When summer turns to fall many delight in the return of pumpkin spice lattes. As the leaves begin to show brassy hues, heralding the changing seasons it is apples and apple cider that call to me. Apples are a magical fruit across cultures and seasons. In Norse mythology the mention of apples brings to mind the lovely goddess Idunn. She is the gardener and keep are the apples of youth. Unlike most other goddesses of the Æsir and Vanir, Idunn is neither a warrior nor a sovereign queen of a realm. She is literally youth personified keeping the gods young by sharing her apples. NORSE GODS: IÐUN ..read more

In my professional life I work nights as a hospital blood bank tech at a Trauma Center. Accidents, and acts of violence bring injuries into the ER to see our trauma team and I’m here to prepare and supply blood products when required. I am not a First Responder in a traditional sense – I seldom see patients in person. I’m part of the care team nonetheless, and as situations worsen, I become more intricately involved. The more work I do for a particular patient the more emotionally invested I become. I am elated when they beat the odds and heartaches when they don’t pull through. I’ve been told ..read more

I wrote this post on Dec 2nd 2012, on my first tiny blog. The blog private and was intended to help me while I worked through the ADF Dedicant Path, however this was a post about my daughter and the process of healing and coping with adoption as a birthmother. I decided to copy it and leave it mostly* unedited here a decade later to preserve the place I was then. *I did remove names for privacy. The Yule/Christmas gift I sent to my daughter and her Dads in 2012. The shirts read “Proud Papa” & “Devoted Daddy”. The light blue footie pajamas say “Daddy & Papa LOVE Me!” “Pajama shirts ..read more

I love caroling but I prefer not to sing Christian Christmas songs. I wanted a collection of songs that I would enjoy singing and that would be good for wassailing the trees or caroling to the neighbors. To me that meant relatively simple melodies or familiar tunes that sound good acapella. Yuletide Carols booklet Printing Directions I’ve set this up to be printed as a booklet. The cover file just gets printed normally. For the three sections select the booklet printing option and it will automatically order the pages so the section can just be folded in half to creating an easy to manage boo ..read more

For many eggnog is a holiday staple. A rich and creamy beverage that tastes like Christmas spirit. Others find it disgusting. I think it’s about finding the right eggnog to make it worth drinking. Jump to Eggnog Recipe As the weather gets colder the refrigerated section of the grocery store begins to boast festively decorated cartons of thick syrupy sweet eggnog. Growing up various cartons found a way into my parents fridge, and I tried it dutifully. Despite possessing a ravenous sweet-tooth I was never a big fan of the festive beverage. That is until I tried making  Alton Brown‘s Aged E ..read more

The Yule goat is a tradition common across Scandinavia. Known as a julbock (Sweden), julebukk (Norway), or olkipukki (Finland), today’s Yule goat Christmas decoration is plaited of straw and tied with red ribbons. This straw goat, and the importance of goats around the winter solstice, has several traditions and stories. Stories and History of the Yule Goat One story is that it was traditionally burned as a sacrifice for Thor during the Yuletide celebration of the winter solstice. Thor was known to have two goats who pulled his chariot across the sky. They are named Tanngrisnir (“teeth-barer ..read more

Continuing September is Self-Care month Mental Self-Care Mental self-care can include any activity the stimulates your mind or your intellect. This can be doing things to declutter your mind like practicing mindfulness, and writing out your thoughts, it can also focus on reducing your stress levels and self-compassion. Just like its important to keep your body healthy and active its important to engage our minds. There is no wrong way to take care of your mental health, as long as it helps you relax and feel good! Beyond stimulating activities, mental self-care also encompasses learning how t ..read more

September is Self-Care month The first component of self-care I’m addressing is Physical self-care. Physical self-care can seem like the most mundane of self-care practices. It focuses on hygiene for yourself and your space. Most blogs would focus this on creating a healthy diet and exercise plan. Those are important too, but as someone who is neurodivergent those aren’t always particularly accessible or interesting options. When I thing about physical self care it Motions, Foods, Rest, and Hygiene Motion When I think of physical anything I think of exercising. For some motion and exercise co ..read more

September is Self-Care month Self-care is not selfish; it is not a waste of time. Self-care isn’t frivolous spending and self-indulgence or rather its not indulgence alone. It’s an essential component of prevention for distress, burnout, and impairment. Self-care shouldn’t be considered as something “extra” or “nice to do” but only if you have the time. Self-care should be a regular practice and through it you can fortify your emotional, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social wellbeing. It is foundational to your overall health and well-being. It can be an enchanting mag ..read more

Three day weekend filled with yard sales, BBQs to kick-off summer, flag themed décor and mattress sales. These are the tell tell signs of Memorial Day weekend in the US. While it may mark the unofficial start to summer its meaning is more somber and deserving of consideration. The day is meant to honor the slain. This festive weekend can be both about honoring those who sacrificed everything to protect their country and a celebration of the life they aspired to protect. For the Slain not the Soliders The purpose of Memorial day is to remember those lost in wars. The differences between the h ..read more