Week of November 17th - November 24th (24') | Prepping for Thanksgiving, Soft Launching Christmas Decor, and Exploring Holiday Markets in Historic Downtown Brunswick
This is the (Joy)Cap where I share a weekly reflection or lesson and a roundup of links, recommendations, and everything that’s bringing me joy, inviting you to do the same. Think of this as a weekly coffee date with my close friends. ☕️💕🫶🏾 Join me on a weekly joy hunt and start receiving the (Joy)Cap by subscribing today! ✨
Happy Sunday, friends!
What a week it’s been. I started the week doing a massive brain dump of all that I have to get done before Thanksgiving and before December begins, and thankfully, I’ve been slowly making progress, ticking things off bit by bit. It's been a packed week, from house repairs to researching local schools, making Thanksgiving shopping lists, and exploring our new area. Through it all, I’ve been doing my best to prioritize self-care and rest—even if it’s just in small moments.
I’m so grateful for your presence here. This space is more than just a place to write; it’s our community. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and enter the holiday season, I pray your week is filled with joy and rest and that your hearts will be light.
What Brought Me Joy ✨
Organizing my tea drawer. Within the last two years, I added tea into my nightly wind down routine, which is funny as someone who has always had a strong distaste for what I would call grass water. I’ve collected quite a few different types of tea over the last few years and was looking for away to organize it in the new house. I had ordered this tea organizer a few weeks ago, and it finally came. I’m happy that all my tea now has a new home.
2. Bringing down the Christmas mugs. I haven’t decorated for Christmas yet, we will actually be decorating later today. However, I soft launched our decorating by bringining down the Christmas mugs, and they’ve been doing some good to spark joy and bring about the Christmas spirit.
3. Storytime at the library with the kids. On Thursday we attended storytime at the library for the first time, and it was so cute. The children’s librarian dressed up as a turkey and she read the kids a few Thanksgiving books. The kids got to play afterwards and I got to connect with a few local moms
4. Attending the holiday market and exploring Historic Downtown Brunswick with the kids. Yesterday, the kids and I ventured into downtown for the Moxie Craft Fest, one of the first holiday markets of the season. I had shared in this note, that Saturdays are usually reserved for lounging around the house, but I’ve been wanting to get a pulse of the city, so I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to fly solo with the downtown. We visted the festival, I ended up meeting a neighbor, and turns out that the library is in the heart of downtown, so we picked up a few library holds while the kids warmed up and play. The one thing that the Holy Spirit has been imprinting on my heart is that I have to immerse myself and be a part of the community that I seek. So I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone to learn the lay of the land and meet new people. The more I get out and explore, the more I find my heart warming up to this place.
I have so many books on my Christmas TBR, so I decided to go ahead and start them in November in hopes of tackling them all. While I work my way into the Christmas spirit, I did a taste test of sorts of a few books and settled on One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery. I’m about 50 pages in and enjoying it so far.
I’m always sharing my thoughts in real time on Fable and Instagram. For ratings and reviews, check out my Goodreads.
I would love to hear from you! What brought you joy this week? Leave a comment, or send me a direct message!
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I love a great big massive braindump, too, Janelle. I feel like a whole new person as I cross off one task or must-do after another. You make me feel like I'm in very good company. And I just finished The City Baker's Guide this week, too. There's nothing like New England to feel all warm and cozy right about now.
This week joy was going to an Mosque with my family. We attend an open mosque every year where they invite the community in to ask questions and learn more about Islam. They provide lunch and even give the children toys. It is such a nice event and a great way to connect with people of other faiths and share our common ground.
I love a great big massive braindump, too, Janelle. I feel like a whole new person as I cross off one task or must-do after another. You make me feel like I'm in very good company. And I just finished The City Baker's Guide this week, too. There's nothing like New England to feel all warm and cozy right about now.
Happy Thanksgiving.
This week joy was going to an Mosque with my family. We attend an open mosque every year where they invite the community in to ask questions and learn more about Islam. They provide lunch and even give the children toys. It is such a nice event and a great way to connect with people of other faiths and share our common ground.