Hello, Sunday.

How is everyone doing? I’m actually quite okay. My Christmas decorations are going up today, and I’m very much looking forward to the holiday, long weekends, friends and family coming up.  

I love this stretch of the year because, aside from the obvious holiday togetherness time, my family and I are heading to Florida the week after Thanksgiving which means I have a nice stretch of shortened work weeks ahead me and then BAM! Christmas!

But before we get to BAM, how about some things? Plus a few recipe ideas in case you’re at a loss for recipes for Thanksgiving.

Related: how to plan a seamless Thanksgiving.

I love comparing word-isms from different areas of the country. Since I grew up in blue areas in this map, it’s hard for me to believe that pretty much EVERYWHERE in the country calls sneakers tennis shoes. But then again, I also play tennis, so my tennis shoes were definitely a separate thing from my sneaks.  See what I mean? So fascinating! Like coke vs. pop vs. soda.

I can’t stop reading things about Matthew Perry. I just finished his book and it was so incredibly heartbreaking.

What to do if you lose your phone. Helpful!

Wow. Good and bad marketing here, depending on how you look at it.

OMG Atari is back.

How to make your pets more climate friendly.

And now for your Thanksgiving needs:

Mom’s best stuffing

Homemade Green Bean Casserole

Turkey Tenderloin with Cranberry Chutney

Pumpkin Strudel

N0-churn pumpkin spice ice cream (Because pumpkin spice isn’t going anywhere)

Cranberry ginger cocktail

For more, just search Thanksgiving!

Have a great holiday!

How about some vacation recreations?  Let’s start with these oh-so fabulous homemade almond croissants.

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Hello, Sunday.

The world is just still so heavy. It may sound very woo-woo, but I’ve been working to remember to be grateful for all the things that we take for granted that those around the world are literally dying to have, and to see the joy in the little everyday things – the gorgeous canopy of orange just outside my window; cozy mornings with Crawley; impromptu outings with friends; a good cup of coffee alongside a delicious pastry.

I admit to still spending the last week recovering from my whirlwind month of travel so have been off the webs but still have a few nuggets to share. 

The United States of Guns.  I’ve become acutely aware of how much of a relief I feel the second I set foot outside of the U.S. I don’t think we all realize how the underlying, ever-present danger adds to our baseline anxiety.

Related: I take these travel warnings with a grain of salt since I still truly believe we’re more likely to get shot here than die of a terrorist attack anywhere else.

Remember how I hinted at the special tools artisan pasta makers use to take their goods up a notch? Here’s more info in that vein!

Celebrity deaths sometimes hit hard.  This one hurts the most. RIP, Chandler Bing.

I can’t wait to dig into this.

God, isn’t it though?

The ultimate #GirlBoss.

It’s still apple season! Here’s your cheat sheet.

And here’s still my favorite way to eat them.

Have a good week – hug your loved ones closely.