The Last Day

Today is the last day in our apartment. Which means, since I'm at work, that Hubby is rushing around like a madman, trying to get everything else out of the apartment.

Everything at the house is a wicked mess. seriously. I can't even walk into my studio (which I'm now calling my craft room- 'cause it sounds cooler). Boxes are everywhere and I have NO idea how I'm going to get everything to fit. Part of me wants to just leave it in boxes and put it in storage so I don't ever have to do this again and just cease all crafting.

Except jewelry. Maybe.

But Hubby would not be happy about that, so I will do my best to find a place for everything. At least all the furniture is where its supposed to be. I keep telling myself to take a "before" picture, but I get SO overwhelmed when I open that door- I just shut it and go away. I guess we should work on one room at a time. The bathroom is almost done. There is rust all over our over the toilet metal etagere, so I need to take that out and scrub the crap out of it. Maybe I can do that today. Then one room will be nice. I have no idea where any of my things are. I couldn't find my deoderant. I smell like manly Axe today. I can't wait for this to be over and done with.

I went to the doctor's yesterday- they want me to do bloodwork 'cause recurring hives could be a symptom for a bunch of serious diseases like lupus, kidney disease, thyroid problems, etc. I had a big old panel done around 3 years ago and I was A-OK. I had elevated testosterone levels, but not elevated enough to do anything about. And they took like 12 little vials (damn vampires!), so I KNOW they tested me for a BUNCH of stuff. The doctor completely freaked me out, though. I'm going in for allergy testing on Thursday afternoon, though.I don't know exactly what that encompasses, but I guess thats good. My insurance pays for it, at least. Maybe I suddenly developed an allergy to something I regularly eat. I guess we'll see.

I'm looking forward to moving being over and done with. I want to sleep for like a year!

Because I'm a sucker for musical theatre...

I try to not repost videos, etc. But I really loved this. My love of social networking and choreography- all rolled up into one video. Thanks, CollegeHumor.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Ouija Board: Soon to be a DIY post

Okay, so I think I’m going to work on making a new Ouija board. I did start one (woodburning), but I forgot to put YES and NO on it. No, really. I AM that lame. So, inspired by a post at MW, I decided to go to amazon to look at the different styles of Ouija. And OMG the reviews are HIGHLARIOUS! So, I will share some with you. The last one, is my ultimate fave. I love sarcasm.


the first time i played this game...i thought it would be amazing! my friends and i all gathered around and then suddenly my friend started to bleed out of her mouth...it was scary..the next she died. i'm sad.

i went to my friends house for a sleepover and me and anotehr frend brught the board cuz u kno we dont want no eveil in our hoouse soo yah nd then it like was mvioing nd we asked it are you a good spirit nd it was like no nd then my friend starting caughing nd we were like whats wrong nd she just got up nd walked out of the house.... we were so scared so we asked what did you do to her? nd it was like youll see.. so i was soo scared i started to cry... we decided to stop nd we called for our friend but there was no reply that night i could hardly sleep the next day our friend called.. she sounded normal but we found otu later she wasnt.... we took out the board again [ stupidly] but this time there was a nice spirit.. so everything was good.. but then we got a nock at our door,, we went to answer it nd it was our friend .. she was covered in dirt nd was smiling evily it was soo creepy .. we asked wut was wrong nd she said nothing nd turned around nd left.. we never saw her again. =\\ ... i guess it can be good or bad.. mostly bad so DOTN USE IT .... R.i.p - j.w. - we mis you nd we're sorry..

The country of Mexico has a huge population of its society who uses this Ouija board and the endresult for some of them is demonic possession, for others it is death.

