When I was younger, I had wanted one of these sooooooo badly. Now I can make one of my own and save the $60-$100 it would have broke me from. =P
Along with that, here are the .pdf instructions. I had trouble opening this file yesterday, but the glitch seems to be fixed. Good luck! When I get to mine, I will be sure to post it on here for you all to see. First I have to finish my sewing projects....

This looked too cool to pass up, so I grabbed the nearest book to my desk. Here are the instructions:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 4-7 sentences of that book (and these instructions) on your own LJ along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest (unless it's too troublesome to reach and is really heavy. Then go back to step 1).
6. Tag five people. (in my case, if you want to join in, go for it.....i won't force-tag anyone into joining in!!)

"Napoleon's archaeological discoveries in Rome, Greece, and Egypt inspired an interest in all things ancient and classical and spurred a popularity in the use of animal prints in textiles. In addition, the increasing contact with other cultures through scientific exploration and imperialist encroachments in distant places, including the Far East and Africa, fueled an interest in the natural world. These expeditions fostered the popularity for the decorative patterning of the cat, which in the print shown on page 122, is echoed in the leopard-patterned trim of a flirtatious beauty's petticoat hem and the interior facings of her overskirt. The abandon of her hair, the froth of her stomacher and matinée, and the peek-a-boo revelation of the leopard pattern expose her licentious nature and erotic intention. The sexual innuendo conveyed by the feline symbolism is reinforced as she climbs onto her master's lap for a "pet" and her suitor avidly strokes her hank of hair as one might the tail of a cat.
The penchant for classic motifs, including the leopard spots characteristic of the end of the eighteenth century, were expressed more flamboyantly during the Empire period and recurred periodically in clothing and upholstery textiles until the fin de siècle."

This was taken from "Wild: Untamed Fashion" by Andrew Bolton and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It's reference is to costume design throughout history, and it's inspiration from other cultures from archaeological findings and science. The image the above sentences are referring to are of a french etching of a woman sitting in a man's lap with leopard-print inspired attire. The man is caressing her long tress hanging down her chest. The etching is dated from the 1780s. Next?

So things are upturning around here some. It's been very, very busy.

On to better news, this week is the kids' birth days (as you heard a moment ago). opheliaspins   has graduated and come home from college now, Congratulations!!!! =)
So I've been spending time with her lately. Last night we watched a french film called "Queen Margo" for a relaxing evening. It's a pretty good movie with a near-Shakespearean tragic ending. American movies are so predictable and humdrum...well, at least for the last decade and a half, or so. So anyway, it's nice having her back around again!

In other news, after much consideration, we decided to get a puppy for the kids birthday (it was actually from the Grandparents, but we had to decide if it was OK). We ended up getting a 13 week Yellow Lab puppy. He is strangely calm for a labrador puppy, but certainly happy enough. Chews EVERYTHING though!!! He's a good dog though. We named him "Brúni"...Old Norse for "bright, shining; brown" which is exactly what he is. He's simply adorable. See the images below. The cats have accustomed themselves to him very well. Bennie, my little feline provocateur took minutes to be himself again (I really do wonder just how much Bengal may be in him...LOL...he's absolutely fearless!) and has been teasing and following Brúni for days. Crazy cat doesn't realized how big Brúni will be!! Our other kitty, who acts as the dainty princess she is has only just started coming out of hiding in the past two days...but she's coming around. So strange to have a dog again (helped raise eight with my parents).



Hope everyone else is doing well...I really hope to hear from some of you. =)

OH, and here's a quiz from an LJ friend. Frankly, I have no idea what they are talking about...Really....

So, ldyloreliranveg, your LiveJournal reveals...



You are... 11% unique
(blame, for example, your interest in wooded lands)
and 13% herdlike
(partly because you, like everyone else, enjoy traveling).
When it comes to friends you are normal. In terms of the way you relate to people, you are keen to please.

Your writing style (based on a recent public entry) is intellectual.

Your overall weirdness is: 48

(The average level of weirdness is: 27.
You are weirder than 88% of other LJers.)

Find out what your weirdness level is!

Friday, 13 Apr 2007

---

Muscle preach Listen here, enviros: A-Schwarz wants to pimp you up. And he's got plans for the climate-hatas, too: soon they'll be the ones "like prohibitionists at a frat party," while greens are hot and sexy. Hey, guess we can cross that off our to-do list.

The less brief, the better We're hung up in a big way on soy underwear from 2(x)ist, which brings "a new sense of style to what was once a purely functional part of one's wardrobe." We have no endowed -- er, doubt that it functions just fine. Is it hot in here?

Black and white and tread all over To aid climate-change research, Brit scientists are studying ice cores consulting computer models asking penguins to waddle on treadmills. When the birds' bad-ass training regimen is done, they'll be all set to try out for the world's first carbon-neutral soccer team ... or Dancing with the Stars.

Panic! At the risk-o Worried about warming? Disturbed by deforestation? Tormented by toxins? Well, take action: lie down on the big couch and talk about your mother. Or do what we do: take a big, deep breath of dirty air, and go look at those undie pics again.

Don't forget to get laid Grist's guide to prom night: Get these guys to DJ. Be a natural beauty. Don't wear out the earth. Have Rachael Ray cater and pay for it all. And bust out your push-up-bra bag -- perfect for smuggling in, um, Kool-Aid.

ltlviking had off of work so we decided to take our time. Our local organic grocer has moved their 3rd and newest store only minutes from our home, which means no more 1/2 hour drive!! We went to the farmers market for some stuff, including the ham we were to make on Saturday for the Ostara Blot. A local farm makes them without the harsh use of conventional methods, so we're always happy to support them. We ended the night with ltlviking picking up some movies from Blockbuster. He picked up the first two Star Trek movies. I hadn't seen them before. I've been told the first one sucks beyond most. But we all know we must see these things for ourselves. Let me just say, I saw..conquered the horrid two hours that lasted and can honestly say I will never see the movie again. But I'm glad I saw it. We also picked up History of the World Pt. I (a Mel Brooks movie). Hilarious!! We ended the night quietly Friday. 

Saturday! What a fantastic day. Saturday we hosted the Ostara Blot in our home with colmunson and family (we try to take turns hosting the Blots). So when I got up (which was an hour later than I really wanted to get up) I began preparing for the day. Draven wanted to await the Munson's arrival before coloring our eggs, despite our original plans to do it in our own homes and have them ready. It was cool, though. I prepared the ham (more on this recipe down below for those who want to hear more...) and the crust for the Quiche awhile. I also got everything ready for the activities and for the Blot. Then I sat down to write a poem for the Blot. 
The Munson's arrived and their little one took a small nap. We ate lunch and discussed the variations of Ostara/Eostre and their possible correlation with Idunna. When the kids awoke we started the egg coloring. Then we had a spoon race with eggs and a great egg hunt! What fun we all had. Afterwards, Jen and I began dinner while the kids went upstairs to play. ltlviking and colmunson relaxed and conversed--something the two of them needed, methinks. Jen and I had some good conversation about food and such. =) 
After we put all the food in the oven, it was time for Blot. I read in The Troth that our ancestors usually held Ostara blots at nearly dawn. Well, for our sanity, we decided to keep it at "before dinner." ;) 
Each of us had our own equal share in the ritual. Our "sacrificial hare" was a solid chocolate bunny which is sacrified with our groups' Mjolnir (seems it's a tradition now!). I also read my poem:

"Frost and shiver begins to slow
          with the passing of Winters tenure
Bringing fresh, new life
          to Springs arrival
Spirits enkindle as seed rises to flower
          and egg hatches new beginnings

Lands begin the dance of rebirth

Green beauty charms as the spiraling artistry of earth
          is wreathed
On this day, we celebrate this sum,
          enveloping change...strength...and health....

Hail Idunna! 
Hail Ostara!
Hail Spring!"

We spoke our words, including Draven (who wanted to hail Thor for a "good winter" LOL). The Blot was wonderful. After placing the offerings in the Blot bolli, we decided to keep it to place the first of our feast in, as well. This is something our family traditionally does (and frankly, methinks Draven would yell at me if we DIDN'T do it at this point...LOL...because he insists on carrying it outside to our spot). Jen read a lovely poem before the feast, which I would supply here but I do not know where she had gotten it from (somewhere on the internet). It was a beautiful Ostara poem. 
After dinner, we feasted on the remains of our sacrificial chocolate bunny (that which we didn't place in the bolli) and chatted up. The Munson's left shortly after, we were all tired. 

