Tag Archives: october

October Favorites 2017

Guys, I know you’ve all been wondering what I’ve been obsessed with lately… So, here it is!!Rose Water
I’ve talked about rose water on here previously, but I’m still super obsessed. Why did it take me so long to get on the rose water train?! I feel like a luxurious queen or something when I spray my face with rose water. I use it after I wash my face and before I moisturize.

Orange + Bergamot oil
Everyone and their mother is on the essential oil bandwagon! They can be used for cleaning, grooming, to promote health, OR to make your house smell good! These two essential oils smell great! I’ve been really into defusing them!

Pumpkins
Tis’ the season, right? This October we bought a selection of pumpkins and I’ve been obsessed with them. I LOVE the heirloom pink, gray, and green pumpkins the best! We bought our pumpkins from KC’s Produce and Glad Tidings Church.

Black Cat
I talked about this on instagram, but if you haven’t heard, Black was sick for a few weeks in August. He had 2 extended stays at our local vet’s office and one trip to the small animal emergency room in Gainesville. He got sick again in September, and after a week stay in the cat hospital, he ended up having surgery. Black Cat is home and recovering well! If you’re local and looking for a great vet, we highly recommend Dr. Hagler at Columbia Animal Hospital! He and his staff took such wonderful care of Black Cat!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
This month’s book club pick has been great! Station Eleven follows 3 characters after a devastating flu plague hits America. It’s an interesting and easy read. I highly recommend it!

Good Christian Fun Podcast
This podcast is what I’ve been waiting for. Hosts, Kevin and Caroline along with a different guest each week, discuss various aspects of Christian pop culture. It’s super hilarious and only about 10% offensive. If you were a youth group queen like myself, I suggest you give this one a listen. I super suggest you listen to the Hell House episode because one of my favorite humans, MeLissa, was the guest!

Stranger Things Season 2
Whew, guys. Netflix is really kicking it out of the park with some of their original series. Ray and I both loved season 1,  season 2 did not disappoint! I feel like everyone in America has seen and loved Stranger Things, so I don’t think I need to explain the premise… but if you haven’t, give it a chance! It’s nostalgic, smart, funny, a little scary, and has a lot of heart.

Mindhunters
Mindhunters is a new netflix original that follows FBI agents in the 70’s on the path of profiling serial killers. Truthfully, this show started off a little slow and it didn’t follow the format I was expecting… but it was fascinating. The show is based off the book of the same title authored real-life FBI agent, John Douglas.

What have you been loving lately?

September & October 2016 Favorites

Taking a moment today to share a few things I’ve been loving recently. 
faves-2Rtic water bottle (and the generic Walmart version as well)
Taking a  – A few months ago Ray mentioned that he would probably drink more water if he had a cup that would keep it cold. I immediately ordered him an Rtic cup and he’s used it every day since it arrived. I bought one for myself a few weeks later! These cups are great!

faves-1Fisherman’s Friend lozenges – Ray and I spent half of September and October sick with colds, which was a total bummer. We’ve both found that Fisherman’s Friend lozenges are the best (and super cheap)!! Warning – They taste entirely like menthol, so for some people they can be very intense.

faves-3Leopard shoes– A true essential in my autumn wardrobe!

Lularoe black leggings – I was skeptical about Lularoe (being a multi-level marketing type company), but I was in desperate need of new black leggings, and decided to give them a try. These leggings are truly wonderful. They’re soft, stretchy, opaque, and extremely comfortable!

Television
ww-lc
Luke Cage – Excellent! Because Ray is a nerd extraordinaire, we’re big into the Marvel Universe Netflix original shows. Jessica Jones is my favorite, but Luke Cage is a close second. Luke Cage is a man with super strength + impenetrable skin caused by a sabotaged experiment while he was wrongfully imprisoned.

wwWestworld –  HBO’s Westworld is about a futuristic western-themed amusement park of the same name, occupied by  androids referred to as “hosts”. Westworld caters to high-paying visitors  who come to experience the park, without fear of retaliation from the hosts. IE – You can shoot an android with no consequences. The show is based off a Michael Crichton novel. It’s soooooooo good!

ww-sienfeldSeinfeld – Ray and I have been watching through Seinfeld for the past few months. I remember watching episodes here and there in the 90’s, but this is the first time either of us have watched through the seasons. It’s hilarious to see how many issues on Seinfeld are almost completely irrelevant 20 years later (ie- long distance phone calls, writing checks, etc.)

