Category: Holidays

  • Skatemare Before Christmas

    Skatemare Before Christmas

    On Saturday the 30th Seth and I went out to support Ohio Roller Derby (OHRD) at their fundraiser/ exhibition bout Skatemare Before Christmas. This bout pits team Halloween, The Roller Ghouls, against team Christmas, The Jingle Belles. They also premiered their rookies dividing them into team Candy Corns versus team CandyCanes. I came out to represent team Christmas this year, so Seth decided to root for team Halloween.

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    The rookie game was up first. The Candy Canes came out strong scoring in the first couple of jams, but soon enough the Candy Corns had tied things back up. In the second half the Candy Canes came back and they would win! Score one bout for Christmas.

    During the time between the rookie bout and the main event there was a show put on by a local break dance school. The kids appeared to be between the ages of 5 and 13. They were adorable and some of them were so talented!

    The final bout was much more fast paced. Once again the Jingle Belles came out strong at first, but then the Ghouls got a good run and took over the lead. It was a good back and forth battle for a while, but in the end the Jingle Belles came out on top.

    Team Christmas wins for this year!

  • My Favorite Things – Holiday Books

    I have certain books that I read/ listen to on audiobook every year around the holidays. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas/ Yule without them.

    Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris – This book includes the famous Santaland Diaries and is a must read if you haven’t. I highly recommend getting the audiobook because David reads most of the stories himself and is joined by his sister Amy as well. Sure to make you laugh.71t0yJrW7UL

    Hogfather by Terry Pratchett – Pratchett’s wonderful tale about the discworld equivalent of Santa and what happens when someone puts out a hit on him. Death steps in and then it starts to get fun. Death’s granddaughter Susan proves herself to be a badass in her own right. Has a wonderful albeit cynical quote about the importance of belief.

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    The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum – The author of the Wizard of Oz penned this charming and strange origin story for Santa complete with woodland fairies. Baum tries to answer some of the important Santa questions. Good to read aloud with children.

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    The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore – The unusual town of Pine Cove is celebrating Christmas. An angel comes and grants them a Christmas “Miracle” that leads to a zombie uprising. Oops.

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    T’was the Night Before Christmas or A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement Clarke Moore – A Christmas classic. I have had it memorized since I was little, and I love to read/ recite it every year. It is still fun to do. My favorite line is “The moon on the breast of the newfallen snow gave a lustre of midday to objects below.” I love good rhymes.

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    Do you have a favorite holiday book? Have you read any of these?

  • Welcome December…Blogmas Day 1 on Day 2

    It is officially the holiday season!! I have been making little purchases here and there for a month, but now it is here and the decorations can finally go up now that Santa has paraded into Herald Square in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. Here is a small collection of things that I purchased before I consider it acceptable to do so, lol.

    I realized coming into Thanksgiving that I have 39 pairs of holiday socks. How? Why? So this year I decided to do 35 days of holiday socks beginning the day before Thanksgiving and going through the end of the year. So far I have worn brown stripey reindeer socks, snowflake socks, rampaging holiday dinosaur socks, Santa riding a unicorn socks, Argyle with a fleece cuff and holiday sloths.

    The day after Thanksgiving Seth and I headed down to my hometown Newark (30 miles east of Columbus) for the lighting of the courthouse. Newark has a beautiful historic courthouse, and they go all out when they light it. Santa and Mrs. Claus are given a ride to the courthouse square on a firetruck, and then they lead everyone in carols for a bit. When the time is right they ask the children to make as much noise as possible to light the courthouse. It almost always takes three tries somehow. Now for the before and after.

  • Giving Thanks or 30 Days of Gratitude in One Go

    1. Cinnamon…always Cinnamon

    2. Laptops and my $4 led keyboard light from Five Below

    3. All of them…I love color. More color please!

    4. Butternut Squash…It’s like pumpkin potato and can be sweet or savory.

    5. Podcasts and Audio Books.

    6. Big spooky trees, clearings full of moss and acorns.

    7. The memory of baking up a storm with my Grandmother. The memory of making silly ridiculous gingerbread men with my mom and sister. The memory of marrying my amazing husband.

    8. Anything and Everything by Terry Pratchett.

    9. My home and the Ohio Renaissance Festival my home away from home.

    10. The sting of mint.

    11. Christmas…and Thanksgiving for the parade!!

    12. The feeling of the inside of a new sweatshirt.

    13. Creativity, musicality and imagination.

    14. The white of a blank page.

    15. Autumn 🧡

    16. The strength of my legs, the youthfulness of my hands, the beauty of my hair

    17. All knowledge is worth having. I hope I never stop learning.

    18. The pieces my family and friends have made for me.

    19. The feeling when my husband grabs my hand to hold it just cuz.

    20. My husband, my mom, my sisters, my family, my friend, the lady gang, the wenches!

    21. Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello

    22. All the classic fairy tales, especially the dark German ones.

    23. Christmas day tacos and margaritas.

    24. Working full time, school full time and doing NaNoWriMo.

    25. Spending time with Family and Beginning Yule/Christmas Celebrations

    26. Writing!

    27. My phone…there is a whole world on there.

    28. I was acknowledged at work for helping with an issue.

    29. My Seth.

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    30. Singing, though I do not do it much anymore. Writing. Art. Dancing.

  • End of 2019 Bucket List – More Items Checked

    End of 2019 Bucket List – More Items Checked

    • Wench photo with the Queen!
    • Get my major changed to creative Writing.
    • Attend both days the last weekend of Ohio Renaissance Festival

    Saturday of this weekend was rainy,  but we still went out for several hours. Sunday was absolutely amazing. I got photos with many of the Wenches in our local and we got this amazing photo with the queen. I love my wenches so much, and I am so proud of what we have built.

