Friends, we’re almost halfway through NaBloPoMo, can you believe it? Regardless if you’re sailing through or struggling a bit with the daily posts, I hope you’re having a little fun along the way and have made some new connections! I, for one, am so glad to be in a more regular blog posting (and reading) routine. Thank you all for your thoughtful comments and inspiring posts!
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As you might have heard, the government shutdown has ended. I’ve been officially back to work since yesterday. We all walked around in a bit of a daze at the office, wondering what we had been doing before we were forced to stay home for 43 days.
Not surprisingly, it ended with a bit more bullying (what else is new?), as the official email to call us back to work was sent out late at night (past my bedtime!) with the order to show up the next morning. I obviously feel for the people who were forced to work without pay through the shutdown and certainly won’t complain about having my job back, but 24-hour notice would have been nice.
I also had hoped for the Dems to walk away with a bit more to show for. If this was a strategic move for future elections, I hope people remember who is really causing their pain. I guess it’s going to still get worse before it gets better. Also, the CR (continuing resolution) only funds the government until January 30. Who knows what happens then.
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I picked up my first bag of holiday coffee for the year. Trader Joe’s sadly discontinued their Gingerbread coffee last year, which was a real bummer, but I am enjoying their Cinnamon Spiced Coffee instead. I guess this is my flavor fix, as I don’t really used flavored creamers in my coffee (although I’d very much like to try the Silk Peppermint Mocha Oat Creamer that Elisabeth repeatedly raves about, but which does not seem to be available in the US.
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I am contemplating new planners for the new year. I had both a paper and a (iPad) digital planer this year, which I both used intermittently. I am blaming it on the craziness of 2025. But now that we’re nearing the end of this crazy year, I am thinking about what to do next year. Jenny has blogged about a new planner she’ll be trying out, and SHU and Elisabeth were hosting a giveaway for Sprouted planners (which I sadly did not win – but congrats to the two lucky winners!), and I am looking at all the options. Any planners you can recommend that you’ve used in the past and loved?
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My weekend plans include planning for the week ahead (I need to get onto a regular, early morning schedule again with my workouts, so I can make it to the office at a reasonable time) and staying dry. We’ve been getting an atmospheric river here in California and it’s supposed to be cool and wet around here for the next few days.
What are your weekend plans?
I am doing NaBloPoMo this month. 30 blog posts in 30 days. Come join me. #nablopomo2025
Links to the Participants List. Happy Writing!
Nicole MacPherson
November 14, 2025 at 3:29 pmYou didn’t even get 24 hours notice? That’s nuts, San!
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:44 amYeah. We got a “heads-up” message around 3 pm in the afternoon, but nothing was official until late at night.
Suzanne
November 14, 2025 at 3:37 pmI’m so glad the shutdown is over but sheesh – some notice would have been appropriate! Your cinnamon coffee sounds festive. I wonder if my husband would like it?
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:46 amYou could “test” it buy adding a little cinnamon to your coffee grounds?!
Birchie
November 14, 2025 at 3:53 pmUgh on the late night back to work orders. Buy yay that it’s over [at least until Jan 30]. I hope that you get backpay for the time you were off.
Last year for the first time ever I got a paper planner which was a SHU rec/vetted by Jenny. It’s the At-A-Glance Planner Weekly and Monthly, 7″ x 8.75″. It’s only about $20. I liked it for work because I had a lot of irregular deadlines and I needed to write them out so that I could see them visually in one place. Now I use the daily pages more, but they aren’t very big so I’ll probably get a daily planner to use in addition.
Martha
November 14, 2025 at 4:35 pmIt’s crazy that you didn’t get at least 24 hours notice! We definitely still have a lot to worry about. Have a great weekend San and thank you again for hosting NaBloPoMo, it’s been a great time!
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:47 amSo happy you’re enjoying NaBloPoMo, Martha. And thanks for joining!
Common Household Mom
November 14, 2025 at 6:13 pmGlad you and all federal workers are back to work. I was wondering how They were going to manage the back-to-work part of ending the shutdown, and it sounds like it was managed like everything else they are doing in 2025 – in the worst possible way. My own work depends partly on federal government publications, so I’m kinda sorta glad to be back to my regular schedule but also thinking that the past 43 days were a kind of preview of retirement – I could get to like it!
The Dems squandered a chance to use the reopening to do massive messaging highlighting the cruelty of… well, never mind. I’m sure most people know.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:47 amIt’s been a big mess, that’s for sure! Thanks for stopping by!
J
November 14, 2025 at 8:42 pmI’m so glad you’re back at work, though I’m sure everyone is shell shocked. Ridiculous to email people late and expect them to be there early the next morning.
