[flower]

When we were ttc I wanted a girl more than anything. But after this scare, I am just so relieved to be pg, I will take a son in a heartbeat and be as happy as a clam.

[mauvaisroux]

Great news Flower! Congratulations!

How about Edward (Edward Scissorhands); Vincent (Vincent Price); Clive (Clive Barker); or a Celtic name?

here is a fun link...http://home.comcast.net/~jeniphir/babynames.html

[ajandpj99]

Alright! So happy for you Flower.

Here is a suggestion - babynames.com (I think that is right) anyway they tell you meanings of different names so you can choose based on the definition if you want.

Also etymonline.com gives the origin of most words and names.

All free of course and I am sure there are more = those are the ones I have knowledge of.

[lizziness]

I keep forgetting about this forum! How sad for me.. I am totally missing out! So... congrats to flower. I bet you are so excited.
I hate to say it but the only names that come into my mind for haloween involve RHPS because it's always my ritual to watch that movie every year. Brad, Janet, Rocky... But then all those names are a little bit ... meh. I think I like Jack and Autumn best. I hope I don't offend anyone here, but I just hope for no McBabys. I don't know why it bugs me, maybe it's not a trend where you live but here everyone names their kid mcsomething and there are going to be so many mckenzies, mckennas, mckaylas going into kindergarten in a few years. I feel sorry for the teacher that has to keep it straight! I like those names - but not for every child born since 2000! *LOL*

Anyway, I know I'm late joining but I think if I had any deity coming to dinner I'd want to serve some kind of traditional harvest like meal - using in season veggies and maybe venison or roast of some kind as a main dish. And definately something chocolate for desert - chocolate is devine afterall.

I have totally gotten the star of david comment. Oh rather, I got the "gee, I didn't know you are jewish!" yeah, cause i'm not!!! It was weird, I've lived all up and down the west coast and here's what I've decided - where i lived in washington, people just thought i was jewish and i didn't bother to correct them. in california, people were very inquisitive and always asked questions and were very bold with it. Here in eugene, hippie capitol of the world, it's no big thing and nobody notices or says anything. YAY. That's what i prefer.
I used to have a boss who would constantly harrang me for "worshipping the devil" he drove me so nuts I finally stopped wearing my pentegram to work. My husband says he's okay with it, but I can tell it makes him uncomfortable... so I don't really practice anymore. I just quietly believe what I believe and that's fine with me. My family though was very accepting, moreso than when I was going to a christian church for a few years as a teen - boy they did not like that one bit. my dad actually said once "i thought we raised you better than that!" LMAO my parents were so weird and awesome. i was lucky.

[mauvaisroux]

I can't believe your boss bothered you with that. I would have told him to stop or I would be filing a harrasment complaint based on his religious prejudice - that probably would have shut him up People can be so narrow minded and feel that they can express their beliefs but others can't express theirs

I had a good laugh a while ago...we kept seeing people driving around with a silver metal Christian fish symbol on the back of their car. Then we saw the same thing on a car but it had feet and the work Darwin in the middle of the fish Then my smart aleck husband bought one at a gaming convention that was a fish with tentacles that said Cuthulu (sp?) on it - though I am sure a lot of people see it and don't get the H.P. Lovecraft reference

[lizziness]

hehe... cutulu.. that is awesome.

there were so many things wrong with that old job that a little bit of harassment was not a big deal, sadly. *L* so glad to be outta there.

how do you plan to decorate for yule? mom and i one year did an all natural tree - we were able to just stick it outside for the birds to eat off of when we were done with it. we did dried fruits and popcorn and it came out just awesome. if i ever have a house w/ room for a tree i'm totally going to do it agian. i am totally up for some new ideas for decorating.. especially since there will be no tree

[timmyshawn]

Hmmm, Yule decorations... Well we have our Yule log. We made it out of a piece of a tree that was blown down by the hurricane a couple if years ago. We don't have a fireplace so we used candles instead. We made holes in the log just big enough to fit taper candles in them (3 of them) and we used ribbon on the ends and hot glued some faux flowers in the center around the candles. It came out very nice. Also Dd#1 and Dh and myself (the other kids are still too small) always make paper snowflakes and decorate them with glitter and hang them from the ceiling by thread at different lengths so that it looks like they're falling. Last year i made a pentacle wreath. I used a recipe for a salt dough that hardens up and shaped it and attached it to an embroidery hoop and painted it and decorated the outside of the hoop with evergreen boughs(fake ones so that we could put it up again this year)and holly berries that were made from the dough also and painted red. We also do "stained glass" window decorations in different shapes with crayon shavings and wax paper and a hot iron. I do a natural tree outside for the animals with popcorn and nuts and berries that we pick up at the store. We always do so much it's hard to think of it all. That's my favorite time of year to decorate and do crafts and stuff. What is everyone else doing?

