the tarot deck.  Coming for you are a sense of harmony and balance and completion.

This is an excellent time for a get together.  Invite a few people over or throw a big party.  If there is an event coming up, use it as a reason to have a gathering.  The Four of Wands is indicating that magic will come from getting together with friends or family.

The Four of Wands also is associated with the home and family.  If you are planning on renovating your home or doing home improvements, now is a good time to do that.  It may also indicate that you will purchase a new home or are very close to finding a new home.  You will be getting ready to settle down in your new environment and make it your own little utopia.

If you have recently had any disagreements with someone, this is a good time to make a peace offering and move on.  Focus on creating harmony in the relationship.

If things seem tough, this is a card of encouragement.  It is a reminder that most things in life do not come easily, so when you accomplish a big milestone, you should be proud of how far you have come and all that you have achieved.  It's fine to celebrate these milestones.  Create some happy memories and look forward to the happy surprise that is coming your way.

In my case, this is my birthday month.  The girls and I are planning to have a fun, mini get-away to a really cute, quaint and fun place sometime towards the end of the month.  I'm really looking forward to that and can't wait to see what surprise comes with the celebration!

Monday Musings

Happy Marvelous Monday!

It's August 1st.  In just 12 short days, Angelle and her duet partner will sing at the Iowa State Fair.  Next week, KD participates in a Jr. High orientation program.  In 22 days, I start back to school and in 25 days, the students do.  August always goes fast, but it has been a great summer. I'm busy with planning the Cedar Valley Silent Supper, so thought for today's Monday Musings, I would post an explanation of what it's all about.  I posted this on the Cedar Valley Silent Supper facebook page a few days ago.  If you haven't yet "liked" that page, please do so.  Once it hits 200 likes, I will draw a name to attend the silent supper for free.

A couple years ago, I read "The Witches Book of the Dead" written by Salem witch, Christian Day. In this book he described the Salem Dumb Supper. This intrigued me and so I toyed with the idea of holding one here in the Cedar Valley. I took a leap of faith and together with my two daughters, we held the first "Silent Supper" on October 30, 2015 for 30 guests in the Walker Building in Waterloo. I'm pleased to say we are doing it again this year and hope it will be an annual event.

What is the "Cedar Valley Silent Supper"? It is a three course catered dinner, served backwards (dessert first, salad last) and observed in silence with the exception of background music. The purpose at this point becomes what you want it to be. One place setting represents those who have passed before us. That setting will be served a portion just like the living guests. Those portions will be boxed up and later given to the crows to consume. Some guests prefer to just think about their deceased loved ones and honor them. Others hope to catch a glimpse, or smell perfume or cologne, or maybe hear a whisper from the departed.

Guests are invited to bring a photo of their loved ones and a note to them. Your note can either be a question or a heartfelt message. A candle is lit by each guest for the departed and placed alongside the photo on a special table. At the end of the meal, each guest burns the message and allows the ashes to fall into a bucket of water. Those ashes are poured out onto the earth after the meal.

After the meal is finished, divinations are provided at no extra cost. Card and pendulum readings might provide an answer to your question.

The guests who attended last year really enjoyed it and most will be returning this year. The cost per person is $40 which helps me cover the cost of the caterer and the venue. I will also have wine and sparkling cider on hand.

Something new this year is a "book of the dead". Guests can bring any kind of memento, 8 x 10 or smaller, to be pasted into a book. We will add to this book year after year. I will also have some scrap poking supplies on hand if you get inspired during the supper. Optionally if you would prefer to simply enter your loved one's name or names, I will leave a page in the book just for that.

Children are welcome as long as they can remain silent for the duration of the meal. My own 12 year old helps me organize the supper. It is for anyone and everyone, regardless of your religion or spiritual beliefs. It is not a seance, although you could receive a message from the departed.

Dress: wear whatever you like! My girls and I prefer to dress formal and wear black. Some guests come in Halloween costumes, some wear masks, some wear jeans and a tee shirt. The choice is yours. Makeup, costumes, masks, formal attire, blue jeans, all are acceptable. The only requirement is that you have fun. Dress like you would if you were having dinner with your deceased loved one.

This is a beautiful and fun event held at the time when the veil is thinnest. We hope you will attend. Questions? Feel free to ask me anything. There are no silly questions.

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I hope this helps you to understand what the silent supper represents and why we do it.  If you aren't close enough to come to ours, you could try holding your own.  May the rest of your Monday be magnificent.  Check back tomorrow for Tarot Tuesday.

It's Freaky Friday!  What's freaky?

