Hello, November

This year, October and Halloween looked different for us. Still my favorite month and holiday. I had to sit on the sidelines a lot. And I didn't really feel like decorating either. Instead, I just soaked up the vibes. I feel like October is always a "refreshing" month for me, and while I didn't get to do my normal Fall cleaning/decluttering this year I still felt like it was a transitional month.

📷: Credit

Personally, November is looking to be the month of prepping and rest. Soaking up the last few weeks before our lives really change. I'm trying to not stress so much about the little things, and enjoy my time with my family. So far, November has brought several days of rain —which I love— and another stray dog (which is not ideal). The time change also happened over the weekend, and well, our household is not a fan. But the silver lining is that we had some cool weather move in and I am here for it! If we could get some even colder weather by the time we get to the end of the month, that would be great

Professionally, November is serving as a time to “wrap things up.” Create TEAMS folders and upload documents. Train the person taking on some of my tasks while I’m out. Update instruction sheets, and assign delegates for internal approval routes. Refresh any recurring meetings with updated information. And making sure that catering is taken care of while I’m out. It’s basically a whole month of checklists. And while I am all for checklists, to-do lists, and color coding - my brain has been on the fritz lately. This is why it's taking me longer to finish things.

All of that said, I'm ready for this change in season. Emery's about to start working on her permit, and she closing in on the end of year 14 - can you believe it? I'm both sad and excited about it. I'm ready to meet our little guy. Ready to not have so much physical discomfort. To start healing and feeling more like myself. And I'm just doing my best to take things one a day at time. Savoring all of the little moments when I can. So, here's to November! And to a wonderful start to the fall season. 🍂

Gratitude Journal // Eleven - One -Twenty Four

Gratitude Series: Sometimes, the bad days get the better of me. Other times, I get so caught up in my little world that I forget to give thanks for all of the blessings in my life. And sometimes you just need to write down the things you're grateful for to see all of your blessings. Though, I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes I take things for granted. I'm doing my best to be thankful for all of the good in my life. So, today, I’m choosing to give thanks for all of the things.

 

Cloudy days: We’ve had two days of cloudy skies this week. Then one morning we woke up to thunder and rain. And on another we had some drizzle for a few hours. I absolutely love when cold fronts blow in and I’m happy we’ve gotten some nice weather this week. It's much appreciated.

Dresses: They seem to be the only things that fit me. So, I’m grateful to have a lot of them in my closet right now. I was never a big fan of dresses before, but these days I’ll take anything comfortable and breathable.

Extended warranty: Recently, I had to take my vehicle to the shop due to an electrical issue. I know, I just got it. Thankfully, we purchased the extended warranty so we weren’t out a lot to get the issue fixed. After 6- days, she was finally ready to pick up. And let me just say, there’s something that feels so right about getting to drive your own vehicle again.

Chocolate cake: I NEED to cut back on my sugar intake, but it is so hard when all I crave is random food and chocolate. Recently, a co-worker made me German Chocolate Brownies, and a week later a lovely chocolate cake. Of course, I have shared with others. But in all honesty, if I had allowed myself, I could have eaten both of those all by myself.

Nature Sounds: So, my normal at the moment is getting awful, inconsistent sleep. And while I enjoy ASMR videos before bed, lately I’ve been more into Pink (or brown & green) Noise and Nature Sounds. I search on YouTube for one I like and flip my phone over on the window seal for the night. While I don’t stay asleep the entire night, these help me to get some short deep rest. And they help me to fall back asleep faster after I’ve woken up. It’s wreaked havoc on my “screentime” numbers, but sometimes you gotta go what you gotta do.

And that wraps up my gratitude post for this month. What are you grateful for today? This week? This month? What do you do to help bring some positivity back into your day if it's been a bad one? How do you make sure to stay grounded? How was your Halloween? Are you in an area that’s been getting cooler temps, or snow? Or are you like us in Texas and experiencing a lot of heat? Let me know below. Until the next post, I hope you have a wonderful night! Adios!

“Spend time with those who value you.” // Unknown 

❤

Wordless Wednesday