Meditation

I do this every night while lying in bed. This is
is also something that I do when I’m feeling
extremely stressed or when I just need to
reconnect because everything is out of balance.

If at all possible find a quiet place, it doesn’t
matter where, just someplace where you
can quiet your mind. You can do this sitting or
standing, whichever you feel comfortable with.

Close your eyes and take 3 deep breaths, in through
the nose, out through the mouth. Visualize that your
feet are roots reaching into the depths of the earth.
Now visualize a warm, loving and glowing golden light
shining from the heavens, entering at your
Crown Chakra (the top of your head).

Notice how the warmth of the light relaxes your
muscles as it washes away and releases
the stress. See the cleansing light running
throughout your arms, down your torso, through
your legs, and out of the soles of your feet,
into the earth.

Know that the light that is leaving you and
entering the earth, carries the stress and chaos
that has been weighing you down, leaving you feeling
renewed, balanced and at peace.

Open your eyes, or keep them closed, but just stay
there for a moment and allow yourself to enjoy this
new found feeling of balance.

This meditation can be as quick or as slow as you
make of it, it’s really up to you. If visualizing
doesn’t come easy to you, don’t get discouraged,
keep working at it…it will work.

Handmade Gifts for Christmas

I have a lot of people to buy for so these last few years I've been making gifts for my family, friends and co-workers. I always make some type of jewelry gift for all of the women, but for the men...well they don't really do jewelry (at least not the ones in my little circle) so they tend to get bought gifts. Though I am making polar fleece throw blankets for my boys...they've been wanting them for awhile now after I made one for one of their girlfriends. It's really easy, just buy the polar fleece fabric in whatever length you want them in. Buy 2, one can have a pattern and the other can be a solid color. Pin the fabric together right side facing out. Cut strips along the outside edge of the entire blanket, 2" wide by 4" in length, and tie each set of 2 strips (front and back together) in a double knot. Voila...super easy! If I didn't explain myself well, just post a comment and I'll help you out.

This year for the women, I'm making hand stamped Initial Pendants with Pearls and Birthstones. I just purchased my stamps and sterling silver tags and can't wait to get started on them. In a sense it's a 2for1 deal, I bought the items to make for gifts BUT I'll be able to use them for my jewelry business. I'm looking forward to start listing some of these pendants in my store.

Stones for Stress and Balance

These are just a few stones that I have listed in my shop that can assist you during times of stress. I often use them as a worry stone, rubbing between my fingers helping me focus on what really matters. For some friends, I've strung them on a looped cord, so it can slide over a finger for ease of use without having to worry about dropping or losing it.

Again, remember this is a short list of stones that I have found beneficial to myself.

Green Onyx is strength giving. It centers your energy
and aligning it with a higher power, accessing
higher guidance.

Smoky Quartz is one of the most efficient grounding
and anchoring stones. This stone is a superb antidote to
stress. It relieves fear, lifts depression and brings
emotional calmness.

Fluorite is highly protective, especially on a psychic
level. This stone also cleanses and stabilizes the Aura.
Used in healing Fluorite draws off negative energies
and stress of all kinds.

Carnelian calms anger and banishes emotional negativity,
replacing it with a love of life. It also helps in
bringing clearer thoughts.

Chalcedony symbolizes calmness and composure.
For the Tibetans it is the stone of purity and concentration.
It brings the mind, body, emotions and spirit into harmony.

Aventurine is not only a stone of prosperity, but Green
Aventurine is a comforter, heart healer,
and general harmonizer, protecting the heart.

Jasper is known as the "supreme nurturer." It sustains
and supports during times of stress,
and brings tranquility and wholeness.

Calming Foods, Herbs and Teas

This has been a busy week to say the least. I've been rushing here and there and have had the final set of interviews for my upcoming arbitration, so it's been a little stressed. I've also been approached by girls at work who are experiencing a high amount of stress in their lives too. Plus with the economy the way it is, and so many losing jobs...stress is almost expected, so I wanted to share some foods, herbs and teas that can help calm the stressful nerves that most of us have.

This is just a list of items that have helped me. If you have any to add to the list let me know, I'd appreciate any further information.

Berries

Citrus

Spinach

Turkey
Whole-wheat pasta topped with tomato sauce
Oatmeal
Popcorn
Bagels
Tortillas
Rice cakes
Lollipops
Bananas
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Raisins
Chamomile Tea and Herb
Peppermint Tea and Herb
Chai Tea
Green Tea
Lavender Herb

Maiden, Mother and Crone

I love these images and depictions of the Triple Goddess. A representation of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The Triple Goddess is also seen as the waxing, full, and waning moon. It is also associated with feminine energy, mystery and psychic abilities.
The Maiden represents enchantment, inception, expansion, the female principle, the promise of new beginnings, youth, excitement and carefree.

The Mother represents ripeness, fertility, fulfillment, stability, and power. When represented she's often seen with a swollen belly filled with life.

The Crone represents wisdom, repose, and compassion.

