Last month in my roundup of Things I Loved in September of 2022 I mentioned how it seems to me as if time is going by quicker than usual. As I began wrapping up the Things I Loved for this month, October 2022, I felt that sentiment even stronger. It feels as if I was wrapping up September last week not last month.
Reflecting on the past month for this article was particularly special because it really helps to remind me to appreciate the little things and to “stop and smell the flowers”. If you know me, you know I’m a huge proponent of gratitude and this practice of rounding up the things I loved from the last month really has me in my grateful feels – as there were so many seemingly small, beautiful moments that I experienced in October. Adding up all of the small moments leads to one big, joyous month. Here are the Things that I loved this month, October 2022.
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Early in the month was my friend Charlene’s birthday. We went into Manhattan to the Hall des Lumiéres to see the “Gold in Motion” light show and it was a beautiful, moving experience. The building, the former Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank, (below, center) that houses the current Hall des Lumiéres was such a stunning building with beautiful architecture from he mid 1800’s – definitely something to appreciate. The floral arrangement with eucalyptus (one of my favorites!) was a beautiful addition to the already gorgeous building. There were also some beautiful messages that I stumbled upon (below left and right) while walking around the city.
Flowers, Flowers & More Flowers
Flowers are something I adore. I love buying different types of flowers and arranging them beautifully but I also can appreciate flowers in their natural habitat: nature. Our rose bushes are having their second bloom (which often happens in late October) and I loved seeing them as I walked out of the house this month (below, right). And especially appreciating them during a rain storm with glistening drops of water on the petals and leaves (below, left).
One of my favorite flowers are hydrangeas and I loved stumbling upon some autumn changes in hydrangeas while walking my dog this month (below, left). I also created one of my favorite bouquets of the year (below, right) with a few different types of flowers as well as some eucalyptus. I like to create fresh bouquets every week, buying different flowers in different colors that speak to me on Sundays and letting them brighten up my days as the week goes on.
I’ve been growing lavender since 2019 and I love how I comes back every year taller and with more buds. This year my lavender had a second growth of buds during the month of October and it even had cute little buds halfway up the stem. While they were inconspicuous and almost not noticeable – I loved seeing them! I spent about 15 minutes trying to capture the dainty beauty of the little lavender buds.
Sweater & Sunroof Szn
Two things I love about autumn: cozying up in some sweaters and when the weather is cool but just warm enough to open the sunroof for a nice afternoon drive. The fall foliage on the drive was an added bonus!
A Roadtrip & Some Time in Nature with My Brother
One of the things I’m doing to support my mind, body and soul this autumn is spending more time in nature. So, when my brother asked me if I wanted to take the trip up to Watkins Glen to hike the waterfalls and see some fall foliage – of course I was eager to join!
We chose to spend an overnight near Watkins Glen just as the drive is about five hours from where we live. Sidenote: I use (and love) Hotel Tonight for last minute bookings, staycations and roadtrips. You can Use my code JASHIELDS2 to get up to $50 back after your first HotelTonight (or sign up by clicking this link).
One of my favorite things to do is just get lost on a roadtrip and see what we stumble upon. Driving around the Finger Lakes region in October was the perfect time to drive around – the scenery was gorgeous! We also stumbled upon Wild Goose Chase Antiques (10276 Country Route 7, Hammondsport, New York 14840). One of the coolest antique stores (it was housed in an old barn!) I’ve ever seen – with some of the most beautiful views, as well.
On our way home we passed exit 83 on Route 17 – Oquaga Lake. I mentioned the lake I spent my summers as a child in my round up of my favorite autumnal photos and it’s a truly special place to not only me but my whole family. While it was bittersweet – we got off the exit and drove up to and around the lake, seeing the house we spent countless days and nights in as children. We also stopped in town at Butterfield’s Cafe for a coffee and some lunch.
