It is a beyond gorgeous day, totally unexpected for November. It’s nearing 70 degrees and I have my windows open. My plants are on the window ledges, soaking up the sun, I have a good fall candle going, and I can feel the gentle breeze trickle in. Days like this make me feel so grateful.
As I mentioned in my last post, I take the week of Halloween off every year because I love it so much. I’m really sad that it’s over, but I did enjoy my week, even if things were a bit different this year.
I showed off all my decorations last week, but I kept the theme going in my look, too! Here are my cute Halloween nails (and socks!). I also drank a lot of apple-flavored drinks, like ciders, apple-ginger sparkling water, harvest kombucha, etc. It was fall all the time for the week!
I started the week off with a trip to the woods. The autumn scenery was absolutely beautiful, rich with warm tones of red and gold. I love the scent of leaves and the sound of them crunching beneath my feet. I also spent a lot of the day binge-watching The Haunting of Bly Manor! I wanted to set the tone for my spooky week.
Tuesday, I woke up early to do some yoga, and then I headed out to look at yard and home displays around the neighborhood. There were some really excellent decorations this year. I really missed being able to go to a haunted house, so this was the next best thing. We saw all sorts of different themes, animatronics, lights, sound effects, and more. I absolutely loved exploring and finding houses that truly put on an outstanding display. I documented all of them on an Instagram account, so if you’re into spooky things, head over to @hauntedxhalloween. We ended the day with more of the Haunting anthology and picked up an absolutely delicious vegan dinner from Healthy Substance. I got the poblano tamale and the “carne asada” Impossible meat tacos and they were insanely good! We also carved our pumpkins!
Wednesday, I was super-excited because we were going to head to a corn maze and pumpkin patch. For the most part, I have not gone to any public places throughout this pandemic (aside from the grocery store and the library), but it was a large, open outdoor space and masks were required. We went through a petting zoo, found our way out of a corn maze, went in a mini haunted house, picked up some pumpkins, and drank some ciders. It was the perfect fall activity, even if it was a bit different from normal.
We continued to watch spooky shows into the evening with our jack-o-lanterns all lit up. I also went to go see some more decorations with my mom, and they were even spookier at night! When I got home, I made “dirt pudding” using sugar-free pudding, sugar-free TruWhip, and gluten-free cake crumbles.
Thursday, we decided to go to a Japanese botanical garden. It was pretty far away and it was a little cold, but the colors were stunning, and it was such a tranquil, peaceful environment.
When we got home, I threw a cauliflower-crust pizza in the oven and made some guacamole, and we finished The Haunting of Hill House, so we managed to watch two seasons in one week!
Friday, I went back to the woods and also spent some time looking at more decorations. I live in Chicago, and each year, people post their yard display information on Haunted Illinois, so we had a whole list of places to check out. It was really putting me in a spooky mood, and I am so glad we got to see them. That evening, we picked up one of the most delicious black bean burgers I’ve ever had (and on a gluten-free bun!) from Burger Antics.
And on Saturday, the day was finally here: my favorite day of the year! We had some good weather, in the high fifties, so I did a solid leg workout, cleaned my entire apartment, and got ready to head out. I didn’t do a full costume, but I had fun with my makeup.
We finished off the list of locations relatively close to us and it was so much fun. We saw some incredibly yard displays and a couple even had homemade haunted houses in their garages/sheds. They were really clear on their rules: two people in at a time, sanitize after each walk-through, and masks required. We ate some Halloween candy as we drove along, and by the time we got back, it was dark out. We lit some candles and our jack-o-lanterns and put on some scary flicks! I also visited my parents for a bit to see what was going on in their neighborhood, and we got to see some more cool decorations and costumes. I just love the atmosphere and ambience. We ordered a gluten-free pizza and did Halloween crafts while we watched scary movies. Usually, we go to Hell Gate’s Haunted House, but I still had a great Halloween week.
I hope you all had as much fun as I did! Wishing you a wonderful week.
Breeanna Living Brilliantly 