Getting all my ducks turkeys in a row...

( The Final Countdown )

I have an eight-page, 1435-word outline for a book.

All right, November. Let's rock this.

1. Excited, enthusiastic, passionate people want to start a community. They have great visions of a Pagan utopia.

( A progression that may seem familiar... )

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I have over the years, come to a somewhat cynical conclusion. Defining our groups is not just okay, it's necessary. Sticking with the boundaries we set is necessary for our group's health, even though it may be frustrating to the individuals who do not fit in the group. Coddling drama breeds more drama. And the more we address ethics and etiquette, the healthier and happier our groups are.

( WHAT? )

Also, all you kids get off my lawn.

It's all the best things in one place! ::bouncebouncebounce::

Saturday I start intermediate bellydance classes. Happy happy!

This group is wonderful. The women are fabulous, every one of them. Joy!

OMG COSTUMING! OMG MAKEUP!

There are a handful of sons-and-husbands who are learning to drum for us, which is marvelous. I love that we can do this as a family.

As the token out-of-the-broom-closet witch, I'll be bringing my tarot cards and doing readings before and after the dancing. Fun!

I might have to paint some mendhi designs on some mini pumpkins. ::happywiggle::

What to bring for munchies? Pumpkin spice dark chocolate truffles? Dolmathes? Moroccan-spiced almonds? ::foodiebliss::

::EDIT:: Okay, due to some misinformation (THANKS, INTERNET) I'd made a mistake here. Fixed it now.

1 cup WASHING soda (sodium carbonate, not sodium bicarbonate. More caustic and therefore more arse-kicking.)
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup citric acid

Mix together and store tightly covered in a Mason Jar. Use one tablespoon per load. Add vinegar to the rinse dispenser for the best results. --Planet Green

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Good gods. Environmentally friendly and fantastically frugal. I'll be keeping that recipe around.

My username is comedy gold when inserted into Shakespeare.

Thanks, lightonthesill!

Flylady.net is *still* down today, which sucks, because I needed some housekeeping inspiration. (Yes, it's sticky-sweet, has waaaay too much pink and purple, and is distressingly mainstream... but it usually does kick me back into more-productive, do-something-even-if-it-isn't-perfect, find-a-way-to-make-it-fun mode.)

So, I made my own little family challenge. It overcomes the "but where do I start" and "can I really finish this" blocks, which have been how my resistance has been manifesting most of this week.

I wrote each room of the house on an index card, including the garage and one card that reads "front/back porches". I shuffled the index cards. Each family member draws three cards. There is an opportunity for trade, as I'm sure everyone but me is afraid of touching anything in my art studio, etc. Then we spend 10 minutes doing as much as we can in the room on our first card -- the 10 minute limit kills the perfectionist resistance, and keeps it from being tedious. 10 minutes in the next room, and then 10 minutes in the next. If the room is cluttered, you just put things away. If it's in good shape, then you do things like sweep, dust, clean mirrors, etc. Just 10 minutes of improving it from wherever it starts. After 30 minutes, we're done for now. Easy easy.

So. I just flipped through the Bonnie Pirate Laddie's "Health and Wellness" textbook.

The words "condom" "birth control" "dental dam" and "safe sex" do not appear anywhere in the book. (You know what, I won't even get into the alternative lifestyle stuff right now, like GLBT, polyamory, etc.)

The entirety of sex education in the book consists of: "Stay abstinent until you enter into a monogamous marriage or die."

There are, in this book, statements like "drug use can lead to teen pregnancy" with NO explanation given.

I am so outraged I feel ill.

( Here's my plan. )

Gratitude is good for the soul. Enthusiasm is infectious and attractive. Joy shared is joy doubled. Beauty is everywhere, but seeing it is a choice. Dwelling on the good, rather than the bad, is a habit that can be cultivated.

I've seen a lot of people doing gratitude journalling, "things that don't suck" journalling, etc. And I know the value of this, and have been thinking about doing it as well. graspless has been calling hers a "Yaylist" and I really like the black-hearted feeling of that. Yum.

So, I might periodically post some yaylists now. I won't worry about consistency yet -- giving myself permission to do them is more important than forcing myself to do it, doing it halfheartedly, or feeling badly for *not* doing it.

( Today's yaylist )

Let me never take my blessings for granted, let me never forget that I am loved, let me never lose sight of limitless beauty.

