Saving Spoons

I am SO sorry its been forever since I posted here. My Tumblr account hasn't been working so I've been primarily working on Insta for the past few months but looks like things are back to normal soooooooo I'm back !

More to come soon. Until then check out my Insta to catch up on what I've been up to.

Love that feeling of starting a new book 📖!

All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg is one of my April TBR and I can't wait to get into this memoir

The next Solar Eclipse is happening on Monday April 8th. Many will turn out to watch and even travel hours to see the sun play a bit of hide and seek. I'll be doing a bit of magic, care to join me?

Here are a couple of tips for the witchy ones out there to help better harness the power and magic that a solar eclipse can bring to your work.

Meditation

During the time that an eclipse is taking place its great for meditating. Especially for letting go of any negative situations your dealing with. When the sun reemerges all of those undesirable feelings are over and gone, everything is new.

Now if you cant see the actual eclipse that's ok! Just visualize it. I would recommend setting a timer for when the eclipse should be over so that when the timer goes off-Bing- time to imagine the sun beginning to shine.

Side Tip- Being a reader having what I am meditating on written down is very helpful in keeping me focused.

2. Divination

Be on the look out for important messages. Messages meant for you can be found in a number of ways but are you looking? This is the time witches! Can I tell you a secret? This is totally my shit, I love divination and actually just recently bought a new divination mat for a pendulum I brought in Salem, Ma last October. Maybe Monday will be a good day to break it in what do you guys think?

Also- If you have a question you'd like me to ask, drop it in the comments.

Back to what YOU can do for Mondays main event. If you don't have your own set up. No biggie. Divination is not in everyone's broom closet. Visit your local witchy shop (in person or online) and have a Tarot reading, your palm read or see what else they have to offer!

Because I love divination so much I pulled out one of my favorite magic books - A History Of Magic Witchcraft & The Occult. And it did not fail to give me all the tea. Take a look...

My next set of TBR.

-Daughter of the Mountains by Louise Rankin. This one I picked up at the annual library sale and it is kind of a mystery read as there is no cover or description.

-Bone in the throat by Anthony Bourdain. Mob crime set in where else... The kitchen of a Manhattan restaurant.

-Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Murder mystery nestled in a quiet town off the coast of North Carolina.

-All over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg. Southern tale of growing up in northeastern Alabama.

-Wicked by Gregory Maguire. As the cover says it best 'The life and times of the wicked witch of the west'

So, my sleeve is complete and I fucking love it. Take a look!

Since I was old enough to know what tattoos were, I wanted them.  After a few hours in the shop, I leave knowing myself a little more than when I went in. My body now more of my own design, something I can smile at in the mirror.

It may sound odd to some, having a pain inducing disorder and choosing to have pain inducing hobby. I have to save up so many extra spoons for tattoo days and for the days that follow. I even time my days off at work around appointments so I can get extra rest. But looking at my ink, well I think it gives me back some spoons.

Fibromyalgia makes me feel very out of control. It makes my body rebel against itself with pain.

But a tattoo that’s something I chose, I chose the way it looks, where it’s placed, and I make the choice to take the pain. Getting to take control of my body is empowering and vital to my sanity.

  My disease might be invisible, but I am not.  My tattoo’s help me to feel seen. Even if I’m holding onto the wall or a stairwell railing for support, now I look cool doing it. Right?

  This is Riverside Tattoo parlor in Savannah, Georgia. Where I spent 5 sessions with Chelsea Beckworth getting inked.

 This place has the coolest vibes. Riverside is Savannah’s very first fully queer-owned and operated tattoo studio.

There I am, hanging out before one of my appointments because I am super early for everything But I've always got a book with me so that's never a problem. Speaking of....

If you haven't read The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart, run to your nearest bookstore and get yourself a copy. This thriller by the co-host true crime podcast Morbid is a MUST read and I am seriously on edge waiting for the sequel to release this fall.

Literally Could not have picked a better artist, or person. I mean look at this doll!

Chelsea was more than understanding about my medical condition and made sure to let me know that this was at my pace- not to apologize for needing breaks or anything else.  During our sessions she was super chill when I needed to adjust how I was positioned – because we all know how great fibro is not being able to be in one spot for more than 20 minutes without pain.

Going in for that first session I was excited and scared. My last tattoo was in my twenties and that’s been more than a decade ago.

Ugh. Did I really just type that?

With some minor hick-ups, like after my third appointment getting the tattoo flu because I didn’t take care of myself after - with plenty of rest, hydration and proper nutrition.

 Yeah, that sucked.  Or how I had to reschedule the 4th appointment because my HRT shot went awry sending me to the emergency room… A little over a year and a half later we were finished, and I now have this beautiful black and gray sleeve forever.

Now I want to tell you about Chelsae Beckworth as I totally believe she deserves recognition and just ugh everything. Honestly-This chick is the best. We met for coffee at the absolute cutest little café not 3 minutes’ walk from the shop, the morning before my last appointment.

Sitting across from me relaxed and chatting with the barista’s of Superbloom I find Chelsae Beckworth drinking her iced latte-extra shot- please and thank you ma’am.  She looks just as at home here as she is two streets away at Riverside Tattoo Parlor where she has worked for the last 3-4 years. This self-described earthy girlie who loves lizardling in the sunshine is a Taurus whose playlist includes everything from Celine Dion to Shania Twain and podcast like Two Hot Takes and Trixie and Katya.

Aren’t we all listening to Trixie and Katya though?  If not, you should be.

When asked how she would describe her personal artistic style without missing a beat Chelsea said, ‘Cutesy but with some darkness to it’.

Immediately this came to mind, because this is totally the vibes Beckworth gives off.

Having a background in makeup then finding herself in the world of tattooing and becoming an apprentice from her mom’s friend from church makes the above gif even more spot on. She tells me that one of the hardest parts of her job is the imposter syndrome the comes along with it and having people see her separate from her job. She’s not just a tattoo artist she’s also someone who loves to cook and go rollerblading, a cat mom of two, and someone who hates getting tattooed.

Just look at these cuties- Beans and Brussels Sprouts

When deciding which artist to work with it’s always a good idea to pick someone who enjoys doing the type of work you’re looking for. (Realism, traditional, watercolor, neo traditional, trash polka, new school, fine line) It generally makes for a better piece of art in the end. Some favorite of Chelseas are pin ups, heavy line work, small and quick projects and she also is looking forward to working on traditional pieces in the future. My sleeve was a much larger undertaking and I totally played tattoo pizza with her at times (can we add this here, what about another bee over here? Sorry Chelsea!) but she smashed it and I think I can safely say we both had some fun getting this done.

I asked Chelsea to send me what her favorite tattoo’s she’s done, and these are a few that she sent- I mean lets be serious everything the woman does is fabulous people.

One of my favorite hobbies is staying up late to read and pretending I won't regret it in the morning.