I love to bake at Christmas. When I was a little girl my mom worked for a store that would often result in her working on Christmas Day. It was hard for little me to be patient and wait for her to get off work in order to open presents so my Grandma would help me bake cookies. So many cookies. Dozens and dozens of cookies. A Plethora of cookies. You get the point.
We would bake sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip cookies, gingerbread cookies, and snickerdoodles. We would also make no bakes, buckeyes, potato candy and divinity fudge.
We filled tin after tin with cookies, candies and other handmade edibles. Then we would deliver them to neighbors and friends. And before I knew it mom would be home and we would be officially celebrating Christmas.
Here are some of the gingerbread cookies my mother, sister and I made several years ago. There is a fez, pasties and a g-string, lederhosen, and more…
We try to get together every year to bake a little bit and to spend the time together. Last year we made these masterpieces…
Do you bake with your family? What are your favorite things to make?
It’s December. It’s Christmas Time!! And I have so many plans already. I have 2 Secret Santas, a drag show, a parade, a spooky craft show, an Elf beer tasting, a Holiday Pirate Party, and more… I am so excited.
December is always a little weird for me as I get super anxiety, but I love the holidays so I am trying to stay upbeat and positive. I am doing my 25 days of sockmas again this year and will be sharing here. I will also be sharing some of my favorite holiday things, thoughts, memories and such. I hope you will join me for the month.
Christmas Dinosaurs is kind of a theme for me.
Today in the mail we received our first holiday card from Seth’s parents, Mark and Sarah.
And…I got my Krampus pallette from Widow Witch Cosmetix. Did I need this pallette? No. Did I want it badly? Yes. So I ordered it. I have a couple of their other pallettes (She Creature and Halloween) so I know they have great makeup, and this pallette made up of reds and greens was a must have. I swatched it tonight and I cannot wait to use it.
On October 26 I received a text message from my husband while I was at work asking me to call him. Now, I don’t know if it is true for everyone, but certainly for me if Seth asks me to call him while I am at work something is wrong. So, I walked off the floor and called him not knowing what to expect. Seth’s Aunt Margie had passed away suddenly, and his mom had just called him to let him know. We were all in shock. Seth’s Grandma has been sick and is also dealing with dementia so honestly all of us, including my mother-in-law, thought the call was about her. Margie has not been the epitome of health in recent years, but we had no idea it had gotten so bad. She had a really scary medical issue about 10 years ago where she got pneumonia which converted to a lung infection that almost killed her, but against all odds she recovered with medical issues that were minor compared to what they could have been. She was so strong through everything and maintained her amazing spirit. She will be greatly missed.
Friday we headed to Springfield for her funeral. On the way I received a text message from my sister-in-law Niki that said:
Moira, my oldest nibling, is very goth which they get honestly because both their mother and myself were/are goth. (I am not always in black anymore but I have heavy goth leaning tendencies.) When the family finally arrived to the funeral home Moira had red eyeshadow with heavy black eyeliner, a black line across their nose and black lipstick. Apparently, this was the pared down version as the original makeup included spider webs, and witchy sigils. Moira was insistent that their parents were ashamed of them, etc. Niki was insisting honestly that she loved the makeup Moira had done, but it has a time and place and a funeral is not the time or place. I agreed with Niki, and told Moira they looked amazing in the pared down version. Honestly several family members complimented their makeup. I love that kid so much. They are an amazing artist in many ways including makeup.
A couple of weeks ago we were hanging out with Chris and Niki, and they asked Seth and I if we would be the legal guardians of the niblings if anything happened to them. We of course said yes. I love those kids like they were my own.
After the funeral we went home to feed the pets and then went over to Chris and Niki’s to wind down and play some D&D. We are playing and laughing and began to discuss Thanksgiving plans. I explain that my Mom decided that since we are walking 5 miles in the morning that can be our family get together so we are open that day. Niki says they can host for that side of the family then, and I laugh and say that I am going to buy this hundred dollar dessert I saw online for the day because it keeps coming up and I am curious. They laugh and ask what I am talking about. So I share with them…The Piecaken.
Picture of an incredibly ostentatious dessert courtesy of Goldbelly.
What is a Piecaken you ask? It is a pecan pie topped by a pumpkin pie topped by a spice cake topped by apple pie filling and all of it held together with a cinnamon buttercream. It is the brainchild of Pastry Chef Zac Young and is a fever dream of a dessert and you can order one to your home for $99 through Goldbelly.
Niki immediately says she will pay for half if we want to do this thing. I laugh and go to the site where I realize that if you sign up for their news letter you can get an immediate $20 off. I do it and pretty soon we have ordered our very own insane ostentatious dessert to be delivered to Chris and Niki’s later this week to wait in a freezer to be premiered on Thanksgiving day. I am not at all sure about this, but I feel like it is going to be fun no matter what. I will let you know if it is worth the eighty dollars.
