Fine, September. Let’s Do This.

I just have to say that I’m currently writing this while sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, drinking iced green tea. It’s really nice. I want to remember that if I look back on this post in the future.

It is currently the 8th of September, which means we are a full week into the beginning of the end of the year.
All the beer distributors have their Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers ready, and, of course, Starbucks has their Pumpkin Spiced Latte and Dunkin’ has their pumpkin-spiced everything. Halloween decorations are available (and even decorating) most stores, and the kids are back in school.

I love Autumn. I do. It’s a more recent development for me, something that’s come with “adulthood”. Since I don’t have a 3 month summer vacation anymore, I can appreciate the fall season in a different way…it’s the same life, but with pretty foliage and mulled (and spiked) cider (another thing I couldn’t enjoy as a kid). But there’s something about this whole summer being nearly over that’s got me in a funk.

Working crazy shifts any given day of the week might be why, but I didn’t really feel summery this year. There were only a handful of dips in the pool, two beach days, maybe one cookout. Every free weekend I had was because of an obligation (a bunch were fun ones, like weddings) that didn’t include lazing around in a bathing suit. I feel like I didn’t get to LIVE my summer. I didn’t go to the hometown auction or drink bottles of summer shandy on the back porch with my friends. I can’t help but feel like one of the greatest times of the year went by and I hardly noticed. There’s also something about August that puts me in a mood. Maybe it’s because I know the clock is ticking on summer fun.

Things have been changing around in my life, and it’s good and weird and a little stressful and a lot exciting.
So I’m going to try and make peace with the summer that has passed in order to make room for the upcoming fall.
Luckily, there are tons of things to look forward to, like…

Cardigans and button down shirts. Booties. Pumpkin coffee and pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pumpkins (I won’t have anything pumpkin for at least another week…sorry guys, it’s too early!). Crisp, clear autumn days. The mind-blowing colors of the leaves. Cuddly movie nights in. Better hair (no humidity). Halloween decorations and maybe a party and maybe a fun costume. Walks in cemeteries and plenty of photo opportunities. Chili and sour cream and cornbread.

I guess I am ready, after all.

Snow/Fall

See what I did there? It’s still Fall, but it snowed in NEPA last night. The roads are fine, but it’s super chilly today, so it’s sticking on the trees and grass. I came home from Brad’s to find our gourds covered in snow, and it was the strangest sight. I had to take some photos of this hybrid of seasons to share on the blog!

 

I have a love-hate relationship with snow, but it’s mostly verging on hate (like, 80%). It’s beautiful when it first falls, but it’s freezing, sloppy, a pain in the butt to drive in, and don’t forget the shoveling (not necessary today, but still) and car defrosting/cleaning (which did happen, especially since I left for work before 5 AM this morning).
Still, it’s beautiful for a little while, so I guess I can appreciate that!

Oh, and obligatory adorable Artie shot.

Fall Feelings

October is, like so many of you out there, probably my favorite month.
Growing up, I always loved summer because it signified freedom. Playing outside all day and night, ice cream trucks, beach vacations, and absolutely NO school. Of course, as you get older, it’s still pretty great. But with work and regular responsibility, it lost that humid haze of happiness it once had for me. And now, Fall has taken over. Sweaters and boots. Hot coffee, tea, chocolate. So many baked goods.
The foliage. If that foliage could last so much longer…

Ultimately, it comes down to my extreme enjoyment of moodier weather. I love gray, rainy days (but of course, I also love crisp, clear Autumn air) because they beg some moody music and supreme relaxation. I’ve created a playlist via Grooveshark of 10 of my favorite songs for this time of year. Very chill and relaxed and ethereal, with a couple of melodic surprises.
Enjoy it with a cup of tea, your pumpkin treat of choice, and the comfiest sweater you own.

Fall To-Do List

This Saturday marks the first day of Autumn 2012! At first, I was a little sad and wary.
This year went by so fast and it was a truly wonderful summer. But then the weather gets a little cooler, the bug bites stop coming, and I remember how much I love the bright, crisp days of fall, the impending change of leaves from green to bright red and hot orange.
This is the season of cardigans and cuddling. This is the season of bright starry nights under blankets.
The season of spiced drinks, crisp apples, and pumpkin patches.
How can I be sad?

I’ve made a little list of things I want to do during this wonderful season.

Pick fresh apples at an orchard.
Go to a pumpkin patch, take a hayride, pick a pumpkin, and actually carve it!
Bake pumpkin spice and apple cider doughnuts.
Mull wine, make Honeycrisp Sangria, and get my fill of Pumpkin and Oktoberfest brews.
Take my cameras out. For real. Fall is such an inspiring time.
Attempt to dress up at least once in celebration of Halloween. (I don’t have an idea as great as last year, though.)
Make a bonfire. It would be perfect for the clear nights and the crisp air.
Have a horror movie marathon.
Expand my recipes for soups, stews, and chilis!

That’s all I can think of for now.
Let’s not even talk about how excited I am to reintroduce tights, boots, and sweaters into my wardrobe.

