November Monthly Musings // From The Inspired Abode
It’s hard to believe it’s already November! Before we know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving, then the holidays & Christmas, then New Year’s, and then spring will be here before we know it and we’ll have a new baby in the family!
Speaking of life changes, Brooke & her husband have some other big news coming up that we can’t wait to share! It’s been a whirlwind, but all such exciting things coming later this month – and so many future projects that go along with the news.
In the meantime, we’re focusing on staying as present as possible, putting down our screens when work is over, and taking in every bit of the magic that comes with the fall season – especially with little ones 🍂
To see the full content from this post, read this newsletter on Substack & be sure to join the group chat and sign up for our newsletter to receive everything straight to your inbox! These Monthly Musings newsletters will be delivered to your inbox on the first Saturday of each month (for free!) & you can also opt into the club to get bonus content, cute merch, and more ✨
links we can’t stop sending each other, products, links, current faves
Since B is in the midst of the second trimester with baby number two, she started upping her use of our favorite Fearless Mama Belly Butter from Skin and Senses – the luminous scent is our fave, but they have an unscented version too!
We used to be all about taking propolis to help with our immunity, but after listening to founder Carly Kremer on a podcast, we definitely want to add everything Beekeeper’s Naturals to our cart – and love that her newish addition inspired their line of kids’ products!
Has anyone ever been on a Canyon Spirit train? We keep seeing the ads during Jeopardy, and it seems like such a cool way to explore so many of our bucket-list destinations: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches National Park, Moab & more!
We had no idea Quince had supplements, but we just ordered the Collagen Peptides Plus & Superfood Greens powder (although not recommended for pregnancy just like AG1) and can’t wait to see if we experience positive effects!
Kel hopped on the Branch Basics train, so she’s very excited to see how that goes with their Cleaning Essentials trio: all-purpose cleaner, streak-free (window) cleaner & bathroom cleaner. Will report back! If you have any tips or hacks, let us know in the comments or respond to this email.
what we’re watching
Continuing our list of Matthew McConaughey movies this year, we watched The Lost Bus on Apple TV about the true story of the hero bus driver who saved kids during the devastating 2018 fires in Paradise, California. We were pulling our hair and holding our faces the entire time… super intense, but very good!
We both started The Chair Company & while we’re having completely different experiences (one of us was laughing so much you could call it cackling & the other was just intrigued & interested), it’s a fun watch to get our fix for HBO’s Sunday night programming!
We’re also soooo excited to get into season two of Nobody Wants This on Netflix. We watched the first episode (and have avoided all spoilers) & are excited to see how things shake out. And also excited to see Leighton Meester (Adam Brody’s real-life wife) on screen again!
what we’re reading
We’re skipping our book club book (All Fours by Miranda July) because it just doesn’t sound like something we’d enjoy, but we both finally finished Recursion by Blake Crouch! Definitely had some anxiety-ridden moments, but it kept our interest and is great for fans of his other book: Dark Matter!
Now that we need a new book to start, we’re thinking of: These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean or The Compound by Aisling Rawle, but we’re currently accepting recommendations!
what we’re listening to
Loved listening to Jay Shetty’s podcast with Dr. Becky Kennedy of Good Inside, which shared lots of great parenting suggestions & tidbits for parents of any-aged child who wants to raise resilient kids who will become well-adjusted adults!
Also listened to Dr. Becky Kennedy on, our fave, Liz Moody’s podcast – so take your pick or listen to both!
We’ve never listened to The Everygirl Podcast before, but Kel recently just listened to the “9 Cool Girl Hobbies” episode, and we were definitely taking notes on hobby ideas that can drastically improve your life!
what we’re eating/drinking
Kel made these protein overnight oats for a quick, easy make-ahead breakfast option, and while she loved the ease, she still prefers their go-to morning protein smoothie!
Since we’re trying to lower our cholesterol considering we’re genetically higher risk, we finally got the My Fitness Pal app to try to limit our fat intake & up our protein. If anyone has any favorite recipes on the app, send them our way!
We’ve been making these Mediterranean Salad Bowls (with Lebanese meatballs for the husbands!), and it’s such a fresh meal that’s fairly kid-friendly too.
little joys
We were on the hunt for an apple-picking spot this fall, and while it proved way harder to find one than we thought, we did have fun picking our own raspberries at Julian Farm & Orchard – such a cute, wholesome, family-friendly day!
Kel’s daughter asked for a pillow, and it’s the world’s cutest thing to see her adorable head on the most darling toddler pillow (thanks to this chic pillow cover!)
Girls night with one of our best friends who was in town for less than 24 hours from Australia 🤍
Fun fall family activities: walking to the fall festival at our neighborhood elementary school, exploring the cutest little town of Julian & more 🍂
Pretend play is in full force with our little two-year-olds & it’s the sweetest thing ever. They love “baking” muffins in the oven, making us meals in their play kitchen, and so much more.
We’d love to know what you’ve enjoyed watching, listening to, eating, drinking & what you’ve been eyeing and are looking forward to. Let us know in the comments section or send us a DM on Instagram – or better yet, join the group chat when you sign up for our newsletter! You can also follow us on Pinterest to see what inspires us & our abodes!