October Links | October 23, 2022

Hey guys, what are you up to this weekend? October was initially a month power packed with plans every single weekend. All fun plans, but I came into the month kind of dreading the expected busy-ness of it all. But then somehow - delightfully - those plans started unraveling and Duke generously broke his arm,  resolving the early Saturday morning soccer commitments, and now we've been lounging around all month with no plans at all. What a happy surprise! Instead it's been kitschy trips to a pumpkin patch and afternoon naps on Sunday. Oh and dodging the endless rain - but we have a beautiful weather weekend coming up and what a gift!

Last night, we went trunk-or-treating at Duke's school. It was so fun! I love this stuff - it makes me feel like such a mom. Seriously though. These experiences that previously I only knew as the child - it's all a little brand new to experience it as the mom. It was an event put on by the PTA and the other thing I get all kinds of rosy and cozy about is seeing all the same parents over and over again at school functions. I just feel so good about Duke growing up in a small town and knowing that these are the people I'm going to keep running into for 13 years. It feels like living in a movie small town, where everyone knows each other. I didn't have that growing up, but I like it and I'm glad to have secured it for Duke. Although, God knows he'll resent it when he grows up - haha. That's just the human experience!

Anyway, I'm rambling. Let's get on with it!

1 // October Favorites

Switching things up here because I usually post "In Case You Missed It" but since I'm resolutely not posting anything on my blog or instagram, you haven't missed a dang thing. 

SNL Halloween Archives - Ryan and I are at odds over the value of SNL, and I'll acknowledge that integral cast members were lost at the end of last season, but what cannot be disputed is the backlog of good quality Halloween sketches in the archives. I'll be binging old episodes all week. 

I just reordered this standby. It's truly the only thing that keeps my face from turning scaly and peeling (gross) when the weather cools down and dries out. I've also been using Differin somewhat consistently for the last month or so. I think I'm seeing some difference, but the internet says to play the long game with this stuff, so I'll report back in the recommended 3-4 months. 

Magazine subscriptions - why are magazines so freaking cheap now? I'm talking $5 for a whole year, delivered right to your house. I remember begging my mom for a Seventeen subscription when I was, well, 17 and she wouldn't do it. Were these things always $5? Isn't that how much one single magazine costs in the grocery store check out line? I know I'm driving this home too hard, but I am perplexed. And delighted. I get about 10 magazines every month because I can't stop. ALL THIS CONTENT FOR $5?!

2 // INTO IT

A few things inspiring me on Pinterest this month. 

Dark walls. I'll be resuming painting projects after Christmas and I've got a few good spots for dark walls. 

Seasonal produce side dish looking all kinds of good. 

I believe this. 

3 // SHOPPING

Okay quick, what reason could I possibly have requiring a full length velvet dress? None, but I'm working on drumming one up. 

You guys, I love the checkers trend. It was cool when I was in high school and I can't believe I'm old enough to see it cool again, but I am here for it. 

Speaking of high school trends, I bought two pairs of flared jeans and I love them. I almost paired them with three tank tops, layered and pulled down in varying degrees to my hips, finished with a polo with the collar popped, but I refrained. I'll just wait patiently for that trend to reappear in a few years. You heard it here first. 

Can I tell you how much I love new Abercrombie? I feel like the millennial crowd is their new demographic, but also I was their target demographic when I was sixteen and back then, everyone was wearing those tiny little shirts and low rise jeans and my mom would not buy me anything from there. Now that I can buy it for myself, it feels simultaneously nostalgic and current. Thanks for growing up with me, A&F. 

4 // LINKS

Okay, this is only pertinent if you're pop culture aware, but this picture was a big deal this week. The feud is over, but what I am more interested in is the rich, dark chocolatey brown of Hailey Beiber's hair. Has it always been this color? Could I be a brunette? It's so so so pretty. 

A season for everything - it's that time of year. 

Halloween puzzles if cute, not scary is your spooky szn vibe. Also this one.

I'm so savory. 

I take Emma Straub's book recommendations very seriously, and especially so because she has two of my favorites on her list. The best books to read this year. 

Well this is fun and interesting! What $20 will buy you in various US cities. 

5 // CONSUMING

This fancy pink drink from TC Whiskey. Made tastier by drinking it with visiting friends.

Reading - Magazines, as you now know. But otherwise - nothing! I can't seem to get into a book and so I have a pile next to my bed that I've read a chapter or two before switching back to scrolling instagram. I'll find my way back. I'm just not into it right now. 

Watching - Beetlejuice! I can't believe I forgot about this movie, but I sure did and what a freaking treasure to find in the depths of streaming services. I started watching it one night with Duke and it promptly became too scary for him (the lady ripping her face off in the closet did the trick) so I finished it myself after he went to bed. Alec Baldwin! Catherine O'Hara! Michael Keaton! What a beautiful time capsule. 

Eating - I am really really trying to meal plan. I feel like my life would be a million times easier if I didn't consistently come home from work and then think about what I should have taken out of the freezer 12 hours earlier. So to that point, I've got this on my menu (it says "life changing" in the title and that warrants a try, I think) and then my BIL dropped of a literal cooler full of pears, so I looking for ways to use them. I think this (balsamic!) is on the agenda today. 

6 // PLANS

Okay, big plans to listen to T Swift's new music. I'm not like, a mega fan, but I usually find her work clever and I'm casually interested. Duke went through a phase when he was maybe 2 or 3 and he'd ask for Swifty to play on every car ride, and man if I don't feel a little nostalgic for that all of a sudden. 

Anyway, I've also been working on this bear of a puzzle all month. I put together the rooms of the house pretty quickly and thought about how I'd forgotten how much I enjoy a good puzzle. Now I'm trying to finagle the roof and that damn thing is a nightmare. It doesn't help that these old eyes can't see as well as they used to and it's downright dark when I get home from work, so the weekdays are slow going. 

Happy Weekending!