Wow. November sure flew by, huh? I guess we’re in that time of the year, though, where everything starts to just pile on and pile on until it’s all over. Which is great as far as I’m concerned because Winter isn’t my most favorite season.
Come along with me on a journey of the highlights of this past month. Just a heads up, first, some links contained in this post are affiliate links. That means that if you purchase anything directly from those links, at no additional cost to you, I’ll get a little bit to buy a coffee while I’m writing up my next post. Thanks for supporting the companies that help to support little bloggers like me. 

First and foremost, November 15, 2017 was the launch of &/Both Magazine! The night of our launch party was just magical. Filled with champagne, glitter, giddiness, and even some real beautiful conversations about the creative process and how it’s both hard work and a sacred miracle all at once. It was one of the most important nights of my life and I’ll remember that sequined dress and the way my partner beamed at me forever and always. ❤
Here’s a post that I wrote all about it complete with info on how to pick up your own copy.

I made this Golden Coconut Lentil Soup this month and it’s rocketed to the top of my most favorite soups of all time. I was tempted to skip the toasted-coconut garnish but I’m glad I didn’t. It adds a beautiful extra flavor/ texture layer. We’ve made it twice, already, and there’s more in my fridge right now waiting to be my lunch.

What Do We Do With the Art of Monstrous Men? This was a beautifully written article that provides more questions than answers–which is exactly how I feel at this time when there’s sex abuse allegation after sex abuse allegation. It’s a long read. I kept it open on my phone and digested it in little bites throughout the day.

ModCloth didn’t do a Black Friday sale this year. Instead, they shut down their site and went out into the world. They donated a retail value of $5 Million Dollars worth of clothing to Dress for Success, which is a super cool charity that I am pumped about! Because of this, I’m very, very excited to push ModCloth on you guys. Here’s a list of a few things that I love the most from their site right now [not affiliate links, I just love ModCloth].
This blazer would be a wonderful piece to cover with your button collection. Here’s some buttons for your button collection. And in case you might come across as too soft or preppy, here’s some boots to pair with it all. Also, get yourself some new pajamas. YOU DESERVE IT!

Books that I read this month [Amazon affiliate links]:
Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert (five stars–I loved this book a lot)
That’s literally all the books I read this month. November has been hard and in times of sadness and stress, my ability to read and comprehend are the first to go (this was really helpful as an English major around finals time).

Books that are on my TBR list [Amazon affiliate links]:
Sad Girls (poetry) by Lang Leav
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
Everything is Awful by Matt Bellassai (buy this for everyone on your Christmas list.)

I loved and was challenged by this blog post by Wit + Delight about 11 Thoughtful, Budget-Friendly Ways to Express Gratitude. I find that I often times feel more gratitude than I really express. And I’d like to change that around.

And lastly, we lost someone that we loved very much this month. My husband’s family spent all of November either sleeping on the floor of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at the hospital or, sadly, huddled around a kitchen island, planning a funeral. Ryan’s grandfather, Charles, is a well-loved man. When I close my eyes and picture him, I only think of that laugh. He’d make himself laugh so hard–even if no one else was laughing along! He was happy. And he died exactly the way that he lived: surrounded by love and light.
The past month in such close quarters with Ryan’s family reminds me of how lucky I am to get to be a part of this family. In this family, above all else, there is love. I wrote a little bit about it a few weeks ago, before Charles had passed, in a piece that I called Hurricane Love.

Tell me about the most poignant moments of the past month for you. Was there the biggest joy? Was there immeasurable sorrow? Was there both? That’s life. That’s what &/Both is.

XOXO, Lib