Family Yulemas Tree Day

 oh the joy!

It was even better this year.

The Oldest Son wanted to go to the Christmas Farm this year to cut down our own trees.

I've always wanted to do that.

It couldn't have been more perfect.

The weather was gorgeous,

The air was chilly

The trees were magnificent....

 We all agree on this one!

 BaBa aka: The Chook Man, does his Chuck Norris and  cuts our tree down...

 The Womb Weebles go Sqweeeee!

It didn't take long for everyone to find their trees and gather them.

Obviously many others had the same idea.

The only thing missing was Sneaux.

It was quickly and gleefully decided that We would be here next year.

Fashioning rituals for the holidays

 I LOVED!!! Holidays as a Kid, and continue to to this day.

I now pass this on to The Small Ones and it's the same for them.

I scour books and cyber ripples of people's frontiers,
picking up ideas,
creating new ones.

There are constants, that I would feel naked without.

{and not in a good, running through the woOds Naked good}

 As if my Rituals and Holidays would be dead without them.

Constants ~ candles, incense, music

 

Candles ~ many

Incense ~ Nag Champa

Music ~ most likely:

70s ~ esp Saturday Night Fever!

Vintage Holiday Classics

Rockin ass 90s

There are several Traditions that 

have been passed on

from The Family.

{and may or may not, be in a Hank Williams way, wink}

*Chicken and Dumplings

*Lemon Meringue Pie

*Turkish CoOkies

*Unique Stuffed Stockings

*Bass & Rankin shows

New ones, that are rad!

* Family Yulemas Tree Day

*Apple Cake

*New Orleans Ornament Road Tripp

*Jingle Jammies

*Summer Beach Trip

*IHOP Holiday Breakfast, on Christmas Eve Morn

*Road Tripp Indian Restaurant

These are just a few of the Wonderful Things that our Family

loves to do, our Jewel Traditions.

I start planning and scouring in Summer,

usually after our Beach trip.

Clothes,

make up,

craft ideas,

recipes...

Of Course, thanks to unending cyber connectivity, you'll never run out of ideas.

The trick is to keep your favorite tried & true,

play around with new ones,
find a couple that enhance your Holiday Traditions,

and definitely don't be afraid to get rid of ones 

that don't work.

In fact, My Family wouldn't blink an eye 

if I showed up looking like that Fella at the top!

hey, Stranger things have happened.... 

Apple Cake

I LoVe Apple Cake.

It's an Autumn treat I look forward to every year. 

I used the same recipe from last year 
with GaLa apples.

The Gala apples really held up well 

and absorbed the Spices wonderfully.

I'm also a BIG fan of The Bundt Pan 

so the Apple Cake is always cooked in a bundt. 

Friday is a great day for Apple Cake because

Friday is ruled by Venus,

and apples are the perfect offering for Her.

I actually only used 4 of these {small/medium}apples 

and still had about 1/2 cup extra, which I used. 

The Delightful Daughter has great fun

sifting the flour with 
my Grandmother's old crank sifter. 

  

Cream Sugar, Butter, add Eggs...

Fold in 1/3 Flour mixture,

add half the buttermilk and fold,

1/3 Flour mixture,

second half of buttermilk,

last of the Flour mixture,
Apples, & Walnuts.

 

  

Bake at *350 for approx. 45 minutes.

Check with wooden chopstick 

(or skewer or toothpick}

to see if the inside is done.

You may have to do 10 minute cook~ments.

Watch for burnage.

Until a deep dark golden brown

I let my cake cool completely before removing.

Slice and serve.

I like mine with coffee,

The Delightful Daughter likes her's with whipped cream,

The Big and Little DuDes like their's as is,

walking around, 

leaving crumb trails....

recipe here:

http://theholidayhohoqueen.blogspot.com/2009/11/apple-cake.html

My blog is One Year Old!

is that like, 3 people years?

image found at http://narro-project.blogspot.com/2009/03/1-year-of-open-translations.html

Mabon ~ Autumn Equinox

 Happy Mabon, pEEps!

