My work desk is right next to a window that faces our backyard. I generally have a view of squirrels, birds, and the occasional neighbor—but the other day a very round groundhog waddled into view. I squealed like a fool and went to get my husband so we could stare out the sliding door at…
How are you ringing in the new year? I’m hitting the beach. Don’t start picturing palm trees and tropical drinks…I’ll actually be on the coast of North Carolina, which at this time of year is more about sweatshirts than bathing suits. But hey, the beach is still the beach! As for the rest of 2023,…
I must caution you. This is a tale so disturbing it may haunt you in the wee hours of the morning. It concerns the very first Christmas I spent with the man who is now my husband. When it came time to sit down in the living room and open gifts with his family, I…
When I was little, I was pretty iffy on the whole “Santa and his flying reindeer” thing. My parents never dissuaded me from believing, so I guess I was a natural-born skeptic. To be clear, none of this was due to a lack of imagination on my part—I had plenty of that! But that imagination…
The life cycle of a gingerbread man is a tragic but yummy tale. I don’t care if you’re a child or an adult, there’s always a debate about which part to eat first. I tend to go for the head because then he won’t stare at me when I go for the limbs. The first…
I spent Thanksgiving in Michigan, and people there are definitely feeling Christmasy, even though it was still November. The outdoor lights looked lovely and there was even a little bit of snow to make things more festive. If decorating early for the winter holidays is your jam, I say go for it. People need to…
Let’s talk about a sensitive topic, shall we? Do you have a cranberry dish at your Thanksgiving meal, and if so, is it a sauce or a relish? I bring this up because November 22 is Cranberry Relish Day. I definitely grew up with the relish as opposed to the sauce. My mom would grind…
They’re funny looking birds…I mean, what’s with that wattle? And their gobble always makes me giggle. Yet the turkey is a big part of our November and would have been our state bird if Benjamin Franklin had gotten his way. Check out some entertaining (and somewhat disturbing) facts about these interesting birds and then help…
Today I suspect you have one of two situations going on—you’re either having a teacher workday or your day is complete insanity. Whether or not you’re having a holiday celebration in your classroom, students will still be wound up because it’s Halloween. Honestly, I’m a little wound up on Halloween as well, so I can’t…
During October, I tend to focus my blogs on all things fall and Halloween because of my love for this colorful season. However, this means I’m terribly remiss in covering the other big attraction this month: National Pizza Month. If there’s anything I love as much as Halloween, it’s pizza. Pizza—along with cheeseburgers—are at the…