Angel Numbers, Signs from God and Fall Foliage
October 15 is the anniversary of my grandfathers passing and also happens to be my aunts birthday. On the date we go to visit my grandpa’s gravesite and then out to lunch. This year while visiting my pop – I noticed that his final resting place is in Section 111 x Section 111. When I realized it – it was also the first moment of the season that I saw the change in the foliage. After capturing the sign, I put my hand in my coat pocket and found a gold bracelet that I thought I lost over two years ago! The bracelet says, “life is magical” and I like to think that my grandpa sent that bracelet back to me right in that moment as a reminder.
My Nails 💅🏼
On a scale of 1-100, 100 being the most high maintenance of women… I scale pretty low. But, when it comes to my nails? I’m easily a 100/100. I can walk out of the house with no makeup, having not combed my hair yet for the day with no issue. But walking out of the house with a chip in my nail polish would give me agida.
I’ve been tuning into my intuition for my manicure inspo lately, after learning about onychomancy (divination of the nails) from Kiki. Last month, after nearly two decades of filing my nails square – I heard the very loud message that I needed to start having my nails filed oval. Since moving forward with that change – the nail inspo coming in from my intuition has been completely different than the last few years. I’d typically get very bright, multi colored nails but lately my nails have been wanting to be darker, more muted and even French (something I haven’t done in over a decade).
I heeded the call and went ahead with a black French manicure that I’m obsessed with. I loved the manicure so much that when it came time for my manicure the next week – I went ahead and did the same black French (the only difference being I had them filed them down a bit).
Shopping Small & Personalized Touches
Two things I’ve been working on in the last year or so has been reducing my carbon footprint (using less plastic and also searching for recycled items instead of purchasing new) and also shopping small instead of turning to big corporations when I find I need something “new”. When I was searching for a glass citrus juicer I turned to Etsy I opted to find a vintage one – instead of purchasing one from Amazon (that would have likely been plastic).
I am so happy with my purchase! I found a vintage citrus juicer that is quite large (large enough to hold the juice from 4-5 oranges) and made of thick glass – I’ll likely have it for the rest of my life. But, the best part of the purchase was the personalized note (typed on a typewriter!) from the seller – explaining where the juicer came from! It was also decorated with a cute pumpkin drawing – perfect for October. You can check out the shop I ordered from on Etsy here. They have heaps of (very reasonably priced) vintage items – a great shop to jot down for the upcoming holidays!
While on the topic of shopping small and reducing my carbon footprint – I’ve also been purchasing used books instead of new books. I recently fell in love with a book called, A Secret History of Witches, by Louisa Morgan and was a bit sad when it was over (feeling the feels when you turn the last page is a tall tell sign of a good book). I began to search into the author to find some other works by her and was elated to learn that the book was one of a four part series! While they aren’t a typical series, where each story picks up where the last one left off, they do all follow a similar theme of women in witchcraft. I went ahead and ordered all three of the following books – opting to buy them used as opposed to new. When I opened the second book, The Witches Kind, a note fell out of the used book – a message I think that anyone can use:
On one last note of shopping small for the win was an Etsy order I placed from the shop Living Through Nature, an apothecary shop based in the UK. I found this shop via twitter, as I follow the owner, and was elated to see a Qi tonic, listed on her shop. In Traditional Chinese Medicine Qi is our life force and energy – the Qi tonic helps many functions in the body but I was searching for it specifically for its heating properties. I mentioned in my article, Things I’m Doing This Autumn to Support my Mind, Body and Soul, that this will be my first full autumn and winter seasons that I’ll be in a cold climate in a decade. As such, I wanted to secure a Qi Tonic to support my internal heat with a natural remedy! I also opted to order some herbs from Living Through Nature as well as black tourmaline, an EMF blocking crystal.
I was so surprised when my package came in with an extra crystal (rose quartz) and a bracelet, which is a green-purple fluorite. The fluorite is known for its spiritual detox properties and couldn’t be any more perfect for what I’m going through mentally and spiritually. It is also known to have the tendency to transform negative energy into positive energy and can boost mental clarity while promoting peace of mind.
As if a little add on from the shop wasn’t special enough – the intuitive nudge from the shop owner to send something I could use to aid in my overall growth and well-being was purely precious. I never would have received that kind of customer service and support from Amazon! I was also shocked at how quickly the package arrived from the UK – taking less than a full business week to arrive.
