Happy New Year....and the Blue Moon!

Happy New Year everyone! Just got back from California....loved, loved, loved the weather and beach *sigh*. Then in time to get back to Oregon to a freak snowstorm that debilitated the city and a 4 hour commute home (which normally takes 20 minutes) from work the other night! It was crazy! Of course I was out of gas, my phone died and I had to go the bathroom really bad so I had to detour through all that mess. Oh well, through the whole thing I stayed thankful and the fumes got me to the gas station and I found a place to go to the bathroom. Lol! I also bought a car charger only to realize I already had one in the car later. Lol!

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year! Tonight my girlfriend Thea and I will be doing a Blue Moon Spell! A spell and a nice dinner. :) This will be extra special since Blue Moons come around once in a Blue Moon (ha! ha!). What are your plans?

I sense 2010 as a great year! Here's what's coming in mine. :) This is Cimara. She's a beautiful 12 year old Missouri Fox Trotter. If all goes as planned as of January I will be leasing her for the year! We've already started to get to know one another.

Blessings to all and stay safe!!

xoxo

Happy Yule and Winter Solstice!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to stop in amidst the craziness (and even posting from sunny Southern California now) to wish everyone a wonderful Winter Solstice! Apologies for my absence...but I tell ya...I cannot wait until 2010. I know it will be a much better year for all of us and I know for me.

Hope you are all enjoying a wonderful, warm winter solstice with all of your loved ones.

I will be around a lot more after January 1st! Promise!!

Blessings....

Michelle, Mocha, Quincy and Emma :)

We Survived the Move!

Since I posted this on my other blog....I admit I am being lazy here, I'm attaching the link to how the move went!

http://www.chocolateandmarmaladetea.blogspot.com/

Thank you all for your well wishes. I am back in business...and will be blogging and visiting more! Yay!

Missed you guys!!

xoxo

Bright Blessings!

One more day...

and I will be in my new home! I wish my new home was the one above. Lol! So sorry I have been absent. I have been busy packing, cleaning and getting ready to move. By tomorrow evening I will be in my new place and hopefully by Sunday evening sitting by the fireplace with the kitties and visiting you all! I will take pictures once I'm all in!

Hang in there...I will be back soon! Thanks for being so patient! Also, kitties are all doing fine. Emma is still struggling with her prednisone for her asthma..it's giving her an upset tummy. Other than that, we are all fine, thank God! I can't take much more on top of this move and the holidays!

Hope you are all doing well!

My dream room.....

I want this now. Like right now. I want a perfect room with a fireplace all cozy and warm. But no, what am I doing? I'm MOVING! Right in the middle of the holidays. Only I would do something like this. Ugh. I am going to try my darnedest to find time to blog and to visit but it's been tough these days. Just wanted to pop in to let you know I'm still alive! Emma had another asthma attack that I couldn't control with her inhaler and I guess her prednisone dose was too low as well so back in she went into the vet for oxygen and a steroid shot *sigh* Other kitties are doing fine. I hope we survive the move! We are moving to a bigger three story beautiful townhouse so the cats will love the stairs. :)

Hope you all have been well!

Quincy loves the broom!

I am setting up my "magical" space to do some energy work tomorrow with two of my good friends and as I turned around this is what I saw. Quincy is definitely attached to my broom. Lol! Notice Emma on the other end. :) It's funny, the cats are so relaxed in my space. They seem to act differently, either relaxed or full of playful energy. Do you ever notice how your pets act in sacred space? :)

Hope you're all having a relaxing weekend. I'm going to try to play catch-up with everyone's blogs tomorrow!

xoxo

Michelle and the kitties

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I apologize for not visiting you all as often as I had wanted to recently. Life has been crazy with packing, getting over sicknesses, etc. Once the holidays are over and things have slowed down I will promise to get back to my regular blogging and visits! In the meantime, I am so thankful I have met everyone here in blog land! I'm also thankful for all that I have in my life. Despite the obstacles I've had to overcome recently, I am always focusing on what I'm thankful for....and what I do have in my life. I think that's very important.

