The Musings of a Witch

Moving the blog

2010-08-19T00:20:00.001-04:00

I've moved the iPod Witch website over to WordPress and now I'm moving this blog too. All new posts will be there. I was able to import everything over so all the posts and comments are intact. If you want to continue to follow my blog, please go here.

This site will stay up until November 1, 2010 and then I will be deleting it.

Gem show!

2010-07-17T15:10:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention the gem show in Martinsville that I went to in May. This is the same gem show I go to every year. I didn't have much money this time, so I only got a few stones. I spent a total of $9 but I got some really pretty stones.

I bought Lepidolite (which I didn't have before), blue lace agate, unakite, quartz, citrine, carnelian, and more. I got 13 stones in all. Some I bought individually and 5 were from a 5/1.00 pile. They are all pretty. I hope to get a picture of them up on the iPodWitch website soon!

July already?

2010-07-17T15:05:00.002-04:00

Yes, it's July already and I haven't posted anything here in quite a while. I've been behind on basically everything! :p I have been working on losing a few pounds though. I've been walking everyday since May. I've only missed two days. The last two. I think I'm taking the weekend off and will get back to it on Monday. I have lost some weight and I have enjoyed my walks immensely. I actually planned to get back to the walks today but it's raining. :p

The rain is great though. All my plants need it so badly. I haven't planted any seeds this year. I've only planted to Juniper ground cover bushes. (they are PRETTY!) and I bought a Lemon Verbena and two little succulents. I wanted to have a nice garden this summer, but it has been waaaaay too hot to do anything in the yard!

If you follow the podcast, you'll see that I have an episode this month. I plan to get back on schedule and get those podcasts out more often. I also plan to keep up with my e-mails and return them in a timely fashion! :)

Snow, snow, magical snow! :)

2009-12-18T20:43:00.000-05:00

I LOVE snow. Where I live (Southern central Virginia) we are lucky to get an inch or two of snow once a winter. Today at 1:45 p.m. it started snowing here. It hasn't stopped and it isn't supposed to stop until tomorrow! :D :D :D Yes, I'm happy! I will be going out to drawn pentagrams and pentacles in the snow tomorrow along with building a snowman! I also will be taking in some more snow so I can have some snow water for later use. I love snow. They said we might get up to 16 inches!!!!!

I'll be posting pictures up at the iPod Witch website. http://www.ipodwitch.com in case you didn't know. If you are wondering where I've been and why I haven't been posting here, I've been mostly at the site. I hope to get back here and keep up my Witchy journal. I had thought of moving it to the site, but I like having it here. :)

Sunday pictures and fun

2009-06-15T18:08:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I decided it was time to clean off my roof. I raked off the branches and leaves and then moved down to the gutters. The gutters were full of great compost! :D The leaves and branches, and nut shells (pecan tree) fall into the gutter and pile up. It rains and then the stuff in my gutters turns into compost. lol I got quite a few pounds of nice rich compost from my gutters and put them in a container. (I talk about this in Episode 28 of the iPod Witch)

I mowed some lawn yesterday and went out and looked at my new plants. I planted potatoes, pumpkins, sunflowers, assorted flowers, and checked on my Bee Balm. Everything is looking so nice! I have pictures of the pumpkin plants at my flickr:

Brook's Flickr

With the pumpkin picture, I also have one view from my roof, and some Crow pictures from the park. I also have a cute little squirrel and a picture of my most important piece of jewelry! Enjoy. :)

Daffs in bloom and snow! :O

2009-03-10T17:30:00.003-04:00

Yes, I said Daffs and snow. :) It snowed here (six inches worth!!!) and then the next week we had temps in the 70's and 80's. lol So I have some pictures of the snow and some pictures of the Daffs around the birdbath in bloom. You can see them at my Flickr photostream. :)

Pictures here... follow me!

Pictures! :)

2009-02-09T17:47:00.001-05:00

Here is a link to one of the two pictures of the birdbath and daffs. Go check it out and let me know what you think. I can't wait until they are all in bloom. I'll post a picture when they are! :)

Birdbath and Daffs

Busy Bee Brook! :p

2009-02-08T20:40:00.002-05:00

Today was BEAUTIFUL! It was right at 70˚ and sooo nice! I went to the back of my yard and cleared out the brush, weeds, and prickly vines that covered one patch of my daffodils. (I mentioned this in the podcast I just put out. :p ). The area looks soooo much better now. I meant to take a picture of it and forgot. After I fixed the area, I came in and cooled off. (What a novel idea! Having to cool off in February!!!) After I did, I grabbed my blankets and went back to the yard. I tossed the blankets down and sat in the yard for over an hour just enjoying the day.

I watched the birds come to the bird feeder, watched a squirrel play in the tree and just all around enjoyed myself. I think it is supposed to be warm again tomorrow. If it is, I'll find another part of the yard that needs sprucing up. :D

Come on Spring! You know you want to. :)

November musings

2008-11-23T01:22:00.003-05:00

Well, November is almost over. Only a little over a week or so to go. I haven't posted here since I put up the picture of my Samhain altar. What have I been doing? Freezing! lol It turned cold here and I've been snuggling in the house in my room. I had central heating until two years ago when it decided to die on me. Since then, I have only a small space heater in my bedroom. I also have one that I run sometimes in the kitchen. It's pretty darn cold in the rest of my house!

My pecan tree decided to finally give up and give me all the pecans. :) I've spent many days of November going out and picking them up. They are delicious! I love pecans. Good thing since I have about 29340392 pounds of them. Actually I don't have that many but it seems like it! I hope to sell some of them. I can always use the extra money.

I re-did the labels for all my herbs recently. I had done hand written labels, but I had wanted nicer ones. I found a template for my windows computer. (I have a Mac and a win box) The template works via Microsoft Word and lets you do a sheet of labels. It will let you do a sheet of the exact same labels, or you can do different ones. I made up different ones. On each, it says "Brook's herbs" at the top in green and then I put the individual herbs under it in black. They look pretty nice. I did one sheet of them and I have put them all on my herb jars. I need to print out some more, but I'm waiting until I can use the whole sheet. I don't want to waste them.

