Thanksgiving: Gratitude, family, and food makes for a perfect day. I love that Thanksgiving is all about once a year recipes, giving you the option of trying things too complicated or too time consuming to make during non-holidays. If Thanksgiving prep stresses you out, Half Baked Harvest has a great Thanksgiving guide here.

Sweaters: October was so hot. My birthday felt like summer, which is only nice in theory, and I have been eager for fall weather. But now in early November, the leaves are finally brilliant fall colors, and it’s time to put on a cozy sweater and sip hot cocoa. My new favorite sweater is this cardigan from Loft.

Soups: I feel like everyone else gets excited about chicken noodle and cheddar broccoli soups, and while I like both of those, neither one is my favorite. I am a French onion fan, and it’s my goal to perfect my own French onion soup recipe this winter.

NaNoWriMo: I’m not attempting to write the full 50K that is the standard for National Novel Writing Month. I’ve tried it. I’ve failed. Repeatedly. It leaves me in a bundle of nerves for 2 to 3 weeks and then in a state of rebellion for the remainder of November. I’m 43 now, and I know better than to do this myself and my physical and mental health. A 25K start on a new novel is my goal for this challenge.

Books: This fall has been a great one for book releases. These are the late October/November releases that I am most excited about.