May 31, 2013

Schools Out, and The Summer Solstice Is On The Way!!!

It's that time of year again. Litha/The Summer Solstice is only weeks away, and my witchletts are out of school for the summer; they've all passed the school year. I'm now the proud mommy of a Jr in high school, a 6th grader, and an 8th grader; I feel so old.

I am also excited that Litha/The Summer Solstice is on the way. I have been deciding how to celebrate it this year. We have discussed going camping or having a small cookout with my Witchy sisters(we're not blood, but we are sisters) and the families.

In the meantime I will be doing a few crafts with the youngest witchlett, we will be making some type of protection amulets as Litha is a time for making or renewing your protection items. We may   also be making these.

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And of course I will be gathering items and setting up my Summer altar, I say "Summer" because it will stay up until Mabon (my most sacred/favorite Sabbat). If we come up with other craft ideas for Litha I let you guys know.

What are your plans for Litha/The Summer Solstice?

Litha Blessings

Ash-Lynn

When Did You Know?

When did you first know you are a Witch?

For me I guess I always had "it" in me, but I did not know exactly what "it" was; at least not till about 14 years ago and now I know I'm a Witch.

As a young child my grandma had this huge cast iron cauldron in her backyard. Whenever I was at her house, I was always in the yard playing with that cauldron and mixing "potions" in it; I have to say it always felt so natural being around that cauldron and mixing "potions" in it.

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Not my Gran's cauldron, but I sure wish I had her's now
As I got a little older, my cousin was always playing "Witch". We would come up with our own spells and potions, we would do this for hours on end.

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My "Witchiness" also showed up in my reading habits as a young girl and into my teenage & adult years. I would read anything & everything that had to do with Witches: still do.

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Of course, like all good little girls in the Bible Belt, I went to church and read my bible but it never felt right, I never really connected.

It was not until my late 20's and early 30's, after my divorce from my first (controlling ass) husband that I was free to explore who I was and the path I had always been drawn. That's when I knew I was a Witch, and when I finally connected with my spiritual side.

I would love to know when you knew that you were a Witch.

Many Witchy Blessings

Ash-Lynn

May 21, 2013

I Won A Book!!! & Got A Magickal Bonus!!!


Way back on the 6th of this month, I was reading a post by the wickedly lovely Magaly over at Pagan Culture, in her post she showed us some lovely things, and announced a give-a-way she was doing in honor of Mothers Day.
By the way if you don't know Magaly or Follow her blog you should, because she rocks.
The give-a-way was for a cute little book called "Aging With Attitude, Better Than Dying With Dignity". So, I said "Hey I'm a mom, so I should enter". I have entered several give-a-ways over the years, and I have never won any of them and did not expect to win this one either.

But guess what? I did when this one (doing a happy dance), and today my book came in the mail along with a little note from Magaly.



The book is absolutely adorable and has already made me giggle, but the really cool and magical thing is the note on the index card that came with the book. Magaly must be over flowing with magickal energy, because you can feel so much wonderful energy from holding the note card it will make your fingers tingle.

I am so happy that this came in today and that my mail runs so early, because this was a perfect start to my day.

Magical Blessings

Ash-Lynn




May 19, 2013

Tiptoes 30 Day Challenge - The Beginning

Tomorrow is day one of Tiptoe Chicks 30 Day Challenge, and that means today is the "before" day. This means weighing, measuring and for me at least before pictures(took a lot for me to post this).


Starting Weight - 200lbs
Pant size - 16
Shirt Size - XL
Bra Size - 40D

As you can see from the pic above, I need this challenge in a big way. However, I have to approach the challenge differently but only slightly. You see, when it comes to the diet part of the challenge I am already on a low carb diet from my doctor and nutritionist because of my diabetes. 

I am allowed to have a max of 30 carbs per meal and a snack/dessert of 15 carbs. The problem I have been running into is not exercising like I should, so that is the part of this challenge that will get my attention.  

The goal of the challenge is to lose 20lbs, my personal goal is to lose 60lbs. NO! I do not plan on losing 60lbs is 30 days, I do however plan on doing it over about 4 to 5 months. I am so ready for this and so ready to be a better me, I hope that all of you are ready too.

Healthy Blessings

Ash-Lynn

May 17, 2013

TipToes 30 Day Challenge - Recipe Idea

For those of you participating in the 30 day challenge, if giving up potatoes are a sticking point for you, then I have a delicious alternative for you.

I have been using this low fat, low carb alternative for potatoes, for a while now and it is so yummy, I hope you enjoy it.

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Twice-Baked Cauliflower

(Makes 6-8 servings; recipe adapted slightly from The Low Carb Gourmet.)

Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
1/2 cup low fat cream cheese
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup minced green onions (I leave these out, I'm allergic)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (If you only have finely grated Parmesan, use a bit less)
6 slices bacon, cooked until very crisp, then crumbled
1 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese


Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon.

Spread evenly in a medium-sized glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with low-fat cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

May 15, 2013

Tiptoes 30 Day Challenge

In keeping with my goals of getting my health and weight under control, I have decided to join Tiptoe Chicks  "30 Day Challenge".



Dee(Tiptoe) has started a Facebook Page, to give all of us a place to share our experiences and to give each other support.

I am looking forward to this, I hope you all decide to join this challenge and become a healthier you.

Healthy Blessings

Ash-Lynn 

May 5, 2013

Starting Over.....Again

Yes, I said again!

This is not going to be a Pagan-esque post. This post will be about starting over, more to the point me starting over on myself and my health.

For those of you who don't know, I am a diabetic; I was diagnosed about a year and a half ago. I started out doing really good: eating right, exercising(I lost 75lbs), and monitoring my blood sugar. However, over the past few months I have been struggling a lot.


I don't know if it's from being trapped inside because of the weather or just me being lazy, but I have not been eating right or exercising like I should; this has caused me to put on 18lbs, and overwhelmingly depressed.

I have been thinking about this the past few weeks, and I need a do over. So, starting on the Monday after the New Moon, that's what I'm going to do.

In doing this I'm asking for your support. Besides my husband and daughters I don't have the support I need to keep me on track, and that is something I really need right now. 

So, now I'm going to be brave and reveal my weight "200lbs". My goal is to start off by losing 30lbs, my ultimate goal is to be down to 140lbs. I know this is going to be tough, but I also know that I have to do this to stay healthy.

Thank you so much for listening to me and always being there for me.

Ash-Lynn

May 3, 2013

A Thought On Meditation

"if you have time to breathe you have time to meditate."

You breathe when you walk. You breathe when you stand. You breathe when you lie down.
Buddhist Monk Ajahn Amaro
Image Found Via Google

Yesterday, I had a discussion about meditation with a friend of mine; she says she can't quiet her mind enough to meditate. I myself have had this problem on many occasions, but when I ask someone about this problem, I was told "when meditating, if you can't quiet your mind, listen to what it is saying and use that in your meditation".

Surprisingly, this technique of listening to my mind while meditating has helped me to connect with both self and deity. Now, it did not happen over night, and I am still learning when it comes to mediation; I hope to continue honing my meditation skills and technique. I hope to master meditation one day, but I'm not there yet.

I'm don't meditate on a daily basis yet, but I do try and do it two or three times a week. I know there are people out there like my friend and myself who have problems when trying to meditate, so I have a few questions for you.

Do you meditate? 
How often do you meditate? 
Is there a special place where you meditate?
Do you have tips you could offer to help someone new to meditation?

Blessings & Namaste

Ash-Lynn