Bundle up with booze in your cup! The cookies are stacked in jars in a row, but the presents need wrapped with a shiny bow, and I just don’t have patience for one more thing, so pour me some cocoa with a peppermint zing. And that’s how I’ll dash to the finish this holiday season,… Continue reading Pour on the Cheer: Peppermint Schnapps Hot Cocoa

Pave the road to good intentions with swirls of caramel leading straight to an open bar! A bar cookie, that is—a really, really good bar cookie recipe I found in an old Cooking Light magazine circa 2003. After fixing dinner Friday night, I turned on the Tropical Holiday music station, threw caution to the wind—and… Continue reading Hit the Bar! Caramel Bar Cookies

Crafty shenanigans abound at the place where I work, so the craft alarm is always ringing—or on the fritz. I work with artists, so even lunch breaks turn into feasts of glitter and glue and all kinds of fun surprises—and here’s one thing I’ve learned: even in the hustle and bustle of the season, it’s… Continue reading Going Out on a Limb: Decorating Ornaments

Candy pellet casualties and frosting flops are part of the wonder and joy of watching the Fixin’ Leaks and Leeks gingerbread train careen down the tracks. What you see here results from a moment of weakness while grocery shopping at night. Nate and I were picking up a few odds and ends at the store… Continue reading Chugga Chugga Chew! Chew!

Pass the turkey with a heaping side of gratitude—or else. That’s the message behind Pilgrim, a horror film on Hulu, which is now a holiday tradition at our house. Nate, Alex, and I watched it while cuddled up with Thanksgiving leftovers and a weighted blanket for comfort. This film is definitely not intended for small… Continue reading Thanksgiving Dinner and a Movie: Pilgrim

In a frenzy of fall-themed fever dreams, where pumpkins and napkin holders blurred together, slid under the door, and reconstituted themselves as Butterball turkeys, I thought: Why not introduce a color I really associate with Thanksgiving: Pepto-Bismol pink? Feathers flew, and that’s when I ended up with the Hand-Turkey-that-Doesn’t-Resemble Fall-but-Maybe-it-Does-After-All. I was flipping through the… Continue reading Handy Turkey Table Decor

Baking a pie is like rearranging the furniture with two sticks and a bowling ball. For me it is, anyway. I start out precisely enough, but then I just throw the whole thing into a pie plate, press the dough down really hard, stick it in the oven, and hope for the best. Usually, I… Continue reading Meet Me for Mincemeat Ginger Snaps

A wild wind whipped its way through our neighborhood, sending animatronic monster décor spinning into a short-out in the streets. That happened about midnight on Friday evening. By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, the power was still out, but that didn’t stop me from sounding the craft alert. It was just starting to be daylight, but… Continue reading Craft Alert in the Dark

Trickin’ out my wardrobe is a terrifically frightening treat. It’s frightening because I never thought of my everyday clothes as potential Halloween costumes, but it turns out my dresses and skirts are just one odd accessory away from hell. Such a lucky break for when the workplace wants to do a whole week of themes… Continue reading Happy Halloween, from the Closet

Pumpkin patches are writhing with fall enthusiasts, jacked up on spiced lattes—and they’re ready to squash someone if they’re not scared witless in the corn maze. Nate, Alex, and I have been these enthusiasts, and after spending a lot more than we thought we should, we decided we could scare ourselves witless for free. We… Continue reading DIY Ghost Stories: The Haunted Hot Tub