Podcasts:
I’ve been really into true crime podcast lately and these are two I’ve been especially enjoying.

Criminal – A new crime or crime-related topic is discussed in each episode. This podcast is very well researched and the episodes cover a multitude of topics.

In The Dark – In The Dark is a podcast that explores a Minnesota abduction that took place in 1989 and was only recently solved.

Truthfully, the last 2 months have been extremely busy, stressful, and overwhelming for me. If I wasn’t working or sleeping (or being sick) I was probably zoning out on Netflix. Hoping the rest of the year is a little more fun and relaxing!

Halloween Costume Round Up

Everyone knows that I love Halloween and agonize over picking out a costume. I like to  spend a few weeks before the 31st planning, shopping, and most of the time even making my own costume. But lets be real, many of these were last minute situations. Most of my costumes are relatively easy and cheap to recreate. So in honor of my (and everyone’s) favorite Autumn holiday, I thought I’d do a  roundup of mine and Ray’s 10 best Halloween costumes throughout the years.
1. Pizza + Delivery Boy (2014)
I loved this costume combo!
pizza 32. Willy Roberts from Duck Dynasty + a Duck (2013)
Quite possibly one of my worst pictures ever. This was at the height of the show, and Ray was getting asked almost daily if he grew his beard out because of Duck Dynasty (he didn’t).
photo (2)

3. Little Mouse, Big Hungry Bear, and the Red Ripe Strawberry (2013)
I worked at a library at the time and the staff all dressed in literary costumes.halloween 2013 2

4. Khaki Scout from Moonrise Kingdom (2012)photo (3)5. Pawnee Goddess + Pastor Dale (2011)
I loved this costume! I had just started getting into Parks and Rec and was quickly turning into a super fan. My mom made this vest for me, but unfortunately I couldn’t find a photo that really showed it off. I made most of the “badges” out of paper and used star patches.
photo 16. Bjork as a Swan (2010)
I had the forethought to rent a crinoline skirt and purchase white boas, but I was sewing that swan head together an hour before the paper. photo 2

Also, Black Swanphoto 37.  Kindergarten Indian (2008)
For adult Indian vests, I suggest finding a large paper to-go bag from a restaurant. Mine was from Cracker Barrel. I painted the vest with regular acrylic paint.

indian

8. Scientist + Robot (2007?)
On the real, my costume was pretty lame and last minute. My friend MeLissa’s costume though… that was on point!IMG_4560Here’s another one from the same party…
IMG_4566 9. Glenda the Good Witch (1989?)1930798_31788684428_7256_n10. Ballerina (1989ish) and Devil (1987ish)
Check out that wallpaper!
hal costumes
More fun stuff:
– Here is my sister dressed as Sherry Lewis. One of my favorite last minute costumes ever!487969_10151960450664429_1687147977_n– Here is another great costume of Bries! A foreign exchange student super excited about being in America (seen with Fidel Castro).
IMG_4565– I’m not sure if there’s a photo of this, but one year I dressed up as the earth. I wore brown boots for dirt, green pants for grass, a blue sweatshirt with felt clouds for the sky, and a rainbow ribbon headband. Whew!
– One year Ray dressed as the invisible man. He wore a suit and wrapped his face in an ace bandage. I know there is a photo floating around the internet of it somewhere…
– Here is a photo of photo my dad took on his iphone for me. So, probably the best quality you’ve ever seen. This is me in a poodle skirt and Brie dressed as a sunflower. Also, photo evidence of Brie wearing tennis shoes.IMG_4563 – I have a really good idea for us this year, but no one is actually having a party on Halloween and we’ll be out of town the weekend prior. SOMEONE HAVE A PARTY ON THE 31ST!!!!!

Now, tell me all your Halloween costumes!!!

Around Big Brown

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It’s finally starting to cool down outside, which is a really big deal for this Floridian. My November is 100% packed with work, events, parties, holidays, appointments, and preparing for Ray’s surgery which is scheduled for December 1st. I’ll be honest, it’s pretty overwhelming. I’m committing to taking things one day at a time and finding moments to enjoy my favorite time of the year. How’s your October/November shaping up?