About

Blade and Cauldron is both a family blog and a site for a home business we are in the midst of building from the ground up.

The Back-story

Jia and Accolan met at a party all the way back in June, 1985 when they were growing up in Staten Island, NY. While calling it love at first sight might be a stretch, considering they were 16 and 13 respectively, they were definitely both God-smacked that night.

A brief romance ensued. Translation, they dated on and off for about a year and half, during which time Jia moved to New Jersey and Accolan moved to Virginia. They remained in touch over the years, sporadically at first, and then with increasing frequency until 1993 when Accolan moved back North to claim his love.

Now, in 2010, things are a lot different. They have been married for 16 years and have two daughters – Reya, age 15, and Sephoni, age 10. While years ago Jia was a housewife and Accolan worked outside the home, these days the roles are somewhat reversed. Jia can now be found working full-time, while Accolan stays at home.

June, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of the night they met and so they decided to stop living with their finger on the pause button and to start living the life they dreamed of, as much as possible, until that dream can be brought to fruition. And so, Blade and Cauldron was born, not only as a way to share their journey toward that future day, but also as a means of getting there.

The Cast & Crew

Jia – almost 41 and works in telemarketing; takes (and aces) college classes here and there when time & money allow; Wiccan since the age of 18; addicted to books, Tarot decks, and the Internet*
Accolan – 38 and home full-time due to disability; Veteran Marine and Gulf War Vet; identifies as Pagan; addicted to books, television, and gaming
Reya – 15 and in high school; has recently felt a call toward Wicca & Witchcraft; has her high-purple belt in Tae Kwon Do; getting breast-reduction surgery this summer; addicted to art supplies, pony beads, and going to the Mall
Sephoni – 10 and in grammar school; started flute this year and joined choir; feels a pull toward Buddhism; has her high purple belt in Tae Kwon Do; going vegetarian once school is out; addicted to playing with friends, singing, and the Wii

The Blog

We plan to use our little spot in cyberspace to share tidbits of daily life; our thoughts about everything from books & movies to the wide & wacky world we live in; information that relates to both Paganism and Self-Sufficient Living; and most importantly, our journey toward our dreams.

Disclaimer

What Do We Get Out of Blade & Cauldron?

Money – For now we get a few cents if you click on a Google ad and a small percentage of any purchase you make via any of our affiliates. Eventually, we will be selling our own items as well.

Promotion – The Blade & Cauldron blog is the seed for what we hope will be (one day) a thriving home business. Beyond this we both have hopes of writing in other formats as well.

Personal Satisfaction – We get the enjoyment that comes from expressing ourselves.

What Does Blade & Cauldron Cost Us?

Money – Domain registration and hosting fees must be paid. There are supplies to purchase to create the items we hope to sell as well.

Time – This website represents many hours in simply set-up. Then there is the day-to-day work of posting, site upkeep, responding to emails, etc.

Energy – For us, Blade & Cauldron is more than just a hobby. We consider it a job. It is something we each will be working on every day, not just something we do when the mood strikes us.

The Business

For now, the business end of Blade and Cauldron is limited to Google ads and affiliate links. The rest of 2010 is geared toward us working on building up an inventory of handcrafted items to sell on Etsy and unique graphics we can offer on T-shirts and whatnot via Zazzle.

The business end of Blade and Cauldron is expected to open in January 2011.

* Jia, also known as Mama Kelly, has been blogging since January 2006. Her first blog was under the name Mama Kelly’s Musings, which she eventually merged with a friend and blogged as Purple Moon Garden. At Samhain ’08 she and her blogging partner, Lady Rose, decided to start their own domain, 2 Witches Blog. She still blogs there as well, and will continue to do so.