Hump Day Delay - Halloween Edition!

Candy Corn makes me DANCE (or is that just the sugar!?)

Friends, lovers, ghost, ghouls and goblins... Today is National Candy Corn Day! HEEELLLZ YES! My most favorite seasonal treat (seriously. No, SERIOUSLY) is celebrating its greatness on the eve of my favorite holiday so it's pretty much orange-colored sugar-fest over here today. (#GoodthingIhaveDentistsinmyfamily) Since I didn't manage to make a Merry Meri appearance yesterday, I thought I would combine my hump day collection with my carefully curated food and drink inspiration for Halloween. 

* Because you've always wanted THIRTY different candy corn related recipes. 

* Do you know who BatDad is? BatDad is the man. Check him out in action HERE.

* 13 incredibly cool recipes for Halloween HERE... and in case that endorsement doesn't get you clickin, check out visuals of a few of my favorite edible creations:

 

* How about 31 last-minute Halloween hacks from the always reliable Buzzfeed? (some of them are really good!)

* 25 Halloween inspired cocktails to make sure your night is plenty BOOzy.

* Pretty sure my favorite thing about having a little kid is going to be dressing them up for Halloween (also, THIS). 

* Because humans aren't the only ones who can get into the Halloween spirit:

Click HERE for more DIY animal costume amazingness.

I cannot even handle this little dude's cuteness (and I'm so glad he's ok!):

Counting Down...

Perfect for the kids' table!

Hello hello and happy Monday my merry friends! I am officially in "it's almost the holidays" mode, thanks to Thanksgivukkah being just 10 days away. Even more exciting though is that I will be departing for the land of loving Grandparents and sun (aka, Florida) in one week from tomorrow. Tick tock is it time to go yet!?

Here to get us into the holiday spirit are some standout Thanksgiving suggestions - everything from tablescape to a hostess gift and dessert, it's time to get our turkey on people!!

Gold & Burlap elegance.

This table decor is so easy to execute and so elegant to look at that I'm actually disappointed to not be hosting a feast of my own to set it up at. Simply pick up some pine cones, gourds, berry branches, leaves and any other seasonal items your yard (or nearest Michaels crafts store) has to offer and head outside with a can of gold spray paint. Lay across the center of your table on a burlap (or other solid color) runner, add some votive candles and voila! The classiest Turkey Day table you ever did see!

Bite sized YUM. 

I love this idea! Since everyone loves the crispy outer edges of the stuffing casserole dish, why not make every bite an edge!? Using a muffin tin to bake your stuffing (whatever recipe you prefer) creates adorable individual portions with lots of crispy edges for everyone to enjoy.

Put a bow(tie) on it!

Looking to one-up all those guests who arrive with a bottle of wine and say "thanks for having me?" How about this idea from Real Simple? Pick up some fresh "Italian for dinner" supplies (pasta, sauce, herbs, olive oil) then box and wrap them with string and (pasta) bows. Adorable, inexpensive and perfect for the Saturday night after when the idea of more leftovers just isn't cutting it!

Candy Corn "bark"

Helllllo lover. Time to put all that leftover candy corn to use before it's out of "season"!! 

Click HERE for the full recipe or HERE to pin it. YUM.

31 Days of Halloween

Indeed.

October has arrived, my first batch of beloved candy corn has been purchased (and consumed) and my Pinterest feed is bursting with seasonal inspiration... Halloween, my friends, is nearly here!! Which got me to thinking - you peeps seem to LOVE all things autumn and Halloweeny just as much as I do, so why should Christmas be the only holiday with a whole month-long calendar's worth of fun!? Today Seek to be Merry is officially kicking off the 31 days of Halloween, a month-long orange, black, costumed and pumpkin spiced celebration of my most favorite holiday (July 4th is a close second:) Each day, in addition to my regular posting, I will share a seasonal goody with you, everything from decor ideas to recipes and costume inspiration. It will be boo-tiful:) And since today is technically the 3rd day of 31, no tricks, just 3 treats to kick off our month!!! 

Trick or Treat!!

Since your front door plays such an important part in all the Halloween festivities, why not get it dolled up for the occasion!? Last year I suggested THIS mummified version, but if something a bit more monstrous is your preference, here's how to get the look courtesy of Parents.com.

Snap, crackle, boo!!!

A seasonal sweet treat that's beyond easy to make in bulk? Yes please! These pumpkin rice krispie treats (with tootsie roll stems!) via Food, Family and Friends are perfect for Halloween parties of all ages and will be sure to score smiles.

Everything's coming up roses!

How awesomely adorable is this costume?! Ladies, 1 quick trip to your local craft store (and possibly also home depot for the plastic planter) and you're ready to go. All you have to do is cut out the bottom of a large plastic pot, affix two thick straps (I'd use a staple gun and something rubbery and durable like a theraband) and go crazy with the fake flowers and glue gun. Add a floral hairband for an extra ounce of awesome!

A(nother) tribute.

I just drooled on my keyboard.

Friends. The time has come... It's CANDY CORN SEASON!!! As you may recall, I once waxed poetic about the amazingness that is "seasonal candy" (refresh your memory HERE). Well, Friday night when I made a 10pm run to CVS for microwave popcorn and paper towels (it was a wild and crazy night) THIS happened:

Excuse the grey background, CVS
carpeting isn't the sexiest.

The orange aisle called to me and my first impulse purchase of the season was made (the autumn mix was opened and sampled for the duration of my walk home). Then of course there was the pit stop I had to make at Walgreens on my way to work this morning:

I cannot control myself.

Pretty much any time I walk into a convenience store for the next 4 weeks, I will walk out with an orange Brachs product in my hand. And here's why: Candy Corn and Candy Pumpkins are AMAZING. Sugary deliciousness, limited availability, two sizes/consistencies (corn = little nibble of sweetness; pumpkin = big burst of sugar), how can anyone claim that this stuff isn't just the bees knees!?!?! Annnnd unless you have some sort of superhuman stomach lining and a tolerance for sugar which exceeds that of us mere mortals, there's no way you can have more than a handful of these sweet treats at a time. You have a few bites and then stop for fear of a terrible tummy ache. I mean, what other candy has such an effective built in "do not over eat" mechanism!?! Even stand-alone delicious products like M&Ms and Oreos want to get in on the seasonal goodness:

Where!? Where do I find these!?

This "holiday season" be sure to take a moment to stop and taste the sugar... Just don't forget to brush your teeth afterwards! (<--- Spoken like a true daughter/sister of a dentist ha!)