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November Already?!

November 7, 2022 By Mandy 13 Comments

Disclosure: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. I receive a small commission at no cost to you when you make a purchase using my link. View our disclosure policy here.

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I can’t believe that it’s November already!  It seems like this year is just flying by.  I certainly didn’t mean to miss posting last week, but it was just one of those weeks.  I’m sure we all have them.  Anyway, I’ll share what happened here to say that I got the end of October documented.

Wrapping Up Halloween

Halloween finally came to a close Monday evening.  I spent most of the Sunday afternoon before stuffing treat bags for trick-or-treaters.

Halloween candy for treat bags

I’ll admit we just dropped the ball here on how much candy we should have bought, but at the same time, I can’t hold myself to expecting to have candy for every child that passes through our neighborhood.  It’s in the high hundreds, and that can get quite expensive.  We had lots of candy last year to hand out, but I did 114 bags this year and called it good.  Those bags were gone in a matter of twenty minutes.  After that, we just turned off the light and shut the door.  I only had one kid to still ring the doorbell after that.  We saw lots of cute costumes, but it was so busy that I was a nervous wreck watching kids and cars constantly moving down the road.  I fear for their safety every year.  Most cars take it slow and are mindful, but kids are so fast!

Hello November

I took down my Halloween Beanie Babies and put up my lone Thanksgiving Beanie.

Plymouth Thanksgiving Beanie Babies

His name is Plymouth, and he’s quite cute!  I spent the day after Halloween taking down a few decorations.  That’s another thing; I haven’t gone all out on the Halloween decorations this year.  I couldn’t seem to get into it much this year.  In any case, that task was done, and now we have a couple more weeks to admire our fall decor until we put up our Christmas decor.  We always put the tree up on the day after Thanksgiving.  While most people are out battling for deals in the stores for Black Friday, we prefer to stay at home and enjoy the peace.

Mama’s Kitchen Renovation Progress

My mama’s kitchen is just about finished up.  The guy doing it has to come to touch up some paint on the ceiling and one other small thing I can’t remember.  As long as I lived in my parent’s house (24 years before I married), the kitchen always had wood paneling and cabinets.  Here is the before….please excuse the open cabinets and such.  Mom started taking pictures after the doors were removed.

kitchen before renovations

And here is a bit of the after.

kitchen after renovations

 

I am still floored that this is the same kitchen!  She let me pick out the granite countertop and backsplash.  We did have opposing views about the cabinet paint.  I would have gone with a white, but she liked this, so...it is her kitchen! Haha!  She also installed pot lights in the ceiling, which is amazing now.  No more fluorescent lighting.   In any case, she is now busy putting things back into the cabinets and getting rid of excess things she no longer needs.  She’s also in the market for a lighter-looking kitchen table to match the airy feel of the kitchen.  I’m just so glad she could do it, and I’m so glad she is enjoying it.

Blessing Box

One new thing I did this past week was to locate a Blessing Box in our town.

Blessing Box

It’s right near the college, which is nearby to us.  I have seen a couple of YouTubers mention these boxes.  It’s sort of like the Free Little Library boxes.  You donate food to the box, and whoever may be in need can take something.  I was surprised we had any of these boxes in our small town, but so glad we do.  I went through our pantry and donated a few items, and will do this periodically from now on.  If you’re interested in donating to one near you, you can locate a Blessing Box here.  This list will help you with what’s good to put inside a box and what to avoid because of the weather.  If you’re feeling adventurous and want to start or build one of your own, this Pinterest page has many ideas.  I normally do not share about charitable causes I contribute to, and I’m not doing this to toot my own horn.  I simply didn’t know these existed and had no idea one was so close to me.  I want to share in case someone else might be looking for a way they can help make a small difference to others.