Tell your friends and family that you love them. Do things that make you happy including wearing all the makeup. And eat the dessert. Life is short, do the things.
Happy November First! The last day of the Ohio Renaissance Festival was yesterday, and while I am sad that the season is over, I am happy to be free to devote time to some other parts of my life. This season of the festival was one of the best I can remember. Wench Collecting took off this year in a way that was unexpected and led to our local growing almost doubling in size as the season moved on and more wenches are planning to join in the off season. We were able to sponsor five wenches into the guild, and have the money for several more. Being the Madam for the local is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever taken on and I am so proud of what this group is becoming. And we have so much more on the horizon, including the groups first election since 2018 when we formed the group and I became madame. I have no idea if any of my fellow wenches would like to take up the mantle and run to be madame next year, but I know that whether I am madame again or I am unseated the impact of this inaugural privy council has laid an amazing groundwork for the leadership to come.
Beyond this I have a lot planned for the month of November. One I am participating in Nanowrimo this year, but rather than a novel my goal is to blog every day for the month of November. In the past I did Blogtober, but I just couldn’t swing it this year so I decided to do November instead. I am also doing my first walk in a long time on Thanksgiving, a five mile Turkey Trot. I am attending the Witches Ball, doing a lot of holiday crafting, attending some other events with wenches and the lady gang. Who knows what I might get into? I hope you will come along for the ride, enjoy the scenery and keep me company along the way.
On the first day of November I am thankful for my amazing husband who took all of the photos below for me without complaint, following me around the Festival as I chased down all the wenches. I love that man with my whole soul and I don’t know what I would do without him.
Several weeks ago Seth, Myself and the ladies from Ghosts, Girls, Ghouls Jenny and Rebecca jumped in my car and headed off to Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus to attend the “Night at Greenlawn Cemetery” ghost tour hosted by Bucky of Columbus Ghost Tours. As we arrived we pulled into a queue that then drove slowly through the cemetery stopping on a small lane between grave stones. We left our cars and found ourselves in front of the Lazarus Crypt to begin our night. Bucky came dressed in a coat and tails to set the mood for our walking tour of the Cemetery.
He shared stories of suicide, death by misfortune, murder, grave robbing and much more as we wandered among the headstones of the 360 acre Cemetery. Some famous names appeared in the tales such as James Thurber the famous humorist writer who detailed his own brush with the paranormal in his story “The Night the Ghost Got In.” I will not spoil any of the amazing stories, but instead say it is an amazing tour and Bucky wonderfully lays out tales of the mystical, maniacal and macabre with humor and the panache of a natural born storyteller. When he reveals he is working on a book regarding some of the topics he covers it makes absolute sense.
The cemetery itself is a registered arboretum and home to many different kinds of wildlife. Dusk set in we could watch bats swoop overhead to eat the mosquitos that were swarming around us on the humid Ohio summer night. As we wandered the night got darker and darker until every small thing seemed sinister. At one point what I believe was a skunk (I did not investigate) gave me a minor scare as it moved through the black of the night. It is truly disconcerting to hear a stick break behind you in a dark cemetery.
If you are in the Central Ohio area, or are planning a visit, you cannot go wrong with one of the tours led by Columbus Ghost Tours. They offer a variety of tours as well as this one, including a tour of haunted bars where you get to drink and hear ghost stories which is on my list of things to do as well. You can follow them on Instagram at @boozeboos for more information and details.
Saturday night, after CFO, I met up with my fellow Girls, Ghosts, Ghouls ladies, Jenny and Rebecca, to go to a late night showing of the 1980’s cult slasher film, Sleepaway Camp which was followed by a live Q&A with Felissa Rose who starred as Angela in the film.
Studio 35 is an amazing local privately owned movie theatre that also houses a bar and a pizza shop. They had a special drink menu for the event that included the Don’t Drown and the Camp Arawak. There were more, but I forgot to take a picture of the menu and can only remember the one’s I ordered. We shared a pizza called PELE’S CURSE which has a GARLIC EVOO base, house cheese, capicola ham, pineapple, ricotta, almonds, cinnamon. It might not have been my first choice but it was very good. We also shared a loaded popcorn that included reese’s pieces and m&ms. I bought myself a box of sweettarts.
I was familiar with Sleepaway Camp, but had never seen it. I had an idea what the twist was, but had no idea how it played out in the film. The film is ridiculous, overacted, campy, and so much fun. I was not expecting the ending in any way, which made it almost more fun. Felissa Rose came out before the film to introduce it and give some fun little tidbits of info. She also found a member of the audience who knew absolutely nothing about the film, so she came back before the end of the film to watch his face as he saw the ending. After the film she did a Q&A which was great; she was open, warm and very funny. And she obviously has a lot of affection for the film that began her career. It was a great night and I am so glad Jenny suggested we go.
Speaking of Ghosts, Girls, Ghouls a new episode should be dropping this week. Find us by searching for ZTOTV on your favorite podcast service.
