Just the Facts #31

 “Gnome and elf and fairy,
Witch and ghost make merry
On this last of dear October’s days.”
(Lettie C. Van Derveer)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

 The air is getting crisp, the leaves are turning that perfect shade of sinister orange, and you know what that means: We are officially immersed in the glorious, spooky season of Halloween!

 

To celebrate our arrival in the most ghoulish time of the year, we're dedicating this Friday Funday to all things that go bump in the night.

 

1.  My 5th-grade Halloween was all about Pippi Longstocking, and let me tell you, it took a village! My amazing sister and her BFF snuck into school to perform some serious hair engineering. They literally used a coat hanger to wire my braids so they'd stick straight out, perfectly defying gravity. That elaborate setup totally clinched it—I won the contest for my grade and earned a spot at the huge all-city showdown downtown! I might not have brought home the grand prize, but getting ready and rocking those wild pigtails was tons of fun from start to finish.

 

2.  Here's my odd little quirk: I get the serious creeps from huge things with faces. Think colossal statues. I'm perfectly happy being one of those people who appreciates the Statue of Liberty from a safe, distant shoreline, but you won't catch me anywhere near her pedestal. The memory that sealed the deal was a childhood trip to Mount Rushmore. The mountain was fine, honestly. But then we hit the museum, and they had a life-size finished piece of one of the faces... it was right there. That terrifyingly enormous chunk of a head absolutely sent me running!

 

3.  Speaking of enormous things with unsettling faces... when I was a kid, our local mall had this toy shop that was, for me, less a paradise and more a psychological torture chamber. And it was all thanks to a massive, floor-to-ceiling stuffed mouse standing guard right by the entrance.

 

    I mean, this wasn't some friendly, little cartoon critter. This thing was gargantuan. It had the perpetually unsettling gaze of something that knew all your secrets, and I hated it with the white-hot passion only a terrified child can muster.

 

    Every single time we passed that shop, it was a major life event. I'd either close my eyes and clutch my dad's jacket like a barnacle, or if I was having a particularly bad day, I'd dissolve into tears and make him carry me like a sack of potatoes just to bypass the beast. The fear was real, the shame was minimal, and my dad was basically my personal, mouse-dodging chauffeur. To this day, I can't look at a giant stuffed animal without feeling a slight urge to run.

 

4. I'm the worst (or best!) person to watch a horror movie with, because as soon as the opening credits roll, the lights are out. I mean, if you're going for thrills, why watch in the daytime? People complain, but there's just something about sinking into a pitch-black room, especially for those amazing classic horror films. 

 

5.  Bring on the bloody, elaborate kills and impossible monsters—I can handle all the horror movie mayhem you throw at me. My only true cinematic weakness? A simple knife cutting skin. The instant that blade makes contact, all my cool disappears, and I get completely grossed out. I can handle a thousand ways a bad guy does his work, but that one specific, skin-level detail just turns my stomach!

 

6.  I’m a total Stephen King fanatic—I'll reread his books until the pages fall out! But here's the kicker: I've developed a serious 'book snob' filter, and I usually hate the movie if I've already read the source material. This all started back in middle school when I first dove into "Pet Sematary," which quickly became a lifelong favorite.

 

    When the movie adaptation hit theaters in high school, a group of us went to see it, but only three of us had read the book. When the credits rolled, the three of us who knew the real story were livid! They butchered the plot and left out crucial characters! It was a total cinematic betrayal. Even though I rarely like his movie adaptations, I'm a complete completionist and still own a massive collection of them, including all the great old TV mini-series on DVD.

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!

Kicking Off October With Some Fun

 "Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave." (Mary Tyler Moore)

 

Hello, my lovely friends! 

 

 New month, new season, new holiday! Do you kick off the first day with a little personal celebration or a must-do activity to welcome it in? It just so happens that I've been doing that this year.

 

   I kicked off the first day of Fall in high style! This morning's menu? Nothing less than pumpkin spiced pancakes—because what says "new season" better than that comforting aroma?

 

    We kept the cozy vibes going strong with a perfect seasonal movie: :Practical Magic". And for dinner, I served up a classic, soul-warming combination: homemade soup and grilled cheese.

 

    You know I'm a huge believer in adding a little magic  to the everyday. If you don't make it special for yourself, who will? It's all about those small, lovely rituals!

 

 With that in mind, I absolutely had to usher in October 1st with a little extra magic.

 

     I kicked off the day by donating my necessary pints to Kaiser—all in preparation for my Friday wellness check, of course. But the needle-prick was a small price to pay! As soon as they let me go, we turned that trip into a fun outing. A quick lunch gave us the energy boost we needed, and then we were off to explore and play at all the nearby haunts!

 

     We definitely went back to the bookstore hunting for spooky delights, but if I’m being honest, we ended up getting totally sidetracked! Forget ghost stories; it was the magazines stuffed with autumn crafts and cozy recipes that really captured my attention. My fall obsession has fully kicked in—I even snagged two more books from Amazon, all about seasonal activities and fun things to do. Honestly, I could happily lose hours just wandering the aisles, running my hand over the gorgeous covers, and soaking up the atmosphere. It’s my happy place!

 

     The siren song of Hobby Lobby and Michael's was calling, but after a marathon of three (or was it four?) errands, Mom was officially running on fumes. The craft haul was postponed, and we steered for home, but that only meant Act Two of the day was about to begin.

 

    Leftover Chinese was on the menu for dinner—a quick, easy, and delicious repeat performance from lunch. With the night air getting chilly, we wasted no time swapping our daytime clothes for super cozy pajamas. It was the perfect start to our evening ritual: movie night!

 

    We almost hit "play" on "Practical Magic," one of our all-time favorite spooky season films, but since we'd just watched it for the First Day of Fall, we decided to switch it up. My mom had the brilliant suggestion of a spooky musical, and just like that, "Sweeney Todd" won the vote. It was the perfect, macabre way to welcome the first day of October!

 

     My mom's evening was officially over, but for me, the night was just beginning—and it was going to be a spooky one! I had fully planned on kicking things off with the iconic sequel, "The Bride of Frankenstein," but my brain had other plans. I simply couldn't allow myself to jump straight to the sequel; I had to pay my respects and start with the original "Frankenstein" first. And so, a classic double-feature was born!

 

    I just finished watching "The Bride of Frankenstein," and what a fantastic viewing it was. There’s something so magical about those Universal Monsters; they're truly my favorite cinema icons. Honestly, they might be my absolute go-to for setting the mood every year when the calendar flips to the spooky season. Nothing beats a black and white chill!

 

     So, that's how I officially kicked off the month of October: a successful haul of cozy things to read and some spooky movies. It was the perfect blend of practical fun and pure escapism, and now I feel perfectly charged up for everything the best month of the year has to offer!

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!