Halloween decor season is upon us! Maybe this is the year that I finally put up an autumn wreath. I’ve seen the Halloween trees that people have posted on Pinterest, but I don’t think I’m at that level of obsessiveness yet, give me a few more years.
Here are some great Halloween finds that I’m absolutely thinking about buying in the next month. (I bought the pumpkin mug a few years ago and it’s my favourite thing to use but ONLY in autumn - you have to have rules.)
Ghost Stoneware Mugs
$15 at Pottery Barn
Ghost Stoneware Pitcher
$15 at Target
Wooden Oak Leaf Shape Serving Board
$15 at Target
Pumpkin Drink Dispenser
$18 at Target
Pumpkin Stoneware Mugs
$60 for a set of four at Pottery Barn
Warm Apple Pie 3-Wick Candle
$26.95 at Bath & Body Works (but I’d wait for a sale)
Halloween Grass Wreath Black
$20 at Target
Black Cauldron Mug
$14.95 at Williams Sonoma
Ghost Stoneware Appetizer Plate
$3 at Target
Ghost Tea Towels
$22 from Etsy
Pumpkin Stoneware Appetizer Plate
$3 at Target
Jack Skellington Plush Pillow
$20 at Target
Nordic Ware Monster Cakelet Pan
$39.95 at Sur La Table
Spider Web Mini Waffle Maker
$9.95 at Williams Sonoma
Staub Mini Stoneware Pumpkin, 5 qt.
$34.96 at Sur La Table
Light-Up Bats Doormat
$49 at West Elm
Coffin Crossbody Bag
$24.99 at Spirit Halloween
Recently Deceased Crossbody Bag
$24.99 at Spirit Halloween
Sitting Animatronic Scarecrow
$99.99 at Spirit Halloween
Halloween Grass & Leaf Wreath
$25 at Target
Note: no these aren’t affiliate links in this post - Target rejected me for their affiliate program (rude much?), these are all just things I’d love to have.
October is complete and I’m exhausted. Every year I try to make the most of October and every year I feel like I accomplish just that. And then November arrives and I feel like I can relax again for a minute before the rush and excitement of December begins. I complain, but I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s what went down last month!
You can find my favourite tweets of the month over here and here.
I got this great temporary tattoo from Etsy that I kind of really want to get as a real tattoo now. Could this ever happen? Could I change my entire non-tattoo personality overnight? And if there’s a reality in which this could happen, what would I tell people is the reasoning behind it? That I love Halloween? That it’s a reminder to just live? (← Okay that might be the corniest thought on this entire blog but aren’t all reasons behind tattoos corny as hell? Do people even have reasoning behind their tattoos anymore? DID THEY EVER? Do you see why I’m not made for this??)
I’ve seen most of the new SNLs this season and here are some thoughts:
Owen Wilson ep. - based on the monologue alone, how is this man not considered the most charming celebrity on this planet? He’s so likable, it almost hurts. Love that whole family. (I still dream of Luke Wilson as my third husband or something. He just seems like he might treat me so good?) And the episode wasn’t bad overall but mostly because I think Owen’s just… so nice.
Kim K. ep. - I won’t spell out the K word, I just won’t do it. This episode was an alien-level of bad. It blew my mind to find out that a lot of people thought differently and even liked it. Not even mainly because she was terrible (she was), but the writing was like… what the fuck is going on? These people are WRITERS? It made me so mad for a bit. Just agonizingly awful.
Rami Malek ep. - entirely forgettable but not especially terrible.
Jason Sudeikis ep. - okay, now this makes NO sense after the Kim episode, but this was the funniest episode I’ve seen in maybe years. What is going ON? Sudeikis was, obviously, perfect but of course he was gonna be. Can’t love this sketch more.
Some of the family went on a mini trip to Niagara Falls and it was nice to get away, even for just a night. We were missing a few people though and that never feels right.
Tianna & Baby Dog, Niagara Falls, October 2021
I attempted to get passes to Open House New York’s annual weekend and it went horribly. The site crashed immediately upon opening and then everything good was instantly sold out when it came back online. This damn city sometimes, I’m telling you.
I tried the pie crust cookies from Janie’s Life Changing Baked Goods on the Upper West Side and they did not disappoint. Honestly just love the bold name choice.
