Fall traditions are huge at our house. We have two family birthdays, get really psyched Halloween, and of course love Thanksgiving. Here is my son last Halloween, in his self-invented "rocket robot" costume.
The concept was his but my husband and I readily admit we spent perhaps a little too much time on the design. No matter. You're only three years old once on Halloween. Besides, have you ever seen a happier rocket robot?
I am feeling especially grateful this year because there is one more birthday to add to the list: Hot Mama Designs Jewelry. This fall I have been in business for a little over 4 years and I am so proud. I am celebrating this birthday by giving away three pieces of my handmade jewelry, a $65.00 value, your choice out of all my designs.
All you have to do to win is post a comment here on my blog. How are you celebrating these cool, crisp fall days full of sunlight with your family? What's happening at your house? Tell me about your family's favorite fall traditions, or just reasons why you love fall. Be sure to include your email so I can contact you. I'll choose 3 winners randomly by the end of November.
I love hearing from and staying connected with you, my most awesome, rockin' customers to whom I owe tremendous thanks for keeping me in business. Thank you for four fabulous years, and happy fall to everyone at your house.
The concept was his but my husband and I readily admit we spent perhaps a little too much time on the design. No matter. You're only three years old once on Halloween. Besides, have you ever seen a happier rocket robot?I am feeling especially grateful this year because there is one more birthday to add to the list: Hot Mama Designs Jewelry. This fall I have been in business for a little over 4 years and I am so proud. I am celebrating this birthday by giving away three pieces of my handmade jewelry, a $65.00 value, your choice out of all my designs.
All you have to do to win is post a comment here on my blog. How are you celebrating these cool, crisp fall days full of sunlight with your family? What's happening at your house? Tell me about your family's favorite fall traditions, or just reasons why you love fall. Be sure to include your email so I can contact you. I'll choose 3 winners randomly by the end of November.
I love hearing from and staying connected with you, my most awesome, rockin' customers to whom I owe tremendous thanks for keeping me in business. Thank you for four fabulous years, and happy fall to everyone at your house.
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33 comments:
Shannon..so cool to hear from you..glad you and fam are well...It is Holly, Hilary's girl!..Evan and Shane are so young... "tradition" is in the works!...currently the fall tradition has been stripping immediately out of their school clothes after coming in the door... Evan turns into, "naked manny" and Shane becomes, "naked baby"....They run around shrieking and our dog Hank follows them around barking like a maniac...Even on my worst days I have to stop and laugh..xox
My family is still fairly new so we're developing fall traditions still! (Which I hope will include an annual September trip to the zoo, when the weather here is its nicest.)
I love the cooler weather of fall and the turning color of the leaves.
janetfaye (at) gmail (dot) com
What I great idea! Fall is our favorite time of year too. I have 2 boys 7 and 5 so it is active around our house. Every year we decorate our house for Halloween ALOT. When the night comes we love to hand out little frito bags filled with fritos and chili as well as some mommy/daddy cider. Its not fair if the kids have all the fun. This year we are even adding a bon-fire to our end of the street for everyone to get warm. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
My husband and I will be taking our 6mths Cooper up hiking in the mountains to see the fall colors. This was a tradition we had with our precious Skyler Anne, who passed away last year of primary pulmonary hypertension. To honor her memory, we are keeping the tradition with little Cooper Sky!
First, so excited to maybe win some jewelry. Because I love all of it!!! Anyway, our long standing tradition since I was pregnant with Lucia, my first (currently 5, almost 6) is to fly home to my parents house in Indiana to help with harvest for a week. My girls call it "corning", when they get to ride in the big combine with my Dad or brother and watch the corn wave under into the big machine. At the end of the week we have perhaps 150 friends and family from all over the country and the world fly in for our big Square Dance that includes shooting skeet, bouncy castles, hay rides, tractor races, and loads of good food and very little sleep. The weekend is topped off by a Sunday morning pancake breakfast, specialty of my Dad, of which about 40-50 people have spent the night in the area to make sure they never miss. Last year I threw up at the end of the weekend from pure exhaustion and complete and utter happiness. It is a great way for all of us to stay connected across the miles, because we know every year we will be coming together and our kids get to grow up together in this very amazing way.
