Aaremin’s Table

As to where I’ve been again – we’ve moved!

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Into our own HOUSE!  *insert kermit flail here!*

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Budget shall be my new middle name – eek!

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Slowly unpacking and reorganizing – remembered to go and grab some free banana’s from the Circle K Diamondback thingie last night – 6lbs of frozen chunks now reside in my freezer, while one 3lb bunch still graces the counter tops mwahahahah (I predict banana bread and smoothies in my future!)

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So soon things like menu ideas and more savings stuff shall appear here, I promise!

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So there’s been a promotion running here in Arizona with Circle K and the Diamondbacks – something to do with the number of strikeouts they get when they play at home (yeah I have no idea how it works exactly heh)

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When they play at home, coupons are available to be printed at that link up there – so far I’ve gotten free 32oz drinks, diamondback hotdogs (which are 100% all beef nom!), coffee, breakfast pastries, sandwiches and Banana’s!  So on their last home stretch we snagged ourselves some free goodies, including a LOT of bananas (3lb bags)

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So as everyone knows, when a banana starts to head downhill, one tosses it in the freezer, at least I do (although I do want to get into the habit of cutting them up, freezing them in chunks, but that’s for the future).  So last night I had a sprint of energy and dug 5 of them out.  I have a really simple banana bread recipe – shall I share it?  Sure!

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3 or 4 banana’s (I’ve been known to use 5 if they are smaller)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of sweetener

1 3/4 cup flour

3 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix the banana’s, sweetener and eggs – then mix up the dry in another bowl – then mix the two together (if it seems dry, I’ve splashed soy milk, or almond milk, or just milk in to soften it up).  Toss into the dish of your choice, then bake at 350F for 25minutes, then 300F for 30minutes.

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I’ve added raisins to this, or chocie chips, or like last night, leftover .88cent blueberries from my $7 Fry’s trip last week.  The result?

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This size was chose on purpose, so I could bake them in my toaster oven so as to not heat up my kitchen horrifically.  And they are the perfect size!

So the other day I received a sample plus coupons for Crystal Light Fitness from Vocalpoint, and since its made with truvia its something my darling will drink!

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It seemed Albertson’s had it on sale for 2/$4.00 (regular price $3.59), so I rushed home and grabbed the coupons, which were $2.00 off one – so..

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I paid one fat dime, that’s it!

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See?  Ahh, I love coupons *grin*

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I have entered the Tropical Traditions Flaxseed Giveaway at Contest Corner

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Its simple to enter, and I’ll make it easier – just click here and follow the directions to enter!

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Fingers Crossed!

So yeah, we’re in for some changes in budget here within the month so I’ve started paying a LOT more attention to the grocery sales, dabbling here and there.  An example of said dabbling?

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Ignoring the fuzzy kitty checking out the hotdogs, or my lame attempt at a decent cell phone picture, all of this only cost

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$7.84!

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yep, that’s 4 packages of hot dogs, 2 packages of fruit roll ups, 2 body washes, 3 bottles of tea, one container of lemonade mix, two boxes of cheese popcorn, one bottle of salad dressing, and one little package of blueberries – oh yeah babe (at Fry’s)

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I also hit cvs cause I use an ointment for my skin that only they sell – well sold – my usual cvs was out and it had been marked down on clearance (pout, guess that means I’m ordering it online now) – so we ran down into the valley to the other one and grabbed all 4 jars.  But I’d also picked up the power bar deal – .99 each limit 3, get .99 in Extra Care Bucks back (I got all three), and their cvs version of tylenol – $3.99, get $3.00 back in ecb.  So spent a little more than planned there, but I’m set on ointment for a month while I find a good online deal.

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This week I lost my fur baby, my familiar, my Xander.  He’s always been our special boy from the time he was a wee kitten.  His broken leg, the infection that almost went into his bones, his specialized surgery on his wee nether regions that never developed the same way, his leg that never grew with the rest of him as a result.  Right down to his liver that was too small for him which is why we lost him.  Desert Vet Clinic here locally is the BEST, they worked with us, they did everything they could for him, and seeing even just a tech start to cry when we showed up to pick up his ashes well..  He wasn’t just special to us.

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We rescued him, and his sister.  He saw our lives change when we moved.  He went from being a little gimpy dove hunter to an indoor cat who was my special baby.  He came to me when I was sad, he was there when I did ritual.  He slept with us, he watched tv with us.  He welcomed Masuka when my darling brought home a kitten he found at the motel.  My Xander was so strong right up until the end.  We visited him before the end, and he meowed just once.  I know now he was not saying goodbye, he was saying until next time.

