She's CRAFTY! Vote for me :) Make a Bracelet

I've entered a yummy contest! I created a bracelet online with the prettiest beads!

"She's Crafty!" is the name of the bracelet! Click and go vote!

You'll be able to see the bracelet larger that way! Then, have some fun with the bracelet maker yourself!

Happy Halloween!!!

Where oh Where oh Where is Lori??

Today, I woke with a sense of excitement.
A sense of "oooooh, YES."

No explicable reason. Sometimes one wakes up and just KNOWS these things.
Perhaps it was the weather. Something stirs with autumn (could it be spring in reverse? The backwards is as good as the forwards on the tilt-a-whirl. Why not with weather?)
Perhaps it was the near completion of a new doll, or the new painting I'm working on, or my giggling children, so excited to go with my beloved today (To Gramma's house! A day for Wii and Sugar!)

And Life is Good, afterall. Yes, with CAPS.

National Novel Writing Month is almost here. I'm so excited I could *squeak*. This year, there is a plan of attack, and I feel happily confident.

My dreams have been vivid and daring.

I"ve had time and head space to read SO much, on so many different subjects in the last week. (There are only 15 different books by my bedside these days - I read from 2 or 3 before bed, and drag others around with me during the day.) My mind feels well fed.

I'm excited to see how it all plays out. Where the energy takes me. I've felt like *squeaking* like an excited 4 year old lately. Everything FEELS good. Dancing in dry leaves and laughing too loud in public and smiling Cheshire-Cat.

Chocolate Almonds have arrived. My sweetheart is adorable.

L.

The Spiral Dances.

It snowed today. And I felt ok with it. Because things are coming together. Just in time for our pagan year to end (Oct 31) and a new year begin!!!

Summer Market ended on Thanksgiving weekend (That was Oct 11th) and the weeks approaching that weekend, and the last 10 days, I've felt LOST. Aimless. Listless, almost.

Crafts and things to list on my ebay and etsy went untouched and piled on my work table. So much so, that my sweet mom-in-law remarked "I thought you had a sewing machine on this table." It was still there. Just buried. Next to a serger. Also, buried.

I have been spending much time reading just about anything I could get my hands on (which my brain enjoyed) plus working away at the online course.

Today I was offered and I committed to a spot at a permanent indoor market. I've also been doing a few more etsy sales, and I know I'm already dreadfully behind on catching winter sales, in terms of things to create. I have some things from summer market I can list, but I want to make some more seasonal mini's, dolls and jewellery, too. I'm finally motivated to get to it.

I also have a show for Watkins on Nov 17th Open House at the NSSRC in Midland. (There will be other ladies there with other home business companies, having sales. ) which is good, because I haven't been very aggressive with Watkins lately.

There are other secret things on our agenda, that require some large spellwork and big concentration!

It's nice to feel motivated again. Painting! Dolls! Mini's! Sewing! Sculpting!
Now, where do I begin??

Life is Good

Monday Magic, Copyright LGP

This Morning
At a crossroads,
A Crow launched himself
into the air
And swooped

Up

Up
Gliding so close
He would have touched me
If I hadn't stopped walking, to watch.
He carried
A whole cigarette
In his beak,
And proudly perched himself
on a wire
Back where I had already been.

The Soul and The Last Harvest?

Last Harvest? It just might be, depending on what the weather does. It's been so unpredictable, but really, I think that's typical for October, isn't it?? I've pulled a total of 8 Small sugar pumpkins out of the yard. If I paid $2 each in the super market, that's $16 worth of cooking pumpkins. (they might actually sell for more, since they are sort of a specialty item, or if they were sold by the pound. Heavy little suckers.)

There's another 10 pounds of tomatoes there - at my estimate of $1.29 a pound, that's $12.29, for a total of $38.09 in tomatoes.

Look at these Zucchini! The tiny ones are what go in the supermarket for about $1.00 a pound. These 4 are another $4.00, for a total of $8.00 in Zucchini.

Look at the cute little green cherry tomatoes that refused to turn out in the garden. I included them with the 10 pounds...

I even hauled the rest of my baby carrots out of the garden! Another $1.00 worth, for a grand total of $2.00 in carrots! haha.

So, including my hauls so far (see: More Haul ) That's a grand total of $69.59 in veggies. HOWEVER...

LOOKY LOOKY.



I've saved the pumpkin seeds and dried them out, as well as the tomato seeds. These plant seeds originally came from a certified, heirloom farm in Ontario. I'm making seed packets for them, and we're going to sell those too! The saving of them is messy business (fermenting tomato seeds are FUN! bleck.) but, I'm going to add that to the total of our gardens yield. I think we're going to break even!

On another note, guess what I found today while in Bay Street Books on a whim?? TWO copies of 'Seat of the Soul'.. oh yes, I bought them both. One is getting gifted to my M.I.L. (just act surprised when you get it, Norma. hehe.) and one to replace my old-falling-apart copy. Unless I decide to gift it out, too. Yes, it's THAT good of a book, if you're READY for it. It changed me. (I also bought a Sylvia Brown book for a new friend, who has too many questions about guides, and me with not enough answers. hehehe.)

Happy Thursday!!

The Begging Fundraiser for Grade 4's

In grade 4, around these parts, there is a class trip that is a VERY big deal. The kids go to a sleep over camp for a few days. The fundraiser is a "walk-a-thon."