The bottom review could be a demon possessing a young man or woman and using him or her as a tool in order to write that review. The spelling is all wrong(all twisted)but everyone knows that the Ouija Board has been given life by the satanic bible. For those that don't know in this 2006 AD the Ouija board has been around for many years and years, and this is just an evil tool which many classify as good clean innocent fun but it is all a lie. This is a tool which has been created by Satan in order to capture your soul. We are in the last times and Jesus Christ is coming back, so i say to you repent and change from your wicked(evil) ways. All other religions don't offer salvation, only Christianity and Judaism do. The rest only lead to hell. Jesus Christ is the creator of the solar systems and everything that exists, including you, and using this Ouija board only angers God. People who do magic are bound to go to hell for ETERNITY. Save your soul(and People will laugh at this review) but it is good to be laughed at for this review, but to save some souls in the end, because many people are going to the lake of fire(HELL) because of playing with Magic (Ouija, using satanic bible, and being a witch, etc.)If you play with magic then you are Satanic 100 percent. Give up the devil satan, and come to Christ. Jesus Christ is Life, Eternity, Salvation, and True Love, give up this evil ouija board before it is to late. The road to Heaven is very narrow and few will make it. Judgement day will come some day soon and there will be no more cities nor even amazon.com but all of us will be facing God and we will be judged according to our acts. Don't be dumb, don't be stupid, give up this evil satanic magic forever!!

Listen whoever think this is a toy will be in deep trouble me and my friend were playing this and the spirit said it would kill us and he was in our room and then my friend got sick...he's not dead but we decided to first ask if it was going to hurt us...then ask if it was going to kill us if it said no both times we would talk with it. We met a humorous ghost named Sam we talked for about an half hour and listen If the spirit says it will hurt toy lift the object up and turn on the lightsalso if you can speak to animals you have extreamly high spirit power (only me and another person in the whole school can do that.

If you look at the history of the Ouija (if you go into depth on the subject) it is quite obvious (and everyone knows this)that this board has a Satanic spell on it in order to bring life to it.

This is not a toy. Amazon, how DARE you put this dangeruos occult device in a toy section! there have been many people who have gotten possed by demons through this "toy". I remeber a few years ago I went over to my grandparents house. they had an ouija. I refused to use it (the bible says not to & i am a bible believeing mormon), but my brother and my cousin did. It kept on telling them to "make a wall of blood". They said "what do you mean" and it said " lake eerie (a local lake) take a boat to middle cut yourself put dop [sic] f [sic] blood in wter [sic]." That sounded suspicious. my grandma came downstairs all upset screaming that she heard a laugh and heavy breathing while she was making cookies. well, she saw them playng with the ouija and she took it and lit a fire in the fireplace and threw it in. it screamed a horrible scream that caused my grampa's ears to bleed. we later googled and found out that it was an ancient ritual to cut yourself and put a drop of blood in a lake that somebody died in to give them control of your body. the night that happned my borther complained of hearing somebody whisper "make a wall, make a wall of your blood." in his ear. i put holy water around his room and it stopped. sadly i couldnt give this evil thing 0 stars. STAY AWAY THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO MAKE IT!!! All you skeptics, go get a board and tell it to posses your body. see what happens. you wont be a skeptic anymore!!

Erm....I don't know if anybody will read this but I need some help. You see, I was playing with this Ouija board and I became possessed and ended up throwing myself off my Grandma's balcony into her prize roses. It wasn't the height that killed me because she lives on the ground floor but one of the thorns pierced my heart and I bled to death. Thing is, I am now stuck between parallels because I forgot my GPS for the after life and don't know where I am. If you buy the game just dial my cell phone and talk me
through.......thanks......

The Worst is Over. I Hope.

Well, the move this weekend went well, I suppose. Saturday morning, we picked up the U-Haul with distressing news that we had to have it back by 4, as someone else had reserved it for that time. All in all, I guess we should be grateful we were even able to get a truck on the last weekend of the month. But with hubbys dad and BFF not able to help until noonish, it was a little stressful- but they were able to get all of the big furniture out- the fridge, the entertainment center, the dresser, the computer desks, the dining room table, and the bar buffet. We also moved the bed over, so that we could sleep at the house Saturday night. Sunday morning I slept in. Partially because I was medicated, partially because I was exhausted. I know I didn’t do as much heavy lifting as hubby et all, did, but still. So tired. I’m still tired. Moving is a pain in the ass. We still have all kinds of little things at the apartment and Ben is taking care of that- hopefully today. More craft stuff, my jewelry armoire, some kitchen stuff, sewing machine and a bunch of his stuff. I just can’t wait for it to be OVER. I wish I hadn’t been sick last month, as I really wanted to take a couple vaca days to help, so hubby wouldn’t have to do all of it himself. But, that’s out of my control.

