December 26, 2013
The days are short like my hair, nights as long as my sister's hair.  I am filling up with sadness at the dismal shortage of blog posts here.  I intended for this year to make F&A cozy and a place for memories.  But life got in the way.  Not that it was busy or anything, just life in general.
I haven't lit the yule log. It is just sitting near my non-working fireplace.  No cookies have been baked.  No Yuletide carols near the bonfires.  Not even a pinch of play in the cold air.  Life, is... so odd.
It was my twenty first birthday last Saturday, and plans took a complete 360 towards horribility.  Friends are becoming lost, family is leaving me behind while in a way... this is a way of progressing forward.  Yesterday was Christmas & My sister decided to spend it with a family who threatened me on facebook.  Where is the logic in that?
And finally, where does 2014 lead me?  Hopefully somewhere great. I want to travel and leave this place behind.  Discovering the world is my only comfort & Joy.

Yule & Modra's night (Mother's night)

Hello everyone!  Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I know not a lot of folks read my blog, but I'd like to post more regardless of the traffic.
Today is my 21st Birthday!  While I don't drink much, I will make an exception for this special occasion.  Thing is, the 21st (which IS today) is Yule.  So, I will be celebrating the two together.
I have learned that Yule spans out for 12 days, hence the origins for "The 12 days of Christmas".  So, what better to let you all know a little bit about the lore, days/nights of the year, as well as some websites who will be able to provide more details about the Sabbat.
Since I am going to be busy tonight, I thought I would give a little insight on the holiday.  I have sourced out pretty much all of my information, and will link the sources after each passage.

 

ORIGINS

THE HOLLY KING & OTHER LORE
WASSAILING

 SIXTH NIGHT & MITHRAS DAY (THE 25TH)

 

THE 12 DAYS & NIGHTS

Here are some Devotionals you can do with your family

(MY FAMILY'S) TRADITIONS

1. Yuletide Carols - These are fun to sing while you light the yule log!  Growing up Southern Baptist Christian, I would always go out and sing Christmas carols.
2. Baked goods - Check out my Pinterest board to view some yummy treats and inspiration.

LINKS

I am also participating in Pagan Health & Fitness for the whole winter!  To learn more about it & to sign up, please visit their website.

Autumnal Sabbats '13

Hello all!
So sorry that this has arrived late to Fire&Ashe.  Lately been having bipolar sparks of inspiration, therefore is ruining the sanctity of this blog... Really hoping to stick to a schedule or create drafts ahead of time so I know to stay focused.  Plus, with the holidays coming up, it's going to get even crazier & I've been vowing to myself for the longest time to mark these wonderful times for years later to look back on.  You only get to live your early twenties out once.  Life passes by without a wink of your existance, you have to make time to look at the simple things as well as the complex in order to prepare for a wonderful & beautiful life ahead.

**********

The 31st of October, known these days as Halloween, was the last of the 3 harvest sabbats (Lughnasadh, Mabon & Samhain).  I did not have a chance to celebrate Lughnasadh because I was very busy that day, but Mabon & Samhain was definitely noticed in my household.  I would love to share what all I did to celebrate the festivities, and give a little insight to those who don't quite understand.

Even though I did not celebrate Lughnasadh, or Laamas, I will give you all a quick description of the Sabbat. Lughnasadh (Loo-naa-sa) is the 1st harvest sabbat, and originated in Scotland.  It is a gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season throughout Ireland as well.  It usually falls upon July 31 or August 1, but over time it shifted towards the closest Sunday to those dates.   I usually just celebrate it on the first of August, though (everyone is different).  The name is of Old Irish, and breaks down to Lug, of the god "Lugh" & Nasad(h), meaning "an assembly".  As far as traditions & activities, you can go to THIS WEBSITE.  It has all kinds of information, not just for Lammas :) .

