According to Alyssa

          Friday night was spent at a haunted maze with Eric's mom, stepdad, and sister. Though I am normally against all things scary, I bit the bullet and made the trip. (It seemed like a good chance to squeeze his hand haha) IT WAS FREEZING! And not at all scary if I'm being honest. But, the five of us had some laughs and an overall good time!

          Saturday marked our eight month anniversary, and while that may not seem like a big deal to most people, being with Eric for eight months means being in the longest relationship of my life. And so, we celebrated by going to a pumpkin patch! Choosing the right pumpkin is one of my favorite parts of the Halloween season, so after a bumpy hayride and an attempt to get through a corn maze in one straight shot (we failed and got lost), we made it to the pumpkin patch!  Eric decided to put some of the less fortunate looking pumpkins out of their misery by putting the toe of his boot through them! (Naughty!) But we found a pumpkin that fit both of our tastes and headed toward the register...once we got there though, the line was so long that we decided against paying...yes, we stole our pumpkin. (Naughtier!) Ah well! Now we just have to decide what to carve! More of that to come.

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Everyone knows that New Zealand girl with the wildly curly hair and the purple lipstick, but did you know that she’s only 17?  Or that she is curating an entire motion picture soundtrack?!  

In September of 2013, Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, better known as Lorde, released her first studio album, Pure Heroine, which quickly rose on the Billboard 200 and ultimately peaked at number three.  The album produced five singles, four of which landed on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Royals” easily securing the number one spot and becoming instantly recognizable to anyone with a radio.  

Now, just over a year later, Lorde is preparing to make another huge release, this time in the form of a soundtrack.  After her incredibly successful album and a track on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack, (she covered Tears For Fears’ classic song, “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”), the young singer/songwriter was chosen to display her talents in a new way, as curator of the soundtrack for the upcoming blockbuster, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.  This position has allowed her the opportunity to choose artists’ talents to showcase on the album, as well as to write her own, film specific pieces.

Being a strong female figure that spends a lot of time in the public eye, Lorde can be made comparable to the series’ main character, Katniss Everdeen, and that (combined with her incredible talent) makes her an obvious choice for this role.  Although, I’m sure it doesn’t hurt that she is also a huge fan of the books!

The first of the original tracks was released on September 29th and is titled “Yellow Flicker Beat”.   Lorde took to her Tumblr around the same time of the release to thank her fans for the past year of her life and introduced the track by stating, “It’s my first offering from what I hope will be a soundtrack you love. It’s my attempt at getting inside her head, Katniss’. I hope you like it.”  And with lyrics such as “People talk to me, and all their faces blur, but I got my fingers laced together and I made a little prison.  And I’m locking up everyone that ever laid a finger on me.
I’m going in”, it is easy for fans of the series to see that her “attempt” was successful.

While the soundtrack doesn’t release until November, just a few weeks after her 18th birthday, Lorde is suspected to announce which artists will be featured on the album very soon.  Check out the track for yourself and be sure to let me know your thoughts!

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When Autumn first arrives, most people are excited to pull out their sweaters and knee-high boots.  (Admittedly, I enjoy this part of the season too.)  However, what I look forward to most is converting my home from bright and cool to warm and cozy.  I find that this is pretty simple to achieve with just a few, small, changes.  

Candles

In my opinion, if it doesn’t smell like fall, it doesn’t feel like fall.  So, one of the first things I do at the beginning of the season is light some candles.  The most festive ones I can find!  Put away the summer scents and try something new.  My personal favorite is Yankee Candle’s Harvest.  But you can find all kinds of fall scents, (Yes…even pumpkin spice!)

Not fond of candles?  Try some non-flame wallflowers from Bath and Body Works!

Throw Blankets

Fall is all about feel warm and wrapped up.  So, of course, blankets are a necessity.  Draping a soft, neutral colored blanket over a chair can also make a room look more inviting.  I’d recommend trying out Brookstone’s Nap blankets.  They’re incredibly soft and are perfect for those nights when you just want to curl up with a nice chai tea and re-watch your favorite show on Netflix.  Gossip Girl anybody?!

Bookstacks

This is something I came across recently on one of my late Tumblr-scrolling nights.  And I’ve already incorporated into my bedroom!  Books alone can be aesthetically pleasing and when you incorporate your favorites, can make a house feel more like a home.  But books with covers of corresponding colors can make for a beautiful decoration as well!  Just simply stack a few classics (vertically or horizontally works!) and place them on a desk or, if you’ve chosen some that you don’t often read, you can use them as an end table!

If you can’t seem to work out a good combination, HucksterHaven on Etsy sells pre-combined sets!

Flowers

The nice thing about floral arrangements is that they are something that can be used to decorate in any season.  For the fall, I’d suggest sticking to flowers in various tones of orange, red, and yellow.  I prefer to have fresh flowers, but silk ones can look just as beautiful and last forever!  Check out SilksbySally on Etsy for some absolutely gorgeous ones!

Be sure to comment which ideas you’ve tried and what else you do to prepare your home for fall!

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          Oh, and did I mention that I met Regina Geor- erm..Rachel McAdams a few weeks ago?  She is THE SWEETEST human being on the planet and complimented me on the book I was reading. (Too cool!)

          What are your favorite Halloween movies?!  Did I miss any?  Let me know if you've posted anything similar so I can check out your faves as well!

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