Currently: there is Pumpkin EVERYWHERE.

1.My pumpkin carving product this year. A wise owl.

2.Fresh Market has Pumpkin Salsa. Solid purchase.

3.World Market's 'Pie Contest Kit' would be fun for a pumpkin pie party!

4.Pumpkin seeds + olive oil + salt = delightful snack.

5. & 6.Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Cookies. Recipe [here].

Warning: you will want to eat three and then three more.

In case it wasn't obvious, I love pumpkin. We have a wonderful relationship. Sure, it's only for two months out of the year but it's a great two months. The best, actually.

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Pumpkin Pickin'

A few pictures from an afternoon trip to Tate Farms.

There was a hay ride, a petting zoo and pumpkins.

Lots and lots of pumpkins. I was in love.

When in Rome!

Hi friends! I hope your weekend was full of fabulous fall finds and fantastic friends. Or at the very least you enjoyed the beautiful weather that seemed to be radiating throughout most of the south this weekend. I want you to know this was a great weekend for me. Two of my dear friends attend(ed) school at Berry College in Rome, Georgia and have told me a lot about the beautiful campus. This weekend I got a chance to visit. I met two of my very best friends there for Mountain Day and Marthapalooza. Yes, it was as fun as it sounds. Their description of the campus was not exaggerated one single bit. There was so much to love about this place. There were outdoor fireplaces, beautiful barns, a multitude of chapels and a place called Normandy. The classroom buildings resembled something from the national mall and there was a waterfall next to the food court. Amidst all these things though, there was something special about this pristine 26,000 acre campus that made you forget about all the activity and excitement. There was a certain peace that made you want to draw near to stillness and breathe a little deeper. It was quite lovely.

On Saturday afternoon while our tour guide was taking a nap, we decided to explore a bit. We stumbled upon cows. Lots of cows. Grazing cows. Pooping cows. Cows that pooped while they grazed. It was really something. Ok, ok, moo-ving on from the cows. We also came across some leaves changing color, a hot cup of apple cider, and two small children resembling Dora and Diego playing in the fountain against their father's wishes. He said to us as he walked by "never have children." I laughed but didn't take it too literally. They were cute kids and kids are even cuter in the fall. Fact.

We had dinner at the delicious Italian restaurant, Bella Roma. We spent most of the time talking about future kid names. Girls do weird things like that. None of us are having children for a long time. (A long time). We also spent a few minutes wondering when the Clemson football team got so good and wishing they would cut it out.  Weird.

Later that evening, we bundled up and headed to Marthapalooza. There were rides and fair food. One of the rides, Starship 2000 made some friends want to ralph. The silver lining: we learned an interesting home remedy for a nauseated friend is sprite and pop-corn. Boom, take that Web MD. We decided, post starship, that it was all fun and games until our toes were numb and the apple cider volunteer told us the urns were broken. Then we wanted to cry. So we left.

When it was time to leave the next morning, my heart was overwhelmed with thankfulness. I had speant the whole weekend smiling and realized once again that my friends are pretty awesome. Have you ever had that bittersweet heart feeling when you realize you haven't had that much fun in a long time? That's where I was. There are great challenges of moving to a new place but realizing you have friends that make you feel at home is a comfort that aides any process. This weekend was a wonderful source of happy.

A few pictures from the weekend:

How was your weekend? Did you have that happy heart feeling at all? I sure hope so.

On Thursday, We Twirl.

I'm really excited about this week. A few days ago, I talked about some really exciting treats that have me in great anticipation of this fall season in a really big, silly way that is probably kind of obnoxious. Along with the exciting things though, I had to point out that although it may be September, the temperature and humidity is reflecting more of what it feels like in May or June.

I want you to know, I may have spoken too soon.

I'm totally ok with that because the high yesterday was 59. Fifty nine people. (!!!) Incredible. Sure, we had to endure 48 hours of rain on a holiday weekend to get there but I'm not going to complain. This morning, I walked outside and smiled. Right away. There was no stopping me. The weather has that kind of effect. If you are having a bad day, hop in your car, drive to north Alabama, get out of your car, and look up at the sky. I promise you are going to want to throw your hands in the air and twirl around. In case you need a visual:

Another very exciting thing that has happened over the weekend. Prepare yourself. It's back. Yes, I am referring to the pumpkin spice latte. When the friendly barista at Starbucks asked me how my day was, all I could say was "Wonderful! Pumpkin is here!". True story.

By the way, do the initials PSL remind you of anything besides Starbucks' abbreviation for 'pumpkin spice latte'? If you are reading this blog, they should. Am I so in tune with my love for fall that I would name this blog using the same initials as the most delightful hot beverage IN THE WORLD? The answer is no, probably not but I would like to think that on some subconscious level, it was completely on purpose.

Today is a day to be enthusiastic. Enthusiastic about the little things. Weather. Coffee.

Enjoy your day!

Pumpkin Enthusiast.

Well folks, it is the first day of September.

Do you know what this means? Fall. This means fall. Which also means PUMPKINS. (!!!) Last year I embraced the pumpkin enthusiast within me. I decorated and carved a pumpkin, made pumpkin desserts, visited a pumpkin patch and drank way too many Starbucks tall pumpkin soy coffees.

As the season approaches, I feel the need to defend my love for pumpkin. As we know, pomegranate, leggings, and Uggs have all circled though our world and were at one time labeled “trendy”.  (Let’s be honest though, Uggs? What were those trendy people thinking? Even the name sounds less than cute.) My point is that there is probably someone out there that felt a little cheated because they’ve been eating a pomegranate every day for fifteen years.  They knew about the delicious fruit long before the world and its antioxidant craze claimed it as their favorite.

My fear is that this is going to happen to pumpkin.  Everyone is going to start to love it and it will no longer be special. I can see it now, me and the pomegranate lover sitting on a park bench somewhere sharing a box of Kleenex because the world has taken one of our simple joys and claimed it as their own. Not cool world. Not cool.

In effort to preserve my love for this seasonal orange vegetable that stems from the squash family, I am going to maximize its existence in my everyday life or at least post about my love for it on this here blog. Whether it is through pictures, recipes, fashion inspirations or simply an encounter with anything pumpkin. It will be here. So here it goes...

Today I walked out to observe the pumpkin patch in the back yard and look what I found: I was delighted.

Pumpkin patch. Circa 2010: pure bliss