Eat well, visit with your family and be thankful always!

Michelle and the kitties. )

Call me the traveling gypsy....cleansing your new home.

And this is how this gypsy travels...lol!

Do you wanna know why I call myself this? Well, I am moving again! It seems I move every year. Must be the Gemini in me. Lol! Okay, really it's not what you think. I'm still in the same condo complex but I am moving to the townhouse across from me! Lol! I mean literally, the garages are across from each other. I am making this change because I decided I am paying too much for rent right now. The condo I am in is the most desired floor plan and, well, all around the most desired condo in the complex. I LOVE the complex I am in...not sure if I've mentioned that. It's gated, so I feel safe, it's quiet and trees everywhere! So, this is going to sound funny but I am now moving into a three story townhouse which is bigger than the condo I am in but much cheaper. I just won't have as many windows and not as much of a view. That's okay though, I would rather start saving more money for a house in the future. :) I know Quincy and Emma will have tons of room to run now. Two sets of stairs...the first floor is the garage, second is the living room, dining room and kitchen and one bathroom, and the third are the two bedrooms and two more bathrooms.

Here's the thing and the reason I haven't been posting as much lately, besides the cat fiasco. :( I'm cleaning and getting ready for the short move across the street because it all has to happen mid December. Terrible time, I know but they couldn't hold this townhouse longer than 30 days for me...so....I had to have it. Talk about stressful. A move in between the holidays. Nice going, Michelle. Oh well, I can think of worst things, right?

Also, this time around I'd like to cleanse my new home. I didn't cleanse the place I'm in now but nothing really negative has happened. So, what I'd like to know is how would you cleanse a new home/space? I'm thinking about it now and would really love some feedback on this!

Anyhow, hope you guys had a wonderful weekend! Kitties are still doing fine. Mocha is hanging in there, a bit cranky but eating and drinking a lot. I'm not sure if she will be the same kitty after this but she is still with me and, for that, I am happy.

xoxo

We are on the mend!

Thank you all...from the bottom of my heart...for all the well wishes. We are healing, slowly but surely. Actually, Quincy and Emma are totally fine. Mocha is healing slowly but as of the last couple of days she has had a voracious appetite and is drinking a lot. I realize that's probably the steroid. Still, I did NOT like the side effects that came with that. She seems a little more normal these days, alert, hungry and her eyes are bright. :)

Isn't it amazing how powerful intentions are? Thanks to everyone and their healing thoughts....a little intention on my end...a banishing spell and some Green Aventurine (thanks for the suggestion Hibiscus Moon), I am going to believe everyone is going to heal fine. I will continue my intentions though.

In the meantime, I am going to snuggle here with the kitties and work on making a few of these for the cold season ahead. :)

Thank you again, ever so much!! I will be back into the swing of things (and visiting you all!).

Brightest blessings....

Michelle and the kitties :)

Photo courtesy of www.colorful-stitches.com

Emotional Time....

So sorry I've been away for a few days. I've been struggling with three sick cats at home. It started with Emma and a few days later Quincy and Mocha caught it. All three were vomiting and had terrible diarrhea. First I had to bring Emma in to get antibiotics and fluids...then three days later both Quincy and Mocha went in. They gave Quincy antibiotics and Mocha (my oldest - the brown one you see on the right) got a steroid shot because she had previous IBD issues. We had done a full panel check on her five months ago but found nothing out of the ordinary that would cause her IBD. Well,after that shot, she turned into a total zombie and she stopped eating for a day and a half and was very lethargic. I just finally got her to start eating some white chicken breast tonight which she ate tons of. She's not drinking enough though so I am giving her water in a syringe to keep her hydrated. I called two doctors (since Emma sees a different doctor than Mocha and Quincy) and they agree that perhaps the shot of steroid was a bit too much for Mocha and being a senior at 13 1/2 years was too much for her little body. I am hoping it will start tapering off and she will get back to normal. I just wanted you all to know I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. If you can possibly send some healing thoughts our way we would be ever so thankful! Quincy and Emma have bounced back but Mocha still is lethargic but was definitely more alert today when I came home.

