Happy Halloween and Samhain!

Hello everyone! Happy Halloween and Samhain! Hope everyone had a good time and didn't gorge themselves too badly on candy. I'm taking a break from the Seven Deadly Sins posts to tell you of my holiday fun this year. So... it first started with pumpkin carving.

My mother and sister picked out the pumpkins this year, only they were a tad different from the usual. These babies were white pumpkins, which I thought was really cool. So we all sat down and prepared to do brain surgery. Unfortunately for my mom, her pumpkin had started to mold on the inside so we couldn't harvest her seeds. Regardless, she dove into her job and made a lovely scraggly-toothed pumpkin. Think classic pumpkin face and you'll know what I mean.

My younger sister decided to make a pentagram, which she used my knife for a good portion of it. It came out really well and lit up awesomely. My pumpkin is... special. I decided to do a simple cyclops one. It is... very me. I don't have a picture of it, but I did do a fantastic MS paint rendition of it.

See? Isn't it lovely? Isn't it glorious!? Anyway, I bet you're wondering why I didn't draw a stem. Well... that's because while trying to get the top out I accidentally snapped it off. My sister did the same thing. So we turned the tops and set them that way so we could get in and light the candles. They looked really cool. However, in the morning when we left to go to my sister's appointment we found that someone had stolen my pumpkin's top. It didn't sink in, it didn't roll off, it was just simply gone. There was also dirt on my pumpkin from a nearby pot of dirt. We believe a critter came by and thought it would make a good meal.

The pumpkin seeds from two of our pumpkins were baked, and along with those we had malted apple cider. It was absolutely delicious! We also watched the episode "Blink" from Doctor Who, which is the first episode that features the Weeping Angels. My sister and I also did some protection/banishing magic. All in all I think it was a pretty successful holiday. How was yours?

Seven Deadly Sins: GLUTTONY

Gluttony is considered the over-indulgence or over-consumption of anything to the point of waste. So while the images of people gorging themselves on food and drink most often come to mind, such people are not the only perpetrators of this vice. People who become obsessive about something can get into trouble with this as well. Gluttony can also be interpreted as selfishness because you are placing your own self-interests over the well-being and self-interests of others.

It used to be considered that if you eat before appointed meal times, eat too expensive/luxurious food, eat too delicate/elaborate food, or enjoy the process of eating too much then you were also committing the sin of Gluttony, not just when you overate. This meant that snacks were a no-no, spices and condiments were looked down upon, and caviar from France was out of the question. However, as time has passed these other paths to Gluttony have been discarded by most.

Gluttony is blocked by the heavenly virtue, Temperance. It is restraint, moderation of one's actions, thoughts, and feelings. To be mindful of others and their needs, and to have self control when it comes to your own wants and desires.

This sin is number three on my list. It would be number one if the older versions of this sin were still widely in use, though I'm quite grateful that that's not the case. If it was then I would never be allowed to have my sister's cooking, and only my own instead. I do over-consume food sometimes. It is something I'm trying to work on. However, food is not my only problem. Unfortunately, I also have an issue with obsession, as in it's quite easy for me to develop a hobby and then use up all of my time pursuing said hobby. It's a trap I have fallen into many times, and some days it's hard getting out of. 

The good thing is that when it comes to Gluttony and other people I don't have nearly as hard of a time. As I've said before I like sharing. This includes my time. So when I have others around me I am less likely to fall victim to Gluttony.

Now that you know a little more about the sin, Gluttony, what are your thoughts? Do you have a difficult time with over-indulgence? Or are you adept at restraining yourself? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Seven Deadly Sins: PRIDE

Pride is considered the big daddy of all sins, and the source of all others. Pride used to be broken off into three separate parts including Hubris and Vainglory (now more commonly known as Vanity), but were combined since they all boiled down to the same issue. Pride occurs when a person believes they are better than others, disregard accomplishments made by others, and excessively admire their own selves.

Pride can also mean a feeling of honor and respect for yourself, others, accomplishments, choices, and actions. This type of Pride is thought to be good, and requires a sense of self in order to be present. Regardless, there is some debate on whether any type of Pride is good or bad.

