November Snow

-Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood-
Andy Goldsworthy

It's finally begun; the first November snow has appeared. This is ultimately a sign that our warm days are over. I guess November is excited to get winter going. Honestly, it's not abnormal for western Pennsylvania to have snow around this time of year. Usually every year we get a snow sometime in November.

Physically, we realize it's colder and dress warmer. This is often observed by every individual (unless if the cold really doesn't bother you at all). The more layers we have on the better. Snow brings chilly weather, therefore we know that we need to take care of our bodies from the cold.

Yet, this is entirely different from what we do mentally. When we first see snow, we tend to have nostalgic thoughts about our past winters. We also seem to do things that we associate with winter. It might be making hot chocolate or building a snowman. 

Some people become filled with joy while others might dread the season to come. Personally, whenever I see the first snow in November I feel a bit excited. The snow reminds me of some of the best memories I had as a child, most of them associating with Thanksgiving and Christmas time. With my grandparents though, they'd much rather be in Florida the whole season, (and by the end of January, I don't blame them). 

However you feel about the snow, just remember to appreciate all the seasons, the ones with snow included! 

Hold On To Your Hats!

This is the time of year where I like to break out my winter beanies. I never wore beanies in the past but when I finally bought one last year, I knew I would never go back to not wearing one in the cold weather. They help keep my ears warm and my hair down, which believe it or not makes a huge difference in how warm I am.

Just the other day, I was having dinner with my friends. When we were going to leave I put my hat back on my head. My one friend says to me, "See! She can wear that and she looks good in it."

I know that there are people out there who aren't hat people. Until I bought my first hat that actually fit my style, I didn't think I was one either. If you're thinking about buying a beanie or a hat, don't hesitate. I'll give you a couple tips to picking out and loving your hat!

When it comes to choosing your hat, remember that it's your style. You don't have to wear the same color or design that your friend is wearing. Whether it's loose fitting or snug, that's all up to you! Also, you will be amazed to find how many colors and designs there are to choose from. My only advice is to pick a color that goes with your fall or winter jacket. It doesn't have to match perfectly, but it should look spiffy with it.

Another thing is to remember that when picking out a hat for the cold months, it should be made out of appropriate material. A knit hat or beanie will be your best bet. Sometimes a nice baseball cap is a good choice, too. If cold ears bother you, maybe look into a hat with ear flaps. Do not wear a sombrero or something of easy-to-damage material.

Picking out the perfect hat for you is fun and can be a great addition to your wardrobe. You won't really know if you're a hat person until you try it out. Keep your head cozy and your thoughts warm!

Finter Is Here!

The Look of Finter

The other day I was watching a Youtuber's Fall Haul video, when I heard her mention the term "finter". Apparently, finter describes the end of October to the end of December. There are so many big holidays that go on during that time like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

So, obviously finter is just forming one word out of fall and winter. Even though I have never heard of this term before, it has become stuck in my vocabulary. I think finter is the perfect definition for the weather we get here in Pennsylvania. It's technically fall until December 21st, but we still get cold weather and snow beforehand.

Not only that, but right after Thanksgiving marks the kickoff for winter and Christmas. Since we can't technically say it's winter, even with signs of winter all around us, we still have to call it fall until December 21st. But now, we have this wonderful term that we can use to describe this time without being wrong.

Will finter become its own season? I highly doubt it, but I think I'll still use it as a descriptive term from now until the first day of winter. How many of you have heard of finter before?

What to Expect: November

Hey Everyone! Well October is over and November has come. I just want to give a little update of what to expect this month as far as the topics of my posts will go. I have neglected to write about fashion or recipes, and I want to start reaching towards that direction in my posts.

Another thing I have been wanting to try is posting a video here and there of me discussing monthly favorites, doing a seasonal haul, or something along the lines of that. I thought maybe a video would be different than a boring blog post. I can't promise that it'll be successful but I will try it out!

Also, immediately after Thanksgiving I am going to start out the Christmas season on this blog. There are so many things I want to cover about Christmas. I feel like there is such a short time between from Thanksgiving to Christmas, so I want to start as soon as I can! I will definitely give Thanksgiving it's well deserved attention, too.

Hope you all had a wonderful October and that November is amazing!

How to Bake Pumpkin Seeds

I mentioned on my list last week that you should carve a pumpkin for Halloween. Of course this is a fun time, but what about the pumpkin seeds?

My fiance, Alec, suggested that we should bake them. I personally have never tried baking pumpkin seeds, but I thought why not? We had a ton since the pumpkin we carved was gigantic. Let me tell you, they turned out better than I expected!

How to bake pumpkin seeds

Step 1: Clean the seeds
Make sure all the pumpkin guts are off of the seeds. The best way to wash them is to either fill your sink or a bowl, full of water. Any remainder of the guts should come off easily.

Step 2: Boil the seeds
Yep, I said to boil the seeds. If you don't want to wait for your seeds to dry, then boil the seeds in a medium sized pan. Add a little bit of salt to your boiling water. Stir the seeds while it's boiling because they will most likely float to the top. Only boil them for 10 minutes. Once they are done, strain them like you would with pasta. Dry the seeds off with a paper towel. They don't have to be bone-dry, but they shouldn't be soaked either.

