Weekend Update

October is officially over. Halloween has come and went. The festivities of fall are drawing to a close as colder temperatures start settling in. Oh but what a glorious month it was! October finished on a high note; halloween festivities, some very good news for ryan + I (more on that this week!) and quality time with our family.

I stayed in my gretchen wieners costume for phil + sara's halloween party on friday. Ryan went as a pirate and the night was spent playing card games and having tons of fun with our friends. Saturday we went to lunch at cherry creek grill with my parents and it was just perfect; wonderful food, great company and endless conversation. The friendship I have developed with my parents as an adult is something I value so much and it makes the time we spend together that much more meaningful to me.

Sunday we  met up with ryan's brother luke at view house for sunday football. Unfortunately we watched the broncos lose to the patriots which was not the outcome we were hoping for. Nonetheless, we had a blast eating bar food, drinking beers and hanging out together. 

You Can't Sit With Us

Happy Halloween. My friends deb + becca joined me to dress up like the cult-classic, mean girls. I found the brightest pink sweater and borrowed a skirt from a friend to recreate gretchen wieners... complete with my very own burn book. I even brought in a box of toaster strudels to the office.

#onwednesdayswewearpink  #youcantsitwithus  #putitintheburnbook

I hope you all have a safe and fun halloween. See you on monday.

Pretty Pumpkins

Halloween is synonymous with pumpkins. There are literally hundreds of ideas on pinterest for carving but my favorites of late have leaned more towards pumpkin decorating versus actually busting out the knives and and getting your arms covered in gooey pumpkin innards.

(all the ladies before our crafting began  /  decorated pumpkins of all shapes and sizes)

My bookclub got together last week for our 2nd annual pumpkin decorating evening and of course, our creativity was encouraged by alcoholic beverages. Lindy hosted us at her house and after we filled our bellies with her homemade chili (so good btw), and aweing over her baby boy wade, we rolled up our sleeves and got to crafting. Lindy raided the isles of the craft store, finding supplies ranging from paints to sequins and even tiny spiders and stick-on mustaches... endless options to adorn onto our pumpkins.

A lot of the girls came with a game plan and their creations were nearly identical to their inspirations. Mary's white and sequin pumpkin was my favorite of the evening and sara's 'dia de los muertos' was also the perfect combination of spooky and adorable. I failed a bit with the pumpkins I decorated but had a blast non-the-less.

(our finished pumpkins... no need to carve them when there are so many decorating options)

The evening definitely got me in the halloween spirit and it didn't hurt that my closest girl friends were there to make it an evening full of inappropriate jokes, tons of story telling and quality time together. Check out last years fun by clicking here.

Recipes for the Making // Halloween Edition

Every year for halloween, we make a big pot of chili before heading out with our nieces (and previously ryan's youngest sister before she got too old) to trick-o-treat around the neighborhood. The kids barely touch their food because they are too excited but for me, this is one of my favorite parts of the night; everyone coming together and telling stories, talking about costumes and eating a wonderful meal together... I am so rooted in tradition sometimes! 

I found some seasonally appropriate recipes for today's #foodporn... all perfect additions if you are heading out to a halloween party or wanting to add a little extra holiday fun to your family dinner before trick-o-treating begins. 

(left to right: roasted root vegetables  /  caramel apple bar  /  black spaghetti with garlic parmesan + sun dried tomatoes  /  candy corn milkshake  /  blood spatter cookies  /  spider bites  /  roasted red pepper deviled egg pumpkins  /  poison toffee apples  /  smoking ghost cocktail)

Quote of the Day

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Halloween is only a few days away. I cannot wait for trick-o-treating, pumpkin carving, apple cider and a party or two. Make sure you check back all week for my halloween posts! 

This Weekend You Could...

grab your kids and head to the zoo for some early trick-o-treating; boo at the zoo combines animals, costumes + halloween fun into a safe evening

stop by littleman ice cream for a scoop of the best dessert in town and decorate a pumpkin while you are at it. They will be hosting a pumpkin carving contest on Sunday at 4p

head to anderson farms after the sun sets and loosen up your trigger fingers for the zombie paintball hunt

find your way through 8-acres of twists and turns in corn stalks that are over 12' high at chatfields resevoir's corn maze

We are only a week away from halloween which means its prime time to get into the halloween spirit. From family fun events to scream-worthy thrills that will have your heart beating fast, there are dozens of events happening this weekend that will get you ready for 10/31. I hope you have some fun... and get a little scared too! 

Pumpkin Festival

Last weekend was one of my favorite events of the year, and by far the event I look forward to most before halloween. I'm talking about the pumpkin festival hosted at chatfield reservoir that I attend each year with ryan's family.

My nieces loved the hayride we took over to the pumpkin patch and could not stop talking about finding the perfect pumpkin to take home with them. They went up and down the aisles of pumpkins with intention, carefully examining each one. It was so cute to hear them shout out for their granny, uncle ryan or mommy when they found a contender. We also found a kind women to take our annual family photo together; another one of the traditions I love so much.

The weather was crisp and sunny upon arrival but by the time we were done picking through the hundreds of pumpkins in the patch, the clouds rolled in, the wind picked up and it even started to sprinkle. However, we have been going to this festival for over 10 years and we have experienced much worse (freezing temps and even flurries). The weather did not stop us from eating delicious fair food and sipping on homemade rootbeer as we strolled through the beautiful grounds.

I hope we all will be getting together next week to carve our pumpkins together. That would be icing on the cake before next friday. 

What are your annual halloween traditions? Feel free to leave a comment and share.

