FIRST HALLOWEEN DILEMMA

What to be? What to be?

Toothless the Dragon?

Or a cuddly little panda bear?

Many thanks to Lexi's wonderful friend Stephanie, of Angry Baby: Badass Baby Wear, for giving us so many great options!
  

WELCOME TO HAVANA

Hubby and I just got back from our latest adventure -- a trip to Havana! Hotel Havana, that is, in San Antonio, Texas. And, from what I've heard about hotel prices in Havana, Cuba, from a friend who just booked a trip there, I'd say we got quite the bargain!

That's Hotel Havana, peeking through the trees.

It's located on one of the more secluded bends of the river walk, near the Tobin Center for Performing Arts and Southwest School of Art, and, after seeing the amazing classes SSA has open to the public, I'm wondering if Hotel Havana might offer me a deal on an extended stay!

We like to stay in places with character and history, which is why we tend to choose small boutique hotels over homogeneous chains. This one was just oozing with personality!

The resident ghost, leading us up the stairs?

Yes, there is an elevator.

We splurged and booked one of their suites, still less than $200, which is always nice when one of you is an early riser and the other is not.

Favorite thing about the room? The vintage fridge they use for a mini bar!

On the down side, there were no shutters or shades on the windows between the bedroom and sitting area, which meant no flipping on the lights in the wee hours of the morn.  Also, the food was a bit disappointing.  Loved the atmosphere in Ocho...

where the weather was perfect for dining with the "garage doors" up, overlooking the river. And you gotta love this fun little patio, which leads to the atmospheric basement bar, and where they were showing films on the wall...

but breakfast cost fifty bucks for the two of us, and was just so-so. The biggest disappointment, however, was the churros -- the ones with cajeta and mocha café con leche dipping sauces that I've been dreaming about for almost a year now, and which were the main reason we wanted to check out this hotel. This time they served them with a blob of whipped cream and some lemon curd to dip them in. Lemon Curd! Not only that, although they were hot and crispy on the outside, they were kinda cold and doughy on the inside. I was crushed, I tell you. Crushed. Gotta wonder if they changed chefs or something.

Still, I'd come back to this hotel in a heartbeat. Just wouldn't plan on eating much there.

JUST A TOUCH

When we first bought this place in the Hill Country, sold our last house in the 'burbs, and rented a townhouse to work from in Houston until we were both ready to retire, I got rid of a ton of holiday decorations. I was no longer that person who thought you needed a tree in every room and a wreath on every door, for every season! I ended up quitting my job a couple of years before Hubby, and moved up here full time to start turning this weekend place into a full-time home. In the process, I went through even more of a metamorphosis, and even more detritus got carried away. When we finally merged those two houses into this one -- one of the most difficult tasks we've ever undertaken -- most all of the remaining decorations went by the wayside. Just about the only things left are the tiny bits that can be tucked below in the cabinet where I display them, such as this...

and this...

No more hauling crates full of stuff down from the attic for every season!  Well, except for these guys, which we discovered in the mystery space above the garage when we hauled the cradle down for Little Goober.

I was planning to haul that whole crate of stuff off to the thrift store when it got closer to Halloween, but then Little Goober actually arrived, and I decided I'd better give that crate one more looksee before I dropped it off and, well, these two pieces decided they really needed to stay here with him.

Can you guess what my very favorite piece of fall decor in my whole house is? One I love so much it stays out year-round?

Bakelite! Still making my heart go pitter-patter, every time I walk through that kitchen.

And now we're off for a belated celebration (5 months belated) of our 41st anniversary. Hotel Havana, here we come!