This:  I have a tween and teenage daughter. They keep me posted on the "important" things going on in the world. Yesterday my 12 year old clued me into the mysterious saga of Marina Joyce.  Marina is a blogger from the UK.  Her video "Date Outfit Ideas", had her fans worried she was in some kind of trouble.  They said she was giving off signs of trouble, looked terrified at certain points of the video, and heard her whisper "help me" at some point.  They also noticed bruises on her arms and back in this video.  It was fun and freaky to follow this story for awhile yesterday, but friends and family of Marina's and Marina herself have stated she is perfectly fine.  Friends and family have also reported that she suffers from schizophrenia, causing her to sometimes see things that aren't there.  Either way, I enjoyed watching her "Date Outfit Ideas" video on you tube.  The girls in the video with her have very cool hair and the dresses are amazing.

This:  Actually, okay, never mind, I'm keeping politics off of this blog.  Fill in this particular freaky Friday with whatever you want.

This:  The Corpse Flower.  The Corpse Flower is in the process of blooming in a NYC botanical center.  It is a rare phenomenon as the corpse flower only blooms once every several years.  The unique thing about this flower is that is smells like rotting flesh, thus the name.  The reason?  To attract pollinators who feed on dead animals.  Oh, to be in NYC and be able to visit this amazing 8 foot tall flower in this process!  Freaky!

This:  This morning when I opened my blog, it was at exactly 4,000 pageviews.  Freaky!  I thought that was cool.  Thank you, readers, for helping my blog reach that mark!  Of course, it is now over that 4,000 mark already, but it was cool to sign on and see it at that nice even round number.  Kind of like when your car odometer turns over to 100,000.

This:  July 29, today, the day the world is supposed to end.....again.  So far, so good.  But there's about 12 more hours to go.  A lot of freaky things could happen in 12 hours!

This:  Muscatine Men in Black.  Earlier this summer, there were several reports of "men in black" along Highway 22 terrorizing motorists by either lurking along the side of the highway or sometimes even stepping out into traffic.  This phenomenon really became well known because of Facebook. My girls and I wanted to investigate this sometime, but the time hasn't been right yet this summer.  I haven't heard much about them since June.  Just a hoax?  Actual mysterious entities?  What do you think?  Freaky.

This:  One of my favorite Facebook pages, Calaveras Coffin Co., was asking for 6 word horror stories.  There were quite a few comments and some were even political, imagine that.  I pondered for awhile, read some other 6 word horror stories, and finally came up with this.  "Raised to be eaten, full grown".  What do you think?  Freaky?  If you have any 6 word horror stories, feel free to share them below.

Enjoy your freaky Friday, friends.  If the world doesn't end today, I'll blog again on Monday!

Witchy Wednesday

Happy mid-week to you.  I'm back into the swing of blogging for awhile, I hope.  I really do enjoy it and Witchy Wednesday gives me a great excuse to browse some incredible witchy fashion and cool places.

Are you a good goth or a bad goth?  Well, either way, you need to check out this site.  Good Goth  I didn't think I was ever going to get around to blogging as I was enjoying browsing the site so much.  I especially like that there is a "Back to Ghoul" section.  Is it really that time already?  So, here are a few faves from my browsing today.



I mentioned "Back to Ghoul".  You know you'll need a backpack.  This one is very "ghoul".

















You'll need to know all the answers, so check out this "All the Answers" ouija pendant.
















Make sure you're "dressed to kill" at school this year with some amazing black tops and jackets.













































Taking art class this year?  Check out this "Color Your Tarot" deck.  I'm not a big supporter of ouija boards, but I do love this "Day of the Dead" ouija.  I think I saw this in a store in Galena once and was so tempted to get it.











Enough with the "Back to Ghoul" for now, unless you are thinking ahead to prom.  Need a dress for the "Cedar Valley Silent Supper"?  Proms or formal dances?  Or are you planning a goth wedding?  Good Goth has plenty of formal attire.  Not all of it is black, some of them have a beautiful wine colored skirt or accent.  You really have to go check them out.  The strapless one is on sale today for about $62 in size large only.  My favorite is the one with the long sleeves and corset at the top.  By the way, these are sold as "sets".














































These boots are also on sale today.  Apparently a customer return, at around $42, I think they are a steal.  They would go perfect with any of the above outfits or maybe with something you already have.  I love that the heel is not too high as I really don't like wearing high heels.

There is so much more for sale on this site.  Things like accessories, tights, shoes (there's a great pair of harlequin high heels), statues, tarot cards, ouija boards, a crystal ball, tons of great goth clothes.  Oh, and mystery bags.  How fun if you like being surprised!

Have fun browsing this Witchy Wednesday, but be sure to get out wearing your best witchy outfit sometime today, too.  Enjoy what's left of summer before "back to ghoul" really hits!