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He’s not the first cat we’ve lost since I’ve came to be with my darling.  Some have disappeared.  A few have passed and have been buried on family ground.  Two are on our permanent cat altar.  But Xander has been different.  I have never mourned like I have for him.  I’ve felt so lost since the day we had to make that call for him not to suffer any more.  I tried to drown my sorrows, but that didn’t help.   But now we have his ashes home with us.  He’s on our altar, next to the feline Patroness Bastet, and our beloved Tyger and Beth.  And I feel different.  He’s here with me.  This is how I know he was truly my first familiar.  He’s already trying to show me in dreams who he will be the next time he finds us.  So I’ll know.

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We’re already seeing some of his traits in the others.  Abby, his sister who was rescued with him, is sitting on the arms of the furniture, pawing at us like he used to – she’s also crawling into bed with us like he did – something she Never did before.  Chuck and Masuka also doing little things like he did.  And the Grande Dame Mina – the kitty we’ve had the longest, since me and darling have been together, she’s being more affectionate, in a consoling manner it seems.  We’ve seen this before with fur children who’ve passed, some of their traits showing up in others – its quite amazing to see in all reality.

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Our future has some fairly big changes coming, and I wished upon wishes that he could have been here with us while it happened.  But I know he IS actually still with us, and that each step we take forward leads us to finding him again in his new reincarnation.

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I apologize to anyone reading this that my post caused you to be sad over one of your own memories coming forth, but I needed to get this out.  I love my Xander, and even though his physical form is gone for now, he’s never gone from my heart.

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Until I see you again Xander, although I think your next time you will probably be called Alex

A New Year, a new start – isn’t that always the way.

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I remember when I was younger, the new years resolutions were always to lose weight, but that never worked out heh.   I also haven’t made resolutions in a while, but I think its time to make some new.  So, here we go.

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Mundane Resolutions-

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To make a budget and stick with it
More homemade cooking – curb the takeout
Keep the apartment cleaned daily, perhaps divide into sections in order to make this happen
To shift between $50 to $100 into savings monthly
To remember to take my vitamins daily
To pay off any debt as quickly as possible
To not throw out food (from fridge or pantry) that has passed its time
To try and create a small garden with the little spaced we have on our patio
To try and exercise a few times a week, and get hubbie involved with that
To be a better Wife and Friend, and furr momma
To be more diligent with my coupons
To deposit any rebates we acquire into savings
To take the time with hubbie for a gaming night a few times a month

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Spiritual

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To honor the Gods in my daily exsistence
To be more active with my Coven with local activities
To not leave my 3rd degree assignments to the last minute (I would be Queen of procrastination, but maybe tomorrow heh)
To expand my altar space
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I will probably expand on this as time goes on

Sitting here watching Eastwick and I recognized something.  I get the same sensation watching this as I do watching Charmed, or Practical Magic, or even The Craft (before everything goes nuts heh).    That feeling of wanting to find like minded folks, sisters.  It happened once before actually, after the first time I watched the Craft, I was with a group of people to which after, me and two other women kind of came out to each other as being Witches.  That moment of Click! happened and it was magickal.  It took along time before that sensation of Click came back again.

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In an attempt to find this connection I helped start a local networking group for local pagans.  Its taken years of random gatherings, people coming and going.  Starting to wonder if I would ever find that again.  And then

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And then I find my new home.   As a result of that local list mind you, one of the fabulous ladies whom I met near the beginning of its creation became a part of a Coven that was looking for seekers a little over two years ago.  And I joined.  And I found that feeling again, amazingly enough.

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In this process I learned more about myself, about who I am, and what I can do when I am in that right space, that right frame of mind.   I am light, I am woman, I am of the Earth and the Sky – I am Magick.

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I realize that a lot of people never get a chance to feel this ‘sensation’ of connectedness, but for those of us who do?  Isn’t it a wonderful thing!

Here I have been hassling another blogger friend who hasn’t posted since August, and it would seem I am in the same boat!
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Here we are at Yule, almost the turn of the year.  So much has changed.  We’ve moved, settled in, have another kitteh in our house.  Budgetting, living, laughing, loving, following my path.

There’s a wonderful giveaway happening over at $30 Weekly Grocery Challenge – check it out!

http://30dollarweeklygrocerychallenge.blogspot.com/