New Year, New Me

I have to be honest when I say that 2014 was probably one of the worst years of my life. Since the beginning we struggled with my husband losing his job and having a hard time finding a new one. This entire year we've majorly struggled financially. We got hit with some of the most shocking and horrible news when my mother got diagnosed with cancer. I was involved in a car accident that still to this day makes me anxious to drive.
We were blindsided by the news of our unplanned pregnancy, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't bummed that we were expecting when I found out. (I don't mean that to sound horrible, there were things I wanted to accomplish before bringing a little one into our lives, and we weren't ready. Hell, we aren't ready still. As the days get closer to seeing his face though, I am so happy and excited to bring him into this world. And we've learned along the way, you can never be ready to be a parent.) I have had a fairly average pregnancy, but I have been miserable going through it. I thought I would enjoy being pregnant, but I haven't at all, and I can't wait for it to be over with.

I'm one of those people that hates to hear, "new year, new me!" Just because it's a new year doesn't mean once the clock strikes twelve, you are a different person. You have to work towards being that person you want to be. In my case though, I will be a new me soon. I will be a mother, and it will completely change me in ways that no other thing can. Someone will depend on me for everything, and if that doesn't make you a new person, I don't know what does.
I sincerely have higher hopes for 2015. I can't wait to experience bringing a life into the world. I'm scared, nervous, and excited all in one for this new adventure. With that being said, I have a few things I want to work on to better myself this year. Here are my 2015 resolutions:

one// be the best mother I can be. I look up to my mom in so many ways, and hope to be half the mother she was to me and my sister. I want my son to be happy and healthy. I want nothing but the best for him. He is already so loved and I can't wait to shower him with "i love you's" and kisses everyday for as long as he'll let me.

two// stress less. I worry too much about the little things. So what if the dishes pile up in the sink or the carpet needs vacuumed? I shouldn't let those things get to me as much as they do.

three// be a better wife. I need to work on supporting my husband and helping him become the person he wants to be. I also need to be more patient with him.

four// make baby step goals towards bettering my health. This will be something I work on throughout the year. Each month I want to give myself something to focus on that will make me healthier. Baby steps are key.

five// take this blog of mine more seriously. That means working harder on posts, rather than throwing them together. Planning and executing better posts for not only my readers but for myself to look back on and be proud of.


Those are my New Year Resolutions. What are yours? Have a wonderful, safe, and happy new year's eve everyone! Make 2015 one for the books.

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What's In A Name?

If you haven't already noticed, I have changed my name from "Being Hampton" to "The Hampton Diaries" for really no other reason than I liked it a bit better, although both suit the blog the same. I just wanted to give a heads up on the change, which also means some of my social media is a different name. I will do my best to get to all my posts and change the links that are always included, until then my updated links are always on my side bar. 

Stay tuned for my "What's In My Hospital Bag?" post coming very soon!

(P.S. after changing my name, my link within widget has all my posts directed back to my old blog name, which obviously doesn't exist anymore. I've tried to do the updated name and new widget, but it still wont redirect with the new name. If anyone knows of a possible fix to this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!) 

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What's In Hunter's Diaper Bag

I kind of failed at blogmas, to almost no fault of my own. My internet got turned off for a few days, because I apparently forgot to pay the bill last month and was late this month. Pregnancy brain is a real thing, I'm forgetting everything! Anyway, I'm back, and here to give you a look inside the diaper bag I'll be taking to the hospital with me!

First things first, here is my diaper bag. Nothing spectacular looking, BUT it's massive. It has a lot of pockets and there are two things that I love love love about it - It has an insulated pocket that will come in handy when someone is watching him and I need to keep breast milk cool while traveling and the second feature is a built in wipe case! You can find this diaper bag here.

I packed fairly light just because I know that the hospital provides a lot of stuff that I will need such as diapers and wipes, and I'm going to take full advantage of that. The items I am bringing are; Butt Paste, nipple cream, Sophie the Giraffe (more than likely not necessary for a newborn, I just thought they were too cute to leave at home), Nuk pacifier, Aveeno baby lotion, Latch bottle, a soft warm blanky, and the striped receiving blanket in all the pictures. I also forgot to put the scratch mittens and hand sanitizer in the picture (refer back to pregnancy brain) but they will also be there. Then I have four outfits (also not pictured are plain white onsies for under the outfits). I have two newborn sized outfits and two 0-3 months. I was a big baby, and even though my doctor believes he will be in the upper seven pound range, I want to be prepared. I'm also bringing four because I would like a couple options for his take home outfit.

