Fall is almost but a memory. I'm looking ahead to winter because having 4 inches of snow on the ground gives me the right. I will soon be consumed with all things Christmas so I thought paying my final respects to autumn seemed appropriate. Did you know Thanksgiving is next week? I did, but I didn't! Tonight I worked on my menu and wrote out all of my lists. There's a lot of prep that goes into that production! Want to know what I'm thankful for? A husband that smokes the turkey so that I don't have to cook it. Amen.


We brought in our outside chairs for the season. This bench is also new to me and I painted the dining room table. Again. But then I never got around to distressing and sealing it so that was kind of a Jen-fail. I love the renewed need to nest that comes with each season. The embracing of the changes to the way I cook, decorate and live.


I loved this idea until I came home this weekend from a trip to Missouri to find that one of my cats had decided that freshly pressed napkins in a dough bowl made a cozy bed. I love cats but I don't love cats on the dining room table. This has since moved and the guilty party has been properly chastised. He doesn't even look sorry, does he?


In little more than a week it will be time to focus on my favorite time of the year. I've decided not to let myself get caught up in the stress of trying to do everything. I got a jump start on the shopping, making and wrapping. I'm giving myself permission to have an empty calendar, to not have a house full of homemade Christmas cookies, perfectly wrapped presents, handcrafted decorations and gifts for all of my friends. I do plan to practice random acts of holiday kindness with my family, go to a real Christmas tree farm, see Elf the Musical, go to the movies and make a gift for each of my girls. I really hope to live December as slowly and fully as possible and hopefully set the pace for next year.