Pumpkin Picking

I've written about how much I love this season more than a handful of times, and today was one of those days that got me extra excited about all things Fall. I seriously CANNOT get enough of this time of the year; from the delicious food (apple cider and Autumn-inspired pies) to the weather (crisp, clear, and occasionally stormy), it's all so inspiring and so amazing. Every year I just feel so renewed and re-energized, and I'm filled with so many fresh ideas and hopes for the future. This year it's even more exciting because this year's feeling of renewal couldn't be more fitting as I become a mother in the next month. Change is definitely in the air.

Growing up we would go to the same pumpkin patch every year. We'd go on a "spooky" hayride out to the field, choose the roundest, most orange pumpkin we could find, and enjoy fresh cinnamon sugar donuts and hot apple cider. It's a family tradition that is still fresh in my mind, and that wonderful pumpkin patch holds some of my best and earliest memories. This year, my parents, sister and her fiance came up and joined Hank and me on a trip to our local pumpkin farm. It was a wonderful day. We found some great pumpkins and enjoyed the Autumn day. Hank and I kept getting so excited about that fact that next year we'll have an almost-one year old little guy with us to enjoy all of the sights and sounds. It was incredibly fun to imagine bringing Henry there, and we really can't wait.

My family just left to go back down to the valley and I'm pretty sad. It's so lovely to have them up here for any period of time, and whenever they go home, or we're visiting and we go home, it's a bit of a bummer. Luckily we're only two hours away, but it's still hard. I'm just trying to focus on the fun times we did have while they visited rather than be depressed that they're not here. It's hard though...

BUT, it was such a fantastic day and we took a few photos I thought I'd share. Tomorrow Hank and I will be carving our pumpkin and I'm especially excited for some baked pumpkin seeds. So good.


this morning- 9 months pregnant! Feeling good but getting anxious to meet our son!


the sign on the way into the farm...comforting ;)




He's seriously so handsome it kills me.


Lauren


feeling as big as a house but I guess that's expected right?




I love this one!




picking out the perfect pumpkin


"not by the stem!"


Lauren and Abe


Mom and Dad


a pumpkin among pumpkins!


Hank and Mom


hayride


the lake at the farm


and finally, our pretty pumpkin!

Music Monday

I love Mondays and I love music. And fall, too. How about we combine all of it into one wonderful post? So, happy Music Monday, fall edition #2. I hope you have a great week, and enjoy a song or two off of this little mish-mash of happy songs that seem to put me into the Autumn spirit. Which song is your favorite?

October is finally here!

Thank you all SO much for all the kind words about our big move! It's hard for me on blogger, I wish so badly I could hit reply on each comment and talk to each person separately, kind of like on livejournal. Wouldn't that be great? Because I can't do that, I always worry that you all don't know that I read and cherish every single comment that I receive. So you know: I do! I love receiving your input, and I appreciate all of your sweetness and support so very much. I've been incredibly busy lately, so I haven't had the most time to blog the past few days, but now that we are settled I am back to my normal routine and I couldn't be happier! Blogging is such an outlet for me, and without it I do feel a little lost, as weird as that may sound. And speaking of blogging, be sure to check out my "Blog Love" page located on my upper right hand sidebar, or click here! I frequently get asked about my favorite blogs, so if you'd like to see the ones I read on a daily basis, check out that link!

So if you're a regular follower, you'd know that my life has been quite busy, and so full of change. I really need to make a belly photo post soon to show you all just how BIG I've gotten, so hopefully this weekend I will be able to do just that. And speaking of this weekend, my baby shower is on Saturday! I can't wait. So many of my girlfriends are coming in from all sorts of different places and I'm so excited to see all of them. It's bizarre because it really does feel like my bridal shower was just yesterday, when in reality it was almost three years ago! And now, I'm planning my sister's bridal shower. How did that happen? Every once and a while I am shocked into the realization that time has in fact gone by, and that it's gone by so quickly. As always it's a reminder to just stop and take it all in. As Henry's arrival gets closer and closer, I am thinking about this all of the time. I know it's going to be an interesting transition- going from working as a teacher to becoming a full time mama and homemaker...and it's going to be hard! However, I feel like those late nights and sleepless times, rough patches and whatever else comes- that's LIFE! And all of those times will only be here for a short time, so my goal is to really be in the moment and live each of these things as they happen, without hoping and wishing for the next "thing" to come along so quickly. We only get one go-round at having our first child, so I want it all, the good, the bad, the hard and the easy. I'm ready for it, and really excited too.

