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The Gossamer Gossip

January's Glowing Embers


Salutations Subscriber,
Ugh, I know. It has been four months without any news or updates. So much for this being a behind-the-scenes newsletter, huh? What more can I say other than Life has been life-ing rather hard these past few months. But when has it not? For the first time in quite a while, I have been feeling the stirrings of my creative passions once more, and I think, despite the chaos in my life and in the world, I have to listen to the howling call of the moon's creativity. Firstly, by kicking myself back on track with this newsletter! (I apologize in advance, this is going to be a lengthy one!)
Although we tried to spend our eight days off from work between Christmas and New Years lounging around and unwinding, they did not feel like enough. Have you also felt like you are in need of a vacation from 2024? Or even just from the first month of 2025? Too much has already happened in January and I think I may very well be emotionally broken by the time you read this newsletter.
We've been spending our work days off in January as low-key as possible. LOTS of time enjoying the burning embers of our wood fireplace with a good book accompanied by my new record player or cozying up on the couch with a movie or tv show. There has been a lot of undue stress at work (since August) and I'm doing my best to not let it rule over me during our off hours. To distract myself, I'm looking forward to a special friend visit next month. I finally get to take one of my online Halloween pals to the Winchester Mystery House and I would be lying if I said I am not beside myself with excitement.
Lastly, I shared in my Instagram stories that I am shifting away from social media. I have been sitting on this truth for quite a few years now, but I can now fully acknowledge that I am not a social media person. I was never really into it to begin with. If I had to pick one place to call home on the world wide web, it has always been my blog, and as I mentioned at the start of this email, I am ready to return to it with full intention. It won't be immediate, but I'm thinking I will be mostly weened off of Instagram by the end of March when I wrap up a Sips & Spirits series with Erick. The end goal includes returning to my semi-frequent YouTube videos to compliment my blog posts. I can always be found as Cheers! with Chelsea on YouTube. Outside of that, this newsletter is going to become the best and main space to keep up with me.
On that note, I am trying to keep up with anyone that I might loose touch with by not visiting Instagram regularly. If you have your own email newsletter or YouTube channel I can follow, please let me know! I do want to keep connected, but social media is not the community it used to be for me when I first began using it. Simply reply to this email or drop your contact info in my IG Story here. Let's make a proper connection! Until next month...

Sippin' with the Sips & Spirits Podcast?
Sips & Spirts has been resting in its coffin due to mine and Erick's lack of energy after work ends, but we compromised our lack of episodes with twelve Instagram Lives happening each Thursday to sample an advent calendar from Alpenglow Cocktail Co. We've tried four of the cocktail mixers so far with our fifth happening on January 29th.
We'll be tasting these cocktail mixers every Thursday through March 20th at 10 pm Pacific Time. Come embrace the winter vibes with us and discover a new cocktail or two!

Life Adventures & Blog Posts
from September 2024 - January 2025
Despite the work/life chaos and desire to escape the modern world, I still made some time to have some little adventures with my family before the year ended. Which, when bundled together in the list below, look like quite the full quarter-end of the year.
Erick and I got a couple date nights in without the littles, which were both a ton of fun. As a family, we had a true adventure each month that left our Monster and Boo begging for more.
Interested in reading about one of our adventures not planned to be turned into a blog post? Let me know! Just reply to this email to tell me which adventure you're curious to learn more about.

September Highlight: Creep It Real Nostalgic 2024
Creep It Real OC turned out to be the perfect substitution for our annual trips to Midsummer Scream. This event is a very family-friendly alternative held outdoors and spanned two days of fun. There were creative displays all throughout, a generous selection of vendors, many of which were new to me, all amongst the backdrop of Orange County's Heritage Museum.
I broke out my Mistress of the Bust for the occasion and had maybe a little too much fun posing in front of an Ecto-1. Both Littles had a frightful time as well and still ask almost weekly when we can go again. (We really wanted to try to make it to Creep It Real Festive too, but it just wasn't in the cards...) It is a big hope to return again next year and if you've been on the fence about this smaller-scale event, I say go!

October Highlight: Pumpkin Patches in Santa Cruz County
When most think of Santa Cruz, they think beaches, surfing and the boardwalk, but Santa Cruz county as a whole is actually a rich agricultural area and fairly close to my mother-in-laws. While we were at her house visiting, we had a free morning and decided to check out some of the local pumpkin patches in the area.
I did not actually think we would end up stopping by all of the pumpkin patches we did! When we visit a pumpkin patch, it's usually only one and we are done. Each patch we hit up had its own individual charm and vastly varied from the next. It was an October outing of my dreams.
Stop 1: Rodoni Farms Farmstand
This first stop had a delightful selection of pumpkins and an adorable farmstand. I regret not getting their pumpkin butter, but I can say that the F.R.O.G. jam I snagged was delightful. I would definitely swing by this farmstand in the non-pumpkin season to see what else they might have to offer.
Stop 2: Rodoni Farms Pumpkin Patch
This patch was set up like the ones I'm used to with a mix of pumpkins to choose from and an assortment of farm-esque entertainment for kids to climb on. The staff were very friendly and knowledgeable about all the pumpkins they offered. We braved their questionable-looking corn maze and had some fun with the tube slide and tire walk. I also picked up some kubocha pumpkins which made some of the most delicious soup AND pumpkin pies. I will have to pick up even more next year.
Stop 3: Corralitos Hills Farm
This farm was so so cute! I LOVED the turkeys. I’ve never seen white ones in person before! (We would see wild brown turkeys all the time in Fremont, but white is new to me). I really liked this one and hope we can swing by once more for the vinegar I snagged some eggs from their silly chickens and a beautiful Cinderella pumpkin. They had these adorable little trikes with wagons attached that children could ride on to cart their pumpkin picks around. I'm sure you can guess what the Littles liked doing while here! This was the first year for this farm, but I really hope they bring it back again next year.
Stop 4: Crystal Bay Farms
This patch definitely had a very cute and family-friendly setting. There were all kinds of u-pick options aside from the pumpkins, perfect for any autumn-goer. All manor of animatronics were set up around the patch, but my favorite part had to be the wooden fence with ghosts carved into the posts.

In Memoriam to Juju
On January 20th, we discovered that our beloved newest addition to our family, Juju the Sand Boa, had passed from this world. We were so thrilled to have him join our family back in June and the loss came as quite the shock.
Juju was our first snake friend we've ever had to care for. We learned a lot from caring for Juju and feel that, regardless of the circumstances, we did care for him well. He seemed content, ate well, and was often exploring his environment. The littles both enjoyed interacting with him and mastered respecting his small size and way to be handled.
Despite the unknown circumstances of his passing, we are not completely scarred by the experience. He burrowed into our hearts and was such a lovely companion. I'm more devastated that our time was so short when it should have been much longer. (Sand Boas have a 20 year life span, but Juju lived about one year) As it is, just yesterday morning, I went on my usual routine to check on him, only to remember halfway that we have already removed his tank from it's place. He's still strong in our memory. Any future family additions will not erase our wonderful, despite brief, experience with Juju. ❤️

Library Hauntings
Villains are Destined to Die
Villains are Destined to Die
by SUOL & Gwon Gyeoeul
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A toast to cobwebs, cocktails and creativity!