Our fall is a blur of activity with the Jewish Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot -- and the secular holidays -- Halloween and Thanksgiving. It seems like the entire fall is a continuous celebration with lots of family and friends visiting us in our home. Lots of entertaining...exhausting but so much fun!
Every year our family dresses up in a "family costume" ... we have been the Wizard of Oz (Tin Man, Wicked Witch of the West, Lion, Dorthoy & Toto), Peter Pan (Captain Hook, Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell), etc. We have a plan this year too but I am sworn to secrecy.
As a kid my siblings and I used to go to our grandparents house and trick-r-treat and help hand out candy to other kids.....my daughter is only 18mos old but we went last year and plan on doing it until she grows out of trick-r-treating!!!
hip hip hooray. four years and booming. you know how we love halloween up here in lyons and all of the orange that leads up to it : tennessee football, turning leaves, carved pumpkins, yummy sweet potatoes, butternut squash, ...
Hi Shannon! Congratulations on 4 years! :)
We have so many fall traditions because it is my favorite time of year - making leaf prints/stencils; painting pumpkins; making pumpkin bread for the neighbors; hosting a fall harvest party complete with hot apple cider, jumping in big piles of leaves, etc. I think it is fitting that Henry was born on the first day of autumn! :-)
Speaking of...I need a NEW necklace because my henry tag is missing...I must not have connected it right...:-( So pick ME!
xo, jenny :)
I really hate leaving summer behind because I just dread the winter but we have it good here in Co. The fall is just stunning here. I literally drive around with my mouth open because the colors and the mountains are so amazing. One of the things I make a point to do, is constantly point out the beauty around us to my girls. I want them to have appreciation for where we get to live and just the wonder of beauty in general. Love you Shannon...
the fall is our favorite time of year too! Our fall traditions include pressing bright yellow, orange, and red leaves in books for a leaf collage, making costumes, and picking out "mama-daddy-baby" pumpkins at the organic farm down the road.
Happy 4th. We love the fall! Our family traditions consist of pickin out the coolest most unusual pumpkins at a family owned pumpkin patch, making hot apple cider, and "boo" our neighbors. We love halloween so much that our house looks like the Griswold's for both Halloween and Xmas.
How great that you are able to do a give away.
I get lots of complements on the necklace that I have, it would be fabulous to have another.
Or maybe pass along the goodness to another NEW mommie. Either way happiness.
moosegofast(at)gmail(dot)com
My favorite fall tradition has always been going to the NC State fair. Ever since I was little, I would save my money so as to ride as many rides, play as many games, and eat as much junk food as possible. As I grew older, the agenda and companions changed, but the tradition stayed the same. Even now, even though we live in Maryland, my husband and I don our college sweatshirts (NC State and Wake Forest respectively) and drive to NC to enjoy just a little bit of our favorite fall activity. We drink hot cider and watch the lumberjack show, we pet the animals, and at night we ride the ferris wheel and watch the fireworks. Last year, however, we couldn't go because we started a new October tradition; celebrating the birth of our first son, Linden. So hopefully, he will appreciate the fair as much as we do and will come to anticipate it in the same way.
joshandsteph@msn.com
The ode to Fall. . .
What an amazing time of year. Have you ever noticed how completely stimulating and in the same moment soothing this season can be??? Brisk winds, bright and beautiful leaves, pumkin spice and warm hoodies. The contrast of sitting outside soaking in the sun while being wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket. :) My family would pause all seasons and stay in the month of October forever if we could but since we cant we just make the best of the time we do have!
Last October my partner and I bought our first home. What an exciting time!!! The keys were in our hands in under a week after we found the house that was very quickly to become our home. We moved in a rush just to be able to settle in! This year we are going to make a scare crow family in the front yard to give it a country touch in the city!!!
Halloween is an all out family event in our home!!! We have 3 dog-kids that beg to get their costumes on. . . really. .. not joking!! Chevy (basset hound) is a pumpkin, Lily (basset / boston terrier) is a bumble bee and our newest addition Caesar (chihuahua) is a ballerina. Yes I know he is a boy but once you see him in his pink handmade tu-tu you would understand!!! For our costumes, a small group of us are all dressing up as the Golden Girls!!!! Hello goodwill here we come!! This year we will really break in the neighborhood!!!
