You read it here first, the ending for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Well, not the real ending, just an idea I had for the worst possible ending ever.

Harry bolted awake, the sweat still dripping from his brow and gasping for breathe. He looked around to see his family and close friends standing by his bedside. “I just had the most horrible dream, and you were there Ron, and you and you,” Harry said in a still slightly shaky voice as he pointed to loved ones. Dr. Dumbledore stepped into the room with a grin when he saw that his patient was awake. “Now we must let young Harry rest everyone, so don’t stay too long.” Shining a light into each of Harry’s eyes, Dr. Dumbledore asked how he was feeling. “Much better Sir,” Harry answered, “I guess I was really lucky to have gotten out of that car crash with just this scar.”

LOL Wouldn’t that be funny – well totally awful – but funny LOL We’d love to hear your ideas for possible endings too so please share and leave a comment.

Love and Laughter, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:harry potter, humor

Feb. is almost over already – it just amazes me sometimes how fast time flies. I am in an overall low at the moment – partially because I am recovering for a bout of bronchitis, but mostly I think because that is just how I am wired – that I periodically have very, very low periods. I am learning to cope with them better but I still wish they didn’t come as often.I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the upcoming Harry Potter party as the date draws closer and closer (May 27) and I have tons of projects to do to prepare for it – I didn’t do anything for it this weekend because the coughing wore me out and the medicine made me sleep a lot too. I never did find the case of Bertie Bott beans that I had ordered months ago but can’t find now, so I just reordered a case (this time I got larger size bags instead of the small boxes – I figured what the heck the bags are more fun and make a cute souvenir when the beans are gone). I haven’t exercised in three days which makes me feel some what guilty – but I will force myself no matter how I feel to do it tonight. I am struggling to loose even a tiny amount each week, so I definitely want to keep exercising.  I think some of the general “low” feeling is also coming from stirred up old feelings.

I was somewhat toying with the idea of looking into the necessary steps (education, paperwork, etc.) to become a minister of wicca. I have been wiccan for over 30 years now, and was a member of a circle and had my own circle for many years, but then became a solitary, but for the past several years I haven’t been active even as a solitary. Becoming more involved in wicca and being a priestess and working within a community has been something I used to dream about all the time, but family and life changes put all that on the back burner.

But there is more to it then that. During my searching the internet for courses and certification, books to read, teachers, etc. I was beginning to feel a lot of hesitation and anxiety, and after some soul searching I realized where some of that is coming from.

First – I don’t really deep down trust any teachers out there. I know of two that I have met personally that if were I single with no need for a job – I would pack up and study with tomorrow (they have dedicated their lives to the wiccan path and created long standing healthy communities). But other then that – based on my past experiences with my two teachers, I find it very hard to trust any one. My first teacher I found out years after I left her circle that she would never have initiated me but her husband insisted that I be initiated to at least first degree. I have heard a few reasons why – but the one that bothered me most was, it was because I had a hysterectomy in my early 20s and therefore could not give birth. I will never know the whole truth of that situation, but what was equally devastating to me was finding out years later that the “inner” circle did have dealings with drugs and some blood drinking rituals that were only for a select few. I definitely am glad I was not part of the “inner” circle – but I had no idea any of that was going on but it makes me very very very cautious of all groups now as well as makes me doubt my own instincts since I never knew or even suspected any of that. My second teacher was not wiccan, but he taught “spiritual” classes and had taught my first teacher – so I was thrilled that he accepted me has one of his students. Of course I hadn’t found out all that I know now about my first teacher at that time.  So for a few years I studied with him – but eventually my common sense took over and I realized it was time to move on. There was enough validity to what he taught and probably even some truth, that I stuck with it for quite awhile. Most of us who studied with him came to call his teaching “the school of the two by four” and I eventually got tired of being hit in the head with it – emotionally I was raw most of the time, and after awhile I just couldn’t deal with a lot of what was going on, since the “inner” more advanced students also slept in his bed and a few other things were going too that I just couldn’t deal with any more. Also, I still feel like I failed with my circle. Sure there were outside circumstances and I know disbanding the circle was for the best – but I still feel a lot of the responsibility was still on my shoulders and that I could have done better and not allowed the personal relationships member chose to pursue disrupt the circle, and also that I didn’t know enough or have the skill to help with the emotional and often destructive choices members made.

