October 2026 goals

Invariably, the words I write at the top of my PowerSheets each month are some variation on “This time is yours to enjoy.”

This, apparently, is the reminder I need month after month – not a reminder to work harder or do more, but a gentle (yet insistent) remix of my grandmother’s “I just tried to enjoy them.” In the swirl of work, and distractions, and travel, and daily responsibilities, and evenings, and mornings, and after-school afternoons, it is the call that most resonates with me: to look around. To notice. To delight. To enjoy the imperfect abundance all around me, and to reflect gratitude to the one from whom all blessings flow.

I am extending that offering to you this month, too. Happy October, friends!

On my calendar:
— The 11th anniversary of Articles Club! We’re celebrating at my house and discussing Dolly Parton and legacy with fancy Southern foods and I can’t wait.
— Our annual fall mountains trip — this year to Brevard!
— A campout in our backyard for our church community group! We went back and forth on dates and waited too long to book at our local campsite, so our backyard it is, ha. What we lack in lakeside location we make up in cleaner bathrooms, I suppose?

What I’m loving right now:
— Have y’all heard of Any Human Ever? Click the button to draw a random life from the over 100,000,000,000 people who have ever lived and learn what year they were born, where they lived, and a brief sketch of their life. Really, really interesting.
— And underrated seasonal activity: mini wooden puzzles! My in-laws have given us one or two for the last few years and they are so fun. All of the pieces are irregularly shaped and some are “whimsy pieces,” shaped to match the theme of each puzzle. We keep them out on the counter for each holiday and the kids love doing them while I cook dinner, while eating breakfast, etc. even though they’re geared toward adults. I just bought this one, this one, and this one! The price is really reasonable for the quality.
— I had a rare in-person shopping spree at J.Crew Factory recently and took home this dotted top and this very soft polo. It’s nice to shop in person! :) Added them to my closet here.

As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!

What you’re loving right now:

This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!

— Our final master bathroom accessory. Looks like a fancy rug, is actually a hardworking bath mat.
— Our Halloween candy bowl. Rifle does no wrong!
— These acrylic, magnetic photo frames. We’ve used them to hold ultrasounds in the past, and I just bought five more to hold photos of our past Halloween costumes. (The frames are double-sided, so five can hold ten years of costumes.) We have them lined up on our piano (above!) and it’s so fun to see them displayed.
— The book bedazzling supplies we ordered for June’s little gathering: gems, wax pencils, and extra glue.
— The tiniest white noise machine – perfect for traveling.

Last month on The Connected Family:
— Going fast and slow in childhood | Timing, as they say, is everything.
— The heart of a home | Our keys to marriage happiness in honor of our 14th anniversary.
— How we balance marriage connection with family togetherness | We’re after quality and quantity.
— What’s so great about family dinner? | And if it’s so great, what are we supposed to eat?

What I read in September:
— 5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family | I am a huge PYE stan and so grateful for all they do to keep kids safer online, and I heartily agree with the five-habit framework Chris outlines in this book. That being said, PYE’s bread-and-butter as an organization is comprehensive, constantly-updated parental control and tech guides, and that’s hard to capture in a book that’s printed at a point in time. This is still a great
— June Baby | Eh. I chose this book because it’s set on Block Island, a little-known enclave that holds a special place in my heart, but it didn’t deliver for me. The craft wasn’t high enough to support a book where not much happened, I guessed the “explosive family secret” from basically page one, and the main character frustratingly stayed stuck for 3/4 of the book. All in all, a pass for me.

My reading list for 2026! I’m 13 / 24 so far.

Revisiting my September goals:
Hang Annie’s curtains (Yes, but also I’m considering this a major fail. Custom curtains I failed to think through and measure accurately…)
Edit June in June (Done!! And, of course, reminded once again what a treasure these videos are.)
Film Sheptember
Make apple cider scones for the first day of fall
Sort and tag for the consignment sale
Tend to this month’s clutter spot: the second-floor bookshelf
Listen to Hold Me Tight with John (We listened to most of this on our anniversary road trip! The rest wasn’t as applicable to our season and relationship.)
Send invitations for a pumpkins and soup party
Buy a protective router (Didn’t get to this! Rolling over to next month.)
Design and order our 2020-2024 family photo album (Made progress but it’s taking more pre-work than I bargained for — I have to organize and cull three years of photos before I can get started...)
Clean out screenshots once per day (Big success!)
Strength train once per week (Also a success.)
Meet with our contractor about a potential screened porch

October goals:
— Edit Sheptember
— Finish gathering our Halloween costumes
— Make Halloween front porch ghosts with Shep
— Prep for and enjoy our pumpkin potluck
— Send care packages to our college babysitters
— Choose a light fixture for the kitchen island (so I can hopefully order on Black Friday :))
— Finish designing our 2020-2024 family photo album (also so I can order on Black Friday, ha)
— Buy a protective router
— Thoughtfully figure out Christmas gifting for my side of the family
— Hang our wedding landscape and guitar in the piano room
— Meet with a second contractor about our screened porch project

As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2026 PowerSheets goals!

Grateful for you, friends! Feel free to respond to anything I’ve mentioned here or anything else that’s on your mind.

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