This past weekend Ohio Renaissance Park hosted Celtic Fest 2021. The day featured many regional, national and international bands, dancers, etc as well as vendors and just general good times. I went in an effort to see and talk to as many wenches as I could as well as just to spend some time in one of my favorite places. The night before, so Friday night, storms cut through the area where the fest resides and this lead to insane flooding (waist deep in places) and a lot of panic amongst the vendors and performers who were spending the night onsite. It also caused a power outage that lasted until about 2pm on Saturday.
As we headed out on Saturday morning, we were honestly not sure at all what we were getting ourselves into. I just knew that after the night they just had we needed to go and support some of these vendors we love. We got there about 11:30 (Gates were set to open at 11) and found out that the gates had been held until noon due to the power outage while they worked to get generators running to work the sound systems. Jameson’s Folly played at the gate as we waited for opening.
Once inside we walked up to A Wired Viking where I picked up a pendant I purchased in advance and a necklace for my sister for her birthday both made by the lovely Felix. We also picked up a large beard bead for Seth, a ring for him and a bracelet for me. I forgot to get photos with the three wenches who work in that booth, because I suck.
After this we walked around, said hi to many friends and wenches, got free commemorative Guinness Pint Glasses, took pictures, watched a couple of acts, gave cards to potential wenches, and generally had a great time. Here are far too many photos.
On May 30th we ventured to the East side of Columbus to explore Otherworld an interactive art experience in Columbus. Our party consisted of myself, my mother, my sister Traci and my friend Johnna. The exterior of the museum is unassuming and resides in an old strip mall.
Once inside the lobby offers clues to what lies inside, with fun lighting, beautiful murals and interesting creatures. Once we got our wristbands we ventured inside.
You can choose your own path, your own adventure. We wandered from room to room, exhibit to exhibit, laughing, touching, playing, discovering, and generally having an amazing time. Some rooms you have to crawl into. Crawling under a child’s bed in one room leads to a room with a giant narwhal and clouds you can sit on. A room full of neon spider webs had a ringing phone. Later in a control center we realized you can “call” the phone and speak to someone in the room. I am about to super photo dump. It goes without saying that this was an amazing experience and we plan to go back taking respective husbands and boyfriends.
So…I have been up to stuff. I am fully vaccinated, so I have begun meeting up with more friends who are also vaccinated and doing fun things.
On May 8th Seth and I met up at Brother’s Drake Meadery with my mom, sister Traci, friend Johnna and her husband Andy, and my sister’s friend Boggs and his girlfriend Amanda. We did their “tour” which right now means doing a flight of 5 meads together. I tried their Purple Rain mead, which is Blackberry, blackcurrant, blueberry and honey wine and it is delicious!!! Then I had the flight. And then I had a glass of Battleaxe which they describe thusly, “A sweet cranberry melomel infused with vanilla and juniper berries. Unapologetically tart upfront like cranberries with a smooth finish that is sweet and hints at the vanilla and juniper infusion.” All I know is that it is delicious. We left with 2 bottles of Purple Rain and one of Battleaxe to go.
I chose our movie(s) for Girls, Ghosts, Ghouls for the month of May/June, so we recorded that on the 17th of May. I chose Nosferatu (1922) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000). The recording hasn’t released yet, but should be coming soon.
On the 22nd we headed back to our favorite boardgaming bar, The Forge Tavern, for their Fancy Dress Pirate Party with Pirate’s Creed. Seth and I shared a table with my friends Liz and Todd. My mom, sister and my sister’s boyfriend, Erich, were at the next table and my friend, Susan, and her family were right behind us. Seth and I did a Rum flight, the Sugar Island Rum was my favorite. Pirate’s Creed put on an amazing show. I bought their album in a bottle. There were several wenches on site so we took a wench photo. Overall it was just a really good time.
On the 22nd we celebrated my nibling, Sadie’s birthday early in the afternoon. Then we met up with my friends and co-hosts Jenny and Rebecca to go to a drive through Dinosaur exhibit. It was ridiculous, but fun, and we laughed a lot.
On Sunday I wandered down to Mayme Moore Park to attend the first event for the Fat Babes Club of Columbus event, Fat Wheels. It was inspired by the Chubrollz events in CA which provides a safe space for fat skaters, skateboarders, etc. I threw on a white tank top from Blood and Thunder, my black Shells Bells bellbottoms from Moxi and headed out to skate and make some new skate friends.
These ladies put on such amazing, open, welcoming events. I got to chat with a lot of skaters of various levels of experience. And I even got to get an amazing girl, who’s grandmother was a derby skater, onto skates for her first time. Hell Yes! I got no photos at the event because I was having such a great time and socializing.
Elizabeth, Hannah, Jae and Krystal who started the Fat Babes Club are amazing and I can’t wait to see what other events they have in store for us this year, including more Fat Wheels meet ups. The video below is from their instagram and you can see how fun it was.
Betsy Snow White Bibliophile 