My mission statement!

A mission statement is a sort of 'code of conduct' I guess, I think they are most commonly used for business purposes, but I think having a personal one is a really good idea, keeps you in check and reminds you of your values. It took a long time to work out what is important to me, and I think it still needs a bit of refining, but here it is in essence. (Although I don't like the term 'mission statement', it sounds too aggressive, so i've renamed it...it's more like a kind of petition to the gods to keep me on the right path!)

“…As I will it, so shall it be!”
(My personal goals, ideals & philosophies…)

1~I am good…
I shall be kind, friendly, open, honest and trustworthy. I shall try to listen twice as much as I speak. I shall give generously of myself and my time when I can. I shall strive to be truthful in thought, word and deed.

2~I am joyful…
I shall allow myself to be playful, carefree, light-hearted, jolly & mischievous whenever and wherever I can!

3~I am brave, hear me roar!
I shall be confident, energetic, passionate & unafraid in my approach to life generally. I shall live according to my own ideals and principles, not be acted upon by the will of others. I shall relish the opportunities given to me & enjoy the adventure!

4~I take care of myself…
I shall strive to balance peace in my soul, joy in my heart, and health in my body & mind. To this end I shall eat well, exercise often, smile daily, meditate, and rest when I need to.

5~I am learning all the time…
I shall be creative and constructive, seeking to learn new things & improve my knowledge & ability in those things I do already.

6~I see beauty in everything…
Referring to me during the speech he made at our wedding, my husband said “she sees beauty in everything”. This I think, is my most favourite thing that anyone has ever said about me. I want always to be this person and be worthy of such a compliment. I shall strive always to see the beauty in all things. I shall remember to be thankful everyday and not take things for granted.

7~I believe in things I cannot see…
My tree hugging, faerie tickling, stargazing, weird witchy ways have been at the very core of me since childhood and I feel that living in this strange & wonderful world of moonbeams & mermaids has kept me sane (well… of a fashion!). I shall honour all that is sacred to me with the enthusiastic and unshakable faith of a child, with regular contemplation of all that is magical and lovely, and with joyous celebration of the changing seasons.

8~I take pride in what I do…
My role as a housewife is one I am happy to have. Our home is a shelter, a sanctuary- friends have said we could sell time here as a kind of therapy and I’ve always been immensely proud that our home & hospitality can heal. I want our home to be a place where myself, my family & our guests find peace, warmth & joy. To this end I shall keep the house comfortable, welcoming and as clean & orderly as having a young child will allow! I will provide nourishment for body and soul with hearty meals, scrumptious cakes, cookies and warming brews, all served up in an atmosphere of cosy contentment. Ahhhhh…

9~I am a mother…
…and I believe this is the most important thing I can be. I want my children to love, to learn and to laugh. I shall raise my son (and any future children we may be blessed with!) with love, not anger ; strength, not fear ; joy, not duty ; and patience, not haste. I shall be nurturing & encouraging and remember that time spent with my child is never wasted time.

New years resolutions!

Nothing fancy here, just a list of the things I'd like to achieve this year, as discussed around the fire at Imbolc!

1)Add at least 30 more goals to my '101 things to do before I die' list (an ongoing project this, it's tragic that so far I can only think of 30 things I want to do!)
2)Learn to juggle.
3)Try to use baby signing as much as I can.
4)Do more outdoorsy things...
5)Eat at least 3 veggie meals a week.
6)Strive to be more enviromentally responsible by switching off lights and appliances when not using them, not driving short distances, recycling everything that can be recycled and trying to produce as little waste as possible.
7)Live and eat seasonally and locally.
8)Be punctual!
9)Write my mission statement. Done! (see my next post for details!)
10)Work hard to live in accordance with my mission statement.
11)Don't rush...(This is really going to clash with no.8...)

Why Barefoot??

Feet. Not a big fan of them, asthetically speaking. I have my mother's feet, she always said they were like E.T's hands...I have never met anybody with attractive feet, those whose feet are structurally sound will always have a peculiar toenail or two. Shoes, on the other hand I'm very fond of ( it's a strange girly weakness). That in mind...why Barefoot Boo?
Because I'm a big ol' hippie at heart! Because your feet connect you to the earth, because they ground you, because your skin likes to breathe and your toes like to wiggle, because being barefoot FEELS great! You know it's true! Cast your foot shackles aside and join me! We'll go paddling! :-)

Snow!