I started to get the hives again last night, and I’m really happy I have an appointment at the allergy doctor today. I’m taking off early. I’m really looking forward to getting it addressed. I’m pretty sure I’ll have to make a second appointment for an allergy test, but at least I will be making the effort to live hive free. They drive me batty. This is the seventh time they’ve come back in about five weeks. So awesome. Evil hives.

Tomorrow is Moving Day | Dancing

So, tomorrow is moving day! For those who don’t know, my husband and I are moving in with his parents! No, we won’t be total moochers- we’ll be covering cable, phone and internet, at least. There are far more pros than cons about this move.

Cons
Loss of total control over my environment
Moving is a pain in the ass
Having more food in the house could enable me to snack more- NO!

Pros
Saving money
Can FINALLY pay down some of our bills
I get a temple/craft room of my very own (but its more crowded in there than I expected, I have a lot of stuff)
Inherit some pets
I can cook meat again! Hooray!
My MIL and hubby will do most of the cooking, so I will be eating healthier
Nicer neighborhood
Less stress
Nice WARM pool- it’s a black bottom pool
Big cement backyard- MIL says we can even circle or have a party or whatever we want
Our own bathroom, so that’s cool- at least I only have to worry about cleaning that one- its smaller, but its less to clean, right?
Hubby and I will have our own TV room/ living area (formerly a playroom), and I think we’ll be bringing the treadmill in from the backyard

Having a treadmill in our living area would be awesome, because I could watch TV while walking! I’m not really on a diet, perse, but I would like to get more in shape. Speaking of being in shape, I’m addicted to dance videos on youtube. I used to dance- ever since I was 5 or so. Jazz, tap, hip-hop, a little ballet for technique- I still love dance. For awhile, I taught ‘size-acceptance’ dance classes. It’s probably good that I’m overweight, otherwise, I might get back into it- taking on another project. One thing that I am kind of into is bellydance. No worries, I will not be buying an outfit like that and posting ‘sexy’ pictures on here. But, really, bellydancing is SO fun, and it just kicks my ass. I have taken a few informal workshops, and I DVR Shimmy on Fit TV- it’s pretty cool, actually. I’d love to take classes, though. After I walk a lot and get my stamina back up. I’ve been overweight for awhile, but I’ve always been the fat chick that goes hiking and dancing, and all of that. Evidently, I’ve been a lazy lump lately, as a brisk walk can leave me winded, now. My outside is my outside… I may be overweight, but believe it or not, it’s possible to be overweight and be in good shape. I’d love to get back in shape and take some adult dance classes. I’d love to take an exotic dance class. I think that so many women stretch themselves so thin over mundane (there’s that word again) things in life- that we forget to take the time to reconnect with our sensuality (and sexuality).

I feel that movement through music is one of the best ways to connect with the divine within oneself. Feeling the music, and just dancing to it- not just the smooth undulations of bellydancers, or the sometimes frenzied dancing at a drum circle, but even hip-hop and contemporary dance can put you in a place outside of time.

But sometimes it’s tough to find time to get in a place outside of time. I’m halfway there.

Oh, by the way... photos of the pets are coming, as soon as my computer is hooked up and I can get my camera card in and photos transferred.

Why do steroids make my tummy hurt?

So last night, I slept like absolute crapola. I woke up once, gasping for breath. I think. I can't remember much, but I remember Ben sounding worried and making me drink water. Then I had one helluva nightmare. Followed by a bathroom trip. If that wasn't enough to ensure me a crappy morning, I woke up itchy. No! I refuse! No hives for me. So, I took some steroid pills and a Claritin and feel less itchy now. Unfortunately, the steroids KILL my stomach. Yes, I follow directions and take them with food, but it doesn't seem to help. They also make me really HOT. Not in the good way, either, you know? So, I'm chillin' in my not-up-to-dress-code tank top with my skirt today at work. Well, at least I'm here.