MABON

The next sabbat, one that I did celebrate this year, is Mabon!  I love this sabbat, and I feel as if it is becoming my favorite.  During this time I feel so much more connected to my path than ever.  Mabon is the 2nd harvest sabbat as well as the Autumnal Equinox.  Night & day are at balance, and it is a time of Thanksgiving for witches.  It is celebrated on the first day of fall, September 21st.
For the day, I invited my friend who is new to the craft over to spend the day with me.  I wanted to make his first equinox special, so we went all out.
The first thing we did was bake!  He brought with him the ingredients to make "Apple Mabon bread".  CharmingPixieFlora of  Youtube originally posted this recipe & made a video on how to do so.  I didn't think it would turn out as amazing as it did, but oh man it was scrumptious.  So flavorful from the spices & fruit, delish!  While we were prepping that, we made a delicious Autumn Cider.  It lit the whole kitchen up with inticing aromas of apples & cinnamon.  If you would like the recipe, just message me, but over the holidays I will be doing a few recipe posts.  I also decided to make something with pumpkin, because everyone knows you can't celebrate the beginning of Autumn without some cucurbita!!! So, pumpkin cupcakes it was.
After everything was baked, we went outside to set up the altar.
For (North), We used herbs.  Thistle, to be exact.  We also used an apple, which is one of the many fruits of the seasons.
For Fire (South), we used the three candles.  They had a scent to it which brought the aromas of autumn into the ritual.  Rustic retreat, Pumpkin apple & Mulled Cider, YUM!
For Air (East), we used a few items to represent this item.  Incense, Myrhh & a feather.
For Water (West), We used spring water & placed a few stones in there.  Amethyst, citrine, and clear quartz.
For Spirit,  I placed my pentacle and 2 homemade polymer clay pumpkins in the center.
For the Gods & Goddesses, we used the large candle pictured below.  It had all of the colours that we wanted to represent & it had a wonderful aroma to it.  Here is the finished altar, before ritual & after!  In the bowl of .. we had 2 candles for the Gods & Goddesses.  My friend connects toward the Goddesses & the moon more.  I feel more connected to the sun and the Gods, so it was only fair to swap :)

Before the ritual.

We used the cupcakes & cider for the cakes & ale portion of the ritual.  I included all of the elements, because I work with them the most, as well as a meditation for personal reflection.  During the ritual, it started to rain, but the rain never touched our circle that we casted.  My friend thought it was the coolest thing.

After the ritual.  We decided to keep it lit

Afterwards, we just sat and engaged in fellowship.  Talking about the season, giving thanks for what we have in the present as well as the future, and also about the faith.  He was full of questions, but that did not bother me one bit.  I am a curious person as well, and he reminded me of how I was when I first started.
After a while my husband joined us and it started to heavily rain so we packed everything up and moved the party inside.  Before my friend left, to celebrate a new friendship, I gave some of my tea stash away.  We met at my workplace (which was a tea shop) & what better way to end the night.  It was a beautiful & wonderful day! 

SAMHAIN

Last but definitely not least is Samhain (Pronounced sow-win ; sow-wayne; or sometimes sah-vin) is known to many as Halloween.  There is so much traditon, lore, history behind it, so I will link you THIS.
I didn't have much $, and this sabbat can run you if you are very traditonal like me.  So, I just created a simple altar for my biological grandmother who passed away in 2010.  She adopted my sister & me when we were babies, and raised us like we were her own.  She was a beautiful soul who had a wonderful life, so I decided to dedicate the sabbat to her this year.
The eve of Samhain I made soul cakes & prepared the raisins for my barmbrack bread.  When I woke up on Samhain the first thing I did was start on the bread.  When the bread was done, I lit the altar & went outside to do an apple divination with my husband.
We also did a midnight(November 1) pumpkin carving.  It was the first time my husband ever carved a pumpkin.  I was super surpised, so I let him do the eyes and most of the mouth.  I did the nose & the tooth.  On the left picture, you can see the delicious soul cakes.  We went outside, lit the candle, and ended the night with a peaceful reflection.

And those were the Autumn sabbats this year!  I hope you enjoyed my post, and if you have any questions regarding the sabbats, or what I did to celebrate.. do not hesitate to comment!
Blessed Be!

UPDATE

It has been a while and for that I apologize.
Earlier in the year I wanted to have a schedule for this, but life took the best out of me.  Now that things have settled down (for the most part), I can share with you guys how my year has been so far!   I won't string this out too much, but there is definitely a ton of changes going on.

Around the time I stopped blogging, I was working at a cupcake shop & it was a horrible experience.