Needing a red hat to complete this cuteness overload

And there it is! If you are curious as to what the brands are of anything, let me know down in the comments and I will get back to you with hopefully a link to the exact item! I'm so excited for him to be here. Stay tuned within the next week for what I'll be bringing to the hospital for me!

Is there anything you suggest I add to my diaper bag? Let me know!

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10 Beauty Hacks // Blogmas Day Fifteen

1. Running low on mascara? Add a couple eye drops to the tube and celebrate because you have at least another couple days worth of product!

2. Ever been curious as to when your makeup expires? Most makeup brands have a little picture on the back of their products that looks like a container with a number in it (usually 12 or 24, I've noticed). That's how many months until that product expires. So, whenever you buy a new product if you write in sharpie the date you purchased it, you'll know whether or not that makeup item is still good to use!

3. Ran out of eyeshadow primer? Use concealer until you can buy some more primer. I do this quite often and find it works rather well!

4. Forget to bring setting spray somewhere but have hairspray handy? Spray hair spray in the air and tilt your head back, it will set your makeup for the night when you're shorthanded.

5. Does your eyeliner fade when you apply it to your lower water line? Pat the same color eye shadow (as whatever color liner you're using) over top of your eye liner with a small brush to set it for longer.

6. Looking for a deeper eyeshadow pigmentation? Wet your eye shadow brush just slightly, and apply the shadow for a richer look.

7. Out of makeup brush cleaner? Put a dab of dish soap and olive oil on a plate and swirl your brush around, then rinse.

8. Out of shaving cream? Use conditioner! Makes your legs very soft as well. I actually use conditioner over buying shaving cream. Much cheaper and gets the job done!

9. Chapped lips? Combine a dime size amount of olive oil with a pinch of sugar and rub all over your lips. It takes the dead skin off and makes them very soft! Remember to moisturize with your favorite chap stick afterwards.

10. Don't want to wait 20 minutes for your nail polish to fully dry without smudging? Run cold water on the back of your hand so it runs down to your nails, it will set and harden the polish.


These are 10 of some of my favorite beauty hacks! Share some of yours!

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15 Stocking Stuffers - For Him // Blogmas Day Fourteen

I'm barely making it for this post! I'm determined to get it up by midnight, within the next ten minutes! I refuse to give up on this blogmas challenge. Even when my darling son is doing somersaults in my belly currently, making it very uncomfortable to live.

If you're stuck on what to give the man in your life for their stockings, here are some ideas!

- Watch
- Shaving kit
- Candy
- Slippers
- Wallet
- Cologne
- Phone case
- Socks
- Video games
- DVD
- Car air fresheners
- Headphones
- Lottery tickets
- Sunglasses
- Pocket knife

And there are all my ideas! What are you considering getting your man for their Christmas stocking this year?

My Favorite Drugstore Makeup // Blogmas Day Thirteen

I'm not one of those girls who find it necessary to splurge on high end makeup, I love finding drugstore purchases that do just as good of a job. I'm not passing any judgement on those who only buy high end makeup. I wish I could spend more money on makeup, because I love Sephora and Mac just as much as the next girl. Through trial and error, I've found makeup that I love in the aisles of Target, and that's perfectly okay with me! Here are my top 5 drugstore makeup purchases that I swear by.

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L'Oreal True Match Liquid Foundation

(I use the color N1 Soft Ivory)

I just started using this stuff after trying Revlon Color Stay, and I have to say that I prefer this over that. (I wouldn't recommend this to people who have oily skin. I've read lots of reviews saying that people who have naturally oily skin caused the foundation to wear off in patches and look blotchy.) This foundation makes it possible to go from a light to full coverage without being cakey. I've had it on for about 12 hours today and am still pleased with how it looks. I also love how many different shades this line carries, you really can find a true match! 

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Rimmel London Natural Bronzer

I love this stuff. It's really easy on the wallet and it gives off amazing color. When it comes to bronzer, it's probably one of my favorite things to apply. I love playing around with contouring and this stuff seriously goes the distance. It puts off such a nice color and is easily blended in my opinion. I can't see myself using any other bronzer. I use the color Sun Bronze.

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Covergirl Lashblast Mascara

I've gone through so many different types of mascara, and always find they disappoint me after using this one. It does such a great job of lengthening, thickening, and separating. All other mascaras I've used don't cover all three of those and I find a lot of them clump eyelashes together. This always seems to do the job for me. The only thing that would make me love it more is if the tip of the brush had a small ball to get to bottom lashes easier. (Does anyone know what I'm talking about? No? Okay, moving on.)