So that is the dilemma – how do you find a good teacher when you don’t trust any one, and even if by some miracle a teacher is found you don’t trust yourself to actually be worthy of being taught.

I am past the point of needing or wanting wicca 101. But I still desparately long for the true “work” of wicca, not just the religion or new age trappings. However I really don’t know where to look for a mentor. I have no interest in drugs, sexual involvement or other complications and if that makes me unworthy, well so be it. I don’t think an online degree in crystals, positive affirmations, and other metaphysical topics is going to qualify me to actually work as wiccan minister in the community – it could be a step in that direction though. A counseling degree from a good college would definitely be more helpful – but I don’t have the money or time to go back to school.

So the question is, now that I’ve stirred up the desire again to seek out more learning what do I do? If as the saying goes, when the student is ready a teacher will appear – well based on the teacher’s I have had and others I have heard about – that prospective can be a bit scary too.

Being in a general funk is not a time for making decisions. Also I am NOT doing anything else between now and the Harry Potter Party (May 27th) because there is just too much to do. So who knows, perhaps this latest urge will blow over, but if not I guess I’ll deal with it in June. Perhaps I’ll just take a class in Tai Chi and leave the rest up to the universe.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:depression, life, wicca

With my hubby’s chronic pain issues family outings are a rarity at best.  The plan yesterday was to get out of the house for a couple of hours, each come home with new books, and spend a relaxing couple of hours.

We started by eating at Chili’s.  Nothing huge – the four of us had beverages and shared 2 appetizers (awesome blossom and a combo platter).  Hubby had a beer and I had a Melon Martini. We then headed next door to Barnes and Noble.  I was feeling calm and relaxed as we entered into probably my favorite store EVER (with the exception of how I used to feel at age 20 entering Enchantments in NYC).

I had a pile of books, movies, and CDs that had been purchased as Xmas gifts but held aside as I found them cheaper via Amazon.  After returning them and taking into account some gift cards I had just under $200 for us to spend.

Money in hand it was time to shop ….

The kids are bigger now and so we generally feel comfortable giving them a bit of leeway, so long as we know what part of the store they are in.  The elder was by the graphic novels, the younger was in the Music nook, hubby had found a spot to sit and I was here and there flitting about, checking on the younger every 10 minutes or so.

I had just left her in the music nook and was within viewing distance of its entrance when my oldest daughter came up and asked me where the younger was.  I pointed down toward the Music nook and said “she’s right where she was when you last saw her”.

Not 2 minutes later I hear an announcement over the speakers for an Code Adam for a 7-year-old girl. 

I will spare you the thoughts that ran through my mind.  I will spare you the details of the panic.  Needless to say it was a happy outcome.

Apparantly the elder walked right by the younger, “didn’t see her”, and reported her missing at the closest register.  The younger, had headphones on still happily listening to music (soundtracks mainly – Hannah Montana, Happy Feet, and so on) maybe 5 feet away from said sibling and probably never heard the alert.  Even if she had, knowing I knew where she was, she would’ve had no clue that the 7-year-old in question was her.  After a few frantic minutes where they cancelled the alert before her father or myself actually had her in our possession (this seemed rather stupid to me) all was well.

My nerves are in a tagled up bunch.  My stomach is unsettled.  But, in retrospect its almost funny.  ALMOST

We came home with 2 shopping bags:

The younger came home with just one book as she didn’t see much that tickled her:

A Princess Primer – similar to Dragonology and Wizardology this book is replete with lift-the-flaps, notes in envelopes, fabric samples, and other fine details .. of course it makes a disparaging and insulting remark about witches (which I am not sure I forgive) but it is very very cute

The elder refused to look at any “books with words” as I call them to distinguish them from the graphic novels she fancies instead. But I picked up a few items for her anyway.