They turned out quiet nicely! I have all my herbs in glass jars in my Witchy trunk. I have most of them in matching jars I found at Dollar General. They look like minature cookie jars. The rest of my herbs are in empty spice, pickle, mini mayo, or other glass jars. I recycle all my little glass jars for this purpose. All the plastic jars I clean out go to the recycle center!

I have been debating whether to put up my Yule tree this year. The tree is packed away in my junk room. I had a hard time getting my Samhain / Halloween goodies out and they weren't as far back in the room as the Yule tree. lol We'll see if I get up the courage to battle that room. If I do, I'll post a picture of the tree here.

The podcast is going quite well! :) I have quite a lot of listeners and get some great feedback. I've been enjoying it so much! I wanted to actually do a podcast tonight, but I have to wait until next week. I'm trying to do them every two weeks so that hosting them won't be too expensive. As of now, I'm paying $5.00 a month and I am almost out of space. I'll upgrade to the next level next month. That will be $10.00 a month. I'm also going to look into way to maybe archive the old shows somewhere else and try to keep it in the $5 - $10 range. We'll see.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a blessed Autumn.

Samhain Altar 2008

2008-11-07T15:21:00.006-05:00

Here is one of the pictures I took of my Samhain Altar:

Blessed Samhain!

2008-10-31T23:40:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone has had a wonderful and Blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween! I had a fun day. A friend of mine had foot surgery recently and wasn't able to walk around the neighborhood to take her son Trick or Treating... so.. I took him ... and did some Trick or Treating myself! :D

I came home from that I had a wonderful Samhain circle. I will post pictures up of my Samhain Altar in the next few days. I hope everyone's Samhain / Halloween was as fun as my own.

Happy Witches New Year! :D

Mabon

2008-09-24T23:21:00.001-04:00

As promised, here is a picture of my Mabon Altar. I took this before I started. The 'cake and ale' weren't on the Altar yet. :)

Mabon

2008-09-22T22:58:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone has a Blessed Mabon / Autumn Equinox. :) I had a lovely day. I took pictures of my Mabon altar. I will post them here soon.

Witches Weekly

2008-09-13T19:56:00.000-04:00

Purpose of Pagan Pride Day
September 11th 2008

What do you feel the purpose of Pagan Pride Day is? We are in the month of Pagan Pride around the nation in he U.S., and many pagans have had mixed feelings over the years. Do you feel it is just a day to gloat about being pagan, or do you think the genuine purpose behind it is to show that there are strong pagans in every community?

I think the purpose is for Pagans to get out and meet one another. It's a good chance to meet other Pagans that you may not have known where Pagan. It's good for the community to see that we aren't a bunch of weirdos that sacrifice babies and goats too!

Witches Weekly

2008-09-10T23:17:00.001-04:00

September 4th 2008
Your Most Important Role

I’ve been getting some emails asking where Witches Weekly has gone. Honestly there wasn’t much participation, so it had become less of a priority. But I’ve decided to start it up again, and hopefully get things rolling again. I may bring another person on board to help with weekly questions if there are any volunteers.

This weeks question:
“Where in your list of roles do you place your role of a pagan? By roles I mean, mother, brother, daughter, son, worker, democrat, american, lover, caretaker, etc. We all have a lot of different roles we play and usually they all fall into an order of importance. Is being a “pagan” at the top, or is it somewhere in the middle?”

Being Pagan is at the top of the list because it is just what I am. I try to be the best one I can too!

Blessed Lughnassadh!

2008-08-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Lughnassadh / Lammas. :)

iPod Witch!

2008-07-14T17:49:00.001-04:00

Hello! :)

I finally did it. I started my own Wiccan podcast. You can go to my podcast blog to find out more. :)

http://ipodwitch.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Brook

Gem and Mineral show!

2008-05-19T21:36:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I went to Martinsville, VA to the Gem and Mineral show. I have been to this particular show every year for the past four years. :) This time, I went two days. On Saturday I went up by myself, and Sunday I went back with a friend and her son.

On Saturday, I got to the place about 7 minutes before the hour. They do hourly door prize drawings. I put my name in and then went to look around the show. The first name was called and guess what? It was me! :D I won a door prize. I was very happy as I have wanted to win in the past, and have never done so. I immediately went over to claim my prize! They let me pick from the display case of door prizes. I was trying to decide between a nice piece of Unakite and a Apophyllite on Prehnite crystal formation. I picked the A on P!

After that, I went to thank the dealer that put the crystal in the show and walked around and bought some goodies. On Saturday, I ended up with:

Banded Ameytst, Tree Agate, 3 rainbow Moonstones, Lapis Lazuli, green Jasper, Carnelian, Malacite, pink Calcite, and two grab bags. (full of goodies)

On Sunday, I got: another tree agate, picture Jasper, sodalite, serpentine, Unakite, and a piece of petrifried wood. All in all it was a good weekend for crystals. :) On Saturday, I also found and purchased a beautiful pewter pendant of Anubis! :) The pendant came on a long black 'chain', but I put him on a short suede one when I got home. That way I can wear him with my v-neck tops. :) I love Anubis. I was hoping to find something of Anubis at the show and was pleased when I saw these pendants!

RIght now, I have the stones in the process of cleansing. It will be tomorrow before I'm ready to start using them or storing them. I will take some pictures of all my goodies soon and share them with you!

Witches Weekly

2008-04-27T17:01:00.000-04:00

April 1st 2008
Environment

Do you feel that pagans/neo-pagans as a whole have a responsibility to the environment? Do you incorporate eco-conscious decisions in your spiritual work? Or do you feel that the two subjects should remain separate and have no interest in the environment as a whole?

Yes, I think we do. As a Earth loving Pagan, I try to do my best to reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever I can. I think that any Pagan would feel the same. We love the Earth and want to do everything we can to protect Her.

As for eco-conscious decisions for my spiritual work, yes. I do incorporate them. I try to do my part to be as eco-friendly as I can!