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Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

I have always been a Maybellie girl when it comes to eyeliner. I've always found that they stay the longest for me without smudging or fading. What I love about this gel liner the most, is that it's super easy to apply. I rarely ever mess up or have to fix my liner. I also think the brush that it comes with does a great job if you don't have another brush to use. This eyeliner makes it easy to do a regular look or even a dramatic cat eye and everything in between. 

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Milani Metallic Baked Eyeshadows

I love these eyeshadows. The pigmentation is amazing, they have many different colors to choose from, and they are a great price point. I only have a few different shades of these, but my all time favorite is the 607 Rich Java. It is a dark brown and I use this to fill in my brows. It also looks great in a smoky eye. The shadow pictured is not the Rich Java, it is the color 602 I Heart You if you're curious. 

So there you have it! My top 5 picks of drugstore makeup. What are your favorite drugstore makeup items? Also, I'm in the market for something to help with dark under eye circles. Whether it be an under eye cream or concealer, I'm all ears!

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Christmas Party // Blogmas Day Twelve

Tonight was Tom's work's company Christmas Party. Say that five times fast. It was actually pretty fun. His dad works for the same company so we were able to sit with his parent's and some of his coworkers and mingle. The food was absolutely delicious. Don't tell my doctor I ate red meat... But, I would be crazy if I passed up some prime rib! It was a very fancy event, but also very fun. Sorry for the poor quality photos, I used my iPhone!


Happy Friday everyone!

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I Promise... // Blogmas Day Eleven

Before getting pregnant I wanted to get in shape and be healthy, so that my pregnancy and baby would be healthy. My pregnancy was an "oops", so I didn't get to do that. I'm beyond incredibly grateful and blessed to be having a healthy normal baby. All his measurements have been great, and my doctor even predicts he will be in the upper 7 pound range. (Which is great considering I was 10 lbs 6 oz when I was born! My poor mother!)
I've struggled with my weight almost my whole life. Food has always been something I took comfort in. I always used the excuse of "I have asthma" to not exercise. Which living with asthma is a hard thing to do. Especially being pregnant, I can't even bend over to tie my shoes or put boots on anymore without having to use my inhaler shortly after. It's discouraging and depressing. So, today I'm making promises to myself that I will try after he's here and my doctor clears me to start. (In a normal situation I would say, I'll start now, but being almost 36 weeks pregnant and already having a hard time walking around without getting some sort of contractions, it would be impossible. I would like to keep this baby in a little longer.) Here are the promises I'm making to myself.

This Or That Tag // Blogmas Day Ten

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→ Makeup
Blush or Bronzer // bronzer, hands down
Lipgloss or Lipstick // i've just started playing around with lip color... so i will just say lipstick
Eyeliner or Mascara // mascara, my eyes don't look right with just eyeliner
Foundation or Concealer // so tough, I have horribly dark under eyes, so concealer
Neutral or Color Eyeshadow // neutral
Pressed or Loose eye shadows // pressed, less fall out in my experience
Brushes or Sponges // brushes 

→ Nails
O.P.I or China Glaze // O.P.I.
Long or Short // short
Acrylic or Natural // i prefer acrylic, and sadly can't afford it right now. boo
Brights or Darks // both, depends on season
Flower or No Flower // no flower

→ Body
Perfume or Body Splash // depends on the occasion to be honest
Lotion or Body Butter // lotion
Body wash or Soap // body wash
LUSH or Other Bath Company // i'm a sucker for LUSH

→ Fashion
Jeans or Sweat pants // in my current pregnancy state; sweat pants all the way. otherwise, jeans
Long sleeve or Short // short
Dresses or Skirts // dress
Stripes or Plaid // plaid
Flip flops or Sandals // sandals
Scarves or Hats // scarves!
Studs or Dangly Earrings // studs, most definitely
Necklaces or Bracelets // necklaces
Heels or Flats // flats. i'm already 5'11''
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots // cowboy boots
Jacket or Hoodie // hoodie
Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe // honestly never been to a charlotte russe, so forever 21
Abercombie or Hollister // neither
Saks 5th or Nordstrom // nordstrom

→ Hair
Curly or Straight // straight
Bun or Ponytail // pony
Bobby pins or Butterfly clips // i'm not five, so bobby pins
Hair spray or Gel // hair spray... have never and will never use gel
Long or Short // long
Light or Dark // naturally have light hair, would love to gather enough courage to go dark someday
Side sweep bangs or Full bangs // full
Up or Down // typically down, but sometimes nothing feels better than pulling my hair up

→ Random
Rain or Shine // shine
Summer or Winter // winter
Fall or Spring // fall
Chocolate or Vanilla // vanilla
East coast or West coast // west! 

