Ten Things Thursday: Blogs I love!

I am a little late tonight, I know, but after a hectic week, I took today just do pretty much nothing. It was nice to not have to do much of anything. I deep cleaned yesterday, well, the living room, kitchen, and office area, so there was nothing nagging in the back of my mind to get up and do something. I almost did not blog today, but I did mention on the fan page last night that I would post today, so here we go.

Today I am going to be brief, because the blogs I am going to direct you to will speak for themselves. I love reading other people's blogs, and these are just ten of those. These are in no particular order, and do not feel left out if your blog is not listed here, as I intend to do this list once a month this year. So without further ado, here is the first installment of Blogs I Love! ( Click the title of each blog to be taken to that blog, it will open in a new window! )

1. Aoibheal's Lair

I know I add Vickie to all most every list I make for these types of things, but she is seriously one of my favorite people on this Earth and I love her blog very much, and I would even if we were not good friends. She writes about all kinds of things. Magic, and recipes, and life in general, both the light and the dark side. She and I are very much alike *in my opinion* and I just love her. Go check her out, and you might love her blog too!

2. The Secret Life of the American Working Witch

As I am  sure most people know, this is Kallan Kennedy's blog. She lights a fire in me, to learn, to stand up for what I believe in, for justice, and many other things. Her weekly "Sunday Stew" is something I look forward to all week!  The more I get to know her, the more I love her.

3. Down to Earth

This blog is amazing. It is all about living simply, and having practical skills like cooking, knitting, soap making, gardening, sustainable living, budgeting, the works. It gives the feeling that you are reading your grandmother's blog. ( I mean this in the best way possible! )

4. Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock At A Time

I love the way Amber writes. She is hysterically funny, realistic and down to earth, and she is one of my  all time favorite blogs to read. She also has some the most adorable kids I have ever seen.

5. The Oddly Normal Life of a Pagan Mom

This is a new find for me, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. I enjoy the way she writes ( Long and detailed posts, which I love to read and write. The fact that social networking has reduced a lot of people's attention spans to gnats, which results in a lot of two-short-paragraph blog posts irks me. ) When I read  her posts, it feels like I am listening to a dear friend tell me about their day or what is happening in their life. It feels natural. I enjoy it immensely!

6. Merlin's Magical Mistress

This blog has a little bit of everything. Magic, recipes, tips, music, great pictures, and a lot more!

7. Daddy Doin' Work

I guess you would classify this as a "Daddy Blog," but I consider it so much more. He is funny, intelligent, kind and loving, adores his family, and is one of the most upbeat and positive bloggers out there in my opinion. I love this blog!

8. Pray to the Moon

This is also a recent find for me, but I am enamored with this blog already. Magical, with lots of images and various "Moon" related things,  it is a blog that will engage the senses.

9. The Country Cook

Y'all know I had to throw a foodie blog in there at some point, right? Great recipes and gorgeous pictures make this a very yummy blog!

10. Bohemian Valhalla

An art blog of sorts, Bohemian Valhalla is a photo heavy experience in beautiful chaos. Making art from found treasure, there is always something new and wonderful to be seen. I can spend hours there!

There you have it folks! Ten  blogs that I love to read and spend time at. Do you have any favorites that you want to share with me? Leave them in the comments!

The Vacation Chronicles: Room With A View

I am starting to feel like one of those friends who force their guests to watch slideshows of vacation trips lol...thank you to Lyon, Stag, and Ryan for your comments on my previous entries, nice to know someone was checking them out lol...

We did not spend as much time in the hotel this year over the span of two days as we did last year in a single day and night it seems, since we were free to roam without Alex. When we were in the room, it was usually later in the evening, and the second night the storms raged, the winds blew frigid and the clouds rolled over the full moon, cloaking her in dark trappings.

I did manage to get a few blurry pics of the moon, mostly in cloud cover, and Jack managed to get one single photo of her with only the thinnest of cloud cover. I also managed to get a brooding picture of the storm rolling in over the bridge we crossed to get to the hotel.

Everything in these pics were taken from the balcony of our room.

In the pic above, those tiny docks were built just for the birds to roost. Part of the bird sanctuary was directly across the river from us.....

In the above pic, you could clearly see the storm front moving in. 

The above shot was the only "clear" shot of the moon I got. It is blurry because the flash made the pics really crappy, so all my moon shots look slightly surreal lol.

The pic above is the one from Jack's phone. I like the bluish tone it gave the pic.

I admit the views were not what most people consider magnificent, but I love storms, especially when I am not at home for it to possibly knock out my internet haha. Last year it was bright and sunny, but this year it was a rainy and stormy weekend, but that is ok...it did not slow us down and made for some awesome photo ops, like the stormy seas in my last post.

