November Madness

Halloween was Friday.

We carved our pumpkins the night before and had a blast.
I also just see that our balcony is really falling apart...it's okay, we will be moving again next year. Until then it better holds us. We went nontraditional and carved a Cinderella pumpkin as well. They aren't perfect, but that's what Halloween is about. It doesn't have to be perfect, it has to be fun. The imperfections make it special and unique. Cannot wait for next year's Halloween. 

Friday night we stayed in, made steaks and salad and enjoyed delicious wine. Also, I might have snuck in a few pumpkin ciders. Oh, and yes, we watched horror movies. It rained most of the time Halloween Night so I felt bad for all the trick-or-treaters that went out. We didn't get any in our area so that was good. Not that I mind, I just don't have the money for all the candy. Speaking of trick-or-treaters, we drove through an area that is pretty popular during Halloween and later on Christmas time. People go out with decorations and all, not to mention the beauty of those houses. It is the fabulous 40s in Sacramento. I found a few houses that were spectacular and I wished it wasn't raining so I could have taken more photos. I still took a couple. Cannot wait to go back and explore Winter Holiday Flair soon.

Saturday and Sunday we pretty much stayed in. Studying was number one, and laundry was on my to-do list as well. Temperatures significantly dropped as well so it was nice to stay in for once and just cuddle up with a big fuzzy blanket, and sipping on hot chocolate. November Madness began. Yes, I just made this up. I mean, can you believe we only have two more months of this year and then welcome a new one? I can't. Time has gone by too quickly and it's just incredible. So, this month will be a little crazy. Not only will I start decorating for the winter holidays, buy Christmas gifts, create a Christmas lift for myself {never done this before, so hints are greatly appreciated}, and will hopefully go to Orange County right after Thanksgiving. Yay. 

So, let this November Madness begin...we are already into day three....yipee!!!

Happy Monday!

xoxo

P.s. I linked up with Monday Morning Gossip hosted by Leeann and Kimberlee, you should, too.

Happy Halloween!

Hope you are having a fabulous day. I love Halloween.

This year I did not decorate as much as I wanted but I am still enjoying this season. Luckily, it is cooler up here and feels more like fall.  Very excited about this. Not sure what we are doing today but I know we will either go out on a date or stay in and watch horror movies and drink pumpkin ciders. No Halloween party, nothing like that. Just a very mellow day and evening.

Happy Halloween!
Have a spooky day!

Fall Adventures

Happy Monday Morning!

How was your weekend? Mine was great!
 

It finally cooled down. It cooled down to a point that allowed us to do stuff outside, still wear short-sleeved shirts and all but fully let us enjoy normal fall temperatures. After all it is October for crying out loud. October should be the month when everything cools down, and I am glad this season finally got the memo. 

Friday afternoon we went to Folsom for the Night of 1000 Pumpkins and it was so much fun. Granted, I believe this is more an event for children but it is still a fun {free} event to go to and see wonderfully carved pumpkins {we definitely got some ideas in for our carving time this week}, fun costumes, hear spooky music and see the kids go wild for candy one week before Halloween. Yes, they do this every year on the Friday before Halloween.

People went really out and carved beautiful pumpkins. I am more a very ordinary girl, carving the simplest of pumpkins {or painting them}, but we saw pumpkins I don't even know how to they did it let alone how long it took them to do all this - very impressive. Also, Country Living named them #3 among the 15 Amazing Halloween Celebrations in America. 

I am so looking forward to carving our pumpkins we found a couple of weeks ago at the pumpkin patch. I don't know what or how we are going to carve ours but I can tell you it is going to be fun regardless of what we come up with. I may just carve a heart and a few scary eyes in mine. :) 

Have a great day and a fantastic early Halloween week.

xoxo

P.s. I am again linking up with Leeann and Kimberlee and their linkup Monday Morning Gossip. Feel free to join the fun and make new friends!

Orange Makes Fall Pleasurable

Fall always makes me more relaxed. It reminds me to slow down and enjoy the little things nature has to offer. I love to drive slower {still driving speed limit though} but not going crazy. If I find a street that says 25 or maybe 30 I am a happy girl. Driving through the neighborhood and looking for decorated houses, colorful leaves and more are my favorite moments ever.