I hope your Ostara / Spring Equinox

2008-03-23T22:01:00.002-04:00

was as wonderful as mine! :) I spent the earlier part of the day helping a friend pack up boxes. (She is moving) Then, I went home and sat in the yard and enjoyed the nice breeze and sunshine. I watched the birds at the bird feeder for a bit. I got up and collected some Daffodils and other flowers to put on my Altar. Here is a picture of my Ostara / Full Moon Altar:

I combined Ostara and Full Moon since the next night was the full moon! :)

Pretty flower

2008-03-10T16:30:00.002-04:00

I found this little pretty in my yard last week. I've never had any of these before. He just popped up out of the blue. :) Maybe the Fairies brought him to me. Anyone know what he is?

Mmmm, Spring like weather and days of joy!

2008-03-05T14:28:00.003-05:00

Sunday and Monday were simply beautiful! I spent several hours each day in the sunshine on a blanket in my yard. Tuesday there was rain, so there was no blanket for me! Thursday I was out there again. I love this time of year. The weather was so warm and nice. The best part? NO mosquitoes yet! Whee! lol I can lay out and enjoy the sounds and smells of nature without being eaten alive!

I put my blanket on the ground near my pecan tree. The bird feeder is under the tree and I was about 15 feet away from the bird feeder, so I had a good view of all the little birds coming to eat.

I laid back and looked up at the sky through the pecan tree. This is what I saw:

Pretty view eh? It will be even prettier this summer when the pecan tree has it's leaves again. I'm looking forward to that! :)

Snow

2008-02-14T15:29:00.003-05:00

It snowed here last night and it was simply beautiful! I had to go out and just stand in it for several minutes and just let it fall on my face. Such a magical thing it is to stand in a quiet place with softly falling snow on your upturned face. Beautiful!

I collected a bit of snow and brought it in. I'm going to use the water that is left for later spellwork. What is more magical than snow? :)

Playing in the dirt

2008-01-09T22:24:00.000-05:00

Yes, you heard that right. :) On Christmas day I was outside in my yard playing in the dirt. Monday was out there again. Why? Well, I am going to plant a herb garden in my yard this Spring. There is a old rose garden in the yard that has only one or two sickly roses left in it and lots of brush. I'm clearing out the brush and digging in the dirt. There are three little cedar trees in there that I am leaving. There is also a beautiful lavender plant. That is staying also. I'm going to replant the roses in another place in the yard.

I have checked out several books on herbs from the library to figure out exactly what herbs I want to grow. I harvest the lavender for my own magical (and non-magical) use every year. This year, I will have many more herbs. I am looking forward to spring! I had such a good time Monday. I was getting so much dirt between my feet and my flip flops, that I took them off and ran around in the dirt barefoot. Luckily it was in the 60's. lol

So that is what I've been doing lately. Playing in the dirt and planning my witchy garden. :) I'll probably plant marigolds this spring too. I have a nice birdbath that could use a border of pretties around it. :)

Witches Weekly

2008-01-06T01:30:00.001-05:00

Favorite Pagan Blog

January 3rd 2008

What is your favorite pagan blog? Tell us how you found it and why you’d recommend it to others?

I haven't read many pagan blogs, so I don't have a favorite. I would love to read some though. If you think I'd like your blog, just reply and I'll check it out. I love to read what other pagans have to say!

Blessed Yule / Winter Solstice

2007-12-22T17:31:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great one! I'm going to celebrate tonight with a circle. I am also having my best friend over to exchange Yule gifts. :)

Solitary Witch Board!

2007-11-19T23:23:00.000-05:00

I have closed my old board and set up a new one. I think this one is easier to navigate and easier to maintain. If you want to see it, go here:

Solitary Witch
Sign up and post, post, post! :D

Cold weather is finally here... maybe...

2007-11-13T00:23:00.001-05:00

The past week has been pretty cold. The type of weather we SHOULD be having in November. :) Today though was warm. It was a nice change from the chill of the past week. I love fall. I like the warm days and cool nights. I love all the seasons, but fall and spring are my favorites. Summer is too hot around here and winter too cold. :p

Oh well, I do have my lovely firepit. It is perfect for sitting outside on cold nights.

Samhain 2007

2007-10-31T22:39:00.000-04:00

Blessed Be! I hope everyone has a wonderful Samhain / Halloween. I did! :) I'll post pictures of my Samhain altar up soon.

Witches Weekly

2007-10-15T01:11:00.001-04:00

October 10th 2007

Promote Witches Weekly

Why do you participate in Witches Weekly? Do you feel that it benefits your blog in any way? Do you feel others could benefit from participating in Witches Weekly?

I participate because I enjoy answering the questions. I also enjoy reading other people's answers. I feel anyone with a Pagan based blog could benefit from participating. I've noticed that I tend to get more reader responses to my Witches Weekly posts! :)

Witches Weekly

2007-09-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

September 23rd 2007

Pagan Pride Day

What is your opinion concerning Pagan Pride Days? Do you feel they benefit our path or do they serve no purpose? Do you feel they create negative publicity? Have you ever participated in one, and if so, what was the experience like?

I think Pagan Pride Day is a good idea. It lets people see that we aren't a bunch of crazed baby killing, blood drinking, satan worshippers! Of course, no matter what you say or do, there will always be those that will have the wrong idea about those of us who follow the Old Ways.

I've never participated in one as of yet, but I hope to in the future. I haven't found any near enough to my home to participate, but I will in the future.

Welcome Autumn!

2007-09-23T21:21:00.000-04:00

Blessed Mabon! I hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Witches Weekly

2007-09-11T22:34:00.001-04:00

First Group/Fellow Pagan

September 10th 2007

What was your first experience like meeting a group of pagans, whether it’s at a festival, a local group organization etc. If you’ve never been to another group, talk about the first “pagan” you’ve met, how you met them, and the experience.

I realize pagan is not always a suitable word for everyone to describe their path or faith. But it’s a universally recognized term and just makes it easier when trying to target a specific audience.

"The first time I met any fellow Pagans was at the local herb shop. Through the owners, I was able to find others in the area that I didn't know about. We had a meetup group for a while, but it closed due to fund issues. Someday, I hope another person will start a local group. I would, but I can't afford the dues."

"In any case, it was nice meeting local pagans."

Witches Weekly

2007-09-09T01:07:00.000-04:00

September 1st 2007

Daily Piety

Do you have a ritual/meditation/affirmation that you do daily? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

I don't have anything specific that I do everyday. Before I go to bed, I always remember to say thanks to Goddess mother and God father before going to sleep.