What are you excited for this fall?

Spice and Everything Nice

Now that it’s September, I suppose I am ready to fully embrace autumn. I absolutely love fall, it’s a fantastic season with glorious weather and traditions galore. But I wasn’t really ready to say goodbye to summer (I guess I’m still not, 100%, and there’s still a bit more left), to late nights on porches, to Leinenkugel Summer Shandy, to cookouts and no need to sweaters or jackets, to sundresses and sandals.
One thing that comes with the beginning of the fall season is PUMPKIN EVERYTHING.

At first, Brad and I were skeptical about drinking/eating anything pumpkin until we got deeper into September. But that quickly changed.
Seriously, do you realize how much pumpkin has popped up? How much more will come in the following weeks?

It starts with pumpkin coffee, which you can find at Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks (I run on Dunkin’.). I had an iced coffee this past weekend and immediately picked up the K-Cups for home. Their pumpkin coffee is to die for.

Then, for us beer lovers, you have all the Oktoberfest and PUMPKIN brews. Maybe beer and pumpkin doesn’t seem appealing, but oh my goodness, you are so wrong. There are many varieties to try, but local NEPA brewery Stegmaier makes a serious contender for the top. It’s inexpensive, which tends to scare people off, but it is yummy, spicy, and the aftertaste is practically pumpkin pie.
With the maltiness of beer, it is such an awesome taste surprise! Don’t miss out on pumpkin beers while you can get your hands on ‘em!

Here’s another Dunkin’ Donuts treat. I picked up a bunch of bagels for my friends and I on Monday and I saw they offered pumpkin cream cheese. There’s no doubt this could easily be made at home (I saw a recipe on Pinterest), but it was an awesome surprise and it was SO DARN GOOD. I wasn’t sure if I’d appreciate it enough to put it on my entire bagel (thus the regular cream cheese on the other half of the bagel), but I’d put this on everything, given the opportunity.

And finally, at the Italian Festival I attended in Scranton on Labor Day, they had a couple different rice pudding stands. I really enjoy rice pudding as it is, but add pumpkin and YUM. YUM. YUM.

I think it’s obvious that pumpkins are kind of the best.

Autumn Arrival

This is it! Fall is officially here. My sister, who loves being festive (see here and here) went ahead and baked some extremely tasty pumpkin spice cupcakes. I knew she would be baking, but once I walked into the kitchen, there were so many photo opportunities.
Pretty much everything she does is adorable with plenty of attention to detail.

Welcome, Fall! It’s time for pumpkin patches and Halloween costume planning and apple cider and cuddling in flannels.
I love this time of year.

Fall Forward

The weather has gotten a little cooler in NEPA, and it seems everyone is thinking about the impending season change. Okay, so Autumn doesn’t start until the end of September, but time is moving faster than I’d like to admit. I actually happen to love fall, but as someone who is always looking even further ahead, it leads to winter…and I don’t like winter very much. Still, the fact is…fall will be here soon enough. I’m not necessarily ready for summer to end…I still have some more swimming and grilling I’d like to do…but there are lots of great things about fall. And I’ve come to the conclusion that October is one of my favorite months.

I’m looking forward to knit sweaters and tights and boots, drinking hot spiced beverages and holding hands, all the beautiful colors of fall foliage, warm days and cool nights, pumpkin patches and hay rides, Halloween costume stores, bright sunny days with chilly breezes, cuddling and staying in bed longer than usual, warm comfort food and plenty of photo opportunities.

Above all photos from last fall…it was a great one.

First Day of Spring

I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather, but I still managed to break out the Rebel with Brad this weekend for a jaunt downtown on the first day of Spring. It was kind of a perfect day. A little chilly, but warm in the sun. Everyone was out walking there dogs, chatting with friends, driving with the windows down, getting Free Rita’s Italian Ice (we did too!). Since Brad’s Canon 7D is still brand new and I haven’t pulled out my Canon in a while, it seemed appropriate to take advantage of the kind weather, blue skies, and sunshine.

I can’t wait for things to actually start blooming around here. It was a great day, but the trees are still mostly brittle branches and I miss the colorful Earth. Walking around downtown Wilkes-Barre had me all college nostalgic. My friends and I most definitely would’ve been sitting outside, walking to get our Rita’s, and enjoying the sunshine together. So much has changed…growing up is weird. But regardless, King’s College is a small but beautiful campus, especially when the cherry blossoms bloom. I’ll be keeping my eye out for them.

Unfortunately, the temperatures have dropped once again and there has been a slight snow shower with another looming for tomorrow. I can’t wait for those shenanigans to be over. This has been a tough winter. I don’t think my body agrees with winter for long, though.
I’m ready for the new season and, hopefully, a new chapter.

Hey Shorty.

March has arrived and, though it has the tendency of being a very finicky month weather-wise, the appearance of sun and blue skies has already left me daydreaming of the warm weather soon to come. Around this time of year (and it’s official now), I get incredibly sick of jeans. I try my best to wear skirts and tights and change it up but it’s very tough in the cold, single digit weather an NEPA winter brings. When it comes down to it, you need to be sensible, right? So it’s time to look ahead and start rotating leggings and skirts and dresses.

