Things seemed to be on the upswing, I had the ball, I was moving it down the court. No one could stop me and I was about to take the winning shot, when the coach benched me. For a long time now I’ve been in this game. I’ve been playing hard and lately maybe I’ve been a bit of a ball hog. I don’t know.  All I know is I’ve had and will continue to have a lot of time to think about it. I’m not getting back in the game anytime soon.

We’ve had our challenges over the past several years. We’ve worked hard to over come them. And in many ways we have. There have been a couple of last hurdles to work our way over. It would always seem though that we would get so far and then get stopped.  And at this point those hurdles are not ones we can jump over, we will need a catapult.

Some time ago, being fed up with all the struggles, after screaming and crying and kicking at the Universe, I committed to doing whatever it took to make a better life. I had always worked hard toward this but something in me was different, it was beyond my normal angry. I prayed and I yelled out and I said, “tell me what I need to do! I’ll do it! I don’t have a problem with whatever it is, just let me know! Because obviously what I’m doing isn’t working!!”  I’ve always been about doing. I’ve always been about hard work. I feel better if I can DO; anything, as long as I’m moving. Well, it turns out, it seems what I needed to do was get out of the way.

So I was taken out. A trip rollerskating with my son, turned into a trip by ambulance to the emergency room. Having snapped both bones and the tendon in my right ankle, I was sent home to await surgery. The first thing I thought when I heard the bones snap was “shit”.  I just got a couple of really good mural jobs which was what I was counting on to make the money we needed to enable us to move out of where we are living. Because as it turns out, we need to move by May 4th. Only a couple of weeks away. And I immediately knew that I wouldn’t be standing on ladders anytime soon.

So for the past couple of weeks I’ve been confined to bed with my leg elevated. I have crutches to get me to the bathroom and back. I need help with EVERYTHING.  Now I am wondering not only how the hell am I supposed to pack, but where the hell are we supposed to go? My one shot  I thought I had and was about to take, was deflected.  I’ve been mad, frustrated, depressed, and in pain. But then my daughter takes my hand and tells me I’m “the best Mom ever”.  My other children come by and help where they can, my husband is rallying and doing his best. I’ve had friends tell me of their struggles, much greater than mine, that let me know they get it. And they will do whatever they can to help. In other words, they don’t care that my house is messy, my hair is greasy, I can’t get up and help, I may burst into tears at any given moment or anything else.  They will be there for us and I can’t tell you how important that is to me.

I realize through all of this that I made a commitment to a better life, and when you pray for something, the Universe will conspire to give it to you. Just never in the way you imagine. Right now I feel like I’m in the last few weeks of my last trimester of pregnancy. The time where you absolutely feel like shit and even though you don’t know exactly when that baby is coming it has to come, it will be soon and you’re no longer scared of much it will hurt because you are so tired of how much you’re hurting now.

So many lessons learned, so many yet to come. It’s tough to keep walking forward when you can’t see where you’re going (and you’re using crutches) But I’m not walking alone, and maybe that’s my biggest lesson.

I’m birthing a new me. A new life. I have NO idea where exactly I’ll end up or when exactly it will happen but I do  know it’s gonna be awesome.

I’ve always had a love of all things mysterious and magical. I remember at a very young age I would pick various flowers and herbs and attempt to make potions, perfumes, teas and tisanes. It seems this was an inherited trait. I come from a long line of those who infused magic into their every day lives, through palmistry, cooking, tarot and tea. And when I go back further, I see the penchant for Herbology has been there for quite sometime. It seems only natural that I would find myself recreating a family tradition relating to that most mysterious of drinks, the infamous Absinthe.

Some credit the good Doctor Ordinaire with the creation of Absinthe. But as so often is the case in our patriarchal society, history has been shaped to recognize those that are deemed acceptable, credible, more reputable? My dear ancestors, the Sisters Henriod had long been creating medicinal tinctures and tisanes to help the people in their village of Couvet, Switzerland. Many of their recipes were passed to them from their mother and her mother before.  Although the Sisters were well respected and their shoppe well patronized, they still needed to be wary of public opinion and the ever possible accusation of witchcraft. For even though the final Witchcraft Act of 1735 written into law led to prosecution for fraud rather than pacts with the Devil, both would result in death as the punishment.

(In fact this same act was still used in the 1940’s to prosecute spiritualists and Gypsies. It wasn’t repealed until 1951.)

Being clever people and recognizing their limitations for simply being women they decided to secure the help of their friend Pierre Ordinaire,  a French Doctor who had taken up residence in Couvet and at the time, rather fancied their mother. They petitioned his assistance to promote this increasingly popular medicinal known as Absinthe. His charming nature, good looks and respectable title of Doctor were well embraced and he proved to be a most natural salesman.  His credibility and successful promotions led to the purchasing of said recipe by a French businessman, Major Dubied, for a suitable sum. The Major then partnered with his son-in-law, Pernod to begin distillation. And the rest is history…until now…

Privately, those of us in the Orange Moon Tea Society have been enjoying my Absinthe Tea at our parties and gatherings for some time. After long discussions and encouragement from the ladies in the Society we have decided to make the tea publicly available along with some of our other signature blends. We are so excited at this prospect it has been difficult to have patience while we go through the nitty gritty of the business stuffs. We are much more adept at the creative aspects of the process.  However thanks to support  from our wonderful neighbor in Orange Moon Downs, Miss Flossie, we are able to offer her special Lenormand Bat Deck and other goodies from her Bat Emporium as incentives to raise funds for our endeavor. We are so much closer to our goal and production now! It’s nearly time to put the kettle on!