Simply Tarot as a supplement to replacement for the cheesy book that came with her tarot deck

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman. Oddly enough she chose this off the classroom bookshelf in 3rd grade for a book report. Her first-year-teaching (read dim-witted) teacher didn’t realize it was TEEN FICTION and okayed the choice. It was around the time that she asked me “what’s gin?” that I decided to make a point of reading most if not all of the fiction she read for a couple of years. I figured that now that she’s actually old enough to read the novel we’d give it another go.

Hubby came home with more books in the David Eddings Belgariad series. These are oldies but goodies and our original copies are Gods know where. I had bought the first 2 in the series for my dad some time ago (someone recommended them to him but he never read them) and hubby read those only to find that he was stuck in serialus interuptus and so we came home with books 3, 4 and 5 :

• Magician’s Gambit
• Castle of Wizardry
• Enchanters’ End Game

I made out like a bandit. But then again the gift cards were MINE.

I grabbed :

Trivial Pursuit Book Lover’s Edition off a 75% off rack and with my B&N membership discount brought it home for around $8. I love learning trivia and finding new (even obscure) books to read.

Speaking of my love of trivia I also picked up Poplollies & Bellibones: A Celebration of Lost Words Along with Tenderfeet and Ladyfingers: A Compendium of Body Language because I love WORDS …. as a kid I used to love to read this HUGE dictionary in my grammar school library. It was one of those unabridged ones and was on its own special pedestal. If I ever have a house with a large enough office or library I’m getting one just for the fond memories it will evoke every time I glance in its direction. 

BTW I hear you sniggering at my nerdiness in choosing to READ the DICTIONARY — you know who you are.

Advanced Witchcraft: Go Deeper, Reach Further, Fly Higher by Edain McCoy. I grabbed this one because the words on the back cover jumped out at me “are you living as a Witch?” Outside the blog, for the most part my witchy self is shoved into a broom closet. Its cluttered and messy and it smells funny.

Body Sacred by Dianne Sylvan as it’s a Wiccan perspective on reclaiming self-esteem and body acceptance.  I have been having a very hard time starting any kind of healthy eating program despite my desire to lose weight.  I want to figure out what exactly is holding me back, but in the meantime I also have to stop despising the me I see in the mirror, in photos, etc.

Crone’s Book Of Magical Words by Valerie Worth. I’ve had my eye on this one for a LOOOONG time and for one reason or another I always wound up choosing another book over it.  I can remember flipping through it maybe 15 years ago in Sagittarius Books which used to be in New Hope (could this be THEM?)  Today it was mis-shelved and I stumbled on it, as if it were waiting for me to find it.

We Are Their Heaven: Why the Dead Never Leave Us – I love love love the show Medium and have even read the blog of the real Mrs. Dubois’ hubby and just like After Life: Answers From the Other Side by John Edward (which I snagged for only $5.99) I feel like its time for me to expand my reading into that of mediumship.

I also picked up some fiction : A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman because I had purchased a copy of A Fistful Of Sky a few months ago off a clearance rack and enjoyed it (read my review here) and The Pact: A Love Story by Jodi Picoult, mainly because overall I like Ms. Picoult’s books.  And every so often you have to just read plain ordinary fiction.  No elves, no magic, no witchcraft, just good juicy drama or comedy or whatever.

I fully expect to be posting reviews of all my new treasures soon….. well ….. eventually!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:books, family, life, outing, shopping

King Tut Exhibit – Tutankhamum and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is at the Ben Franklin Institute, Phildelphia, PA, now through Sept. 30, 2007.If you live close enough to travel to Philadelphia this exhibit is definitely worth going to. My hubby got our tickets for me, him and our daughter as my Xmas gift because he knows how much I love anything about Egypt. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed touring the rest of the exhibits at the Institute afterwards also.

The exhibit is not huge, (but of course that is compared to the Egyptian exhibit in New York and the exhibits I saw in Egypt) – but it is a very large collection, with a broad variety of items on display, and the pieces they have are wonderful. The way the exhibit is laid out is also very well done.