Whoo

2007-08-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry about my long absence. I've been really busy lately. I haven't had time for much of anything. I'm going to get back into the habit of posting here again, I promise. ^_^ Now that it is starting to be cooler at night, I can actually go out into my yard and enjoy nature again. It's been soooo hot. I am looking forward to fall. I love that time of year. :)

Witches Weekly

2007-07-12T13:00:00.000-04:00

Do you have a patron deity?

July 8th 2007

What deity has the most influence in your life? Do you not pray to a specific deity? If so, explain your beliefs.

So far I don't. I work with specific deities for a particular circumstances. Lately though, I've been drawn to Bast ( I have a statue of her on my mini altar) and Anubis. I've also always felt close to Pan. I am working toward learning as much about the deities as I can so that I can decide on my patrons. I may never settle down to just one or two, I like being about to attune myself to many. They are all wonderful in their own ways.

Witches Weekly

2007-07-02T00:26:00.001-04:00

June 30th 2007

Magic

What are your thoughts on “Magic” in general? What do you believe that it is? Do you believe in it at all? Do you consider it a form of prayer? Do you practice it?Of course I believe in magick! I have wielded it into the world on several occasions. Magick, to me, is inside the person wielding it. Tools, are nice, but are never really necessary the magick comes from within. Of course, I don't think it should be used for every little thing. Magick is something that should be used only when there is a great need for it. I haven't wielded a lot of magick, because I don't do it for fun or games, I do it for need.

Blessed Litha / Midsummer / Summer Solstice!

2007-06-21T15:40:00.000-04:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful Litha! A beautiful Yule to all my friends in the Southern Hem. ^___^

Witches Weekly

2007-06-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

Veteran Memorial

May 28th 2007

Now that the pentacle has been approved to be placed on Veteran memorials, do you feel that other symbols of different pagan faiths (the druid sigil, thor’s hammer, etc) are as equally important to fight for?

I think that anyone who served their country in any capacity should be able to have anything they want on their tombstones. Veterans give us our freedom, shouldn't we give them religious freedom in return?

Gem and Mineral show

2007-05-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I went to the Gem and Mineral show in Martinsville VA. I got a LOT of new crystals. I ended up spending around $30 there. ^^; I had planned for a while to go and had saved up the money to have fun with. I got a lot of beautiful stones including quite a few new pieces of Quartz crystals. I also got plenty of other goodies. I am not at home at the moment, so I don't have them all to list. I'll do that later this evening. I'll try to post a picture too.

Mowing

2007-05-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

the lawn is a pain, but the results are great. :) I almost finished mowing my lawn last night. I would have finished, but it got dark on me too quickly. :p I'll finish up tonight and then go out and relax and enjoy the yard. Hopefully this weekend, I can do some pruning on my out of control bushes. They have take over the yard on the side of my house. EIeeeeee! :p

After all that, I hope to have a nice fire in my pit. Now all I need to do is make some homemade skeeter spray. The darn buggers have already started chowing down on me and it's only May. ~_~;

Elemental Witch

2007-05-25T16:27:00.000-04:00

At the present moment, this blog shows that I am currently reading Elemental Witch. So far I really have enjoyed it. I haven't had as much time to sit and read as I would have liked. If I had, I would probably already be finished with it! I got it and two other new books from my book club recently. I will post about them as I read them.

Mmmm, I want to be outdoors again!

2007-04-30T13:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was beautiful! I spent most of the day in my yard enjoying it. I did some yardwork and then just sat in my swing for a while. Later, I got out a blanket and put it in the grass and laid on it under my pecan tree. It was sooo nice out there. Saturday I mowed most of my yard in preparation for Beltane tomorrow. I wanted my yard as neat and as pretty as possible. It should be nice enough to have my Beltane circle outside tomorrow. Whether the neighbors are around is another thing altogether! I guess I'll see how it goes. I know I will spend time in the yard in the afternoon tomorrow. If I have to have circle inside, so be it. ^_^

Witches Weekly

2007-04-11T17:12:00.000-04:00

April 10th 2007

Retro August 2004: What is Sacred to you?
A retro post from August 2004:

What is one item that is sacred to you? (Can be anything, tool, amulet, object, etc)

What holidays or time of year do you consider most sacred to you personally?

Describe your sacred space (can be anywhere, indoors, outdoors, etc):

My most sacred item is the Pentacle that I wear everyday. I feel naked and unprotected if I am not wearing it. When I had a allergic rash on my neck in the past, I put the pentacle on a bracelet and wore it until my neck cleared up.

My favorite time of the year is Fall and that brings in Halloween / Samhain. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year. Before I was Wiccan, my favorite holiday was always Halloween. Now I get to celebrate both.

My sacred space is put up and down when needed. I put out my altar and all the things on it. I also have a permanent seasonal altar in my house, plus a mini altar on my nightstand with crystals, a cauldron, rocks, a candle, a statue of Bast, and a few other things.

One wall of my room is my "Witchy wall" :p I have some Wiccan art, a pentacle dream catcher, and other things. I also have my little bookshelf containing my Wiccan books there. This is next to my trunk where I keep my extra supplies. My besom sits in the corner of this wall.

Wiccan podcasts

2007-04-06T15:50:00.000-04:00

Recently I was able to get an iPod! :D :D :D I love it. I have been wanting one FOREVER. I love to listen to Pagan / Wiccan podcasts, and I had a old mp3 player that only held about 128mb of stuff. I had to put some on, listen to them, delete them, and put more on. Now, with the iPod I can put tons of them on. ^____^ It's 30gb and I have four or five different podcasts on there, plus music, and a few shows and pictures.

Now, I come to the point I'm trying to make. I was thinking of starting my own Wiccan podcast. I am not sure what I'd do. If I would just discuss Wiccan topics or maybe have a "Ask a Witch" podcast. I really feel drawn to making one. I think that I shall ponder it more and see what I'll do.

It was a gorgeous moon last night!