I have watched so many movies this past month, they’re all kind of a blur. No true standouts, but one. Hubie Halloween. Do not watch it. A movie hasn’t made me that irrationally mad in years. Just unwatchable shit. Can that man just go somewhere and sit on all his money and be happy? He needs to be stopped.
I finished the series On My Block and it’s really just a sweet little show. Happy it ended the way it did and when it did. Fully recommend (the first two seasons mostly).
So I’m in the middle of giving up meat for a month for some health reasons (they’re boring reasons so I’m not going into details) and have you ever heard of meat withdrawal? I hadn’t but it’s real, baby. Thought I had the flu or COVID for awhile (I got tested and it was negative) but all the symptoms aligned with cutting meat. Who knew?
My 16 year old niece visited New York for the first time and it was such a great trip. Highlights from the trip: we saw the Joker steps in the Bronx, we saw the musical Wicked (which was TOO good), she went to a cat cafe, we listened to jazz in Harlem, we had dessert at Serendipity, we went to Coney Island to walk around and ride the Wonder Wheel, it was such a busy weekend, I’m so glad we were able to do so much. Loved having her here.
Layla in Coney Island, October 2021
I made an apple fritter cake for Thanksgiving in Canada that was heavenly. Definitely going to make it again at some point.
After reading so many good reviews, we got Mexican takeout from Ruta in Astoria and good god, that salsa. It’s incredible and deep red and I can’t wait to have it again.
I’m not a giant pumpkin fan but I made pumpkin pecan scones with a maple glaze that were very good. I tend to prefer a lighter, fluffier scone, but the pumpkin weighed these down a bit to make them a bit more dense. I also had so much leftover pumpkin, so I made some soft pumpkin cookies with salted maple icing that were really, really good. Both recipes can be made vegan if you’re better than the rest of us.
Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze
I found a new waxing place in Astoria that is incredible: Rio Wax Studio. Not only is it priced reasonably, but the service is incredible. She gets your ingrown hairs like a fucking scientist with special glasses and a magnifying device, it’s amazing. Never going anywhere else again.
I went to see the pumpkin flotilla in Central Park and it was wonderful. (People bring in their carved pumpkins and then the Central Park staff arrange them on these little planks to be floated across the water and lit up.) Yes, it’s an event aimed at children, but I like cute/fun things as much as any child.
The pumpkin flotilla in Central Park, October 2021
So I entered the Broadway ticket lottery and somehow won (why doesn’t everyone in NY enter this lottery, like, every day?), so I saw Aladdin on Broadway and look, it was cute. It isn’t for me, though. Off and on throughout the whole production I kept thinking about how the 1992 version is so far superior, but I looked around and the kids in that theatre were wowed. So that’s great. One thing that was incredible? The flying magic carpet scene. That was true beauty. Another highlight of the night was being able to walk around and see the inside of the New Amsterdam theatre. Just an architectural beauty. Every view in that theatre is magnificent.
Inside the New Amsterdam theatre in NYC, October 2021
It’s finally soup season, so you can find me most days at Il Bambino in Astoria. Every soup they’ve ever done has been spectacular.
Cream of spinach soup at Il Bambino in Astoria, Queens
I’d always heard good things about the Halloween decorations on the brownstones in the Upper West Side, so I spent the day wandering around up there and had such a nice walk searching for them. Here were the best streets should you want to see for yourself next year.
87th Street (between Columbus & Amsterdam)
95th Street (between Columbus & Central Park West)
94th Street (between Central Park West & Columbus)
West 88th Street (between Central Park West & Columbus)
West 69th Street (between Broadway and Central Park West)
Some things I’m looking forward to this month: I have to get my hands on Dave Grohl’s new book, it’s Thanksgiving croissant time (the best time of the year), the casual outpost of L’Artusi just opened (B’Artusi) so I’ll have to head over there soon, the new holiday stamps just came out and I can’t get to the post office fast enough, I got my ticket for the Dior exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum which should be great, I may or may be headed to another old mansion upstate for a holiday tour of the grounds, and I’m definitely going to write about recent visits to the fashion exhibit at the Met and about visiting The Octagon House upstate, too. Oh and if you care, don’t forget that the Sephora sale starts on November 5th if you’re doing any Christmas shopping.
If you have any interest in reading what went on in September, come on over here.
Etsy's first store opened recently in the basement of Macy's in Herald Square, and its theme will be refreshed every two months. Why would anyone have thought this was a good idea? Yeah, I don't know. Isn't Etsy known for being completely unassociated with anything currently in a retail space? Isn't that why people like it? Why would it ever need an actual storefront?