At the end the exhibit exits to a shop devoted to King Tut merchandise – everything from a King Tut tissue box cover where the tissues come out of his nose ($40) to a gorgeous wine rack with a wonderful Egyptian design for over $400. Some of the jewelry was lovely but to expensive for my pocketbook. I got some post cards, a key ring, a mouse pad (which doesn’t work with the type of mouse I have so I ended up displaying it on my cubicle wall at work), and we all spent $1 each in the machine that prints out your name in hierolyphs.

We were in the first group to go in on a Sunday at 9 a.m. There was not a lot of traffic and we were able to get parking very easily right under the Institute. It was definitely the best time to go, later in the day you could tell it was getting crowded.

There is a small King Tut cafe set up – but it is only open in the evening. I have no idea what they serve there or if you need reservations, but it looked very cool and if it had be open I would have stopped in to check it out.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Read more about King Tut at Wikipedia

Recommended Book:

 The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, the Tomb, the Royal Treasure (King Tut)

Written by Lady RoseTags:king tut

Tonight was school and I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed as I have a good deal of work to do over the next few weeks. I am tired and stressed and severely on edge. slightly overwrought.  I feel a bit like Hermione when she was using a time-turner in her 3rd year at Hogwart’s.  I came home to find that my elder daughter has majorly overplucked her eyebrows and looks … well … ODD at best.

My husband made a point of showing me the damage thinking I would laugh … instead I kind of shrieked “what did you do?” and burst into tears after she had left the room.  At least I waited until she left the room.

I have begged her to NOT pluck ….. told her that I would take her to get her eyebrows waxed to no avail. I am hoping that this was NOT the look she was going for as she seems to gravitate a bit toward EMO and “gothy” “punky” tastes.  I am hoping that she will have learned a lesson (hopefully without being teased incessantly) and next time will listen to me and enjoy the beauty parlor process. 

Don’t get me wrong, I support her ”right” to create her own look …. but to a degree since she is only 12.  In other news …. she has been moody and distant and overall not a delight to be around.

Don’t get me wrong I love my older daughter more than words can say … but right now I often don’t recognize the stranger she is becomming. I know it is hormones and adolescent angst and NORMAL. I’m just sad about it anyway.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

First Church of Wicca featured on TLC’s My Unique Family (tv show) – The show and the church are definitely inspiring. I look forward to reading more about what they do and their courses, etc.

Hopefully, now that my daugther is a bit older (she is almost 11) I can find ways to be more open again and come out of the broom closet. In my 20s and 30s I was very open about being Wiccan, and even lectured on college campuses, but for the past 12 years or so my life has been focused more on my family and being a mom, but I am feeling the urge to at least attend some events and gatherings once again.

I wish there was something like the First Church of Wicca near me.  I’ll just have to keep an eye out and see what there is in my home state.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

For those located in Massachusetts First Church of Wicca is located at the Tarkiln Community Center on Route 53, Summer Street in Duxbury, Massachusetts

Exerpts from their site:

“Our Congregation meets the 2nd and 4th Sunday evening of every month to
celebrate Sabbats and Esbats and is an opportunity for families and
individuals of any age to explore Wicca. In these church rituals, we will cast
circles, personalize our altar, practice magick, consider moon phases, raise
the cone of power, sing, dance, meditate, create our Book of Shadows, and
much more!”

“We believe that our church should be a safe and loving environment for
people of all faiths and traditions to explore their spirituality and personal truths”

Suggested Reading:
   Pagan Theology: Paganism as a World Religion

Written by Lady RoseTags:wicca, wiccan beliefs

Here’s a bit of Harry Potter related triva – Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) turns 61 years young today.

Three Cheers and a Happy Birthday from Mama Kelly and Lady Rose

Of Interest: Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 

Be sure to check out our Best Ever Harry Potter Birthday Party -  Everything you need to have your very own incredible Harry Potter theme celebrations, includes recipes, party planning, activites and games, etc.

Written by Lady RoseTags:harry potter

For Harry Potter ….. how often is there something that all four members of a family can share a love of? How often do mom, dad, the 7 year old and the 12 year old have ANYTHING in common?