2007-04-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

The Moon was so beautiful last night that I couldn't resist having my Full Moon Circle outside. I don't usually have Circle in the yard because I have nosy neighbors, but last night, I just couldn't help it. The Moon was soo beautiful! I held a very simple, but lovely circle in the light of the moon. ^_^

Witches Weekly

2007-03-28T15:18:00.000-04:00

March 13th 2007

Your Family
Do you have any other pagan members of your family? Is there any significant pagan-oriented history of your ancestors and family? If neither of the above apply, what do you hope to leave behind for the next generation concerning your path and knowledge?

Unfortunately, none of my family members are Pagan. Most are Christian. I haven' t shared my path with any of them. I do consider my friends as family, and most of my friends do know. Quite a few of my friends are Pagan / Wiccan / Druid / Buddist / etc. I have many friends of various paths. ^_^

Sorry for the long absence!

2007-03-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

Blessed Ostara! Welcome to Spring! ^_______^ I hope everyone had a great day.

Spring is 'springing' lol

2007-03-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

It has started to stay warmer here lately. It is still cold at night, but for the most part, the days have been nice. Sunday was an exception as it was pretty chilly! Other than that, I've been enjoying this beautiful weather. My Daffodils have been blooming since January! Yes, I said January! They started popping up then, and have steadily increased. It is amazing that when I was little, there was only a small row of daffs. Now, I have them all over and EVERYWHERE in my yard! :D I'm certainly not complaining. I love Daffs, I just thought they were bulb plants. I'm still trying to figure out how I got them everywhere. :)

Lunar Eclipse and Full Moon Circle

2007-03-03T23:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight there was a Lunar eclipse. I watched most of it. It was fabulous! Luckily it wasn't too cold to sit out and just look at it and enjoy. Later in the evening, I held my Full Moon Circle. I wanted to take a good picture of my Altar, but my camera's batteries were dead, and I didn't have anymore. I have rechargables, but they were not charged enough.

I did take a picture with my cell phone camera. It's blurry, but it is better than nothing. :p

Witches Weekly

2007-03-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

Essential Tools

What tools do you feel are essential when performing rituals? (Give the reasoning behind each tool and what it means for your ritual)

My hands are the most important tools. They are the ones that lay my ritual tools out and use them. I use a wand instead of an athame, but lately, I've felt drawn to athames. I will probably get one when I find 'the one'. I also have salt and water on my altar that I mix together to cleanse the perimeter of the circle, an altar pentacle for earth and grounding. I usually put the 'cakes' on this during my circle.

I have incense, and candles for the Goddess and the God. I have a bell, a glass for 'wine' (I use juice!), My cauldron is also a big part of my altar. I use it on the esbats with a candle in it. I light it for Full Moon and leave it unlit for New Moon. I also use my cauldron when doing any kind of spellwork that involves burning. I set the item or items in the cauldron to burn out.

I sometimes use other candles for my altar depending on the Sabbat. I decorate with natural items that relate to the time of the year / Sabbat I'm celebrating. I have four quarter candles that I light at the east, south, west, and north of my circle. My Book of Shadows is usually on or beside of my altar as I write any spells or special things in it before hand.

This was sort of a long rambling account, but that is what I use. I have many tools, but the main tool is myself. The magick comes from within the Witch and while I enjoy having my tools, I don't really need them.

Ah, sorry!

2007-02-20T13:22:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while. I haven't had anything to write about really. The weather is starting to warm up a little here this week. I'm very happy about that! My furnace stopped working back in January and I haven't had the money to have it fixed. I've been using a small space heater in my bedroom. That means that the only room in my house with heat is my bedroom. I have spent a lot of time in there. lol

The warm weather makes me happy because now I will be able to use the whole house. ^_~ Also it means I'll be able to spend more time outdoors and enjoy nature. That is the best part of all! Come on Spring!`

Imbolc

2007-02-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

A little information about Imbolc for the nice reply I had to my last post.

Imbolc symbolizes the return of light. It is the point of the year when we welcome the returning light and look forward to the spring and the coming warmth. To quote from Wicca For One by Raymond Buckland,

"Imbolc or Oimelc, is basically an early spring festival. it is a time to prepare for teh new season; it is a time of new opportunities. This was teh occasion for the old Feast of Torches. At sunset people would light lamps or candles in every room of the house, honoring the sun's rebirth."

As for me, I had a nice Imbolc circle and then went through the house and lit up every room. On previous years, I would light a electric 'candle' in the window all night.

Imbolc is one of the four major Sabbats of the Witches' Year. There are eight Sabbats in all. Four major and four minor. The next up is Ostara or the Spring Equinox. Imbolc falls on February 2 (the same day as groundhog day in the US)

I'm not really great at explaining things, but I hope this clears it up a little! :)

Blessed Imbolc!

2007-02-02T22:46:00.000-05:00

I want to wish everyone a Blessed Imbolc! I hope your day was a great one!

How neat is this?

2007-02-01T14:47:00.000-05:00

You have all probably heard of MySpace right? Well, how many of you have heard of CovenSpace? That is right. I said Coven Space! There is now a social networking sight like MySpace but it's for Pagans only! How cool is that? Pretty darn cool I think. I went today and signed up for an account. Here is my url is you want to check it out:

http://brook19.covenspace.com/

It's pretty neat. Of course this will still be my main Wiccan blog, but this site looks promising. Go check it out for yourselves! ^_^

Pictures to share

2007-01-31T15:40:00.000-05:00

I took some pictures around sunset (and later) in my yard last night. I uploaded them to my Flickr account. If you want to see them, go here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/witchybrook

I have two sunset pictures, two of the lovely moon, a tree covered in ivy, and my firepit with and without a fire. Enjoy!

My new books....

2007-01-29T14:15:00.000-05:00

So far, I've read two of the four new books I bought, and I'm working on a third. Right now, as you can see at the right, I'm reading The Art of Wiccan Healing. So far I really like it! It has a lot of great information. The other two books, Spellcrafts and The Magical Household were good too. I enjoyed them and will refer to them again, to be sure!

The last book on the list, The Real Witches' Year, I have been reading each day. It is set up with a page for everyday of the year. I marked the day I started it, so that next year, I can read the days I missed because I got it late in the year.

