I just happened to look at my task bar and see that it is, indeedy, December 1!!
The countdown is on to Yule (and Midsummer for us southern hemisphere folks ;) So hop on over and share your plans for the big day(S) 
(enough enthusiasm there? lol)
doing this now, so i don't forget. lol
subbing now too otherwise I'll wonder why all ya'll are so quiet tomorrow 
Yay for the holidays, the cheer, songs and friends and the cold and the snow 
Can I refuse to accept it is December in 2 hours (at least I'm on AK time). I am not ready. I have to much employed work, home improvement work and family work to do before 12/20 and the end of the year. I'm working tomorrow so I can take Thursday off, sans kids. We have some contractors coming next monday to insulate and seal our crawl space and we have lots to do to get ready.
But here's my rocking news:
Back in September when I was on vacation, we had a mandatory evacuation from the North Carolina outer banks due to a hurricane. We had rented a car from Budget Car Rental. I found out they had a corporate policy that in such situations, I could return the car to any location and not at the one I was supposed to return it to and not be subject to extra fees. Our return site was in Virginia Beach which was also in the direct forecasted path of the hurricane - so I really didn't want to go there. Plus we'd have to be in a hotel or shelter for at least 2 days until my scheduled flight, assuming it wasn't bumped. So we drove to Atlanta, the next stop on our trip and turned in our car. And they charged as a $500 extra fee for "out of area return." (The original car rental was just $200, so this was crazy). We called and called contesting it. Week after week. It has been over a month since I called since I just kept getting the same "my manager will have to review your case" B.S and "no, my manager isn't in today" runaround. They were supposed to call me when a final decision was made. I was so upset but knew I couldn't do more. I was giving them until Dec 3rd (3 months later, on the advice of a lawyer friend) and would then file complaints with Visa, and any other ombudsmen I could find. Well today, I opened my bank statement and they refunded the $500. I could just do backflips. i am so ridiculously happy.
I hope the goddesses of prosperity smile on the rest of you too!
DD2 opened the first little door on the Christmas Countdown Calendar...
With the Religious Service for my mom on Dec. 11, my focus is not turned onto Yule yet. Though I have some ongoing crafts for various Holiday Swaps so I'm not totally out of the loop.
I want to find the box of old pictures and have them digitalized ASAP to create a memory book. I'll ask my aunts for older pictures I know they have too.
I plan to take a moment to look into Circle Round and other books for ideas of ritual for myself...
Morning all:)
December, hard to believe it.
Merry Meet Ladies! After Samhain, this is my favorite time of year!
Plans- we are going to see Santa and make gingerbread houses this saturday with my Mom. Then we are looking at another dog.
In two weeks we are going to an re-enactment villlage to see their houses all decorated.
Today, I am finishing some decorating- the kitchen is almost done, the living room window needs lights as well as the bay window. :) Pretty blue lights are going up! We are doing an advent calendar. I am planning to either read a book or poetry for each day.
We are finally home, vacation was nice but home is nicer.
Liza- Good news!!!
tomorrow afternoon i am taking the kids to see santa's reindeer in training. someo ne who lives around here has reindeer and they are bringing them to town for the kids to see. my kids have never seen a real reindeer before. just on tv. i bet they will love it. then on sat we are doing the hwole "the bank has a holiday party" thing. they usually have a craft and stuff for the kids. cookies, hot chocolate etc. then later that night they have stuff at the library.
it snowed last night!! just lightly and nothing that stuck but yay! iit feels more like yule when there is snow!
gak! i forgot! already december!!! happy new month, all! sending bright and happy wishes to all!
ok, so i posted on the other thread two quick questions-- i'll come back and catch up later on the 64 posts i missed in november!
first-- recs for elderberry syrup?
second-- recs for medieval meat pies? beef or pork... something with fun spices, maybe some fruits?
xoxoxox
Dusting of snow this morning - its that fluffly, swirling kind!
liza: GREAT news!
awey: i have no recipes, but i was thinking lamb might be more like they would have eaten. lol
well it is wednesday so it is cleaning day. and it is also the day that my lovely children make me totally NUTS! why do i have more then one toy in this place? they fight over a single lego piece! lol seriously. we have a huge box of legos and they fight over one freakin' piece. apparently i could just toss the whole lot because all they want is the one piece. ugh! ok must clean bathroom #2.
h
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo please dont tell me i cant multi quote from the last thread??? gak. sniff. ok, well. how can i do this??? hmmm......... ok, open in other window, going back and forth.... heh heh.
