November Things

Wow - how did November pass so quickly? I cannot believe it is December 1st! I mean; for myself at least, I'm sure spending two weeks in England contributed to feeling like this month flew by. I know I mentioned before I left that I felt like November would fly by because of that - and it definitely has! 

The month of November has been so full, even though portions of it were quite slow. I decorated my house for Christmas as soon as the calendar flipped to November 1st and didn't look back, ha-ha! I can't say I don't usually decorate a bit early but this year's trip to the U.K. meant I wanted it done before I left - and since I left on the 4th, I just went ahead and got her done! 

While I was in the U.K. the days were spent walking in the Abbey Gardens and around town but there was also plenty of binge-watching and reading of books. It was the perfect combination of adventuring and relaxation ... and I have plenty of pictures to document the adventuring, ha-ha! 

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I have read quite a few books this month and honestly - they were all really delightful! I started the month reading The Girl in the Mirror by Rose Carlyle which was a thriller about mirror image twins that involved murder, mayhem and sailing a yacht from Thailand to the Seychelles! The book isn't a large one and the story unspools quickly and with so many twist and turns - it was such a great read!

I also read One by One by Ruth Ware - who is quickly becoming a favorite author - which was a murder mystery that had me questioning who done it until the very end! It was easy to start, the story was compelling and it reached a place where I just couldn't put it down! I passed it on to my Mom and she was the same way, ha-ha! 

*I passed both of those books along to my Mom and she devoured them both too! Great reads!

I finally read the series American Royals by Katherine McGee and I am 100% in love with the book(s). The story positions America as a country with a monarch and let me tell you - it's fascinating, fluffy and just downright enjoyable to read! There is a second book in the series called Majesty and I also blazed through it this month - and I'm so sad to report that as of right now, those are the only two planned! The books are so excellent though - I can't recommend them enough!

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Y'all know the story on the movie front - I haven't been to a theater in ages and I don't see that changing with all the COVID cases on the rise right now! I was thrilled to see that Wonder Woman 1984 will come out in theaters on Christmas Day - but I will believe that when I see it. Looks like we will all be streaming movies for the near future! 

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Oh my goodness - do you know what I absolutely binge-watched in less than a week? The fourth season of The Crown and it was just so extremely excellent! I was absolutely enthralled by the entire story line and I must confess - while I know the storyline(s) are likely heavily dramatized; I also feel like they are closer to the truth than the royals would actually want people to know! Absolutely fabulous - no question.

The second season of The Mandalorian started at the end of October but I waited until I was with my sister to actually begin watching it... and man, I do so love the adventures of Mando and that little green guy that isn't a baby and isn't Yoda but that I will forever call Baby Yoda. The fun of The Mandalorian is that you get to immerse yourself into a galaxy far, far away for just about thirty to forty minutes each week - the show is fun, compelling, filled with adventure and let's be real - I'd watch it even if it was just Baby Yoda eating space macarons for thirty minutes! 

I also decided; after seeing so many tweets about it, to jump into the miniseries The Queen's Gambit on Netflix. I know absolutely zero things about chess but the miniseries was intriguing, dramatic and honestly - I watched all seven episodes in a little over 24 hours. *hides face* I'd highly recommend it - it's so very good! I've convinced every member of my family to watch it - and they have also sped through all seven episodes and enjoyed it very much!

I also watched some Great British Baking Show, a miniseries on Hulu called Black Narcissus and started the second season of His Dark Materials.

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Oh my - all the yummy foods! Especially in the U.K. - which is maybe not the thing you'd expect to hear but oh my goodness; my visit to the U.K. did some damage to my diet... not that I am too worried about it! We had seriously delicious burgers from Byron's and Deliveroo brought us Giggling Squid and Nando's - those are my new favorite(s). We also had divine Indian food (hello garlic naan) and grabbed Belgian Waffles topped with gelato and sipped Pink Hot Chocolate alongside them!

My Mom whipped up some incredible meals, I made some pretty tasty Tomato Soup and the Almond Croissants from Wooster's Bakery were killer! Don't get me started on the delightful treats from the stores: Whidby Buns with Lemon Curd, Cherry Bakewell Tarts, Shortbread, Mint Chocolates... and even though they aren't pictured, the spiced nuts from the Market? Drool! 

When I got home, I was lucky enough to indulge in a Thanksgiving feast with some friends and I even whipped up a miniature batch of Sweet Potato Casserole with some leftover sweet potato mash! And I also finally tried out the Chili on top of Cornbread Waffles from Pinterest - and it was divine!

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I know it's only November but I've been listening to.... Christmas music! Why is that not surprising? I downloaded Leslie Odom Jr.'s Christmas album and I also added Pentatonix new Christmas tunes to my rotation and I especially love their version of Amazing Grace: Chains Are Gone - it's beautiful! I actually have listened to almost 0 podcasts all month long because that's something I listen to a lot at work - and I haven't actually been at work much this month, ha-ha! 

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That's all I've got for the month of November - I just cannot believe that the turkey has been eaten, the Christmas lights are up and there is just one month left in this year! It's absolutely mind-boggling but this crazy strange year is only a month away from coming to a close!