Highlights and Happenings in November: One Sentence a Day

 I feel like November just flew right by! Between prepping for the holidays, shuttling Evan to driver's ed. twice a week, planning a last minute vacation (well it FEELS last minute), and sorting through all the college stuff with Alec the weeks have been going by at warp speed. 

1. After the gym with my mom and school with Evan we ended up debating about going for a hike; it looked like rain so we opted to stay home (so of course it never rained) and I worked a lot on getting ahead with my blog posts.  Alec got his first college acceptance (complete with a substantial merit scholarship)! 

2. Our new stove was delivered in the morning and then Evan and I headed out for a short hike after lunch. 

3. My mom and I went to the gym again then Evan and I finished up his math book before heading out for a hike around the Thompson Dam. 

4. I spent my Saturday morning in the kitchen making a large salad, baking some banana bread and prepping food for dinner. I spent my afternoon reading, then put the first coat of spackle on our hallway wall before ending my evening going for a RZR ride with my husband. 

5. Ian and my husband left in the wee hours of the morning (think 2:30 or so!) to go deep sea fishing and since I never went back to sleep I was so incredibly tired all day. Alec headed off to work and Evan eventually convinced me to go for a hike; the fresh air felt good.  I did finally manage to nap in the afternoon. 

They caught a lot; my freezer is full of fish for the winter!

6. After a short day of school with Evan I worked on sanding the walls and got the final coat of spackle up on the walls. 

Alec made a salt dough cornucopia at school

7. My mom and I went to Curves, then I went to Home Depot to pick up paint, and Market Basket for groceries so it was nearly 10 by the time I stopped to eat breakfast. Once I got all showered and dressed, Evan and I headed out for a hike; it was in the 60's and so nice out. 

I even broke out my flip flops for the afternoon!

8. I met my mom at Curves, ate breakfast & worked on school with Evan then headed out to get my haircut; we ended the night with takeout when the pot roast I put in the crock pot still wasn't finished by dinner time. My husband and I spent our evening looking at various cruise options. 

9. After school with Evan I called the travel agent and got a Celebrity cruise to the Caribbean in the planning stages. I spent my afternoon getting my Christmas cards 75% finished. 

10. No school for the boys since it was Veterans Day weekend so Evan, Alec and I met my mom for lunch at New York Pizza Co.  In the afternoon I finished up all 42 of my Christmas cards and did just a bit of online shopping so I can say I am officially started my Christmas shopping. 

turkey club wrap with sweet potato fries

Sunset on the lake

11. I spent a good portion of my day painting the boys' bathroom; we love the new color! 

We ended our night with brownie sundaes-- after all it was National Sundae Day

12. I started my Sunday at the grocery store and spent my afternoon reading, making cards, and working on the blog. 

13. Curves with mom, school with Evan, lots of errands being run and then I spent my afternoon on the phone with the travel agent booking our cruise. 

14.  Evan and I went hiking right after he finished up his schoolwork and I spent the afternoon painting the hallway wall; I was so relieved the new color looks just like the old one so I only had to paint the 1 full wall and not all of them.

leftover lasagna casserole with some roasted eggplant added in

15. Gym with my mom, school with Evan, a walk on the river trail and a quiet afternoon reading.  We ended our night going to our first ever parent/teacher conferences!  (I know it's odd to have a senior and never have done them before but he was homeschooled and then conferences were virtual for 2 years and we never managed to get a slot last year-- each teacher gets 16 slots to cover all the classes they teach for all 4 grades). 

while we knew he had been accepted; his official packet arrived in the mail today

16. Thursday I spent my morning baking up some blueberry boy bait (recipe here), then after working on school with Evan I laid around reading and finishing up my book.  Once Alec was home I ran both of them to the post office to drop off their passport applications and then Evan and I headed out to his driver's ed. class and I went to my husband's work where we spent our night planning our shore excursions for the cruise. 

It warmed up enough for flip flops!!

17. Friday my mom and I went to the gym then Evan and I headed out hiking with our friends before stopping at the orchard and the library. He had an extra driver's ed class to make up for Thanksgiving next week so my husband and I decided to go out to dinner while he was at class.

Bigelow hollow

Rice cakes and peanut butter for lunch with veggies and apples

I wore a new dress for date night-- it was pretty comfy

18. We were up early and my husband I went grocery shopping then the whole family pitched in to clean the whole house. 

19. I spent a lazy Sunday in my craft room making up some gift card/money holders for my nieces and nephews for Christmas, I managed to read a lot of my latest book, and even took a nap in the afternoon. 

20. Gym with my mom (where we talked about doing away with traditional gift giving and doing a Yankee swap instead), school with Evan, and Alec got his second (and final) college acceptance (again with a substantial merit scholarship).

21. Gym with my mom, school with Evan, and then I spent much of my day reading my book. After a quick dinner I dropped Evan off at driver's ed and went to my husband's work where we finished up our Christmas shopping. 

22. Gym with my mom, then home to see Evan off for his first official driving lesson, Alec had a 1/2 day and began work on some rolls for Thanksgiving while I rearranged some furniture in our dining/living room to make room for all the leaves in the table. 

I never even changed out of my gym clothes! 

23. Thanksgiving was a fun and easy day with a bit of cooking, some reading, some  TV watching and lots and lots of eating.  We had my mother, step-father, and mother in law over and ended our night watching Elf. 

24. Ian headed off to work, Alec and my husband headed off to help Alec's karate teacher move her studio so I decided to tackle a little bit of decorating; we're not putting up much this year but just enough for the house to feel festive. In the evening the moms (and my stepfather) came back over for leftovers and movie night. 

25. I went shopping for and made a gift for Alec's karate teacher (since he's not moving to the new studio with her & it's just getting to be too much with senior year and his job). Then my husband and I went grocery shopping. 

26. I spent the day trying to swap everything over from my old laptop to my new one, watching movies with my husband, and doing all the laundry. 

27. Gym with my mom, school with Evan, errands and a lovely hike.  It "warmed up" to nearly 50 so I felt like we HAD to get out and take advantage! Alec had his last karate class after dinner. 

28. I re-did my nails, worked on schoolwork with Evan, and then the two of us dropped by Panera for lunch together before going to the grocery store to pick up more salad fixings. I spent my afternoon making a salad and then dropped Evan off at driver's ed. 

29. Started my day off at the gym with mom, worked on some schooling with Evan, and then spent my afternoon blogging and reading. 

30. Evan and I had plans to meet up with friends to go hiking in the morning so we skipped school for the day and stopped by the library on the way home.  We found Alec already home after spending his morning working through school.  I locked myself in my room and got all my wrapping done (well, for those gifts that have come in already anyway). 

Linking up with: Spread the Kindness,