october is here

thank goddess

 japanese garden with erin

 this squirrel was cooling off by sprawling out on the cool concrete

 pine and crane

 john early

kate berlant

michael showalter

jack antonoff

jacqueline novak

 heat wave

things i'd buy if i weren't trying to be a responsible adult

Since I turned 29 I've felt a stronger desire to take care of my health and finances.
I got myself a ban.do agenda (which I am OBSESSED WITH), and cute stickers, pens, and post it notes to make my organization look good.

Naturally, I will never stop wanting to buy every little cute thing I see, but until I win the lottery (or just get a "real" job/stop chasing dreams), it will have to suffice to just look at cute, pretty, shiny things online. So instead of surfing the web and pining over all the stuff I can't afford, I will show them to you and we can commiserate about wanting all the things.

Here are my latest wants and wishes...

things i'd buy if money were no object by alexandria-koehler featuring a tufted bench

- dear creatures poppy dress
- so many dream collective rings
- rose gold manicure
- tuesday bassen pins and patterns
- MAC steady going retro matte lipstick
- dr. marten siano pumps
- red orange storage ottoman
- halloween stickers and washi tape
- flight to the east coast in December to see 
all of the east coast Get Up Kids tour dates

mabon

October 1st is here. My house is already decorated for Halloween, Upset is taking a trip to the east coast to play with the Muffs, I'm going to the Adirondacks with my dad, and I'm seeing Charli XCX on October 24th. I really love this time of year. I feel like it's always so full of life and happiness, despite the symbolic death of everything around you. Coincidentally, I've lost two people I loved very much in October (October 6th and 29th to be exact), so maybe this trend of filling the month with celebration and togetherness is a distraction. Or perhaps this time of year helps me to embrace the cycle of life and death, and appreciate the beauty in both.

Whereas Thanksgiving and Christmas are for family, Halloween is for friends. As a child, I looked forward to the night I got to stay out after dark, dressed up with my best friends, running around our neighborhoods on a sugar high. As a teenager that evolved into parties at friends' houses with costumes and booze. In my 20s, this means dusting off my Halloween decorations, baking halloween-themed treats, filling my candy dishes with all things pumpkin and caramel apple, and inviting a close group of friends over to watch The Craft and Hocus Pocus.

I don't consider myself to be at all religious, but I do find aspects of Paganism and Buddhism comforting. I researched the Pagan holiday, Mabon, and found this article on Huffington Post. I wanted to share the Pagan meaning of this time of year with my readers, because it's my favorite. Autumn is a time to celebrate your bounty and shed what isn't serving you. I think every season presents that opportunity. New Year's resolutions leave you waiting too long for things to change, and disappointed if they don't. If you reevaluate yourself seasonally, and use that information to inch forward, you'll make a lot of progress as a person.

samhain-all hallow's eve-day of the dead-halloween

Halloween is almost here!! Ok, maybe it's still over a month away, but waiting til Oct. 31st to get festive is boring.
Here are some ways you can get into the holiday spirit all month long.

halloween 2014 by alexandria-koehler featuring holiday decor

Read more for cute picks from my favorite places...