Halloweekend!

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone!

Daylight Savings Time has me all mixed up right now, and being back at work so bright and early this morning is just further scrambling my brain- but I’m going to push through, get as much done as I can today at the office- and go home to rest and relax once 5-o-clock rolls around!

I suspected I’d be wiped out this morning, as I usually am following Halloweekend every year. For those who may be unfamiliar with Halloweekend- it’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s the weekend immediately before or following Halloween (depending on what day it falls on) where people get in one final wear from their costumes, have one last party, or do all things spooky before focus shifts to the impending holidays- Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.

It’s a pretty big event for my friends and I every year, so we wanted to do something really special to commemorate the occasion for 2019 given that we’ve all sort of scattered with multiple moves/re-locations. Some of us haven’t seen each other in 5+ months- so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to reconnect!

And we went big- traveling to New Hampshire to visit Haunted Overload at the DeMeritt Hill Farm in Lee, New Hampshire- which has become one of our favorite attractions in recent years. This past weekend marked the final days of the season, and the company opted for a “Lights Out” event for visitors after dark- meaning all the lights were turned off and you had to walk the trail in total darkness.

It was absolute murder on my nerves and vocal chords from screaming so much- but I really did have the best time!

Of course, no trip to the farm is complete without hot apple cider and apple cider doughnuts. Post-trail, our group indulged in both before we all headed back to Boston to turn the clocks back an hour and close out the night with some horror movies and scary video games- which is always the best time.

And now, with Halloweekend over and November in full-swing- it’s time to switch gears and get ready for the impending festive frenzy!

A little later on this week, I’ll have a peek at my Fall 2019 makeup collection, and a visit to some more unique and unusual attractions in the Pioneer Valley before it starts getting too cold to go outdoors!

But before that- I’ve got to get some work done at the office!

Enjoy the start of your week, everyone! Be strong and be brave. We’re going to get through this together!

xx

– Ashley –

Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice…

Good Morning and Happy Monday, everyone!

While the thought of returning to work after such a great weekend isn’t exactly ideal- I take comfort in the fact that I’ll be heading to The Big E in a couple of days for some early-Autumn fun- so at least that will break up the humdrum of daily office life. I am more than ready for some fried Oreos, hot apple cider- and carnival rides that may or may not have passed “mandatory” safety inspections!

This past weekend was also filled with some early-Autumn fun. After hosting my show on Indie617 and performing in Salem on Saturday night- I made a point to spend my Sunday at Red Apple Farm to pick some apples, find myself the perfect pumpkin, and indulge in all the farm-fresh snacks I could find- all with my beloved little Oliver in tow!

It was a beautiful, sunny- and comfortably cool afternoon. Oliver was completely fascinated by the apple trees, the tractors that were driving by, and the goats and piglets the farm has available for viewing/feeding/petting. I’m pretty sure he’d be okay if I were to adopt a pet pig in the future. They’d probably get along famously.

Naturally, I picked up some apple dumplings, some all natural peanut butter and some homemade strawberry-apple jam before we left for the afternoon- and I’m excited to dive into all of it in the coming days!

But of course, I’ve got to dive into my caseload at work, first- and make sure I stay ahead so I can get an early jump on this coming weekend!

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful start to your week. I’ll be back on Wednesday with a pretty fantastic appetizer recipe that takes no time at all to whip up!

xx

– Ashley –

“Bring Me Back to Autumn…”

Good Morning and Happy Tuesday, everyone!

I hope those of you who were able to celebrate the long weekend enjoyed it immensely. I personally had a wonderful couple of days off that were spent outdoors despite the occasional drizzle and thunderstorm- and also catching up on some much-needed sleep. Although I’m back at work bright and early this morning- I’m feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day and the remainder of this short work-week!

With this past Sunday marking the beginning of September, the midst of Labor Day Weekend- and the unofficial [official] end to the Summer- I dove headfirst into the Autumnal activities. I had my first Fall-inspired coffee beverage (a pumpkin pie chai, courtesy of Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters) and made the short journey to Phillipston, Massachusetts to check out the Appleseed Country Fair at Red Apple Farm.

