Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween

Hello everyone! Happy Halloween! So, I was curious the other day to find out about the history of Halloween. Now, as a Christian, I really don't believe in all the witchcraft and ghost's of the dead stuff. In fact my family doesn't really celebrate or support the "dark side" of Halloween if you know what I mean. However, it is interesting to know what the original celebration of Halloween was. Below is an article I found on www.History.com that explains the history of Halloween. Let me know your thoughts! P.S. I'm on Blog Lovin' now everyone! Follow my blog with Bloglovin




Ancient Origins of Halloween 

(Courtesy of www.history.com)

Halloween's origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By 43 A.D., the Roman Empire had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in late October when the Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of "bobbing" for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome in honor of all Christian martyrs, and the Catholic feast of All Martyrs Day was established in the Western church. Pope Gregory III (731–741) later expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs, and moved the observance from May 13 to November 1. By the 9th century the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted the older Celtic rites. In 1000 A.D., the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It is widely believed today that the church was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. All Souls Day was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils. The All Saints Day celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the traditional night of Samhain in the Celtic religion, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. 




Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Healthy Skin

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a lovely Tuesday! Everyone loves healthy skin, right? I certainly do! Today I wanted to share with you all a few products from Clean and Clear that I use to keep my skin nice and healthy. Let me know what you think about these products! 



I love this Deep Action Cream Cleanser! This product makes my face extra fresh, clean, and clear. What I love most about this cream is that it helps get rid of those annoying zits! :)

I don't know what I'd do without these Oil Absorbing Sheets! I love these because they get rid of all that oil on your face and, like it says, doesn't smudge your makeup! These are really nice to have for your purse. 

I use this foaming facial cleanser all the time! This product keeps my face nice and clean by getting all that bacteria off after a long day.
Ah yes, my favorite Morning Burst Body Wash! This body wash is especially fresh! 



Monday, October 29, 2012

Writing Inspiration

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful Monday! Today for my writing inspiration, I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite poems by famous 20th Century poet, Robert Frost. I actually came across this poem during my literature reading for school a few weeks ago, and just had to share it with you all. Let me know what you think about this poem! I hope it inspires you as much as it did me!



The Road Not Taken
By: Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there
 Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.




Sunday, October 28, 2012

Back to Blogging!



Hello all! Hope you're having a lovely Sunday! Well, it's certainly good to be back to the blogging world :) I've missed you all a bunch! I've got lots of awesome posts to share with you all, so come back soon to see! 



Sunday, October 7, 2012

Taking a Break




Hello everyone! I hope you are having a lovely day! Lately, I must admit, I have been swamped with schoolwork. You can't really expect anything less from high school, though :) So I decided to take a little break from blogging. Don't worry, I'm not stopping blogging forever. I'll miss you all!


Saturday, October 6, 2012

Deliciousness!

Hello all! I hope you are having a great Saturday! So I tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks a few days ago and fell madly in love with it! And of course, I just had to find a recipe to make at home in case you can't make it to Starbucks.


Pumpkin Spice Latte 
1. Make coffee (a pot, a cup, in whatever fashion and however you prefer making your coffee.   The stronger the better)
  2. Make Pumpkin Milk
1 c milk (I used almond milk but use any kind you want from half and half to rice milk)
1/4 heaping cup pumpkin puree (more if you really love pumpkin)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice blend, or to taste
1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1 tsp vanilla extract
sweetener of choice, to taste (I suggest 2 tbsp agave or 2 tbsp brown sugar or a pinch of stevia to taste; or try honey, maple syrup, etc. to taste)
Optional: pinch of ground nutmeg, ginger, garam masala, cardamom, or other warming spices to taste
Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well by hand or blend all ingredients using aVita or blender
Optional: Warm the finished pumpkin milk mixture in the microwave or on the stovetop (I do a quick nuke of about 1 minute)
  3. Pour 1 c of brewed coffee into a mug and pour half the pumpkin milk mixture over the top of the coffee and enjoy.  (Optional: Finish by garnishing with real whipped cream/whipped topping such as CoolWhip orTruWhip; and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice/cinnamon on top)
The other half of the pumpkin milk mixture is for the refill you know you will want.  If you truly don’t want a refill, refrigerate it for up to a few days and use for your next latte, in a smoothie, or drink it as is.  As long as you’re dirtying dishes, I always make a little extra for refills or for later.
Notes:
The spices will not “blend” or entirely dissolve.  This is to be expected and normal.  If this bothers you, this may not the recipe for you and you may want to experiment with other recipes or techniques.
All spices and seasonings are to taste; in this case, mine.  If you want to reduce the spices (or increase them), obviously adjust everything according to your own taste preferences.  Some people may find the amounts I used a bit strong, but I like robust flavors.


Friday, October 5, 2012

Friday's Fashion Finds- Guest Post from August at Shiny Rags and Cheap Riches

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful Friday! Today, I am so excited to welcome August from Shiny Rags and Cheap Riches! I love her blog, so it is such an honor to have her guest posting here today. Definitely go check out her blog! Enjoy!

Hey! I'm August. My blog is called Shiny Rags and Cheap Riches. It's about girly stuff, but it's also about using cheaper brands that more people could afford instead of the $30 makeup that most beauty gurus use. I also post things about my life, just whatever I feel like. In this post here, Madison asked me to do a Friday's Fashion Finds. I decided to make outfits on polyvore (http://apritchett.polyvore.com/because it was easier and more fun to find everything to make the outfits.





 The one with the green bag is not something that I would wear, but I was
 inspired by the bag and thought of how I would style it. I tried to use the
 complementary, which is red, to make it pop. But, I didn't want to make it
 Christmassy, so I paired them with the striped jeans and nude studded flats.

 In the middle one, I was inspired by the ferris wheel. I love vintage
 carnival stuff. The outfit is romantic and the clutch looks like something
 that my great-grandmother would have. I would paint my nails in the green
 color to go with the outfit. The shoes add a little pop of fun color
 without being too much.

 The last one is similar to what I wear everyday. It's girly, with vintage
 romantic and a touch of quirky Kawaii. In my closet, I could probably find
 something similar to everything in the picture.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

All Around the World Thursday!

Hello all! Hope you are having a fantastic Thursday! So today for Around the World Thursday, I wanted to show you all Copenhagen, Denmark. Let me know what you think! Be sure to come back tomorrow for an awesome guest post!






Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Just to Make You Smile!

Hello all! Hope you are having a fantastic Wednesday! Well, today I wanted to post a few things just to make you smile. Everyone needs a good laugh, right? :) Enjoy! Let me know which one is your fav.








Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Fall Bucket List

Hello everyone! Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday! Today I wanted to show you all a 2012 Fall Bucket List. Bucket lists are pretty fun. They give you lots of opportunities to spend time with friends and family and really enjoy the season! Let me know what you think! By the way, please come back this Friday for a guest post you wont want to miss!


Monday, October 1, 2012

Writing Inspiration

Hello all! Hope you are having a nice Monday! So one tip I have received from many authors and fellow story writers for finding new ideas, is reading. Reading inspires writers and gives them a place to start. It gives us examples and ideas. Reading honestly inspires all people, not just writers. That's the amazing part about it, I guess :) I love the way Dr. Seuss put it in this quote below. Let me know what you think!