In the meantime, please follow along with us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumbler or our Website. And do take a look at our fundraising efforts HERE.  I’m sure there is something in our neck of the woods that will spark your imagination and tempt your tea loving tastebuds!

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I used my youngest daughter as the model for this little fairy. I was going to put her with a toad, but she wanted a kitty. This particular kitty, she named “Clever” after looking at the painting.  This is one of the pieces I’m working on for the Orange Moon Tea Society. They would like paintings of the various fairies now living in Mab’s greenhouse while they are rehabilitating and waiting to be returned to nature. Mab is one of the members of the Urban Fairy Rescue League. (URFL) they do amazing work with these magical beings. I’ll be documenting more soon. To learn more about Orange Moon Downs and the Tea Society, please stop by www.orangemoonteas.com

For the bat, this time of night is the beginning of their day. They view the world upside down and they fly skillfully  through the darkness. They can represent a rebirth and new beginnings. Bat can teach us how to change our perspective and look at our old world with new eyes. They teach us not to be afraid of the dark.

I find it interesting that the Bat is the symbol used to help get our new business of the ground. They inspired the amazing Lenormand Cards that Bethalynne has designed, the posters promoting the Orange Moon Tea Society. The bats reign!

Over the years I have tried many things. Bits and pieces of endeavors that for one reason or another didn’t go beyond the trial but did get me to the next adventure. Looking back, I can see that these ideas were not bad, not wrong but for the timing and the tweaking.

Now I am revisiting the old world with new eyes. Like the bat, I am learning to change my perspective, learning to see in the dark. And all those old ideas are being revisited and re-birthed in a new and unexpected way. It has taken time and experience to begin to see how the pieces can fit, to see that there is a place for them.

My life has been filled with a lot of hard work for a very long time. It is amazing to do something that is fun. Just for me. Just because. And to have it develop into something that can be sustainable, well…that would be the best.

The bat symbolizes triumph even in darkness. They are survivors and let’s face it, they’re adorable (especially in top hats). I’m thrilled to go along for this ride.

The Kitchen Witch in me is thrilled to be creating my teas again. Creating a tea to match the personality of a fictitious character is even more fun! The teas above do just that. They are created to represent the characters in the Snapdragon stories. These stories are about a town called Orange Moon Downs. And there, the most wonderful and mysterious things happen to strange and wonderful characters.

So in and among my more traditional art and mural painting, I get to create art for the palate. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time. To be able to partner in this endeavor with a dear friend whose inner machinations of the mind are as twisted and creative as mine, is wonderful. Who knows where this may lead?  But we’ve no doubt that we are going to have a blast along the way.

Please stop by our website: http://www.orangemoonteas.com/   There you will be able to read snippets of stories to introduce you to the world of Orange Moon Downs, see our teas, view the artifacts of this mysterious city and learn more about this new adventure.

It’s been awhile since I’ve pulled a card. Tonight in particular I was called to pick up the deck. The Three of Cups jumped out as I shuffled. Since that was the one that seemed to want to talk, I decided to listen.

I think it’s been talking to me all day. I’ve been mulling over in my brain the idea of play.  I mentioned something about that in my reading for the year that I did in January. Now a couple of months later I am beginning to see how that might work in my life. Play, as a sustainable way of living. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

The Three of Cups traditionally represents friendship and celebration, creativity and community.  As a culture, we tend to work an awful lot.  We work through our lunch breaks, we work on the weekends, we work through the night. For most of us, we don’t see much return for all that work we put in. So why not play once in awhile? What have we got to lose?

There is something to be said for doing that thing that brings you joy, makes you laugh, connects you with others. When you celebrate life, celebrate living, your energy changes and you begin to bring to you all those juicy things life has to offer. Who wants to hang out with someone who only works, is stressed, doesn’t take time for love, beauty and joy?

This card will pop up in your life when it’s time to celebrate. It’s YOUR time now.  Maybe you don’t think you have anything to celebrate, but you do. If you’re reading this, you’re alive. Celebrate that. You will begin to see more and more things in your life that are good. You will shift away from anxious feelings. And more and more good things will come to you.

Play with your work, make it a game. Play with your money, make it a game. You know it really is. Most of us take it so seriously. We get caught up in a mentality that keeps us forever stuck in a certain kind of relationship, a certain socio-economic status, certain jobs. We buy into the idea that we must work, work, work, work to be of any value. But what of the value of play?

Play brings laughter. Play brings joy. Play brings a creative mindset that allows us to see solutions to our problems. Play brings people together so that we can support each other and help each other. Play allows friendships to grow and relationships to flourish. There is great value in that.

Take the time. Make the time. You hereby have my permission. Go have some fun. You’re worth it.