On the positive side, Hubby feels better. :) A little bit. I left him a few Aleve so that he can try those, instead of the crazy strong pain medicine today. I haven't heard from him yet, though. Tonight, my plan was to start packing up the kitchen. And I still might, but I'm feeling kinda awful again. I really think its the steroids. Or maybe just the crap sleep. When I don't sleep enough I get super nauseated and feel like ick until I sleep. Someone has to pack, though, and I don't know if I have it in me to wait another day.

Moving will be happening this weekend, but I've already informed Ben that I am not moving. I will pack. I will unpack. I will run for food. I will do the hokey pokey and turn myself around. But I won't move anything. My back is already sore, and I have no more sick days at work (thanks, hives, I appreciate it muchly), so I can't afford to get all jacked up. Just hope his family doesn't think less of me, or think I'm lazy or something! Sometimes I need to watch out for myself, and not worry about what other people think... gotta do what's best for me. I will post some photos of my new little "studio/temple" once we get everything situated.

And I guess I should post photos of my new pets. Yep, I'm going to be living with three dogs and four cats. The dogs are adorable... and all of the cats are, except for one. The Bitch. Oh. Her name is actually Dottie, but she's SUCH a bitch, that everyone calls her the Bitch. She's a calico. Which probably went without saying. But I DO have to say that not all calicos are crazy (like some people say). My ex-boyfriend had a sweet calico. At least I think she was a calico. I'm not really a cat person. But she was sweet. I have a thing with cats. When I was small, I spent the night at a friends house- we were inthe living room, and her cat wouldn't stop attacking my feet in my sleep. It made me REALLY upset (and hurt), and she wouldn't put the cat up. I think I ended up calling my mom to come get me. Ever since then, I have a healthy respect (fear?) of cats.

I'm a dog person. Hands down.

Solstice Photos

Okay, here are a few altar photos from Solstice.








And of course, the candlelight shot.

Mundane Ish, and more Mid Year Resolutions

One of my witchy friends, Valora, refers to her day job as her “mundane.” So true.

There are two main reasons why I might refer to my job as my mundane. Not only is it mundane as in boring, and repetitive, but I guess I have a “side job” creating jewelry. More of a hobby than anything else, but this year, I did reach out and create a little website where people can purchase my jewelry and crafts. Not like it’s really a “business,” but it’s a way to pay for my hobby. Crafting is anything but mundane. The other reason why I could easily refer to my day job as “mundane” is that a lot of my time is taken up with magickal activities. Besides leading a Wiccan coven (which takes more time than one would ever expect), I also manage the online school portion of a Pagan-oriented message board. I also teach Wicca classes from time to time, and I have a few online magickal classes that I teach as well. Another project of mine is working on a Wicca 101 type book (possibly a workbook type book), for those new to the craft who would like a little structure to their studies, and hopefully, it would also easily lend itself to study groups. Sometimes I do a little bit of spiritual counseling- mainly online. This is in addition to my personal Craft practices, of course. So, I guess my non-mundane job would be Wiccan Priestess, with a side of jewelry crafting.

Wouldn’t it be great to be a full time temple priestess? To create incense for offerings, pour libations to the Gods, to keep the altar. To divine and counsel and help those in need. To teach the ways of the Goddess to those who truly seek Her. Sounds simple and beautiful.

In southern California, I find my life is SO busy. I know that this is a choice I make, a choice that often I’m driven to make. I need to make my appointments, to catch up with old friends, to work on some jewelry, to plan this ritual, to work on my book, or work on educating a new online teacher. I need to re-organize all my digital information for the Coven. I know I’ve taken on too many responsibilities, and I think I need to relax more (Here is where my husband would say- “ya think?). I haven’t allowed myself a lot of introspective time- I always want my brain to be busy… I even read in the shower. when I should be relaxing (but I DO enjoy it). I put a lot of pressure on myself to make a difference. To do a great job, and to REALLY make a difference for people in some positive way, whether its at work, or online, or for friends. Now I don’t have delusions of grandeur, but I really think I can make a difference or help, sometimes. But as I write this, I realize that in order to be able to do that, I really need to help myself.

So, here are MORE mid-year resolutions!