Aside from pumpkin patches, apple festivals, renaisance festivals, Irish festivals, haunted houses and our new adventure of starting our Massage Therapy business we are making this fall the most special one yet! We are trying to get pregnant with our first baby :) What an exciting and amazing adventure! Our fingers are crossed for this month :)
On a side note I wanted to share with you that yesterday my partner ordered one of your necklaces for my birthday. . . though they are intended to have your children's names on them I wanted one to have her initial on it. She is the closest person to my heart and added to her initial in time will be our childrens :) Coming from someone that uses their hands to personalize their work thank you for putting pride and love into what you do. I chose your product above all for that very reason . . . their is no price tag on something done with inspiration.
Have a wonderful day and enjoy this beautiful season!
Davy
beanjo@hotmail.com
Fall tradition...hmmmm...we just started this two years ago when my son was born. We live in Sacramento, CA. There is an area not far from here called Apple Hill. We go there each fall and walk the vineyards and shop! They have the best apple cider and apple pie I've ever had! It's so nice to get out of town and enjoy the fresh mountain air! If you're ever in the area, you won't want to miss it!
This year will be the first time our 20 month old will be doing the official "trick or treating" tradition - we are getting together with the friends we met in childbirth class for an outdoor munchkin parade on Pearl Street Mall in beautiful Boulder, Colorado. We'll also be visiting a pumpkin patch for the first time and letting him pick out his own pumpkin. I'm thinking that squishing of pumpkin innards will definitely cause some serious giggles from our happy little guy. Like all holidays, he will enjoy them differently each year. This year we just hope that he enjoys putting on his costume (TBD - Elmo, maybe? He loves the red fuzzy guy, despite the fact he has never seen him on TV) and running around with his little baby buddies!
Happy fall to you and your family!
Kym (groovykw at gmail dot com)
love it! to date, our fall traditions have been dictated by my obsessive nostalgia..i'm working on letting my children lead us into some new traditions...so this year...my daughter decided it would be best to carve a pumpkin, paint a masterpiece and roast pumpkin seeds all at once..since neither of us excel at multitasking, the result was as follows: an oven full of flames, a house full of smoke, paint everywhere! and needless to say, a pan full of charred pumpkin seeds!..none for the eating!..let's hope this is not a tradition!
My very favorite fall (October) tradition is to pack up our family and go to the White Rim in beautiful Utah (Canyon Lands) and go biking. It starts by first finding a big enough four wheel drive vehicle so we can pack all of our camping gear (and friend's gear)and coolers and water for a glorious four day, three night adventure. We fill up our water jugs in the spring near Moab and drive to the visitor's center to check in and hear about the harshness of the desert and how to take care if it. We take turns driving with the children too young to bike and the "sag wagon" trails behind the slowest biker. The desert is so beautiful in the fall and such a contrast to the aspen leaves. We cook and sleep under the stars and spend time away from cell phones and computers. We usually have sunny days and cold nights and an occasional rain storm. The children go home never forgetting the accomplishment of biking to the best of their ability and love of the outdoors!
I have two beautiful fall babies! Both were born in the fall, so besides the birthday parties, we are looking forward to taking a hayride and going through a corn maze. My biggest hope for this fall is to begin doing something that my mom and I used to do...make leaf collages. You take some leafs that have fallen off of the trees and let them dry (I mean REALLY dry), then you crumble them up, so you have a ton of multi-colored pieces. Finally, you get some decopage glue and you glue them down in really interesting patterns. Once they are dry, you can decopage over them as well, to really seal in the design. Yeah...fall!!!
As i sit at my desk writing this, just 10 days away from my very first due date, I am keenly aware of how excited I am to become a mother and continue many of the fall traditions that my mom started. Furthermore, I find it truly amazing that 35 years after I was born (on October 3), I'm now expecting a baby girl of my own (again, in October!). How wonderful the circle of life!!
So, in honor of this magical season we call fall, I promise a few things to my unborn daughter:
1) that her favorite cookies will always be waiting (or sent, just like my mom still does) on her birthday.