Three more posts to go!

Once in a Blue Moon...

Yeah, I had to drag it out. Everyone else is, so why not? Lol.

Tomorrow is a pretty magical night, Blue Moon, partial lunar eclipse, New Years Eve. Big stuff. However, as it usually happens on all awesome celestial happenings, it will be raining here in "Sunny" Florida..(scoffs) so I have been spending some time outside tonight. The clouds are racing in, covering the moon from time to time, only to race away again and light up my yard as bright as day. It is beautiful, stark, and cold. I love it.

A few minutes ago I was outside, watching Alex run around in the moonlight, chasing the cat around, and staring up at the moon, and a memory from the past filtered into my mind. Of course we have all heard of "The Man in the Moon," but I always saw it as the "Mother In the Moon" because to me, it looks like the face of a gentle and concerned mother, looking down on her children. It brought me comfort. The memory was from back when I was maybe 9 or 10 years old, and I was staying in Tennessee for the summer with my cousin Leeanna, and we were roller skating one night under her concrete carport, and the moon was full. I stopped skating and told her about my Mother in the moon thing, and she laughed and said everyone knew it was the Man in the Moon, but what everyone did NOT know was that if you stared at the full moon for too long, that you would magically be transported somewhere else, far away from your family and home. Now I was pretty sure that was hogwash, but the moon has always had its mysteries, so I gave this a lot of thought.

I started wondering if it were true, and how could you be prepared if such a thing happened. Like, what if I were holding a family members hand when it happened, or what if I had a little suitcase full of things I might need in case of magical teleportation. I mean, this was serious stuff for a 10 year old to ponder! Lol...

For a long time after that, I would not look at the moon for longer than a few seconds at a time. Better safe than sorry you know? But over the years I would remember that night, and how it just added to the magical quality of the moon for me.

So tonight, I look upon her in all her glory..and remember a bit of the magic of my youth...

Have a wonderful New Year my friends. I wish you all love, joy, prosperity, hope, success, and happiness...

The Dark Of The Moon

The Dark Of The Moon -- A Natural Time Of Magic And Creation

The Dark of the Moon is considered an especially mysterious, fruitful, and
flexible time of "molding" the creative experiences that will come forth in the
weeks immediately ahead. It is said that wishes made as the last sliver of the
Moon's light fades on the left, and affirmed through the Dark of the Moon period
until the first sliver of new light appears again on the right, have special
support -- special empowerment -- to come true. Affirming them again at the
moment of the New Moon itself gives extra push to their nourishment and
initiative.

The Dark of the Moon is time of legendary power for creation. The Dark of the
Moon is always best used to rest, recuperate, become quiet, invite calm and
serenity into your world, and spend some time in personal reflection looking
back over your life and personal history -- as far as you want to go into the
past -- and playing with new intentions, new desires, new directions. It's a
time to stay "at home" -- both physically and psychologically -- and tend to
your private world and its circumstances.

Create the conditions that will replenish your spirit ... and indulge them
fully, whether this means meditation, reading, contemplation, cleaning, clearing
away emotional and psychological debris that hinders you, listening to music,
writing in your personal journal, talking quietly with intimate, trusted
associates, listening to the whispered words of your deepest intuitions, working
on personal healing therapies and rituals ... or some combination of all these
things.

Play with ideas and think of things you might like to create over the next
several weeks, realizing this is a time to brainstorm, daydream, and fantasize,
not a time to take action. All things begin in mind. Everything in the world
originated in the nebulous intellectual energy of an idea, a dream, a desire. To
work with the especially potent energy available during the Dark of the Moon,
plan for some serious personal down-time every month starting about 2 1/2 days
before each New Moon ... and lasting for 1 - 1 1/2 days after ... and focus your
inner work, thoughts, and attention on the matters I just described.

This automatic "natural" 4 day vacation can help bring fabulous results --
emotionally, psychologically, physically, spiritually and even financially to
your life. It's easy to find information about the New Moon every month ... by
searching online, certainly, but many calendars (and certainly all astrological
calendars!!) have this information clearly marked in the appropriate day / date
box. The Dark of the Moon days that surround the New Moon's arrival each month
are the time to set new intentions and plans into motion in your life ... in the
realm of thought where all creation happens.

You can learn lots more about working with Moon energy on our website ... and
get plenty of Moon energy information and tactics delivered right to your inbox
by joining our Premium Members website. However you choose to do it, learning to
work in flow with the natural progression of energy marked by the phases of the
Moon could be one of the most productive things you do for your life and your
success ... ever!! And one of the easiest to use, too!
----
(c) 2007 Rebecca Brents, All rights reserved.


Will any of you be doing anything for the New Moon?