It’s time for all things pumpkins, costumes, and sweets! While I’m not a huge costume fan – pumpkin cookies and pretty much all candy are definitely two of my biggest weaknesses ;0.

The last few years our ratio of candy purchased to amount of trick or treaters has not been balanced ;0.

As in – I have been left with A LOT of candy in my house once all the trick or treating stops for the night.

And being as how I am in full blown menopause with a metabolism that doesn’t even let me look at food without gaining weight these days, having this leftover candy in my house is not in my best interest.

You would think by now I would start buying the really yucky candy so that I just want to throw away the leftovers but I can’t be that house 😂.

So here I am worrying about my candy intake coming up on Wednesday.

But now that I am saying it out loud – isn’t Halloween basically the official start of “diet? what diet?” season???

And speaking of the no-diet season: yes I have my tree up but no it is not decorated (fully) yet ;0.

My husband and I put it up together on Thursday :).

And then for the first time in the 20 years I have lived in this house, on Friday, I had Christmas lights installed on our high pitched roof!!!

I am so freaking excited about this!! I never wanted my husband to get on that extra tall ladder to install lights (nor was he ever willing anyway…) – so this will be the first season we will have more than just garlands on the balcony railing ;).

Even though, it’s literally just plain white lights on my roof line – please just let me get excited over this one 😂.

I will be sure to show you a picture of the final look once I have added garland to the balcony and front porch.

And before you start saying what about Thanksgiving, I will tell you that since I started blogging, I fully support eating Thanksgiving dinner with the Christmas tree up and lit.

Because seriously – are you really going to all that effort only to have your house twinkling for less than a month? I think not.

So I have become an official believer in – make it pretty for as long as you can!

Now before we get to all the things I am excited about sharing, here’s a quick reminder of WHY I am calling this series ‘Pancakes with Pasha’ in case you have forgotten or are new here ;0!

I am NOT A COFFEE OR TEA DRINKER.

One night I was laying in bed, desperately trying to figure out a catchy title for this series.

And my brain was like – when I ask friends to meet in the morning, what am I asking them to do?

You can bet your bottom dollar I am thinking about where can we meet for pancakes 😂.

So there it is – Pancakes with Pasha popped into my head ;).

FYI – you can still find the above eucalyptus stems here and the fall colored faux mums here :).

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In a rush?

What’s Been Up Since the Last Pancakes with Pasha

Well let’s see – where to start?

My youngest daughter moved to New York City in early September so of course I had to visit her at the end of the month to see her new life/apartment/etc ;).

Funny story even – we found out that her job is in the SAME building that my Manhattan job was in when my husband and I lived in NY in the mid 90’s – how crazy is that???

We had fun being tourists in her new city and I am looking forward to visiting again (couldn’t resist planning a Christmas trip to NYC already 🤷‍♀️) but truthfully – I really wish all of my kids lived within driving distance of home 🥹.

If you are an empty nest home – I imagine you understand what I am talking about 🤍.

Then just a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I visited our son and his girlfriend in Boston with a few days in Acadia National Park in Maine first ;).

This California girl loves seeing fall foliage even if it’s just for 6 days out of the year ;).

I know I am falling pretty far behind with my travel guides – and at this point I have got sooo much information to offer for trips to Boston and the outlying area, I really should get on that post at least ;0.

What I’m Currently Planning

For the Home

Well – you saw it above…

Christmas decor has slowly been making it’s way out of the boxes and cabinets in my house.

I currently have all the bedding replaced with our Christmas bedding and am planning on switching out my couch pillows and kitchen towels today :).

It’s a slow process of decking the halls for Christmas in contrast to about a decade ago when I would rush to get everything out and decorated the day after Thanksgiving.

I know this is a controversial topic for some people, but really – if you are happy in your own pretty house (whether it is decorated with turkeys or trees) – does it really matter? I personally love the slow pace decorating early allows – plus looking at it a little longer brings me joy ;).

Also – we are hosting Thanksgiving dinner in our backyard so I have just moved all my turkeys and fall decorations out there so it technically is still plenty decorated for that holiday where we will be celebrating it anyway 😂.

For Upcoming Travels

I am the first to admit that I have spent the majority of 2023 making up for 2020 through 2022 when it comes to traveling ;0.

My wanderlust seems to have been at an all time high this year…

I am assuming it was just a phase and I will be more mellow in 2024 but yes – I have already started planning a few fun trips in the spring ;).

But before that – it is time for Christmas markets (O.M.G.). And if you have been around for a while – you know how much I love visiting Europe for those festive events :).

This year, we are headed to Germany and I cannot be more excited. If you are looking for some ideas for places to visit at Christmas time – be sure to check out my Christmas travels page!

Need a Book to Read?

At last month’s book club meeting we read Someone Else’s Shoes by JoJo Moyes. While I was in Boston for the night the group gathered, I would have loved to have been there to discuss this book. It’s a super easy and fun read if you are looking for something not super heavy ;).

After I finished that book, I read Watch Me Disappear by Janelle Brown. While I wouldn’t necessarily give this book a 10/10, it was an entertaining story that kept my interest. Truth be told – I think I just didn’t like the main idea of the story involving the mom (I’m not going to give anything away here!).

And now for our next book club meeting coming up in a few weeks, we are reading All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham. I just started reading it but it’s looking good so far!

Items I Am Shopping For or Have Recently Purchased and Loved

Travel Necessities

There are a few items in my carry on backpack that are must haves for me when I travel.

Mainly this charger (currently on sale!), this blanket, and this pillow.

I also started bringing my own lighted makeup mirror and love the flexibility of where in the hotel room I can put my makeup on now ;).

Fashion Finds

This is such a fun time of year for fashion and dressing up!! I have found a million and one cute things lately but this skirt is probably my favorite (I may or may not have bought it in all 3 colors 😳).

I have linked some of my other recent finds for you to peruse below too (trust me – there is some CUTE stuff out there right now!).

For the Home

Since everything is all about Christmas at this point – here are some of my recent favorites for the upcoming season ;).

The Latest on the Blog That Might Inspire You

A Thanksgiving timeline to help you stress less if you are hosting in a few weeks:

How to decorate your Thanksgiving table:

Early holiday inspiration for your front porch:

Other Things on the World Wide Web I Have Recently Found

My good friend Jen from Midwest Life and Style recently shared a Christmas simmer pot recipe and it literally made me immediately want to have one on my stove!

I even bought a new festive red pot to put it in!

Well I think that about sums up this Pancakes with Pasha – Halloween edition. I hope you enjoyed reading my life updates and/or got inspired by any of the fun items I shared this time. If you have any questions – be sure to reach out to me – you know I love that!!!

Looking for an item that wasn’t linked in this post?

Be sure to check out my ‘Home Tour’ pages!

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Be kind whenever possible.

It is always possible.

– Dalai Lama

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Have a wonderful day my friend! I hope something makes you smile today ;).