Sunday we went to J's Easter family gathering and the kids had an egg hunt. We all had a great time there, too! We celebrated birthdays from January until May, too. =) They always have wonderful get-togethers...his family is wonderful. 
When we left their home we went to my grandparents for yet another egg hunt and dinner. It was quiet, just us and my grandparents. We stayed for a few hours while the kids played. Just relaxed and talked. Then we came home and now here I am today. I hope everyone elses' weekend went well!!

Happy Ostara!!

OSTARA BLOT FEAST DETAILS:

When I make ham, I usually put in red wine & red wine vinegar, which originally was an accidental combination. I also put in cinnamon, clove, pepper, ginger and leeks. It was a varied recipe, but in the end it was what we all enjoyed most. While reading through recipes from the Gode Cookery, I found "Brawn en Peuerade"...an authenticated 15th century recipe from England, using a thick wine sauce in either chicken or pork. In my case it was for ham. The only other ingredients besides my own were Mace and Sandalwood (which was primarily used as a red food coloring). Oh, and instead of onions I use leeks. Since I ran out of mace I just added in nutmeg and decided that since we were having this as our Blot feast I would add the remaining Mead that colmunson had given us from his own batch when we'd first officially met them. I was using what little was left for special occasions with random marinade concoctions. How cool is that? =) BTW...the meat came out better than any ham meal I have ever eaten, EVER. I highly recommend it. Who knew I was cooking 15th century? =D

The Quiche recipe I used was also similar to theirs, but my inspiration stemmed from it, anyways, so I can claim no credit. This recipe was 14th century England, authenticated. And DELICIOUS, as well. I used almond milk and Romano cheese from Sheeps milk.  I also added Thyme, salt and pepper for seasoning, Oh, and broccoli. I sprinkled the "Queen of spices," Saffron, on top before beginning the baking (which added not only delicious flavor, but beautiful gold coloring on top). My portions were a little off....I should have used a little more milk, but it was great besides. Jen made a similar Quiche, though hers was made with soy milk, spinach and garlic. If there was anything else in there, she did not mention it. Either way, all of the dinner was simply mouth-watering delicious. </lj></lj></lj></lj></lj>

 

Post 6 very random facts about yourself then you tag 6 people on your friend list to do the same.
This shouldn't be too hard, Aquarians are known for being professional randomnists...LOL...

1. I was born with Heterochromia: I have one green eye and one blue eye (mostly visible in sunlight now, when I was a teen it was quite noticeable). The green eye has a larger pupil while the blue eye has a noticeably smaller pupil. Oddly enough, my eye dr. tells me that my vision is one small step from being "perfect." Oh...and when I get really hot, only one side of my face gets hot, pink and sweaty. The other side stays flesh-colored, cool, dry and soft.

2. I used to feed the ants in our dining room sugar when I was a kid. We lived in an apartment building on the second floor that had no other ant problems. No one could figure out the mystery.

3. One of my favorite snacks is sourdough bread dipped in crushed tomatoes with thyme and basil.

4. I have a small, light-colored birth mark shaped like a perfect triangle on my left side....

5. I like homework.

6. I move aside for cats and dogs if they are in my walking path/on the stairs. If there are in "my spot" of the sofa I'll sit around them and be careful not to disturb them. If they are sitting where I need to be I'll comfortably move them to another great spot and pet them to sleep again. I'm so weird.

Tagging:

ltlviking
opheliaspins
alagbon
colmunson
friggasgirl
eretik

I've finally begun making some real progress Spring cleaning. I've managed to finish the main floor. The second floor is near completion with merely the third room to tidy up and putting our altar back together. The final place for it is yet to be decided...whether we should leave it upstairs or bring it down here on the main floor is a hard choice. We would like it to be down here, but both space and safety of the altar are concerns of mine.