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    • Get autographs from Rasputina (Melora Creager)

    I was not able to get Rasputina’s autographs because we needed to get home so Seth could go to work today. However, I did get the autographs of the amazing opening act Charming Disaster as well as their new LP. If you have never heard them you should absolutely check them out. They are a new favorite.

     

    • Finish Blogtober strong (I get a book if I do)
    • Rennie outing to Book Loft?
    • Get Wench tattoo
    • Participate and succeed in NaNoWriMo (Are you participating? Link me BetsySnowWhite)
    • Do a writers night.
    • Photo with Krampus!
    • Wench invasion of the Krampus Walk
    • Photo with Santa and the Wenches
    • Wench invasion of Columbus and Cincinnati Zoo.
    • Wench invasion of Kentucky Dickens Festival
    • Set up Christmas trees
    • Christmas Party
    • Attend Roaring 20s New Year Party
  • Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice

    Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice

    Fall enters on a breeze scented with cinnamon in my world. Cinnamon, clove, ginger and the smell of piles of falling leaves kicked up when you walk in them. The autumn brings with it candles, wax melts, pine cones and so much more in all the spicy wonderful scents that I cannot get enough of.

    I am a basic witch who loves all things pumpkin spice, but that is because it is spice. The spices used in typical Pumpkin Spice are cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and sometimes allspice. All the yummy spicy goodness leads to wonderful smells.

    There are few smells in this world that make me feel as cozy as the smell of cinnamon. It brings me back to days baking with my grandmother for the fall; making cooked apples or pumpkin pie. Sometimes baking cookies with snickerdoodles rolling them in cinnamon sugar and having cinnamon fingers for the rest of the day.

    There is a cookie I love to bake, that I found in the Witches Datebook from Llewellyn several years ago. They are called Beltane Passion Cookies, but they smell and taste of  autumn to me.

    Beltane Passion Cookies

    3/4 cup unsalted butter

    1 cup brown sugar

    1 egg

    1/4 cup molasses

    1 3/4 cups whole grain flour

    1/2 tsp salt

    3 tsp ground cinnamon

    1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

    5 tsp powdered ginger

    1/8 tsp granulated sugar

    2 tsp baking soda

    1/2 cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped (optional)

    Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a hand mixer cream the butter with the sugar then beat in the egg and molasses. Sift all the dry ingredients into a medium bowl, then stir into the wet batter. Add crystallized ginger. Roll batter into 1 inch balls and dip one side into granulated sugar. Place sugar side up on baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

    I may have to whip some of these up next week for Samhain. A little passion never hurt at any time of the year.

    What smells are fall to you?

  • Rest of 2019 Bucket List – Updated With Pictures!!

    Rest of 2019 Bucket List – Updated With Pictures!!

    • Wench photo with the Queen!

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    • Get my major changed to creative Writing.

    Done!! I am beginning my classes on Monday!! I am so excited and feel so positive about this. I also designed and ordered myself some business cards with my website and social media info on them.

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    • Attend both days the last weekend of Ohio Renaissance Festival
    • Get autographs from Rasputina (Melora Creager)
    • Finish Blogtober strong (I get a book if I do)
    • Rennie outing to Book Loft?
    • Participate and succeed in NaNoWriMo (Are you participating? Link me BetsySnowWhite)
    • Photo with Krampus!
    • Photo with Santa and the Wenches
    • Wench invasion of Columbus and Cincinnati Zoo.
    • Wench invasion of Kentucky Dickens Festival
    • Set up Christmas trees
    • Christmas Party
    • Attend Roaring 20s New Year Party
  • Heels of Horror XII

    Heels of Horror XII

    Last night I got to see Heels of Horror XII starring Columbus Drag Queen and Miss Congeniality Nina West. My sister Traci and I took our older sister, Krystie, who was in town from Oklahoma this weekend. The show was absolutely amazing, as always. I laughed, cheered, sang, hooted and hollared. Well done again Nina and cast!! Can’t wait til next year!

  • Bucket List For the Rest of 2019

    This is the list of things I would like to do before the end of 2019. Some of these may seem easy, but have issues associated. Many involve a lot of moving parts, so that makes them challenging. Let’s see how many I cross off. I will revisit as I get things done.

    • Wench photo with the Queen!
    • Get my major changed to creative Writing.
    • Attend both days the last weekend of Ohio Renaissance Festival
    • Finish Blogtober strong (I get a book if I do)
    • Rennie outing to Book Loft?
    • Participate and succeed in NaNoWriMo (Are you participating? Link me BetsySnowWhite)
    • Photo with Krampus!
    • Photo with Santa and the Wenches
    • Wench invasion of Columbus and Cincinnati Zoo.
    • Set up Christmas trees.
    • Christmas Party
    • Roaring 20s New Year Party

    I think that is it…though I may add and subtract things as I go along.

  • My Halloween Playlist

    Welcome to my virtual Halloween party! I have prepared an amazing playlist for you of my favorite spooky, creepy, witchy songs.

    Rasputina – Transylvanian Concubine

    Switchblade Symphony – Witches

    Delta Rae – Dance In The Graveyards

    Voltaire – Vampire Club

    Jill Tracy – The Fine Art of Poisoning

    Eliza Carthy – Blood on My Boots

    Vermillion Lies – Long Red Hair

    Poe – Haunted

    Stevie Nicks – Sorcerer

    Carfax Abbey – Cry Little Sister

    Katzenjammer Kabarett – Gemini Girly Song

    Comcrete Blonde – Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)

    kidneythieves – Before I’m Dead

    Nina West – Lisa Frankenstein

     

    Feel free to use for your next party!

    Happy Haunting!!