I use Franklin Planner. My life is not complicated, mine shows me a month at a time. All of my work stuff is on Teams and Outlook, so it’s pretty much my appointments and social stuff. Do you plan workouts and meals and so on with a planner?
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:49 amI never heard of the Franklin planner, but I’ll look into it! I schedule a lot of stuff juts on my iCal because I like to set reminders for things, but I like to scribble down stuff in a paper planner too – mostly workouts and meals, yes. And just brainstorming ideas for gifts, shopping, etc.
coco
November 15, 2025 at 4:08 amgood that you are back to work and getting paid, but so bad that they didn’t give notice.
I love my hobonichi, have been using it for past 3 years and got another one for next year.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:49 amOh yes, the Hobonichi. I wanted to look at that again.
Lisa’s Yarns
November 15, 2025 at 4:17 amI am glad you are back at work and will get back pay but this whole fiasco was terrible for so many people. I hope it does not happen again! But I have little faith in congress.
I hope you stay dry this weekend! It seems like atmospheric rivers are a common occurrence these days. I had a fun night at a coworker’s house last night – there were 3 of us and we had a great time catching up. At 7 I am running with a friend that I trained for the 2015 marathon with. I haven’t seen her in over 2 years! We are going to run 5 miles so have a good amount of time to catch up. Then the boys and I are going to decorate our tree! We have no plans tomorrow so I might take them to the local Swedish museum where there is a gnome exhibit! The museum is attached to a mansion and apparently the gnomes take over the mansion!
Michelle G.
November 15, 2025 at 9:29 amLisa!!! What?!!!! A gnome exhibit!!!! Holy cow, I’m about to freak out!
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:49 amSounds like you had lovely weekend plans, Lisa. I hope you feel ready for the Turkey Trot :)
Tobia | craftaliciousme
November 15, 2025 at 9:15 amYour work situation really is a disaster and I am sorry for it.
I use the planners of my client. But actually moved totally digital in September. Still trying it out but it works as of now.
As for your coffee, I just add a bit of Lebkuchengewürz in mine and it instantly takes on the holiday feel. Maybe you can do that too?
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:50 amI definitely should try and get my hand on some gingerbread spice to add to my coffee. Thanks for the suggestion!
Michelle G.
November 15, 2025 at 9:35 amSan, I’m gritting my teeth thinking of you being ordered – ORDERED- back to work with no notice. I won Elisabeth’s Sprouted Planner drawing last year, and I’ve sure enjoyed using it all year long. There are sample pages to download for free on the website so you can see if it’s something you like.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:51 amOh thanks for the tip with the downloadable pages for the Sprouted Planner. That’s a great idea!
Elisabeth
November 15, 2025 at 9:44 amI am a huge fan of Sprouted Planners, but they are not cheap :(
I wish you could get the Peppermint Mocha creamer. I honestly can’t believe it’s not available. I am sipping my afternoon decaf with a splash of that creamer right this second.
Ugh. I’m not American and try not to wade into American politics but…UGH.
I did read on BBC that cross-border traffic via cars is down 30% from Canada and via air is down 24%. It seems like Canadians are intent on showing our displeasure the only way we can (as citizens) which is to keep our money in Canada!
It has been a very rocky ride both sides of the border this year, and I’m glad you’re back to work, but cannot imagine the turmoil and uncertainty. Hugs <3
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:51 amI saw two Silk Oat Meal Creamers in the store today, but not peppermint mocha. I ended up buying some from Chobani to try out.
Tierney
November 15, 2025 at 4:03 pmI am a huge fan of Hobonichi weeks. I use the month view most consistently- there’s just something about a paper version of a monthly calendar that really allows me to wrap my head around the month. I am more hit-or-miss with the weekly pages. Sometimes I use it for weekly to-dos, other times I go weeks without using it at all. The blank pages (with grid paper) are nice for book tracking, vacation planning, longer-term lists, etc. I bought the MEGA weeks one year and had many blank pages at the end, so I’m just a basic weeks person at this point.
Digital-wise, I learned the semi-hard way that I just really need to check my Outlook work calendar weekly on Sunday nights and most days to make sure I don’t miss a meeting. I don’t have many meetings, but enough.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:52 amAnother Hobonichi Fan! I’ll have to take a closer look again. I do best with weekly layouts, I think.
Jenny
November 15, 2025 at 5:00 pmWow, it’s almost like they were trying to trick people into not showing up/being late for work on the first day back! I guess nothing should surprise us anymore. Glad you’re back at work!
