Happy November!

I love fall (here's a post about my favorite parts this year), but also, I generally find myself SO ready for November, since it's the month before December.  The coziness and traditions and nostalgia of this time of year kick into high gear for me. It's all part of the subtle, slow transition. This week, that looks like:

1. making hastbullar (cardamom buns) on Halloween for fika (but also for eating before bed & as a mid-morning snack). The recipe is from this book, which I really cannot recommend enough. I've made most of the innately gluten-free recipes in it, and modified a few others to be gluten-free. We've loved everything.
2. the mum scent of Mrs Meyer's dish soap
3. wearing lightweight sweaters (for cool mornings!) and sandals (because it will be mid-80's after lunch). On that note, my leather chacos that Nicholas gave me for my birthday are so comfy and cute and versatile.
4. being more consistent in my bible reading every day (and at least reading a short devotional on work days)
5. watching trailers of movies coming out sometimes in the rest of 2016 (and planning our dates to the movies—we're pretty selective about which ones are worth seeing on the big screen and we're excited to use a gift card we have for the theater!)
6. doing a little bit of Christmas gift listing/scheming/listing/shopping
7. wearing my new tank from my friend Lauren's shop The Made Haven. I love the fit, the versatility and how well it works with the rest of my wardrobe. (P.S.—she does the watercolors/calligraphy printed on the items in her shop! It's so cool to see my sister pursuing the creative talent God blessed her with. And this is a great place to start Christmas shopping if you're looking for ideas.
8. Listening to She & Him's album Classics, and it's helping (slightly) to ward off my desire to listen to Christmas music
9. watching the World Series of the Cubs vs. the Indians. Go Cubs!
10. meeting my friend Molly for a time of laughter, coffee, knitting, encouragement, and prayer on a morning where it was cool enough to sit at an outside table, wearing sweaters
11. making creamy chicken and rice soup from one of my absolute favorite cookbooks, The Family Flavor for our Halloween-night-in
12. plotting to make a few new (flannel!) pillow covers to spruce up our apartment
13. resuming Gilmore Girls where I left off several months, since everyone else is doing it

I'm excited for this month! So much preparation and anticipation. Oh, and coffee? My goodness, I really don't drink that much coffee, but coffee breaks are the perfect photo opportunities, so they're a bit overrepresented. ;)