*Crawling out from under that big rock*

School is kicking my booty! After the next two weeks are over, I should be back to normal though. Whatever normal actually consists of! *ha!*

I've been sneaking in crafting here and there for the past couple of months. It's a hard job, but sometimes you just have to make something pretty!

Tomorrow will bring a nice trip down memory lane. :)

Monday, Monday

I wonder why Mondays are so difficult. It's not as if I have the weekend off - oh no, I work all weekend long. As a restaurant manager, weekends are the busy time! In fact, Mondays are one of the closest things to a 'day off' that I have. No work, only 2 classes. Yet they are difficult for some reason.

Perhaps the Mamas and the Papas had it right.

But with that, I am hoping to have some new and exciting items in my shop by the end of the day today! ☺

Ostara Blessings - Spring is Here!

To those that follow the Earth-based religions, today marks the spring equinox, and one of the eight major celebrations of the year. Today the day and night are of equal length, and the wheel is turning more and more towards the warmth of summer.

The rest of the world knows this as the first 'official' day of Spring!

Hooray for longer days! Hooray for warmer weather! Hooray for green growing things sprouting up everywhere!

Soap!

Last night I realized that I am getting down to the last little bit of my stash of wonderful handmade soaps. I have been known to make my own, but I don't currently have any lye, or the time to make any. So off to Etsy it was, to find a place to buy some wonderful soap.

There are so many choices of great shops and great soaps there! I decided to narrow it down a bit, and research some of the sellers that are part of the pagan or earth-based groups. Every little bit that I am able to support my brothers and sisters of this path, I love to do so!

I ended up purchasing some lovely soaps from SeaSpriteSoaps. I can't wait for them to arrive, as the descriptions all sounded wonderful!

Coming Back Again

Yikes....I've managed to hide away for quite a while again!

I *must* get myself to do this everyday. If anyone has any ideas, send them my way, because apparently I need them!

I will be updating more tomorrow...need to list some things too! ♥

Cuteness Squared

Some days I wonder what I did to make someone up there - whomever you may believe it to be - give me such a precious gift as my son. He is adorable.

And smart as a whip too. No, I'm not just being the typical biased parent. Many people have commented on it.

He is five (almost 6! *gulp*) and reading and writing very well. Pretty much if it isn't nailed down, he is reading it. Actually he reads all that too! Signs on the side of the road, company signs, license plates, sales flyers, you name it, that boy reads it.

Here he is, snoozing away early one morning at Grandma's house. He is so cute! (Ok yes, this time I am biased!)

Chemistry Inspiration

I suppose you can always tell when we've played with the molecular model sets in chemistry class. That's the time when I begin to get the urge to create the molecules out of beads. Something simple might be easy, such as formaldehyde:

Or perhaps diethyl ether:

And perhaps one day work up to something like carvone:

I must figure this out!

Sunday Meditation - Sacred Words

I find mantras soothing and calming. I have a friend who makes malas, which are sort of like Buddhist prayer beads. They have 108 beads, plus a larger 'guru' bead.

Mantras + mala = very relaxing meditation. For this, I used the popular Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, loosely having the meaning of compassion. (There is way more to it than that, but we will go with this definition for today.)

Sit comfortably, in a place that you will not be disturbed. Hold the mala in your hands.

Breathe deeply and clear your mind. Focus on the breath.

When you are ready, find the guru bead with your fingers. Move your fingers to the next bead to the left, and begin chanting the mantra. You may spend as long as you like on a particular bead, saying the whole mantra or simply part of it with each bead. Let your feelings be your guide. Common divisions of the mantra are 18 or 36 times, as these are divisors of the 108 beads.

Visualize your words leaving your body and moving outwards, sharing compassion with all they reach. Do this for each of the recitations of the mantra.

When you are finished, return your fingers to the guru bead and breathe slowly and deeply. Allow yourself to accept any feeling that you receive in return.

I'm trying this...

I recently joined a group of crafters whose goal is to make 1000 paper cranes by the end of the year. The premise behind this is the Japanese belief that those who fold the 1000 cranes will have a wish granted by a crane - long life, recovery from illness, something along those lines. They can also be given as wedding gifts.

I have no desire to get married at the moment, but figured this would be a fun thing to do. Even if it is just to say that you did it! I've folded cranes for years, but then I began thinking....this is dangerous!

What about making the cranes from clay?

But someone already had that idea:

I'm so trying this!

Creation

I am in love with the creating of my own beads. How much fun is it to take the vision in your head and turn it into reality?

Now, by no means am I a pro at this yet. Certainly not good enough - yet - to contemplate selling these creations. At this point, they are simply a learning tool. And that is good enough for me.

I will be sure to post pictures as the craft progresses! ;)