1. The lady was never there, she didn't even train me/intern me. 
2. The cupcakes were amazing, but no service hardly.  Would open the store at 11am or noon, and things would pick up in 5 minute spurts then die down again for hours. 
3.  I would usually just barter people because if we didn't sell  out then she would make less for the next day, and resell the ones that weren't sold.  If we did sell out, people would flood the place & I would have to tell them sorry.  She would not bring in more.
4. She didn't have a business license, no property inspection, was not registered with the Department of Agriculture (because if it's just cupcakes they aren't administered by the FDA)
5. When I told her that I had a job opening for a legit company, she got mad at me and told me that she was going to close the store for the day because she didn't have anyone else.  Now, she didn't pay me.  I got paid in tips, which was my husband's idea in the first place.  If we were lucky we would make $20, but that was only on Saturdays.  She would usually do this if I couldn't come in.

After I cut ties with the cupcake shop, the job interview that I went in for looked promising.  The company was called Teavana.  They sell high quality loose leaf tea and cast iron teapots.  It was a great place to work for.  The only downside was the sales process, and if you didn't make your sales goals, they could fire you for that.  I had worked there for 3 months, and because I didn't have a license I had to put my two weeks in.  They put me on rehire, which means I am on good terms with the company.   The reason was because my husband got his old job back. 

And now we're here.  Lots of exciting things are still to happen this year.  It's going to be turning 21 in Decmember, and my biological mother is taking me to Biltmore for my birthday weekend.  I will be making a blog post about that.  Then, next year I am saving up for an "internship" in Menorca, Spain (where my ancestors are from) as well as Rome & Pompei for an archaelogical excavation.  I am wanting to go to school for baking & pastry arts, but it's always been a crazy dream of mine to be an Archaelogist and to travel the world to learn it's rich culture & history.  So if my bakery doesn't work out, that's my plan.  After that, I am going to go to Burning Man for the first time.  I only know a little about it, but I have till next year to study up on it.  

My handfasting is still being planned as well.  We still have the date set for the 15th of September in 2015, but after our honeymoon that we never had...we'll be moving!  It's time for a change of scenery and culture.  It has been thought out thoroughly, and we feel like we can thrive where we'll be moving.  I will not disclose the location as of now, but it will come out in due time.

As far as the future for this blog, I would like to update it with some more witchy experiences and knowledge, recipes & crafts, vlogs, artwork & news about my Bakery.  If I am up to putting something else, then by golly it will be written about.  That is all I have for now.

Blessed be )O(

Discrimination

SIGN THE PETITION
Like their Facebook page
On February 17th 2013, Fox & Friends belittled my religion, and made it seem as if my beliefs don't matter. “It almost seems as though we’re looking for excuses for people to not have to take their commitments seriously,” Bruce told FoxNews.com. “It’s beyond political correctness; it’s almost like an excuse to do nothing. It’s like societal nihilism, where nothing matters.” Read More
Here is the video evidence:
I signed this petition because I think that if Christians want to have a holiday off that was originally ours (Yule), they should recognize the fallacies in their logic. Ultimately, the holidays that they seem fit, are in all actuality ours to begin with. But you don't see us bitching until it really matters.

Local Local Local!

It's time again for another blog post (This one will probably include less pictures than my other blog entries, mostly because I have a lot to say about this topic). I'm pretty nauseous for some reason, and writing is preoccupying me for the moment. Which is good.

Ostara is just around the corner. If you don't know what Ostara is, I will inform you. Ostara is a Pagan sabbat & holiday, which falls on the 21st of March. It is the Spring equinox, also known as Vernal. In the Southern hemisphere, the day falls upon the Autumnal Equinox (Mabon). Which means a fresh start will be upon all of us. You can also celebrate it on the full moon following the Spring Equinox. Either way, it really doesn't matter. The word Ostara comes from the Anglo-Saxon goddess named Eostre (roughly translated, Easter <.< ). In wicca, Ostara is a time of fertility. The symbols most commonly known today, the egg and the rabbit, date back to this time. I will link a couple of articles at the end if you want to read further.