Shorts may seem like more of a summer option, but I believe they can be spring-y too. I think a lot of people are undecided about the shorts/tights look. I’ve done it with denim, wool, corduroy and even sequin shorts. Ultimately, it depends on the look you want to convey. But I’m very willing to try all my shorts with tights and over-the-knee socks for the coming season.

I perused the Forever 21 site and found quite a few adorable (and as always, affordable) pairs! It’s safe to say that I’m starting to stray away from the denim shorts. I already have a couple of reliable pairs that have stood the test of time. As my closet grows with skirts and dresses, I tend to gravitate towards them. But when skirts become too short or too dressy, a pair of nice patterned shorts can give the same effect while being comfortable and a bit more modest.

It’s not hard to guess what styles I’m into this round. Fun prints will dress up casual tees and tanks, and I adore the nautical high-waisted look of button plackets. It screams ‘50s pin-up, which is one of many looks I admire and envy.

Spotted Woven Shorts – 14.80
Floral Woven Shorts – 17.80
Herringbone Nautical Short – 17.80
Roses Garden Matelot Shorts – 10.50
Striped Linen-Blend Shorts – 15.80

All shorts and pictures from Forever 21

Winter Funk.

I’m starting to debate whether or not my winter blues is just the winter blues. I’m in an absolute and terrible funk. It’s tough to think about and get out of now, but I’ve been here before…I know I can do it.

Currently missing…
Light jackets. Sunshine. Driving with the windows down. Bare legs. The first warm days of Spring. Cherry blossoms. Dinner on the deck. Grilled food. Wandering around with my camera. Days at the lake. Floating in the pool. Sun kissed shoulders. Corona and lime. Late nights. Vacation. Sleepy post-swim body. Sunglasses. Green grass. Corn on the cob. Painted toes. Skirts and dresses without freezing. Strappy sandals. Tan lines. Fresh air. Cutting my jeans into shorts.

SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a serious issue, but I believe we all get a bit funky and (our own versions of ) depressed during the winter season. It’s come to my realization, as I get progressively antsy and sad and lethargic and miserable without reason. The short days, freezing cold temps (with wind!), snow, sleet, and freezing rain are definitely getting to me. So what do you do? I pulled out a couple of my dance DVDs tonight and working out definitely helped. But mostly, I’ve been enjoying reminiscing on the warmer, sunnier, happier times. They’ll be here soon enough…right?

Just some pictures from spring 2010. Can’t wait for it to come around again. What a wonderful time…

Winter Sounds…

My musical tastes remain the same…but often times, I have certain genres for the changing seasons. This summer was all about sunny stoner rock (Hello, Best Coast) and chillwave (I still love you, Toro y Moi!!). But, as the nights grow longer and colder, I settle into the mellow and acoustic…the sorrowful and soulful. Bon Iver easily fits into that category.

I prefer the album version of this song, but this is a lovely little performance. Justin Vernon’s voice is very interesting. Perhaps an acquired taste. But it fits the music, and mood, so very well.

December

Another month has begun. The last month in 2010 to be exact! How crazy…the year is coming to a close. What an interesting one it has been…but we can get into that later.

{Ok, so I didn’t take this picture in December…but it’s going to happen soon anyways…}

What a bitter sweet month as well, what with holidays and the impending season change…

Cons:

• Cold and wintery weather
• Scraping the car windows off in the morning
• Crowded malls and long lines
• Holiday stress and pressure
• Less daylight
• All the Scrooges and Grinches out there
• My school loans finally hit

Pros:

• Christmas time is here!!!
• Holiday music and decorations
• Hot chocolate
• Finding the perfect presents for the people I love
• Elf, A Christmas Story, Charlie Brown Christmas, and every other classic
• Rosy cheeks and cold noses are cute
• It’s freezing, so there’s no need to explain staying under the covers and watching 30 Rock on Netflix all day and night
• I have the best, comfiest, warmest long black puffy coat (that I bought under 30 bucks last year at Target)
• Parties, family, friends, love, joy, thankfulness, peace, happiness

November

Wow. So, it’s November. Month 11. 2010 is coming to a close. Time has flown. And the crisp and comfortable weather has seemed to fly away with it. I am thankful to experience 4 seasons. To know what snow looks and tastes and feels like. But oh my goodness, do I ever hate winter. When it comes down to it, it’s my least favorite season. I’ll smile at the first snowfall, and enjoy hot cocoa and Christmas lights when the time comes. But the short, mostly gray days and brittle icy tree branches…they always leave me glum.

Ultimately, the problem is that I am always cold. And I hate being cold. I have tons of clothes in my closet, but none of them are warm enough. I need to invest in some fantastically comfy and cute sweaters…cue H&M. I’ve fallen in love with quite a few of theirs. Too bad the closest store is about 2 hours away…