Time & Weather Changes

The time change hasn’t bothered me much, but the weather has been dreary-looking.  We had rain on Saturday evening.  It’s just been cloudy this weekend and warm.  It was cool Sunday morning, but then just felt muggy later on.  Cloudy…no sun.  I think it has been affecting my mood.  I don’t know why this past week was so tough mentally for me.  Monday was ok, but then it just went all downhill from there.  I’m missing my work, missing my students, and just struggling to find a new rhythm.  I’m sure it will become easier as time passes, but it is what it is right now.  But enough of that.  I’ll leave you with this:

mama cat and kittens

Sweet Hershey Girl and two of her three kittens napping beneath the tree.  Kittens can always cheer me up.

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: beanie babies, fall

Comments

  1. Bless says

    November 13, 2022 at 8:00 pm

    Cute Thanksgiving bear! Your mom’s kitchen looks great after the renovation! White kitchen cabinets are hard to keep clean – seems like every spill and splash shows up (ask me how I know! 😀 )
    Loved that photo of the mommy cat with her kittens! So cute!

    Reply
  2. Maebeme says

    November 9, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    Goodness that’s a lot of trick or treaters. I bought for 45, and we had 19 kids show up!

    Kittens always make me smile too – they’re just a lot of fun. I do hope your health improves and you find a routine that works for you.

    Reply
    • Mandy says

      November 13, 2022 at 6:05 pm

      Thank you so much! I am so happy you stopped in! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Deb says

    November 8, 2022 at 6:40 pm

    Oh my gosh, I love your Thanksgiving bear!!!! And I love your mom’s updated kitchen too! My brother owns the house we grew up in, and he and his wife put a lot of work into updating areas of it, mainly the kitchen. It’s so weird every time I’m back in that house for family get-togethers or whatever, to see the new vs. memories of growing up.

    And now I’m caught up on reading your blog. =)
    Well, I didn’t go back and read everything, but did read your heart surgery posts, bits of 2021/2022, and then all of September until now. Sorry it took me so long to get over here and get to know you. Thank you for reading my blog.

    Reply
    • Mandy says

      November 13, 2022 at 6:06 pm

      Oh my goodness, Deb! You are so awesome to read so many of my posts!! I am so glad you stopped by. Your blog has become a favorite of mine!

      Reply
  4. Billie Jo Stoltz says

    November 7, 2022 at 7:20 pm

    Hello, my friend. I love your line about letting others shop while you stay home and decorate in peace! We do the exact same thing!! I love it! I imagine it is hard getting used to not doing a job you loved. I know you will find a schedule and rhythm that works for you soon. Have a cozy evening!

    Reply
    • Mandy says

      November 13, 2022 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks, Billie Jo! I know it will eventually get easier. I sure do appreciate your kind encouragement. Hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend as well! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Mari says

    November 7, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    We only had 2 trick or treaters here. They don’t come out to the country.
    Your Thanksgiving beanie is so cute!
    Your moms kitchen looks so nice!

    Reply
    • Mandy says

      November 13, 2022 at 6:26 pm

      Oh wow, Mari! 2 sounds so calming after what we experienced on Halloween! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ruth says

    November 7, 2022 at 5:32 am

    HI Mandy, your Thanksgiving beanie is just so cute. Your mum’s kitchen looks lovely and fresh after the renovation. I’m sorry to hear that you have had health issues and I do hope that with time things will become easier. Change can be so hard but it’s good to hear that you have put your health first. I’ll be praying for you as you go through this period of adjustment xx

    Reply
    • Mandy says

      November 13, 2022 at 6:24 pm

      Thank you so much, Ruth! I’m so happy you stopped in. I miss my students, but reading your posts about your Pre-K class is a happy read for me! My Pre-K class was one of my very favorites. They were so energetic and kept me on my toes! 🙂

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Happy Halloween! says:
    October 31, 2023 at 5:01 am

    […] for!  Our neighborhood gets absolutely slammed with so many kids!  Last year, I ended up doing 114 treat bags to hand out, but this year, I am only doing a little bowl full and holding back a few bags for my […]

    Reply
  2. Thanksgiving Eve says:
    November 23, 2022 at 7:33 am

    […] helping my mom downsize her kitchen wares and get her dishes and things back in the cabinets after her kitchen renovation.  She filled up several boxes of things, and one of my errands tomorrow will be to drop the boxes […]

    Reply

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