October 2024 // A List

1. October, October. What a blast you were! I always look forward to your arrival and dread your departure. This year felt the same but also different. But overall, you were a dream. 

2. Lately, I've been really into our local festivals and was so grateful we could attend the Spooky and Crafts & Drafts festivals. The Spooky Festival was so much fun, and we enjoyed taking the kids trick-or-treating at some of our favorite local businesses. I enjoyed going to the Crafts & Drafts Festival and finding new-to-me shops to purchase from. I even added a few things to my Christmas wishlist from some of the shops.

3. A current obsession: Olipop's Crisp Apple. It's a great alternative to soda and tastes surprisingly good. I plan to try most, if not all, of the flavors.

4. John and I had an impromptu early date night and went to day 2 of the Crafts & Drafts festival. Then, we had a late lunch at The Corner Taqueria. 

5. I went to the Silver Comet Trail twice this month, and it was the perfect pick-me-up. I absolutely love going to the trail, especially during the fall.

6. Obviously, this was the month of treats. I absolutely indulged in all the treats and baked goods this month. One of my favorite treats in October was Nothing Bundt Cake's Oreo Dirt Cake.

7. Some favorite reads of the month: Hero's Prize by Janie Crouch, Hello Grief: I'll be Right with You by Alessandra Olanow, and The Witching Hour by Fiona Davenport.

8. On repeat: Reflections by The Neighbourhood 

9. Favorite finds: Nutcracker mug from Michaels, Canada Dry Winter Variety Pack, and John Derian's Apple Dining Bowls

10. Trick-or-treating was a success! The boys' Halloween bags were completely full, and now they have more candy than they'll ever eat. I also definitely got my share of treats courtesy of the candy tax. This year, we actually got a decent amount of trick-or-treaters. Raphael had so much fun handing out candy. We were surprised that our candy was gone before we took the boys out to do their trick-or-treating. 

11. A favorite fall and Halloween tradition: Pumpkin carving! This is one tradition that I hope we will never break. 

12. After months of waiting, the boys' new bunk bed finally arrived, and we absolutely loved it.

13. October, you were a fun-filled month. There were a few bumps throughout the month, but overall, you were a delight, as always. I'm sad to see you go and can't wait for your return.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

10 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

Happy Saturday! Today, I'm linking up with Charlotte, Lindsay, and Beth for their weekly happy and grateful list link-up.

1. Olipop Apple Crisp. Oh my goodness! This was absolutely delicious. I have to give a shout-out to Brittany from Brittany's Notebook because I discovered Olipop via one of her newsletters.

2. Atlantic Ghosts by Bee Stanton. October and spooky season may be over, but I will always want to read a collection of ghost stories and supernatural folklore. I'm almost done reading this book, so I'll have to remember to post a review soon.

3. I just purchased this Nutcracker mug from Michaels. One of my favorite things about Christmas and the holidays is nutcrackers, and surprisingly, I didn't have a nutcracker mug.

4. I rarely shop at Sephora and am not really into makeup, but I wanted to invest in a good skincare set. The ladies at my local Sephora were so kind and helpful. Hopefully, the set I bought works well.

5. Halloween! We had a blast trick-or-treating, and the boys' bags were filled with treats. We have way too much candy that we know we'll never finish. Surprisingly, this year, we had a lot of trick-or-treaters, and all of the candy we left outside was gone.

6. Making our holiday lists. Yes, lists. I'm trying to be very organized this holiday season and do not want to overspend. There have been times when I thought I didn't have enough or ran out of supplies (i.e., wrapping paper, gift bags, etc.), only to find that I had more than enough. So, making a bunch of lists will hopefully help this year. 

7. Reflections by The Neighborhood. This song has been on repeat.

8. This lovely message.

9. Flowers from John. Always.

10. It's finally November.

What made you happy this week?

Thanks for visiting!

Until next time...