Considering it’s the last day of the month, I figured I’d best try to squeak this in before I break up my months-long streak of doing these!
I’ve felt super unmotivated to do pretty much anything productive since Thanksgiving, so today’s post isn’t terribly exciting. But I will give you a little peek at the fun Christmas decorating we’ve been doing, so there’s that!
Note: There are affiliate links to products and books mentioned below, which means I may get a small commission on any purchases made, at no extra cost to you.
Time I woke up: around 7 a.m., after snoozing my alarm. It’s always so hard for me to wake up in the morning when it’s still so dark outside!
First thing I did upon waking: Mathias came in to snuggle with me for awhile in bed, and then once Matt was out of the shower, I finally made myself get out of bed and took an extended potty break (mostly just to let my brain try and wake up).
Current weather: Surprisingly warm for the last day of November — it’s around 50 degrees and sunny. I’m actually really worried about the nice weather we’ve been having lately since some of my bulbs (which shouldn’t be poking up through the ground until spring) are already showing up! I’ve never actually really WANTED it to snow, but now I’m finding myself really, really praying for some!
Last 3 things I read (not on the Internet): Work Optional (which is currently on sale for just $1.99 on Kindle), Mitten Strings for God (trying to finish this up today), and The Lincoln Highway (I obsessively check for when Amor Towles will release something new, so I am ecstatic to have this book in my hands!). Normally I would have had a children’s book on this list, but I’ve been trying to fit more personal reading in now that I’m (mostly) on break from flower farming stuff, so I’ve been picking one up every chance I get during the day.
Last website I visited: David Austin Roses. I’ve never really been super into growing roses before, but when I discovered the hybrids from David Austin, I was immediately smitten. I seriously want to buy them all, but since they’re a bit pricey, I’m capping myself at 7 🙂 They’ll be too small to use in cut flower arrangements for the next year or two, but I think they’ll be awesome in June bouquets in a few years!
Last show I watched: a couple episodes of Psych. Matt and I have been watching an episode or two (reruns) of our favorite shows every day night before going to bed.
Last thing I said: I love you! Have a fun time! (To Mathias, as I dropped him off at preschool.)
Last out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened: I’ve been super budget conscious lately because we’re all fired up about working towards our long-term financial goals and budgeting for next year’s flower farming season, but I’m working hard this Christmas season to be more thoughtful about planning fun holiday-themed activities into our days, so I decided to do something different this year and buy some new Christmas picture books for the kids. I’m planning to wrap them up and put them underneath their little kids’ tree (that’s also on top of their bookshelf, coincidentally), and I’ll let them unwrap a new one every night for the next week. One thing I read lately about intentional spending is that sometimes, people mistake intentional spending for being absolutely 100% frugal in every category. I know that’s a trap I tend to fall into, just because I love the satisfaction that comes from seeing fast progress towards our financial goals. However, one thing that someone said is that with your intentional spending, think about the 3 top categories of spending that bring you the most pleasure. Now think about what would happen if you budgeted to spend 10x as much in those categories. Since books are something that bring us all joy and I value owning beautiful books that I know we’ll read and reread over the years, it’s something I’ve loosened my budget a little on this last year. And it’s been so fun! (In case you’re curious, these are the Christmas picture books I’ve ordered for the kids: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. I was pleased to find that most of them were being offered as part of an Amazon deal where you get $5 off of $20, so I ended up getting $40 worth of books for $30. I’ll take it!)
Last thing I ate: a handful of chocolate chips
Current whereabouts of other members of household: As I write this, it’s 1:50 p.m., and Matt’s at work, Raven is at school, Mathias is at preschool, Hyrum is napping, and the dog is in his kennel (presumably also napping).
What I was doing an hour ago: Editing photos for the end of year recap post for the blog (yep, I’m already working that far ahead, mostly just because I know how long posts like that take so I’ve been breaking it up into small pieces!).
What I’ll be doing an hour from now: Going through the usual hectic rush of picking both kids up from school, making sure their stuff isn’t thrown everywhere, and directing snack time. I’m also hoping to drop off my time card at the newspaper on my way home.
One thing I should be crossing off my to-do list today: We’re in the process of finishing up the last of the Christmas decorating, and one of the final things to do is the front porch. We still have 3 hay bales there from our fall display, which I’m going to try and get Matt to move for me when he gets home so that I can sweep the whole thing off and then put up the (artificial) garlands on the railing.
As always, I love it when YOU play along too, either by copying and pasting the prompts below into a comment or by doing your own blog post and tagging me so I can see it. Happy last day of November!
(post a picture of yourself right now)
Time I woke up:
First thing I did upon waking:
Current weather:
(post a picture of one thing you’ve done so far)
Last 3 things I read (not on the Internet):
Last website I visited:
Last show I watched:
Last thing I said:
Last out-of-the-ordinary thing that happened:
(post picture of something you’ve eaten today)
Last thing I ate:
Current whereabouts of other members of household:
What I was doing an hour ago:
What I’ll be doing an hour from now:
One thing I should be crossing off my to-do list today:
(post a picture of your home/apartment/room/location right now)