I love doing tags and thought this would be a fun one to do. I am going to tag my two lovely ladies Tina and Amber to do this if they'd like! Also, any of my readers! Comment down below if you do the tag so I can see what you prefer!

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Nursery: Sneak Peek // Blogmas Day Nine

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(and a crib full of washed baby clothes, just waiting for the dresser to be put together!) 

I apologize for horrible lighting which affects the quality of the actual photos. His room has probably the worst lighting in the house, and I couldn't wait to share these since we just put his bedding on. Woodland creatures are so cute! 

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Nesting // Blogmas Day Eight

As we are getting down to the end of my pregnancy (I'm 35 weeks!) I'm falling more into my nesting phase. Today I spent all day cleaning and wanting to get stuff ready for baby. My baby shower was on Saturday so I washed all the baby clothes I got. We have our crib set up, but still need to get our dresser put together. The room that will be the nursery was our spare bedroom and we still have to take down the bed that is in there, and then redo a bookshelf. But man oh man, am I over being pregnant. Between the constant heartburn, not being able to tie my shoes, my hips aching so bad I could cry in the middle of the night, and not being able to do anything without either causing braxton hicks or an asthma attack.

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ANYWAY.
I still have quite a few items I need to get before he makes his big arrival.
- boppy pillow
- changing pad
- diaper caddy
- swing
- pack and play
- stroller

That's what I can think of at the top of my head. Pregnancy brain is a real thing, my friends. I forget so much all the time. I'm getting really excited for him to be here. I can't wait to see what he looks like. I already know he's going to be so much like his daddy. He's always moving around.

Look forward to some more baby posts including what's in my hospital bag, what's in his diaper bag, and a nursery 'tour.' Kind of a random post tonight, but I'm just excited to be a mommy!

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15 Stocking Stuffers - For Her // Blogmas Day Seven

Let's be honest, sometimes girls are hard to shop for. (I may be a little biased, but I do believe we are easier than guys.) So I've put together a list of ideas. These could also be perfect small gift for friends, sisters, and moms!

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- LUSH products (face masks, bath bombs, etc.)

- Bath & Body Works lotions, bath gel, and body spray

- Slippers

- Book

- Phone case

- Cute tumbler cups

- Chocolate

- Makeup

- Chap stick, lip gloss, and/or lip stick

- Scarf

- Movie

- Ornament (Tom and I get each other ornaments every year as tradition)

- Perfume

- Headbands or other hair accessories 

- Spa day

These are all things I would be happy to find in my stocking this year, how about you? 

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Baby Shower // Blogmas Day Six

Today was my baby shower. The theme was woodland which is what are nursery theme is. Woodland creatures to be specific; foxes, owls, deer, etc. I love it. It was an amazing day, and it went really well. Although I'm pretty sleepy. I got to my mom's around 10:45 and made the owl cupcakes and help set everything up. We were non-stop getting everything ready until people started showing up. It was a great turn out. We had a chili bar per my request, it's been one of my biggest cravings my entire pregnancy! We had a red and white chili with all the toppings you could think of. We had s'more bites, owl cupcakes, 'babies in a blanket', veggie cups, crackers with pepper jelly topped cream cheese, and of course the chili and corn bread. For party favors my mother-in-law and sister-in-law made the cutest hot cocoa mix in a mason jar. It was an amazing day to see everyone and to celebrate the little man that will be here so soon!

This is one of my best friend's little babe, Chris. Is he not the cutest?!

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Cocoa & The Griswold's // Blogmas Day Five

Tonight I'm crossing off one of my bucket list items! I have this hot chocolate maker that makes the most delicious hot chocolate. So Tomcat and I made some hot chocolate and are currently watching Christmas Vacation. I had never seen this movie before I married him, and I'm pretty sure I haven't even seen it all the way through. I'm excited to be able to cross one thing off my bucket list!

Tomorrow is my baby shower! I am beyond ecstatic. My mother, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law have been planning and getting all the stuff together. Be prepared for a massive picture post of all the wonderful decorations and everything. I can't wait!