1. To relax more often and use that introspective time to learn more about myself and my personal connection with Her
2. To not force myself to work on projects/hobbies
3. To not compare myself to others with similar projects/hobbies (I always always always find fault with myself)
4. To not be competitive with my peers, friends and family. No one is BETTER than I am. I am no BETTER than they are. I am just me.
5. To not stress out, and manage my sense of urgency when it comes to projects- everything doesn’t need to be done right this very second!
6. To focus on reading tarot……………………

Wait! Scratch #6. No more projects for now. Not until I can relax and restore a little bit of balance. The weirdest thing about it, though, is that I FEEL balanced. Being overscheduled creates this false sense of balance in me, as I feel like everything is perfect if I’m always busy doing something. When really, pre-childbearing, I should be relaxing as much as I can. I know once I have kids, my life will drastically change.

So- in order to alleviate my stress and get to the ‘temple priestess’ place, I think I’m going to do the following things to help me reach those resolution/goals starting July 1:

1. Only work on jewelry for fun- don’t feel like you HAVE to add new things to your site.
2. Stop reading in the shower. Seriously. Let your brain actually unwind.
3. Remember that you are who you are. You have a happy family , a wonderful husband, and that’s more than a lot of people have. There is no BETTER.
4. Not take on any new projects for at least a month
5. Remember that I’m JUST a project admin- the world won’t end if I don’t visit the message board every single day
6. Don’t take things too seriously. Relax.

And June rolls on... (aka My Poor Husband)

And June rolls on...

I'm finally living a hive-free life (hope I didn't jix it), an over my cold and am just dealing with the dregs of allergies. My husband, however- not so much. Last night, we had to go to Urgent Care, because he was having kidney pain. Yep- you guessed it! Kidney stones! So, they gave him a Demerol shot, and a Rx and sent him home with a little cup to pee in. The cup has a screen in it. It's really weird.




I told him he should tweet a photo of the one stone he already has passed. He said that was wrong.I laughed my ass off, and tweeted (of course) to get my friends' thoughts on posting kidney stone photos. These are the responses so far.

JenTucker: @ivyartemisia I'm with your husband on this one
NoixdeeCoco: @ivyartemisia That would be wrong, but I personally think medical stuff is cool. XD So I say rock on. (
bloodrose80: @ivyartemisia DARNIT (Mr. Ivy)!!! TAKE A PICTURE AND TWEET IT!!!!

My favorite is Heathers.
hearsegirl: @ivyartemisia he should have it set in silver and wear it around his neck. I have spoken. how many carats?

I feel so bad for him. He had these once before, in 1997. I also feel a little bad for me. How the hell am I supposed to pack up the rest of the house and get it all moved and sorted out by myself. I took care of all of my hard stuff already, because I figured, Hubby's at home, and can take care of the rest of things this week. And I wanted to just chill and relax a bit, after being so sick. Hah! The Gods laugh at my pre-planning! Screw you, Ivy, with your Virgo-ness! It doesn't matter what you do, after all!

Anyway, he's drinking water like a banshee! I don't know why I said that. It makes no sense whatsoever. But he is drinking a lot of water.

Tonight is the regular Wednesday night extravaganza at my mom's house. Every Wednesday night, my immediate female family and cousins come over to hang out. We take turns cooking every Wednesday- and we all have such different cooking styles, we get to try some different things. Some of us prepare more "foodie" stuff, and some of us (me) sometimes end making bean and cheese burritos! Anyway, its really nice to hang out with my sister, mom, and all my girl cousins. Tonight, we have two more cousins coming- 2 boys- and they are probably swimming at my moms as I type this. Lucky little brats. Just kidding, they are nice kids- but I'd much rather be there, than here.

Monday evening was the Dark/New moon which means emotional time for me. Add that to the worst. period. ever, and I'm one oversensitive witchypoo right now. I love the new moon... but about every other new moon, I'm so emotionally out of whack, its hard to focus enough to Work. Monday would have been a good time to analyse the energy of my new temple space (its the room with the creepiest vibe in the house), but it just didn't happen. Oh well, I'll do a little research and reschedule that. It definitely will need some sage and a good word, or two. Maybe even three.

