Spooky Season is Here, Cozy Season is Coming!

The day I write this on its 92 F in my midwestern state in the US. It’s October, but it doesn’t get cold until Halloween! It is cold at night so our pool is now closed and ready to be covered. My last day to swim was September 24th!

The school year started and all the fun of my own children’s activities too. Hubs and I are loving watching our son play football and our daughter has been working on movie productions for college. She is wanting to pursue sound tech and is getting lots of jobs already! My class this year is very sweet and I’m having a great time with them. I’ve had some challenges with my Lupus, but I’m able to do most things I want to most days.

Strawberry Ice Cream for the End of Summer

I got the itch to decorate early and started putting up Halloween fun. September was fun with decorations going up, the addition of a new ice cream table and chairs to the library and 2 tea parties in the library! I had a “Strawberry Social” to have fun with my new sweet ice cream furniture I got with extra money working a second job this summer. (Oh but hey the economy is great right? Lol) Anyway, I was excited to have a reason to use the set and everyone had so much fun with the food and company!

Finding my perfect set after wanting one for years. The strawberries sealed the deal.
The strawberry sorbet was especially good
Love this patten from Wedgwood- “Wild Strawberry”

Maintenance and Paint

There is always exterior maintenance to be done in the fall. When the heat of the summer finally breaks we prepare this old gal for another winter by checking all of our storm windows, doing exterior paint touch-ups, caulking, and reglazing window panes. This fall we will be painting the east side, so I’m doing all the window jobs now. Interior maintenance is easily done any time of the year, but exterior…

I’ve been doing exterior maintenance too. This window in the library doesn’t have a storm window and isn’t protected like its twin that is under the porch roof. It needed new glazing putty, glass cleaning, and some paint. It’s looking good outside now and I can enjoy it from the inside!
This side is getting painted next week!
The library in the evening. Both windows now sparkle and are up to date on maintenance! I can’t believe these used to be covered in heavy curtains. They are so stunning. This is a jewel-box room!

Halloween Decorations

Now the decoration! This is absolutely the best part of living here.

Childhood fear- skeletons!

Scary things are always my favorite things. I’ve been drawn to them since childhood. Decorating this old house for Halloween is one of my favorite parts of living here. Actually, any decorating in this house is fun! I have to be careful not to clutter it up or go tacky with the decor because I still want the house to be front and center. She’s the queen of every season. The architecture and style of the house also guides me in decorating decisions, the house tells me what it wants! I listen and look because this house can tell me what looks good and what doesn’t. We are also having a Halloween party to have some more fun!

I adore spooky old toys and here are some favorites! My sweet hubs is always trying to get new ones for me.
Peeps used to make marshmallow spooky cats for Halloween and they discontinued them. Why?! My sweet husband even called this year to find out. (They didn’t know.) I found these bean bags this year and they bring back all the fun.
At least they still have these!
Inside the Weebles’ Haunted House…
My dip pen and India ink haunted houses across the United States display has been one of my favorite handmade decorations since I did them in 2003.
All the beautiful vintagey paper decor is from Biestle on Amazon. Great, afforable company!

I love the quadruple holidays this time of year- with Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s all stacked and ready like favorite records waiting to be played and enjoyed. A lot of our Thanksgiving decor is out with the Halloween cause why not? All things fallish!

All skeletons are by Biestle, turkey and pumpkin garland by me!
One of my kids’ favorite movies for Halloween when they were little- Wallace & Gromit. A new movie is coming out on Christmas!

Soon it will be cozy time, time to turn off the humming window units, and light all the gas fires. Time to gather blankets and close drapes. Lighting candles, putting the electric candles in the windows, and watching campfires in the yard will be lovely after our hot weather breaks.

Get cozy.

With Thanksgiving week will be yearly maintenance on our 1958 O’Keefe & Merritt gas range. For the cozy season is where she shines. Her pilot lights softly warming the kitchen. Her quiet warmth makes our very large north-facing kitchen a lovely cozy room. Christmas cookie baking will happen, gingerbread, rolls, biscuits, pizzas, lasagnas, brownies, she excels at it all.

Fried pork chops and gravy. Our sweet Abbey girl died this past spring.
Shelf down proofing and cooling Thanksgiving rolls from the oven.
Water-light coming in from our old wavy-glass windows. Yes, thankful and blessed. But also working incredibly hard.

What are you looking forward to with the upcoming season?

Cheers and candle-lights from Kansas Streer to you,

Love,

Jaime

3 thoughts on “Spooky Season is Here, Cozy Season is Coming!

  1. joycebest1's avatar

    Jaime, It has been a long time since I exchanged emails with you. I love the photos and comments you have for Halloween. Your home is truly warm and cozy. I admire you and your family for putting in the necessary work to keep it so beautiful.

    I am finally sending you a pdf file of my cookbook in which I used your wonderful artwork. Your comments about the O’Keefe and Merritt stove reminded me again that I needed to do that. So much time has passed that my granddaughter, Scotti, whose picture is on the back cover from 2022, just this week had a baby girl, our first great-grandchild. They are all doing well, but Scotti is adamant she is not taking the baby (named Laramie Jo) out of the house until after Thanksgiving!

    Thanks again for your blog. I am glad your health issues are not keeping you from enjoying your life. Best to you and your family for all the holidays between now and New Year. Blessings, Joyce

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    1. blackmarigold's avatar

      Hello sweet Joyce! Thank you for your very kind comments and sweet thoughts! It is truly people like you that keep me posting and building up! I cannot wait to see your cookbook and if you have a link would love to order a copy! And Oh! A new baby! Is there anything better? I do not blame her for not wanting to go anywhere! I felt like that too and wanted to enjoy my “babymoons” with my newborns. A great-grand baby is truly special and I remember being so proud to show my babies to my grandmother!

      Truly, I feel that God has blessed me and is holding me in his arms. My health can be extremely difficult to deal with but I am so lucky in so many other ways! I have never been afraid of hard work and now it just looks different! Ha!

      Im so glad you enjoy the house! My husband and I think she really shines when other people admire her and enjoy her! Tee hee! Hope you have lovely holidays coming! I have lots of holiday posts coming!

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