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Taking Stock 001 // Blogmas Day Four

Alright, so I stole this idea from Tina. I am at a loss of what to write today. I literally was falling asleep at dinner tonight, so my thought process is little to nothing currently. But, I'm still pushing forward with blogmas so that's all that matters. I'm going to start doing this 'Taking Stock' post. I always love reading Tina's and thought it would be a fun thing to do. This one is going to be a bit random, but starting next month I will start doing this post at the end of the month and sharing photos. So yeah. Let's get with it.


remembering / not much, pregnancy brain is a thing
trying / to not freak out about how fast due date is approaching
cooking / not nearly enough, I need to start
drinking / lots of water, or trying to
reading / nothing currently
wanting / for pregnancy to be over so I can have my body back
watching / grey's anatomy
playing / around with my new camera
deciding / on what to get people for christmas
wishing / it would stop raining here
planning / last details for baby shower on saturday
enjoying / new soft bed sheets
loving / my new camera
hearing / currently: husband playing annoying video game
needing / to finish the nursery
smelling / indian neroli oil lotion
wearing / whatever is comfortable
noticing / how fast this pregnancy has flown by
thinking / that I need to start preparing healthier meals
imagining / what my little man will look like
buying / christmas gifts and baby stuff
getting / heartburn too much
feeling / tired, so so tired

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Christmas Traditions // Blogmas Day Three

I bet you guys thought I forgot already! Well, I didn't! I just didn't have time to write a post until now, so here it is. Better late than never, right? Today I thought I would talk about Christmas traditions. Every year on Christmas Eve my family gets together at my grandparents house (on my mom's side) and we have dinner and do a Christmas program. We pray together, sing songs together, read stories, play games, etc. Every year we do this, and I love it every single time. As a tradition we also open one gift on Christmas Eve, and it's always pajamas. It's exciting every time even though we already know. I also make it a habit to go to my other grandparent's house and my in-laws. It's always crazy on the holidays because I'm the kind of person that likes to see everyone. Family is so important to me. Christmas Day we go to my parent's house and open presents and hang out and then see my in-laws at some point as well. I love this time of year so much. It makes me warm and fuzzy.

Even though I have traditions that I've grown up doing, it's always fun to start new ones. Especially since I have my own little family (and next year will be so much fun with Hunter being here and almost being a year old!) I want to start some of my own family traditions with my husband and future kiddos.

What are some of your Christmas traditions?

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December Bucket List // Blogmas Day Two

Day two of blogmas, and I sat here for ten minutes trying to think of what to write... I did a fall bucket list, which I epically failed to keep updates on. So, I'm hoping doing this bucket list will give me ideas to go out and do, and enjoy of course, plus it will also give me blog posts. Fantastic idea, I know. So without further ado;

• Finish the nursery
• Go to the Botanical Gardens for the Christmas lights
• Try making most of family's gifts 
• Drink hot chocolate with my hubs and watch a movie
• Bake cookies for our neighbor
• Drive around and see christmas lights at night
• Get maternity pictures done
• Make homemade Christmas ornaments 
• Decorate a gingerbread house
• Try vlogging 
• Watch The Santa Clause

What are some things on your December bucket list? 

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The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

I absolutely LOVE this time of year. It really all goes too quickly for me. Thanksgiving to Christmas seems like a week passing instead of a whole month. Which scares me to death because I'm due about two weeks after Christmas! -insert really terrified face here-

I have decided that I'm going to try to do blogmas this month, maybe even put a vlog up or something too since I got a new camera for my birthday that I am beyond excited about. I plan to do a review on it here soon. It is the Sony ox5000. I also say try because I'm really horrible about remembering to blog, but I need to start getting into the flow of actually doing it since I want to have things to look back on and read once Hunter is here. I'm still in shock that he'll be here so soon, this pregnancy has flown by.

Yesterday, Tom and I went and picked out our Christmas tree. Growing up I pretty much always had a fake tree, but I absolutely love having a real one. Despite the mess it can make and having to remember to water it, it makes the Christmas spirit so much better. We had a whole huge strand of lights burn out on us though, and we had to go buy new ones today, so tonight we decorated it while watching Elf. I'm a little ashamed to admit that it was my first time ever seeing it. It was pretty good, but not as good as everyone makes it out to be. My favorite Christmas movie is probably Santa Clause, I'm a huge fan of Tim Allen. Tom's is Christmas Vacation. What's yours?

Let me know if you are doing blogmas so I can follow your blog and stay inspired!

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