The virtue associated with stopping Pride is Humility. Humility is giving credit where credit is do, modest behavior, respect, bravery, and selflessness. It is thinking of yourself less without thinking less of yourself. It is having the will to do the icky, non-glamorous jobs, to be charitable towards those you don't necessarily agree with, and to keep your word.

This sin is right smack dab in the middle for me. It is more of an issue with me than the previous ones because sometimes I slip into the mode of thinking that I am right about something, and that everyone else is silly for thinking otherwise. I don't necessarily mean to come off as belittling, but it happens. The good news is that when I see myself being prideful in a bad way I am usually quick to correct myself, or to apologize for behaving in such a rude manner. Also, while I do get tangled up in Pride from time to time, I believe I still tend towards the humble side more often then not. I hope that's the case at least.

So how do you fair when it comes to Pride? Does it sometimes catch you by surprise as it does me? Do you have a hard time with it, or are you actually pretty okay when it comes to this one? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Seven Deadly Sins: LUST

Lust is considered an overwhelming desire in the body brought on by an emotion or feeling. While most notorious in the form of sexual desire, Lust can take on other forms, like a Lust for power or food. The key to this sin is that the feeling drives one to excess, but on how much is too much is up for debate.

The range on what is considered excessive and therefore lustful is pretty wide. On one side of the spectrum we have the desire to have sex at all, or even second glances at a person of the opposite sex as being considered lustful. On the opposite side we have Lust as being considered not a vice at all. So as you can see there's a lot of room for interpretation on this one.

As with all the other sins that deal in excess, this sin can lead to a great deal of trouble. However, the virtue of Chastity can help with that problem. Chastity is simply abstaining from certain behaviors that are considered amoral in by your religion's or society's standards. Again, what that is depends on where you're from and what you practice. For sexual desire this is considered in most cultures as abstaining from sexual practices until marriage, practicing courtly love, and romantic friendship. For the other Lust types it is simply the use of moderation.

This sin is third least on my totem pole of sins mostly because I'm still unsure of what constitutes as Lust in my eyes. My upbringing has been one that I've been exposed to an array of differences on what has been constituted as lustful. By one extreme's standards I am certainly considered lustful, but by the other extreme I'd be considered overly modest. I also do not consider myself too prone to excess when it comes to want of power, food, and other things. So with Lust being foggier than the other four ahead of it, it is listed at number five on my list of deadlies.

Hopefully you all have your own idea of what Lust equates to. If you do, what do you consider to be lustful? Do you feel that this sin is one that you fall prey to? Or are you doing fine regarding this particular sin? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Seven Deadly Sins: GREED

Greed is a fairly straightforward sin. It is the desire to possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value for yourself to an excessive degree, far beyond what you actually need. It is considered a sin that when indulged there is no satisfying it, leaving you frustrated and never truly happy with what you have. This is true both of those who seek the material, and those who try to be excessively moral, social, or better than others.

Greed, though found throughout society, is generally looked down upon, and has great consequences. People who have a great deal of Greed often find themselves without true friendship, and feel isolated from the rest of the world. Eventually these people can no longer sustain the sheer volume of items they possess, or deal with their impulses, and fall into ruin.

Greed is the sin that is combated by Charity. This is not the modern day charity as it includes generosity, self-sacrifice, and unlimited love. It is doing for others without expectation.

I consider Greed to be my second least as far as the seven deadly sins are concerned because from time to time I do find myself a little on the greedy side. This usually happens in the case of small things, thankfully, and generally isn't hard for me to stop the urge. My position as the middle child in my family has helped to foster my mentality as sharing comes quite naturally. I genuinely don't have the desire for excessive amounts of things (well... except maybe books). So as long as I don't become a serious bookworm I should be okay.

How do you interact with Greed? Do you find it a little harder to not hoard things, both physical and abstract? Or is this sin not really your thing? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Seven Deadly Sins: ENVY

Now most of us have heard the phrase "green with Envy", but what is envy exactly? Envy is a resentment, one that occurs when someone lacks another person's quality, achievement, or possession and wishes that they could have it instead. At least, that's the most traditional way of looking at it. Nowadays in psychology there is thought to be two types of envy: a malicious one and a mild one. 

The malicious version is where you want what the other person has, exactly what they have, and that they will no longer have it. Imagine a kid taking away another child's toy. However, the other version is where you want to have what that person has, but don't wish to take it from that person. That would be like seeing the toy and then going and asking your parents to buy it for you.

