Every month I set a few simple goals to add focus to my life. Here are my monthly goals for November 2025.
Click here to learn how I set goals around a word of the year.
How Did October Go?
What You'll Find on This Page
October was one of the toughest months of my life, and not in ways that I feel up to writing about with any grace or coherence.
Unsurprisingly, I did not accomplish many of my October goals. I didn’t write up the post I planned, although I did publish this fun roundup of stocking stuffers to sew. Anna and I bought her Halloween costume instead of sewing it (it was really cute). I didn’t touch my quilt top.
I did enjoy seeing Emma, as well as my niece and nephew, and even my sister and her family at the end of the month. And fall was its usual beautiful self, which I enjoyed while walking our dog, usually with my daughter Lily for very delightful company. So there were good things happening, including two new family members:
Meet the Cats!
Lily and Anna have wanted cats for well over a decade, and this month I said yes. Meet Lily’s cat, Ophelia, who was rescued from a ringworm colony:
And Anna’s cat, Captain Ketchup, who was thrown out of a moving car:
Each cat is very attached to the child who brought them home, and they are incredibly cheery to have around the house during tough times.
Interestingly, they both befriended our dog before they befriended each other, but they are now good friends. They keep the dog so engaged that she hardly ever barks any more. Apparently she needed to be the pet of some cats (pretty sure that’s the direction this runs) to discover inner peace.
My Monthly Goals for November 2025
November will, sadly, be difficult in many of the same ways as October. But I do still want some simple goals:
- Help Johnny with his college applications. He already got into one school, which is lovely, because now he can just apply to others he is interested knowing that he has at least one decent option. He is also very organized, so helping him is all of the fun parts – reading and commenting on essays and enjoying his art portfolio photos (he’s applying to study architecture).
- Enjoy having Emma home for Thanksgiving.
- Let the pets entertain me. Laughter is a most excellent medicine.
- Keep up with work and classes.
- Make the most of beautiful fall weather (my favorite time of year!)
- Blog, play music, and craft when it works.
What are your goals for this November?
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
I’m sorry October was hard and that November will be hard too.
October was lots of migraines for me, which meant a lot of just trying to get by.
The cats are very cute, and congratulations on Johnny getting into one college!
Your migraines sound really hard. Hopefully November will be better. The cats are fun (if a little chaotic), and it is so nice that Johnny has one solid college choice for sure.