I’m not sure why the end of the month always sneaks up on me, but I swear I glance at the calendar and it arrives before I’m ready every. single. time. Oh well. We had a good month full of celebrations and time with family and friends. There will be lots of fun to continue next month as well. Here is our November Life Lately and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
-
The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb
Tess Bell is renovating her old family home into a bed-and-breakfast. As the house’s restoration commences, a shuttered art studio is revealed. It raises disturbing questions for Tess, sparking nightmares and igniting in her an obsession to unearth the truth around their origins. I liked Tess and the setting and plot. I think the mystery could have been developed a little more. 3.5/5
-
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol. Rostov has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room. This book was on my reading list for a while. I am happy I finally read it. This book was fascinating and I absolutely loved the characters. The author described them so well and developed their personalities throughout the book. 5/5
-
Ghost House by Sara Connell
This series of “modern feminist ghost stories” explores the line between magic and reality and all the ways women can be haunted, and redeemed. I normally like to get immersed in a longer story, but I really liked each of these well-written, creative stories! You get a really feel for the characters and wonder about their future. I think my favorite was Unending Day. This book was spooky, dark, thought-provoking, and moody. 4.5/5
-
Praesidium by McKinley Aspen
Kathryn Bek gets the chance of a lifetime: a job offer right out of college; but all is not what it seems. Before long, Kathryn and her new team are thrown into a world of mystery, murder, and the supernatural as they fight to stop the Paolucci Crime Family. The plot was a unique twist on supernatural content and moved quickly as the team worked to thwart one plan after another. However the love story wasn’t believable to me. Also there were several references to pop culture, products, and technology that were not in existence in 1991 (Tazo tea, checking email on phones, Hogwarts), or at least not mainstream. It would make more sense set 10 years later. 3/5
Products I’ve Tried
- Skincare Party Box- I tried this earlier this month and thought it was packed full of goodies! What sets this box apart is that they include products from a diverse selection of brands including small businesses, up-and-coming players and larger well-known brands. The Skincare Party Box focuses on spotlighting minority and woman owned brands. They love including products that are natural, cruelty-free, and affordable.
- The Potion Studio- I was sent this to try out and liked it so much I included it in my gift guide this year. These products are really nice and I absolutely love the scent. My favorite so far is the leave in conditioner. It works so well and smells so nice.
- The Popcorn Factory- I served this at Avie’s birthday party and it was GONE! Everyone loved the chocolate and peanut butter flavored kind.
- Scentsicles– I got some Scentsicles to try out and I wish I had them years ago! I hung 6 on my tree (they come in a pack of 6) and my entire room smells so good and Christmas-y. I really like the Christmas Tree scented one. It smells like balsam fir.
- Sorme makeup– I received some makeup from Sorme to create a holiday look, but I’ve been reaching for it everyday. The palette is just perfect for an everyday look and the lipstick is really moisturizing.
Recipes I’ve Made
- Oreo Cream Filled Brownies– These are a sheet pan brownie-type cookie that you cut in half and spread cream frosting between. Very sweet, but a nice take on a whoopie pie.
- Cheesy Hamburger Potato Soup– This was really good! Very easy and tasty.
- Thai Chicken and Cabbage Skillet– I really liked this one, too. We added some sriracha for some spice.
- Chocolate Pretzel Peanut Butter Squares– I make somewhat similar Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars with graham crackers. These were crunchier and had a little salty flavor from the pretzels. They were good!
Family Update
- Avie- Well she is officially a whole handful now! This girl turned 5 this month! She had a lot of fun at her sprinkles themed party and attending the parties of several friends. Avie chose a waffle bar and it turned out really well. I used brown butcher paper underneath so I could write labels of all the toppings. Then Avie and Claire helped to decorate the paper with round stickers to look like sprinkles.
- Claire- Claire took some time off her freestyle and tried a 100m backstroke. She is working on getting those tricky turns down. We had her parent/teacher conferences before Thanksgiving and she is doing well in school and even earning an A in her accelerated math class!
- Me– I completed the Hot Cider Hustle and got 1st place in my age group again! This coming weekend I have a 5K that I’ll be doing as well. Gotta love that fall running weather. We also were able to have our niece stay for a night while my sister and brother-in-law attended a wedding in Chicago. It was her first overnight without them and she was a rockstar. It was fun to have her and Claire and Aveline really enjoyed it, too.
- Matt- Matt kicked Thanksgiving’s butt with an amazing turkey and ham that he smoked. They were truly the centerpieces of the Thanksgiving table and so delicious! It’s really nice to not have that on my to-do list for the holiday.
NOVEMBER GOALS Recap
This month was so busy! I’m actually shocked that I accomplished my goals. Going through all of these really made me feel much better about this month.
- Order Christmas cards- Done. Now for the addressing.
- Take in boots for repair- Done! I used the DSW service and dropped them off at the beginning of the month. Now the boots will be sent back after they are repaired.
- Plan a date night– Done! We had one on Sunday. My in-laws stayed for Thanksgiving and gave us a night out at Gajin in downtown Chicago. They serve Japanese pancakes. SO TASTY!
- Sight words flashcards for Avie– Done! She’s been practicing them at school and at home when we have time.
- Make an appointment for a haircut- Done! I had an appointment Monday and my hair feels and looks so much better.
December Goals
- List 10 more items on Poshmark– I have a growing pile!
- Get Claire a flu shot- Avie and I already have ours, I need to get Claire in for hers now.
- Take an afternoon for myself- I have a book I’d like to read or massage or something similar I’d like to pamper myself with. We have so much already done for the season it would be nice to reward myself that way.
- Look into passports for girls– We are thinking about booking a trip to Ireland in the summer so it would be good to start the passport process for the girls now. Claire’s needs to be renewed and Avie doesn’t have one.
- Continue speed workouts- I started trying to incorporate speed work like tempo runs, into my weekly workouts. I’d like to continue that.