so, there’s this…

It’s nice, these three-day weekends built into my cutback work schedule. I’m happy to watch this through window, with the warmth of the furnace. I enjoy the clash of seasons: the falling snow surrounding the fire of the turning maple. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, we almost always had snow before Halloween, followed by milder […]

shhhhhhhhh…

It’s started… For Halloween, I’m gonna be: An early Christmas decorator! I need shiny. I need bright. And delaying as some sort of social contract does nothing but leave me sad and mopey. I’m renegotiating my terms, and sparkle starts now.

the last fair day

Tonight is expected to hit freezing. So today, I pulled the rest of the non-hardy crops: tomatoes, hot peppers. And basil. I made my first pesto. We had no pine nuts in our pantry. Fortunately, pesto has become more of a framework formula than specific recipe: herb + oil + garlic + nut + sharp […]

thrifty festivities

I must say: I’ve been having a great go at thifting blown glass ornaments this year. I’ve picked up some great random ornaments: a TV, popcorn, beer set; a pink dragon start the list. I use the blown glass ornaments to define break-away themes for trees through the house, whether by color or subject. Current […]

charcoal: now and forever

I originally fought the charcoal option when we shopped for grills… I was raised in a house that came with a gas grill plumbed to the house gasline. Admittedly, my life’s experience with charcoal was camping and college cookouts on decrepit 20 year old habachi grills. Waiting hours for charcoal to be “ready” is burned […]

sadness

…is the telltale “chink-a-clink” heard as you open the parcel of the hardest to find Wexford glassware. The Wexford mug is not easy to find, so the rest of the parcel being intact was a beautiful experience. Fortunately, the parcel was insured, but still…

today’s topic: wexford!

It should surprise no one more than myself that my fastest route to self-care is our Wexford. Today, it surprised me at least a little bit. “I’m quite aware of how ridiculous I am.” Albert Goldman, Birdcage Welcome to my ridiculousness. Well, this bit of it: From the built-in hutch: From the secretary/hutch: From the […]

the unfortunate business of limited editions

At least as far back as 2009, Hallmark has produced limited edition comicon exclusive ornaments for SDCC and NYCC. These are typically repainted redux of a previously mass-released ornament, reusing an existing mold. I get most of my specifics on Hallmark Star Trek ornaments from the wordpress blog, Hallmark Star Trek Ornaments (HSTO). Also, images […]

the spice of life

I found a Corningware Spice of Life lasagna pan. I FOUND A CORNINGWARE SPICE OF LIFE LASAGNA PAN! I didn’t even know there was a Corningware Spice of Life lasagna pan. Of course, it might be the roasting pan… It necessitated a reorganizing of Corningware Cupboard™, so here we are! I thrifted the entire pile, […]

the first fall harvest

My husband’s Southern farmboy-ness is finally rubbing off on me. While I have attempted cooking my own mustard greens before, this time was wholly successful. The mustard greens are from our netted fall beds. While we nibbled out of it when I thinned the sproutlings, this is the first mature harvesting. My husband makes amazing […]