Happy Halloween: "Season of the Witch"

'Season of the Witch' by MagdaleneJewels

"Must be the Season of the Witch"..A Golden Threads Treasury with a few Members and other Etsy friends!www.etsy.com/teams/12991/golden-threads

Pumpkin Tutu Dress....Jack O... TutullyCuteDes... $50	Little Witch Girl with Cat H... naturepoet $4	Skein of textured yarns and ... Lacebobbins $3.5	Stuffed Fabric Pumpkin - HAN... KraftyGrannysH... $16
Halloween dimensional handma... AllThingsNeces... $3	Linen fabric hand dyed in or... yarnsandfabric... $3.5	HalloweenBat necklace Bat pe... ThePendantIsla... $13.5	Tangerine rhythms jasper nec... FirepanJewelle... $79.5
Vintage - 1940s - Aynsley - ... YorkshireTeaCu... $25	1 1/2 Fabric Cat Button - Ha... CatFabricsandB... $4.95	Beaded Wrap Cuff Bracelet Mo... MaryMaureen $32	Psychic Fortunes Print - Art... EmilyBalivet $23
Ghost Coffee Mug Cosy Hallow... TheWoollyKnitt... $8.5	Halloween. Crocheted Maryjan... MagdaleneKnits $24	TRICK OR TREAT wooden blocks... RuggedlyChic $20	Halloween Witches Instant Do... downloadthis $3.8

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The "real" Legend of Sleepy Hollow

http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/2008/09/sleepy-hollow-ny-part-i-you-cant-reason.html

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Welcome to "Sleepy Hollow"!

“From the listless repose of the place, and the peculiar character of its inhabitants, who are descendants from the original Dutch settlers, this sequestered glen has long been known by the name of SLEEPY HOLLOW. . . ”

Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Sign at the entrance to Sleepy Hollow Cemetry

One of Icabod Crane’s sources of fearful pleasure was to pass long winter evenings with the old Dutch wives as they sat spinning by the fire, and listen to their marvelous tales of ghosts and goblins, and haunted fields, and haunted brooks, and haunted bridges, and haunted houses, and particularly of the headless horseman, or Galloping Hessian of the Hollow, as they sometimes called him; all the while trying to win the affections of the Lady Abigail Van Tassel.

The Old Dutch Church

The Old Dutch Church was one of the favorite haunts of the Headless Horseman, and the place where he was most frequently encountered.  Not far from the church, along the Hudson River was a wooden bridge; the road that led to it, and the bridge itself, were thickly shaded by overhanging trees, which cast a gloom about it, even in the daytime; but occasioned a fearful darkness at night. 

Tombstones dating back to the 1600's

As one strolls past the Old Dutch Church on a dark Halloween night, it is easy to imagine the shadow of the horseman rising up from behind the gravestones, many dating back to the 1600’s.  Armed with a jack-o-lantern, the Horseman gallops along in search of his head;  wherein  lies the history of the Headless Horseman of Sleep Hollow which began over 200 years ago, and his spirit has lived here ever since.

The Graves of the Inhabitants of "The Old Dutch Church"

A Halloween View along the Hudson

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Crimsons & Golds - An Artist's Palette

'Crimson and Golds - An Artist's Palette' by MagdaleneJewels

Crimson and Golds, an Autumn Treasury of the many beautiful items from GoldenThreads Team Members.www.etsy.com/teams/12991/golden-threads