We are going to start up in the basement, though I'm hesitant of how far to go....the neighbors have discussed purchasing a big dumpster that we all chip in for and we can all go through our basements. Cool idea! So I'll be going through the basement now (while it's still cool outside!!!) and then I'll have the trash ready to go when the time comes, methinks. I'd wait but we have a House Appraiser coming by this week or early next most likely so I want it to look in good shape.

That being said I began cleaning today, starting with the farthest back room in the basement. The basement itself is unfinished but there are technically four rooms in there, two being connected-ish. The farthest back has one of the doors to the backyard. Since we've been here I really haven't touched that room. It looks fantastically organized just as the Aquarian desires (tidy, organized, but without the corny labels). I'll start on the other rooms hopefully tomorrow.
At least we have a patio again--as opposed to a leaf collecting burrow.

Today I went to school and registered for my summer classes, definitely looking forward to that (I've always been the nerd that liked college and the homework that goes with). We also took the kids to the park and walked around the pond seeing the ducks and wild life. Then we played in the playground for a while. We were watching one of the neighbors children so we decided to go out and have some fun. =) All the adults looked at me like I was nuts because I was playing with the kids ON the grounds equipment and chasing them in the tubes and up the ladders and down the slides...LOL. It was F-U-N!

...I was watching a show tonight on PBS called "Kings of Camouflage." Mostly it discussed Cuttlefish, but also the related Squid and Octopus. What a fantastic show! Did you know that there is a poisonous cuddlefish? There is! It's called the Flamboyant Cuttlefish and is no larger than a finger. The first cuttlefish known to be toxic! The muscles are toxic to predators, as much as a Blue-Ringed Octopus (one of two known toxic folk of the octopus/squid population (if memory serves me right)--the other being the Striped Pyjama Squid). The other fascinating part of the Flamboyant cuttlefish is that it WALKS. Yes, my friends, this is a walking fish among the ocean. The famous cuttle bone on their backs usually allows them to float, but because of the unusually small size of this guy he cannot float for very long, therefore...he walks! =)
 
Nature will never cease to amaze me. Earlier today we watched a male muscovy duck courting his Lady with what looked like dances and proof that he was more than worthy. I did not know if muscovy's do such things, but he sure was doing some sort of repetitive dance. And when she turned away he moved in front of her and started flapping his wings so fast I could hear the wind from where I was. And he was good. It was amazing to watch. We also saw our striped turtle friend sunbathing, too. We were careful not to bother him (after all, we didn't want the kids to think that you always pick up a turtle when you see them, once to see was enough), but we were hurried off by a protective male muscovy duck (not the same as the aforementioned Casanova) protecting his Lass. We were more than happy to oblige to his wishes.

Valete, mein Fruende. 

RULES:

1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me". (If you want to, of course! No pressure at all.)
2. I'll respond by asking you five questions of a very intimate and creepily personal nature (or not so creepy/personal).
3. Update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
4. Include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, ask them five questions.

Ave, Friends!

This weekend was pretty good. On Friday we got a couple of inches of snow, so ltlviking came home from work 5 hours early with some Asian stuffs...which was soooooo sinful but delicious nonetheless.

I've been working on our pre-Spring cleaning, trying to get things done...so in thought of that, we decided early on last week that we were going to venture to Ikea on Saturday. When I was watching a neighbor, who's about 6 right now, he played hide & seek with Draven and accidentally broke the toy box. This was our main need to go there. Besides, the kids' toys needed some organization up there, too...not just the downstairs here.

After an IM with colmunson, we ended up agreeing to meet families there and shop together (they needed some things, too...cool!). So on Saturday we fooled around in the AM, doing things here and there. Then around 3:30 we met up with the Munson's and started our shopping day together. The three kids together had SO much fun. They walked around the isles holding hands altogether, the Toddler Caravan. They had to smell all the soft stuff...rugs, towels, blankets, pillows...And if it was plastic, they wanted to touch it with a finger (so they were asking what was plastic or glass). We looked all around at the many things we could potentially buy or use in our Homestead whilst conversing and shopping with the Munson's. After venturing into the kids section we decided to eat at their cafe. Little T needed to be fed so we let the other 3 kids play and I ventured around looking for the toy box while ltlviking and colmunson watched them and relaxed for a little.

