1DoH: Pilgrims and Turkeys

This "100 Days of Holidays" endeavor may usually just be a glimpse into our ordinary life, but another actual holiday is fast-approaching: Kate's first Thanksgiving! Uncomplicated by gifts, consumerism, and theological v. cultural understandings of the holiday as Christmas is, Thanksgiving is just such a nice time for gathering with family and expressing gratitude.

This past week was pretty ordinary, but in little ways, we were gearing up for the fun family time we'll have next (this) week.

54) Monday 11/16: These little pilgrim candle guys make me so happy. My mom always set them out on the shelf above the toilet in the house I grew up in, and while she reminded me that their annual post was in the kitchen in our "new" house (which we moved into in 1994) I still associate them with the bathroom. So, as you can see, they have their place up with the jars of Q-tips and cotton balls in our house now. 55) Tuesday 11/17: This little gal makes me so happy too--in the bathroom or out. We love to play every evening when I get home from work.

56) Wednesday 11/18: This is as good a time as any to admit that the pics I post for each day were not always taken on that day. This was my "gift" to Matt for his birthday, which is actually tomorrow (11/19) and which we celebrated last Saturday (11/14). He's getting a blog makeover, and I constructed this little paper laptop to share that news with him! Soon, The Truth as Best I Know It will have a cool, new, non-template look!

57) Thursday 11/19: Tearza came over to hang out and play with Kate for a while this evening. Kate is very excited to meet her new little friend Emery sometime in January!

58) Friday 11/20: Matt and I went to see Donald Miller and Susan Isaacs at the second-to-last stop on their book tour. Matt is currently reading Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, and we read Isaacs' Angry Conversations with God in our young adult book group this past summer. Actually, we read Miller's Blue Like Jazz in a young adult book group we led at our previous church, so they're both great for group discussion.

59) Saturday 11/21: Some friends of Matt's parents gave Kate this fun turkey. Isn't he cute? I couldn't get Kate to hold still for a photo with it, but Charlotte was quite compliant. :0)

60) Sunday 11/22: Matt had been sick for a few days, and his voice was pretty rough, so he wanted me to deliver his sermon for him on Sunday. I agreed, but Sunday morning, Kate's sniffles were getting worse, with a super-drippy nose and a phlegmy cough, so Matt (with slightly improved voice) did his own sermon and I kept Kate home. She played with a matryoshka and a singing penguin while I started packing for our jaunt up to Louisville for Thanksgiving!

Next week: Thanksgiving, of course! I'm excited for Kate to eat mostly table food at the big meal--little bites of turkey, peas, roll, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie... mmm...