FR~ i *adore* your mistletoe tradition! i wish we had that. we have mistletoe here, but it's different--- and doesnt have the same "feel" at all! i got a fake plant thing at the craft store, and added "berries" with beads. :-)
redveg, happy belated anniversary! wow! 20 years! hope you got a nice celebration in, even though you were apart.
LM, keep following your gut, hon. it's frustrating to not find docs who will listen.... i think that's why some of us tend to self-treat. if you want to delve into it, i'm reading a lot in flower essences that address some of the issues you're experiencing.... here's one floral blend that might "click" something for you. the description tends towards the "healing from chemical/etc exposure," but it also addresses (as do many other flowers!) the immunity/dis-ease/etc connection.... one super great thing about flowers is that they are comparatively inexpensive (one bottle may be some $, but it goes so far!). plus, they dont interfere with anything, and they're totally safe to self-treat with. i'm becoming, as i said, a total broken record about them now, but it's because i've seen *amazing* results with them so far. if you wanted to pm me about them, i'd be happy to chat with you about some possibilities. hugs!
clay, so funny about the cranberries! we have LOADS here this year, and in past years, we've not been able to get fresh at all. granted, not as many as i remember from my childhood (my grandma would also stock many bags in the deep freeze).... but far better than years recently past.
val, hon. sending huge hugs and warm comforting vibes. xoxoxoxox
winter decorations~ i've done so well, and been so... stinking... proud of myself.... <sheepish grin> since the fall, finding ways to do seasonal decor that is local-y appropriate. alas, "snow" would NOT fit that bill, lol..... so i've decided to do something i've never done before-- at least, not that i know of! i'm going to dry (local) orange slices. very excited. :-) yes, i am a dork. heehee.
huge hugs to all, and happy december! squeeee!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
Our weather... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4E3bzieO30
And this was downtown... up on our hill the snow started before noon and by 1 we had nearly an inch of sleet/ice/snow. On top of the flooding from the rains. The drive to dd1's preschool in the morning was nasty (really heavy rain, flooded roads, two trees down) and then when we went to pick her up in the afternoon it was sleet, snow, and a whole new level of nasty. Which made the fact that the minivan refused to start even more "fun". I got Laia, loaded all the kids into their seats, and.... nothing. I called DH and he came to take a look and thankfully we were able to spend the hour it took upstairs in the preschool. I was thinking maybe the flooding we drove through had gotten something wet. Dh said it all looked ok, he jumped it, it started and kept going sooooo.... who knows?
Did anyone see the article in the NYTimes about the best cocktail for Solstice? I guess there was an article about "the best mixed drinks for each religious holiday celebration" and Pagan/Solstice made the list! Ok, so it was kind of snarky towards pagans apparently, but they offered a recipe for a pine liqueur cocktail. I looked up pine liqueur and found a US vendor (Clear Creek in Oregon) tha makes a Douglas Fir liqueur and a place in the Alps that makes a Stone Pine liqueur. Interesting! If it wasn't so amazingly expensive I'd try to find some. But even the "bargain basement" version is 60 bucks.
dentist- Speaking of money... the pediatric dentist takes care credit! And we can get approved soooooo... yay! DD1 needs a crown, two deep fillings, and a dozen or so surface clear/seal treatments. The crown is on a baby tooth but because of it's location and DD1's age there needs to be something there to prevent her other teeth from shifting around. They'll try to do a filling but they thought a crown was almost a sure thing given the level of damage (her tooth is basically a hollow shell, part of the shell broke off and you can see the tooth is just empty). The dentist was apparently very nice, and the whole place is geared towards little girls.... balloon animals, a venetian circus theme (lots of cherubs, carousel animals, velvet swags, pinka dn purple gauze drapped across ceilings, glitter and jugglers and giant stuffed animals oh my!), and TVs everywhere. Even a room with an air hockey table and video games for the older kids. So, not happy at the whole situation, but as happy as possible within the parameters.
Valerie- I'm so sorry for your loss.
Maia- Big hugs.
DoK- feel better soon!
There was more, but getting stuck kind of threw my day for a loop. The girls decided this morning that we'd have "Banana Split Soup" for dinner so I've been brainstorming. We have coconut milk and almond milk, bananas, and tofu. So maybe a sort of smoothie? With a sprinkle of cocoa powder on top? Thankfully this is all stuff I have on hand, but I'm not sure it'll live up to the morning's inspiration. lol
subbing now too otherwise I'll wonder why all ya'll are so quiet tomorrow
Yeah, because I'm pretty sure to those that believe in it, the pagan thread going silent is one of the 4 horsemen announcing the appocalypse :lol
. Well today, I opened my bank statement and they refunded the $500. I could just do backflips. i am so ridiculously happy.
