An Attitude Of Gratitude

It is cold outside!!!!!!!! As I write this, my feet are freezing in my socks, my window is covered in water droplets, and the weather is absolutely glorious!!!! It's the best thing about fall. I've pulled out several of my cold-weather clothing items already and more will make their appearance this month, I"m sure.

I try to cultivate a thankful spirit all year long, but with November being the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, I make extra effort. I pulled out my One Thousand Gifts devotional again last month and have been starting to write down blessings in there again. It had been WAY too long since I recorded anything.

One thing I'm very grateful for is the opportunity to go visit my "nieces & nephews" in Nebraska and meet new baby girl!!!!! I'm getting antsier the closer it gets but I cannot wait to see them all again. Video chat is nice but it's not the same as hugs and snuggles from little kids.

I have a goal for this winter to start trying to streamline some things. I am going to be finding systems and software that will allow me to deliver excellent customer service and not have anything dropping through the cracks as I move and start farm life next year! I am realizing that it's time to start letting some things be automated and that it's okay! I want everything to go through my hands, but that is not realistic anymore.

In a normal year, I'd be very excited for the release of the next Keeper of the Lost Cities book, but she is not releasing one this year :( However, there is another Ascendance book that just came out! I can't wait to get it!

Ready to celebrate everyday in November?

November 1st - National Authors' Day. We love them, even when they drive us crazy and kill our favorite characters, and don't write nearly fast enough, but life would be boring without them. They definitely deserve to be celebrated!
November 2nd - National Deviled Egg Day. I do not like mustard or pickles but I love my Grammy's deviled eggs which have both things in the yolk mixture! Her deviled eggs are the best!
November 3rd - National Sandwich Day. My new favorite kind of sandwich is a hot tortilla sandwich. Kind of a flatbread idea. Yum.
November 4th - National Candy Day. If you still have Halloween candy left, eat an extra piece today.
November 5th -  National Doughnut Day. Because we don't have enough sweets this time of year! My favorite doughnuts are blueberry, double chocolate, and sour cream.
November 6th - National Nachos Day. My dad calls nacho cheese "nuclear cheese". It's so bad for you but strangely so good. I don't want to know what it's actually made of :)
November 7th - Daylight Savings Time Ends (2021). Love it or hate it, here we go. Do you know who the first person was to actually suggest DST? (And do you know what movie I'm quoting there too?)
November 8th - National Parents As Teachers Day. Your parents are your first teachers and, as a homeschooler, they were my primary teachers as well.
November 9th - National Louisiana Day. I haven't done most of the states because there is usually something more fun but occasionally there is nothing else to celebrate!
November 10th - National Forget-Me-Not Day. I think it is interesting to have a flower celebration in November.
November 11th  - Veterans' Day. We can never celebrate them enough and we can best honor their many sacrifices by not giving up what they fought so hard to protect.
November 12th - National Chicken Soup For The Soul Day. I'll be honest, I've never read a Chicken Soup For The Soul book but they amuse me greatly. There is one for almost any kind of person you can think of!
November 13th - World Kindness Day. It's always good to bring kindness to the top of our minds. How can you do something kind today?
November 14th -  National Family PJ Day. My family has never done the matching pajama thing but I think it is such a fun idea! You could all put on your pjs and watch a movie together in the evening!
November 15th -  National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. My mother has made this a semi-regular chore but before she did that, our refrigerator probably didn't get cleaned out even once a year. Now, that's not to say we had moldy food in it, but now it stays clean.
November 16th - National Button Day. I remember playing with my Oma's button collection growing up. The variety of buttons that exist are astonishing! And old buttons can be very ornate and made out of fun materials.
November 17th - National Homemade Bread Day. I'm still learning the art of homemade bread but kneading bread is quite therapeutic. Give it a try sometime! If you need a good recipe, let me know.
November 18th - Mickey Mouse Birthday. An iconic piece of American lore. My friend can do a great Mickey Mouse voice and laugh.
November 19th - National Play Monopoly Day. We played with our cousins a few months ago and it was first time in a long time, because usually Monopoly games take days to complete.
November 20th - National Adoption Day (2021). There are so many children in this world who need loving families. We need to work to help families who want to adopt and encourage more families to participate in this life-changing work.
November 21st - National Gingerbread Cookie Day. I love gingerbread, but I wait to bake mine until December. My friend's recipe with some white royal icing.... yum!
November 22nd - FREE DAY. There was nothing good for this day so feel free to invent your own thing to celebrate.
November 23rd - National Cashew Day. Cashews are my favorite nuts. They're so soft and moist and delicious. Just don't trick me with unsalted ones. They must be salted.
November 24th - National Jukebox Day (2021). This can be an educational day for your kids to learn what a jukebox even is :) I wonder if A&W restaurants still have them.
November 25th - National Play With Dad Day & THANKSGIVING!!! Since this day falls on Thanksgiving, maybe it's more of a "Take A Nap With Dad" day :)
November 26th - National Day of Listening & You're Welcomegiving (2021). We could all listen more, I'm sure. And I had to include You're Welcomegiving because that is hilarious!!!
November 27th - Small Business Saturday. We appreciate your support on this day and all through the year!
November 28th - National French Toast Day. I consider French Toast as even better than pancakes or waffles and that's mostly because we got it so much more rarely. My friend's mom used to make it when we had a sleepover and we would put stencils over the bread and shake powdered sugar on top to make sugar pictures on our breakfast! It was fun and tasted so good.
November 29th - Electronic Greetings Day. Do you remember the days of e-cards? Is that even still a thing? They were fun.
November 30th - National Personal Space Day. Everyone needs their space from time to time.