August Joys & Favorites | perhap’ you have met me twixt sleep and wake, in the penumbra of uncertainty you call “unconsciousness”. Or perhaps you’ve met me at a book signing

JOYS!

Lughnasadh--just saying the name is a joy, and then there's the joy of collecting offerings, of snipping pieces of my beloved houseplants, of searching out flowers in the yard with my boy. The "forest spirits" (racoons) destroyed my little offering/pie plate, but I'm not that mad.

Tie-dye birthday cake! Mads and I stood in the baking aisle of the grocery store for a very long time while he picked out which color frosting he wanted on his cake. He'd even settled on yellow, and we'd walked away, I thought satisfied, when he announced some aisles later, "Want green!" The tie-dye birthday cake is, I think, a new tradition, at least until Mads is big enough to choose what flavor cake he wants. This was as fun to make as it was to eat. (The dinosaurs were Wolfman's contribution, and a brilliant one.)

I will never not be awed by the act of eating something that's grown in my own back yard, or my neighbor's. We're in tomato heaven here.

We are Autumn-ready, and Nature is complying.

In preparation for our Yule festivities, Wolfman has already crafted a Krampus doll. No pictures of the final product yet, but trust me--he is adorable and just slightly sinister. 

This month, I started working at my shop full-time, and though I miss my baby, always in a general way and often throughout the day in a precise way, I am really enjoying my work. Wolfman teases that I'm being paid to "dress mannequins and look pretty," and he's not far from wrong. This month we also opened a Facebook expressly for the exchange (resale) section of our store, and updating it has been way fun.

FAVORITES!

Favorite stationery item - Hallmark's new(ish?) Studio Ink line is proof that Hallmark just gets better with every year. I had a hard time choosing a favorite artist's postcards, but finally chose Mirna Stubbs'. Her designs are witchy and gorgeous, and any one of these postcards could be framed or used as a bookmark in the family grimoire.

Favorite beauty product - Kiss My Face olive oil soap. Three ingredients: olive oil, salt, water. So simple, so gentle, so full of antioxidants.

Favorite life-changer - This big, fat planner was a gift from my Grandma for my birthday. In just a month, it has kept me so organized, it has helped me keep this space updated, helped me in budgeting, helped me put holiday planning into perspective. Of course, though I like the size of it, and the way the pages are laid out, really I'm the one doing all the magick, and this book is just a conduit. But, still. I love it for that. I consult its pages every morning at the breakfast table, and every evening before getting ready for bed.

Favorite Television Show - Garth Marenghi's Darkplace (2004). I described this to a friend as Stephen King (or Clive Barker) meets Ed Wood set in 80's General Hospital with just a splash of The A Team. As if that's not impressive enough, I also might be a tad in love with Richard Ayoade, or at least Wolfman accused me of being so (to which I responded, "You are!" -- Got him). Darkplace is one of those things that became immediately beloved in this house, within the first few minutes of watching the first episode (like The Mighty Boosh or The Boxtrolls). It will most certainly head up our annual Halloween Horror Countdown from now on.

Favorite Movie - The Babadook (2014, Australian/Canadian). This is a horror movie I would recommend to people who don't typically watch horror, because what's scary about it isn't the monster (Spoiler: I'm not even sure the monster actually existed). The best horror movies are the ones that make you feel completely unsettled as you watch--afraid to see what will happen next, but unwilling (or unable) to look away. And, for me, the sign of a truly great movie is one that I wake thinking about the next morning, and continue to think about for days to come. It's no surprise to me that The Babadook was written and directed by a woman, Jennifer Kent (a rare enough occurrence in the horror industry to take note of it), because, ultimately, this was a magnificently told story of motherhood (single motherhood, specifically) and grief--a story of a woman on the edge. I loved this. Even if you don't watch horror films, watch this.