These cookies are fudgy (almost brownie-esque), just the tiniest bit fruity, and crowd-pleasers for all ages (I almost had to call them "Chocolate Cookies" instead of "Chocolate-Cherry Cookies" because OMG, six-year-old, STEP AWAY FROM THE MARASCHINOS).
CHOCOLATE CHERRY VALENTINE'S COOKIES
What you need:
Just, you know...thoughts.
Don't put your guinea pig's cage in your bedroom, and other sage pieces of advice. (The 5 Worst Bedroom Interior-Design Mistakes, via WSJ.)
I've been wearing the same striped boatneck long-sleeved J.Crew top for more than five years. It's my GOAT for everyday wear that looks pulled-together and chic, but it's time for a new one. Ohkayyyy.
Remember back in 2009, when I decided that I was the kind of person who should write a website about cooking, DIY, and home decor, and that it should be called “Domestic Bliss”?
Yeah, I have no idea what I was thinking either – other than, perhaps, “fake it ’til you make it” – because for the first few years, “faking it” is exactly what I did. At the time, my idea of a homemade meal was store-bought pasta with jarred tomato sauce (to which I’d added onions and mushrooms – you know, to make it fancy), and was wildly impressed with myself for completing “DIYs” such as…swapping out drawer pulls. Putting up a sticker decal was a feat worthy of a full video tutorial (OMG WE WERE BABIES), and I thought that my idea of using teacups to serve soup during parties was the height of inspired entertaining.
I still think that serving soup in teacups is pretty neat, but a lot has changed since the halcyon days of wallpaper-wrapped lampshades and green chalkboard refrigerators. I’m still no Ty Pennington, but after renovating two homes and working on a home construction and design show, I now know about 20,000 times more than I ever thought I’d know about all things DIY. Below are ten of my all-time favorite projects, all of which I promise you are more than capable of taking on yourself.
I'm currently recovering from eye surgery while parked in the guest bedroom of my extremely tolerant BFF, Erin, who is at this very moment making us coffee. I haven't had anyone bring me coffee in bed in three years, so even though the situation on my face is rather uncomfortable, I have to say: For a parent of two small children, coffee in bed is some next-level relaxation. (Also, last night I dreamed that I styled Kylie Jenner - "GIRL, that dress is hitting at the exact wrong spot; here, try this one!" - so...I don't know what that means, but I did not dream that I was in the middle of one apocalypse or another, and that's new, so I'll take it.)
Related Read: Erin teaches me how to do a "German Smear"
Related Read: A Full Bathroom Renovation...For Less Than $700
I'll be alone this New Year's Eve, for the first time I can remember. I think for the first time ever, actually. I'm okay with that; I swear - Kendrick has always cared way more about New Year's than I do, and I never want to stay up until midnight anyway, so it just makes sense for the kids to go to his place for the weekend. Besides, even in "normal" years, oh my god do I ever not want to go out on New Year's - just the thought of it makes me want to nap.
But there's another reason I'm not only "okay" with being on my own, but rather actively looking forward to it.
When Kendrick and I divorced, I realized very quickly that I did not know how to be single. I’d moved fairly seamlessly from relationship to relationship my entire adult life (with a year-long foray into casual dating in my mid-twenties that I somehow survived, but probably shouldn’t have), so when my marriage ended I found myself completely at sea, and wanted someone – anyone – to save me. I wasn't sure I knew how to make myself feel better all on my own, because I’d never really had to do it.
Most importantly, 2020 brought us Opal, the Mormon Church rescue kitten.
I already told you what the 10 most-shopped products of 2020 were...so here are the 10 most-loved (or most hate-read, whatevs) posts of 2020. Turns out what you were most interested in this year (in Ramshackle Glam world, at least - I have a feeling what you were *actually* most interested in was whatever Steve Kornacki had to say) was beauty experimentation, homeschooling updates, and personal dramatics (always a hit).
Scroll down to find out what the Number One Most-Read Post of 2020 was. You'll be floored.
At the end of each year, I like to check in with my affiliate link analytics to see which of the products I recommended you ended up being the most interested in. It's especially fascinating to me because I'm not a "shopping" site, per se, so I feel like this gives me a lot of insight into *why* you come to Ramshackle Glam, and what kind of content you're looking for.
In 2020, it turns out, what you were looking for was exactly the same stuff I was looking for: Really, really boring shit that for various reasons ended up sparking genuine joy in this dumpster fire of a year. It's the single most 2020 shopping roundup I've ever seen, and I was DYING laughing looking through this.
Links to all the products I mention in the video are below.
I'm having a bit of a rough time getting into the holiday spirit this year. I know, YOU'RE SHOCKED AND HAVE NO IDEA WHY.
This candle helps quite a bit. And so does baking. Especially when your six-year-old has decided with 100% certainty that what she wants to be when she grows up is a chef ("because they get to eat a lot"), and wants nothing more than to perch herself on the kitchen counter with some carols playing in the background and help you roll out perfect little balls of dough.
This morning, she asked if coronavirus would still be around when she went to college. "No," I said, "but probably for another six months." ...And do you know what she did? Screamed - in joy! - at the top of her lungs. "Six months?!" she said. "That's NOTHING!"
A not-so-little (to me) announcement.
Just the prettiest asymmetrical drop earrings.
Rocco & Roxie makes the very best holiday gifts for the fluffballs in your life (I cannot speak more highly of NoChew Spray, and my dog is f-ing obsessed with this thing.)
All my son wanted for Christmas was a kitten. Literally. And I know, I know: Every kid wants a kitten...but I have never in my life encountered a human being so deeply connected to cats. I told him that Santa doesn't do kittens. I told him we have enough animals. I told him Mommy is all full up on responsibility.
...But it's Christmas.