Beautiful Day

2007-01-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

It was nice outside today. It was in the lower sixties and sunny. I went outside to enjoy the nice day and commune with nature. It was really nice sitting in the swing and enjoying the sun and the light breeze!

Witches Weekly

2007-01-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

Science

Does science play a role in your spiritual beliefs? Does it compliment or contradict, and in what ways?

Science doesn't really play any role in my spiritual beliefs.

New Books!

2007-01-20T15:03:00.000-05:00

I just received my latest order from One Spirit. I am anxious to get started on them. I ordered:

Spell Crafts by: Scott Cunningham and David Harrington
The Magical Household by: Scott Cunningham and David Harrington
The Read Witches' Year by: Kate West
The Art of Wiccan Healing by: Sally Morningstar

They all look really interesting. As soon as I finish the Ann Rule book I'm reading, I'm going to start on one of them. I'll post and let you know how they are.

Witches Weekly

2007-01-16T22:41:00.000-05:00

Spiritual Hygiene

Donated by: Elerah

Do you have a spiritual hygiene routine? (smudging, etc) What significance does this play in your spirituality, and how often do you use it?

I always try to take a cleansing bath before circle or ritual. I also use incense to smudge when I feel a need for it in my house and area.

Herbs

2007-01-12T14:47:00.000-05:00

Sometime back, I had said I wanted to be more proficent in astrology. I realized later on that it wasn't what I really wanted to do. What I'd like to learn the most about is herbs. I want to be able to identify them in the wild and know how to collect them, dry them, use them, etc. I purchased Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham. I really enjoyed it. I want to get more herbals and learn as much as I can.

As of now, I can identify lavender and that is about it. lol Well, I can identify a lot of other flowers and such, but I want to be really good at it. So, from here on out, I plan to study herbs. If anyone has any recommendations on books or websites, please comment and let me know!

Witches Weekly

2006-12-29T13:57:00.000-05:00

Environment

December 27th 2006

Do you feel that environmental awareness is a crucial part of the pagan path?

Definitely. I think that since Pagans have such a huge respect for the Earth and it's resources, they are more aware of ways to help protect it. I try to recycle anything that I can. I try to reduce, reuse and recycle anything I can.

Blessed Yule!

2006-12-21T21:49:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful and Blessed Yule!

Meetup was great!

2006-12-09T14:30:00.000-05:00

The meetup last night was great. Six of our members came. Everyone seemed to have a great time. I'm ready for next month's meetup! lol ^_^;

Witches Weekly

2006-12-06T18:56:00.000-05:00

The Start

When did you first realize that the pagan path was for you?

I've always been intrigued by the 'alternative path'. I was raised in a Christian home and went to Christian schools all my life. I graduated from a Christian highschool. Even back then I felt drawn to Witchcraft. At the time, I didn't even know there was a religion called Wicca.

When in the New Age section of my bookstore in September of 2004 I saw a book that intrigued me. It was called, Wicca For One by Raymond Buckland. I looked at , and put it back. After I left, I thought about nothing but going back and getting that book. I finally went back (about a week later), bought it, and read it cover to cover. I realized that Wicca was definately for me.

I bought more books, researched online and read everything I could get my hands on. I did my self-dedication / initiation on December 10, 2004. This coming Sunday I will have been a practicing Wiccan for two years! I'm so excited!

I still read everything I can get my hands on and study all the time. I enjoy learning anything and everything regarding my path.

Hmm

2006-12-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in a while have I? I have several Witches Weekly posts to catch up on too. Two nights from now is the current Witches / Pagan meetup. AND two days ago I did my full moon circle. I need to get caught up here at my journal!

Witches / Pagan meetup

2006-11-10T14:39:00.000-05:00

Tonight is the monthly Pagan / Witches meetup. We are meeting at Boom Dunne's again. They are actually going to be closed tonight, but they are opening just for us. ^__^ The owners are really nice! They just got their ABC license and were going to be closed tonight to get everything ready to go with that. When I called and told them about our meeting, they said they'd open just for our group. ^_^

Witches Weekly

2006-11-10T14:35:00.000-05:00

Spiritual Mentor

Who has been a spiritual mentor for you during your path? If you do not have one (or even if you do), what motivates you to say on your spiritual path?

I don't have a spiritual mentor at the point on my path. I have learned a lot from reading books and just being in nature and learning from that. I have a few friends that are on this path and of course we all learn from each other.

I motivate myself to stay on my path. Anytime I can get out in nature, I feel so alive and attuned with the Goddess and God. I can't help but stay on my path!

Samhain 2006

2006-11-01T21:01:00.000-05:00

I took two pictures of this years Samhain altar. One is with the lights out and the candles glowing. The other is in the light so you can actually see what is on my altar. :P Enjoy!

If you are curious and want to know about anything on it, just ask. ^_^ Happy Witches' New Year!

Solitary Witch Board

2006-11-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

I started a Solitary Witch forum back in September. I haven't gotten everything I want done with it yet and it's pretty simple at the moment. If you are a Solitary and want to check it out, go here:

http://solitarywitch.hyperboards.com

I just listed it on Witches' Voice today so maybe it will start getting some members and some traffic!

~Blessed Be!

Wonderful Weekend

2006-10-15T21:02:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday (Saturday) I went to Dan Daniel's park and walked on the Riverwalk trail. I walked from the DD park to the Crossing side. My friend B was with me. We went and ate and then she was going to take me back to my car at DD park. I told her to drop me where she had been parked (at the Crossing) and I was going to walk back.

I'm so glad I did! It was such a nice day! The air was cool and crisp, it was sunny and just plain nice. I stopped quite a few times along the walk back just enjoying the river and the trees. I took several pictures on my camera phone. Here is one of them:

I had such a good time! Today I decided to go again. I walked about half way down the trail and turned around and walked back. It was so nice. I enjoyed every minute. I hope to go back soon.

Witches Weekly

2006-10-13T17:38:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

October 8th 2006 Grimoire

This weeks question donated by: Sunfire

Do you keep an equivalent of a book of shadows? What format do you keep it in? (digital, paper), how often do you use it, and is it categorized in any way?

My Book of Shadows is basically in two parts. I have the actual book that is a beautiful journal with handmade paper. I write when I have circle, what I did at that circle, any magic performed at any time, etc. It's my sacred book.

