Sweetpea… Butter bean... Snookey Ookums..

October starts Thursday.

THURSDAY.

How?! 😂

September has been our month of coming home.

We've gotten back into our routines.

We've cooked dinner.

We've talked about making our houses the place to be.

We've gathered people.

We've made Game Day count as dinner.

We've practiced taking care of Future Us.

And now?

We're ready for October.

Not because everything is perfectly organized.

Not because the freezer is empty and waiting.

Not because we've magically completed every lingering house project.

We're ready because we have a plan.

🌿 Host Yourself First

Before we begin Prepsgiving on Thursday, I want you to promise me something:

We are not turning October into a month-long chore.

Prepsgiving isn't about squeezing more productivity out of ourselves.

It's about moving a handful of tasks from the most stressful weeks of the year into a month where we have a little more room.

That's all.

We're going to do small things.

We're going to skip things that don't apply to us.

We're going to take shortcuts.

We're going to buy things instead of making them when that makes sense.

We're going to make things ahead when THAT makes sense.

And we're going to keep enjoying October while we're doing it.

Because the entire point of preparing early is:

I want Future Me to have more time to live.

🍽️ This Week at the Table

This week, I want dinner to be EASY.

Because whenever I'm starting something new, my instinct is to suddenly reinvent every other area of my life at the exact same time.

New month!

New routine!

New meal plan!

New workout!

Let's reorganize the pantry!

NO MA'AM. 😂

Pick three dinners you know how to make.

I'm making BBQ Chicken Slider Subs, these Crispy Chicken Bites that I now call 'Chicken Croutons,' and the usual Caesar Salmon and Broccoli!

Put something easy in the freezer.

Buy the shortcut.

Make enough for leftovers.

This is not the week for culinary innovation.

We're creating a little margin so we can head into October feeling grounded instead of already behind.

🏡 Future Me Approves

And speaking of Future Me…

Prepsgiving begins October 1! 🦃✨

For 31 days, we're going to tackle one manageable task at a time in three areas:

🏡 HOME — making room and handling little house tasks before they become holiday emergencies.

🍲 FOOD — stocking our Homemade Convenience Freezers, prepping ahead, and making future meals easier.

🥂 HOSTING — making decisions now so gathering later feels lighter.

If you've already joined the Prepsgiving list:

YOU'RE IN.

I'll see you Thursday.

If you haven't joined yet, there's still time.

​[JOIN PREPSGIVING →]​

And remember: this is completely free.

You don't need to host Thanksgiving.

You don't need a giant house.

You don't need to celebrate every holiday.

You just need to think:

“I'd really like November and December to feel a little easier this year.”

Come with us.

🤍 This Week’s Blessing

As September closes, here's what I hope we carry with us:

May our homes be lived in.

May our tables be used.

May our freezers hold something good.

May we make plans—and leave room for plans to change.

May preparation feel like care instead of pressure.

May we remember that ready enough is still ready.

May October be full of beautiful ordinary days that don't need optimizing.

And may every little thing we do ahead of time give Future Us a little more room to say yes.

Yes to dinner.

Yes to the invitation.

Yes to sitting down.

Yes to one more cup of tea.

Yes to staying at the table a little longer.

September, you've been lovely.

October? We're ready for you.

From my table to yours,
Ashley | Chez Sweetpea 🤍