Recipes for Litha/ Midsummer/ Summer Solstice

These are two recipes for the potluck items I brought to circle this past weekend. Thought I'd share. :)

Ivy’s “Bomb-Ass” Midsummer Salad
One package of romaine salad
One package of spinach salad
One package of blueberries
One package of blackberries
One package of candied pecans
Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
One package of Feta or Bleu cheese
2 cups of chopped chicken breast

Rinse, drain and then mix all salad and berries together in a large bowl.
Add chicken and pecans. Dress with the raspberry vinaigrette. Sprinkle with cheese to taste.
I like to serve this with pieces of baguette.


Ivy’s Solstice Sangria
One package of raspberries
One package of blackberries
One apple
One package of strawberries
Four bottles of Rose’ wine

Rinse all berries. Take the raspberries, and blackberries, and drop them into a large “sun tea” type jar. Chop up half of the apple, and add to the jar, along with chopped strawberries. Add the Rose wine, seal and refrigerate overnight. The “Sun Tea” type jar is great because it already has a spigot- making it easy for party guests to help themselves!

Litha Circle 2009

This Litha, we partnered with another circle for ritual, and it went fabulous. Our circle centered around self-love, and it was a great experience. After the circle, sangria was consumed, our potluck feast was eaten, and we had a little bit of drumming. Aislin taught us all a wonderful chant she learned on a Midsummers evening long ago.

Elemental Chant

Chorus:
Behold, there is magic all around you
Behold, there is magic all around you
Behold, there is magic all around you
Awaken, rejoice and sing.

I am the air within you,
I am the breath of life within you,
I am the breeze blowing through you
I am all that I am

*chorus*

I am the fire within you,
I am the spark of life within you,
I am the flame burning through you,
I am all that I am.

*chorus*

I am the water within you,
I am the well of life within you,
I am the wave moving through you,
I am all that I am.

*chorus*

I am the earth within you,
I am the force of life within you,
I am the ground beneath you,
I am all that I am.

*chorus*

Tiny Faeries Trampling on my Uterus

Some days I love being a woman. Being intuitive, emotionally connected, curvy, female. I’m happy to see beauty in everything- from flowers, to the color of the sky, and even in my screensaver.

Today is not one of those days. I’m on my period. And trust me- any men who may read this- it’s not like the Always commercials. It’s not a “happy period.” Whoever came up with the phrase “have a happy period” MUST have been a man. For there is NO woman in the world who can embrace her femininity with a giant smile on her face while it feels like someone is stabbing her in the gut repeatedly. Or crying for no serious reason. Or gaining weight because she’s bloated. What exactly is happy about that, again?

Oh, that’s right. Our bodies embrace this because we are lucky enough to be able to carry life. And THIS is something I can get on board with. I’m really looking forward to having children, and I embrace and appreciate the fact that my body is getting ready for this. After all, I don’t have regular periods, so when it does come, it comes with a freaking vengeance- to make up for all the months I got to miss. So, I understand that maybe my body has realized that I want some kidlings, but really- it’s frickin’ killing me this month. Of course, it must come during the busiest month I’ve had. With moving, planning a few events, work being crazy, etc. of course it would stand to reason that I’d be dealing with Niagra Falls and faries using my uterus as a trampoline-bounce house. Along with constant spontaneous breakouts of hives, and the cold from hell. Oh, and now I have allergies? Awesomesauce. This really isn’t supposed to be a ‘poor me’ type of post, but let me tell you- I am so ready for this month to end!

I already decided that after the move I am going to get a luxurious pedi, and I’m going to spend every weekend morning out in the sun, next to the pool. With a mimosa or something.

My mid-year resolution!

Well, my mid-year resolution is to write more. All kinds of writing- any kind of writing! From lessons, to articles to even blog posts. So, included in this is my desire to post more on my blog- use it as an introspective tool, post photos I take, etc. So, let's start now.

Here's a random photo of my new niece. The photo is about a month old, but she's so beautiful in the little butterfly jumper I bought for her! I never realized I could love a little person so much!




She is the cutest baby ever, and looks SO much like my little sister did when she was little. Cutest. Baby. Evah.