I posted a few quick photos of the moving process the other day and briefly mentioned that my Dad and Hank had put together some of Henry's baby furniture. So far the crib and his changing table is done and in his room. We still have a long way to go, including painting, but I find myself wandering in there now and again, just thinking about him and what this whole adventure is going to be like. It's truly surreal. I thought it was crazy when I was 12, 16, 24 weeks. But now that we are about a month and a half away it's just mind blowing that we have such little time before he is born.

Outside of baby talk, everything else is moving along well. Work this year has been wonderful. These are the best group of kids I've ever had, and not a day goes by that I don't count myself as lucky for having such wonderful students during this eventful time. They're so supportive and cute, and make my day everyday. Besides being beyond exhausted almost every moment, I've been enjoying my time in the classroom. My last day is coming up quickly and I have about twenty-something more days to go!

I'm also currently really, really excited about Fall. To get into the spirit, Hank and I are going to be starting a Halloween movie marathon pretty soon here via Netflix. Some of our top picks:

• Hocus Pocus (best movie EVER)
• The Birds
• Psycho
• The Addams Family
• Misery
• The Lost Boys
• The Shining
• Edward Scissorhands
  

There's seriously nothing I love more than snuggling up on the couch with a bowl of buttery, salty popcorn and enjoying a semi-scary movie. Note that I said SEMI because I'm a huge baby and can't handle the gory modern movies they have out these days. I'm more of a fan of the older stuff, especially Alfred Hitchcock and classic horror films, and then of course the more child-like ones too. Do you have any favorite Halloween time/creepy movies? I'd love to hear some suggestions to add to our list, so comment away if you have any!

So, today is Friday and the first day of my favorite month, October! It's a half day for me, and I can't wait to decorate a bit for Halloween when I get home from work. I'm also looking forward to getting the house a little more put together in preparation for friends coming into town. We have a LONG way to go as far as decorating, but it's coming along slowly but surely.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Friday!
xoxo

I'll leave you with a creepy Zombie photo of me from last season! Nerd alert. ;)



oh and ps, if you guys wouldn't mind clicking on this little banner that would be awesome! I kind of forgot about this wonderful site. Oops! :)

Steve's Sleeve of Leaves Ushers in the Fall Season

Earlier this month, I met Steve on the D train, as we headed home to Brooklyn.

He had a veritable panorama of fall foliage on his left arm and he happily shared his autumnal tattoos with us here at Tattoosday.

It only seemed fitting that, as summer has ended, we celebrate the new season with some fall colors.

Behold, Steve's sleeve o' leaves:

The eleven maple leaves on Steve's arm were all inked free hand by Mark Harada at Manhattan's East Side Ink over four sittings.

Steve acknowledges that the leaves changing colors represent a change, and these colorful symbols remind him that change is good.

Happy Autumn to all! And thanks to Steve for sharing his fallen maple leaves with us here on Tattoosday!

Autumn thoughts and inspiration

Today is a little bit like Saturday, because I have off Monday...so the weekend is extra long and extra wonderful! Yesterday was a good day. Hank and I went out and did something we've been talking about for years...we bought a new bed! I can't even explain how happy I am to have graduated from our full sized bed to a king-sized, monster-sized, HUGE bed! We've been sleeping on the same mattress I've had since college, mainly because we've always rented and lived in smaller, historic houses and didn't care too much about it. But now since the bedroom in the new house is really large so we can finally make the upgrade! It's way overdue and much-needed. And happily, now this bed can go into one of our guest rooms to accommodate our friends and family when they come and visit. The new mattress set gets delivered on Monday, and I'm not even sure if it will fit in our current place (we won't move for a few more weeks), so we may end up having to sleep in the living room on the huge bed for the time being. That will be super awkward if anyone happens to stop by (imagine a UPS delivery coming to the door and seeing a huge bed in our living room behind me as I sign for a package- very Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, minus the four old people!), but I know we can make it work!