Then. around 5 hours and a hundred-some dollars later, we were ready to go. We said our goodbyes, briefly discussed getting together this coming weekend for the Ostara Blot and parted ways. The kids were tired...it was past their bedtime, so they fell asleep in the car pretty quickly.

Yesterday we didn't do ANYTHING. ltlviking cooked some meat on the grill my mom had given us a while back as a special meal for the coming of Spring.
Today we're going to head out to Lowe's to get some paint and other random things so I can start painting and finishing up our pre-Spring cleaning. As far as I know, Lowe's has paint that has either low, or "zero" VOC (volatile organic compounds) in some brands, so they are much "greener" for our environment and for the kids' health. We also have to fix the elbow pipe in the upstairs bathroom, which is apparently so old that it's literally cracking and falling apart from the inside out in the "trap" part.

I'm rambling, I know.

On a similar topic, I decided to check out IKEA. We boycotted Wal-Mart some years ago now, and have been trying to be as conscientious about shopping as possible. Considering what I've found, we'll be going there for our "Dept. store" needs from now on (which isn't very often, we try to by from used places, locally anyways). So here's some information that I've found on IKEA I'm sure you all will appreciate:

Grist Environmental News: An Interview with IKEA sustainability direction Thomas Bergmark

There is a link on there taking you to IKEA's corporate website under their "code of conduct" where I found these PDF links:

IKEA "IWAY Standard" on code of conduct

The IKEA Way on Purchasing Food

The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor

The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products

I'm reasonable enough to know that most probably won't read this, or at least half of it...so in a nutshell they practice very high standards. Their food is not genetically modified and does not have anything that has been questioned with health problems. Their meets do not contain hormones or preventative antibiotics (unless it's for curative purposes and is strictly supervised by a vet until the cow is better), they are humanely treated, etc.), there is no child labor and manufacturers are to be humane to their employees, products are ecologically shipped in higher volumes (which is why everything requires your assembly...also making them cheaper), and more. All in all, we are pretty proud to shop there, and they really do put American business to shame. Go IKEA. =)

Valete!


UPDATE:

For anyone who's curious, we went to Lowe's for our paint today and managed to find that the "Olympic" brand paint is "zero VOC" and much safer than the other brands, they've changed their entire line, as far as I know. I know that there are probably safer choices even still, but for now this is what my family can afford. ;)
Either way, there is something easily available, and the large gallon of paint was only $19-something.

Al Gore is going to be appearing in front of the Congrees to fight Global warming...taking the many thousands of messages we are sending with him. I did this a while ago, but realized I never sent out the link to anyone. Better almost late then never!!

http://www.algore.com/cards.html

    So we went grocery shopping this morning, a place called Kimberton Whole Foods. It's sort of like whole foods, but not the same company. They are local and fantastic; even better than whole foods for selection, IMHO.
ANYWAY. So I bought a Spinach bunch, as usual and brought it home. I go to put it away and STING! OUCH! There was a stem of Urtica chamaedryoides in there. For those who don't know the Urtica family, that means it was "Heartleaf" or "Fireleaf" nettle. So for the next hour and a half my hand was just BURNING. Lil' herbal story here...there are small "hair-like" bits on the stems and leaves of nettle plants that contain formic acid (yep! the same stuff you find in the bite of a fire ant). When you touch them the "hair-like" bit sort of pops on your skin and instantly feels like a sting. Harmless, but certainly a bit painful for a while.
I was saying to colmunson that now I feel like "one in a million"...LOL...what are the chances? Especially since it got past others secretly. *sighs* One in a million is starting to feel so small right now.....

    In other news, last night I had my "Herbal Remedies" speech at a local group. It faired out pretty well, I think. I'll most likely be doing it again with them, because the group was smaller this time around. They want me to post it on the group and all. I got kind of nauseous and strange feeling last night, but I've been feeling kind of strange recently...not eating much lately (which was the culprit last night). Luckily, being an herbal speech (with examples!), I had some candied ginger which helped out with that.

