October 2025

Top 5 October Purchases

I put myself on spending restriction in September and did a no-buy month. October meant I could spend freely again, but I didn’t do too much damage. There were a few sales this month, a few impulse purchases, and one intentional purchase that I’m so glad I got. Let’s dive in!

Romanticizing the Fall Season

A few years ago I started hearing this word romanticize. Everyone was telling us to romanticize our lives. I take this to mean doing a little extra to celebrate the season/holiday/event/etc. The intentionality of the celebration is what makes it special, and while that can look like extra work, the payoff is always worth it to me. Remember The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo? She said to hold onto the things that spark joy and get rid of the rest. Romanticizing things sparks joy for me, so I’m going to hold onto that as long as I can.

I’ve recently had the epiphany that I am an autumn. I’m a cold weather girly, and I love the change of seasons, especially with the crisp mornings and the need for a sweater or some boots. I am having the most fun with my pumpkins, fall flavors, fall decor, fall fashion, the slightly cooler temps, the leaves that are finally starting to change around here. We’ll have about a week before they fall off the trees, so open your eyes and really take in the beauty of this season. It’s nature at its best out there, y’all.

Romanticizing this fall season has been a true joy. I know we’re nearing the end of October, but fall isn’t over yet. It’s just beginning here in terms of temperature, so let’s stretch it out a little bit longer. Here are a few ways to easily romanticize your life before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season is upon us.

My Best Girl: Bernie’s Story

Dog-aggressive. Unfriendly. Doesn’t like people. These were the things the adoption center told us about the dog we were looking at. We took Jack with us to look for another dog to add to our family and decided we’d introduce them and see how it went. The worst that could happen is that they didn’t get along and we’d know it wasn’t a good fit for us. But wouldn’t you know it turned out that dog-aggressive wasn’t the right description. Alpha energy is what they should have said. Needless to say, we fell in love and brought this spunky girl home with us. I was a big The Big Bang Theory fan at the time and have forever been a Broadway fan, so I decided Bernadette (after Bernadette from Big Bang and Bernadette Peters) was the perfect name for a small but spunky pup.

Fall Reading Guide 2025

Autumn is here! The leaves are officially turning in Alabama! (This is probably due to the drought we’ve been having, but it still counts in my book.) The weather isn’t really cooler, but today I put on my cowboy boots with a dress anyway. “If you build it, they will come” right? I am really leaning into fall and all the things it brings: the colors, the pumpkins, the flavors, the sports, the holidays, and the books.

I have big goals every year to read all the fall books. It never happens, but it got me thinking about my actual autumn TBR (to be read) list. While it’s not too long…okay, that’s a lie. It’s totally too long, always is, but I can realistically squeeze in a few of these and already have some of them in my possession.

While making my fall TBR list, I was reminded of several books I’ve already read and loved for this time of year. I thought you might want to get into the spooky season, witchy season, vampire season, or cozy season mood with a good book. Below I will share a few books that I’ve read as well as the ones on my TBR list. It’s a little lengthy. (I can’t help myself; I just love books!) Grab yourself a beverage treat or a little snack and pretend you’re strolling the aisles of the book store. Okay, here we go.