1. Soul Strolls: I can’t remember where I read about this, but the Congressional Cemetery in Northeast DC holds these spooky AND informational tours over two weekends in October. This kind of thing is right up my alley, so I got VIP tickets for my husband and I. The tickets included a one-hour tour plus three drink tickets to the speakeasy set up in the cemetery’s Public Vault. We went last Friday and the weather happened to be absolutely perfect, with just the teeniest hint of crispness on a rather warm night. A tour guide brought us to several different graves, where costumed actors portraying cemetery residents told us their stories. I especially enjoyed the actor pictured below who embodied Mary Hall, a successful madam who opened her brothel a few blocks from the Capitol building (smart). I also loved the stories of Adelaide Johnson, a sculptor and feminist ahead of her time. Getting to step inside a vault to order cocktails after the tour was pretty awesome, too.

2. Oogie Boogie Man Marshmallow Pop: When I spotted this guy in the Halloween candy aisle at Walgreens I had to have him (and eat him). I’m just going full steam ahead with all things Halloween this year, so why the hell not?

3. Halloween Yard Decorations: I was very impressed with this display that I spotted while walking around Capitol Hill. How on earth they managed to get that caterpumpkin to not fall over, I will never know. It’s not uncommon to see a barfing jack-o-lantern around Halloween, but one actually barfing into a toilet? Bravo.

4. Baked Mac and Cheese with Tomatoes: my husband’s birthday was this week and he’s been sick with a cold so he didn’t feel up to going out to celebrate just yet. Instead, I made us this yummy, decadent mac and cheese (recipe from The Country Contessa) that tasted just like a mashup of grilled cheese and tomato soup! Bonus points for it being orange…so it fits in with the #Halloweenvibes as of late.

5. RIP Haunted Cookie House: a few nights ago I was getting ready for bed when one side of the roof fell off of our cookie house. The other side of the roof came tumbling down the next morning…the poor thing looks like it was hit by a hurricane. I guess if we wanted our house to last through Halloween we shouldn’t have built it on October 1, but at least now we know for next time. We got a good three weeks out of it and it was fun while it lasted!