The second part is a regular five subject notebook where I put all my lessons, and information. If I go through any Wicca book that has lessons, I use this book for that. I also put in references I find in books such as herbal, trees, runes, etc.

As some point, I plan to type both of them up and put them on the computer to have a back up electronic copy.

There you go, that is my BOS / Grimoire

Nature...

2006-10-01T17:38:00.000-04:00

I went out today to spend some time in nature. It would have been wonderful except for one thing. Mosquitoes. ~_~; They were trying to eat me alive. I need to go to my local Witchy shop and get some skeeter spray. They have a great homemade spray there made by a friend of mine. I'm friend's with the owners. He is a Shaman and she is a Witch. They are both really wonderful people. I get most of my Wiccan supplies there.

I wish I had the gas to go out there tomorrow. They have Tarot readings on Monday. The readings are given by Jane (another Witch and friend). I haven't been since she started doing readings. If I don't go tomorrrow, I'll try next Monday. :*)

Mmmm, Fall

2006-09-29T14:00:00.000-04:00

I'm so happy! It's finally Autumn. The weather has been naughty though. There have only been a few cool days so far. Hopefully, that will change soon and they'll all be cool. I love this time of year. Fall is my favorite season. The air is crisp and cold. The leaves are so pretty! Plus, fall is the time for my favorite holiday of all... Halloween! ^___^ Halloween / Samhain is my absolute favorite day of the year. I'm looking forward to it. I've already decorated the house and I am wearing my Halloween shirt today. :p

Witches Weekly

2006-09-15T14:03:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

What would you do if…

September 15th 2006

What is one thing relating to your spiritual path that you’ve always wanted to do, but haven’t due to lack of money, time, etc. (Examples could be….creating your own altar room, going to visit a historical monument related to your spirituality, etc).

This is a good question! I'd love to go to Ireland to see the site of Bridgid's flame. I'd like to go to Salem to see the Witch trial museums and areas there. As for home, I'd like to re-do the room in which I have circle. I'd like to paint the walls in the different colors of the elements, or either paint them in a woodland theme. I'd like to permantely make that room a ritual / circle room. As of now, it's my circle room, but it's used for other things. I think it would be wonderful to totally dedicate that one room to my workings.

Snakes again

2006-09-11T13:46:00.000-04:00

Remember some time ago I mentioned I had saved a snake? Well, the other day, I was doing work in the yard and saw a 'branch' move on a tree. I looked and there was the cutest little green snake on the tree. I had to tell him hello, and rub him. He was adorable. ^_^

Witches Weekly

2006-09-09T23:46:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

Annoyances

September 7th 2006

What are some things that people do in the name of paganism or neo-paganism that tend to annoy you?

I posted a reply to this already and said I hadn't had any yet. Well, of course I have. I was just tired yesterday and it was one of those days when my brain wasn't working. lol I remember one incident where a 'friend' of mine was in a restaurant and he had people staring at him. (He had on a lot of black and wore a huge pentagram around his neck) When the people continued to stare, and talk about him, he held up his middle finger and said, "F you I'm Pagan!" (of course he didn't say just f) Things like this give all Pagans a bad name.

Witches / Pagan meetup

2006-09-08T17:31:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the Witches / Pagan Meetup. It starts at 7p.m., so I'll be going in about a hour or so. I like to get there a little early so I can get a seat where I want it. :p I looks to be a good one. We have a lot of the regulars coming, and a new person! Yay! It's always nice to meet new people. :)

Full Moon

2006-09-07T16:13:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the full moon! I haven't decided yet whether to have my circle inside or outside. I have a firepit outside that I can have it at if I wish. I think I might have mentioned my firepit before, but I don't think I've posted a picture. Let me show you the pit when I first created it:

That is right after I built / created it. It looks 'used' now. :p I lined it when it was new with some pine needles. No pine tree was harmed to line my pit. I found a large pine tree branch a week or so before that on the side of the road. I took it home to see if I wanted to make it into a staff. I cut off the needles and used them to line the pit.

Books and more...

2006-08-31T19:41:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in a recent post that I got the book The Real Witches Craft. Well, I have been studying it and it's great! There are a bunch of 'assignments' in each chapter. I have really enjoyed it. I have been taking my time and not rushing. It's a great addition to any Wicca book collection.

Witches Weekly

2006-08-31T19:10:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

Sacrifices
How do you feel about animal or blood sacrifices? In terms I’m speaking about using your own blood as a sacred object during a spiritual working, and using all parts of an animal (hunting deer for meat/pelts) rather than solely for ritual sacrifice. Though if you want to speak about plain animal sacrifice, by all means

I don't believe in sacrificing live animals for any purpose of ritual. I do think that hunting is okay IF... the animal is used for food, clothing, etc. I don't think hunting should be done for sport. Only for the need of food and clothing. Animals are precious to me, I think they should be treated with the utmost respect.

As for using my own blood for ritual. I haven't done it because I'm not a needle person. I don't think that I could prick my finger just to add my own blood to the ritual. I can use my own 'power' without using blood.

Witches Weekly

2006-08-24T14:50:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly
Ritual Planning
August 21st 2006

What method do you use to plan through rituals or spellwork? (such as a ritual outline, etc) Give a brief rundown of how a particular ritual for you goes.

It all depends. Sometimes I have already decided to do spellwork before I cast my circle. Other times, it is spur of the moment. In times of planning, I get all the things I need. Be they candles, crystals, herbs, or whatnot. On the spur of the moment, I use whatever it available.

I haven't done a lot of spell work because I feel it should only been done when needed.

Lammas Circle

2006-08-02T20:48:00.000-04:00

Last night I went to my friend Tina's house to have a Lammas circle. Tina, Jane, Mako, and myself held a nice Lammas circle. We are all Solitaries, but we sometimes get together on Sabbats for circle / ritual. Last night was really hot. We usually do circle around the fire pit, but last night it was only there 'symbolically'. None of us wanted any extra heat. :p

Blessed Lammas to you all!

Witches Weekly

2006-08-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

Your Sacred Symbol

July 31st 2006

Describe your preferred symbol of spirituality (pentacle, celtic cross, triquerta, etc). Explain what it means to you.