I have been feeling so inspired by fall lately. I'm not sure what it is, but as soon as September hits there's this feeling in the air that starts to seep into everything around me. It makes me feel happier, definitely more excited, and gives me the urge to really have a fresh outlook on life. I'm not sure if it stems from the ingrained idea of fall equaling a new school year, or the end of the summer and the start of that new year, but it definitely exudes that fresh and new feeling. I want to become more organized, update my wardrobe, and be more positive. Maybe it's the feeling people when springtime hits, but I get it right around this time of the year.

Some of my most favorite memories come from the fall. My family and I would always go apple picking at a local orchard, and end our early morning eating fluffy, freshly made cinnamon doughnuts from the farm's bakery, washing it down with the most delicious, crisp hot apple cider you'll ever taste. We'd tote our apples home, and my mom would make all sorts of delicious treats, namely apple pie, and the smell of autumn would fill every corner of our East Coast home. We'd also always take a trip to the pumpkin farm, taking a tractor ride through the brown and gold hills, sitting on bales of hay while we oohed and ahhed over the beautiful countryside. We'd weave in and out of the rows, finding the very best, roundest pumpkin to take home and carve. Once home we'd scoop out the juicy insides of our pick, and then my parents would roast the seeds in the oven so we could snack on them as we carved and designed our Halloween decorations. We'd construct scarecrows to put in the front yard, make huge leaf piles to jump in, and stretch decorative cobwebs over every inch of our living room windows. Everything about this time of the year takes me back to being a child, and it's funny that I still get those same feelings I did when I was so young.

Hank and I are lucky enough to live in a place that experiences all four seasons in a beautiful way. The leaves up here in the mountains turn vibrant colors, the chill in the air makes your cheeks rosy, and you can smell all of the delicious seasonal goodies baking as you walk past the many local coffee shops downtown. Fall is my favorite times of the year here, and I love having our friends come up and visit for the weekend so we can enjoy the scenery and weather together. I'm also more than excited for Henry to experience all of these exciting sensations, and make so many memories for him over the years! I get so happy just thinking about pushing my one-year old son in his stroller next fall, all around the square and through our beautiful town.








Plus, fall clothing is the best. This year it's a little different for me because I'll be pregnant all the way through November so I'm missing my favorite time of the year to shop, and also my favorite time to wear new clothing! If I was to do some fall shopping (and I'm sure I still will to tide me through the holidays once I get back to my normal size), I would be looking for a few particular things for this year, including a lot of chunky knits, layering pieces, short corduroy/wool/plaid skirts, thick tights/knee socks for layering, jewel toned flats, lots of mustard yellow, red-orange, and gray, great fresh prints, and sturdy boots. I've found inspiration in a lot of different shops online, so I've put together some of my favorite looks and items from some of my favorite stores, from all price ranges, to share with all of you! These are definitely all images of "fall inspiration" to me, and I hope you find something that makes you feel happy among these lovely images!

J. Crew


Orla Kiely (my favorite designer in the whole world)




Forever 21

Modcloth

Anthropologie


Wherever you live, I hope you get to experience a bit of fall in your neck of the woods! One of my sister and my goals is to take a family trip to Salem, Massachusetts during Halloween. I'm more than a little obsessed with history, and one of the most interesting periods in time to me is the Salem Witch Trials. The Crucible is one of my favorite plays in the whole world. We've all been to Salem together already, but last time we were there Lauren and I promised each other we would go back during the fall one year to really enjoy it. Trust me, there's NOTHING like a New England Autumn.

I hope all of you have the most perfect Sunday, and continue that happiness over the rest of the long weekend!

Happy Autumn!

Tuesday!

