The Witchlets already carved their pumpkins and we got the altar decorated for Samhain. I have so many Samhain decorations, my altar is a bit crowded!

In about an hour we'll get ready to go trick or treating. Olivia can't find her trick or treat bag, so she asked if she could use one of my handbags. Umm, I have two different Marc Jacobs handbags so no, she will not be using one of them! She better keep looking for her own bag!

We took the Witchlets to a nearby farm/pumpkin patch, Seiple's Farm. There were food stands, rides (like carnival rides) horse and pony rides, a haunted barn, kids' activity area, kid corn maze and adult corn maze, farm animals, and they gave tractor rides to the pumpkin patch area. I couldn't believe how much stuff there was to do there!

It was really cold and windy today, I wish I would have worn one of the cashmere sweaters I got for Yule last year, then i would have been warm! I suffered through the wind and cool temps though because the Witchlets were having so much fun.

Tonight is trick or treat. I wonder how much candy we will end up with...

Samhain literally means “summer's end.”  It marks one of the two great doorways of the Celtic year; the Celts divided the year into two seasons: the light and the dark, which is at Beltane and Samhain.

It's the old Celtic new year - sometimes called the Witch's New Year, is a time for honoring those who have crossed over into the spirit world.

Samhain is not 'evil' as some would like to think--it's simply the time of year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is the thinnest, therefore it is an excellent time to make contact with those who have passed on. It is also a time to honor and remember our ancestors.

Of course Christianity decided to change Samhain to Hallowmas, or All Saints' Day, to commemorate the souls of the blessed dead who had been revered that year, so the night before became popularly known as Halloween, or  All Hallows Eve and November 2nd became All Souls Day.

Celtic based traditions recognize this Holiday as the end of the "old" year -- almost like a New year's Eve, yet some groups do not celebrate the coming of the "new year" until Yule. Some consider the time between Samhain and Yule as a time which does not even exist on the Earthly plane. The "time which is no time" was considered in the "old days" to be both very magickal and very dangerous. This is why even today Samhain, or Halloween, has a touch a fear for some.

To get in the 'scary' spirit of Samhain, the Witchlets want to decorate the basement to look like a scary haunted house. They want to do this on their own, no help from me.

Hmmm...I suppose it's possible, they've already set the place up like a home theater a few times. They arrange the furniture like theater seating and turn the lights out to watch movies. I love their imaginations, especially when the three of them work together to come up with an idea. I'm anxious to see what they come up with this time. 

My Witchlets were a skeleton, a pirate and a zombie princess for Halloween in Disney.

All these costumes were affordable. In fact, I was hoping my mother in law and I could also be zombie princesses too but I couldn't find anything suitable to wear--then, the idea of using old prom dresses as a costume came to me...of course, too late!

The death card resembles change...not "Oh my gawd I'm going to die or someone I know is going to die!" It CAN mean the death of something, as in something ends and something new begins, because after all, that is the cycle of life.

On Samhain, my ritual usually includes getting rid of some aspect of my life or myself. One year it was weight loss; since I view Samhain as the end of one year and the beginning of another, I made a 'resolution' to lose weight, on my own, without the help of weight loss products or any spellwork, just me, the Universe and my shadow self.

It worked because I believed that it would. What are you going to work on this Samhain?

On the last post, about the October Full Moon, I revived this comment: "why do you say that Death and rebirth is upon us?" SO, in response to that question, I was referring to Samhain being upon us.

Samhain occurs when the earth has died and gone dormant. Visions of the Crone Goddess represent this time of year. She is old and proud to be so, for she is wise as well.

While humans search for ways to prevent aging, trying all sorts of beauty products, using hgh supplements and even trying spells to make themselves younger, or at least appear younger--there is the Crone, trying to remind that with age comes wisdom and beauty is only in the eye of the beholder.

Samhain is a time to reconnect with our ancestors because this is when the veil between our world and the spirit realm is thin, making Samhain the perfect time of year to make contact with the dead.

I've been scrambling to get work done and out of the way early this week so I don't even have to THINK about it over the weekend so we can celebrate Samhain.

So far I have stuff completed for my freelance writing business and only a few articles to write for another place. I am working on researching Lipofuze, so if anyone knows about it, or has experience with it, let me know--would make my research so much easier!

I've been contemplating this for a while now. I'd love to have a little online store to sell some Pagan/Goddess items. I recently found different cyberpowerpc coupons online so I'm thinking of giving that place a chance.

