All things nice and pumpkin spice // October 2022

Hello! I’m obviously trying to desperately update the ole crusty blog LOL.

But alas! I bring you–ta-freaking-da! a slew of pics from my life this past October in 2022.

Oh, October. Sigh.

I used to be a notoriously spring gal. That was my season, and Easter was my holiday. I still love springtime, daffodils and all things pastel, but now I’m sensing a shift in my loyalty–I feel like I’m starting to become an Autumn gal. Actually I would say there is now a fine split between Autumn and Summer. I am now split between Halloween and 4th of July as being equal contestants to my ever loving soul. Easter is now coming in strong at third.

But October.

Something about pumpkins. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Busting out sweaters. Homemade soup on a Sunday.

Our Halloween House

We’ll start with our house, shall we? Every year we add just a bit more decor to the outside. Add a new spider web here, a new lit up pumpkin there.

I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. Boo-yah. Heavy on the “boo.”

Behold! The Basic Fall B behind this blog!

And don’t you forget it.

Fall Make n’ Bakes

All of the Sunday make n’ bakes of the season: my favorite pumpkin bread, French onion soup, and my utmost favorite Autumnal meal: Butternut Squash Lasagna.

I always welcome Autumn with my reverential routine of making Pippa Middleton’s Butternut Squash Lasagna. It officially cannot be fall until this comes bubbly and hot out of the oven.

It really is best when served with a side of Gilmore Girls on a crisp Sunday afternoon. Followed by a cozy cat nap.

Mmm.

Caramel apples! Hands down my favorite fall treat.

Annnnd because I’m obsessed with pretty pictures, I just HAD to do a set up and take pics as if I was Better Homes and Gardens LOL.

The Halloween Shop Around

Okay so if you have known me for any length of time, you will know that I am utterly obsessed with holiday shopping. Just a wee, tad, bit obsessed.

Since I currently live in the middle of nowhere (sense the resentment), precisely two hours away from a Target, I planned a big Halloween Haul shopping trip with my mom and sister one weekend in September. We even went to my favorite mountain city, Prescott, to make it just that much more special.

There is something so exhilarating about a new holiday being sold in your favorite stores. Right? Or is that just me? But especially Halloween. Something about seeing skeletons and ghosts parading the aisles of Joanns instantly brings back childhood glee.

Love it when the stores are just pumpkin obsessed and so, so, so very orange.

Ohhh, just your neighborhood basic broad basking in craft store fall foliage.

Hocus Pocus 2

The major Advent of Halloween 2022, as you all well may know, was Hocus Pocus 2!

Typically I try to have a “Fright Night” every weekend where we make Pinterest fueled fall goodies and watch Halloween movies with all of the ambience of lit candles etc. This year I bought a fog machine but was a tad disappointed in the results. I may just need to buy a better fog machine next year. I also really want to buy a storm special effect machine next year where it makes thunder noises with flashes of light for “lightening.” LOL

Back to Hocus Pocus 2. It initiated Fright Night season for 2022.

Okay–thoughts on the movie? It wasn’t horrible but I was a tad disappointed. I may need to watch it one more time, me thinks.

Of course I needed to make spell book brownies, duh.

And yes–we bought dry ice for our beverage. Extra, I know.

New leggings!

New Frankenstein dog toy!

Mcdonalds Halloween Bucket Hype

The return of the Mcdonalds Halloween Happy Meal Buckets! Yes, I was one of the crazy 90’s kid/adults who was ALL about this.

I totally remember when my Mom came home and surprised us with Halloween Happy Meal buckets. But this year the hamburger came with extra pickles and extra nostalgia. I needed these buckets. All three. So! Full disclosure: I spent nearly thirty bucks on Halloween happy meals from Mcdonalds trying to get a full set. I know: yikes. But hey, it is scary season! LOL.

Sadly, I was only able to achieve collecting the white ghost bucket (like five times moreover) and was able to trade one of my ghosts for a green witch bucket with my co-worker LOL. I treated my niece and nephew with happy meals when I was back home in Wickenburg hoping I could snag the orange bucket. Big fifteen buck fail there.

And yes, David and I had a date night involving Halloween happy meal buckets LOL.

I’ll probably end up paying $45 on an orange bucket on Ebay.

Halloween House Decor

I am a maximalist. I have these dandy aspirations to GO.TO.TOWN with the holiday decor for every single holiday. Of course decor can bust the budget (and believe me, it does) so every year I just acquire more! more! more! But unfortunately not as much as I would love to have.

Typically I have focused my decor on the indoors. Just recently, i.e. the past few years, I have tried to build my outdoor decor collection for the holidays. But my first love is decorating indoors.

Behold!

I’m pretty pleased with how this dining nook turned out this year. I made the ghost chair covers myself, flip of hair. Actually quite simple–I bought white pillowcases from Goodwill, cut the sides to fit the chair better, and then cut out the ghost face out of cheap-o black felt and hot glued those to the pillow case. Ummm, aren’t they just cuuuuute.

I also slipped witch socks onto the table legs. I had every intention to make witch shoes out of craft paper for every table leg but ran out of oomph and didn’t get around to it. There’s always next year *shrugs shoulders*.