2) that I will not laugh at her (just like my mom didn't) when she wants to dress up like Elvis Presley for Halloween.
3) that I will be the best, most supportive Mother-of-the-Bride (just like my mom was) even when she has a pre-wedding-day meltdown (just like I did 2 years ago tonight--our anniversary is tomorrow, October 7).
Thanks for this very fun "fall traditions" contest:)
Hi Shannon…
We LOVE Fall in our home. One of our family’s most treasured traditions is to play “Pumpkin Fairy”. Each year we go to the pumpkin patch, the kids love the rides, jumpy houses & petting zoo. Before we leave, each one of us picks out a pumpkin for ourselves and another to give away. During the next few days, we secretly surprise an unsuspecting stranger with a pumpkin that has a note that says “You have been hugged by the Pumpkin Fairy”. It is a very special way of spreading the Love to someone in our community which is what the holidays are all about. My mom did this for me when I was a little girl and it was very special for me to be able to pass this on to my own family. It is something we all look forward to each year.
Happy Holidays, The Reid Family ~ willnmarsha@charter.net
Hi Shannon! What a great idea. Fall is my favorite time of year! Our oldest son, Alex, just turned 5 and we've been explaining what "fall" means. He and his little brother Aron(2) love playing in the leaves. Although we do not have established traditions, I am planning to take them to buy pumpkins this weekend. Every year is different and special as the boys change. Our little one will soon enjoy decorating pumpkins with his big brother. He might even enjoy helping us make cupcakes. :) Happy Fall!
Hey there, love your jewelry, just had our second three weeks ago so......I am tired! BUT I have a new beautiful Hot Mama necklace, love it!
I am a 5th grade teacher, I love to take the class outside and sit with our eyes closed first, listening, smelling, hearing, tasting fall. Then we look around and see fall. We write fall poetry and 10 and 11 year olds come up with fantastic poetry.
We have another tradition during Fall to have all of our friends over for Thanksgiving. We cook two turkeys, a traditional (sage and butter) in the oven and a HOT and SPICY turkey on the bbq, we fill it with hot peppers, habaneros included! Our friends rave about it all year long. If you like spice, you should try it, it has become an addicting tradition, five years running. Happy Fall to all!
Our family's fall tradition stems from our Midwestern roots. We spend a weekend day picking pumpkins and playing at a local farm. We choose a large pumpkin, large enough so that we can fit our youngest inside of it for a picture of "the baby/kid in the pumpkin." Some years the baby/kid enjoys this tradition more than others, but it always makes for a cute, funny, silly picture and a wonderful family memory. :) Kit
oh, and my email is:
jenrosebrinker@hotmail.com
in case I win the jewelry giveaway:)
Happy anniversary! I saw your beautiful jewelry on both of my midwives at Boulder Nurse Midwives and had to check out your site. As soon as #2 arrives, I'll place an order. We're anxiously waiting to find out who is in there!
My favorite thing about fall is the (sometimes) gentle slide into crispness, apples, crunching leaves and the shortening days.
Jennifer
jennifer (at) jennifermanskefenske (dot) com
Shannon
I love your work. My husband and I lost our baby girl Lylah, this summer during birth. She is a true angel and we have been doing our healing work daily since. The loss of her has already given us tremendous gifts, even through the pain.
I really want to get a pendant with her name to wear to honor her and the nine months we spent together.
thank you for your offering.
erin
My email :)
erin@spacetomovewellness.com
Congratulations on making 4 years! I've been planning to order one of your pieces for a while and now that #2 has safely arrived I am good to go. We just celebrated the arrival of Fall and cooler weather (thank goodness, I live in Kansas and let me tell you, there were some dog days) by going to one of the local pumpkin patches and taking a hayride to pick out our pumpkin. I also brewed up a batch of cranberry cider. Awesome stuff when their is a nip in the air.
My email: stacidpeterson@gmail.com
Leaf jumping! It makes the raking pay off even more!
Congrats on 4 years... I get many compliments on my necklace, and I don't think I've taken it off since I got it 1 1/2 years ago!
Oops- here's my email:
staceylmelis@yahoo.com
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