Sometimes I forget how much I don't know.
I wrap my certainty around me like a cloak, and my eyes cool to jaded shields that prevent anything new from entering my mind.
"I've seen one of those before." "I've heard that a hundred times." "Yeah, simple, whatever."
Ha! What arrogance!
I have certainly never learned anything when I've closed myself off from the possibility of learning.
And ANYTHING can be a teacher.
When I remember to see things through new eyes, when I remember to listen more deeply, when I remember to wonder at everything like a child who is too busy exploring to care about "looking cool" or "acting mature"...
That's when it happens!
Ten thousand unseen hands hold up the details of the world for my inspection.
Ten thousand silent voices whisper mysteries and metaphors into my eager ears.
Ordinary objects become rich with meaning.
Everyday chores are touched with grace.
Knowledge and wisdom pour into me...
because I am open.
Apathy is a blindfold, cynicism a locked door, arrogance a stone wall. They shut me away from learning, growth, and wisdom.
Enthusiasm, respect, openness: these anoint me as an apprentice to the world.
And when I find myself closing those doors, building those walls?
I choose to open again.
I notice how my lungs open to fresh air.
I feel my heart opening like a flower.
I imagine wings unfurling from my back, to catch the wind of wonder beneath them, to bask in the sunlight of grace radiant above them.
I remind myself of how much I still don't know.
And I eagerly seek the next lesson!

Went to Feri Camp, and stuck around for a whirlwind Southern California vacation.

( Highlights: )

Also, still no laptop. Grr. Waiting for a callback from eracks.com about the holdup.

When the CSA gives you too much zucchini... let there be zucchini cassrole! And zucchini bread! And pasta sauce with zucchini in!

Recipe courtesy of starwyse's aunt Mary Lou!

( Zucchini Casserole )

So, the first time I made this was on the fourth of July, and, well, I'd had a couple of fizzy gin-and-raspberry drinks. And we didn't have baker's chocolate, but we had the remainder of a pure-chocolate bar, a few dark chocolate squares, some cocoa powder, and shortening, so we fudged it a little (ha ha) (okay, that was bad). And I lost track of how long it was baking because I went outside to play with colorful explosive things with the boys while listening to the Beatles (seriously, the best accompaniment to fireworks ever). So apparently the recipe is robust enough to take a fair amount of abuse and neglect and still make OMG YUMMY brownies.

( Best. Brownies. Ever. )

And holy mother of the gods, scarletandjade's contribution of chipotle caramel sauce? The combination is exquisite.

Making brownies from scratch is not difficult, and the resulting brownies are, in fact, way better than those-from-a-box. Who knew that was possible? BROWNIES GO TO 11?!?!

Also, made a wicked good steak butter the other night. OM NOM NOM. Butter, miso paste, a few drops of toasted seseame oil, and a dash of onion powder and ginger.

And when we were in Modesto, CA, I scored a recipe for biryani from khryseos' ex-partner's ex-husband's mother. Can't wait until I find the time to make it.

With all that's going on in my life, you'd think this would go unmentioned. But I'm rather proud of how I managed this.

( Cooking and meal plan brilliance )

Okay, so a lot has been going on.

• My laptop died. Internet access has been limited, mostly because the ergonomics of khryseos' desk makes it miserable to sit here for long. Tried ordering a new laptop, company was a sham and disappeared with my money. ::sigh:: How embarassing.
• Celebrated my first Mother's Day as a mom. Wow. I am so honored to be here, to be part of this family. Hmm. This probably deserves a whole post to itself.
• Bonnie Pirate Laddie is out of school for the summer, and begins highschool next year. Wow.
• The ever-lovely s00j and her amazing omnisti cruised through on their way east, and we did our best to give them a break and a chance to reassemble themselves before...
• ...an awesome concert in Lincoln, NE. Met scarletandjade and coyotejoe65, and there will be bellydance and dinner parties and good times ahead with them, I am certain! What great people!
• Cooked like a madwoman for Heartland Pagan Festival, and it was GOOD. That probably deserves its own post.
• HPF probably deserves its own post, too, but is too much. I sum up. Reconnected with old friends, made many new friends, ran into a fellow from highschool who I NEVER thought I'd meet in that context, assisted with ritual, sang with BPL, and, oh yes...
• khryseos asked for my hand in marriage, and I accepted. That DEFINITELY needs a dedicated post.
• I have one week to make a Very Pretty Dress, a Very Handsome Vest, and get ready to go to Hawaii. Aloha!
• After Hawaii, it'll be a week of ANAC (Association of Nebraska Art Clubs) conference, in which I'll be chauffeur/guide to the guest artist. Fun!
• And then, a week of Bellydance Boot Camp -- The local American Tribal scene is awesome, and hey, it's a good opportunity for costuming!

Beyond all of that, we'll see. Wow, life is good.

Birds.

Or maybe that's khryseos working on a project. Sawing something. Some squeaky wood. With a rasp.

::knock, knock::

BPL: Um, Carey? There are three turkeys at the basement door.

C: Unh?

BPL: I woke up to this weird sound, and I looked, and there were turkeys outside. You can still hear them. I think they're in the neighbor's yard now.

C: ::shuffle shuffle robe:: ::shuffle shuffle back porch::

C: Huh. Look at that.

BPL: Oh, there's another one now.

C: Gods, what a racket. I need coffee.

Kittenpants: 2, Nebraska: 2