Awesome news hun!!!!!! I can't blame you for being ecstatic hehehe
DD2 opened the first little door on the Christmas Countdown Calendar...
With the Religious Service for my mom on Dec. 11, my focus is not turned onto Yule yet. Though I have some ongoing crafts for various Holiday Swaps so I'm not totally out of the loop.
I want to find the box of old pictures and have them digitalized ASAP to create a memory book. I'll ask my aunts for older pictures I know they have too.
I plan to take a moment to look into Circle Round and other books for ideas of ritual for myself...
Was your mom a big Christmas person? Mine was... and that really helps me at this time of year, oddly enough. The TREE was *her* baby... we always went all out, stringing popcorn and getting a special new ornament each year and making a big event out of decorating it. We don't string popcorn lol but the tree is now *my* baby and must be done just so... so that little passing of the torch, so to speak, makes me feel connected to her still. As far as Yule, I wouldn't fuss too much hun, you have far bigger and more important to you, things on your plate right now. Keep it simple and focus on taking care of yourself as you grieve :hug
liza: GREAT news!
awey: i have no recipes, but i was thinking lamb might be more like they would have eaten. lol
well it is wednesday so it is cleaning day. and it is also the day that my lovely children make me totally NUTS! why do i have more then one toy in this place? they fight over a single lego piece! lol seriously. we have a huge box of legos and they fight over one freakin' piece. apparently i could just toss the whole lot because all they want is the one piece. ugh! ok must clean bathroom #2.
h
WAIT a minute.. you mean your lovely children only make you Nuts on Wednesday????? What manner of wizardry is this woman? Mine drive me nuts every day lately :( This morning I lost it at Lucas, and while I feel badly for how I acted, I'm still pissed at him for how HE acted! It's raining, but they are under the veranda playing with playdoh giving me enough time to drink my coffee in peace.
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo please dont tell me i cant multi quote from the last thread??? gak. sniff. ok, well. how can i do this??? hmmm......... ok, open in other window, going back and forth.... heh heh.
winter decorations~ i've done so well, and been so... stinking... proud of myself.... <sheepish grin> since the fall, finding ways to do seasonal decor that is local-y appropriate. alas, "snow" would NOT fit that bill, lol..... so i've decided to do something i've never done before-- at least, not that i know of! i'm going to dry (local) orange slices. very excited. :-) yes, i am a dork. heehee.
huge hugs to all, and happy december! squeeee!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxox
<snipped> I KNOW.. I used to like the fact that you could carry over conversations from one monthly thread to the next with multiquote *pout* I think your dried orange slices will be PERFECT... as a matter of fact I think *I* need to do some! I did them a few years ago and they were lovely ... and I'd toss a couple into a little pot of simmering water and the scent was just wonderful :)
Yet again Clay, I cannot type under the quote lol! I'm so glad you can get the care credit hun! What a nice, unexpected blessing to make things a little smoother for you! It really does sound like the best possible situation considering the office seems so geared to making it a good experience for kids :)
My brief pout... we can't get finance for a new van so we are stuck with the one with leprosy for now :( They cited not enough capacity to pay, but that's crap because now that daim has the new job, his income is at least was it was for last year which is PLENTY. If we didn't have to pay so much into the tax dept to catch up from the 3mos of nearly no income... we'd have a couple hundred a week to save even. So, we're making lemonad!e... we're going to cram as much into the tax dept as possible to get that caught up, then we'll put the extra (the amount we WOULD have been paying above our current van payment) into a savings acct so that when the next van repair comes up, we'll be ready and it won't stress us. I'm STILL looking for a pt job to help us get out of the whole faster.
Today, as soon as I can drag D out of bed :lol, I'm going to hit the shop and get milk & bread... and I think I'm going to pick up the goods for making buckeyes and do that with the guys this arvo. mmmm chocolate dipped peanut buttery balls NOM!
Quote:
dentist- Speaking of money... the pediatric dentist takes care credit! And we can get approved soooooo... yay! DD1 needs a crown, two deep fillings, and a dozen or so surface clear/seal treatments. The crown is on a baby tooth but because of it's location and DD1's age there needs to be something there to prevent her other teeth from shifting around. They'll try to do a filling but they thought a crown was almost a sure thing given the level of damage (her tooth is basically a hollow shell, part of the shell broke off and you can see the tooth is just empty). The dentist was apparently very nice, and the whole place is geared towards little girls.... balloon animals, a venetian circus theme (lots of cherubs, carousel animals, velvet swags, pinka dn purple gauze drapped across ceilings, glitter and jugglers and giant stuffed animals oh my!), and TVs everywhere. Even a room with an air hockey table and video games for the older kids. So, not happy at the whole situation, but as happy as possible within the parameters.