Is it just me or is this like having an actual eBay storefront? What's the point? It seems like such a weird, dumb idea. I know Macy's is struggling - and with ideas like this one, I can see why.
It mildly shocks me that women haven't demanded more variety when it comes to their hair ties. Doesn't it seem strange that we've never really yearned for more beautiful alternatives to the plain, old, fabric-laden rubber band? These are some of the reasons that I absolutely love this copper "hair tube" seen above. Not only is it gorgeous, but it's different from the boring-ass hair ties that dominate the doorknobs in my house (that's where I keep all my hairties, on doorknobs throughout the house - it's actually a great way to always find one when you need one).
I'm not suggesting that everyone needs to buy one of these since that's insane, but a board like this seems like it might be fairly easy to assemble yourself. And once the people in your family start having babies, you'll kind of need to have something like this somewhere in your house to keep track of everyone. Such a good idea.
“If you can’t think of a gift for someone’s birthday, but you’d like to get them something more than just a card – go to Etsy and type in “baked goods” and search for sellers in the recipient’s state/province (so that shipping is crazy reasonable).”
This Etsy seller will put a child's drawing (or anyone's drawing really) onto a small keyring for you for $90 - $140 (depending on the size of the drawing). I don't know if that's a ludicrous price, but I would probably consider doing it some day. It's such a sweet idea.
At some point in your life, you're going to throw someone a baby shower. Here's how I did it!
Sample invitation
In my opinion, the best invitations are available on Etsy. I went with Olive Berry Paper and they came out adorable. To be accurate, the shower was supposed to be based on a woodland theme, but came out much more owl-y (but WHO minded? No one!) (I know, booooo, I'm sorry about that.) Honestly, my main goal for the event was to have it not be lame. I hate baby games. I hate large groups of adults playing games. No one needs any of it. I just wanted to have a simple time, with edible food, based around things that that the couple (my brother and sister-in-law) would enjoy.
Bread basket
This was the bread basket - the bread was from Cobs Bread and you need to eat some of this bread if you live anywhere near Toronto or Mississauga. This stuff tastes nuts. I'm forever thankful to Marla for turning me onto it. The little mushrooms are just mozzarella sticks with grape tomato halves on top in a sea of arugula. I would've wanted to spread that all over the table, but arugula is pricey.
Owl cheese
This is the owl cheese that I made with my patient and loving niece Tianna. There's an instructional blog post about how to make one here.
Poutine cups
I wish I'd taken proper photos of these guys, but this is the only one that exists. These are the mini poutine cups I assembled. These were not difficult at all - I just got the jars from the dollar store (three for a dollar), bought the Wendy's fries and gravy individually that morning (no way was I gonna make that myself, plus it was the couple's favourite fast food poutine) and got the cheese curds from the grocery store. Easy peasy. I got the idea for this when I saw this site while I was searching for baby shower ideas. And fries are always better than vegetables.
Caesar Salad Bites
I love the idea of cleanly eating a Caesar salad, so obviously I really wanted to do these. You can find the recipe here. And I don't have a photo of it, but the world's best spinach and artichoke dip exists here and needs to be eaten by everyone alive. Some other things that were served that I, unfortunately, don't have photos of are the wraps that I ordered from Whole Foods (which were surprisingly really good - the blackened chicken salad one especially), my sister-in-law Cindy's amazing stuffed mushrooms, this pasta salad (just add pasta to the recipe) and lychees that came in a can (Who the hell knew they came in cans?! That's amazing.) - and now here are the desserts:
Acorn Cookies
Again, not the greatest photo, but here's what they sort of looked like.
Strawberries w/ Cool Whip and Nutella
Owl Sugar Cookies
And of course I didn't make these owl cookies - look at them! They're perfect! I bought them off Etsy.
Cake!
And this gorgeous cake was made by the beautiful Laurie. Look at this cake! YOU can't make a cake like this! Obviously it was delicious.
All in all, not very stressful to plan. Party Pail had pretty much all the decorations I needed, with numerous dollar store runs as well. These owl frames were in the favor boxes, alongside a small satchel of cookies and cream Hershey's kisses.
And while it's too time consuming to list every song that I had on the playlist that I had on in the background, here's one that's just perfect for a baby shower.
(I apologize that some of the photographs aren't better, my focus was elsewhere. Won't happen again.)
