Monday, December 29, 2008

My End Of The Year Post....

Well it's the 29th of December.
Right around the time I got the phone call last year and found out grandpa passed away, I miss him very much, he was like a father to me.
Grandma is missing him too, very much more I can tell each time I call her. They where married over 65 years, so it's understandable.
I started working out again, got a biggest looser dvd, man that is tough stuff but I can do it, I just need to keep my ass motivated.
I cleaned up and out the kitchen day before last, today I did the living room, tomorrow bedroom, then back to the basement.
Which I am dreading the basement, so much crap down there.
This took up most of my morning, it's now 1pm, I wanna play City of Heroes but I know hubby will be home soon and hungry, so after I am done my food I am gonna make him something when he gets in, then dunno what we will do, prolly movies who knows. But whatever it is we will turn off the phone and ignore everyone, and just hang out.
I got 3 50's this month in city of heroes, have a brute at 49 and 2 lvl 44's.
Mistress Noire was my first 50 after restarting my account in 2005. Then along came Athena, then Noire's nemesis Mistress Ivoire shortly after 2006 started. Then followed Sonica and Cute Canadian in 2007. Then Captain Noire in June 2008 followed by Natasha Snow in October then Pyro Commander, Pyro Nikita, and Isadora Storm in December 2008. I am on a roll ! I now have a level almost 46 fire/fire tank and a 37 kin/dark. Maybe get them to 50 b4 the next double xp weekend (Jan 23rd - 25th).
We will see, other then that this year has been great! I have the best hubby in the world, went back to being a stay at home wife, cleaning like mad, baking and cooking of course! and got my things together for my cookbook, need to get my ass in gear to finish it this coming year that's my resolution, to get that dang thing done as well as continuing to lose weight.
Until the new year, this is me!
Happy New Years!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Yule Lore

Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.

Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the boughs were symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly, mistletoe, and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes. It was to extend invitation to Nature Sprites to come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to pay visit to the residents.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze be a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black (the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.

Deities of Yule are all Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.

Symbolism of Yule:
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.

Symbols of Yule:
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.

Herbs of Yule:
Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.

Foods of Yule:
Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).

Incense of Yule:
Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.

Colors of Yule:
Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.

Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.

Activities of Yule:
Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule

Spellworkings of Yule:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.

Deities of Yule:
Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Top 5 holiday foods for good moods!

It's that intense time of the year again when the lows are low and the highs are high. Here are our picks of uplifting foods that will banish the blues, keep you focused and maybe even a little sexier. Bon appetit!

1. Peppermint. It's nature's drill sergant, telling your brain to "wake up and focus!" Perfect for all thise must-do holiday details. The next time you're dragging, pop a piece of peppermint gum and listen to your brain say, "can do!"

2. Dark chocolate. An ounce or two may be just enough to release the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, plus you'll get a three-way energy kick from chocolate's caffeine, theobromine, and phenylethylamine (a cousin of amphetamine). And the antioxidants in 70% dark chocolate do your arteries good too. No wonder we crave the irresistible stuff.

3. Wild salmon (mackerel and herring, too). Logged more miles in a day at the mall than you usually do in a week on the treadmill? The accumulated anti-inflammatory action of omega-3s in a fish platter or a grilled salmon steak can help ease the wear-and-tear on your tired body.


4. Half a dozen Blue Points. You get more zinc from six oysters than you need in a day to fuel your production of testosterone-the hormone that keeps both men and women in the mood for love. Oysters are also a storehouse of dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical.

5. An Omelet. Just two eggs give you an entire daily quota of vitamin B12, a nutrient that's crucial to your brain's supply of good-mood chemicals. Make it a veggie omelet, add a whole-wheat bagel and you'll be good to go for hours...and for few calories!

Monday, December 08, 2008

Tripple Ding!

I did it, this is gonna be short but 3 50s this weekend in City of Heroes, my brute was 2 bubs from 49, did I ITF got 50, Pyros where lvl 44, did a ITF, did Sara Moore, did Faathim x2, ran some radios... just so tired now........ bedtime!!

This equals 10 50s now

nite nite!

Monday, December 01, 2008