I was at my wit's end last night so being that it is still a waning moon I performed a banishing ritual to rid our household of this sickness.

This picture was taken tonight. We're all just resting comfortably and I'm trying to keep everything calm and peaceful. I had this beautiful Reiki music playing for them and I think it kind of put them all to sleep. Lol!

A Gift from Merlin's Magickal Mistress!

I received a very special package yesterday from the sweetest witch by the sea that I know, Merlin's Magickal Mistress!! A few posts back I talked about my small by growing collection of mermaids. When she saw my post she graciously emailed me and said she wanted to send two of her mermaid ornaments that she had. HOW SWEET IS THAT?!! Anyway, I was so excited when I got them! I loved 'em! I was going to put them in my bathroom that houses most of my mermaids but then I realized they would go much better on my year-round pink Christmas tree. Seriously, they matched the Christmas tree like they came with the tree! See for yourself! Oh and if you haven't checked out her blog...swing on over. She is funny, sassy and full of fire, that witch!




Oh and Mr. Quincy decided to hang out with me while I was putting the mermaids in the tree...I saw how the sunlight was hitting him and had to take pictures. :)

Thank you again, Judith!! They add a bit more whimsy to my tree. :)

A new stone for me...the Sun Stone

I recently received some beautiful Sun Stones in the mail and am just learning more about them. I can't wait to connect with them once they are cleansed. They're even a native of my state. :) Jennifer Warr is a crystal reader and here she describes her experience with the beautiful stones. Enjoy!

I Won a Giveaway!

Yay!!! The last Halloween Giveaway from Marzel over at The Play of Light and Shadow was bestowed upon me...yes, ME! I am so excited. Do you know why? Well, because I get all these adorable goodies but because the witches hat will be my very first witches hat! :) I know, pathetic I don't have one already. Lol!

If you haven't seen Marzel's blog you have been missing out. She is such a talented artist, writer, person and oh I could go on. She is also a very good personal friend of mine, although we live in different states. :) Thank you, Marzel!!!!

Also, in case you weren't aware, we also share another blog called The Play of Light and Shadows where we share our ghost hunting experiences! Swing on by if you get a chance and checkout our haunting pictures! :)

Boo!

Exhilerating!

I can't tell you the exhilarating feeling I get when riding, let alone the views I stumble upon in the beautiful mountains and valleys here in Oregon. I went riding with three of my girlfriends this past weekend and for the first time we let the horses go! Let them run as fast as they could and oh my gosh, I thought I was in Heaven! I rose from the saddle, leaned forward and we took off, the wind blowing through us, the sound of Romeo's labored yet excited breathing as he raced as fast as he could past the other gals. LOL! I almost couldn't stop him though. Nonetheless, it was my first and will not be my last to ride like we were one with the wind. These are the views we usually come upon. Breathtaking, isn't it? :) It's times like this I feel closest to Mother Nature.

Hope you're all having a wonderful week!

My Samhain Altar - Blessings to all on this Samhain!

Samhain is upon us and if you listen with blessed intent you just might hear an ancestor calling out to you. :)

This is my Samhain altar. I was putting my finishing touches on my altar tonight with pictures of my grandparents and my father in the center. He has been with me all week. He visited me in a dream a few nights ago. We held hands and visited. :) It was a very comforting dream. Also, things have been flying off the shelves this past week. I get this strange feeling I am being visited by someone...dad? Tonight, as I finished my altar I could have sworn I heard drums in the distance. My windows were closed at that moment so I decided to open them so I could hear better. As I opened my window the wind was still, it was raining. I still heard them. All of a sudden the biggest gust of wind kicked up and blew through me and into my altar room. I quickly turned around and noticed the only picture that fell was my fathers. I know he is here with me now. :) I honor all of my ancestors who made me who I am today and welcome them with open arms for a very special visit and maybe even tea. :) What a wonderful feeling!