A friend had actually been the one to tell me about the fair- as I hadn’t even known the farm existed- but I’m certainly glad she did because the place is adorable and filled with all the apples, pumpkins, sunflowers and homemade, farm-fresh snacks/sweets a Fall-loving girl could ask for.

The fair itself was very busy but fun- with hay rides, animals to pet, tractors to pose for photos with, hot air balloon lifts, live music and plenty of vendors and food. The farm is also dog-friendly- which means Oliver can join me in a couple of weeks when I go back as there will be less of a crowd so I can pick apples for baking and pumpkins for decorating. He’s going to love it.

And while I wanted to stock up on all the jams, natural peanut butter, kettle corn popcorn and apple dumplings I could carry- I opted for some apple cider to enjoy at home and apple cider doughnuts to share with my mom. They. Are. Delicious.

Yesterday, after running some errands and cooking up a seafood recipe (which will be on the blog this coming Thursday!)– I made a point to swing by Patriot Place at Gillette Stadium to snag a new t-shirt for the upcoming Patriots season and do a bit of window-shopping before a pretty significant thunderstorm rolled through the area and I had to take cover in my car during the subsequent torrential downpour.

Catching an actual game at Gillette this season is on my “Fall 2019 Bucket List”- so here’s hoping I’ll be back there sooner than later!

And the new shirt will definitely be making an appearance on my Instagram this week. It’s really nice!

But with quite a bit of work in front of me and a pretty busy couple of days ahead- I’m off to get things sorted and done early so I can enjoy this coming weekend (and the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival) properly!

Enjoy your day, everyone!

xx

– Ashley –

Making a House a Home…

Good Morning- Happy Friday- and Happy First Day of Summer, everyone!

While I was in a full-Summer state of mind weeks ago when the temperatures first began soaring and I started wearing shorts outdoors on the weekends- I actually haven’t participated in any of the usual early Summer activities I’m typically diving into by now. There have been no beach trips, no lobster rolls, and no poolside hangouts- although there has admittedly been more than one ice cream cone in recent days.

A lot of my time, when not working- has been getting situated in my new apartment- where I’ve officially been for a month now! I’m still finding places for my things, still exploring my neighborhood and surrounding communities- and up until this this past Wednesday- I was still waiting on the last of my furniture to arrive. That’s not to say I didn’t make do without a bed frame. I’ve never been one to be too high maintenance to sleep on a mattress on the floor for an unknown length of time, after all- but this apartment never really felt like “home” until I had an actual bed and a couch in it. Now it feels more like “mine”- and I’m absolutely loving it.

There’s still a lot to do, of course. I need to get my TV mounted, actually decorate a little and organize my things- but I’m a lot more comfortable and cozy here and excited to see how my space develops over the next few weeks/months.

I digress, the point of this was also to say that now that it’s *officially* Summer and my life has a bit more stability in it- I can get started on catching up on that list of things I’m typically doing this time of year! The first thing is absolutely going to be eating a lobster roll, by the way.

Although prior to the arrival of my furniture on Wednesday-  I did have an opportunity to drive one town over to a little farm in the area where people could pick their own strawberries. I’d never done that before, but let me tell you- it was FUN– and I got some really, really good pickings!

So, so delicious!

This weekend I’ll be on indie617 from 12-4 (Saturday) and then I may catch a performance in Turner’s Falls Saturday night. Then on Sunday, with lobster roll in hand- I might venture out to explore MASS MoCA for the first time. Or, if it’s hot enough- take a dip in one of the local lakes or rivers around here!

Regardless of where I end up and what I end up doing- you can count on plenty of photos on my INSTAGRAM and here on the blog when I return on Monday morning!

Enjoy that Summer Solstice, everyone- and the weekend ahead! See you all next week!

xx

– Ashley –