If you’ve spent any amount of time around here, you know that one of my life mottos is “everything in moderation” (thanks, Dad!). In general, I think it’s healthier, more sustainable, and more enjoyable to stick to a middle road than lurch to an extreme.

But sometimes, if you’ve been indulging more than usual, keeping everything in moderation necessitates a brief period of fasting. On that note, you’ll see that one of my November goals is to abstain from dessert (except on two special days!). I’m feeling in need of a little reset, and hoping this will do the trick! Everything else I have planned should be a breeze compared to that :)

P.S. I love using the PowerSheets to track my professional goals (and sometimes personal ones, too). The new collection went on sale last week and it is awesome! The one year goal planners will likely sell out before the new year, so scoot over and get yours soon if you’d like one for 2018.

What I read in October:
— Red Rising (Re-read this one in preparation for reading the third book in the trilogy — it’s been a few years, and I wanted a character and plot refresh before diving in!)
— The Secret Keeper (Valerie’s recommendation – so good!)
— Books I’m reading throughout the year: The Power of a Praying Wife and The Lifegiving Home

Revisiting my goals for October:
Start my work-from-home days with Bill Hybel’s prayer journaling practice (So I actually only did this once… yikes. The weird thing is, though, it was notably moving and impactful that one day I did it! Definitely something I want to continue incorporating whenever I can.)
Have a magic eraser party all over our house (Yes! They really are magic!)
Re-color code book shelf (Yes! You can see a little peek here, but basically, instead of going in normal rainbow order I started with white on top, then blues and greens, then yellows and oranges, then reds, then blacks, to lighten the overall look up a little.)
Spruce up our bedroom dresser (Yes! Nothing really worth showing, but I streamlined it as much as possible and added a silver frame with a snap from our last session with Nancy.)
Organize our pantry (Going on the November list!)
Host the fifth annual pumpkins and soup party in our backyard (Yes! Post here.)
Come up with something fun for June’s Halloween costume! (See the shining light!)

November goals:
— Vote!
— Organize our pantry
— Cozy up our guest bedrooms and upstairs bathroom in prep for Christmas visitors
— Sort through all the “to be framed/hung” pieces in the loft and DO SOMETHING WITH THEM
— Find general practitioners for John and myself and make appointments
— Post gift guides before Black Friday (this is earlier than I usually do them, but if I’m recommending you front load your shopping on Black Friday, I figure I should give you my picks before then!)
— File all paperwork in blue room (I pretty much just dump any paperwork we need to keep on our guest room desk throughout the year — this will be my once-a-year filing session :))
— Abstain from dessert (except for the launch party and Thanksgiving)
— Start a life list book (something I’ve wanted to do for awhile – I love this idea so much! I’ll probably write about ours more once I get it started!)

Friends, I’d love to hear: What would you like to see in my gift guides? Who do you need suggestions for? What price point is most helpful? Right now I’m thinking of doing one for boys, one for girls, one for ladies, one for men, and a surprise category, plus my own personal wish list, but I’m open to suggestions! Maybe one for grandparents??

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