Few quick notes. The picture of Jesus was in my father's room for as long as I can remember. I kept it after he passed away. :) Also, the citrine cluster and heart-shaped rose quartz are from Hibiscus Moon! I am so happy with them and I am so connected to them already. Thank you Hibiscus! The lighting is a bit dark. Sorry! I also have pictures of my grandparents and pets who have also passed on.



Happy Samhain everyone! Peaceful blessings....

My new collection....mermaids

So for some reason I've started collecting mermaids. I mean, I don't know why...I'm terrified of drowning. Hmmm.....well here is my small collection and I'm sure it will grow in time. :)

My newest purchase! I love them....they are just gorgeous!

A picture I bought while back home on a visit. I absolutely adore this.

I've had this statue for years and I can't remember where I bought it. Isn't she pretty?

And my working candle holder I've had for years as well. :)

Sorry for the grainy pics guys. I've done something to a setting on my camera again! I'm so technically challenged. I usually just push buttons until I get it right but tonight I just couldn't figure it out. Lol!

Ready for Samhain?

xoxo

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

These were such a nice childhood memory for me. I haven't made them since. I think this year I will. :) How about you? We're continuing the Halloween party over at The Domestic Witch! Swing on over and see what else she has cooking up. :)

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds

Preheat oven to 300.

Combine 1 T oil or melted butter plus ½ t salt per cup of seeds. If you like, you can add other spices like pepper, paprika, and/or garlic.

Toss seeds with oil mixture until well coated.

Spread evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake until golden, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let cool on paper towels and ENJOY!

A Little Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread?

To continue the party over at The Domestic Witch I thought I'd present a little pumpkin bread with chocolate chips. I can't seem to make any dessert without chocolate!

A little about the magical pumpkin....

The Magickal Properties of Pumpkins: Used for fertility and contacting the Spirit World. Since most pumpkins are large, they also represent abundance or being plentiful. Also, by lighting your Jack-O-Lantern you are sure to bring good luck to your household!

PUMPKIN BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups canned pumpkin

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup fat-free vanilla pudding

4 large egg whites

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans on a wire rack, and remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

Now don't forget to stop on by The Domestic Witch to see what other ghoulish ghosts are up to at this monster fun mash!

The Witches Broom

Mine sits by the door waiting for All Hallows Eve when I will hop on with my cats, casting spells as I fly across the moon!

And the blog party continues at The Domestic Witch! Swing on over and check out the festivities and everyone who's participating!

Mexican Mocha Pudding with Whipped Pumpkin Cream

So I subscribe to the Vegetarian Times online and I get these awesome recipes in my email! This one happened to come the day before yesterday and oh my gosh...I have never had whipped pumpkin cream, let alone with Mexican Mocha Pudding! I am for sure trying this for a get together!

Mexican Mocha Pudding

1/2 cup sugar, preferably natural brown sugar such as Sucanat or maple

3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 Tbs. arrowroot powder

1 Tbs. instant espresso powder

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. New Mexico chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 large egg

2 egg yolks

2 cups milk

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Whipped Pumpkin Cream

1 15-oz. can pumpkin

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:

1. Combine sugar, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, espresso powder, cinnamon, chili powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk together egg and egg yolks in separate bowl. Stir egg mixture into cocoa mixture.

2. Scald milk in saucepan over medium heat until milk is steaming. Remove from heat. Whisk ı/2 cup hot milk into cocoa mixture. While whisking, pour cocoa mixture back into hot milk, and whisk until smooth. Return to medium heat, and continue whisking for 5 to 6 minutes, until pudding starts to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate and vanilla until smooth. Transfer pudding to bowl, and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto pudding; refrigerate until chilled.

3. To make Whipped Pumpkin Cream: Cook pumpkin and brown sugar with cinnamon medium skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl, and cool to room temperature.

4. Whip cream in stand mixer or with handheld beaters on medium-high, until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin until no streaks remain. Refrigerate until chilled. Serve pudding dolloped with pumpkin cream.

