The beauty of this 31-Day Series that I was a part of, inspired by The Nester and these wonderful bloggers, is that we all shared a different kind of hospitality message. If you have followed along, you will know exactly what I mean.

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Nester talked about seizing the day – every day – in the many seasons of life. She has given a month’s worth of tips for taking our messiness and turning it into something beautiful in our homes. I love Nester’s wisdom, as she talks about this season of raising her boys. I can relate because I now have 3 teens, and only a couple months ago we sent our first son off to college.

The home is here to serve us. To teach us. I don’t want to lose out on embracing each season of their childhood. I hope I can recognize it and revel in it. –The Nester, Nesting Place

Darcy has rocked my world with her photography lessons. I wish I had more time to implement them, but I’ve encouraged her all along to put these 31 Days into book form. She shared amazing tips and resources and I love her attitude toward photography.

There’s just no telling why people fall in love with the images they do. It’s emotional, it’s memorable, it’s the experience… it’s definitely much more than the sum of f-stops and shutter speeds. –Darcy, Life With My 3 Boybarians

Emily has shared 31 days of living simply. Fabulous posts full of wisdom and insight. Here’s a quote that stood out for me.

As busy as we can make ourselves feel, or sometimes as busy as we want to seem to others, there is nothing more important than just making time. For a friend. For a daughter. For someone who wants you and needs you for something. There is always something else you can do, somewhere else you can be. We all get the same amount of time each day. If we say we don’t have the time, what we really mean is that we don’t want to make the time. Because if you can’t make it for one thing, it means you made it for something else. Something else took priority. Today, choose to make the time. Make time for yourself. Make time for someone else. Make the time for something you’ve been putting off. I doubt you’ll regret it. – Emily, Remodeling this Life

Kendra is amazing. Every single post hit home with me as she wrote about her family and the inspired table. Because I love to talk about food and what happens around our dining table, my favorite (amongst many!) post of Kendra’s is something I have never written about on my blog. And that is sharing food (bites) with family members. Sharing the flavor with one another. We’ve always done this, but intentionally?

Setting the expectation to share now will encourage everyone to try new flavors later… and just be plain nicer to each other. –Kendra, My First Kitchen

I love how Jen is so real with her 31 Days to More with Less, with some incredible posts on money and home management. She has shared a variety of insights but her honesty here is perfect for most women, and with the holidays ahead.

Realizing that you can’t do it all frees one up to experience the moment. –Jen, Balancing Bedlam and Beauty

Melissa is so inspiring (thus her blog!) but the post that jumped out for me during the 31 Days of Autumn Bliss was when she talked about our homes being “good enough” or not being “good enough. Day #15 was it for me!

There is a time when I need to slow myself down long enough to find contentment with what I already have, EVEN if I don’t like it (my home). I have seasons when I make myself declare my home is “good enough,” even if it is just good enough for now. I use those regular self-imposed times of “no time consuming improvements” to help myself focus on other priorities in life. –Melissa, The Inspired Room

And last to speak on this 31st Day is Emily. Which in a way ties in to entertaining and becoming a gracious hostess. Emily’s Day #7 sums it up. It’s in the art and the day to day living that we find and receive and live out grace. For me, as a hostess, I think of being gracious when situations or even relationships go bad. How do you react? What is your heart saying? What are your words? Are you extending yourself to others, even when you do not feel like it? What about when you are afraid to reach out? What does grace feel like when you are forced to confront? Day by day, Emily walks us through something very beautiful.

The opposite of fear is life, and grace is the gift that makes it possible to exchange one for the other. – Emily, Chatting at the Sky

I know today is Halloween. And it’s a Sunday. And I wonder who will even read my closing “31-Day” post, but maybe it’s just for me. I went back through my friends’ blogs for 31 Days and I wept. I loved the beauty and the authenticity and the inspiration that flowed from each lady – for 217 days. It makes me sad to end, but I’m happy for the new month ahead.

Starting tomorrow, the beautiful month of November, I have some posts in mind on thankfulness and gratitude and even some yummy Thanksgiving recipes. But I’d love to hear from you what you’d like to read here on RE? Help for your Thanksgiving Day dinner? What about inspirational and honest posts, too, that deal with relationships? I know that to some, practicing hospitality over the holidays can be very painful.

Please let me know what you’d like to read over the next two months?

Thank you again for joining in with me and my friends in October. I’m so happy to have met so many new readers! And if you have my new book, on page 141 is my Chicken Chili recipe. Make it up for your family, or feed it to a crowd tonight!

It’s an easy and delicious Halloween meal and everyone loves it!