This exact boxelder bug has been attached to a window at the front of our house for a week now. The window is located at the bottom of the stairs, so we all pass by this creature on a daily basis. The bug sometimes moves to another pane for a few hours, but then it comes back to this same spot. You might even be able to see the finger smudge on the glass, where my dad tried to "heat it up, to trick that stupid thing into thinking it was warm enough to fly away." I've also flicked the glass from the inside several times. On the first attempt, I got him to jump a little bit, but he hasn't flinched since.

Don't ask why we don't just open the front door, step outside, and kill it. That hadn't actually occurred to me until just now.

The last of the leaves are falling from the trees, which is my cue to get nostalgic and to start unearthing new and old traditions to pass the time in the lonely winter months. I'll admit right away that I started listening to Christmas music (Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, the Elf soundtrack) back in October, and I've been dying to string Christmas lights in my bedroom and office ever since. Yesterday, I walked to the local drugstore and picked up some Ghiradelli's peppermint bark squares, which will go perfectly with the soon-to-be-purchased peppermint mocha frappuccino bottles and already-running-low hot chocolate mixes.

I will also admit that knitting projects are littered all over my desk and dresser, and I've squirreled away enough back issues of Real Simple and Dwell to last me at least two months. The fuzzy socks have been cleaned and put away, and my growing family of scarves has made itself at home in every open nook and cranny in the closet.

The next step is to make time for this year's Thanksgiving get-away at my grandparents' house in Tennessee. Everything about their little cabin in the woods oozes warmth and comfort, and I cannot wait to be enveloped by the familiar sights and smells. After that, I hope to start a new tradition of attending the members-only party at the Art Institute of Chicago. I won't bore you with the details of all the girly, frilly things I plan to wear to the event; just don't be surprised if I end up on the front page of The Chicago Tribune the next day under a headline ripped from a chick flick. "Chicago's Cinderella: Who Is She? Where Did She Come From?"

That's enough prattling for now. Your turn! What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming month and the winter season?

Tonight, my stomach has lodged a formal complaint against my mouth for ingesting [fill in the blank]. There is some serious rioting going on down there, and I can actually feel the wooden stakes from the protest signs jabbing against other vital organs.

That said, here are a handful of places you might want to go this week to avoid hearing any more about my digestive tract:

Design*Sponge: I had forgotten about this site for almost a year, so I expect to be failing out of classes this semester as I catch up on the archives. This place is full of lovely inspiration (and DIY advice) for interior design, graphic design, typography, crafts, and anything else that is generally considered beautiful and/or artsy.

All Things Europe (Tumblr): One of their pictures recently made it to the Tumblr Radar, and I clicked through to find an amazing gallery of photographs from all over Europe. I am writhing on the floor in jealousy right now, and all plans to visit Hawaii, New York, L.A., and other boring American destinations have been put on hold until I check "visit every country in Europe" off my bucket list.

Sherlock (PBS show): Each episode is over an hour long, but it is totally worth missing out on a few reruns of House Hunters to watch this. Series 1 of the show is only available online until December 7, 2010, so scurry over there right now. Basically, it's Sherlock Holmes set in modern-day England with enough dreamy accents to make you fall off your chair. Twice. Go, go, go!

Edited to add: apparently, the "schedule a post" feature works better when you aren't sick and messing up the scheduled post date. Sorry for the delay.