With Springtime being just around the corner, gardening can finally become an everyday thing!  It's so exciting seeing nature coming out of the darkness :)).  Which means that The local Farmers Market will have tons in stock.  I've never been to one, and I thought since I'm transitioning into Veganism, what better way to do it than to eat local!  On top of that, eating local is also a way to eat fresher, and it's less likely to be GMO (Don't quote me on that just yet, still doing the research to see if they really do or not.  Going to ask when I go).   It's also cheaper to eat Organically that way, because most of the expensive products are processed and in the Grocery stores.  I'm still going to purchase Organic from these places, just not as much.
So, in an effort to actually try, I found a website that can help you out no matter where you live.  It's called Local Harvest.  They have a ton of options, I can't wait to go to every place and review them.  Hell, I might even interview them once I get acquainted better.   A little side note, my husband had to pry me away from the computer.  I just couldn't stop researching this stuff.  I told my friend Jenna that it has been a little obsession lately, but a good one at that.
Anyways, Check it out!
Blessed be,
Leah

R E S O U R C E S

O S T A R A

OSTARA

EOSTRE : THE GODDESS OF SPRING & FERTILITY

THE RABBIT AND THE EGG: OSTARA IN WICCAN CULTURE

E A T I N G    L O C A L

LOCAL HARVEST

GMO : WHAT IS IT?
RAW FOOD VEGAN RECIPES

Modeling

I keep forgetting to blog right when I should, and I'm always one day late or early.  Ugh.
So the topic for today kiddos, is MODELING!! I really don't know how to blog about it, since it's more of a career path than hobby.  So I decided to find a survey that can help explain it way better than I.

1)  What is your model name?  - Went from Miss Leah J  to Leah J & now Leah F ... I might just drop the initial and keep Leah, or use my middle name "Ashe".
2)  How tall are you?  -I am 5'6 1/2
3) What's your measurements?  - It changes everyday.  I'm super skinny, and slowly gaining weight.  This is actually a good thing :)
4)  How did you start modeling?  - Told my very awesome photographer friend that I was interested in pursuing it one day.  My then boyfriend (now husband ;D) and her planned a photo shoot for my 19th birthday, and now the rest is history.
5)  What are the names of the most recent jobs you've done? - Only one job that I'm not sure if I can give details for atm, but it was for a hair styling awards.  The rest are just portfolio builders.
6) Is modeling a career or a hobby for you? - It is definitely turning into a career, but since jobs are so dry where I'm at, I've had to keep it as a hobby for now.


7)  Have you ever done nude modeling? -  No I have not.
8)  If not, why not? - Because I am not in that mindset, nor do I think I will ever be.  I would love to show off skin, but not for the wrong reasons.
9)  How does your family feel about you modeling? - They accept it, actually. Very supportive of me :)
10)  Where do you see yourself 10 years from now in your modeling career?  - I see myself helping others, as well as being an international model.  The US is awesome, but soon enough I would like to get out and see the world.
11)  Rate your body from 1 to 10, 1 being the ugliest and 10 being the hottest? -  Meh, I would say an 8.   In the editorial fashion world, I would be a perfect 10.  I have an odd face, and very skinny.
12)  Would you ever consider yourself as a groupie? - Nope.



13)  How far would you go to be the main girl in a video?  -  I know I do not have the curves for such, so it is perfectly okay for someone else with a better physique to step in.
14)  In a relationship, how does your man/woman feel about you modeling? - He supports me 100% !!!
15)  Have you ever been stalked by a fan?  Haha, no I have not.
16)  If so, how far did it go? -  n/a
17)  Have you ever had haters? -Not really.  I make sure to not.
18)  How do you respond to your haters?  - If I had haters, I would laugh.
19)  Do you model part time or full time?  - Currently part time.
20)  How many of your closest friends are models as well? - My photographer friend (who also helped me get my foot in the door)  used to model.   Other than that, not many of my friends model.
21)  Have you ever done a shoot together? - I have asked her to, she is just so busy wedding planning (FUTURE BLOG ALERT)
22)  Describe your worst photo shoot experience? - None so far :)
23)  Do you ever get harassed at photo shoots or video shoots? - Nope.
24)  Are you a well known model, or are you still making a name for yourself? - Still making a name for myself.  Hell, I haven't even been doing it for a while.
26)  How many times do you change your hair in a photo shoot?  - Hair cut, quite a few times.  During the shoot, never.
27)  Do you have your very own make-up artist? - Very soon I shall.
28)  Have you ever been in any videos?  If so, name them.  - None.
29)  Have you ever been in a magazine?  If so, name them. - None.