Some Maiden Goddesses are Persephone, Brighid, Nimue, among others.

The Mother Goddesses in mythology are Demeter, Aa, Ambika, Ceres, Astarte and Lakshmi.

The Crone can be seen as Hecate, Hel, Maman Brigitte, Oya, Sedna, Skuld, and others.

I've only listed a few here as there are many depending on which Pantheon you follow.

The feminine aspect in whatever form is beautiful and can represent many things to different people. She is the balance to the masculine, the moon to the sun. To me she represents femininity, beauty and the divine of being a Woman.

Stackable Rings

I was messing around today and purely by accident made some new rings. I've named them Rustic Lil Dollops. They're made fusing 18g sterling silver wire, slightly hammering them for texture, then I do a little something extra to create a brushed satin finish. These rings are so cute and dainty with that little bit of rustic charm found in the slight imperfections.

Each ring is made to order in any size ranging from 1 to 16. Currently they are being sold individually, in a pair and in a set of three. I will probably list them in larger sets in the near future. I'm going to make myself a set of 4 or 5 tonight to see how they wear...can't wait!

Trans Siberian Orchestra

Let me just start off by saying...WOW! This concert...light show...whatever you want to call it absolutely blew me away! We drove up to Seattle today to watch their afternoon showing, it was worth the drive and the traffic to see them. Don't let the "Orchestra" part of the name scare you away....it's definitely a rock concert!

The first half of the show is more of a Christmas story...though it's not even Thanksgiving yet it was still phenomenal. Now the second half was best of all with the light show, flames, pyrotechnics...everything was amazing!

The performers...musicians, vocalists...they were not only very talented at their specific jobs...but every single one of them were, I swear, out of a romance novel....the men were handsome and gorgeous and the women were stunning and beautiful!!!

If TSO comes to your city or one near you...do yourself a favor and check them out...you won't be sorry. My 17 year old, rap and hip hop loving boys said it rocked. Just so you know it was the only concert that I've ever been to that had people of all walks of life, genre and age attend....I was in awe at the gathering.

Only one of the pictures posted here are from me. The others are ones that I found on the web. The gentlemen with the guitar is Angus...his guitar riffs got everyone to their feet.

Green Car Care

Some helpful hints for the upcoming winter. For Frost Free Fluid, mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat your car window with this. The combination of vinegar and water will keep your windshields and other windows ice and frost free.

Also rubbing a moistened small cloth bag of salt on your car's windshield will keep snow and ice from collecting.

Ohh here's another hint for those of you who have bought used cars with some unwanted and hard to remove bumper stickers. Soak a cloth in vinegar and lay it on the bumper sticker, allowing it to soak for a few minutes. The bumper sticker should peel right off. I also use this on walls that my kids decided to use as a collage for their sticker collection...works great!

FAFSA, Scholarships and Grants Oh My!

Well being a parent of seniors is not easy, especially when it comes to preparing them for college! So I decided today that I wanted to share some of the resources that I use or have used to help finance my boys' college education.

Definitely sign your child up at www.fastweb.com . It's an unlimited resource for scholarships that your child can and may qualify for. My boys have applied for over a dozen scholarships each...so far.

Another is www.getcollegefunds.com . Another great site with unlimited resources and information on various scholarships and grants. Now granted this site is for Oregon, but each state has a similar site.

Yourself and your child will have to fill out a FAFSA form. You'll find this at www.fafsa.ed.gov . This will let the prospective college and yourself know what additional financial aid or grants that you may qualify for.

If you're a parent of multiples sign up for a local Mothers of Twins group...or something similar in your area. I had no idea these type of clubs existed! Not only do they offer support for mom's but they also offer scholarships for multiples. That would've been good to know!

Some other great facts that I found out, was that they're are schools, mostly in the eastern states, that offer a 2 for 1 deal or a really nice discounts for twins or multiples entering college. Also a lot of colleges offer automatic scholarships. A lot of these depends on what the students average GPA was in high school and their SAT scores, but hey, every little bit helps!

As I do more searching for resources I'll post them here in case any of you are interested.

My Weekend

I just love the changing leaves in the Fall. They are so glorious and rich with vibrant colors.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Samhain, or Halloween! We had a great time, we ghost hunted a friends house and sat around in the dark telling our own stories and experiences with the paranormal...so much fun! We didn't get a lot of trick or treaters but that just left more candy for us to munch on as we listened to each other tell our tales.

We also had a retirement party for my boss....which was a blast! We did kind of a roast and I don't think we've ever laughed so hard at all the great stories. Many of us had skits and I even got up there too....without going into too much detail let's just say there was a sheep (blow up), kilt and well you can probably guess what went on from there! He's from Montana...so I'm always giving him a hard time about sheep...it was perfect!

Today was spent just relaxing and spending time with my folks and mostly relaying the stories about my weekend. I just love my parents, they're a blast to be around and always so loving!

Well I'm off to do household chores that I put off til the last moment *sigh*.....but it was worth it!