INTERIORS // A Simple Halloween Home - Decorative Ideas For Halloween & Day Of The Dead

This time of year is really special to me. For a good few years now as a family we have turned inwards to celebrate Halloween in a special way because I am really not interested in the gore that the mainstream offers us. In fairness, it isn't really even about Halloween for me anymore but we do celebrate it with a family dinner with Robs parents and trick or treating in our local community. We also love all the pumpkin carving, watching movies and well wishes that you get to exchange with each other. But actually a big celebration in our life is Day Of The Dead, celebrated on November 2nd and something that we do every year to help us remember our dead loved ones.

Every year we find it is so important to remember and value life and death and teach that to the children so we make sure to partake in this age old tradition. 

Day Of The Dead or Dias De Los Muertos is a hugely significant celebration in Mexican traditions but now it spans all over the world. Lots of cultures practices something similar at this time of year and it is all to do with remembering friends and families who have died. For us, it is a real reason to get together as a family and talk about our loved ones and just share happy memories. It's almost just like a remembrance service but just for us to partake in. That is our take on it anyway and like most family traditions, just started as a real way to connect the children to people they didn't get the chance to meet. If you have ever watched Disneys COCO or The Book Of Life (two excellent day of the dead films) you will know that there is great emphasis on remembering and honouring our loved ones otherwise they are eternally forgotten. In a way, this is what hits home for me and I find it so important to make sure we are carrying on family legacy so we can learn from all the good and bad parts of our ancestors. 

Traditionally you make an alter in the home where you place photographs and can even put their favourite food dishes there. This, even though it can seem morbid is based purely on celebration so houses are decorated and parties are had. Honestly watch COCO, it is has all the information there!!

Decorating the house for Halloween is never really decorating it for Halloween for me. It's decorating it for the whole few days of celebration of family and that is why I do it.

This year I wanted to share just how simple it is to create an Autumn Halloween scene with very little. In fact fresh pumpkins and star garlands are all I have used and it just helps to focus on the magic and not anything else if I am honest. Hope you like what I have created. The shopping list:

Pumkins available for £2 and under from most supermarkets but mine are all ALDI

Single Star Garlands are HERE (I bought 3 packs of these)

Star and Moon Garland HERE (I bought 1 pack of these)

Command Hooks to hang on the walls are HERE

For a quick view video of the house click HERE

We are really lucky that the layout of the house allows us to decorate in this way but with our own individual styles I am sure you can create something equally as magical.

FOOD// Autumn Apple & Cinnamon Swirl Bake

My parents have an abundance of fruit trees in their garden and when I was younger a go to staple for puddings in our house was stewed apples in crumbles, pies, by the spoonful or any way they came, we had to eat it. I hated it. In fact since leaving home I intend to pretty much never really eat apples again. What an ungrateful *****! 

The thing is, I never appreciated what a wonderful thing apples were as a child because we had to help pick them or clear the grass of them; apples became a chore and eating them reminded me of the chore. Honestly, ask Rob, for years we didn’t even make apple crumble because of it. I had no idea just how spoilt we were to have such delicious free food. 

In later years apples have become the centre of my baking. In fact they are absolutely one of my favourite things to add to food this time of year! I actually find them so comforting and as I have gotten older the more I have turned my loathing into loving and acknowledged the simple fact that all my parents were doing was establishing a love for food from nature. 

At the weekend when at my parents house I made sure to pick a bagful. I got four different varieties of cooking and eating, (fancy even having the choice) to make a selection of baked goods to share on here and Social media. 

My first offering using the Autumn harvest? Quick apple and cinnamon bun bake.

This quick dish could be covered in custard and eaten as a pudding, served fresh and hot for breakfast or even eaten simply with an afternoon coffee. It is simple, tasty and so warming that it makes you want to dive under a blanket and snuggle down all day.

What you will need;

I used 2.5 tins of Jus-Rol ready roll cinnamon swirls (or make your own if you know how)

3 sliced apples

Butter

Cinnamon powder

50g Icing sugar

What I did;

Star by turning on the oven to 180°c

Simply slice up your ready roll swirls and place on parchment paper inside a baking dish.

Then thinly slice your apples across the core so you get that lovely start effect.

Layer each slice slightly overlapping on top of your swirls in the baking dish.

Next melt a knob of butter and cinnamon powder and paste over the tops of the sliced apples. I think I did too much hence why the apples look so dark but I was really happy with the taste.

Then cook at 180°c for 40 mins.

The swirls take longer than suggested as they are covered by the apples.

As soon as they are out the oven mix your icing sugar with water to make a runny consistency and pour it all over the top of the apples.

Cut and serve. 

Hot or cold.

And then add a hot drink, romantic movie and peaceful hour to chill with.

Have a look at the pictures below to give you inspiration;

Take a look at my Instagram video of this HERE for more help.

Emily xx

MIND// New Seasons

 

I was just thinking this morning about how important it is to align yourself with each new season. It is amazing how Time passes so quickly that we can so easily be bought up, move past and then recognise that we completely missed a certain period of the year. Slowing down is truly the only way to re-connect yourself to the quickly passing days. I mean, can you believe there are already piles of crunchy leaves on the ground. I was surfing in Cornwall a few weeks ago which still felt like the end of summer yet here we are, weekends have passed and it is well and truly Autumn. Let's slow down and enjoy it. soon enough it will be very grey so get those warm colours on your skin and don't let this season pass you by.

Em

MIND // My List Of Self Care Actions

My Self Care Actions

The simplest of daily actions can lead to a transformative life. The moment you decide to give time to better yourself is the moment that you can more freely be able to help others. We always try to take on too much, to relieve other people's burdens but, actually if our own internal needs aren't being met it is really hard to wholeheartedly help others.

I thought I would just share a simple list of actions that help on a daily basis to just focus on myself and my mental health needs. All of these things help in a positive way and you might find the list helpful too and that's why I wanted to share it. 

On a morning the first thing I think about is how grateful I am to be alive

On an evening I also journal a few things from the day I am grateful for

I make time to go on a walk at least 4 times a week

I listen to audio books that will make me think more, or ones that I learn something from.

I enjoy quiet times

Take cups of tea outside

Get outside once a day as well as the walk

I never look at the weather and let that stop what I do.

I have also stopped referring to the weather as miserable or horrible. It really changes your outlook on nature.

Balanced eating. I like cakes so I eat more veggies!

Learned to coach myself down from stress or anxiety spirals.

Practice mindfulness.

Practice non judgemental living.

I have decided to learn more, further education just for me and for fun, not for a career change but to help me speak better with people and family. I am doing life coaching and mindfulness. 

 Don’t watch too much TV

Only read practical news if any

Don’t share everything on social media