Time of the Seasons ~ The Zombies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdghL1NGk0g

I always get excited about Mabon for the things that are ahead.

The subtle signs that a change in season is beginning.

Mabon is a good time to celebrate, and contemplate, and complete.

Nights in White Satin~ The Moody Blues

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9muzyOd4Lh8

The Autumn Equinox divides the day and night equally. 

It is the drawing to and of family as we prepare 
for the winding down of the year at Samhain. 

It is a time to finish old business as we 
ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection. 

This is the Second Harvest, where we prepare for the Wynter months ahead.

Mabon is considered a time of the Mysteries.
It is a time to honor Aging Deities 
and the Spirit World. 
Considered a time of balance,
it is when we stop and relax and 
enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, 
whether they be from toiling in our gardens, 
working at our jobs, raising our families, 
or just coping with the bizzy bizz~ness of everyday life.

Good time to contemplate unfinished projects and such, 

and to focus on cleansing them,

either by letting go or finishing them.

Second, or Final Harvest is time to give thanks

for the bounty that will sustain you through the Wynter.

and a Damn Fine! time for caramel apples!!!

I will celebrate by lighting a Yellow candle,

burning some Lavender,

placing an Apple and seeds on the altar,

with an offering of thanks.

Symbols of Mabon:
wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, vines such as ivy, dried seeds, and horns of plenty.

Herbs of Maybon:
Acorn, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, solomon's seal, tobacco, thistle, and vegetables.

Foods of Mabon:
Breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions.

Incense of Mabon:
Autumn Blend-benzoin, myrrh, and sage.

Colors of Mabon:
Red, orange, russet, maroon, brown, and gold.

Stones of Mabon:
Sapphire, lapis lazuli, and yellow agates.

Activities of Mabon:
Making wine, gathering dried herbs, plants, seeds and seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields, offering libations to trees, adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed over.

Spellworkings of Mabon:
Protection, prosperity, security, and self-confidence. Also those of harmony and balance.

Deities of Mabon:
Goddesses-Modron, Morgan, Epona, Persephone, Pamona and the Muses. Gods-Mabon, Thoth, Thor, Hermes, and The Green Man.

Mabon felt figure

http://bringingupsalamanders.blogspot.com/2010/09/living-life-and-crafting.html

Fourth of July Fun~day

 Lazy Day.

The Man, Womb Fruits and I are heading en masse 

to the theater for a little Air bender.

Afterwards, some CoFFee and Pastry at ze favorite Java Shop.

Back home to get comfortable as in, in our boxers before sundown.

A vintage Abbott and Costello The Time of Their Lives 

{a Fourth of July tradition for The Man} 

 Then to the backyard to watch fireworks. 

We can see them from the mississippi river.

and don't have to fool with the crowd.

Crowd of Heat

Crowd of People

Crowd of Crowd...

all gone, with a wave of my GLiTTeR wAnd.

Have a Safe, Fun, Relaxing

Fourth of July, pEEps!!

Leaving on a jet plane

And We're OFF! 

The Chuck Man and Me Self are Vegas bound.

A celebration of 10 years of gOOd LoVin.

Complete with Elvis........He's renewing our Vows.

and I haven't flown since 1995! 

Sceeeeerrred? ..........a little.

But The Chuck Man says "Don't worry. I'll be there".   

{Chuck does all my stunts}

 ahhhh, The Perks of  LoVe.

Heart & Soul ~ Huey Lewis and The News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4fdkkBt8VE

I'm the MoMMy!

Flaming June by Fredrick Lord Leighton

yes yes, It was all about Me! hahahahaa...

The LoVeLy family let Me sleep late this morning. 

A most favorite treat.

After a relaxing morning, and two of my favorite movies

Muriel's Wedding 

and 

Mambo Italiano 

{ is your son gravely ill? {crying: noooo, he's gravely gay.} lol

Then it was off to Pj's Coffee for lunch, downtown, it was The Chuck's treat.

{Chuck does all my stunts!}

The Oldest Son gave me Walnut Brownies from Whole foods.

The Blu~man and The Little Chicka 

gave me a whole assortment of handmade things!

A new tradition was started with 

The Turkish Mother and The Yankee Sister in Law..

We have decided that We will celebrate Mother's Day

the Saturday before, together.

Then that way, We can each spend The Mother's Day

with Our Individual Families.

How CooL is that???

I hope this finds each and every one of You

Celebrating being a Mom.

and I will leave you with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8

Spring Break Holidays and a Scavenger Hunt

Spring hOliday is upon us.

Spring break.

And for our holiday we are off on a Scavenger hunt.

The Blu Man's grade are doing a Scavenger hunt to learn all about our great state of Louisiana.

It was a gorgeous day, chilly, sunny, although a bit on the windy side

{must have something to do with all those tea baggers hanging around the capital blowing hot air...}

I do have to say I am proud of My Self
for getting on it and getting it done.

We took advantage of our week off to go to places
and knock off the Scavenger List.

Over half the list was done, and there is still two months? to finish.

We headed downtown to color a rubbing of the date Louisiana became a state.

We took pictures of officials.

We headed over to the levee, and watched the river swirling by in a swift rhythm.

We rolled down grassy hills.

We checked out the "bullet hole"
from the shooting of our great governor Huey P. Long.

It was a wonderful week spent adventuring with The Kiddos, 

with the added benefit of extended relaxation knowing we won't be panicking at the last minute!

Happy New Years

 Happy New Years!

Off to The Turkish Mother's for traditional New Year's luncheon.

Cabbage RoLLs,

Black EyEd peas,

Cornbread,

and plenty of extras!

 














I did not set any Resolutions, just Adventures I want to partake of..

Painting Portfolio
Reading Sookie Stackhouse
Creating more jewelry
Meditation
Journal
Finishing my bathroom
Getting a roof
and have fun doing it....

Oh, the excitement!!

 

 The Baby Girl and I wore our festive holiday witch socks!

A favorite bracelet of Mine, brought from Turkey.




Hope this finds you happy and well!

{exhale}....

Even the toys are tired.

Resting Holiday begins now....

Chestnuts

Although, I order my chestnuts late in october, 

I can usually keep them fresh in my frig drawer.

I hate to order them that early, 

{and the Vendors are doing pre~orders earlier and earlier, thus selling out earlier and earlier}

I always fear that there going to go bad before Yulemas, 

which is when we like to eat them. 

With a cup of hot cocoa, not that instant stuff (Blashphemer!) but the Real StuFF!

I've read you can freeze them, but I never have, 

so I don't' know how it affects the chestnut.

I store them by themselves in a ventilated drawer, with slight moisture.

When ready to cook, using a small sharp ka-niffy {or knife as it is commonly known}

and score and "X" on the flat or flattest side of the Chestnut.

I tend to roast mine on a bit lower temperature than is sometimes stated.

around *300, for a steady 20 minutes.

You don't want to under~cook or over~cook. When the corners of your cuts are peeled back and the Chestnut has a golden color, they should be done. As soon as I take the Chestnuts out of the oven, I put them in a bowl and cover with a very damp dish towel.

This is when I prepare our drinks; that lets the Chestnuts cool down enough to peel without burning your fingers, but not so cool that its hard to peel them.

For the freshest Chestnuts, find an on~line retailer. Its your best bet to get the best Chestnuts. 

Often when you buy in the store:

*They are exceedingly over~priced!

*Way small, Way old, and Way to many go to waste {making it more over~priced!}

*Should be refrigerated.
 Unfortunately, I have yet to find a store
that stores their Chestnuts
in the cold  section.

Chestnuts also remind me of days living in Turkey. 
During......wait for it.......Wynter.
{told ya!}
Good Times.



but i did find this"
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/html/fs/fs146/

http://www.buychestnuts.com/prep.htm