She’s here. The very best month of the year. The heat starts to break, the leaves start to fall, and I get to drag all my Halloween decorations out of the box. I used to make a day of it. I used to bake and leisurely decide where to place all the things, but now there’s a new element in that equation. The element’s name is Jane. And she does not give one hoot about my day of baking and organized decorating.

She prefers to throw open the boxes with great zeal, and toss everything around the house willy nilly. A spider on the door handle? Sure. A paper ghost made in pre-k propped up in the fireplace right next to a real candle? Let’s live dangerously. A witch on the counter-top next to the Gatorade box? Even better.

I wouldn’t trade it. Not for all the slow-paced decorating days in the world. That little whirlwind of a girl makes this house a home. Not the decorations. Not the baking. Her enthusiasm and happy spirit is what gives these four walls their joy. Gone are the days of magazine-ready rooms, but I wouldn’t trade this for anything.

So far we’re packing a lot into this month. The three of us made a day trip to Frenchtown, New Jersey, and all I can say is, “Here, hold my drool cup while a take some more pictures.” I first heard of it because that’s where Elizabeth Gilbert hails from. But when I looked at photos online, and figured out it was only an hour away, we loaded into the car for a quick day trip. So worth it. It’s a quaint village located on the Delaware River, right beside Pennsylvania. We walked through the shops and the streets, and paused by a house with purple shutters while someone inside played the “Mario Brothers” theme song loudly on their piano. It’s a funky little community and so much eye candy for house-stalkers like myself.

 

Speaking of house stalking, this big guy is for sale. We liked it okay. I kid. I kid. We loved it so much we posed in front of it, and then I used the zoom on my iphone camera to try and see inside the windows. This thing has Hallmark October Movie Set written all over it.

We ate at a local Mexican restaurant, which was a DELIGHT to this southern girl because fellas, the north is not impressing me much with this particular branch of food. BUT, this little town has a good place located in the basement of a shop that did their burritos up right.

Something else that’s giving me so much October joy is this sweet piece of art my sister made for me. She made one for my other sister that’s equally amazing. She does all kinds of custom art and you can find her here. 

And lastly, but certainly not least, Jane fractured her wrist. So I’ll go on record that that was NOT floating my boat this month. Hearing her thump-thump-thump fall from the top of the basement stairs shaved at least five years off my life. But this picture? This picture floats my boat. This was my girl pre-cast, straight out of the ER, dancing her heart out to “I Put a Spell On You.” This picture sums up my baby. A heart full of joy, even in the face of rough times. I tip my hat to her. I want to BE more like her.

So that’s what floats my boat. Halloween decorations. Quaint little New Jersey river towns. Fun art. And Jane.

Happy October indeed.