Wednesday, October 28, 2020

What's Up Wednesday, October 2020 Edition

 

For being a month that I spent weeks dreading, October is actually turning out ok. Today, I'm linking up with Sheaffer and Shay to tell you all about it.

What We're Eating

Not a lot has changed on this front; still overindulging in carbs, fat, and sugar. This month, I added Halloween candy to the rotation, so, it's safe to say that my current diet consists of 99.999% Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Full size. Straight from the fridge. Mmmm, mmmm, delicious.

The other .9% is Mexican. Alllll Mexican.


What I'm Reminiscing About

Back when Queen B was in Middle School (and, referred to as The Teenager on this blog), Hugh and I drew the line at allowing her to roam the streets with her friends on Halloween night (nothing good can come from bored teenagers, too old to Trick-or-Treat, roaming the streets). Since we needed to suggest an alternative, we invited her friends to assist us in decorating and "haunting" the front porch for the younger kids. They LOVED it and, thus was born a tradition that we continued until the Man-Cub and his friends had had their chance at it and were officially "too old" to participate (I believe that happened during their Sophomore or Junior year of High School, so, we had a really good run). I'll link a sampling, in case you are interested in reading ancient Halloween history as told by a perfect stranger.

Haunted Porch 2011

Haunted Porch 2012

Haunted Porch 2013

What I'm Loving

Our Halloween yard display turned out even better than I had envisioned! Thanks to Hugh's technical skills and my creative direction; we have a skeleton circus with which to entertain the Trick-or-Treaters on Saturday night!





Thanks to Facetime, I got a chance to see the Man-Cub and his girlfriend's reaction when they opened the Halloween care package that I sent to them in Hawaii. They loved it! And, I loved chatting with them as they went through the contents of the box.


Don't panic, they're chocolate sprinkles

What We've Been Up To

Hugh and I took Queen B and my niece, the Rodeo Princess, to the corn maze earlier this month. We also hit the pumpkin patch for pumpkins that we carved into jack-o-lanterns later the same day. It was a nod to the past, and, frankly, felt so normal. I've missed normal.










What I'm Working On

I technically finished the Big Project at New Job. I say technically because, while the major portion of it is complete, I still have some follow-up work to finish. I'm ok with that.

700 pages, front and back=Big Project

I also did a photo session for my side hustle this month. It was a wee bit challenging, given the fact that one of my subjects was a super cranky toddler, but, I still managed to get enough great shots to please both myself and my clients.



What I'm Dreading

I don't think I'm alone when I say that I am dreading the fallout from the upcoming election results. I don't care which side you're on; there are going to be a lot of really unhappy people. Unfortunately, people behaving badly seems to be a theme for 2020, so, I have a lot of concern about what that behavior will escalate to when the losing side doesn't get its' way. And, again, I mean that either way. 

What I'm Excited About

For the first time this year, I'm actually excited about something! The upcoming holidays and all that they entail, which, this year; includes Mom coming to stay for the month of December. I have a lot of plans for us for while she is here; they basically revolve around baking and cooking and decorating and shopping and wrapping and doing everything that makes Christmas, Christmas.

Please don't disappoint me, Universe.

What We're Watching

I gave in to Hugh's plea to watch Hubie Halloween and, I'm actually not sorry.

Then, because it is October, I watched The Haunting of Bly Manor, which, was pretty dang good. Which, reminded me that I had enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House last year, so, I'm rewatching it now.


What I'm Reading

That 700 page document up there earlier in the post? Yeah, that ruined me for reading this month. Maybe next month.

What I'm Listening To

I haven't been listening to anything new, unless you count the true crime podcast that my friend recently taped. The subject was the Amityville Horror and she knocked it out of the ballpark.

What I'm Wearing

Thanks to a snowstorm that rolled into the state this weekend, I have been forced to wear a coat. A coat, people! I am not ready for this winter crap.


What We're Doing This Weekend

We are throwing a Halloween costume party! I can't wait! Queen B and several of her friends will be attending, along with several of our friends, so, it should be a good time.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month

I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner! My sister, nephew, and Mom will all be joining us. I have missed family get-togethers and am really hoping for a good, old fashioned, cozy holiday.

What Else Is New

I've used a lot of exclamation marks in this post! It's almost like I'm happy(ish). This IS new!


Monday, October 26, 2020

Because It Wouldn't Be 2020 Without a Snowpocalypse

 Last night, a storm rolled through Colorado, dumping several inches of snow in the valleys and several feet of snow in the high country. This isn't terribly unusual for the state, and,truth be told, it was more welcome than not, given the major wildfires that were raging in parts of the state.


That being said; I could have done without the wind that accompanied the snow. It definitely did a number on the Freak Show.

On the bright side, there is every reason to believe that the snow will be melted by Halloween. Plus, it won't be the first time that Hugh has had to repair or rebuild my yard display, because, again Colorado.











Sunday, October 25, 2020

Halloween Home Tour 2020

 Yesterday, I posted my Halloween yard decorations, so, today, I am posting my indoor decorations. Wouldn't want any of my decorations to feel left out, ya know.

My intention was to not get too crazy this year, but, if ever there was a year to get crazy, 2020 would be it. So, I busted out the decorations before September was even over and I haven't looked back.

Zero regrets.

Anyhoodle, on to the tour.

I switched up things in the dining room this year by displaying my Dept. 56 pieces. They are from the Snow Village Halloween series and I have collected a few pieces over the years. I don't display them every year, but, thought that they would look good on the wine buffet this year.








As usual, I decorated the dining room table with the witch's cauldron that I made a few years ago (that's about a million years in 2020 years).


The front entryway is decorated with the usual witchy items that I have used the past several years..







...and, the living room and kitchen decorations include some old favorites...







I switched up the fireplace mantel again this year and it may be my favorite, yet.






And, I displayed the majority of the foam pumpkins that Hugh has carved for the kids on the top of the entertainment center. Why it never occurred to do that in years past, I will never know; it's the perfect size for displaying a large number of them all together.








And that's it for the 2020 tour, but, we aren't done with Halloween decorating just yet;  we are hosting a costume party on Halloween night, so, entertainment pieces that I haven't used in several years will be making an appearance. I can't wait!

And before you ask; yes, I do realize that I might have a slight problem. Hey, if Halloween hoarding is the worst of my bad habits, I consider myself fairly healthy.