Today's highlights:
-waking up to yet another lovey dovey and super long email from my darling.
-spending the afternoon with dear friend and "big sis" Rhonda and getting my hair colored and trimmed!
-Taco Bell for dinner (soo not my usual, but it was delicious and a rare treat!)
-coming home to Madeline just about freaking out from being so excited...nothing is better than the unconditional love she gives Hank and me.
-photo updates from Hank on tour. Especially the pictures from Babycakes and Red Bamboo! So jealous!
-realizing that he gets home in ten days, very awesome.
-thinking about Amber's visit which is coming up very soon! So excited for all of our usual escapades to ensue, long walks downtown, and girltalk...


not the best pics, but I wanted to show you my new hair! It's not a huge change but my bangs are a little shorter :)

Happy October!

some of the Happy October cupcakes I baked for school tomorrow :), originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

In celebration of October I baked fall-themed cupcakes for one of my classes tomorrow. I am just so excited about the season finally being here. This weekend Hank and I have big autumn plans- pumpkin patch, tons of apple cider, hay rides, and then carving our chosen pumpkin and roasted the seeds. I am so excited! Growing up my parents always took up to pick out pumpkins and some of my fondest memories involve Halloween and all of the fun activities. I can't wait to have little ones of our own to make memories with, but for now Hank and my little family of two can start on that.

Speaking of little ones, last night I had this insane dream that I gave birth (15 minutes of labor haha) and a baby just slid right out...it could already talk and was so beautiful. It looked at Hank and me and said "Hello," and I know that sounds creepy but it really wasn't. My sister and mom were there and the baby looked over at Lauren and started smiling and laughing. It was the cutest little thing and I woke up with this insane feeling of peacefulness and happiness. So who knows what that means...

Yesterday I blogged that I was really feeling bad yesterday but I have to say that today was so amazing. It was a wonderfully positive day at work, and I was reminded yet again of how much my day depends on my attitude. Once work ended I enjoyed a hard trek around town for a little over an hour with Robyn, and when I got home I was feeling even better. I've been stepping up my workouts a lot lately and I am definitely in a really inspired place right now, in terms of fitness. Well really all things, but especially fitness I suppose.

Tomorrow is Friday, which I am very happy about. I am looking forward to a weekend of relaxation. My family was thinking of coming up, and other than a birthday party Saturday, Hank and I have no plans outside of our "Autumn enjoyment" stuff. I can't wait.

I hope all of you have a truly fabulous Friday!

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!, originally uploaded by daniellehampton.

I haven't blogged in a couple of days, so before I head out for the evening I thought I'd do a little update. I'll warn you in advance though, nothing special happened this week so this entry will more than likely be boring! But still, this week has been a good one, although very exhausting. Wednesday night we had a little dinner party at La Bruzza's for Hank's step dad's birthday, It was really, really delicious and I enjoyed every bite of my lemon caper pasta. Yesterday I had a million and one things to grade and get done by today, so I stayed home and got everything done. When Hank got home from practice we worked out and I went to sleep way too late. And today...today was an excellent day at work, my kiddos were all so sweet and the day flew by. Now I'm just relaxing, contemplating going to eat some Thaifoon for dinner or just making a veggie burger and calling it good. Hour of the Wolf has a show tonight, so I'll be down the street at the skate shop for awhile too.

This week has gotten me very, very excited for Fall, because it's been in the 60s at night so I feel like my favorite season is getting closer! I always feel so ALIVE during this time. Autumn is my most favorite time of the year- the clothes, the beautiful scenery, Halloween and Thanksgiving...I love it all. I feel very fortunate that I live in such a wonderful seasonal place and I get to experience all of the leaves changing, holiday fun, etc. Gosh I can't even express how excited I am! I am also hopefully going to be in NYC this fall and strolling around Central Park with all the orange and brown and gold just makes me beyond excited.

And speaking of Autumn, of my best friend Autumn, she'll be in Phoenix in a couple of weeks...house hunting! I couldn't be more excited that the Loops are moving back to Arizona. Hank and I have made it out there quite a bit, and they've come out to Prescott too, but Long Beach to AZ is too far. North Scottsdale is a lot better. So I took off that Friday so we can have a great pool day at the JW Marriott and then I'll be searching for houses with them all weekend. I'm so excited!

So, that's it for now. I'll probably take the D60 with me to the show tonight and snap some photos. It will be an early night, because I'm going estate-saling with my mother and sister-in-law early in the morning. Then it's date night, and we will hopefully be seeing District 9. Stoked. Happy Friday everyone!