HAPPY HALLOWEEN OR SAMHAIN

It's the sacred holiday known as Summer's End. Man with Global warming the summers seem longer this year. Lots of hot hot days well into October. To be honest I'm well over it.

I'm not the biggest supporter of AI, but I loved some of the halloween images of me it created

It has been a really difficult few years. Feels like a post apocolyptic marathon some days. I know I'm not alone in this especially for those of you living in America.

I have done a lot despite losing a close friend suddenly in an accident.

My levels of exhaustion are really bad post ablasion on my thyroid nodule.

I'm recovering in so many ways.

Basically I distracted myself with holiday stuff this year. Halloween is usually such a favorite for me but I want to move onto Christmas and find some peace in these longer colder nights.

Here are some of the highlights this season. Remember Social Media are mostly highlights. People wouldn't know I'm grieving 3 recent deaths of loved ones, searching for home, and working on pivoting my income and business which has suffered since the pandemic, SAG strikes, and 2 moves.

Go easy on yourselves. That being said there is always a light in the darkness. Light candles. Honor those we willl miss until our time to go.

Happy Halloween!

My favorite things this spooky season

Going to a Hogwarts themed Afternoon tea at the St. James Tea Room with my Husband in late September for our Wedding Anniversary

Bringing our dog to Texas on the way to NYC.

Full blown witchy decorations in the living and dining rooms. I've added more since!

Soaking in the Fall Vibes

Doing a Nesta Archeron full blown Costume to go on a Pub Crawl this Year. From the Acotar books

Watching the Harry Potter Movies in our Harry Potter themed Den this season.

Picking out our pumpkins at McCall's Pumpkin patch

Our Trip to New York City

Our side trip to Sleepy Hollow NYC and the Cemetary Lantern Tour

The replica Headless Horseman Bridge

The cemetary Lantern tour

Pub Crawl in Downtown ABQ with a few New Mexico Costumers Society Members

Back To Hogwarts Day! I turned my Den into the Great Hall and I'm loving how it feels!

I'm a sucker for magic, dark acedemia, and literature.

I've had a Harry Potter themed birthday party in my 30s in LA at the Griffin Bar. It looks very Magical halls of magic there.

I had a birthday recently with a Ministry of Magic theme which was wide open and fun for grownups. Dry ice and glowing cocktails anyone?

One Halloween I did a Harry Potter porch for the trick or treaters which was a big hit.

Now I tried my hand at a theme room.

The thing I love about a Great Hall theme or common room etc, is that it works from September 1st all the way through New Year. It works for back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. . .

I plan on leaving this up through then too.

See my youtube video on the process! To Shop Anything here that I found on Amazon Click here

GIMME THAT MAGIC!

I made a little curation board for you guys

Kitchen Witchery aka magical cooking and meal freezing tools that I'm obsessed with

If you follow me on Tik Tok or Instagram, You know I'm a Cook. I often don't feel like cooking, and I go from Martha Stewart to Lorelei Gilmore (the takeout queen) pretty quicklly!

This means I often need to be a lazy (ahem) Efficient cook. I also have become a huge huge fan of batch cooking and freezing.

Imagine opening up your fridge and freezer and seeing several healthy, delicious home cooked options that you can treat like a t.v. dinner and have hot and ready even faster than takeout can appear on your doorstep.

The Crock pot, air fryer, and now our newest favorite the rice cooker are my best kitchen friends. I also love very strategically freezing my delicious meals in special containers.

I even pre-portion, soups, rice, pasta etc.

What this does is simplifies your life, gets rid of food boredom, makes it so you don't have to cook every night, etc. Yes, you can also pre make casserole types of food or dump and cook dinners for your crock pot ahead of time.

Here are my absolutely favorite kitchen tools and gadgets that make things easy to do my Kitchen Efficiency Magic!!

Crock Pot

Yes I still use my ancient relic. I prefer one pot meals like soups, pulled chicken, and roasts. It's still maybe the easiest way to dump a bunch of incredients, set it and forget it. Mine is so old I can't even find it, but here's the nicer updated model. Click on pics to shop if you need anything. . .

Electric garlic chopper

Bag holders for Marinades

Air Fryer

This is our MVP in our household. My husband literally uses the air fryer every single day! We've make everything from Kabobs to desserts in it. Sweet potato fries are great too. The dual drawer was a life changer. You can hit a button to match settings, or do two different ones at the same time!

Freezing Tools

Kitchen Aid Mixer with Shield

Rice Cooker

How did I ever live without this? Perfect rice? Check. Perfect oatmeal? Check. Steamed veggies or dumplings Check and check.

Cupcake Carrier

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