If you want to checkout more recipes from Vegetarian Times go here! They have such a wonderful and informative site! Have fun!! I also have another recipe I will be making Saturday in honor of Halloween! Stay tuned!

Spider Web Hurricane and an Award!

Just got back from Montana yesterday. It wasn't the day I thought it would be to just come home and relax. Instead, I got home and found my cat in an asthma attack (the house sitter said she wasn't like this earlier so it must have just come on before I came home) and I had to rush her to the emergency vet. *sigh* We just discovered she had asthma about three weeks ago (another vet emergency visit). After taking x-rays to determine that she had this condition (and she's only a year old) they treated her with a steroid shot. I hated that but I had to do what was best for her. This time they sent me home with an inhaler. YES, an inhaler. I didn't even know animals could have asthma. I'm meeting with a naturopath at my regular vet to see how we can treat her naturally. In any event, I'm finally winding down from everything tonight. :)

So, to wind down and to continue the October blog party hosted by the Domestic Witch I thought I'd make a very haunted Martha Stewart craft. It was so easy too! The spidery hurricane! You can find her directions here! I couldn't find a frosted hurricane but the clear works just fine!

Also! As promised, I won an award!! Thank you, Marzel my very good friend (and in real life) over at Play of Light and Shadow. :) Thank you, Marzel!! You're awesome! I also received this award from Suzie over at Cat in the Moon (she has the cutest blog!). Thank you, Suzie! Oh gosh....and I wanna say someone else awarded this to me but can't remember. SO SORRY!! I have been foggy the past couple of days with everything that has gone on and being back from vacation made me forget where I left off! Lol! If anyone else awarded this to me, please let me know so I can give you proper credit!!

I am to pass this Award along to six wonderful Artists! Here are the rules for the Over the Top Award. Copy and change the answers and paste the it on your blog. One word answers! Once you have filled it out pass this award to 6 others. Alert then that they have been awarded! And have fun!

1 Where is your cell phone? Purse

2 Your hair? Long
3 Your mother? California
4 Your father? Ashes

5 Your Favorite food? Sushi

6 Your dream last night? Boyfriend

7 Your favorite drink? Iced tea
8 Your dream/goal? Author

9 What room are you in? Witchy

10 Your hobby? Crafting (meant in two ways)
11 Your fear? Drowning
12 Where do you want to be in six years? Happy

13 Where were you last night? Vet
14 Something that you aren't? Unhappy

15 Muffins? Chocolate

16 Wish list item? Horse

17 Where did you grow up? California

18 Last thing you did? Craft

19 What are you wearing? Sweats

20 Your Tv? On
21 Your pets? Cats
22 Friends? Close
23 Your life? Happy

24 Your mood? Melancholy

25 Missing someone? Yes

26 Vehical? Kia
27 Something your not wearing? Earrings

28 Your favorite store? HealthyPet
29 Your favorite color? Pink
30 When was the last time you laughed? Today
31 Last time you cried? Awhile
32 Your best friend? Several

33 One place that I go over and over? Michaels
34 One person who Emails you regularly? Brother

35 Favorite place to eat? Sushibar

OK that's it!

I love breaking rules. Anyone who leaves a comment to this post gets the award and questions! Have fun and play along!!

Vacationing in Montana

Hi all!

I'm away on vacation for a few days..relaxing in Montana with my family. A nice train road overnight on the Amtrak was fabulous! I couldn't get any decent flights out of Oregon without only spending a day and a half with my family. Taking the train gave me a day and a half longer. Go figure! Getting your own sleeper cabin is the only way to go.

Champagne was promptly brought to me when I settled in my cabin. Complimentary when you get a cabin...and it's STILL cheaper than the airlines!

And little touches like chocolate just make my day!

This is our cabin! Waiting for my sis, brother-in-law and niece to arrive from California.

For less money you can get this tee pee to stay in. Kidding.

And seven dogs to greet us. These are a few. I've been slobbered! :)

Be back soon all!

P.S. I have not forgotten about my award!! :) I will be posting soon with all my answers!