When the air turns chilly and the first fall leaf glides gently to the ground, my thoughts turn to things that might frighten me, such as a haunted house—or my first trip to Costco.  Last year, I did the haunted house, so this year, it’s Costco. I. Am. Going. Oh, but I’ve heard stories. And… Continue reading Scary Fun: My First Trip to Costco

My DIY arms and legs begin to twitch and my mouth curls into an evil smile when I spot the “make-a- monster” factory inside Funko.  Funko, in downtown Everett, Washington, is a magical shop just dripping with castles and cartoon characters.  Eager “fan”atics line up to buy pop culture plastic toys with oversized heads. I… Continue reading Making a Monster

The cabinet below the kitchen sink comes alive with the eerie sounds of pots and pans that rattle, followed by deathly moans that exclaim, “Uhhhh! I’m making soooup. . . Dinner will be a while. .. Making soooup takes an eteeeernity.” Nate runs into the kitchen. “Right. Chicken noodle soup,” he says. “That sounds good.… Continue reading Chicken Noodle Soup: The Secret Ingredient Is . . . Magic

I’m hitting the panic button craft alert because I’ve been invited to a dinner party and the bottle of wine that I want to unload on the host is naked. “Where were you raised? A saloon?”—is not what I want the dinner party host to say to me when I thrust a bottle of wine… Continue reading Craft Alert: The Five-Minute “Multiple Uses” Wine Cozy

“After the soup, it was over,” could either be the title of a rom-com that ends in culinary horror, or it could be Nate’s exact words as we left a restaurant that we chose for his birthday a few weeks ago.  If you guessed the latter, you win a free bowl of soup! (Don’t get… Continue reading Tapas Crawl

Venturing into highly dangerous dog poop territory means that I need to sound the craft alert—for myself.  I’m on high alert as I gather leaves from a red maple tree in the front yard that every dog in my neighborhood loves to claim as its own in so, so many ways.  I probably should wear… Continue reading Craft Alert: Setting the Dining Room Table for Fall

The Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks Team recently sent one of its most precious members to the hospital: Nate.  For many years, Nate has had the resting pulse rate of a full-time Olympic athlete who might also relax on the weekends by scaling the Scandinavian Mountains and lifting large bricks.  In reality, Nate is a thoroughly… Continue reading From Underpants to Fake Plants: The Dos and Don’ts of the Hospital Visit