 

As you know I am getting rid of things this month and it has been a good challenge. Orange is not a color I have seen in my closet at all. I own a few reds {need to add one or two items}, a few greens, one yellow shirt, but definitely no orange. Granted, it is not the most flattering color on me. Yet, an earring or a soft orange sweater or shirt that I could combine with my favorite fall color gray would be fantastic. October just screams for this vibrant color, no?!

xoxo

images via 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |

Happy Halloween

{via}

Have a spooktacular day!

xoxo

Monday Morning Gossip - Halloween Edition

I'm halfway done with my semester and it's been a horrible horrible journey. However, each day I try to enjoy life and look at the little things and smile. :) 

This week obviously is making me smile because yes, it is the week of Halloween!!! I just love it. This year we didn't really decorate as much as we did last year and I am not going to dress up either. It is just not that kind of year. However, Wednesday at Zumba I am going to be dressed up just a little and it will be FUN.

So yes my lovelies, my gossip of this week is I am happy that Halloween finally arrived. This means spooky music, scary movies (YES!!), creepy masks and stories...and lots of black and orange and well yes, pumpkins!

{all pictures via}

Are you excited about Halloween?
Or not at all?

Linking up with the fabulous Leeann for her weekly Monday Morning Gossip.
Go on over and say hi.

xoxo

Happy Halloween!!!

Have a spooky Halloween!!!

Can't believe it's here...time goes by too fast.

xoxo

Almost Halloweeeeeeeeen!!

It's that time again...where I can't stop myself from watching horror movies, eat a little more candy than usual and get excited about fall decoration, pumpkins and spooky sounds. :)  I even found a few things to spice up the daily sometimes dreaded cooking...yay me! 

Have a look and let me know what you think?!
Are you excited as much as I am?!

 And now to the yummy part... :)

 

 

I'm ready to make a fun pizza...are you?!

But before...or maybe after I enter a house like the following.

Fingers crossed y'all.
I had a rough Sunday evening!!
Lost one of my most important essays and had to rewrite everything from memory.
Lesson learned.
I know.
But it hurt.
Nothing seemed to work and let me restore nor find the file on my USB drives (plural!!).
Oh well.

Fingers crossed!!!!

Happy Halloween

I am back lovely readers...yes I know I was away for quite some time, and I was not really myself either. I tried so hard to be myself and to live life, but I failed. Miserably. I am appalled at myself. Yes, only at myself. Lots has happened in the past four weeks, and I tried to keep up a normal face, a normal pose, and not show emotions until last week. I let go off everything and anything and it felt good. I had a Selma-cry day. Literally. And figuratively. A few of you know what happened and I want to keep it between us. It's not something I want to yell out loud and share with the world. Not my proudest time of the month, or the week or the year, but I am doing much much better now.

I hope you enjoyed Sierra's guest post on Friday. I loved it. I was so looking forward to fall and Halloween but literally failed to enjoy it. I got sick, and it wasn't the flu. I still am trying to recover. It'll take some time. However, I know I did the right thing and will smile again soon. So I am more than just grateful for a little bloggy help here and there when it's needed. Thank you again, Sierra, for your help.

Her lil' post got me into Halloween mood again...and since today is the official day of one of my favorite holidays...I just had to share some pictures with you all. Ready?!

Have a spooky day!!!
Or not. ;)

Home Decor - Gearing Up for Halloween

Hello! It's just me, an ocean dreamer again. ;) 

While my bestie is catching up on some much deserved sleep from her crazy schedule...

I'm here to entertain you with some fun Halloween photos!

But wait...not just your everyday photos. 

Here are some Hallowen interior design decor photos!

Sorry, I'm in a funny mood because it's 2AM my time, lol.

Leave it to Martha Stewart to impress us...

A very black and dark kitchen, perfect for Halloween!

Country Living! Loving the orange roses!

These plates are SO rad.

SPOOKY!

 This is just the sweetest!

So...have you decorated your homes for Halloween time?

I can't believe it's on Monday already! 

Have a Happy Halloween and send Selma some bloggy love...

She needs some!

xoxo, Ocean Dreams

Happy Fall!

September 15th, literally marks the beginning of fall for me. Normally I'd say it's September 1st, but I changed it to 15th. Mid-September feels closer to October and November. So yes,

HAPPY FALL!

Do I sound excited? I better.

I love this season. I just wished there was real fall weather here in California. Although I have to admit, winter here feels more like fall to me or what fall should be or how I always wanted fall to be. Whatever, I'm sure you get my point. I love the colorful leaves, the cooler breeze, the sweater season!
And of course, duh, Halloween!

What's your favorite thing of fall season?!

For me it's mainly the warm days with a light cooler breeze, and the sun still warming your skin when you sit outside. The fact that you're wearing a sweater and sipping on a warm drink but not start sweating because what you wear and drink works perfectly together is one amazing feeling.

And what I'm looking forward to is Pumpkin Patches!

They don't really exist in Europe, so finally having moved back here I am counting down to go to one. Just one. Please?!

Now the question is...to which one?!

Anyone know "the" best in the Los Angeles area?! I'm leaning towards two.
Just want to know your input if you got one. Thanks in advance.

I am clearly excited!!
And it's only mid-September. What is October going to be like?!

♥ Selma

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeen

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I'm excited, are you?!

Have a fantastic night, and a fantastic Monday!!!

All Saint's Day will be celebrated here by having everything shut, just like on any other regular Sunday.

Yay!
*can you feel my sarcasm?*

xoxo,

♥ Selma ♥

Happy Friday Everyone!

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Although there's this huge debate going on in this area about whether or not Halloween's an appropriate holiday over here, and how the Vatican wants to ban it in Italy and other places...it is a holiday I love and miss and cannot wait to celebrate. Hopefully next year, even more! :) But this year...all I can do, as most years before that, is watch endless hours of horror movies (my favorite time ever!), eat some candy, and wear my socks  ;)

Today is also Fill in the Blank Friday again...hosted by the lovely and adorable Lauren. Play along if you wish.

1.   My Halloween plans this year will include    staying home, wearing my Halloween socks, watching endless hours of horror movie, eating candy and pretty much relaxing. Not exactly super exciting but it's not celebrated here so I don't expect to do much :(

2.  My most memorable Halloween costume was  ten years ago, when I went as my friend. Sounds silly and boring to you, but it's not. My friend had spooky hair and all kinds of crazy stuff going on about her wardrobe and I was her, and she was me (plain and boring!)...walking through SF that day was awesome!!! So yeah, it's not just what I wore that day because it wasn't anything special but the memory makes it special!!! Forever.

3.  For Halloween this year I'm going to be   just me. So technically I'm going to be nothing.

4.  I've always wanted to dress up as    Scarlett O'Hara. Enough said!

5.  Halloween free association!    horror movies, spooky music, pumpkins, apples, candy and colors

6.  The worst thing about Halloween is  that I'm usually not around for it, but I'm determined to change that. :)

7.  The best thing about Halloween is    dressing up on the actual day, and visiting haunted houses before the actual day or on that day (either way it's awesome!)...so sad we don't have them over here.

Hope you're having a fabulous Friday.
Mine started with an incident I don't want to happen ever again. It hurt like crazy. Damn I was mad.
A drawer in the kitchen fell out (don't ask how that could happen) and of course landed on my toes. Just fabulous. I cried, I yelled, I cursed, I laughed...at least I thought it was okay to laugh...nothing is broken though, just bruised and swollen. I can still walk but it hurts. And yes of course it happened before I even got my first sip of coffee. Not a good start into this day. Luckily, it's all better now. Limping, I went out, and returned a few minutes ago...all good...with bags so officially my souvenir shopping is done, too. Now all I have to do is wrap everything up and I'm done. Wow. I hate wrapping though so this may take a while. :(

Happy Friday everyone!!

♥ Selma ♥