Two years ago yesterday, we closed escrow on what we thought would be our “forever home,” the place we would live until we moved to what we call our future “old people condo.” One year ago today, that plan went up in smoke when it was all burned down by the River Fire, a fast […]
DIY Hogwarts Letter With Envelope and Hogwarts Seal
This post contains affiliate links. Updated June 2022 An excellent Hogwarts letter is the key piece of a Harry Potter surprise treasure box. I knew I wanted to do it up, to make a really cool replica compared to the movie props, so I searched high and low to find the best projects, and I […]
Our Handmade Holiday
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may make a small commission if you click through and buy. It’s no secret that 2021 has been a trash year for our family. Besides the obvious of our house burning to the ground in August, we lost Jamie’s dad in May, and the woman who was […]
Expressions of Gratitude: A Teen Milestone
This post is made possible with support from the Center for Parent and Teen Communication, part of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. All opinions are my own. As someone whose love language is gifts, it can be hard for me to receive, and Max is the same way. There’s nothing quite like losing everything you own […]
A Place in the World: A Teen Milestone
This post is made possible with support from the Center for Parent and Teen Communication, part of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. All opinions are my own. Young children are still developing the ability to think beyond themselves. That means sometimes they can seem incredibly selfish, like the entire world revolves around them, and they aren’t […]
How to be an Etsy shop owner’s favorite customer
This post contains affiliate links. There’s been a huge resurgence of the homemade in recent years, whether you’re looking at fashion, home decor or just people filling their time with hobbies. As part of that resurgence, there has sprung up a new generation of makers, and many of those makers are looking to turn their […]
Three Months After the Fire
This post contains affiliate links, which means we may make a small commission if you purchase through our links. Thank you for the support. It’s either been three months or a million years, I’m not sure which. Three months since the fire. Three months since we said goodbye to our house and all our plans […]
Advent calendars for the family – Updated for 2021
This post contains affiliate links. When I was a kid, a chocolate advent calendar was PEAK excitement. We usually got just the plain ones that rewarded us with a bible verse or maybe a line from a poem, but sometimes we got that weird waxy chocolate and we were thrilled. These days, advent calendars are […]
River Fire Fundraiser
As we settle into our new/temporary “normal,” I’m getting antsy and need to do more. So this morning, I launched a fundraiser for our local community fund. I designed these two custom ornaments, and you can buy one for yourself, or one to donate to a family here who lost everything. They’re $20 each, and […]