October may have come and gone, but I am here to share my monthly newsletter even if we are a week into November. October is my favorite month of the year, partly because it’s my birthday month, but I also just love the fall season. I overall had a wonderful month, even though there were some unexpected and unwelcome surprises along the way (but that’s life!). By the way, if you would like to receive these newsletters directly in your email inbox for free, you can follow my blog by entering your email address in the widget on the right-hand side of my website.
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I began October by taking a vacation day at work to explore the Harvard Square neighborhood in Cambridge, MA. I’ve visited this area before, mainly to see musicals at American Repertory Theatre, but I wanted to take my time shopping in the plethora of unique stores, specifically the bookstores. I have a mini vlog of my day over on my Instagram, but my favorite shops are Harvard Book Store, Bob Slate Stationer, and Rodney’s Bookstore. If you love supporting indie bookstores and gift shops, this is really the perfect place to visit! Plus, it has that true New England feel with the cobblestone streets and nearby Harvard University, of course. I also had an amazing lunch at The Maharaja, which is an Indian restaurant with a plethora of vegan options. It was also an unseasonably warm day when I visited, so I treated myself to some vegan ice cream from Van Leeuwan as well. This was such a fun way to kick off October!
Of course, I had to spend October doing “autumn things” that I really enjoy. I made some pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins using a recipe from Love on the Oven, watched some of my favorite Halloween specials, including It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, and went on many long walks outside admiring the foliage and wildlife. One day I went on an early morning walk, and spotted a whole family of turkeys relaxing in the woods! I thought that was really exciting.
For my birthday, I ended up taking a vacation day at work so I could relax, spend time with family, and watch the first Boston Celtics game of the year! I still don’t know why the NBA thought it was a good idea to premiere the season at 3:00PM on a Tuesday, but it gave me a good reason to use PTO. The Celtics unfortunately lost their first game, but they’ve been much better since then. I am surprised at how much I am enjoying Paul George as a Celtic, and it’s nice to be back in the swing of listening to my favorite Celtics podcasts after each game. I highly recommend both The Garden Report and Locked On Celtics.
As always, October came to end with Halloween. I love that so many houses in my neighborhood go all out with Halloween decorations now. This year Halloween fell on a Saturday, which was so nice. As per tradition, we had pizza for dinner, and then I was on trick-or-treat duty. I always get “accidentally” vegan goodies for the kids, so I can feel good about what treats I hand out without them even realizing they are visiting the vegan lady’s house. This year I got Oreos, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Sour Patch Watermelons, and AirHeads Xtremes Sour Belts. I do pride myself on being a house that gives out full size candy, and seeing the kids get so excited brings me joy. This year I got 65 trick-or-treaters!
FLOPS AND FAVORITES
👎 Flops
- This month I don’t really have any tangible flops, as I didn’t try any new products that I didn’t like. I will say that my reading took quite a bit of a dip, as I am picking up books at a much slower pace this year and it really took a nosedive in October. I’m hopeful I can focus more on reading for the rest of the year!
👍 Favorites
- I have been on the lookout for new bath towels for quite some time. I stumbled upon super plush Brooks Brothers towels at Homesense in a beautiful pink color. The price was right, and so I spontaneously bought a new set of towels for my bathroom. I’m so happy with them! I cannot find them online, but if you have a Homesense nearby, see if they are available!
- This year I got back into daily planning with stickers, and I just about ran out in October. After a lot of scouring on the internet, I found Orange Umbrella Co and made a giant order. I absolutely love the stickers I bought, and this will be a new go-to shop for me.
- For my birthday, my parents got me a few gifts, and one of them was a Lifelines FlowArt Dot-by-Letter Art Kit. This has been such a relaxing activity to do in the evenings. Not only does it get me off my phone, but it is really fun to see the cute pictures come to life. I’ve already purchased another one so I can continue this hobby!
- Jaylen Brown may not be on the Celtics anymore, but when he put out a new line of t-shirts on his website 7uice, I new I had to buy the State Your Source shirt. I feel like I say this phrase all the time, especially with the rise of AI. Let this be your reminder to independently verify all information you see on the Internet, and be prepared to State Your Source!
That wraps up October in Polishland, and reflecting on the month I’m a bit surprised at my lack of trying new products. Though I suppose it is also good to enjoy what we have and focus on tried and true items. Plus, October was more about cozy activities than anything else. Overall, that works for me! I hope you all had a wonderful October, and that your November is off to a great start. I will be back next month with another newsletter.