The fundraiser is set up like this: Your camp trip is going to cost $140. Ask people you know for money. Then we're going to walk from 9:15 till noon (to a park, around the park, and back.) I'm having issues with this fundraiser.

To play Devils Advocate with myself, I suppose this way ALL the monies go to the payment of the trip. There's no chocolate bars or THINGS to keep track of.

My issues: Many times in life, we need money. I would like to teach my daughter that there are:

• Creative ways to earn what you need;
• Reasonable ways to earn what you need;
• Moral ways to earn what you need;
• Ways to earn what you need that are helpful and KIND to others;
• Ways to earn what you need that does NOT involve begging and giving NOTHING in return.

I don't want to teach my daughter that there is no "work" involved. If I send her out to beg for money, and in return all she's going to do is take a "walk in the park", what will she learn?

What I DO want her to get from this experience, is that money represents energy spent, and an equal exchange of energy is required and kind.

All her grandparents before her (she's got a couple of sets, in our happy pagan life) learned or were taught a SKILL (or two or ten) to help make a job easier. Or someones life enhanced, or help someone do what they themselves can't. And for that got paid. ALL of them, HARD and proud workers.

I've always been creative to earn what we need. I have at times bartered energies, too. (I'll babysit your kids, and I appreciate the groceries or vegetables from your garden, etc. I'll make you a doll, and trade you for knowledge/books/dresses for my daughters. That sort of thing.)

There is NOTHING that sits right in my cells about sending my daughter off into the world to BEG for others hard-earned-energy. If $5 represents about half an hour of someones energy (for arguments sake. In our area, with minimum wage at about $10, after taxes, I'm estimating $5) then I need to teach my daughter that she's going to have to return in kind half an hour of HER energy for it.

She and I have talked about this. Together, we've come up with a plan that is reasonable, makes her responsible, gives her control over her trip, and will help her appreciate what $140 in energy LOOKS AND FEELS like.

Next weekend, She and I are going to be in the kitchen. She is going to help peel and squish bananas, break eggs, stir batter, and make breads and biscotti. She is going to help wrap them.

On Sunday, October 10, she will be with me at Market all day (9am till 2pm), selling the biscotti and breads she will have helped make (banana, zucchini, pumpkin.) to fundraise for her trip. She is really eager to have her own table in my tent, and to do the selling, too. It's cute, and I can't wait to see how she handles it all. I'm proud of her for looking forward to this, and putting some thought into it.

I'm sure I'll get some differing opinions on this one, from teachers and parents alike. This isn't about arguing who is right or wrong, and I'm SURE the school has it's "whys" for handling it this way. However, this is how OUR family is facing this. Our family and personal values will eventually be launched out into the world in the form of young people who will make a difference to their loved ones and maybe the world.

L.

Bead Store, Coffee Shop, Purple Sock, Witches Walk, OH MY!

The Coldwater Coffee Shop - OMG So cute

On Thursday, my adorable friend Norma (who doubles as my Mom-In-Law) and I went to COLDWATER (Ontario.) We had been talking about hitting the bead store there for a while, and finally set a date (which is what it TAKES in my world to firm up plans - it MUST be put into the date book to make it happen!)



After nosing around The Art and Gift Studio , my tummy decided it needed FOOD. We went into the Coldwater Coffee Shop. A cozy place with BIG personality. Prices were REALLY good, she topped up our coffee in exchange for a smile (and being able to catch up on all our gossip, I'm sure! haha!) and the food was REALLY good. Norma had a scone, I had a breakfast wrap.

Then, off to the bead store!




Holly & Co. Beads have been open about a year. I was thrilled and whelmed with the INSANE selection they had to offer. Norma and I spent AT LEAST an hour in there - but I wasn't watching the time. Too busy picking through pretties. I mean, just LOOK:





Every wall filled with beads, plus beads on tables, beads on risers, beads in displays, beads in the backroom - plus all the things that you need to string them. She does classes, too! They don't have a website yet, and as I write their FACEBOOK page is still under construction, but don't let that deter you from going! They are open Monday, Wed, Thurs, Fri from 10 am to 5, Saturday from 10am to 4, and Sunday from 12 to 4. There are even drop in beginner classes on Mon, Wed and Fri, AND you can book birthday parties for kids (although I wouldn't mind doing a class or two, to learn how to use different jewellery making tools and products. I currently only work with hemp, which is completely different from metals.)


We peeked into the fabled Purple Sock , where all things knitty (and crochety and wooly) goes on. Norma knew exactly what she was looking at, but I'm not much of a connoisseur of knit (although I do like to crochet, I can't read a pattern to save my life. I'm going to have to learn to read patterns though, as my Stitch n Bitch buddy Heather gave me a pile of Cabbage Patch Kid clothing patterns... I digress.)

The Purple Sock had lots of TEA selections, too (which surprised and delighted me) I bought some "Lucid Dreaming Tea"... and I'm very excited to see where THAT takes me. *cackle*

In and out of other little and big shops (I want a house that looks and smells like the "Back In Thyme" shop - holy, I could drink tea and write poetry in there all day long. Unfortunately they don't allow pictures being taken of their shop, so I can't post pics!) and made it home just in time for me to pick up the kids from school.

$30 in beads. A few bucks in munchies. Loads of free flowing conversation. It was an awesome day. Last but not least, here's a reason to go back! Coldwater WITCHES WALK! click the pic to make it bigger and read the details. Wanna go???