Hello November

November is always such an interesting month in our lives. Lots of projects and ideas floating around, and never enough time to complete it all. Each November, I try to tackle NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) by writing at least 50,000 words during the month. It is a challenge every year. Some years I get several thousand words, but most years I don't get that far and end up giving up. I've "won" twice, with one of those being last year, so I'm riled up and ready to go for this year. I've been thinking about it for months and set up some Pinterest boards with character sketches and ideas. Another thing that I do every November is 30 Days of Gratitude. Being thankful every day for 30 days. This year, I volunteered to host the project at The Lilypad and provide guided (prompts) for the 30 days to help people create an album if they would like to.

   

 I'm also trying to improve my picture taking and photography. So...

   

 And I'm going to be hosting a monthly challenge at The Digital Press... BINGO! 

 Then there are all of the typical November things like Thanksgiving, shopping, errands, cleaning, and helping my grandma. Yikes. I think it is going to be a crazy-busy month for me. What about you???

30 Days of Gratitude

We just got back from Disneyland yesterday, and I could not believe how exhausted I was. I also couldn't believe that we'd just stepped into November. I always love October, but November is fun in a different way.

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) kicks off on November 1st of each year. I am sort of excited for it this year because I just took part in Novel in a Day last week, and it made me feel like I accomplished something, writing a fairly decent chapter in just a few hours. I realized that I might just be able to get a book finished at some point.

Digital Scrapbook Day is the first Saturday of November (so it fell on the first this year). So many fabulous things, so little time and money. My Paypal is screaming! Not to mention... the Lilypad has kicked off a new monthly subscription for pocket scrapping. Ugh. It is simply divine... and going to hurt my bank account. Seriously I am beginning to wonder if Laura (TLP owner) is trying to break me. Hahha.

AND I usually start my 30 Days of Gratitude practice in November. This year, I am also doing something different. I've signed up for a "detox" program through Rebelle Wellness so I can try to maintain some sanity from now on (I know... good luck with the whole sanity thing).

Just Jaimee released her November Storyteller (amazing kit). I love her kits because she includes fun page templates that make things so easy for me. And they are always chock full o' goodness. So many good things, I never get to use them all. But I managed to get a page spread done before we left for California last week. This is Week 44 from 2013. I am officially under the halfway mark for 2013! Only 25 weeks left to go. Bwahhahahahhaha. Maybe I can finish up 2013 before 2015 arrives and then I will only always be one year behind *wink wink*

Oh how I miss my furry friend. :( It has been five months since he died, and I'm still heartbroken. But I'm so thankful to have had him in my life.

Speaking of thankful...

Day 1: So glad to have arrived home after a crazy whirlwind trip to Disneyland and California Adventure. So thankful to be going to sleep in my own bed. So happy to be loving my sweet kitty (Isabella), and that the dogs were so happy to have us home. Also thankful that my mom watched out for them while we were gone AND she helped clean up the house too. Such a nice surprise.

Day 2: Thankful for an extra hour of sleep that came as a total surprise since we didn't know that daylight savings had ended. LOL. Grateful for a day to rest and recover after our trip. Glad to set aside a wee bit of time to write. Grateful for a home-cooked meal and all of the coziness of family.

So what are you up to this November?  Do you have any non-holiday traditions you participate in each year?

30 Days of Gratitude

It seems like life is super busy these days.  I don't think that we tend to glorify it in our house, but these are wise words to keep in mind. Sometimes we take for granted that we will have time to do the things we want to do.  There are no guarantees though, so we need to stop the busy-making and start some conscious living!

One of the ways I like to live a little more consciously is to participate in the 30 Days of Gratitude that happens in November.  I've been doing it for quite awhile now, and it is a great way to slow down, stop, and think about the things that you may take for granted at other times.  I usually keep track of mine on Facebook, so it is easier to remember and I can do it from virtually anywhere.  

Some things I've been grateful for in the past week...

Day 8 - Taking Kennedy to get a hot cocoa at Starbuck's. He was so excited and thought it was such a treat. He couldn't wait to get the order placed (and the line was over 15 cars long), and kept asking, "Are we there yet?". I really didn't want to wait in that line, but it was worth it when he had his little cup and was sipping away & enjoying it.

Day 7 - a cozy bed (aka the poppy field) when it is cold and super stormy out. 

Day 6 - Grateful that Jessica cooked dinner tonight. 

Day 5 - Thankful for my furry friend. #30daysofgratitude

Day 4 - Thankful for going to lunch with my grandma and then to massage therapy. Now off to get some writing done. 

Day 3 - Thankful for the Twisted Kilt's yummy corned beef sandwich... and a night of no cooking. 

Day 2 - Digital scrapbook day... lots of fun and sales. And I'm so lucky to be on the best creative teams and working with the coolest designers ever!!!

Day 1 - Thankful for Friday morning dance parties with Kennedy. 

#30daysofgratitude