Envy is rather rampant in today's society, and is fought off by the virtue of Kindness. The kind of kindness that brings about charity, compassion, empathy, and friendship. So if you usually have a positive outlook on life and are cheerful you are far less likely to fall victim to this sin.

I consider this to be my least of the seven deadly sins because I tend to have the demeanor above. I prefer to share, and enjoy things together rather than to lord over others. The one area where I feel I fall short is achievements due to the fact that they can make me competitive. While competition is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead you to bad places if you're not careful. Thankfully this doesn't happen that often to me though, so for the most part I can rest easy.

So how do you relate with Envy? Do you struggle with it a bit more than I do? Or is it not a big one for you? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

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Seven Deadly Sins: An Introduction

Say hello to the Sinful Rainbow! In it is each color that is usually associated with one of the seven deadly sins. We've got red for Wrath, orange for Gluttony, yellow for Greed, green for Envy, light blue for Sloth, blue for Lust, and violet for Pride. So it's almost like a regular rainbow, except you won't find gold at the end of this one. Nope, just what has been considered some of humanities worst traits.

Okay, all silliness aside, the reason I'm bringing up the seven deadly sins is because the next several blog posts will be about them. I will go into detail about what they are, what they mean, and how each one impacts my life personally. However, I'm not going to introduce them based on their assigned color, but by the severity of how they affect me.

Note: I feel that each of these traits touch each of us at varying times, and that none of us are completely without them. As such you won't be automatically damned, but as these aren't actually good qualities to have you should try your best to overcome them.

Now that that disclaimer is out of the way I will show you the list of how I will post them.

Starting with the least...

Envy

Greed

Lust

Pride

Gluttony

Wrath

Sloth

... and ending with the most.

So that's the line up. Through this segment I hope you all will gain a better understanding of what the seven deadly sins are and what they mean to you. Perhaps then you can make your own list (and maybe share it in a comment if you want).

Park Adventures

Today started out with my mom, younger sister, and I going to the doctor's. My sister has stomach problems and needed to go in for a test to see if they could find out what was wrong. After getting the test done we decided that today would be a good day to go to the park. Originally we were going to go to one farther away, one that we've been to before and liked. However, one of the ladies suggested a different one that was much closer that we'd never been to. So we decided to head that way.

After picking up some Subway we made it to the park and stopped near a picnic table. While eating our subs, mine was a turkey one, we observed the lovely trees and the squirrels that inhabited them. There were tons of squirrels out: brown ones, gray ones, and black ones. One in particular was interesting as it tried to drop a nut on my head. Thankfully it missed.

After lunch we took a walk through the wooded area of the park. Not only were the leaves lovely, but a lot of the trees were wonky shaped and neat to look at. The mushrooms too! There were a surprising amount of mushrooms out in several shapes and sizes. It was really cool.

There were also stations throughout the park that you could stop at for exercise. One place that we stopped at was one of the playgrounds, but it had an Eiffel Tower like metal rope structure. My sister and I climbed it, but it was somewhat difficult. The gaps between some of the ropes were so big that you either needed some decent upper body strength or longer legs. Thanks to mine being long I was able to get to the top, but I'm not sure a young kid would've been able to get up there.

Another one we went to was vaulting. I was the only one who tried it, which I managed successfully. However the chin up station none of us had the strength for. I hung up-side-down from the bar instead. After I was done I realized someone else was using the equipment, a spider. Not your normal, everyday spider either. His body was tiny, but his legs were long! Longer than any daddy long legs spider I've ever seen, and  I've seen tons of those. My sister was trying her luck at that point so I made her aware of our little friend, and she slowly backed away from it.

We took lots of pictures of the neater looking trees, collected a few sticks for our dog, and all in all had a great time. We've vowed to go more often, which I'm looking forward to. And... that's it. Until next time!

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Project Side Table is Officially Over

Finished with the side table! Yay! But what was going to go in my blog post got deleted. Boo. :(

So we'll just show you the lovely end result and skip all that went into making the magic happen. Hope ya'll don't mind. I just don't feel like retyping nine paragraphs of description all over again. So...

BASK IN THE GLORY THAT IS MY SIDE TABLE! DO IT NOW! O.o