This Weekend You Could...

find the perfect handcrafted item for your home at pallet fest; denver’s largest upcycling event where builders are giving new life to old wood pallets through custom furniture, home accessories and more

pick your perfect pumpkin straight from the patch and take a hayride through the beautiful grounds at my all-time favorite pumpkin festival, hosted by the botanic gardens @ chatfield resivoir

take in some art from legendary painter, matisse at the denver art museum; this small exhibit is vibrant, charming and showcases some of the painters accomplished work

forge for wild chanterelles + morels, edible plants and fresh herbs with hunter andgather foods; you can learn to identify wild mushrooms and enjoy the beautiful fall weather with some of the most qualified forgers in colorado

This Weekend You Could...

sip your way through thousands of beers and chat up the hundreds of brewers at the mecca of beer drinking in denver… the great american beer festival

celebrate the first weekend of fall at cider days; snack on harvest treats, stroll through artisanal booths and listen to live music while enjoying the best weather all year long

get your scare on! Many of denver’s haunted houses open up this weekend and run through halloween; go now to skip the long lines

wander through the breathtaking art exhibit, chihuly at the denver botanic gardens after the sun goes down and see the night on fire through chihuly nights

listen to the leaves rustle as you pick out a pumpkin straight from the patch at four mile historic park’s pumpkin harvest festival

Glorious fall... there are so many fun events and activities to take advantage of, it just makes me so happy. I love a good pumpkin patch and they are starting to pop up now through halloween. Oh, and don't even get me started on haunted houses, I will scream through a couple with my husband + his family over the next couple of weeks! I hope you make the most of your weekend... I will see you back here on monday! 

October 1st

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Here's to a month of pumpkin festivals, spiced lattes, crockpot meals, toasty fires, hay bails, scary movies, boots + sweaters, pumpkin carving, football sundays, apple cider, trick-o-treating, layered clothing, leaves crunching under your feet, stews + soups, haunted houses, sleeping with the windows cracked and orange in every direction.

hello october, I have been waiting for you! 

Happy Halloween // Pumpkin Festival

Wishing everyone a happy halloween! This month has been full of spooky haunted houses, pumpkin patches, beautiful fall leaves, pumpkin decorating and carving along with tons of crisp warm weather. Below are some pictures from the pumpkin festival I go to every year with ryan's family. It is always the weekend near my birthday and it has become one of my most favorite traditions during the month. I think this was our 12th year running. 

If you want to see my post on last year's pumpkin festival, click here. Oh and in case you were wondering, yes I wore nearly the same outfit this year as I did last. Ha... such a creative fashion blogger I am.

Halloween Haunts

Random fact: I love haunted houses. Ever since I was 17, when ryan took me to a haunted house as one of our first few dates, I have been hooked. I am not sure if it is the nervous excitement as you wait in line to get in, the fun of 'getting through alive' or the hand-holding that I love most. This year we have already hit up one of our favorite haunted houses just north of denver and have plans to go to at least one more before halloween is through. 

(image taken at frightmare)

In the spirit of all things spooky, I recently saw this article on some of the scariest and most haunted attractions in the world. Just reading about the winchester mystery house and missouri's the darkness made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. 

What are some of your favorite spooky activities this time of year? Does anyone have a great haunted house recommendation for me? I really want to go to a haunted corn maze and have not been to ones since I was a teenager. 

Book Club // Pumpkin Decorating

If you did not know, halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. The colors, decorations, activities and festivals all make this time of year completely magical in my book. So, it was only natural to host a seasonally-inspired event, honoring one of the most iconic images of fall... the pumpkin.

(clockwise from top left: all our pumpkins ready to paint  /  supplies and pumpkins  /  mary, ashley, me, sara and lindy)

I hosted book club with my girlfriends this month and took some inspiration from leah at freutcake to have a no-carve pumpkin decorating party. I hit up my local craft store for all my supplies... paint, sequins, markers, metallic brads and washi tape. Oh and then I gathered up a gaggle of pumpkins and invited the girls over.

(all of our finished pumpkins on my fireplace hearth (I love my spooky pumpkin sitting behind them))

Everyone brought wine (to help with our creativity) and I made a pot of chili and cornbread which sounded perfect for a cool autumn evening. Of course, it was unseasonably warm that day, like in the low 70s, but the girls didn't seem to mind too much.

From chevron to spiders, bedazzled to initials, I am so impressed with the final products. The girls loved how all the pumpkins looked together and insisted on leaving all of them at my house. I was completely against this at first but am now loving how they are looking on my porch and around my home.

(my front porch, all dressed up in festive decorations)

Friday Fall To Do's...

Happy friday everyone. I will have some extra time on my hands this weekend and am already planning to take full advantage of it. Hopefully I will knock out a couple projects sometime between now and Sunday…

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Put up my holiday decorations - gourds, hay bails  spooky trees, light up pumpkins of all shapes and sizes and orange accents... my favorite month is almost here.

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Reorganize my bathroom or hall closet - I talked about this a few months ago and never got around to it. I need some organization in these areas and there is no better time to do it. 

Paint my second bedroom - we painted our living and dining room earlier this year and I tackled our hallway and staircase to the basement just a couple months ago. I would love to give our guest room a fresh coat of paint too. 

Purchase a great smelling fall candle - all of the glorious scented candles make my heart melt... a new one for my favorite season is essential.

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Plan out book club for next week - I am hosting book club at my house next week and have been inspired by a couple other bloggers to host a little craft project that is themed around halloween. Oh the fun... if I can pull it off.