My preferred symbol is the Pentacle. I have felt a connection to it since before I became a Witch. I like that it represents the elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit. I wear my Pentacle on a necklace everyday.

I think it's a wonderful ancient symbol and to me, it's the perfect one for me to wear to convey my faith.

Witches Weekly

2006-07-29T18:46:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly

Politics

July 21st 2006

Do you consider yourself a political pagan? If so, what topics are most important to you and why? If you are not a political pagan, why?

I am sort of half and half. I try not to talk politics with people I don't know, but I have strong opinions (and share them!) with friends. I tend to be upset when I see the press or politicians saying negative things about the Craft, Wicca, or Paganism. I vote everytime I have a chance to get to the polls

Pumpkin Creek

2006-07-22T16:23:00.000-04:00

This is one of the pictures I took today. I hope everyone likes it.

Pumpkin Creek

2006-07-22T16:16:00.000-04:00

I went to Pumpkin creek today here in Danville. It was so peaceful and nice. :D I took quite a few pictures. I saw about five butterflies all flying around together. ^_^ I put my feet in the cool creek and enjoy my solitude. I collected 10 creek rocks as souveniers. I love to go down to the creek! I haven't been at all this summer.

I took about 10 pictures or so. I might post a couple later on.

New books!

2006-07-15T22:06:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention the two new books I got in the mail today. I got them from my book club. What did I get, you ask? Well, first was The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells and The Real Witches' Craft. They both are pretty neat. The spell book is HUGE and loaded with spells. The other book is more of a workbook for advanced Witchcraft. I think I'm going to enjoy them both!

I'll give everyone a update after I check them both out in detail. So far I've looked through the spell book and found a lot of interesting ones. The neat thing about it, it isn't all spells from ancient Witchcraft. There are spells from all walks of life and all paths. I like it.

I can't wait to get started on the workbook type one. It looks awesome!

Witches / Pagan meetup

2006-07-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

Last night was the Pagan / Witches meetup at the Purple Onion. We had three new people come. That was pretty neat. A few regulars didn't make it though. We all stayed for a long time. We were there till after 10 and the meetup started at 7.

Hopefully next time, we'll have more people. It gets bigger each time. We have all kind of new people coming and joining!

Saving snakes

2006-07-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I was mowing my lawn. I happened to look down and saw a garter snake near the lawn mower. I was afraid he'd be frightened and go under the mower so I turned it off. He quickly slithered away and down a hole in the ground. I was happy he was safe. I would have felt terrible had a ran over him with my mower! He was a cute little guy.

Witches Weekly

2006-07-08T21:52:00.000-04:00

Witches Weekly
Doubts
July 3rd 2006

Do you ever feel yourself pulling away from your spirituality? If so, what do you do to recharge yourself?

I don't pull away from it. Sometimes I do get lazy about study. As a Witch, I'm always reading and studying to learn as much about Wicca and Paganism as I can. I find myself being lazy about study and have to kick myself.

At the moment, I need more books!

Summer Solstice

2006-06-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

Last night I went out to my friend's house to celebrate Summer Solstice. We had a very nice circle for our celebration. We had 12 people for circle. It was great. We are all Solitaries, but sometimes on Sabbats we get together and circle up.

During circle we sent healing energy to friends of ours who had been in a car wreck this past weekend. After circle, we had yummies. Everyone brought something. We had a pizza, chopped veggies, dip, tortilla chips, potato salad, watermelon, cantelope, and oatmeal cookies. Everything was good. (Well, I didn't eat any pizza cause it had icky stuff on it but.. lol ) The oatmeal cookies were my contribution and everyone raved about them. ^______^ It made me feel good.

It was a really good night. A nice Summer Solstice!

Witches / Pagan meetup

2006-06-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

Yay! Tonight is the June meetup for the local Pagan / Witches meetup. It will be at the Purple Onion as usual. There are already 11 people that RSVP and 6 that said maybe. We should have a 'full house'. Whee!

June already?!

2006-06-03T17:37:00.000-04:00

Time sure flies! I can't believe it is June already. Summer Solstice is coming up! I'm gathering ideas now on what to do for my Circle. I'm not sure exactly what all I'm going to do yet. I'll probably post more info in the days to come!

New Moon

2006-05-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

Tonight is the New Moon. I'll probably do a New Moon circle tonight. I always do Full Moon ones and try to do the New Moons too. I sometimes miss the New Moons because of people coming by and other things popping up.

Maybe I can do mine outside tonight around the firepit. That would be neat!

Astrology

2006-05-26T14:16:00.000-04:00

I think I have decided what field I want to follow within my studies. I am looking into learning astrology. I found an online college that has courses and I've also found a lot of free online courses.

I want to study and learn more about it. I think it will be a fun and a learning experience!

Witches / Pagan meetup

2006-05-18T15:18:00.000-04:00

This past Friday night, I went to the Purple Onion (a local restaurant) to the Pagan and Witches Meetup. It was great fun. We had the non-smoking area to ourselves. It is actually two seperate groups at meetup, but most of us are on both groups, so we combined the meetings. If you want to see my Meetup groups (and learn more about these) go here. That will take you right to the local Pagan group. You can go the members page and look for me and see the Witches' group too!

The meetup was lots of fun. I can't wait until next months. ^_^.

Witches Weekly

2006-05-18T15:05:00.000-04:00

From Witches Weekly

Discrimination

Have you or anyone you know ever been discriminated against for their beliefs? If so, what was the outcome?

~ So far, I haven’t faced any, but I am sure in the future I will. I live in the Bible belt after all! ~ Brook

Gem and Mineral show

2006-05-18T03:22:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, I went to Martinsville, VA to the Gem and Mineral show. I went last year and had such a good time, I wanted to go again. They had a lot of vendors with a bunch of goodies. I ended up with a lot of new crystals and a beautiful pendulum. I'll have to take a picture of it to post here. It is so beautiful!

I got so many new crystals. This one lady that I bought several crystals from had $2.00 grab bags. I got one of those and didn't open it until I got home. I wish I had opened it sooner! She loaded it down with all kinds of nifties! I was very pleased. It was well worth over $2.00 for all the pretties I got. ^_^