The Apple Harvest Digital Ar... naturepoet $4	SALE - Swarovski de-art pend... FirepanJewelle... $24	Scarlet Fields . Red Poppies... FabricsofNatur... $495	Autumn Leaves Charm Bracelet... PuttingontheCh... $32
Vintage Brooch and Earrings ... AlegriaCollect... $18	Still Life flowers arrangeme... beautyforever $265	Crochet Infinity Scarf Cowl ... SimplyStitched... $9	Artists hand made book detai... modestly $13
ON SALE Large Gray Felt Pinc... KraftyGrannysH... $9	GARNET BRACELET GOLD, bezel ... thedesigncompa... $65	1 1/2 Fabric Cat Button - TU... CatFabricsandB... $4.95	Sun and Sand Gemstone Bracel... JeanstoJewels $24
Luxury Handspun Hand Dyed 3-... SussesSpindehj... $35	Pietersite Gemstone Pendant ... ArtbyRuthJacks... $35	Pumpkin Earrings, Halloween,... InspiredTheory $30	Liberty tana lawn fabric Tho... MissElany $4.15

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Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves near Bear Mt along the Hudson

 (photo by pjkbaker)

Like a child, I kick up the fallen Autumn leaves that quietly crackled beneath my feet.  The Summer sun is declining, and a crisp freshness fills the air.  I look all around at Nature’s Beauty, Crimson’s, Gold’s, Orange and Brown colors seem to surround me as the trees changing colors take on an artist’s palette of Fall.  There is no season so radiant in its abundance of colors, as early Autumn.

The memories of my grandfather taking my sister and I apple picking are still so vivid in my mind.  The smells of fresh apples, hot donuts and cider fill the air. A tradition I followed through with my own children.  Going to the Apple Orchards, picking our own apples, then with the Autumn chill upon us, we sip hot cider, and eat the freshly baked hot apple donuts before continuing along our Autumn drive.

Fall’s beauty is like no other than that along the Hudson River in New York.  An example of this feast to our eye’s, is the picture above which I took near Bear Mt along the Hudson.  A perfect day as Fall’s colors of Nature paint an image of light as the Crimson, Gold and Orange Trees reflect into the lake, like an imagine on glass.

A Tribute to Tara

Sunday, April 10 will be 5 years since this tragic end to my niece's life.  The pain has started to alleviate - although the memory will always be there.  Tara's three little's are now getting older and understanding more.  Sunday will also be Maya's 10th birthday (Tara's daughter).

Tara (Bridesmaid at her Brother's Wedding)

Tara (holding Kelly) with her brother & Sister; sister (Dustin & Kori) and her NY Cousins

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there. They may become a best friend, soul mate, lover or spouse; you just know that when you lock eyes with them for that very first time, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life now and in years to come. But then sometimes that sunshine turns towards darkness and life as we expected, begins to change. That one person, who we so willingly turned our lives over to, may not be who we thought them to be.

Unfortunately, as we see those dark clouds entering in our hearts, we bear painful and unfair truths, that will test our strength and our faith. Make everyday count and appreciate those around us, our family, our children, our friends, because you never know when God may take that away. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance, God tests our faith in so many ways, that we have to be prepared with in our hearts and our souls to take on that strength to forgive and go forward. 

"Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last... Tomorrow is Not Promised.  "Someone once told me that “God will never give us anything we can’t handle.” Perhaps it is through my strong faith and prayer that I can hold that truth.

God certainly put our family to the test, when learned that my niece, Tara; my cousin’s oldest daughter and a mother of three young children, was murdered by her ex-husband of whom she had only been divorced from for a few weeks. As their three young children lie sleeping in their beds, Tara breathed her last breathe at the hands of her ex-husband. A life of such promise and a love that was thought to be forever has dissipated to a life lost; three little one’s left without parents; and a family left in shock and in tears.

“The cloud burst doesn’t last all day” - right now we can’t see through the darkness; but I know that when God allows our faith to take over, we will begin to see that light come shining through. It is at that moment that we know that Tara is once again safe in the “arms of her angel” and smiling down at us, letting us know that we need to continue with our lives “Living Each Day As If It Were Our Last.”

Thank you all for your many kind words, thoughts and prayers, which I have conveyed to my cousin and our family. Please keep Tara and my family in your prayers, as we wait for the sun to rise again.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day

love from

MagdaleneJewels.etsy.com