Step 3: Bake the seeds
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit. On a baking sheet, add a teaspoon of olive oil to the seeds. Spread them all around the sheet and make sure each one is covered in oil. Your pumpkin seeds can be plain or have some taste to them. For this recipe I used seasoning salt. Sprinkle that all over the seeds as desired. When you're done with that, put the seeds in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes is up, take them out and stir them about. Put them back in for another 10 minutes. If you take them out and find that they aren't as crisp as you like, put them in for another 8-10 minutes.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Pumpkin seeds are a great snack and a healthy alternative from eating potato chips. It wasn't very hard to make these either, so go ahead and give it a try!

Halloween Black Cats

Image: Tippity Witchet's Halloween

I have talked about my cat, Hope, before in class. But, I never explained what happened when I got her. It was two years ago, around the end of October. My mom and I wanted to get another cat, so when we saw our local animal shelter had six black kittens, we immediately went to see them. All of them were fully black except for a little female "tuxedo" kitten, who was definitely the one we wanted.

I remember seeing a sign on the door that all the black cats, including the kittens, would not be available for adoption until after October 31st. My mom and I thought this was weird. It was only a week before Halloween, but we wanted our kitten as soon as possible. Out of curiosity, we asked why the black cats were not available for adoption until the 31st. One of the workers said to us, "People will adopt them and sacrifice them because of Halloween."

What? Are you serious? I was absolutely in shock that people would do such a thing. Luckily, the kitten we wanted was considered black and white. So we were able to adopt her earlier.

Why are black cats considered to be bad luck, though? Why are they associated with Halloween? 

I decided to look up the origin of black cats, Halloween, and bad luck. In Western history, black cats have become a symbol of an evil omen. Years ago, after the Pilgrims had arrived to this country, black cats were considered to be companions to witches and other evil spirits. Anyone who was caught with a black cat feared facing execution. Yikes! Who knew black cats were considered to be so bad. Yet, is this the same everywhere else? Or is this something that was brought with European beliefs and religion?

Image: Tippity Witchet's Halloween

In Japan, black cats are considered good luck. Scottish folklore believes that a black cat's arrival to a home is a sign of prosperity. Fishermen would prefer to have a black cat on their boat because of the belief that their supernatural powers would help them get home safe and sound. It's obvious that black cats are not all that bad. So when a black cat crosses you path, don't fret. Who knows, you might be brought good luck! Or maybe the cat is just walking by and nothing will happen.

What do you think?

Information from: Black cat- Wikipedia

Five Things To Do: For Halloween

Boo!

Don't worry, that picture isn't of a real ghost! This is one of my Halloween decorations in my room. They're pretty cute I must admit.

Anyway, Halloween is less than two weeks away! That means it's time to get your "spook" on and prepare for the most frightful night of the year. What can you do in order to have a fun and boo-tiful time?

1.) Watch Halloween Movies

There's nothing better than watching a movie that's made for Halloween. It can be scary, silly, or even a fun T.V. special like It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Personally, I'm not a scary movie person, so I choose movies like Hocus Pocus, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Paranorman as some of my go to scary movies. Plus, even the television channels are getting into the spirit of Halloween. AMC has their Fear Fest, ABC Family just began their 13 Nights of Halloween, and I'm sure other channels are playing movies that relate to the time of year, as well. 

2.) No Tricks, Just Treats
When you were younger, you most likely went trick-or-treating. Sadly, when you reach the age limit you no longer can go out and get a bunch of candy. But, what's stopping you from having Halloween treats? Go ahead and buy yourself a bag of your favorite candy to munch on. Better yet, show your creative side by making your own treats like caramel apples, spooky cupcakes, or popcorn balls.

3.) Carve a Pumpkin

No matter how old I am, every year I want to carve a pumpkin. There's just something fun about picking out the perfect pumpkin, scooping out the seeds, then letting your imagination take over as you carve an image into it. Once it's finished, the feeling that you get when you light the candle inside is priceless. Want to change it up? Find a book of pumpkin carving patterns or find some online. You'll see that there are plenty of patterns to choose from when you look around!

4.) Tell Scary Stories

Halloween and scary stories go hand-in-hand. If you're with a group of friends around Halloween, have a scary story night. The level of scariness is up to you and your group of friends. The genre of scary can be classical Edgar Allen Poe or an urban legend like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Looking for something more modern day? Creepypasta has some of the scariest stories around. You can find something that will make your skin crawl for sure. But don't get too spooked!

*There is an age requirement of 18 years of age to have access to Creepypasta. There's a reason that it's like that. So make sure your audience is mature.*

5.) Celebrate! 
Halloween is on a Friday this year, so celebrating it your own way is your choice! You could have a party, dress in costume, or sit all night on the couch watching Night of the Living Dead with a big bowl of popcorn. Unless if you have work, you can recover from partying too hard or staying up too late on Saturday. If for some reason you can't celebrate on actual Halloween night, there's no problem celebrating Halloween early or late!

What are you going to do for this year's Halloween?