Two Familiars

The two cats chased each other round and round, full of energy and ire. They knocked over vials and broomsticks, scattered herbs, and even tore up the toadstools.
The witch was frustrated with her familiars, but no matter what she tried, the two cats kept chasing each other around.
She tried asking her fellow witches if they had such trouble with their familiars, but always got the same answer.
"Of course not, I only have the one!"
She just couldn't understand why the other witches were content with just one familiar. When hers weren't chasing each other, they did great work helping her collect potion potion ingredients and with casting spells.
Perhaps dealing with their crazy game of chase was simply the price she had to pay for two familiars.
Crash!
Then again, maybe there was a spell that would stop their behavior.
Crack!
Or at least make her belongings less fragile.

Nutty Treats

1. A caramel nut tart.
2. Peanut brittle.
3. Hazelnut cookies.
4. Walnut ice cream.
5. Almond paste.
6. Pecan rolls.
7. Dark chocolate almond brownies.
8. Pistachio pudding.
9. Walnut and fig bread pudding.
10. Peanut butter and pecan cookies.

The Merciless Moon

The wolf ran, the rain-soaked undergrowth squishing beneath his paws. From the trees behind him, the baying of hounds and shouts of men could be heard. They wouldn't have much difficulty following the wolf's trail in this wet weather, or simply by the thorny bushes that kept snagging fur from his pelt.
Still, the wolf ran from the hunters, though a part of him relished the thought of turning around and feasting on those who thought to catch him. His blood was a siren wherever the moonlight broke through the canopy, singing of the hunt he could have, of how the thrill would be sated with sweet flesh.
The wolf tried to stay out of the moonlight, for he knew exactly how weak he was.
He ran, not from fear of the men and their hounds, but from the terror of what he might do under the moonlight.
Those men had names and faces that would surely be familiar in the glow of dawn. The wolf couldn't risk being near them before that time. He was monster they hunted, the monster that could harm their families and destroy their herds.
He was the latest moon-bathed monster of Morrison Glen, and was determined to defeat this curse.
Yet even as his determination gave strength to his paws, the wolf felt horror gnawing as he noticed the trees thinning. Not too far ahead, a curtain of moonlight framed the end of forest, and only clear farmland awaited beyond.
The wolf couldn't go out there. To enter the moonlight, to be serenaded with its siren song without reprieve, would be the death of him.
For though he was cursed to be a wolf now, he knew in that foggy sun-bleached part of his mind that he wasn't always a wolf. The part of him who would recognize his hunters was chained there, and it was only while he stayed in the shaded darkness of the night that a portion of that nearly forgotten creature could sway him away from the hunt.
That part knew he didn't want to become like the other monsters of Morrison Glen, more so than he already was.
So the wolf stopped in the darkness just before that curtain of moonlight, ears twitching at the sound of his pursuers drawing ever closer.
He could not go forward without losing what little sanity he still held, but there was no way to go back without encountering the hunters.
Lifting his head, the wolf gave a mournful howl to the merciless moon, knowing that in the coming moments, either he or his hunters would die.
And he didn't know which would hurt him more.

Things to Pack Extra of

1. Socks.
2. Cash.
3. Food.
4. Water.
5. Shoes.
6. Medicine.
7. Toothbrushes.
8. Cookies.
9. Batteries or chargers.
10. Hair ties.

More

When someone bakes you a cookies, you feel happy.

When someone bakes you a dozen cookies every day for an entire month, you start to get the feeling that they just like baking cookies. That, and a queasy feeling at the smell of snickerdoodles.

Sometimes, less is more, in so many ways. More special, more exciting, more thoughtful.

More may seem better, and sometimes it is. The trick is learning when something is quantity improves quality.

More cookies are great when you have a big group, for then everyone can have some.

More cookies when you're sitting alone at home can lead to a stomachache.

More for the sake of more is excessive, and can lead to selfish tendencies. More for the sake of helping those who have less a way to care for others.

Next time you seek for more of something, ask yourself why exactly you want more.

Then, ask if your reasons are sound, or if there are better things you can seek for.

Candy Hiding Places

1. Above the washing machine. Who'd think to look for candy while washing laundry?
2. In the closet. Right next to the presents.
3. In the bread box. Because chocolate and rye go so well together.
4. The vegetable drawer. Brussel sprouts are excellent at protecting candy from children.
5. Under the bed. You know, as an easily accessible midnight snack.
6. Behind the microwave.
7. In the garage. That way you can always get a treat before you go.
8. Inside a desk. Because the munchies don't wait for work to end.
9. On top of the bookshelf. Because a good book deserves a good treat.
10. In your stomach. Then no one can steal your candy.

Blocks and Bricks

When given a block, make it a brick.
Build something, brick by brick.
For each brick may once have been a block.
But bricks can make houses, if you don't let them remain as a block.
For a block can seem daunting, a huge stone you can't budge.
But turn it to bricks, and they're more easily nudged.
So don't let it defeat you, whatever your block may be.
You can turn it into bricks, and then you're home free.

Thumbprint Cookie Fillings

1. Candy apple jam.
2. Almond paste.
3. Lemon curd.
4. Chocolate.
5. Fig jam.
6. Strawberry jam.
7. Apple butter.
8. Plum jam.
9. Caramel.
10. Pastry cream.

Burning

Burning buns is no fun.
It makes for a sad burger.
Burning marshmallows can be fun.
If you like your s'mores a bit darker.
Burning dinner calls for takeout.
Burning a log is cheerful on a wintry day.
Just be aware of what you're burning, and you won't accidentally burn a bridge today.