[mauvaisroux]

I love your decorating ideas!

I think we will put up some lights and decorate the front porch with some evergreen and holly. We bought a lovely wreath last year that was made of twigs and sprayed silver and glitter and had red berries on it - very pretty against our red door - we will put that up again this year.

[ajandpj99]

Wow! Such industriousness. I am still getting my mind around the time change.

I love to decorate for the Winter Season - we always get a fresh tree from hills behind our house - they are more open and wild looking.

Then I cut cedar and fir boughs from our trees - mix in some wild holly from the driveway and lay all that beneath the big bay window that the tree goes in front of.

I have a collection of sugar pine cones (the big ones that are open and more round) I put several in the tree - stashed like easter eggs and then toss the rest around the living room.

I used to do lights and things outside but you cant see our house from the road now so I just do the tree and some lights around the window.

My decorating is technically Christmas - but since all the finatical Christians say all the decor has nothing to do with Christ - I guess I am truley celebrating the winter solstice or YULE. I also collect ornaments that have a nostalgic or old fashioned appeal or that are just cool and unique. We have 1 for every year we have been together - that is our big tradition. Some years we have made ornaments when we cant find the perfect one to buy - we generally try to pick something that commemorates something special about that year.

I love the idea of a outdoor tree for the animals - I thiink I will dig out some more pine cones - I know where there is a big sack and then whip up some suet/bird seed mix and you coat the cones with it - attach a small wire or twist tie - then hang them all over the yard as natural bird feeders.

[Tani]

It's way too early for me to think about decorating for Yule. I'm still in Fall cleaning mode. I want to get a whole bunch more decluttering done before I do any decorating. While I've been getting my body into shape this last year my house has really packed on some clutter

[ajandpj99]

I hear ya Tani - my house is a disaster - I have never been suzi homemaker but ever since we moved here - everything is in chaos - either still in boxes or mixed up and disorganized. I had tons stored in the little trailer till auntie moved in in March - then most of it went to the shed - badly - the rest came over here and I only just found the living room floor a week ago - sad - that I would love company this holiday but my house is too scary. Working on changing that though - need to manage time better just like my eating - need to plan it out.

[mauvaisroux]

Trish - what a lovely tradition!

My mum and I were in a store the other day looking a Christmas decorations. She asked me if I was celebrating "Christ - mass" or doing the Santa thing since it will be the first time we will be decorating our home (We moved in last November and didn't have time to decorate properly last December) and I said I was doing neither. She then piped up with "or are you doing that Solstice thing"? HA! You should have seen the look on the cashier's face!

[ajandpj99]

Mine is a combo of all 3. I appreciate the basic message of the first Christmas - lovely story - just not going to run my life by it. I also have a fetish for Christmas music - all those jolly carols - mostly I just love how twinkly and sparkley everything is - more Santaesque - speaking of which - The Polar Express is coming to DVD - yeah! And I love all kinds of decor - woodsy homemade looking, fancy victorian, cheesy fringe and bangles - all of it.

Roaring fires, and mistletoe and wreathes and snow.

There is a sentimental feeling that says family this time of year - at least for me - since our family good sized. Unfortunately this will be the first year ever that I wont see my family on Christmas due to us living so far away and Allen has to leave for the road on Sun (Christmas Day). So that kinda sucks and I think my aunt is going to portland in DEC and staying until new years - not sure she may be back by Christmas - we'll see. I may end up alone on Christmas night - major downer - but I will be on vacation too so that is a plus!

[mauvaisroux]

I love the feeling of the holiday season, the lights, the music and the get togethers with family and friends. It's funny, I'm not Christian but two of my favorite songs are Ave Maria and O Holy Night (until I heard the Cartman from Southpark version ).

I also love Elvis' Blue Christmas, All I want for Christmas is you, and of course Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. Yes, I enjoy cheesey Christmas songs

[ajandpj99]

The funniest part is that (and you will never get a die hard Christian to admit it) but Christmas Carols even Gospel Hymns are basically just chants that have a catchy tune.

And all the rituals of the holiday even in religious circles - the incense, the latin - and yet they say that witchcraft is wrong - when really it isnt the rituals or the chanting - but who you are chanting to or for that bugs them.

Ah well - just shows that the more diverse you are the more fun you get to have by being able to blend traditions into something that makes you happy.

Yeah for us.

Now you have me ready to break out the Christmas Decor and it isnt even Thanksgiving yet - 1 holiday at a time.