Southern Living October 2021

THE FIRST TIME we went to visit the witches, it did not go well. A few weeks before Halloween, we had gotten an orange flyer in our mailbox inviting trick-or-treaters to come to a neighbors’ house for “witches’ brew and fried animals.” Our kids were young enough that Halloween was akin to the Super Bowl, so they were excited about any opportunity to get more mileage out of their costumes—and, of course, more candy. My son, Austin, was an international spy with sunglasses and a bowler hat, and my daughter, Phoebe, was a Dalmatian with a polka-dot suit and floppy ears. They’d heard from some friends that the experience was a bit scary, but that was the whole point. The entrance to the witches’ domain (two doors down from us) was…

WHAT WE’RE LOVING, SHARING, AND CELEBRATING Nashville stylist Katie Jacobs is an entertaining expert, but there’s one planning faux pas she makes every year. “I always buy my pumpkins far too early,” she says with a laugh. “I get them for my front porch at the end of August, and my husband says, ‘They’re going to rot!’” Here, the party pro shares three designs for pretty pumpkins that will last all season long—even if you get a premature start on fall decorating. Blue-and-White Beauties Ginger jar-inspired gourds set the tone for a refined tablescape that won’t expire at Halloween. “If you’re going to take the time to hand paint them, use craft pumpkins instead of real ones,” says Jacobs. “That way, you can put them on your table every year.” Sources: Glasses, flatware, chargers,…

Pumpkin Spice Candied Pecans Preheat oven to 250°F. Whisk 1 large egg white in a large bowl until foamy. Whisk in ½ cup packed light brown sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and ¾ tsp. pumpkin pie spice. Stir 6 cups (about 21 oz.) pecan halves into brown sugar mixture until thoroughly coated. Place pecans in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until pecans have browned and coating has set and started to harden, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven; cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days. ACTIVE 10 MIN. TOTAL 55 MIN., PLUS 30 MIN. COOLING MAKES 6 CUPS RECIPE: PAM LOLLEY; FOOD STYLING:…

ROBBIE CAPONETTO; STYLING: MARY BETH WETZEL; CLINIQUE LIPSTICK AND HAIR BIOLOGY SERUM: COURTESY VENDORS…

FOR BORN-AND-BRED Californian Patrick Hayes, the love-at-first-sight moment when he moved to the South started with the architecture. “Coming from Orange County, where everything was pretty new, I was fascinated by the beautiful hundred-year-old Craftsman-style homes I’d find around Nashville,” he recalls. But Hayes’ awe quickly turned to disenchantment after learning a hard truth. With Nashville in a real estate boom, developers were plucking up the architectural gems with one intent: to build anew. “It was eye-opening to think that these homes that were built with such integrity didn’t seem to matter anymore,” he says. As a recent college grad looking for his next move, Hayes knew saving the homes wasn’t an option—so instead, he did the next best thing. He salvaged what he could from the soon-to-be-leveled structures and brought…

The Right Fit Cherry Blossom Intimates offers a new kind of shopping experience for breast cancer survivors “AM I IN THE RIGHT PLACE?” It’s a question Jasmine Jones says she often hears at her Glenarden, Maryland, shop. With its hot pink moss wall, mocktail offerings, and luxe fitting rooms, Cherry Blossom Intimates feels like a high-end lingerie store, which it is. But it’s also a fully accredited medical facility that offers customizable and insurance-billable breast prostheses and post-mastectomy bras for those who have had breast cancer. “My grandmother had gained her survivorship and was in remission, but every time she needed a new bra, she was reminded that she’d had cancer,” says Jones of the woman who inspired her to open the store. “She shopped for these bras behind aisles with bedpans,…