Reading Birchie’s comment above- yes, this year she and I used the At-A-Glance planner, which was perfectly fine. But you could tell it was on the cheaper side, and this year I wanted something a little more luxurious. The Clever Fox is more expensive, but not as much as the Sprouted or Hobonichi.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:54 amTo be fair, we got a 3 pm “heads-up” message that we might potentially maybe have to go back to work … but that was still less than 24-hour notice with the hint to keep checking for confirmation. I guess the official furlough even said “be ready to return to work at any time”.So yeah, it’s been a bit of chicanery.
Noemi
November 15, 2025 at 7:00 pmI was thinking of you when the shutdown ended. I can’t believe you got less than 12 hours notice to return to work. That is crazy! (But sadly, I suppose, not that surprising). I really do hope all of that was for something. It’s hard to feel like it was worth it in today’s political climate…
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:54 amThank you for your kind words.
Steve
November 15, 2025 at 9:55 pmCongrats on being back to work. It sounds like a real mess any way you look at it.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:54 amYeah, messy is the right word. Thanks Steve.
Daria
November 16, 2025 at 3:38 amWhen I heard the news about the shutdown being resolved (for now) I immediately thought of you. And also our family friend who is a traffic controller at Newark airport.
Planners. I am not picky but it has to be on the larger side since I’m near sighted. I always use a note book to accompany the planner. For example, I have the 2025-2026 monthly planner for big picture but then the tasks and thoughts go into the notebook.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:55 amOh, interesting that you use a notebook alongside your planner. I think I’d prefer to have it all together… but then again, I don’t write down enough to justify a notebook.
Ernie
November 16, 2025 at 6:37 amI’m surprised you didn’t get more notice either. What if you’d have decided to travel? My weekend plans included getting Rae to family therapy Saturday and hanging out with my close friend Friday night. We talk on the phone a lot and have long catch up sessions, but we don’t get in person visits very often. It was so fun. Coach was gone from friday morning till Saturday evening at a PT course, so I was holding down the fort solo.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:56 amWe were not supposed to travel, we were supposed to be ready to return to work at any time! LOL (we were not on vacation after all, just furloughed!)
SHU
November 17, 2025 at 2:06 pmSan! What are you looking for in a planner? I can usually come up with some options to check out!
Daily pages or no? Weekly – vertical or horizontal? Lots of goal setting content or no? Size? paper type? Aesthetic?
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:26 amHi Sarah, I was thinking of reaching out to you for advice! ;) I am a little picky… but I can give you a framework for what I am looking for. I hope it’s not too specific (haha).
I prefer spiral bound, simple (not too flashy or colorful) design layouts with space for someone with large handwriting (me! I think we’re the opposite! LOL). I work well with weekly layouts (no preference on vertical or horizontal) and some goal setting content, but doesn’t have to be overboard. Preferably, the paper is nice and thick and pens don’t bleed through. Oh, and I prefer about half-letter size (or slightly bigger).
SHU
November 21, 2025 at 3:32 pmsimple and spiral bound makes me think of Appointed:
https://appointed.co/products/2026-compact-task-planner
could also consider Papier:
https://www.papier.com/us/colourblock-45207?utm_source=google&utm_cid=23130903780&utm_aid=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23140767301&gbraid=0AAAAADAyGzZ-MGyTLEqbiO50cYWv2Gm-Z&gclid=CjwKCAiAuIDJBhBoEiwAxhgyFgJ-jzjN78yq53KLmztgMx9jdnJGZJtswNuJM2hilzNoyDYHrFYz1RoCP40QAvD_BwE
Bit bigger, but more space for goals:
https://sugarpaper.com/products/2026-forest-green-signature-spiral-planner
Melissa
November 19, 2025 at 1:49 pmYeah, that late-night email wouldn’t have worked here because Australia has a legislated right to disconnect, so the earliest you could be expected to read the email would be the following morning. The whole thing is just rude and disrespectful.
San
November 21, 2025 at 11:56 amTo be fair, we got a 3pm “heads up” message to keep checking for official confirmation, but I still think it’s rude to send it out late at night.
Anne
December 5, 2025 at 3:12 pmLate night emails are bad enough; when they inform you that you need to be back at work less than 24 hours later, that’s even worse. :( So sorry you had to go through this (again) and that you may have to go through it (again) in January. I hope not, but I’m also not holding my breath…
I am generally not a flavored coffee person – I’ve been subsisting on sub-par instant, which is causing much Coffee Angst – but your cinnamon option sounds good. Now, if I could just figure out an easy way to brew one cup/day…. and work up the courage to park at our Trader Joe’s. ;)
29: Five Things on my Christmas Wishlist – theinbetweenismine
January 30, 2026 at 11:01 am[…] starting to think about a new planner. Thank you for all the suggestions, Sarah, that you left on a previous blog post. I’ve been researching and checking out different options, as I seem to be a little bit […]