Today's post is just a quick update on things going on around here. I have my final state test to take on the 15th of this month! Once I pass that, all I have to do is basically wait for my license, then I can start working! I'm a little nervous and excited. Not about the test, but about actually working. I know I know my stuff, but I always seem to get nervous before working with a client, especially when doing artificial nail services. So hopefully things will go well once I start working.

On another note, I feel like things have gone stagnant here at the blog, so I have a plan... Ready for it? While I wanted to do the Ask Willow thing, and probably still will, I'm also thinking about starting out by posting beginner information. That way I'm reteaching myself, and helping out seekers as well :D This is not a party like the last one I wanted to do, but I will be working with the same things I had outlined. So, I hope you guys will tune in, and read along! I will start posting these new topics on Monday, and of course, you guys are more than welcome to leave comments, or post your opinions on your blogs and leave a link! Hope to see you all tomorrow! Bright blessings!

I Have Internet!!!

I finally got internet installed at my house. Super excited! I'm doing a little better on my Weight Watchers thing, but after last night, I'm a little depressed about it. I started the program out at 246, and I weighed myself last night... 257! So I'm working harder trying to get this damn weight off. I don't want to be the person that can't do something because of my weight. So I'm working out more, did 30 minutes of kickboxing last night, and staying much more strict on the points area, and hopefully at the end of the week I'll have some more results, that I like!

I'm excited to have internet back at my house. Now maybe I can write things a little more meaningful than I have been. I've had an idea, and I'd like your opinion on it. Some time last week, I got an email from someone new to the Pagan/Wiccan path, asking my opinion on killing spiders, scorpions and such. I was a little confused about it at first until I remembered that I'm a WitchVox sponsor, and I have a listing as clergy. After responding to her email, I got to thinking... There are so many people out there with questions, and they aren't sure where to turn for answers. I remember as a child, when I first became interested in magick, I had so many questions, but I didn't know where to turn. So... what if I do an Ask Willow sort of thing for seekers? In that option I would have certain days where I answer questions emailed to me on the blog. Of course, if I don't have the answer to a question, I will find the answer (and in keeping honest, give credit where it is due). Or in option number 2, I could start a second blog called Ask Willow and it would serve only to answer email questions. What's your opinion? And would anyone be able to help me get the word out about it? Let me know in the comments friends :D

Start Over

I haven't posted in a little while. Haven't really had that much to say. But today, I wanted to share with my blogging friends. I have things almost pretty much set up the way I want them here at home. I still need to get the fence built, and still need to get my day bed in here instead of the couch, but things are working out in their own ways.

I've been mainly focusing on myself during all of this. I've decided I want to learn a little about voodoo/hoodoo, and I've read a little on the subject and am enjoying what I'm learning so far. Also, I've been part of Weight Watchers online for quite a while, since Yule, and I realized I've not lost near the weight I should have in the few months I've been on the plan. That's because I followed it for a while, then just fell back into bad habits for several reasons. My friend Sarita joined WW as well, just last week, and it made me realize that I need to get back on track. So now I'm trying to get more serious about the program. Thankfully Sarita has my back on it this go round, and I think it will help.

I am an xbox 360 owner, and I plan on going into town tonight to pick up a kinect because my xbox is kinect ready, and zumba, and maybe one more workout game. I think if its a game that I can do in my own home I'll be more likely to actually workout. Plus I actually really do like zumba. I wonder if they make a yoga one for xbox kinect? I like yoga too, and have a mat somewhere lol.

I sit here slightly disappointed today. This was to be the day that our blog party started, but I've only had 2 people respond to my posts about doing the party. Maybe it wasn't time to have a party here at the blog, maybe I timed it badly, however it does bother me just a little that only 2 people were even interested in doing a back to basics blog party. That's okay though, because while I'm back on a seekers path, I've decided I'm interested in Voodoo/Hoodoo, so I'll be studying more again. I'll share my journey with you guys as always, and I hope you guys stick around.

I've had no more sales on my Etsy shop too. That just means I won't spend any more on supplies until I make some money back on what I already have there. No sense in filling the shop with stuff that no one wants. That breaks my heart, because I truly enjoy making these things, and I truly enjoy it when people show interest in them. I will be featured in a giveaway at some point in time, which I truly look forward to. I sincerely hope everyone is doing well. I need to make the rounds again and catch back up, as always.

