Happy November!  It seems to me every year that my days grow increasingly packed as we get into the thick of the autumn season.  I mentioned in my last WIR that Halloween feels like the kick-off of the holiday season to me, so it makes sense that there is more to do in any given day, considering the flurry of activity that starts to swell from now through mid-February in our family.  This busy bee loves it!  Between juggling three YouTube channels, three websites, and all of my social media platforms as well as holiday planning, prep, gatherings, and travel, my days are indeed filled to the fullest!  Of course, I think it’s important to find time to enjoy the special moments of life, both big and small, no matter how busy things can get.  There’s something about the last quarter of the year that really grabs my attention in this way.

Fall’s Fading Beauty

I love being outside and fall is a special reminder for me to savor moments enjoying fresh air and nature before the weather turns from warm to chilly and the sky from blue to grey.  After dilly-dallying for all of a gloriously beautiful October, fall now seems to be picking up the pace with the leaves falling quickly in our neighborhood and the flower annuals fading fast.  I took photos of our own garden just a week ago at their peak and they’ve now started to brown thanks to overnight frosts.  The leaves on my favorite tree this year in the neighborhood are suddenly half gone.  It is a poignant reminder of the cyclical nature of life.  Nothing is permanent, but everything returns anew and slightly different.

More Fall Treats

I have been enjoying the sweet (literally!) moments of fall as well, including the return of more favorite seasonal hot beverages.  I love being able to create these taste treats at home where I can control what precisely goes into them.  One of my favorite fall indulgences is a tasty Cinnamon Plum herbal tea from Rishi that I steep in local apple cider instead of water.  I also recently figured out how to make a decadent and frothy green tea latte at home using my Bialetti hot chocolate maker.  Although I’m trying to eat less sweets myself, I do enjoy baking for my friends and family whenever I have an opportunity.  I recently whipped up a batch of chocolate chip cookies that I took out to my Grandma for a visit, who might just have an even bigger sweet tooth than me!  I shared this recipe during my Holiday Baking Series last year.  I changed it up a bit my replacing the M&M’s with peanut butter chips with great results.  It’s such a blessing for me to be able to share home baked goodies with my Grandma who first taught me how to bake when I was just a little girl.

A Spooktacular Halloween

Halloween has officially come and gone.  I celebrated with a spooky-themed bath earlier in the week using one of my favorite seasonal bath bombs from LUSH called The Enchanter while watching Halloween tutorials on YouTube and sipping tea out of my favorite ghost mug.   I guess that’s my adult version of Halloween treats!  Don was away on a business trip for the day itself, so Winnie & I headed over to my SIL’s house to help hand out candy there and hang out with the family.  That little ruffly tush is my niece, Grace!  She is 5 months old and amazingly gets cuter every time I see her, which seems impossible because she’s always the cutest!  It was pouring rain for the majority of trick-or-treating hours and I felt so sorry for the kids getting soaked, but they didn’t seem too fazed by it.  I guess the promise of free candy makes a walk in the rain seem not so bad after all!

The Handbag Charity Auction Is Live!

The biggest news of the past week is that I launched my Handbag Charity Auction.  I could not be any more excited about this and the response I’ve received already is blowing me away!  You guys are amazing and I’m so happy to be sharing this kind of fundraising experience with you.  You can check out my post about it here for links to all of my listings, a video sharing what’s up for auction, and a description of the charity I chose to support.

I wish all of you a very happy start to the month and hope that you’re finding ways to savor the special moments both big and and small amidst the hubbub of everyday life.  Take care!