Anyone use it? Anyone have an online store? Pros? Cons? I don't expect to make thousands of dollars a month, just want something on the side.

Tonight's Full Moon is the Blood Moon. This is because traditionally, animals were slaughtered, their hides were tanned and their meat was stored at this time.

This was not some weird blood ritual, the people simply worked late and used the light of the Full Moon to see as this was the time when the last of the harvest was gathered.

Tonight, celebrate the Blood Moon by putting yourself and your life into perspective. Let go of what is unnecessary and prepare for the cold months ahead. Death and rebirth is upon is.

Dressing babies and kids is fun because you can get creative by mixing and matching outfits. When my daughter had her Wiccaning, I searched high and low for the right outfit. I did not want a traditional gown (the kind used for baptisms)--I actually wound up ordering a beautiful dress online.

There are so many reasons to choose the right outfit for certain occasions. Often times these baby clothes become keepsakes. I know I will be giving Olivia her Wiccaning gown to her when she is older.

A friend of mine is planning a Wiccaning for her twins (boy and girl) in early November. She is in the United Kingdom and unfortunately, the site I got Livi's baby clothes from does not ship internationally. I decided to dig around online for sites in the UK and came across Very.co.uk and I think this site would be perfect for her to find exactly what she needs.

Her children are toddler age. Buying for boys, I think, is pretty easy, thee really isn't too much to choose from, outside of casual or dressy. However, with girls, wow, you can go all out!  There were always cute clothes to pick from when Olivia was a baby/toddler but now, the fashion has gotten so unique.

So browsing this Very site, I came across a little girl's outfit that I find absolutely adorable. It is a pretty layered velvet skirt in deep purple, with a cute flower embellishment. There is also a long sleeved embroidered jersey top and a knitted pink cardigan with more flower embellishment and embroidery:

I wish I had a baby girl to buy for now! I love the boots on this  little girl. To me, they absolutely make the outfit! Kind of reminds me of the olden days when those kinds of boots were all girls wore.

We'll still be celebrating Samhain here at home but it sure was fun to attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at the magic Kingdom in Disney World! I've been working on the trip report, check it out here: Disney Vacation Trip Reports.

Oh, and check this out--talk about indulgence and celebrating! If you're planning a trip to Disney, make sure you pack some potent fat burners because the food there is to DIE for! We went to Ghirardelli in Downtown Disney on our last night there and I got this yummy dessert:

Now that it's getting deeper into Fall and closer to Winter I have been trying to compile a list of indoor Pagan craft ideas for the Witchlets.

I slacked a lot last year and the Winter seemed to drag on. We didn't even get much 'fun' snow for them to play in. We got lots of sleet, freezing rain and well, slush! They played online games alot, which was okay because they played learning type games but this Winter I want them to be more active.

What do you do with your kids in the Winter to keep them busy? I'm looking for Pagan educational type ideas more than anything.

I just finished the task of getting an insurance quote online and in the midst of "Internet surfing" I came across a few really good blogs.

I have a blog list on the sidebar of this blog and I'd like to add to that. If you add my blog to your, I'll add yours to mine. This way we both get exposure to a wider audience. I have made many wonderful friends doing blog exchanges too, I'd love to get to know more of my readers so if you have a blog, leave a comment.

Boy, coming back from vacation and trying to get back in the groove of things is tough! I just got done reading over several different acne treatment reviews and now I feel prepared enough to write up an article on it. After that it's time to get back on the treadmill! I am hoping to morph into a skinnier version of myself by Spring.

My daughter, Olivia, is still reading the book Circle Round--she reads a bit every night and she loves it. She is really learning a lot and my goal is to start having her teach me what she knows. I am going to have her keep a journal as well.

Merry Meet! We just returned from a wonderful vacation in Walt Disney World! We celebrated Halloween in the Magic Kingdom by attending Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party.

Our next trip is in June 2011! Can't wait!

A dear friend of mine, R.A. Leslie, is a life coach/relationship coach. She often holds seminars on various relationship topics. This month the topic she will cover is about the different kinds of soulmates/friends and how romantic love can be redefined. If you're in the area, I encourage you to check it out.

When: Thursday October 14, 2010 7:00 PM

Where: Barnes&Noble >> 240 Route 22 West, Springfield, NJ 07081, 973-376-8544

She not only holds seminars, she also provides one on one relationship coaching as well--I highly recommend her.