The "Shetzie"

I know what you're thinking. What exactly is a "Shetzie" and why do you look like you let a 3-year-old dress you in that picture down there? Those are perfectly reasonable questions, and I will tell you! (Also, please ignore the fact that I look super tired in these photos. I couldn't get my eyes to open up!)

My work attire is something that I've struggled with since I started working from home a few years ago. I LIKE clothes and getting dressed and feeling put together. But I DON'T like being uncomfortable all day and wasting an outfit when I know I'm not leaving the house. When I started working from home full-time a year or so ago, I would wake up and spend all day working in my pajamas. I was OK with it except that when Nathan got home at 5 p.m. and I was still in the same clothes from that morning, I felt like a huge slob.

So. I started getting back into my college routine. After class at Miami, I would come home and throw on pajama pants but keep my top half all business. I'd keep on my necklace, scarf, whatever, but the jeans HAD to be substituted for comfier pants. One of my roomies and part of FBOFW, Leah, coined it the "Shetzie" after my maiden name (Shetzer!) and the fact that I looked like this ALL THE TIME. I'm pretty sure I didn't make it up but I did make it acceptable ... maybe even popular ... in the FBOFW house.

In my opinion, the pajama pant/sweater combo is just as comfy as all-out pajamas. Plus, I feel more put together, and I can head out to Starbucks or go run errands in a flash; I just need to change into jeans! See? Works in college, works for working at home. Some things are just too good to let go. :)

My Favorite Christmas Cookies

When I was little and it got to be the middle of December, my mom would ask us what Christmas cookies we wanted that year. Without fail, I chose candy cane cookies. I'm sure my mom wanted to cringe when I mentioned them because they're a LOT of work, but I loooooved them and still do. Tonight is the Ohio Blogging Association's annual holiday party and cookie swap. Guess what cookies I decided to make? P.S. We have to bring four dozen. Nathan thought I was CRAZY for mixing, rolling and twisting four dozen of these cookies, but I want to spread the love. The almondy-minty goodness is just so delicious!

In case you're up for making these (they're ALWAYS a hit!), I wanted to share the recipe with you all. And if you have a favorite Christmas cookie, please share in the comments below! I have a husband who loves cookies; I'm pretty sure they rank just after me on his list of favorite things.

Candy Cane Cookies (makes "four dozen," but that's actually a lie. I'd say it's more like two)

1/2 cup margarine, softened 1/2 cup shortening (I use more margarine here; butter works too) 1 cup powdered sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red food color 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix margarine, shortening, powdered sugar, egg and flavorings thoroughly. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough in half; blend food coloring into one half.

Shape 1 teaspoon dough from each half into a 4-inch rope. Roll over a floured board. Place ropes side by side and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet (I still grease it!).

Bake about nine minutes or until set and very light brown. While baking, mix candy and granulated sugar. Immediately sprinkle cookies with candy mix. Remove from baking sheet to cool.

The Late Night Ice Cream Run

The other night Nathan and I looked at each other and smiled. We were both thinking the same thing: It was time for a late night ice cream run. Since moving to Cleveland, we've become rather obsessed with Sweetie Fry in Cleveland Heights. If you haven't been there yet, you Need to go. Need with a capital N. They serve gourmet homemade fries (chicken parmesan, pizza, etc.) and ice cream (strawberry and sour cream, turkish coffee, deep chocolate, etc.), and we just can't get enough! Check out a review I did for my friend Jen's blog, WhyCLE?

Because Sweetie Fry is open late ('til 1 a.m. on Saturday!), Nathan and I make up excuses to go at like 10:30 p.m. A few weeks ago, we hadn't really had dinner, so we decided the next best option was eating fries and onion rings. Then just a couple nights ago, I had a craving for peppermint ice cream with hot fudge so ... off to Sweetie Fry we went. Unfortunately, they were out of the holiday-special peppermint, so I opted for mint chocolate chip instead.

It's probably kind of sad, but these spur-of-the-moment, weeknight Sweetie Fry trips make me feel liberated. Like we're back in college and this is our date night. These trips are definitely about the fries and ice cream, but they're also about feeling part of the community and getting to spend quality time with each other. Uninterrupted time over creamy ice cream and gooey hot fudge.

101 in 1001: #101 Decorate our House for Christmas.

Oh hey! Two 101 posts in a row. It feels good to see goals completed. Although this little goal will be recurring every year around this time because I LOVE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS! Honestly, one of the most exciting things about owning our own house is getting to make it all Christmasy. This year, we decided not to spend a lot of money on decorations, but instead see what we could do with what we had. I think it turned out pretty well! Take a look:

You know me, I love the rustic look, but I also wanted to make it look Christmasy. I opted for red and gold instead of the standard red and green.

The wood rounds are from our wedding, as are the jars and bottles and wreath. The only new things are the stockings and stocking holders and the red and gold branches. Plus, I got fresh cranberries for the mason jars. Fill with water and stick a tea light in there and you have a festive votive!

Finding our Christmas tree was not as easy. We really wanted to cut down our own and through our searches found Heritage Farms in Peninsula, which has been in operation for more than 150 years! It was a quaint place with tons of acres of trees. Unfortunately, most of the good trees had already been cut down, so we opted for a pre-cut tree (also offered on the farm). Maybe we'll get to use a saw next year!

They had lots of cute, little trees ... perfect for me! Just not our living room.

We opted for a fraser fir, which has been great so far! Not too sharp, but also not too flimsy.

And then the outside of the house! This year was all about simplicity, although we learned that putting wreaths on every (original) window of a 70-year-old house is NOT simple. We still need a wreath for the front door. What do you think ... something totally different than the others or something similar?

I hope you all are feeling festive and soaking in the season! :D