Peek at My Week (Nov 24-30)

Did you finish November with a bang!? I feel like I might have. The hubs had the whole week off, and I spent it trying to balance work and fun. It worked out better than I had anticipated. 

First up, this week has been full of the leaves changing. Most dramatic has been my Japanese Maple. The leaves are falling now, and I expect it will be "bald" for the next few months. 

We worked on clearing some of the trails on Sunday before having lunch down by the bay. It was a slow afternoon, but we made the most of the Fall evening by trying to get our first fire of the season going.

Despite buying some firewood, the rest of the wood was slightly damp, so we had a hard time with it. But, it was nice to spend a little time outside.

After knocking out chores and working on my project for the SJ Honey Do List on Monday, Zoe and I took a walk through the newly cleared trails and checked out the ones that need to be cleared. I had spied quite a few of these ghost flowers the day before, but this bunch tucked into the mossy roots of a tree really got my attention.

Since I didn't want to stumble through the uncleared trails any longer, Zoe and I ventured down the street. Once again, my attention was drawn to something on the ground.

It's some sort of trash the neighbors had left out, and I believe it's the base to something. But, to me, it was a large button! I had to snap the picture. 

After a meatless dinner of fried rice and spicy peanut butter tofu, we went to the movies to see Doctor Sleep. Fun!

I started Tuesday well with a little solitude and sketching outside. 

Once again, I was drawn to the stunning color of the maple leaves.

I thought the day was going to go off without a hitch, and my list was thorough enough that it should have, but I was distracted. We had lunch out on the river then played some disc golf, so my plans fell to the wayside. Again, we he was on vacation. 

Wednesday was full of helping my mom prepare for our Thanksgiving feast. Most of my work was done then, so I had very little to do on Thursday.

It's always my job to open and slice the canned cranberry sauce - one of my grandmother's favorites. I also made some green beans but had few other responsibilities.

My niece's cat, Milo, was well-dressed for the occasion. 

Back at the house, we made another go at a bonfire.

Though it doesn't look it in this picture, we were much more successful with this one. 

On Friday, I looked forward to one of my favorite lunches: leftover turkey sandwiches! But, I kept myself busy with chores and began working on a project for a friend. 

I hope it comes together the way she's envisioning it. 

I worked on that project into Saturday, but my mind was elsewhere. 

Alabama's big rivalry football game was in the early afternoon. Alas, we lost by three points and our chance for the playoffs was lost with it. But, there's always next year. It wasn't the way I wanted the weekend to go. 

At least I have loads to hold my attention. A new month upon us means that there's all kind of new challenges. And, it's the last month of the year, meaning most of us want to finish the project with a bang. I'm probably attempting more than I should for this holiday season, but why the heck not!?

First, Kasia of Everything Art is offering up a Free Advent Calendar art journaling adventure. AND, it's time for #CarveDecember from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer. But, I have a feeling I won't be participating in both of those challenges everyday. It is a busy month. 

Let's see the inspiration I found this month:

• Here are 30+ Upcycling Ideas for Alternative Christmas Trees at Sadie Seasongoods. 
• Several of the books on this list of 10 Art Books to Nourish Your Creative Soul have been added to my Christmas list 
• Rings & Things shared a simple tutorial for a pair of birthstone earrings. 
• Learn to use resin to make a variety of pendants. 
• I've got my own collection of wooden spools, so I loved finding this roundup of Creative Crafts to make with old Wooden Thread Spools. 

With Christmas coming, I'm sure I'll have all kinds of holiday fun to share with you. Since it's such a chaotic time of the year, I encourage you to stop, take a few deep breaths, and remember what's important. Now, please help me remember to take my own advice! Have a wonderful week.