For laughter ….. even in the face of misery and tragedy. My husband, many of my friends, and myself share the ability to laugh at the things that make us angry or make us cry. We are able to find humor in the darkest of situations, even if the jokes wind up being in poor taste.

For having a husband who is my friend. For having so many interests in common.

For my oldest daughter who is trying so hard to “be good”. To do her homework with the promise of being paid for good grades (we’ve tried everything else). To do chores around the house with the promise of $10 a week (until she realizes she is being underpaid LOL).

For my youngest daughter who is an easier child than her sister was. So far we have been avoiding many of the pitfalls the elder one fell victim to. I would like to take credit for it, but I really think she was just born this way.

For my being able, so far, to manage being back in school. For my sticking to my “resolutions” of giving up nail biting and trying to get more organized.

For blogging. For the people I’ve “met”. For the pleasure and distraction it provides.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:gratitude

The Past Thirteen Years

1. 1 year ago this month my oldest daughter started her period at age 11.  The occassion was celebrated with her getting her first tarot deck and her first mani-pedi.

2. 2 years ago this month I had a hysterectomy at the age of 35 for severe endometriosis and adhesions which had created a “frozen pelvis”.  While I am not pain free and still get sad that my baby days are behind me I don’t regret the decision.  The final straw was when I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis and didn’t want to knowingly risk passing it on.

3. 3 years ago this month we were in the final stages of jumping through insurance hoops for my husband to have a 2-level spinal fusion.  While the surgery finally took place that July it did not resolve his pain and to this day he is still on full disability.

4. 4 years ago this month we began fighting our car insurance to cover surgery for my husband’s back injury.  In the end, we had to convince our medical insurance to cover it since the car insurance wouldn’t budge.

5. 5 years ago this month my husband started a new job after being out of work for nearly a year.  For 6 months he had no income and we were scraping by on our rental income and my telemarketing paycheck.  Only a couple of months later he was involved in the car accident from which he has never really recovered.

6. 6 years ago this month my husband was laid off and I rejoined the work force after being a SAHM for 6 years.  Inititally I took a job at a local supermarket but by the end of the year I found a higher paying job at a telemarketing company.

7. 7 years ago this month I was a SAHM of 2 children, a preschooler and an infant.  I was never so buzy, so tired, or so happy.  It is also when I started writing articles and reviews on Epinions

8. 8 years ago this month we were happily pregnant with my youngest daughter.  I was morning sick all day long for months and would up needing medication (Reglan).  She was born that October 2 days away from the 2 year annniversary of our miscarriage.  After being on meds and bedrest for almost 4 weeks, she was born 5 weeks early after a placental abruption and came home after an 8 day NICU stay.

9. 9 years ago this month we were trying to conceive after having suffered a miscarriage the previous October.  In addition to being unable to conceive again my health was not good.  I fought my Doctor for months to finally get (after surgery) a diagnosis of endometriosis.

10. 10 years ago this month we were still reeling from my mother’s cancer diagnosis.  She was diagnosed in Sept 1996 and passed away in October 1997. 

11. 11 years ago this month we were house-hunting.  We wound up buying a townhouse later that year in July (and moving in in December as it needed a good deal of cosmetic work) but have used it as a rental property for the past 5 years, living now in my father’s house.

12. 12 years ago this month we bought our very first PC as a couple.  I’d had a Tandy in college, but this computer brought us into the world of the Interent and I can’t imagine life today without it.

13. 13 years ago this month we conceived my oldest daughter.  The result was that a wedding planned for October was moved up to May.  She was 1 week late, weighed 5 lb 12 oz and rarely slept ever … frankly she didn’t start sleeping until she became an adolescent.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

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Written by Mama KellyTags:memories

I found a news article about this new foundation that helps chidren by providing a “virtual” adoption – they have set up computers and equipment for children in S. Africa who can then be matched with adults who wish to make a weekly commitment to spend time with them creating a “virtual” family. It is a very heart warming experience to read about. It sounds like something that could be done in other areas as well, and hopefully the organization will grow and expand.

If you would like to learn more about them visit their website, Infinite Family.

Bright blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:charity, children