From the Front Porch

Happy Friday from the front porch. I hope your week has been richly blessed with unexpected surprises. 

My Mom was out here yesterday helping me work on the shed makeover and guest bedroom refresh. We still have a ways to go with everything but we made tons of progress and I’m heading into the weekend feeling beyond grateful for her help. 

On a side note, the littles talked my parents into having their annual Halloween party and I couldn’t be more excited about it. My Dad said he was dressing up as a blogger this year ?

I’m normally not a big Halloween person but it’s always fun to dress up, eat festive foods and watch how excited the littles get to carve pumpkins and play Halloween games.

My parents will probably keep it super simple with a soup buffet, yummy sandwiches, a Fall inspired salad, and of course plenty of sweet treats since everything is last minute.

I’m looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!

While it wasn’t involved enough for a full blog post, I wanted to share this quick and easy potions, brews, and spells book I made for the party. 

I basically just picked up a book from the thrift store, a set of letters from the craft store, and some faux spider webs to create it all. 

Honestly, it took less than 5 minutes to make so if you need a last-minute quick, and easy Halloween decoration this is it!

A Few of Our Favorite Halloween Posts from Around the Web this Week…

This cozy Finnish Log Cabin has me ready to embrace moody colors.

Lots of cute ideas in this post, Farmhouse Halloween Home Tour.

Love the festive way Michael from Inspired by Charm used paper fans on his Halloween Tablescape this year.

You can see how Jen from Tatertots and Jello used them on her black and white mantel here.

Scroll through this post to see how Jennifer from Town & Country Living dressed up her sink for Halloween. I’m totally doing this for the littles!

Fun Isn’t Cancelled – How to Safely Celebrate Halloween This Year 

10 Incredibly Easy Kids Costume Ideas 

Two companies making trick or treating and Halloween treats a little easier this year.

Speaking of easy, find How to Decorate a Store-Bought Cake for Halloween and Halloween Dessert Platter ideas here.

Part of what makes Halloween parties fun is all the festive food.  This candy corn veggie pizza is super cute and totally doable too.

These fingerprint ghost pumpkins are really cute and would be fun to do with the littles too.

I’ve literally seen these are everywhere this year and they are so festive!

31 Spooky Movies to Get You in the Mood for Halloween 

10 Things That Will Make You Happier at Home 

Self-Care Ideas Based on Your Enneagram (I’m a 3) 

These are so pretty for the holidays or any day, really.

Quote of the Week and Free Printable…

Watching This Week…

James Corden gives me the giggles all the time and his carpool karaoke series blows me away!

Recently, he was on Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan where he spoke about everything from raising kids to his struggles with weight to how he found success in late night and it’s such an endearing interview. 

Self-Discovery Journey: Books We’re Reading…

**(The Crowned Goat participates in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program, and Impact Affiliates Program. Target and Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

I’m almost finished with our October book of the month, Welcome Home: A Cozy Minimalist Guide to Decorating and Hosting All Year Round, and it definitely has me rethinking how to approach our holiday and winter décor!

Here’s a list of the books we’ll be reading for the rest of the year in case you want to go ahead and pick them up too…

• November – Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living 
• December – Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person
• January – The Home Edit Life: The No-Guilt Guide to Owning What You Want and Organizing Everything

If you’ve missed any of our other books, you can find them here…

• August – Love Does 
• July – The Art of Showing Up: How to be There for Yourself and Your People 
• June – Get Out Of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts 
• We also added,  Be The Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation 
• May –The Lifegiving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming
• April – Rhythms of Renewal: Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose 
• March – The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions 
• February – The Compound Effect 
• January – You Are the Girl for the Job: Daring to Believe the God Who Calls You 

On the Menu this Week…

Week of October 25 – November 01

• 10/24 Saturday – Sheet Pan Greek Shrimp Dinner 
• 10/25 Sunday – Slow Cooker Red Wine Sunday Ragu Pasta 
• 10/26 Monday – Turkey Biscuit Skillet 
• 10/27 Tuesday – Spicy Lime Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Slaw 
• 10/28 Wednesday – Apple Cranberry Walnut Salad 
• 10/29 Thursday – Kelly’s Thai Soup Recipe 
• 10/30 Friday – Sausage and Apple Stuff Acorn Squash 
• 10/31 Saturday – 35 Halloween Dinner Ideas 
• 11/01 Sunday – One Pan Cheese Spaghetti Pie 

Sweet Treat to Try This Week…

43 Halloween Dessert and Treat Ideas

A Few Not So Spooky Finds We Spotted Online at Amazon and Target This Week…

**(The Crowned Goat participates in the Amazon Services, LLC Associates Program, and Impact Affiliates Program. Target and Amazon affiliate links have been provided for your convenience. Any sales made through such links will support us with a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read our full disclosure policy here)

Leopard Print Dress * Sunglasses * Candles * Blanket 

Pitcher * Tulle Skirt * Studio McGee Book * Storage Bins 

Necklace and Earring Set * Floor Cushion * Pullover * Pens 

Rug * Blending Brushes * Doormat * Blouse 

If You’ve Missed Anything from the Archives or the Blog, Here’s a Peek at What We’ve Been Up To…

Last-Minute Halloween Tablescape Ideas 

How to Create a Spooky Curiosity Cabinet 

Simple DIY Halloween Decorations 

Painted Hutch Makeover in New Concrete

52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge …

Here’s a look at what we’ll be working on in the month of July as part of the 52 Weeks to a Simplified & Organized Home Challenge  …

• 10/03 Pet Supplies
• 10/10 Garage, Attic, or Basement
• 10/17 Holiday Plans (including travel plans)
• 10/24 Seasonal Decorative Items-Christmas
• 10/31 Winter Bucket List

That’s all for now!

As always, we appreciate you so much and we hope your weekend is peace-filled and relaxing.  We can’t wait to share even more with you next week!

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo