Whew…November just flew by! Or was it just me? I was not around here a lot, and I do apologize, but I spent my time writing 50,000 words of a novel, and I’m not done yet! I did take a week off from writing; I hit my 50,000 word goal last Wednesday, the 27th. With Thanksgiving and the start of December, I just needed a break from all of the writing. I have to say, my novel is coming along swimmingly, and I still have a ways to go, so I will check in on here with updates as the writing comes along.

What else have I been up to? Well, last week I also participated in a Nophonevember Challenge; using my phone as little as possible, and trying to just stay involved and present in my day. It was quite refreshing to take a break from the phone and just be with Little Man. It made a huge difference, especially because he was miserable most of the week. We’ve gotten 5 new teeth since last Tuesday night, three molars included that came in Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights. Eek! This morning I found two new teeth on the bottom near the front as well. Let’s just say he has not been the most pleasant, and by not burying myself in my phone, I’ve been able to be a better support for him, and notice when he is getting ready to scream or turn into a terror. It doesn’t help that he is still nonverbal, and the frustration is real with him as he tries to communicate and just can’t.

I’ve done a lot of baking and cooking this past month. A few weeks ago, we felt like trying something new, and I found this awesome recipe for Cottage Pie with Tater Tots, or, as we call it, “Tater Tottage Pie!” For Thanksgiving alone, I made Pepperoni Rolls, Toffee Squares, and a Taco Dip. I introduced the family to my old boss’s Lemon-Blackberry Bars. They are just so delicious! My Cinnamon Rolls also made an appearance, and I’ve got two new loaves of Rhodes dough thawing and proofing upstairs in the kitchen as I type this. They will be so delicious tomorrow morning! With Christmas coming up, I always turn to cookies. I will be making my usual Chocolate Chip Cookies, and am also planning on some snowmen as well. Can you believe my MIL has never made snowman cookies? I know! I was shocked, too!

We’ve gotten a ton of snow in the past week as well, and Little Man is really taking to it. He loves to get bundled up and go out for a walk around the house and the yard. We had a quick turn from fall to winter; we are expecting single digit cold next week, with a high of 1 F next Wednesday! I’m excited for the challenge of living so far north, so remote, and dealing with the winter weather. My car, not so much. Squatch drove it last week to his new job, and on the way home, in a snowstorm where the roads were not plowed and the wind was blowing the snow everywhere, he lost traction, spun around, and ended up in a farmer’s field on the opposite side of the road. My FIL is hoping we can repair it ourselves, but that has not stopped me from looking around to see what is for sale locally. I had a great idea to get a Ford Transit Connect passenger van – so much room for activities and road trips, but then found out they are FWD only and do not do at all well in snow unless you throw on some special winter weather tires. So, that plan may go out the window for now. I may revisit it later on; but I do want to eventually get a larger vehicle, and I will not drive a minivan. I grew up driving a conversion van; it’s what I learned to drive in, and I am just not a fan of sitting down to get into a vehicle and not being able to see so much around me. I’ve had my eye on an Expedition or Suburban, but we shall see what happens as we continue on.

I’ll be back early next week with my monthly emotional intelligence strategy update! I’m also going to cut back on the number of weekly posts I do on here; as a way to reduce my screen time; so keep an eye out for 2 or so posts each week going forward.