    I spent much of the week pre-Spring cleaning the house. There's a lot of built up clutter in various places (closets, cabinets, etc.) that I'm emptying out. I'm moving some decor around and adding "simplicity" to our lives. In the end, it's beginning to look better now than ever before. Cool.

    This past weekend we went to our good friends, the Munson's, again colmunson, for their Ausa vatni, a naming/blessing ceremony for their newborn. It was SO BEAUTIFUL, we met so many fascinating folk there that I would love to meet again. We're looking even more forward to the SCA now as most of them are involved there.

    Jesse racked our mead this weekend again. We'd like to get rid of some of the sediment in it before officially bottling them. I'm not sure when he plans on purchasing more honey from the farm we aforementioned in previous entries, but it will be soon...and I can't wait! I've been pondering all sorts of things. We currently have enough carboys to make at least 2 at a time, one for him, one for me. To experiment with. It's perfect. =P

    Friday we had Draven's kindergarten registration. We came in fully prepared and with our vaccination exemption form. Which, by the way, I typed to about 5 pages long...LOL..had to cover all bases so there KNOW we did our homework and made a real decision. Draven wanted to wear his silk tie. He's so awesome! He has about 4 now, which he just LOVES wearing. I put them on him for fun at family gatherings, but he decided it was his trend and now does it frequently, even to the grocery store. But he knows that the silk one is for special occasions. ;) That's my kid!
    Secondly, when we walked up to the lady with our papers, she seemed excited that we had all of our forms properly signed and taken care of. Didn't even give us a fuss about the vaccination form (which apparently they do normally give a hard time with, but I'm assuming because we were prepared and knew why we'd made the choice instead of just making it, they were satisfied). They didn't even smirk at us, which was another expectation. Our neighbor is a teacher there, and since we moved here we've been close to them....She gave me past examples so I kind of knew what to expect. I'm glad it worked out this way...I didn't want the school acting different towards Draven because we're stricter, inquisitive and in some cases, less-than-compliant to the "mandatory" crap the government throws our way. Later I heard her complaining to the secretary that nearly 80% of the parents that came in were almost totally unprepared and that she's been having so much trouble and so delayed because of it. Yikes. It gave a nice first impression to them, anyways, which is always helpful. So all summed up, it went well and D had a good time. He was a bit shy when he came out, but apparently enjoyed himself while with the teachers and other kids.

    So I'm going to be off doing some more cleaning of the house and moving stuff around. Hope you all are having a great week, and that you enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday....back to cold we are-a-movin!!

    Valete...

I made some mashed acorn squash last, and while cutting out the seeds decided I was hungry for pumpkin seeds. And thought, "Eh...no pumpkin...but I do have acorn squash seeds!" So I decided to give them a try. I put some olive oil in them, just a little bit. Then I sprinkled sea salt on them and some Thyme. I broiled them until they started popping like mad (only about 10 minutes on low broil...I didn't know they'd pop, I only ever made pumpkin before).
I didn't get to sit down and try them until a little while ago because I was letting them cool off...I didn't want one of those suckers popping on the kids, you know?!
Oh...they are delicious...I highly recommend them. =)

This weekend was busy, in a good way.
Our original plans were to attend the Gefjon Blot hosted by friggasgirl & Kindred as guests but towards the end of the week we got a phone call and had to go to J's parents for some "important business" Saturday. We owe them an apology for having to change our plans, which we felt was slightly rude, but the circumstances were pretty important. Jesse also had his annual QA Seminar at work that ran a little later than we'd of liked. OH, and on top of that Rowan (the 2 yr old) got a high fever of 102, pushing 103 Saturday evening/night, which caused us to leave earlier. Draven got it the next night and now I have it. Ick.

