November!

Is anyone else out there saying ‘whoa! How can it be November already??’ Well I sure am! This year has FLOWN!

November for me is a time to remember all we have to be thankful for. Of course, that is something we should do all year long, but when November comes around we tend to practice the habit of giving thanks even more. I feel like choosing to see all that we have is a good time in leading up to the Christmas season. So by choosing to see how very blessed we are all month long in November, hopefully we can eliminate some of the ‘I gotta have that!!’ of December. It also helps us remember those less fortunate than us and find ways to give to others during the holiday season.

We have been very busy lately. We took last week off as a fall vacation and spent some time in the mountains in New Hampshire. We did A LOT of hiking and saw so much of God’s beautiful creation. It was truly a time of being refreshed and we are so grateful for the time.

{don’t you love how this tree is smiling at you?!}

We then had SNOW in OCTOBER this past weekend – craziness, I tell ya! It was SO weird last night to Trick or Treat with snow on the ground! At our house we don’t have much, but many others in our state are still without power. Not a good time to lose power with it being so cold – and once again we are ever grateful that we never lost power and have a warm home to sleep in every night.

We had a blast at our friend’s house last night – first gathering for a fun potluck / Halloween party, then heading out to trick or treat. I’m pretty sure there were about 40 of us in all and it was a great time. I’m thankful that we have the freedom to choose what we feel is best for our children as I saw many things on Facebook making it seem like those who celebrate Halloween are ‘less holy’ than those who avoid it. I chose to keep my mouth shut on there, but this is my blog and I will say what I wish on here. My only comments on this topic is that we ALL choose things for our kids and we ALL have opinions on what is OK or not. Thankfully the Lord gives wisdom and allows us freedom to make those choices. So I guess what I’m saying is ‘to each his own’.

For the next several weeks I’m going to join with my mother in law and a group of her friends in a ‘gut-melting’ challenge. Sounds interesting, right? LOL Well, here are the particulars: Each day you are to consume ALL 8 of these foods listed below. {Substitutes are listed in the brackets}

1. Spinach {kale, bok choy, romaine}

2. Yogurt {kefir, soy yogurt}

3. Tomatoes {tomato juice, watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya, guava}

4. Carrots {sweet potato, pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow pepper, mango}

5. Blueberries {purple grapes, prunes, raisins, strawberries}

6. Black Beans {peas, lentils, pinto, kidney, fava, lima}

7. Walnuts {almonds, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia, hazelnuts}

8. Oats {quinoa, flax seed, wild rice}

Doesn’t sound too hard, right? Right now I’m eating my morning oatmeal with some walnuts and raisins in it {and a bit of Blueberry Agave}. So right there I’ve tackled 3 of the items on the list for the day! The point is to learn to eat the whole rainbow of foods every single day. And since it takes 21 days to cultivate a habit, this challenge will go on for the first 21 days of November. I always LOVE the holiday season but I cannot afford to gain any more weight this season, so this will be a good kick start for me in choosing good habits.

And the LAST thing I want to mention today is this … Thanksgiving and Christmas are almost upon us. It can be a stressful time for many people. I want to encourage you to plan NOW and even prepare NOW as much as you can so that the holidays can be filled with JOY and PEACE. It’s not too early to begin shopping, baking, getting Christmas cards ready. My goal has always been to have all my tasks done by the 2nd week of December so that I can enjoy the last 2 full weeks with my family just enjoying the season. This year I feel like we will be busier than usual so I am going to start planning even now and hope to have most stuff done even earlier.

{and now enjoy some fall pictures from our recent adventures…}

Have a wonderful week friends!!!