offspring's first words this morning (even before the ritual of "Good Morning! I Love You!") : IT'S DECEMBER FIRST! (loudly and in my ear).
then.... while I was wrapping up my shower, he was hollering about it blizzarding and there beign lots of snow on the ground. ok, it was actually only flurrying (well, we were experiencing light flurries) and there was a dusting of snow on the ground.
kitten is out right now in the snow and cold. i hope he comes back before we go to sleep because i am not crawling down at 4am to let him in. luckily, he responds well to dried salmon treats and knows that he must come back to get them.
i had my clinical session this morning. we've shifted the interaction a bit from a dispassionate externship to more of an apprenticeship and i got to lead most of a new patient intake. which means that i really need to wrap up my formulation of my intake forms. :) *whip cracking in background but without the jingle of seasonal bells*
elderberry syrup! i'm making mine this weekend because i finally have everything i need. Kiva Rose has a recipe for a glycerite sort of thing (only in brandy?) but it sits for SIX weeks and uses fresh berries, i think. http://bearmedicineherbals.com/another-gratuitous-elderberry-post.html
dentist for ds yesterday: i finally discovered why ds has had a few weeks of poor behavior at school: he's cutting 3 6-yr molars (in addition to the 2 front teeth), and has 4 other teeth that are wiggling. man, i'd be a lot touchy with my buddies if i were cutting teeth like that. which reminds me, a great read to keep on hand is "The Complete Guide to Teething". hard to find but possible to get through amazon. i choked at the title (i discovered it when ds was 2 yrs old). somethign about teething from infancy to adolescence. YOWSA.
(Which reminds me.... Aweyn, since Kiva is down by you - more or less- have you heard about the Traditions in Western Herbalism? interested in going to the conference in Sept 2011 (http://twhc2011.eventbrite.com/?ref=ecount?) i'm trying to decide between that one and the SE Wise Woman's conference in NC in early October)
the recipe I use can be found by googling: elderberry osha root
only i don't use osha root. if you double the recipe, you can order everything through MRH and you don't need to weight anything. zip open the packets - 1 lb elderberries, 4 oz of everything else - into your water. voila. easy peasy. makes 3 wine bottles and 2.5 beer bottles (when i did it the first time - i goofed the 2nd time and added too much water - blech)
okie, i am thankful that i have a job, but i am so not into my job... my director checked out mentally 2-3 years ago but he's now got deans' attention on campus and so is now checking back into his role. my brain, however, checked out and i'm really not so inclined to check it back in, except to get by with the essential work. it is officially.... a job. sigh.
I LOST MY ROCK TODAY! i've been carrying a Reiki charged Carnelian in my pocket since i went to the herbal conference in early October. apparently for focus and concentration. though it hasn't stopped me from digression and following tangential thoughts. and now it is gone. i guess it means that it wanted to be free to go where it would be more useful. feeling the stone felt so ... comforting...
Well today, I opened my bank statement and they refunded the $500. I could just do backflips. i am so ridiculously happy.
Well that is just awesome! And huge kudos to you for keeping on with it. I think a lot of those places just count on people giving up, kwim?
tomorrow afternoon i am taking the kids to see santa's reindeer in training. someo ne who lives around here has reindeer and they are bringing them to town for the kids to see. my kids have never seen a real reindeer before. just on tv. i bet they will love it. then on sat we are doing the hwole "the bank has a holiday party" thing. they usually have a craft and stuff for the kids. cookies, hot chocolate etc. then later that night they have stuff at the library.
It snowed last night!! just lightly and nothing that stuck but yay! iit feels more like yule when there is snow!
Snow, bah to all of you. No fair. We haven't had any yet. Surrounding towns, yeah, but me? No 
Saturday night is the Yule ritual. I can't believe they're having it so early. Maybe it's so people can spend time with their families? But still, I wish it was later, like...two weeks from now. It feels like the season's just starting. We put our tree up today, and ds started decorating it. We'll finish it tomorrow, or maybe Friday since he has martial arts tomorrow.
Dusting of snow this morning - its that fluffly, swirling kind!
Well I can't reply below aweyn's post (GRRR) but aweyn, YAY, that you are proud of yourself. 'Bout time, woman 
And yeah, I have to put "dry fruit" on my list. I actually have three oranges but I was planning on eating them 
Maybe I'll dry them and get more for next week to eat. Lioness, I've never seen real reindeer either.
winter decorations~ i've done so well, and been so... stinking... proud of myself.... <sheepish grin> since the fall, finding ways to do seasonal decor that is local-y appropriate. alas, "snow" would NOT fit that bill, lol..... so i've decided to do something i've never done before-- at least, not that i know of! i'm going to dry (local) orange slices. very excited. :-) yes, i am a dork. heehee.
