Life may get busy and we may become stressed or feel overwhelmed, but looking back at the month of November, we had so many things to be thankful for. We were able to celebrate Aveline’s 6th birthday, family Thanksgiving, swim meets, and more! Here is our life lately November 2023 and what we have been up to.
Books I’ve Read
- When You Find Me by P.J. Vernon– Gray Godfrey wakes with a hangover and little recollection of the previous night. Her husband Paul is gone. Little by little she learns more of Paul’s secrets. This psychological suspense novel was very twisty, but kept my attention. 3.5/5
- Birds in Flight by Anni Taylor- The American Jorgenson family had been on a year-long road trip in Australia until the mother vanished one stormy night. 24 years later estranged sisters Iris and Lily finally team together to find the truth. I think the plot was very clever with all the twists and turns. 4/5
- The Loyal Wife by Natalie Barelli– Tamra tries to be the perfect wife to her husband, until she finds out that Mike is having an affair. So Tamra sets out for revenge. But when Tamra’s plan spirals out of control, she finds that things are not what they seem. Another dark and twisty book. I guess the suspense novels keep my attention when I go running better than other genres. I enjoyed it and was left surprised by parts of the ending as well. 3.5/5
- Higher Love by Alexandria House– Popular travel blogger, Greer Kennedy, is living the good life until she learns her fiancee has been cheating. She crosses paths with Derek Hill who is dealing with relationship problems as well. When their paths cross, they decide to share a night of anonymous pleasure. I liked the successful, straightforward characters, but there really wasn’t anything special about this book that grabbed me. I just needed something to listen to during a workout. 2.5/5
- The Drowned Woods by Emily Lloyd-Jones- Mer is the last living water diviner and has spent years running from the prince who bound her into his service. Then Mer’s old handler returns with a proposition: use her powers to bring down the very prince that abused them both. After how much I enjoyed a different book by this author, I knew I needed to read this one as well. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much, but it was still my favorite of the month. 4.5/5
Recipes I’ve Made
- Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake– This was the winner! We all enjoyed it so much and it was easy to make.
- Ham and Cheese Bread Pudding – I made this with leftover stuffing and ham from Thanksgiving. It was a good way to reuse the stuffing and quite tasty. I would recommend extra cheese if you make it though.
- Bourbon Apple Cider Cake– This was just ok. Personally, I thought the bourbon in the frosting was a bit too strong. Maybe next time I would make it with half bourbon and half cider.
Products I’ve Tried
- Sophistiplate– I have a personalized wooden cheese board from them that I love. But I haven’t tried their paper plates and utensils. I received some to try and used them for Aveline’s birthday party. What I liked about them was their sturdiness and their ability to layer different size plates for an elegant look. The utensils are also dishwasher safe. And yes, they do wash well. I’ve tried them several times. Everyone remarked how nice they look. I liked the easy clean up and I wasn’t stressed about anything breaking.
- Camille Beckman– I received a little bundle of Camille Beckman products to try out. I especially like the glycerin hand therapy. It deeply moisturizes and helps heal and restore dry, cracked skin to its original glory within one use. It’s been helping Aveline’s skin from getting too dry. I’ve found that applying it once or twice a day really helps her.
Currently
- Loving– I loved getting to meet the Blonde Squad ladies in Chicago 2 weekends ago. We were able to go out for drinks and dinner at Rose Mary (AHmazing!) and then did brunch and Spin Art the next day. It was a great time catching up and we all had fun. Use code THEBLONDESQUAD for 20% off your session!
- Buying- I feel as if buying things has become a second job for me. I always try to finish up Christmas gifts early so I’m really pushing myself to complete my purchasing soon.
- Preparing- Now that I am done preparing for Thanksgiving and done cleaning up from it, I’m in full-on Christmas mode. I was clearly in some kind of adrenaline haze last Friday and almost finished all the decorating in one day. That will likely never happen again. But I still have some shopping and the wrapping to do.
- Excited for- We are over-the-moon excited for our new nephew and godson born November 13. He is absolutely precious and we can’t wait to meet him! Hopefully Avie gets over her cold soon!
- Planning- We have many fun things planned this month like some away swim meets, family Christmases, and Claire turning 11!
- Family Update
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- Aveline– Poor kid has been STRUGGLING with a cold virus all month. We’ve taken her 3 times to the doctor because the coughing won’t stop. They finally gave her a steroid and inhaler and it seems to be helping. Prayers that she continues to get better because we are all over it. She still managed to enjoy her birthday month with her fancy tea party birthday. She also joined the church choir and leveled up in swimming lessons at Goldfish so she is at the highest level. Woohoo!
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- Claire- Claire has had a good month with some swimming time drops. She also got all As on her report card and a good parent-teacher conference. Claire has been busy with Girl Scouts, school choir, paper creations club, and swimming. She gets to start volleyball next week for a few weeks, too. (Don’t worry, we do NOT push her to do any of these, she wants to.)
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- Me- Work has been keeping me busy along with all the holiday prep. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we are always so grateful for the family that can attend. I’m looking forward to my last race of the season- a 5K this Sunday. Fingers crossed the weather will be ok!
- Matt– Matt has been busy with work lately and around the house lately. Thank goodness the leaves are all down so hopefully he gets a bit of a break from lawn work before major snow removal is needed. He smoked an amazing turkey for Thanksgiving again, too.
NOVEMBER GOALS Recap
- Organize basement- Not completed
- Get family photos taken– Done!
- Buy a purse- Done! Can’t wait for it to arrive.
- Have a good Thanksgiving- Big old checkmark here. It was a great time.
December Goals
- Re-do resin cutting board- I tried a resin cutting board craft this summer, but the resin didn’t cure. I want to try again.
- Organize basement- I was too busy with Thanksgiving and Christmas decorating in November, but I’m hoping to get it done this month.
- Organize Claire’s room- I’m hoping to go through and help Claire purge a few things.
- Start The Running Grave– This book is the next in the Cormoran Strike detective series and I’ve been waiting since September for a lull in our schedule to start it because I know I won’t want to put it down!
Check out my gift guide posts for help with your shopping too!
LINKING UP WITH WHAT’S UP WEDNESDAY, OVERFLOWING WITH THANKFULNESS, FIRST FRIDAY FINDS