30)  What's your back up plan if modeling doesn't work out? - Opening up a gluten-free, vegan/vegetarian bakery & restaurant that centers around old-fashioned recipes & pagan, new-age friendly.
31)  Have you ever dated a fan?  If so, how did it go?  - Does my husband count? ;P
32)  Who's your biggest fan? - My twin sister & hubby.
33)  Do you have any kids?  - If you count my fur-babies, yes.
34)  Do you ever wanna be on ANTM (America's next top model)? - I've always wanted to, but I'm a shorty.
35)  Which veteran model do you look up to? - Christy Turlington

Applebees & Imbolc

Hey all!
Well, I started my first job yesterday at Applebees!!  It was pretty surreal.  This is my first job, and I never knew what all there was to do in a restaurant.  For confidentiality purposes, I don't want to say too much, but If you have questions, feel free to send me an email.  I really need to post a link to the email page, but idk how to do it.  I shall look that up soon.
Plus, with me training today, it looks like I won't be celebrating Imbolc the way I wanted to.  The plan was to do a self-dedication rite, but that all depends on when I'm getting off.  Besides, it's only 8:50 in the morning, so there's much to update.

10:00pm
Alright, I've returned.  Today was pretty tiring.  I got to work and pretty much sat half the tables by myself, and cleaned the womens bathroom.  My trainer was pretty cool, we talked about lots.  I only worked a few hours (which I'm okay with), came home & passed the frick out.  When I woke up, I totally forgot to do a ritual for Imbolc.  Hell, I didn't even plan it like I wanted, but I'll try to make it up when I have a day off.  Right now, there is no energy in my body to do so.
Sorry that this blog post is so short, I just wanted to update ya guys.
Blessed be,
-Leah

What I do when I'm sick

(Note:  I was going to do this yesterday, but got overtly sidetracked, then fell asleep.  Sorry y'all.  )
  I decided since I couldn't go out with my hacking cough, itchy throat, flashes of hot & cold, and being super duper tired, that I would stay in and get my immunity up for my job on Thursday (It's my first, yays!).  So what better than to paint my nails a pretty color to get my spirits up.  Then I thought to myself, I need to make a blog post, so what better than a nail tutorial?!  So I scanned, and scanned on pinterest, tumblr, and weheartit for something simple yet cute.  With no luck, I freeballed & created an awesome design (yay for creativity when sick!!!).  Here is the end result, I shall show you how to do it as well.
Oh, and this is me chewing on a peppermint stick.  Apparently peppermint oil/tea/extract/candy has some type of healing property that aids in cramps and body aches.  I love these & highly recommend you buy a crap load for winter season/ time of the month.  They make me happy, as you can see in this photo.

Step 1)  Start out with clean nails.  Wash your hands, and lotion them up to make the cuticle soft & easy to work with.  You also want to file during this step as well if you need to.  It's pretty simple, actually (unless you have never painted your nails before and desperately need this tutorial).

Step 2)  When doing a french tip manicure, make sure to remember that it's a process, and not everyone can do this step.  Always make sure you have a little bit of length to your nail, or it won't look right.  Start at the side, and paint to the middle.  If you are really good at it, you can do it from left to right without ease.

Step 3) Here is the finished french tip.  Nothing to say about this picture, really.  It explains itself.

Step 4)  Take a toothpick and get some glitter nail polish ( I used silver).  Dip your 'pick into the polish and under the white color make a small/med border under it.  It gives the white color definition.

Step 5) The last & final step is to take another glitter polish ( I used purple), and in the middle of the nail go up and coat the naked nail, silver and white.


Welp, that is all I got for you.  Being sick is tough, and the littlest things should be captured during rough times.
Blessed be!
-Leah

1.25.2013

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a while!  I sawries.  Well, I guess I should update.
Right now, my blogging adventures have taken me down the path of food blogging.   I got the inspiration from Pinterest, once I found that site I was done.  Plus, I've always had an obsession with food my whole life, I can't seem to get away.  My sister has a sweet tooth (as do I), so we decided to collaborate.  You can visit Here.
Modeling has become my obsession as well.  I have added a whole set on my Flickr, so check it out.
I also got married!  It wasn't a big ol' ceremony and reception, but we decided to elope, and I still looked cute ;D   There will still be a huge wedding soon, I just started working (1st job ftw), and I have to save some money up.  Communication with my sister has been reactivated.  She and her boyfriend are staying with us until they get on their feet.
I also saw my dad for the first time in 5 years.  We didn't speak to each other for a while, and on a whim he contacted my sister & told her that him & his other half will be driving halfway across the country to see us.  Below is a picture of us at Cracker Barrell

Well, I have a bad cold, so I have to cut this short (being sick is such a drag).  If you have any questions, comment down below.

Blessed Be
-Leah