Eats & Treats
A round up of things that I loved in October 2022 wouldn’t be a proper round up if there weren’t some eats and treats on the list. Honey Mama’s are Cocoa Truffle bars with all raw and organic ingredients, no gluten, refined sugars, or soy, are packed with nutrients and are oh so delicious. I pick them up from Whole Foods and, typically, opt for the Lavender Rose flavor (but also love the Peruvian Raw and Coconut). My inner white chick was elated to see Pumpkin Spice Honey Mama’s earlier this month. Its such a rich pumpkin and spice flavor that just a bite or two is all you need to be satisfied.
Last month I talked about the Cappello’s Gluten Free Pizza Crust that I’ve been loving and coming up with different concoctions for the pizza, instead of just a traditional pizza, has been so fun! This month I made a carmelized onion sauce and topped it with fresh mozzarella and fontina cheeses along with some mushrooms, squash blossoms, thyme and oregano.
On the topic of “gluten free goodies” – this month I also found a delicious, and fairly clean, gluten free pie crust that I used to make a quiche with eggs, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, raw cheddar cheese and some raw cream/milk (all organic, of course!). It was so good! The crust had a flakey consistency that, in my opinion, made it perfect for a quiche and maybe wouldn’t have been the best for an actual pie.
Plant Medicine
One of the Things I’m Doing to Support my Mind, Body and Soul this Autumn is staying away from plant medicines that produce a high effect. For me, this mainly means curbing my nearly daily marijuana use and skipping my occasional MaGiC MuShRoOm consumption. However, this month I really enjoyed connecting with different plants that don’t produce a “high”.
Earlier in the month I attended a cacao ceremony hosted by Sage Cacao at the Pelham Arts Center. I had never attended a cacao ceremony and didn’t know what to expect (outside of cacao). The ceremony started with an explanation about the cacao that was followed by a short stretch and ended with a sound bath. I found that the cacao helped me to connect, nearly instantly, to my higher self and a meditative state during the sound bath. Pulling the card, “I am Love” after a particularly special meditation where I felt all the love for all stages of my journey really reinforced the ethereal experience.
As someone who has been enjoying her weed for nearly two decades – skipping my evening joint has been a little hard. I found that while I may not necessarily be “addicted to weed”, I definitely have an affinity for the habit of smoking. So, I started playing with different smokable herbs. One blend that I’ve been enjoying the most (especially since I enjoy it within an hour of bedtime) has been mugwort, lavender, rose and chamomile. The mugwort has been known for centuries to promote vivid dreams, the lavender and chamomile aid in a calming effect and blending in rose makes the entire blend sweet.
Zen Den Renovations & Decor
This October I renovated a room into my new “zen den” (half living room, half office). The room also has a little enclove that I turned into a dressing room – setting up a vanity as well as shelves for all my handbags, sunglasses, shoes and accessories. One of the best parts about setting up this dressing room is that I was able to remove most of my clothes and accessories from my bedroom.
I mentioned that one of the Things I’m Doing to Support my Mind, Body and Soul this Autumn is to make my bedroom a “screen free zone”. Setting up my “dressing room” and removing the items of clothes, bags, etc from my bedroom added to the energetic cleansing of my bedroom, making my resting time that much more relaxing and calming.
In trying to keep my zen den minimal, I opted not to place artwork on the cleanly painted walls. But, if you know me – you know I love some color, so to add pops of color I opted for the fun, floral light switch covers below on the left. Below, on the right, are some of my favorite pieces of autumn decor – velvet pumpkins! I ordered my first two sets of small pumpkins in 2020 and added a set of large pumpkins and a third set of small pumpkins to my collection this year.
All in all, I couldn’t have imagined a better October. While I had some hiccups around the first eclipse (and had a migraine that placed me in a dark room for two days) the good far outweighed the bad (as it typically does). I found such an appreciation for the autumn season this month – even choking up at the beauty of the changing colors on the way to the grocery store yesterday morning. If October set the tone for the autumn season – I can’t wait to see what November brings me!
What are some of the things you enjoyed most about your October?
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