Well today, I opened my bank statement and they refunded the $500. I could just do backflips. i am so ridiculously happy.
Well that is just awesome! And huge kudos to you for keeping on with it. I think a lot of those places just count on people giving up, kwim?
And yeah, I have to put "dry fruit" on my list. I actually have three oranges but I was planning on eating them Maybe I'll dry them and get more for next week to eat. Lioness, I've never seen real reindeer either.winter decorations~ i've done so well, and been so... stinking... proud of myself.... <sheepish grin> since the fall, finding ways to do seasonal decor that is local-y appropriate. alas, "snow" would NOT fit that bill, lol..... so i've decided to do something i've never done before-- at least, not that i know of! i'm going to dry (local) orange slices. very excited. :-) yes, i am a dork. heehee.
whoa! you could totally stud them with cloves! and hang them up! you can do the same with lemons and grapefruits! i wonder if you can spear with cinnamon sticks....
oh, and a first find recipe for a meat pie (GF no less!): http://gaiasgifts.blogspot.com/2010/12/chicken-pot-pie-gluten-free.html
what about a basic shepherd's pie? "Cooking Like a Goddess" has a great vegetarian one that is simple to convert to a meaty one...
or, check out some the older recipes at "Gluten Free Goddess" blog - when she was in AZ, she was not a vegan/vegetarian and i think she's got a shepherd's pie sort of thing with sweet potatoes (though i think she's lately dropped meat again...)
i found a place that sells goose! our plain old grocery store. they are even free range and organically fed. lol go figure. so i am gonna pick up one next week.
h
Hugs, Valérie. My FIL's funeral was on Dec 15, three years ago, so I know what that does to a holiday. The memory books sound like a beautiful idea, but please remember that it doesn't all have to be done before the service. I'd be sure to put the word out, to family and friends too, that you are looking for pictures of your mom, whether they can get them to you right away or even not till later. You never know what may be out there in boxes or buried in digital files. (That reminds me - I should send some photos of my aunt to her kids.)
Lots going on for me, but I feel like talking Yule.
Teaching the kids some carols -- the goal is to have my toddler neice and nephew jingling bells/drumming/doing precussion while dd plays on the piano and my boys sing for an overdose of cuteness on the day.. Any fairly well known holiday songs that go with drums besides Little Drummer Boy?
My kids have made all kinds of Advent/Jesse Tree crafts at their Catholic youth group meetings, which is inspiring me to look at some "bring back the sun/light the fire" crafts for yule. My youngest is now safe enough around candles that my years of no-candle-burning-ever are over I think. Bring on the festivals of light in darkness! We are trying for a low-budget holiday but maybe I can manage an Ikea run for a bag of bulk tea lights!
White lights up around the living room ceiling, tree up and colored lights on the tree. Decorations next weekend probably. I have an advent calender my dad gave us before he died, so that is the one we use. Going to open the holiday craft box tomorrow and see what we have for the kids to make gifts with.
Our neighbors across the street are what we call "Christmas Overachievers" They've had their lights up since the start of November and their lawn is full of ornaments -- kinda mismatched imo, but I don't think taste is ever the point. We get the full benefit of the display - hope they like our one strand of lights, too!
Ordered some books at the library with seasonal poetry for kids. One with poems about fire seems promising. I'll share if any are good.
I REALLY want to send out lots of cards this year. There are a lot of family I stayed in touch with through the relatives that passed last year. I want to make sure to reach out to those relations who I might otherwise lose touch with. Am even contemplating a family form letter.
aweyn - meat pies - tourtiere (French Canadian meat pie) is usually beef based, sometimes beef and pork. You could google recipes ....we often have it but I buy it from a guy at the farmer's market - never made it.
My sis is doing turkey and potatoes this year, so I'm trolling for awesome veggie recipes. Maybe a lovely gf holiday dessert. I am totally a fruitcake/plum pudding kinda girl, and will be doing without those treats, unless a gf shop in a nearby city has em.
I'm sorry you lost your stone, bluets - I'd forgotten about carnelians. I have a necklace I was working on and wanted to add some carnelian beads to.
I'm proud of you too, aweyn! You make me realize that I haven't done dried orange slices in the lifetime of my kids. Time to remedy that!
Next weekend, our new community center is opening with a "light up the town tree" celebration. It will be pretty secular, I expect, but I'm expecting it to be a special spiritual moment for our community nevertheless. we're all going.
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