Did anyone see the eclipse? Oh it was beautiful! We caught glimpses through the night when the Moon peaked through the clouds. Draven (our 4 yr old) was watching it from his side of the car for a portion of the ride home, trying to comprehend the meaning of eclipse (knowing that it was also a full moon). It was too adorable. I tried explaining some of the stories, such as the native American bear stories, the wolves, the "big belly" theory (LOL)...but I was exhausted and so was he so I just let it go. He learns so much already, he'll be OK. ;)

So on the way to his parents we decided to stop at the local home brewery place and picked up two 3 gal. carboys for some more Mead making, some different varieties of yeast, and a corker.
We also found a fantastic supplier of organic mead LOCALLY, in Lancaster, PA...and at a good price, about $87.00 for 60 lbs. They also have regularly grown honey varying from $60 to $100 in 60 lb. increments of the various kinds of Honey (buckwheat, clover, etc.). So we're going to try and get there as soon as we can (unless colmunson has been able to get in contact about the apiary previously mentioned? Let me know, dear!). ;) The home brew shop is just a few minutes from his parents, but for us it's nearly a 50 mile drive...so we really don't go often to his parents or there, for many reasons.

We also got our income tax this weekend, so we decided to go out on Sunday and run some much needed errands with that money. We picked up some winter clothing that was on sale at a local, "gently used" consignment shop, and a couple of other things to which I'll spare you the bromidic details. However for those who don't know already, Draven will be attending Kindergarten for full days. Crazy. But he seems pretty excited. We picked out some nice clothing and we've been keeping an eye on lunch boxes at markets and such. I prefer to get something with character, that doesn't need to be shipped, and that hasn't been mass-produced of "new materials." LOL. Besides, we boycotted wal-mart YEARS ago and aren't close to many other dept. stores. And no small, locals except the markets, which I'm all to anxious to go to anyway. LOL.

A few of my seedlings had popped up this week for our garden this summer, yay! =) We also have flowers coming up in the front garden. I can smell Spring in the air, even behind the cold arctic air we're getting right now. I can hear the birds singing more. Yesterday squirrels were playfully mating in a fallen tree behind our yard. When these arctic winds slow down we'll be taking a walk into the mountain behind us again (it's too much for the kids right now) as I need a piece of Blood roots' root  for something I need to take care of. No worries, I NEVER harvest more than I need and I am always careful to harvest responsibly  so that the population is not hurt.

So here we are into Monday and Tuesday. My projects for the week are finishing up making some cold medicines for the kids and making husband more aftershave and cologne. Use up my supply for the year soon, before it gets too old.

Hope you all are doing well! Valete.

Goden dag, mein Freunde!

So I decided that my LJ needed a new look, for fun! I have also changed some information on my "bio" in the profile, some interests and switched to a sponsored account so that I could add new images. So if you have time feel free to browse....Oh...I also changed my little mood faces to those silly blue bobel things. It's a change.

Very little has changed in the past few days...Husband, 

ltlvikinghas joined the LJ community...some of you on my friend list may have noticed he added you, but only the names he really recognized for whatever reason. Feel free to join his blog if your heart so desires such. =P 

So I found out that Draven will be attending his school ALL DAY for kindergarten. Apparently they switched over not long ago. I've got a lot of mixed feelings about it...I would love to just homeschool him. Also it seems that while we'll probably get a few attitudes from various employees and secretaries we otherwise shouldn't have too many issues with the whole vaccine issue. I've got a strong enough "case" on it, even if there was. LOL...

For the fellow Asa-friends...We have decided that we CAN and WILL attend ECT...but can't attend Trothmoot...not this year, anyways. We would like to wait for a year when having the kids in a 11-12 hour car ride won't be so horrible on them (maybe there is a train going that way....).  We also have the PA Renewable energy festival, PA Natural resources festival and so on...lots to do this year, and FINALLY THE CHANCE TO DO THEM! YAY!

Oh, and I have finally began to put my articles on my website this week...I have a bunch I can start on...but I will put them on bit by bit. I have a blog on my website, if anyone is interested in linking to it. As of right now there is only my introductory letter on there...but now that I'm starting to post information on the site I'll start posting on there with updates and such. If you know anyone who'd appreciate the content it would mean loads if you could forward the page to them! 
The website is no longer a store...and nothing there costs money. Since I shut down I decided to make LFA a "project" of mine to offer information on natural living, recipes, organics, historical traditions, etc., but for now I've started with organics. 
Website: http://www.ladyfrijasadornments.com/  
Blog for LFA: http://blog.ladyfrijasadornments.com/ 

Until later, Valete.
 

 

 

( Crazy event update here.... )