I've finally got electricity at my home, like I've told you guys before. Now I have TV, but I still need to call and have the internet installed. I'm just waiting to get the money together because I know they will have a lot of things they will need to install. The only internet my home ever had was through Clearwire, and I loved their service, however they don't come out to Whiteface, so I had to let them go. That saddened me as well, because now the only place that offers internet here is Windstream, and I'm a girl that loves my options. I hate having options taken away from me, and now I'm down to I can choose to have internet through the one company that offers it in this town, or I can do without, and you know me my dear friends, I can't do without internet for very long.

So while waiting for the money to have internet installed at my house I'm using Mom's internet during the day. I find that I love researching as much as I can on things, and when I sit down to write a post here I'm always interrupted by one thing or another. Easier to wait and get totally serious with my blogging once I have the freedom of an internet connection in my personal home. So, yeah, those are the things going on right now :D Hope the rest of you are doing well.

Book Review: The Good Energy Book

 I promised you guys a book review, and here it is! First, please let me say that the good people over at Llewellyn publishing gave me this book in exchange for a review. I am not obliged to write a good review, just a review. Now, on to the fun stuff! 

The Good Energy Book: Creating Harmony and Balance For Yourself and Your Home by Tess Whitehurst is a terrific book. With that being said, I feel as if Ms. Whitehurst relied more heavily on energy for your home than yourself in this book, which is slightly disappointing, because she goes over almost all that in her book Magical Housekeeping. However, she does give some very awesome techniques for clearing yourself, and doing energy healing on yourself, which in turn can be used on other; it's just disappointingly buried under all the magical housekeeping discussed in this book. 

The chapter on personal hygiene (energetically speaking) has some awesome tips, and are wonderful to work with. And she does have amazing tips on clearing the energy in your home, and creating harmony in the home. I personally found new clearing techniques I'd never used before and tried one of them (The Rainbow Woman clearing) and I'll be 100% honest, my house felt like a totally new home! The walls even looked different! So, all in all, this book is pretty good. If you're looking for something more focused on personal energy, and creating personal harmony, healing, and balance, this book is a good starting point, but if you're like me and already new some of the basics and was looking for something deeper, look elsewhere. 

However, please don't mistake my disappointment in this book as disapproval. I actually really enjoyed this book while reading it, and now that I've done my review I plan on reading it again to work on some of the exercises in it. This book does touch on very useful things, and things I'd personally never heard of until I read this book. So, while I was disappointed because I expected to find a book about personal energy work, and not just a couple chapters, this is a good book to have around and would make a good basis for starting out on home clearing and personal energetic balance. So all in all I give this book 3.5 stars, but I do suggest reading it, just don't expect too much work on yourself.

Finally!

I'm finally slowly moving into my house now! The electricity is finally hooked up. We still have a lot of work to do, but things are finally moving along! I spent the night last night here in the house with my two doggies, and all was well. I was happy to finally take a shower when I wanted to in my shower. Princess and I sat up and watched Horrible Bosses, which by the way, is pretty freaking funny.

We still need to get the skirting up around the house, and build my fence for everything to be basically 100% but at least we're making progress! I've spent today cleaning. I absolutely love west Texas because its home, but I absolutely hate the dirt here! Even when it doesn't look like its blowing that damn dirt is still moving around! It creeps into your house like ants, only it seems like ants are easier to get rid of than dirt!

The last time I was living in my house I didn't worry too much about organization, because I knew eventually I would be moving the house. Now that it's sitting where it will hopefully be sitting permanently, I vow to organize things better. So right now there are things strewn everywhere, but I'm planning on having Mom help me figure out great ways to organize things better so I don't feel extremely overwhelmed by all the stuff in the house. The lived in look is fine, so cluttered that I'm falling over crap is not lol.

Still Looking

We're still doing the blog party, and it starts on the 23rd of this month. So far I only have 2 guest posters signed up, so there's lots of room for many more! If you would like to be a guest poster, please click the contact me image in the right hand corner here and leave me a message. I'll send you a PDF. of the outline of the blog party, and you can let me know what you would like to cover. Use the inLinkz link tool below to sign up as well, so that way I can keep everyone organized, and I can add you to the participants page. Grab the blog party button and display it on your blog! We'll be covering a new topic each week, and during those weeks, I would like to receive different points of views on each topic, so I would like at least 2 guest posts per topic. Help me get the word out so we can have a well rounded conversation! Also, here's the perks! All participants, whether guest posters or readers of the party, are also entering into one big drawing to win digital book of shadows pages from me! I will draw 3 winners. Winner number one will receive 10 BOS pages from me and will be able to collab with me on exactly how they want them to look! Winners number 2 and 3 will receive their choice of any 3 pages in my Etsy shop. If you don't like what you see there, you can collab with me on 3 pages of your own! So, do you want to participate? Sign up with the link tool below! And don't forget to email me to get the outline of the blog party!