And I forgot to mention it's been snowing!! Yip yip! This is the first year in ages where it feels like the season it actually is! Went for a lovely snowy walk the other day, we decided against carrying Baby Boo in a sling for fear of slipping over, but after about an hour of forcing the pushchair through the snow I think Mr Boo was starting to think the sling may have been the way to go after all! ;)

Had a giggle yesterday, my brother and his girlfriend popped by with their shiny new sledge, which made it's maiden voyage down one of the lovely hills surrounding my home. I was suddenly struck by how fantastic it is to live somewhere you can go sledging right outside your front door! If only there were more snow...

Imbolc ~ The Festival of Light!

Last night we had our annual Imbolc gathering. I love this festival, it never fails to leave me feeling inspired and hopeful! The wheel of the year is turning and the season is underway ~ life is begin to stir as the first shoots emerge. Light is returning, but there are still dark days to come. It is a time for planning, to think of the year ahead ~ a time of hope, when dreams seem just a touch nearer as the darkness lifts a little. For each of the 8 Celtic seasonal festivals I throw a little dinner party and I invite a few friends over to celebrate and partake of a lil' magic and merriment. The Imbolc feast in Boo's kitchen is mushroom stuffed pancakes served with creme fraiche and beetroot salad (which was sadly missing this year 'cause some fool forgot to buy beetroot...). Pancakes are eaten in many traditions at this time of year as they represent the sun we are so gladly welcoming back. And they are yummy... This is followed by roast chicken (free range & organic of course!) with puy lentils in a red wine and garlic sauce, savoy cabbage and mashed swede & parsnips. The lentils are my way of showering a little good luck on my guests and the coming year, their round shape representing little coins. Following this we have Russian poppy seed cake, seeds being very relevant to this time of year with it's budding fertility. It is a truly scrummy cake, and its very distinctive flavour is really beginning to become associated with this festival in my mind, Imbolc cake, yippee! We eat around the table centrepiece, the corn dolly of the Lammas festival, who is lying cosy surrounded by candles. This is representative of the ancient 'brides bed' rite, whereby the dolly is laid in a basket or something else to suggest a bed and a wand, candle, or other vaguely phallic object ( ie, longer than it is wide!) is laid across her to invoke the fertility of the land and ensure a bountiful harvest in the coming year. We have nothing really to harvest here in the literal sense of the word, although Mr Boo tells me he plans to grow tomatoes and beans on our patio this year, so we'll see what the bride does for us later in the year!


In our house we see Imbolc as the start of the year and don't start any new years resolutions until now. This gives us all of January to think about what we hope to achieve during the coming year (...and recover from the almost certain Yuletide overindulgence without going cold turkey and throwing ourselves into a detox that will surely fail!). Themes of this festival traditionally include healing and purification (represented by water) and creativity (represented by fire ~ the flames of inspiration & passion) so after dinner we 'purify' ourselves by washing our faces with salt water and then sit around a blazing fire talking through our plans for the year ahead. It's lovely to do this with friends and really get a sense of who everyone is and the direction their lives are taking them, I had a really nice time (hopefully they did too!). At some point I'll post a list of this years resolutions ~ 'the seeds we wish to sow', but talking with everyone brought to light a few things I'd like to alter or add to my list so it need a bit of tweaking!

By the end of the evening I felt happy and inspired and looking forward to the year ahead, a time of new beginnings. Get those candles lit, turn on all the lights and ask that the light may find and fill your home this year, and may Brigid bless you with creativity and inspiration!

Witchy Boo!

xxx

Traditional symbols of Imbolc & other associated bits and bobs…

Colours: pale blues & white
Flowers: snowdrops & other winter bulbs
Gods/Goddess: St Bridget, Brigid (ancient grain goddess ~ also of fertility and fire/creativity and inspiration)
Symbols: candles, corn dollies.
Foods: pancakes(representing the sun), lentils (fortune & luck), seeds (growth)